To challenge a friend. (Captain Training, Lamina VS Pythia)

The day was boring, seemingly perfect sky above, with people milling about below, trying to fix everything. Everyone seemed to be going about their daily business, with one pure exception from that. Their Kenpachi, Lamina, was standing in the shadows, waiting for his 'date'.

He had been told recently that he was going to have to fight with Pythia, something about a captain's exam, although he didn't completely understand why. After all, he'd already killed the last Kenpachi, he thought that was all that was required in this division, but apparently that had changed with time too. Oh for the simpler times when all you had to do is kill the jackass who led you and you could become captain. Still, maybe it was that that was stopping people challenging him. Or maybe it was the fact that he'd slaughtered someone who'd survived over six hundred years without a single wound. People tended to be intimidated by that stuff

as he looked up at the sky, he couldn't help wondering how long Pythia was going to be. He was eager to start this, and just in case things got dire, he had chosen a very open area to do this in, so he could summon his bankai if worst came to worst. Sometimes, just sometimes, he envied people who never had to worry about size constraints like he did.

Pythia's spiritual pressure appeared from out of nowhere as he walked into the area without a trace. Pythia walked with his hands in his haori pockets and his long red hair down part of his hair was covering his black eye patch only one eye could be seen.

Pythia's footsteps could be heard lightly as his boots would crush the dirt ground that was covered in small stones. He was finally in the area and he looked around with his eye. He had a lit cigarette on the side of his mouth the ash would slowly burn away in the cigarette and smoke would be blown out through his nostrils and the side of his mouth.

As Pythia stepped in the area he looked around with his snakish sharp eye, everyone stopped working and stopped to look at him. He gained a smirk on the side of his lips as he said in a quick vicious tone.

"Scram!"

As he said this all of the workers and other people there dropped what they were doing and quickly left the area. Now the area was empty, Pythia looked around and then he looked at the captain who was up above.

"So you must be the New Squad 11 Captain..."

He smirked lightly. "I have been sent with orders of the head captain to test you in battle. It is a ... thing they do here... and since everyone else was busy I was asked to come fight you... so... I guess you could say.. give me your best shot?"

He paused for a minute, he took out his right hand and then took a deep puff of his cigarette and pulled it out to then drop it on the ground and crush it with his left foot. He placed his hand back in his haori pocket and then looked back up to the captain. Pythia was dressed in his full Shinigami uniform along with the Squad 5 Captains haori.

Lamina looked at the other captain, cocking an eyebrow. they didn't have to stand on ceremony for this? He sighed, and ripped his hair bobble out, letting his hair cascade down his back freely. He looked at his fellow captain and grinned lightly. He seemed like a nice guy, if a little bit laid back. Although, admittedly, there was something in the guy's tone that he didn't like. It seemed like cockiness, but then again could any less be said of him?
"Yes, i'm the new one. The last captain... sort of got eaten." he grinned wolfishly, his eyes twinkling in the sun. He looked at his opponent and stretched his one real arm, getting ready

"Well, the last guy who asked me to give my all sort of got killed, but alright... I'll try and go easy on you..." he said, a little cockily. With that.... he vanished. Seconds later, he reappeared behind Pythia launching his automail fist at the back of his head. Of course, anyone with a very good eye for speed could have told that he'd flash-stepped, but to the untrained eye it would have looked like he was there one minute and gone the next.

Pythia sees how the Captain disappeared from site, he smirks lightly while then moving his head to the left, by doing this he dodged the on coming attack. He then turned his body around and then straightened his head up and looked to the captain with his eye, he extends his left hand and aims it to the captain.

"Hadō 4. Byakurai"

His tongue rolls as he says the last word of the kido, at the same time that he finished saying the final word of the kido a large blue electrical beam shot out from his hand and charged rapidly towards the captain. Due to the captain being at such close range a hit was a definite. If the captain was hit by this attack he would be sent back a few feet and would be lightly burnt.

