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She looks at Skeith. "Oh... did I say that aloud? Eh, sorry..." she said. Then she started laughing at his expression. "I'm sorry Skeith-senpai, but it's just too funny! I can't believe I caught you off guard with something like that. I mean, it was only my inner hollow, who is just asking for a beating right now. What else do you think it could have been?" She continued to laugh, then gain her composure and got back into a fighting stance. She wasn't laughing anymore, but had a HUGE smile on her face, like if you said the slightest joke she would break out in laughter.

"I think I'm just about ready," Mizu replied. "Do you mind if we take a little break first?" Not waiting for his reply, she sat down in the sand, putting away her zanpak-to. She looked at the moon, reflecting what had happened in the past days. Do you think your ready to move on, how pathetic. It was her again. Would you shut up already?!? How many times do I have to freaking tell you to just stay out of it? Um, let's see, one at the shrine, one when you were fighting, and now one here, so that's three times already... plus the inevitable numerous times to come... My mouth hung open. You've been counting?!? I've been training to get stronger and you've been counting the number of times I've told you to shut up?!? How egotistical are you? Quite, the hollow replied. It was probably the first honest answer Mizu had gotten from the hollow. She seethed. He he, you want to kill me already. How cute. Why don't you try already? Because I'm waiting till I know that I can thoroughly beat you a** and enjoy doing it. Oh, so you're waiting until then, eh? Well let me tell you something: Not. Gonna. Happen. Just face it. Once a failure, always a failure. Oh, so does that mean that because you're inside me and I'm a failure then you're a failure too? This got to the hollow. Listen, kid, the hollow said in disgust. Just because you're in charge of this body doesn't mean I don't want to revolt. You're a tyrant in my eyes. And since you're a tyrant, that means I'm George Washington. This historical reference bored Mizu. Oh please, don't compare me to the British. The British only lost because they made stupid mistakes. So technically, I should be comparing you to the British instead. Now it was the hollow's turn to seethe. Oh yeah? What stupid mistakes have I made? she challenged. Well, for one, as soon as you entered my body, you made yourself known to me. Wouldn't it have been easier for you just to try and take over my body so that I would have no idea what was going on? And also, you told me yourself that if I lose that battle then you take over my body. Honestly. Do you tell the king of France that if you beat him in a war you'll take France? The hollow, at a loss of what to say, stormed off, and Mizu slowly came back to reality feeling good. You may have won the battle, but you have NOT won this war! Mizu took the hollow's parting threat to heart. Oh don't worry, I don't think that, I'm just thinking how satisfying it will be to finally defeat you. And the same goes for you.

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Even though she was supposed to be resting, she felt anxious. Not a nervous anxious, a good anxious. Like she couldn't wait for whatever to happen next. She got up and looked around. Spotting a nearby tree, she went over to it, to further help train her speed. She unsheathed her zanpak-to and stood 15 feet away. she threw her zanpak-to at the tree, and then raced it. It got there first, but she tried again. This time she tried moving as soon as it left her hand. Closer. She kept trying. The more she kept trying, the closer she seemed to her goal. Then she realized that she accidentally kept moving closer with each throw because she neglected to draw a starting line. She went back to 15 feet, and drew a line in the sand with her zanpak-to. Then she stood behind it, and tried again. With each successive throw, she seemed to be getting a little closer to reaching the tree before her zanpak-to did. She looked down each time to see if she was behind the line she drew, and she was. Is this really me getting faster? Or is it my reaction time that's getting better? She tested that theory out. She faced the tree again, and faked a throw. Her legs immediately started to move forward. Ugh, that's definitely my reaction time. Well, back to square one. She tried again, this time using a fake throw every now and then. She giggled a little. She was starting to enjoy herself. Hey, this is really fun. It's like I'm challenging my zanpak-to's spirit to a race! By the way, I'm sorry that I'm using you like this if you don't like it. Once I learn how to talk to you, I'll find out what you prefer.

By now she had thoroughly dented the tree, leaving cuts everywhere on the trunk. She went up to it, and felt where she had hurt it. "I'm sorry," she said, mumbling to it. "I didn't mean to hurt you that badly. I just wanted to get some training in. If I knew any healing kido, I would use one to heal your bark."

"Crystal trees?" Mizu couldn't believe it. It just seemed so unorthodox, having crystal trees. Who were waste their time making all of that? Yes it was unorthodox, but they were also beautiful. She looked at a cut that she had made in the tree, and inside it looked like a prism. "It's so pretty on the inside! Do these trees grow back?" She looked down sadly. Now she felt even worse about using it for training. It was so pretty, and she had used it without caring about something like that at all. She stroked the tree again. "I'm really, really, sorry. I didn't mean any harm, I promise. I wasn't thinking at all. I shouldn't have done that," she mumbled so that only she, and the tree if it was listening, could hear. She didn't know why, but she thought that it was a living thing.

"Awww, you won't?" she said, putting a look of mock disappointment on her face. She quickly puts on a smile instead, and runs to keep up with him. "So Skeith-senpai, are the hollows where we're going powerful? Will they be too much for me?"

She could feel that Skeith was hiding something, but let it go. He's just doing it to protect me. He did that when he tested me on my capoeira, and when I was training for speed. He always stopped before I really got started. It was the same with that Demon person. He stopped before I was getting ready. What is with that? Don't you get it? They care about you. Mizu was surprised. The tone wasn't mocking at all. I get it, but if they really care about me, then I would want them to stop going easy on me so that I could also get practice thinking under pressure. Your opponent in a fight is not going to be nice to you. By the way, why aren't you trying to be a pain in the a**? Because I decided that if I was going to look forward to fighting you, it would have to be as a rival and not an enemy. You can't have an enemy in your own skin. So stop treating me like one. Besides, if I'm going to have to wait for my fight, then I might as well try to keep you alive until then. I can't take over someone's body if they're dead. I'm not going to give you any of my power, though. Well... Mizu wasn't sure. I guess, for now. Thanks for giving me a second chance. I won't disappoint you! Then reality set back in. Had she really said that? Well, if she did, then I'll have to hold her to that promise.