Sombra discovered something interesting when Kisuke and the others sat down for the final meal of the day, Arrancars didn't need to eat anything like humans, as Jinta called him and the others, though at the same time nothing stopped them from actually eating or drinking things that humans ate and drank. This information was from Kisuke, confirming Sombra's thoughts that the man had a good knowledge on his strange species and that it would take some time for him to get all of that information out of him, but at the same time he actually had to wonder how a simple shopkeeper could know all of this about his species. Kisuke tried to wave it off as him guessing, as he hadn't actually spoken to an Arrancar before today, but that didn't stop Sombra from wondering how he had gotten all of this information in the first place, even though it was going to allow him to understand things at a much faster pace. Despite the fact that he didn't need to actually eat or drink anything, and actually had no desire to eat anything, he did accept a cup of tea that Tessai offered him... one that actually calmed him down and let him enjoy a little peace at the same time.
While all of them were eating, and Sombra sat in the corner since he didn't want to ruin their moment, he noticed that Yoruichi was staring at him from time to time, making him wonder what he had done that had made him earn the cat's attention... before wondering if the cat couldn't actually see him and was only sensing his presence or something, which was as strange as a cat being able to see him to begin with.
Once the evening meal was over Sombra watched as both Jinta and Ururu did whatever they wanted before it was time to turn in for the night, where Jinta seemed to fantasizing about something, as he sometimes pretended to throw a ball into the air and hit it with a 'bat', as Ururu explained it. According to what he learned it appeared that Jinta wanted to be involved in something called 'sports', which he knew nothing about, though he simply watched Jinta do whatever he was doing for some time before turning away. Ururu, on the other hand, seemed to be focused on something outside the shop, which was definitely not a customer when Sombra asked her what she was doing, but since she didn't actually tell him what she was doing he simply backed away and let her go about her business. Tessai and Kisuke seemed to be busy with some business of their own, apparently managing the books for their operation, leaving Sombra to simply sit in a chair and wonder what he was going to do to pass the time.
Apparently after some time Kisuke and the others went to sleep for the night, allowing Sombra to simply remain in the room that he was sitting in and wait for time to pass on it's own, though as he did so he nodded off and fell asleep, allowing the night to pass without him constantly thinking about what the next day was going to bring.
When the morning arrived Sombra woke up as Kisuke and the others began their daily routine, though as he did so he noticed that none of them seemed interested in actually opening the front door of the shop, which apparently they didn't open until they were ready to go. Kisuke, on the other hand, called Sombra aside and brought him to one of the backrooms of the shop, one where they wouldn't be disturbed until someone came to make a purchase, though that told Sombra that he had wrongly assumed that any employee could ring up someone's bill. He was surprised that Tessai couldn't do it while he was busy, but since this operation seemed to run on just the four of them, doing things the way they had been doing them in the past, he decided to go with the flow and said nothing on it, instead following Kisuke to the room he wanted to sit in. Once they arrived at the room in question, about the same size as the one the group had their meals in, the two of them sat around the table, which Sombra found was low to the floor, but once more decided that it wasn't important in the grand scheme of things at the moment.
What he found on the table, however, was some tea accessories, meaning that either Kisuke liked tea or he was planning on serving some while they talked, though either way it didn't matter to him, since he was curious as to what sort of information Kisuke had to share with him.
"I know you have questions, and I will do my best to explain things to you," Kisuke said, to which he set his cane to the side and poured some tea for the two of them, because he found that such a drink helped calm Sombra down, though before he actually started talking he took a few sips from his cup and focused on Sombra, "Allow me to start by saying that there are four realms of existence in this world; the World of the Living, where we are located at the moment, the Spirit World, which many call the afterlife, Hueco Mundo, the place you came from, and Hell, where the wicked are sent. Allow me to start with the World of the Living, also called the Human World or Earth, is home to a number of beings and people, such as humans, Pulses, and the odd group or two, much like myself, Tessai, and Yoruichi reside. The Spirit World, also called Soul Society by those that live there, is where the souls of the dead are sent, most of them anyway, where they reside there for an undetermined amount of time before being reincarnated in this world. Hueco Mundo, the land of Hollows and the occasional Arrancar, resides between the Human World and Soul Society, though sometimes a Hollow will leave Hueco Mundo for a time and hunt for souls in this world, to grow stronger than they previously were."
