After overhearing his father mention a meeting, Uryū Ishida had no intention of obeying the order to wait. Instead, he chose to follow discreetly.
Once Ryūken left the training basement, Uryū carefully sensed the direction of his father's spiritual pressure from the doorway. To his surprise, the trail led not out of the hospital, but directly toward Ryūken's own office.
'He said he was meeting someone… but it just looks like he's going back to work?' Uryū frowned, more confused than ever. His desire to understand the enigmatic man who was his father drove him to creep closer, pressing himself against the cool wood of the office door.
The muffled voice he heard from within made his eyes widen. 'Amamiya? He's the one Ryūken is meeting? Now that I think about it, Amamiya did say in Soul Society that Ryūken was his savior…' The memory clicked into place.
'He forbids me from having any contact with Shinigami, yet here he is, conspiring with one in secret. Ryūken… I will uncover your truth.' Gritting his teeth, Uryū pressed his ear firmly against the door, straining to listen.
But after a few moments, all sound from within the room simply… vanished. It wasn't just quiet; it was a complete, unnatural absence of noise. Uryū pulled back, his Quincy senses flaring as he examined the doorway. A faint, shimmering distortion lingered in the air.
"A barrier?!" he whispered, shocked. What kind of discussion required this level of secrecy? Conflict warred within him. He could try to breach the barrier, but he'd be detected instantly. Waiting here was futile. With a frustrated sigh, he abandoned his eavesdropping and retreated back to the underground training space.
Inside the sealed office, the heavy silence persisted long after Amamiya's revelation. Ryūken's initial storm of rage had subsided, leaving behind a glacial, calculating calm. His mind raced, piecing together the dreadful implications.
'If that man, Yhwach, is truly returning soon, then as the last surviving Gemischt, Uryū will undoubtedly become a target. And Amamiya Miyako, as the only Gemischt Quincy whose soul persists after death… he will be hunted as well.'
Ryūken cared little for Amamiya's fate. His sole concern was his son. Uryū's unique nature as a Gemischt who had regained his powers made him a singular anomaly, and therefore, an even greater prize. Combined with Karakura Town now being in the crosshairs of both Aizen and Soul Society, a profound sense of dread settled in Ryūken's gut.
'Uryū… Amamiya is correct. Uryū must possess greater power. I can no longer afford to hinder his growth. Even if the Quincy power is a curse… neither he nor I can abandon it now. It is the only weapon we have.'
He lifted his gaze, meeting Amamiya's expectant eyes. "Amamiya Miyako. I agree to continue your instruction in the Quincy arts."
A cautious hope flickered in Amamiya's expression. "Ishida-san, you recall my specific request, I trust?"
"Blut is a hereditary technique unique to the Echt Quincy lineage. I cannot guarantee you will master it," Ryūken stated flatly. "But Ransōtengai… I can teach you that." His voice was low, decisive. He had resolved to impart his family's secret art of spirit thread manipulation.
"However, there are conditions," he added, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.
"Name them."
"Ishida Uryū. In the future, should my son ever face true peril or fall into desperate straits, you will do everything in your power to aid him. Furthermore, everything we have discussed here today, you will never reveal to him." For the first time, Ryūken allowed his paternal concern to show openly, the stern mask slipping to reveal the raw worry beneath.
Amamiya's demeanor turned solemn. He offered a respectful nod. "Uryū and I are comrades. You have my word. I will watch his back."
"Is that so… I will hold you to that," Ryūken murmured. Securing Amamiya's aid was merely a contingency. The true solution was to forge Uryū into a force capable of surviving on his own.
"You will come here every evening at six o'clock. Sharp. Do not come during the day." Ryūken still wished to keep Amamiya and Uryū apart, segregating their training to maintain his fragile control over the situation.
"Understood. You have my thanks." With a final bow, Amamiya turned and left, the Quincy barrier dissolving behind him.
Ryūken waited a moment, then returned to the basement. He found Uryū waiting, arms crossed, a deep frown etched on his face.
"Hey! Ryūken! What were you and that Shinigami talking about?!" Uryū demanded, his voice echoing in the Reishi-dense space.
