Ch-11: The Great Escape

As I stood in front of Orihime's house, my heart raced faster than a ninja fleeing from a samurai! But then, a lightbulb went off in my head – Tatsuki! She must be here too, right? I mean, where there's Orihime, there's usually Tatsuki. This was my chance to shine, to be the hero they never knew they needed! Ridhiro Kageshima, the epic savior!

But in reality, I was just a regular guy with not-so-heroic powers. The brother hollow was about to make its grand entrance, most likely to scare the living daylights out of Orihime and Tatsuki. Not on my watch!

So, with newfound determination – and a dash of geeky excitement – I moved forward. The opportunity to save not one but two lovely ladies?! It was like something out of an anime, and I was the star!

But then, reality hit hard. Orihime's house was way too tidy, and I couldn't help but notice the menacing hollow glaring at me. This was it, my moment to shine! Without hesitation, I struck a dramatic pose, channeling my inner hero, and yelled, "Bakudo #4 - Hainawa!" A burst of pale yellow spiritual energy shot from my palm, weaving itself into a rope that coiled around the hollow. Victory, right?

<System> **Bakudo #4 - Hainawa**: A yellow rope of energy wraps around the target, restricting their movement.

I turned to Orihime and Tatsuki, a grin of confidence spreading across my face. "Fear not, fair ladies! Your hero has arrived!" I boasted, believing they'd be amazed by my heroic feat. But then, reality smacked me in the face – again.

The hollow started spinning around, revealing the girls were unconscious the entire time. I'd been delivering my hero speech to damsels who were blissfully unaware of my "heroics." How embarrassing!

As if things couldn't get any worse, the hollow decided to hightail it out of there. In a flash of chaos, Ichigo stormed in, his gigantic sword gleaming menacingly in the dim room. With a mighty battle cry, he sliced my flimsy rope, and the hollow made its escape through some mysterious wobbly portal, leaving the girls behind.

Rukia and Ichigo exchanged incredulous looks, as if saying, "Why is this guy like this?" My heroic moment had turned into an epic fail. But hey, at least I tried, right?

And would you believe it, just as Ichigo had the hollow on the run, the two girls started waking up. Man, is my luck just missing in action? Does the protagonist halo even apply to someone like me?

I mean, what's a guy like me supposed to do when the world clearly isn't on his side? Maybe my moms (both from this life and my past life) were right – I'll never get to follow my passion, and I'll be stuck in a 9-to-5 job for the rest of my days.

But then, to my surprise, Ichigo walked over to me and said, "Thanks for saving their lives, Ridhiro. Hoy Orihime, Tatsuki, this guy here – Ridhiro – saved you both." Orihime and Tatsuki, still a bit groggy, glanced at me.

I seized this chance to shine, As I flashed my most charming smile, the kind you'd find on the impossibly handsome protagonists in those Korean manhwa comics. "No problem at all. We're classmates, after all," I said, trying to be all suave and heroic.

But instead of swooning over my heroic efforts, Rukia cut in with a curt, "Creepy." Great, even my attempts at being cool were backfiring.

As the dust settled from that crazy encounter, I couldn't help but think about what I'd just done. I mean, I'd used another spell meant for soul reapers in front of Rukia!

That's the kind of stuff even regular souls can't pull off, and here I am, doing with my mortal body. It's usually reserved for Shin'o Academy students and captains – you know, the big shots. On the flip side, Rukia must've figured out that I'd just cast another spell that no one should ever, and I mean ever, get their hands on.

I was about to make a run for it, but Rukia had other plans. She wasted no time, chanting "Bakudo #4, Hainawa". I looked at the flimsy rope forming in front of me and couldn't help but smirk. Seriously? She was trying to capture me with this wimpy thing? The one I'd conjured earlier was like ten times more impressive – brighter, thicker, and all that jazz. Still, she went ahead, casting the spell and shouting, "You're not getting away this time!"

But then, something totally unexpected happened. As soon as that feeble rope touched me, it vanished into thin air. Poof! It was as if it had never existed in the first place. And then, out of the blue, a system notification chimed in with some epic news.

<System>: <Your power allows you to cancel any incoming Kido spells with ease. No damage shall befall you from Kido attacks>

I couldn't believe my luck! It was like sweet music to my ears. I'd become invincible against all those Kido users out there. The Kido Corps? Pff, they were no match for me now. This was the kind of news that made all the disappointments and awkward moments totally worth it.

But, of course, with great power comes great responsibility. Rukia, clearly not knowing the full scope of my abilities, was curious – maybe even a little worried. She demanded answers, "What did you do? How did my spell just vanish like that?" And here I was, stuck in a jam, trying to figure out how to explain my over-the-top powers.

So there I was, scratching my head, trying to figure out what to do next. I couldn't just spill the beans about the system, you know? But then it hit me like a ton of bricks – Rukia had lost all her powers! That's why her Bakudo spell was so weak, like, it was barely there. Without her fancy-schmancy spiritual mojo, there was no way she could stop me from making a break for it.

So, I decided to go for a classic move, one that most anime heroes forget when things get dicey. I struck a pose, looked all serious, and yelled at the top of my lungs, "Thunder Style, First Form!"

Man, their faces were priceless! Rukia had this look of anticipation, like, "What's this guy gonna do next?" Little did she know, I was about to pull off the biggest bluff of my life.

I kept it going, "First Form, Godspeed!" And with that, I took off running. Of course, I had no clue what I was doing. I mean, seriously, I didn't have a magical bone in my body, and I certainly wasn't a protagonist capable of inventing spells on the fly. Heck, I didn't even understand how my spells worked. But who cares, right?

As I dashed away, I couldn't help but burst into laughter. I could hear Rukia and Ichigo hot on my trail, determined to catch the big, bad threat – me. Little did they know, they were chasing after thin air. Ha!