Ch-25: Power and Stupidity

Ichigo went full hero mode and jumped right at Jidanbo, blocking that massive axe with his zanpakuto. That's a Protagonist for you, but seriously, in real life, it still felt like absurd. Jidanbo's strike contained so much strength, it lifted the floor to a tilt, blocking our path of interfering in the battle.

Everyone had a severely tensed look in their faces, Seriously? Did you all not saw him blocking that giant's attack? Before I got to do anything the battle was over, It seems that Ichigo had grown even more powerful than what I remembered from the anime.

Man, Ichigo's fight with Jidanbo was over in a flash. I mean, seriously, was Jidanbo's massive size all just for show? It was like Ichigo sneezed, and the giant fell over. I couldn't believe how fast it happened. But you know what I did? I pulled out my trusty mobile phone and snapped a quick pic of the giant's defeated form. I mean, come on, who wouldn't? It's not every day you get to witness something like that, especially for us anime and manga fans.

As I took that picture, I couldn't help but wonder why nobody else had thought to bring their phones. Maybe they were just too caught up in the moment, but I had my priorities straight. Plus, what if my mom called to check up on me? I couldn't exactly tell her I was in the Soul Society, right? So, having my phone with me was like a lifeline back to the human world.

I couldn't help but imagine the kind of response my picture would get if I posted it on the internet. I mean, who wouldn't be interested in a shot of a giant like Jidanbo lying defeated? It was the kind of thing that could go viral in no time. Maybe I'd even become famous overnight, with film producers and news outlets reaching out to me for details about this mysterious location.

As we will continued on our journey through the Soul Society, I have to think about the possibilities. Maybe I'd get interviewed by talk show hosts, or I'd have my own documentary made about our adventure. I could practically see the headlines: "Ordinary High School Student Stumbles Upon Hidden World – His Story Will Leave You Breathless!"

With the giant Jidanbo defeated and my epic snapshot in the bag, we were ready to continue our journey into the Soul Society.

Man, Orihime, Sado, and Ishida were giving me those weird looks again. Like, seriously, what's their problem with me?

Then, Orihime dropped a bombshell of a question that totally woke me up. She asked, "Hey Ridhiro, are you getting any connection here?"

I glanced at my phone, and it hit me like a bolt of lightning, as I saw the sight which belongs to one of the top 5 things I hate. No signal. Zero bars. Zilch. Nada. Not even a tiny bit of Wi-Fi. And the worst part? I didn't even bring a power bank.

I felt like I was in a horror movie, trapped in a signal-less abyss. How would I survive without my daily dose of memes and cat videos? The struggle was real, my friends. The struggle was real.

The humongous dude Jidanbo got up like some giant mountain rising, saying something like "me lose, me open gate" ughh such bad vocabulary, unlike in the anime, and he was trying to pry the gate open with all his muscle power. I mean, this was like witnessing a real-life superhero showdown.

But just when things were getting intense, out of nowhere, this tall guy shows up, and he's got a katana with him. Guess what? He's none other than Gin Ichimaru, a captain from the soul society. Same as the anime he had come again to make increase our work, and the way he is keeping his eyes closed makes him look like Chinese. Man, this whole scene felt so dang surreal!

Ichimaru replied in his usual mocking tone, "Hey there, appreciate your enthusiasm, but no one's getting in here." Yoruichi, all serious, warned us, "Be on guard, he's a captain-level Shinigami, the big shots of the Soul Society."

Ichimaru started drawing his zanpakuto, and I decided to be a bit cheeky. "You Chinese?" I asked. He looked puzzled and responded, "Say what?" Then came my brilliant follow-up, "Why your eyes closed then?" Man, that almost got me sliced and diced as his blade whizzed past my cheek faster than lightning. Close call, right?

The sudden attack from Ichimaru injured Jidanbo, causing him to drop the gate, which was now too heavy for him to lift. Ichimaru, with his trademark mocking tone, said, "Enough chit chat. Now, return the way you came."

We stood there like idiots, and Yoruichi scolded me, "Why did you have to mock him? Now we're trapped." Oops, my bad.

Did she forget about her friend Kukaku Shiba? I became tensed and I whispered to Yoruichi to give a hint, nudging her with my elbow "do you have any friend who may help us to enter". Yoruichi glanced at me, her expression puzzled for a moment, and then she shook her head and replied, "No."

My hopes plummeted. What were we supposed to do now? But just as quickly, Yoruichi seemed to change her mind. She said, "Oh, wait a minute, I think I might have a solution. Follow me." I felt a surge of relief, hoping that our adventure would still follow the anime's plot.

So we just headed straight for her place, avoiding all the catfight between Ganju and Ichigo, which was a relief. When we got there, two big, beefy bodyguards tried to stop us, but the moment they saw Yoruichi, they practically jumped out of our way. Her reputation must be pretty intimidating, I thought, and I was glad things were going smoothly for once.

We walked into a room, and there she was, a stunning woman in her mid-twenties. I couldn't help but be captivated by her beauty – she was totally my type.  She exchanged a few words regarding the situation with Yoruichi, as they knew each other pretty well. Meanwhile, Ichigo was standing there with his jaw practically on the floor, probably shocked to find out that Kukaku Shiba was a woman. Little did he know that Yoruichi had her own surprises waiting for him.

Kukaku looked at all of us and then her gaze settled on me. She asked, "You're the most powerful among them, aren't you?" I was about to proudly admit it, but before I could, Yoruichi jumped in and said, "Don't get the wrong idea. I said he has the most power, but he's also the most stupid." Well, there goes my moment to shine.