Ch. 6, Kenpachi vs. Hollow Ichigo
! Ch. 6: Kenpachi vs. Hollow Ichigo
! The majority of the time Kubo spent on his series focused on coming up with a cool chapter name.
! English dictionary in hand, he skimmed through the pages in search of any word that appealed to him.
! "The Vivacious Giggle," or maybe "Can't Serene the Heat Maestro."
! But he wasn't feeling it today, so he decided to simply make up some words.
! This chapter would be entitled… Grine My Detractilance.
! Kubo threw up his hands at his own brilliance, which radiated from the page, through Kubo's shades, directly into the pleasure centers of his brain.
! Yes, there would be quite a few Grine My Detractilances–three months' worth.
! **__
! As Ichigo and Aizen were unceremoniously wheeled off into their respective isolation chambers for Soul Society-style "therapeutic darkness," Urahara swiped Ichigo's sword.
! "Haha, remember this thing, Ichigo?" Urahara hugged his soul cutter manifestation dummy with one arm. "Your inner Hollow is always entwined with your sword, so all it took was a little tweaking and voila!'
! Urahara stabbed the dummy with the new Zangetsu, and Ichigo's inner Hollow was temporarily deposited into the dummy.
! "Isn't it great? Your other half finally gets to fight in your stead!"
! "Ahh, finally!" Hollow Ichigo cricked his neck. "No more rain! Time to make up for lost time, and kill EVERYBODY! You hear that, Ichigo? Everybody. STONE DEAD."
! Ichigo mumbled incoherently; it was hard to respond while Tessai was packing him and Aizen into the trunk of a soul-Cadillac, with Yamamoto barking "Faster, stuff 'em in, c'mooon use your elbow!"
! Charlotte was about to say something, but Yachiru snatched the microphone and sat on Charlotte's shoulder to announce the match herself. "Get your cotton candy now, folks, because the fight of the age is about to ignite! The invincible Ken-chan versus the REAL Kurosaki Ichigo!!"
! "I've been dying to fight you for years now." Zaraki removed his eyepatch and exploded with pure power. "Don't disappoint."
! "You've been dying? You'll BE dying!" Hollow Ichigo guffawed. "I've got all of Ichigo's strength, all of his drive, and all of his bloodlust. And that wimp, he beat you with just a taste of my power!"
! "Bring it on, you clown," Yachiru jeered. "Before I kick some dirt on you and turn you back into regular Ichigo!"
! "I'm also far more creative than Ichigo," Hollow Ichigo gloated. He swung Zangetsu's shikai form overhead into a whirling death razor.
! "Don't tell me you need a gimmick to defeat me," said Zaraki.
! "Wait... hold on..." Hollow Ichigo huffed.
! Yes! Liftoff! Hollow Ichigo's sandles left the dust and dirt of the arena.
! "I HAVE TRANSCENDED YOU, ICHIGOOOOOO!"
! "I take it you have something to prove," said Zaraki, who the helicoptering lad down with a single slash-wave. "What a load."
! "BANKAI!" Hollow Ichigo ululated. "Try to land a hit on me NOW!"
! Dozens of afterimages danced around Kenpachi, Hollow Ichigo blazing red and laughing, laughing.
! "SUPER super speed!"
! "Anything else?" Kenpachi scratched his forehead.
! "YES! My ultimate attack, which is the opposite of lame old Getsuga Tenshou in every way!"
! And by '"different in every way," he meant it was the opposite color.
! "Shouten Gatsuge!!" The energy slash filled up two entire spreads, because it was gigantic and white and Kubo didn't have to draw anything except sound effect kana (which, if you're interested, was DO GIIIIIIIRG).
! The dust cleared. The Gatsuge definitely drew blood, but beyond that, no effect.
! "You must be rusty," Zaraki intoned. "We'll fight again when you've had more practice."
! "Ha! You're tough, I'll give you that, but there's still no way you can get a bead on me!"
! "You think that just because he took of his eyepatch he's at full capacity? Shaaame, you're no better than the other Ichigo," Yachiru mocked. "Don't you fret, ladies and gentlemen, Kenny has something special in store for this afternoon, isn't that right?"
! Zaraki grunted.
! "Something that won't need something stupid like both hands."
! "Yeees?" called his admirers in the stands.
! "Something that requires total harmony with his sword!"
! "Yeeeeeeees?"
! "Here it comes," said Kenpachi, jagged blade infused with killer resolve. "BAN--"
! The audience gasped.
! "--QUET! Of PAIN!"
! Kenpachi ripped off one of his hair-talks, tied it to the hilt of his sword, and started swinging it overhead, just like Hollow Ichigo had.
! "YOU FUCKING TEASE!" More concession stand snacks joined the blood and dirt splattering the protective barrier.
! Zaraki cut a swath around him, making it impossible for Hollow Ichigo to duck under his guard and score a point blank slash.
! "I give up." Hollow Ichigo fell on all fours, panting. "Don't want to break all my bones."
! "I knew it, you love your cushy life inside Ichigo!" Yachiru poked him in the head repeatedly (about 50 times a second).
! Urahara was sure glad Aizen wasn't around to react to that line.
! "So... tired... want... NACHOS!"
! "Huh?"
! "Whenever Ichigo's sad, it rains, but when he's happy... his world is filled with nachos."
! Hollow Ichigo cried plaintively, pining for his underappreciated life. And, sure enough, rain began shooting out of Hollow Ichigo's every orifice with the force of a fire hose.
! "Uhh, yeah, he's technically not supposed to be in this realm! Sorry folks!" Urahara used his cane to slam Hollow Ichigo back into Zangetsu where he belonged.
! The barrier kidou shinigami were elated Hollow Ichigo had cleaned up the mess for them, and spent the rest of the day carousing and betting on who'd win the following morning.
! ROUND 6: KENPACHI WINS!!
! NEXT ROUND: INTERLUDE