"And Hell?" Sombra asked, because now he was understanding why only certain people in this place, the Land of the Living, were able to see someone like him, who was a spiritual being from another plane of existence, if he was actually understanding what Kisuke was telling him, "Who resides in Hell?"
"That is where the wicked are sent when they die." Kisuke replied, to which he stared down at his cup for a moment, as he knew what he was going to say and wanted to be sure that he wasn't overloading Sombra with talk of all four realms of existence at the same time, but since he seemed to understand he continued talking, "Allow me to explain what I mean in a way that you'll understand it. Shinigami, or Soul Reapers, reside in Soul Society and sometimes come to the World of the Living to hunt down and purge Hollows of the sins they committed since they died, meaning that Hollows were once Humans that died and their souls didn't cross over to Soul Society for a variety of reasons. If a Hollow only committed sins after they became what they were now, and didn't do any heinous crimes while they were alive, then being slain by a Shinigami will purge their soul and send them to Soul Society. If they committed any heinous acts when they were still alive, however, then being killed by a Shinigami will have a different outcome... the Hollow will be dragged into the depths of Hell to atone for their sins, or to stay there forever."
"And what happens when an Arrancar kills a Hollow?" Sombra inquired, because he figured that, if his species coexisted with the Hollows in Hueco Mundo, like Kisuke was saying, then there had to be some fighting between them, and maybe they sent hunters out like Soul Society sends out Shinigami to purge Hollows and either redeem them or send them to Hell.
"Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for that question." Kisuke answered, because for the most part he had only seen one other Arrancar before in his life, though he was fairly sure that the Arrancar in question had been killed at some point in the past and was no longer around, "Maybe being slain by an Arrancar sends a Hollow to Soul Society, maybe it sends them to Hell... or maybe it just sends them back to Hueco Mundo, where they can rest and recover for the future. There's no way to know for sure."
Sombra nodded his head and drank some of the tea that Kisuke had poured for him, though he said nothing as he thought about what he had just learned so far, about the four realms and the types of people that lived in them, but at the same time he had to wonder about something. He had no idea what a Hollow looked like, had an idea of what Humans looked like, had no idea what a Shinigami might even begin to look like, and was overall still very much confused about everything at the moment. That, in turn, made him wonder how one was supposed to fight something like a Hollow, since that was what the Shinigami did all the time apparently, though even as he thought about that he realized that Kisuke might know what to do, since he knew all about the types of beings that populated the four realms. There was also the arrangement that Kisuke had mentioned a few times, something that he was eager to learn about, though something told him that he was going to be fighting Hollows, even if he had no idea what they looked like or how to properly fight them at the moment.
"So, about this arrangement," Sombra commented, causing Kisuke to look at him, as he was interested in what he had to say at the moment, especially since this wasn't something they had talked about all that much, "would I be correct in assuming that you would like me to help the Shinigami hunt them down and purge them, or at the very least weaken them to make their lives easier?"
"Something like that," Kisuke said, though the slight smile on his face told Sombra that there had to be more to the deal than what he was trying to figure out, or maybe he was overthinking the entire thing and was drawing conclusions when he felt he might be onto something, "but, before we send you out to fight something as dangerous as a Hollow, you need to practice your fighting skills... and that means we need to have a trip to the basement."
Sombra raised an eyebrow as Kisuke led him towards an entrance that contained a ladder, one that allowing them to descend all the way down into the massive underground area that rested beneath the shop, a place that Sombra had no idea even existed until a few minutes ago. As he looked around he found that it mostly contained rock formations, the ground itself, and a few dead looking trees, though the sheer size of the place made it seem like the perfect place to practice without getting caught in the process. What he wasn't expecting to find was Ururu standing some distance away from them with some padded gloves and a helmet on, punching and kicking at an invisible enemy for a few moments, with a spare set of gear resting nearby. Jinta, for the most part, happened to be sitting nearby and was watching Ururu, though when they arrived he got up from where he was sitting and headed back up to the shop, no doubt so he and Tessai could keep watch and deal with any customers that came in today, that way Kisuke wasn't bothered and whatever happened next wasn't stopped.