Ryūken didn't answer. He simply raised his Spirit Bow, its elegant form glowing with condensed energy, and fired a single, sharp Heilig Pfeil that streaked past Uryū's ear.
"You have no need to know my affairs."
"Why not?! You lecture me about avoiding Shinigami, yet you're holding secret meetings with one! What's the meaning of that?!"
A flicker of something—exasperation, perhaps—passed behind Ryūken's glasses. "If you can defeat me, I will tell you everything."
His expression remained an impenetrable mask. "Now, stop wasting time. Is that Spirit Bow of yours only for decoration?"
The criticism was harsh, but it held a new, unspoken edge—a push to grow stronger, faster.
At least his father's words provided a clear, if distant, goal. Swallowing his questions, Uryū refocused, his own bow materializing as he resumed his struggle to find its perfect form.
…
Meanwhile, Amamiya Miyako made his way back to the Urahara Shop, intending to make use of the underground training grounds for his own practice. As he entered, however, he was met with an unexpected scene.
"Please! Train me! Make me stronger!" Chad (Yasutora Sado) was on his knees, his head bowed deeply before a visibly flustered Kisuke Urahara.
"My, my… This is quite a predicament," Urahara sighed, fanning himself nervously.
"Isn't this wonderful, Urahara-san?" Amamiya chimed in, a sly smile on his lips as he strolled into the shop. "Chad wishes to grow stronger. You should simply agree."
"But I'm hardly the suitable training partner for Mr. Sado…" Urahara offered a helpless shrug.
Amamiya wasn't buying it. "Don't play dumb. With your abilities, training Chad would be a simple matter."
'Without Abarai Renji around this time to pawn this off on, let's see you weasel out of it, Urahara. If you try to push this onto me, you'll pay a price for it.'
Urahara looked silently at the kneeling Chad, his mind clearly elsewhere. He could help the young man, yes, but his own schedule was overflowing. The timeline for Aizen to complete his new Hōgyoku in Hueco Mundo was still unknown.
While Mayuri Kurotsuchi was supposedly researching the matter in Soul Society, he lacked Urahara's firsthand experience. And Urahara himself had never attempted to create a Hōgyoku using Menos Grande as a base, leaving him with more questions than answers. The stress was becoming palpable.
"Hmm? Amamiya-san, perhaps I could entrust this matter to you?" Urahara suggested, his smile strained.
"Me? Do you know what it will cost you to ask for my help?" Amamiya replied, his tone light but his eyes sharp.
Seeing that familiar, calculating look, Urahara felt another headache coming on. Amamiya was a complication he couldn't fully control, and now he needed to ask him for a favor? The potential for troublesome demands was high.
"Perhaps you could elaborate on the cost?"
"It's nothing too grand. For the four foundational Shinigami arts—Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohō, and Kidō—I require more advanced instruction. From you, or from Yoruichi-san."
Urahara fell silent, his fan stilling as he weighed the request. 'Why this relentless hunger for power? What is he truly preparing for? If I make him stronger…'
The risk was evident. Part of him wanted Amamiya to remain safely contained, a passive vessel for the Hōgyoku until the war's end. But their previous clash had proven Amamiya was no one's pawn. If pushed, he might simply vanish, taking the orb with him.
"I understand," Urahara finally said, making a decision. "I will speak with Yoruichi. As for me, I have other pressing matters. You may consult Tessai regarding Kidō. I'm certain he won't disappoint you." It was a compromise, outsourcing the teaching to manage the risk.
Amamiya accepted with a nod. He turned to the waiting teenager. "Chad. You'll train with me. But know this—I am only available during the day."
"Mr. Sado, you should spar with Amamiya first," Urahara added, his fan rising to obscure the lower half of his face, leaving his eyes glinting with unreadable intent. "I believe that in facing him, you will find a path to greater strength."
'The power Yasutora Sado possesses… it resonates with the Hollows. And Amamiya Miyako, if my suspicions about his lineage are correct… their clash could be most instructive. For both of them.'