Episode 1: Pawn forward

Slash notices Tetsuya's nod then looks back at the arrancar ready for anything.

“We’ll play this game my way. If you win, then yea. I’ll play with you.” Arina replied. She was shocked a little shocked at how easily he was accepting her challenge, but was beginning to feel more confident about her plan.

Assuming that he isn’t the kind to catch on quickly.

“but before we start, i need to do something.” She said, and then turned to jin, her back to hion.

Reaching behind her neck, she took off her necklace and gave it to jin. “I don’t want to lose this in the race. Take care of it.” And when she was done speaking, she mouthed silently:

‘follow me’

and arina silently prayed that when tetsuya and slash sees her and jin running, theyd follow.

Jin's blood froze when the arrancar child that had been standing before them suddenly appeared on Arina's shoulder.

'So fast!' she thought.

With his attention away from her, Jin considered taking out her kansashi and stabbing him in the back, but worried that it might not be enough to pierce through the hierro. She might just end up angering the boy, who at the moment, seemed more interested in playing than actually fighting. Unless she could actually kill him, then and there, she probably shouldn't risk it. Even her kido arsenal didn't seem to be enough, and with her average skills, she would be dead before she even finished the incantation.

'Running away really is the only option.'

No sooner had she thought that when the chance for stabbing the boy passed and once again, he was in the air and away from them. Arina seemed to have a level head, despite having an arrancar standing on her shoulders a moment prior which Jin had to admit impressed her. She was clearly trying to distract and trick the boy, and Jin could only hope that whatever it was that she was planning worked.

Suddenly, Arina turned to her, telling her to follow her lead in the guise of handing over her necklace. Jin's lip curled slightly, pleased that Arina had come to the same conclusion as her. Run away, right? Her eyes briefly scanned over the two male shinigami currently in their partly. Leave them to me.

Slash watched the two he not moving a bit as he watched to see what would happen next. He felt that he should help but why should he, he hadn't known them for long yet he joined in on their fight so after a moment he takes out his Zanpaktou. "Hey Arrancar come fight me!"

arina's mood changed drastically- from elation that jin had gotten what she was trying to imply, to absolute irritation.

"stay out of this, boy!" she hissed at slash. he was ruining their only escape plan, and she certainly wasnt going to have any of it! she turned to hion, hoping that he had not noticed the sudden desperation in her disposition.

"dont listen to him, he's no fun." and here she dared to sling an arm round hion's shoulders. "but back home, i am reputed to have defined fun. no, i perfected it."

"humph fine" Slash yawned, "If I'm needed I'll be here." Slash sits on the ground. "Either way." he whispers. "I want to just watch and see what happens with these guys heh heh."

Seki flash steps away from the hollow, glad he had kept his distance. "Damn, my team don't seem to be coming this way any time soon... what's the point in stalling for time?"

As he gets away from the hollow, he releases his reaitsu in a big wave; if he can't scare it away, maybe that'll catch the attention of shinigami nearby.

@ Phoenix group

The hollow looked at her blankly, not seeming to understand her words at all. For that matter, her form didn't look all that familiar to him anymore, either... nor did the surroundings. His head seemed to spin with confused, malformed thoughts which served to make him angrier and hungrier the more he tried to ponder them. Perhaps they would be edible? Not like the buildings and trees earlier...

With sudden, incredible speed he whipped his tail around, bringing it down like a sword upon Phoenix


@Anil

He felt his attack hit nothing but air, and then the burst of reiatsu as the man he should have been eating by now began to power up. His mask grew more solid on his face, and for a moment the world began to grow more clear... thoughs didn't matter... all that mattered was instinct. All that mattered was hunger.

What sort of creature this was before him was a mystery though, the aura of a shinigami was something he had never encountered before, and it left him momentarily dumbfounded.

Higgins immediately tries to slice the tail of the hollow, hoping to save Phoenix from a possibly gruesome injury.

Phoenix brought her sword up, hoping to ward off the blow. So much for trying to negotiate, she thought to herself.

@Phoenix group

Phoenix was strong enough to parry the blow without the brunt of the tail's strike reaching her body, but the footwork she took in preparation for the attack was poor, and she was knocked off balance by the force.