One thing he noticed, yet decided to say nothing about since he was so interested in the area around them, was that it was a little difficult to breathe, but he just assumed that this was because they were underground and weren't doing something like this outside the shop.
"If I were to prepare you for fighting a Hollow, as you seem to think, you need to relearn how to fight." Kisuke said, to which Ururu stopped what she was doing and turned to face them, where she seemed to be the exact same as she had been earlier, only now with padded gloves on, "So to start us off we'll start with the first lesson, hand to hand combat. The rules are quite simple, as the winner is determined by whoever renders their opponent unconscious first. You'll find some gear over there... though you might want to put them on before Ururu throws the first punch."
Sombra stared at the three pieces that were laid out near them, two gloves and a head piece that was different from what Ururu was wearing, though even as he did that he knew that Ururu was preparing herself for the sparring match that they were going to have. Since it appeared that he didn't have much of a choice, as this was part of the arrangement that he had made with Kisuke, even when he didn't know all the specifics of said arrangement, he said nothing as he picked up the gloves and slipped them on, finding that the grip was nice and comfortable without restricting his movement. The head piece was the same, as it fit into place and protected his forehead, though at the same time he briefly thought about what Kisuke had said, about this being hand to hand combat, before realizing that the movements that Ururu had been going through before their arrival had to have been a little hint on what he had to do to prevent himself from taking damage during the sparring match. He then guessed that he would have to use the hints that Ururu had been giving him to take part of this sparring match, though at the same time he wasn't sure why she was the one that would be fighting against him, when he was sure that Kisuke or Tessai would be a more appropriate opponent for him to spar against.
Ururu, seeing that he had put on the gloves and head piece, brought her fists to the side for a moment before she dashed forward, surprising Sombra with the fact that she was able to move as fast as she was, since she was still so young, and before he knew it she was right in front of him. He had just enough time to raise his arms and block his face as Ururu swung her fist at him, causing the dust around them to kick up as her attack connected, where he went flying through the air and collided with one of the many rock formations that rested down here. Sombra moaned for a moment as he pulled himself out of the small crater that had formed around him and rubbed his arm for a few seconds, because while he knew that Ururu could see spirits, since he was one himself, he was surprised to find that she had the power to send him flying in such a manner, not to mention bruise his arm in the process. He didn't know if she was pulling her punches or if an Arrancar had natural defenses that dulled the pain, but he quickly determined that taking too many of Ururu's punches was a very bad idea. As he got up, and resolved to fight back, Ururu charged at him and went on the offensive rather immediately, either swinging her fists at him or jumping and punching the ground where he had been standing as he retreated every now and then... leaving small craters where her fists collided with the ground beneath them, before continuing the chance once more.
While this was going on Kisuke, accompanied by Yoruichi, stood nearby and watched the two of them go at it, for more like Sombra continued to retreat and study Ururu's movements, while at the same time occasionally taking one or two of the attacks, either on purpose or because he got sloppy... it was hard to tell with him, as his movements were getting better, yet he still didn't feel the need to attack her yet.
"When are you going to tell him that this 'lesson' is designed to help restore one's spiritual energy?" Yoruichi asked, because right now Sombra was so engaged in his 'battle' with Ururu that it was okay to speak, as he would never hear the two of them conversing until they had already stopped talking.
"When he's finished fighting." Kisuke replied, though at the same time he watched Sombra fall back and avoid another attack from Ururu, where his earlier lack of breath seemed to have disappeared entirely, which meant that he was adapting to the area quiet well, "At the very least this will allow him to start the other lessons that I have planned for him, though whether he gets through them all or not is all up to him and his ability to understand what's going on. Besides, while he does possess a great deal of spiritual energy it's all bound up at the moment, like something is keeping it locked up, so he needs this training to draw out his power, and then we can focus on the real work... and finding that weapon of his, since it's part of who he is."
