Part 28 - A cup of tea

Raven had arrived at the Shin'o academy. It was a very small school for now, as there were not many Shinigami to be taught.

And therefore, there also weren't any instructors. Up to this point, Ichibe took over this position. But now, for Raven, Lè Yáng took this job.

He was a very well-trained Shinigami. And due to his division working on its own a lot of the time, he had more time to train and get familiar with his Zanpakuto.

So, he began to teach her what had changed for her and what she will be able to do in the future.

But this wasn't about Raven. This was about Ichibe. And he had finally gotten back to Kamar-Taj after a long time.

He was planning on taking a break for now.

There was no need to overextend on training or make too many plans. In the end, he would take the future as it came.

Ichibe protaled (yes this is now a word) to his room and sat down for a moment. He thought back to everything he did since he left Kamar-Taj. It was not that long, but it still felt that way.

He walked through the buildings. His aim was the dining room, to get himself some tea.

There was nothing as calming and refreshing as a good cup of tea.

When he got there, he made himself some tea and took the pot and two cups to a seat outside. He had a good view of the training grounds. It was always nice to watch others train and let your thoughts wander.

"It seems your back. What took you so long?"

"It was harder than I expected to talk to the young woman named Jean Grey. Those Mutants have developed an instinct to just attack what they don't know first and then ask questions.

Or not ask questions at all.

And it took multiple days and beatings to finally get to talk with the Phoenix Force herself.", Ichibe replied.

The Ancient One thought about what Ichibe said for a moment.

Ichibe motioned for her to sit and filled the cup he brought for her.

"It wasn't easy for you then. But beatings? Did you really take beatings? More like you let them push you around a bit, no?"

"True. That's what it was. But it was still massive property damage.

I guess I understand their behaviour. Being prosecuted must have this effect. Especially for strong ones like Erik Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier.

Xavier knows the thought of humans well and Lehnsherr has lived through a lot of bad moments in his life already.

And yet, it still was a bit surprising to me, the degree of hostility they showed me.

I never tried to make sudden moves or appear threatening. And yet my social skills weren't on point it would seem.

So in that regard, I profited from the experience."

"It's fascinating how you find something positive and instructive in almost everything. I admire you for that trait.", the Ancient One smiled.

She truly admired this in Ichibe. This trait was not just something that allowed him to get far in life and wisdom, but also in his fighting skills.

It assured that he almost 100% never made the same mistakes twice. He always said that the mistakes he makes are like chess patterns. With time you know what not to do.

That was the thing he focused on more than what to do. Because if he focuses on what to do, it takes time, for one, and second he is not as free to do what he wants.

So he looks for patterns that led to those mistakes and never walks into them again.

To say it lightly, this makes him a truly terrifying opponent. There is practically nothing she can surprise him with. He has figured out her patterns and even if she uses new moves, she can't surprise him anymore.

He has her figured out quite well. That is because he doesn't focus on her, but on his mistakes and never repeats them.

This narrows the options she has. Because like chess, a perfect game leads to a draw.

But that is not the whole story. He also uses his mistakes to improve his use of his powers. His mind works in wondrous ways. She doesn't want to play him in chess. Or any board game for that matter.

But he is not competitive at all. He uses their sparrings to improve and find new patterns for himself and new uses of his power. He is a very versatile fighter.

And all of this stems from the ability to learn from anyone and anything he encounters. Truly a terrifying ability. It not only takes intelligence but also humility.

The Ancient One was truly happy that she found someone like Ichibe to protect the earth in the future. If he was here, there was not much to worry about.

And in order to build experience, she would stand ready and help him improve. Because she knew ... Ichibe would be able to teach Strange when she couldn't anymore. And that would be very instructive for the future Sorcerer Supreme.

"How was it meeting the Phoenix Forcer in person?", she asked.

"Well, just as you'd expect, she has quite the temper and pride. For something or someone as old as her, it is fitting I guess. And her strength speaks for itself too.

But I wasn't surprised much. Of course, I knew what to expect and who she was, as I saw and knew her true name, but it was still a very interesting meeting and experience for me.

The amount of power I felt when she talked was pretty much boundless.

Our fight ... well it would prove difficult for sure."

Ichibe thought hard about this. He never really thought about it when he faces someone but fighting the Phoenix Force would surely prove a challenge.

He would have to find a way to keep his ink from burning up. But he knew, should this fight ever take place...

"Hahaha, only you would dare to say something like that with a straight face.", the Ancient One laughed.

It was true, only Ichibe would say something like that and mean it. And yet he hadn't said that it would be easy, or that he would win either.

But the Ancient One guessed that Ichibe could do it. he was just too critical of himself and truly tried to replicate the scenario. But something like that is not easy.

Maybe only one other being would say that.