"It's a good thing that you will go easy on me captain... I'm Not so good at fighting.. I'm far too Fragile to fight against such a powerful captain such as yourself, going easy would be the best option for me... Be careful... I bruise easily..."

He said this to the captain as the kido attack was launched rapidly to him.

Lamina was caught off-guard as his attack was dodged... this guy was better than he'd given him credit for. He had to push his hand out at the last second, grabbing the kido in his automail arm's palm, knocking him back slightly but doing no damage due to the material the arm was made out of. He looked at his opponent and grinned

"Alright, maybe you're worth actually trying against." he said, before opening his automail's palm and showing the lack of a burn mark. He disappeared again, doing the same move as before, but not stopping moving as he encircled him, before finally sending a kido into the back of his neck at point blanc.
"Hado 31, shakkaho." he whispered under his breath and fired it at him without stopping moving.

Pythia already knew that this attack was coming, he sighed a little as he was then hit in the back of his neck and sent flying a few feet. His body skidded across the floor a little as he rolled the last few feet. He pushed his body up of the dirt floor and then got up of it, he looks down at his clothing and sees how he is all covered in dust, he dusts himself off and says.

"My my... that was a pretty good attack you sent towards me.."

He dusts himself off and then claps his hands against each other to take off the dust. He rubs the back of his neck and then shakes his hair to take out the remaining dust out. He looks up to the captain and says.

"Anything else?"

Lamina saw his fellow captain getting back up, having been hit by his spell. Although there was a moment of happiness as he saw his attack actually connect, there was a moment of blood-freezing worry as he just shrugged it off. Then, he reminded himself of where he was standing and why he was standing there as a captain. This was a duel between equals, there was no need to worry about anything. He just flashed his usual grin and ran a hand through his hair

"Eeyup, and you had better be ready for it." he said, finally pulling his sword out and pointing it at his opponent, as if beckoning him to come fight properly.
"But I want to see how well you fight with that zanpakuto of yours. Are you actually able to master it, Captain Pythia?" he said teasingly, wanting to lure his colleague into attacking him. Honestly, he'd never heard of what Pythia's zanpakuto could actually do, this would be extremely interesting.

Pythia saw how the other captain unsheathed his blade.

"Already using your blade?"

Pythia chuckled lightly. "Very well then... however... I'm not very good at using my blade so please... go easy on me! I am just a fragile captain! I only just barley passed my captains test last time"

Pythia gripped hold of his zanpaktou's hilt and slowly unsheathed it. He placed his blade to his side as the sun would reflect of it's shining blade.

"Unfortunately I am not a master of blades... so please.. go easy? I b-bruise easily!"

Pythia would walk a few feet forward, his eye looked onto his own blade as the blade then ignited itself in flames rapidly, the flames were flaring up. The heat from his blade being felt easily.

"Alright, come at me when you are r-ready!"

He said this in a slight hesitant voice. His blade looked as if he was shaking slightly as Pythia tried to hold up his blade with his two hands.

Lamina was, honestly, slightly surprised by the man's surprise at his early use of his Zanpakuto. Still, maybe he wasn't aware of Lamina's best close combat style being a mix of Hakudo and zanjutsu, which was the reason his legs were so powerful. His reiatsu started to shimmer around the blade like an unknown addition, as if hinting to the power it would have if he entered Shikai.

In the meantime, he grinned as the other man put on the expression of fake weakness. Even though it was mocking him, he could laugh at it. There was no way in hell someone had stayed in power as long as Pythia had and was weak as he made out. Thus, he knew one thing beyond all others. Pythia had the wonderful ability to laugh at himself, which would make this duel not just a test but actually decent fun. Plus, there was one card he could play that the other captain would not expect.

"Oh come off it, Py. You and I both know that you're probably stronger than I am. The last guy who asked me to be gentle... well, I think he's still unable to sit down properly." These words were not something that would normally leave a captain's lips, especially not the famed Eleventh Division captain. Always boasting and self-prideful words. But Lamina.... well, he wasn't exactly hitting the norm anyway.