"If he grows his power too fast Soul Society will come looking for him." Yoruichi commented, though a slight smile appeared on the cat's face for a moment, as Sombra tried to punch Ururu when she missed, which only caused the young girl to hit him even harder and send him flying into one of the rock formations, "but, at the rate he's going, I don't think we'll have too much to worry about."
Kisuke nodded his head for a moment, as while Sombra was making decent progress in increasing his spiritual energy, thus increasing his overall speed and power at the same time, he was still having problems figuring out when was the best time to attack Ururu and gain the upper hand. He knew that the Arrancar was smart, he could see it just by looking at him, but he was working from a blank slate and couldn't use whatever experience he once had to his advantage, meaning this was like watching a novice fight a much more experienced opponent. What surprised him was that despite the pain that Ururu was putting him through, when her attacks connected, Sombra showed no signs of giving up, meaning that he wanted to overcome the lesson he was going through before he stopped and attempted the next one. He had to admit that Sombra had enough patience to fight Ururu in the manner that he was, while even trying to overcome her at the same time, but Kisuke knew that it would be some time before Sombra was even remotely close to such a thing, even if he constantly trained all day for the next several days.
What really caught his attention was when Sombra, somehow, managed to lightly scratch Ururu's face, causing her eyes to widen as she went into her more powerful stance, where she spun around and kicked Sombra so hard that any normal soul would have found their chest shattered and their lives forfeit... though as he moved in and stopped her from chasing after him, calming her down in the process, he found that there was some smoke rising from the area of Sombra's chest that she had hit, though he was still alive.
"I think that this is good enough for today," Kisuke stated, to which Ururu relaxed and started taking off the gloves and the head piece, while at the same time he walked over to Sombra and helped him onto his hooves, "You did good to keep up with Ururu's speed, even though you need to learn when to dodge attacks so you don't take unnecessary damage in the future. Now, you will train with her once per day, for a few minutes every day, and then we'll take a few moments to go over some new facts about the four realms and the types of beings that call them home, though maybe next week we'll start our actual training... unless I decide to step up your training and start using actual weapons at some point."
Sombra nodded his head, though at the same time he was already exhausted from the short bout with Ururu, as the young girl was even stronger than what he had been expecting and his lack of experience in even hand to hand fighting made things even more difficult for him. Ururu's attacks, despite the fact that they hadn't broken any of his bones or did any serious damage to him, still hurt and he rubbed them a little as he followed Kisuke and Ururu back towards the ladder that would take them back to the shop. Of course at the same time he made sure to take off the gear that he had been wearing the entire time and put it in the area that Kisuke wanted them returned to, so he could prepare them for the next day's training, but at the same time he had to wonder what else the shopkeeper had to tell him and what he had to show him before he had an understanding of the worlds he had known before he lost his memories. One thing he considered was that Kisuke seemed to be happy with the progress that he had made already, if the look on his face was anything to go by, though he hoped that he could do him proud when it came time to learn how to use an actual weapon... and, when the time came, to step out and tackle the Hollows that came into this world, or whatever Kisuke wanted him to do.
When the three of them returned to the upper level of the shop, however, they discovered that there hadn't been any customers so far, even though the shop had been open for a few minutes since they had been down in the depths of the basement, though when they climbed out of the shaft they had been in Kisuke closed the floor and everything returned to normal for him and the others. Since Sombra was going to be invisible to anyone that happened to come into the shop, and couldn't do much until Kisuke decided to teach him something, he moved to one of the rooms and simply took out one of the books that happened to be on one of the shelves. From what he could tell the book was in a room that had some information on Hueco Mundo, maybe written by the Shinigami he guessed, to which he sat down in a corner of the room, where he wouldn't be spotted by customers if any walked into this area, and started to read what was inside the pages in front of him. If Kisuke and the others needed him, for whatever reason, he would be available until it was time for him to do something else, to which he focused on the book that was in front of him and the information that it contained on the world that he had come from.
He was sure that there was something inside the book that Kisuke hadn't told him, as there had to be more to the world he had found himself in when he woke up than what little he already knew, and reading what the Shinigami had written on the subject, which raised questions about how Kisuke got the information, might answer some of the questions that he had at the moment... and maybe even bring back some of his forgotten memories in the process.