The hollow had been so completely occupied with Phoenix that he failed to register that Higgins was nearby until his sword was already in motion, his strike precise and strong enough to sever a healthy chunck of its tail before it could recoil, howling in pain and regrouping for a second attack.

Aspin ran towards the hollow. As it bellowed in pain, she jumped in the air, landing a kick on it's face, in an attempt to push him back.

Following the movement of Aspin, Higgins swings his sword under her legs, to try slice the head off.

Phoenix stumbled and almost fell before she caught herself. Luckily, Higgins and Aspin were both drawing the attention of the hollow, so it didn't have a chance to attack her while she was still recovering. Now that she knew there was no choice but to attack, it made her choice a lot easier, and she shunpoed behind the hollow, ready to slice its head just in case Higgins' attack was unsuccessful.

@Phoenix group: Aspin's attack was well timed with the attempts of her comrades, and her kick landed true, pushing the creature back, although its serpentine form was difficult to knock off balance. As the fight began in earnest the hollow's flickering humanity began to fade away and only the instincts of a predator remained. It caught a glimpse of higgin's attack... strong enough to kill if it connected, and slithered back, missing the edge of the blade by a caluculated amount. It was then that it noticed the scent of the third one had disappeared, its instincts alerting it to the danger just as phoenix pulled out of her shunpo.

The creature turned on her, its mask opening like the fanged mouth of a snake and gripping her blade as she slashed, jerking his head to throw her toward the ground.

Phoenix got up almost immediately after she hit the ground, her body conditioned from years of training in the martial arts. From its quick response to her reappearance after using shunpo, she determined that she was too slow to successfully hit it. So was Higgins, for that matter. The only one of them who'd landed a blow was Aspin. "Aspin! You're the fastest, go for its head while Higgins and I distract it!" She grinned and lunged at the hollow, knowing her attack probably wouldn't connect, but that it would give everyone enough time to enact the plan.

He took her words to heart as Higgins started screaming and swings his sword in circles in an attempt to distract the snake hallow.

Once Aspin heard the end of Phoenix statements, she then dashed off the Hollow's blind spot. She had her hand on her sword, ready to swing across the Hollow's head, as Phoenix has stated.

Thank God I'm small. she thought.

She leapt from her position and swung her sword towards the unsuspecting thing's head.

@Phoenix group:

The hollow is able to readily slip between the attacks, lunging toward phoenix with another bite as what remained of its tail whipped at Higgins. It seems thoroughly wrapped up in fighting the pair. Its jaws lock with phoenix's sword while its attack against higgins rams into his stomach, sending him flying backwards, The hollow shakes off Phoenix and attempts to turn to attack the off-balance higgins when a mysterious shinigami emerges from the shadows, blade in hand. her cut is deep in the hollow's neck, but fails to sever it completely, resulting in a deluge of blood and a shriek of agony.

Phoenix frowned at how easily the hollow brushed her off. "Damn, I really need more training. I'm not nearly fast enough." She gripped her zanpakuto tighter and clenched her teeth, getting ready for another, probably futile, attempt to hurt the hollow. And then suddenly the hollow was injured, by someone else. Phoenix seized the opportunity and quickly changed the direction of her attack, aiming for the piece of neck still attached.

@ the phoenix group:

The hollow is unable to ward off Phoenix's blow, and in one swoop his head is cut away. the long, serpentine body breaking up into reishi and floating into the ether.

In the distance, a monocled Arrancar made note of its fall with grim. but not surprised, displeasure.

Phoenix stared in stunned disbelief at the now empty air in front of her for a moment. Then realization kicked in. "Holy shit, we actually did it!" She pumped her fist in the air in celebration. "Do you know what this means? We're no longer virgins to killing hollows!" She grinned.

"That was awesome!" Aspin cheered with her hands in the air. She sheathed her sword after which and tread towards her team mates and gave them each a pat on the back. "Good job to the three of us," she smiled.

She brushed her hair back and said, "Come on, we'll continue this little celebration later. We've got a whole day ahead of us."

Phoenix nodded, a grim expression returning to her face. "I'm sure we'll face more hollows before too long." She glanced over at her teammates. "Are either of you hurt?"