The instant he said those words, he rushed forwards, launching his sword at his opponent's throat in a 'Skee' motion. Although, that was merely a distraction as his foot went up, moving with the concentrated energy of a flash step and aiming it directly into Pythia's crotch. A low blow, but it would be a legitimate one nonetheless.

Pythia saw Lamina coming towards him, he saw the blade coming towards him and he let go of the blade with his left hand. He countered the blade with his own pushing back with one hand slightly struggling to push it back, Pythia's eye looked down as he saw Lamina's knee coming up to hit his crotch. Pythia's left hand went quick to grab hold of Lamina's knee, as he grabbed tightly of the boys knee, his blade was blaring up as the flames of his shikai form "El infierno" would spin around and form into a firey snake, the snake made of flames would begin wrapping itself around the two blades and began to slowly slither it's way towards the young captain.

"Tsk tsk Captain, going for such a cheap shot? I'm slightly disappointed in such a move, you will have to pay for such foolish choices captain."

With one powerful surprising swing Pythia manages to throw the captain with one hand by his knee to a close by wall, the flames returned to Pythia's blade and the captain was thrown powerfully to a concrete wall. If he hit the wall the wall would crack if the wall was hollow he would fall through it into a different area, the captain would be wounded and in pain. Pythia now had a chance for his next up coming attack.

Lamina grinned slightly as his leg was caught. Good, the fight was going to be pretty damn fun. However, then a strange snake-like trial of fire started wrapping around their blades. He had gone into Shikai already? But... that was no fun... There was no time to think about the poor choice of battle strategy as he was wrapped around by the snake. He quickly muttered the release phrase of his Shikai, knowing exactly where this was going

"Start to consume, Hagatsui Shikon!" A strange burst of light started to burn around his body, the sheer sudden force of reiatsu blasting the snake trial off his leg, but it was too late. He was already sent flying. The tails popped up quickly, wrapping around his body and shielding it as he went flying through the wall, brick debris and dust flying everywhere. It would have looked like the blow succeeded.... until Lamina came out of the hole obviously unhurt, five fox-tails of reiatsu coming off his back. Where his zanpakuto had been a second ago came two long clawed gauntlets. He grinned and kicked the wall, knocking another brick out.

"Is that really what you call punishment? I call it fun." he said teasingly, before walking back towards him, his clawed right hand pointing towards him
"Let's see you actually fighting with the sword instead of the flame, Py."

Pythia placed his hand on his blade and the slid it down extinguishing the flames. He withdrew his blade into his scabbard and then dusted himself of.

"Please... don't call my Py... I'd very much prefer being called Pythia. Congratulations, your test is over you are the official Captain of squad 11"

With that he placed his hands in his pockets and turned to walk away.

"I apologize for having to cut this fight short, It's just... I have much better things to do than to play around with children... if you dare attack me while I'm walking I will kill you."

Pythia said in his normal cold slithering tone as he slowly began to walk away from the battle field.

(Note: When he says kill you... he means beat the sh!t out of you, Pythia is still not out of reach so you can try and attack him still.)

Lamina's expression was one of confusion, at least for a few seconds, then disappointment. The fight was over so soon? It was depressing that he was unable to continue, but if the man didn't want to fight he certainly wasn't going to force him to continue. It wasn't like there was anything to gain from it, he had already earned himself his Captaincy.

As he walked off and called Lamina a child, Lamina just grinned and called after him
"Suuuure you do, Py-py." he started, his tone of voice dedicated to annoying him.
"I'm sure you're really busy with messing up your own division, setting fire to yourself, generally acting like a jackass.... Oh, your day must be filled to the brim with disappointing everyone you've ever met." With that, he disappeared with a flash, leaving the hole where he had been standing completely empty. He was seemingly gone.