['The Animals: Your soul will serve as a special tonic; a portion of it can catalyze the completion of an item, a person's endeavor, and the evolution of one's own soul.']
The Animals can bring a person's efforts and their soul to full evolution.
It's precisely because of this ability that Yoshio is confident he can help Szayelaporro achieve a so-called "perfect life."
Otherwise, merely telling Szayelaporro the properties of "Gabriel" would be meaningless. Do you think Szayelaporro hadn't anticipated that capability?
Of course not—he's already made progress down that path.
In terms of scientific literacy, Yoshio has caught up a lot, but he still can't compare to this world's top scientists.
Though Szayelaporro falls slightly short of Aizen, Urahara, and Mayuri, he's still an exceptionally talented scientist.
Discussing scientific creation with him is pointless.
Thus, to help him realize a perfect life, something arcane is needed.
And so, ["The Animals"] came into play.
His [The Animals] is not merely a boost to spiritual power; as the description says, it can help a person's efforts succeed.
Just as Szayelaporro wishes to attain a perfect life, [The Animals] will aid him in that as well.
Although each use of [The Animals] costs Yoshio a portion of his soul from a full year, impacting his training in that period, Yoshio feels that paying this small price to gain Roka Paramia—plus Szayelaporro's future attention and goodwill—is entirely worth it.
For Yoshio, every use of [The Animals] is timed for when he expects a real payoff.
The difference is, there are only mid, grand, and supreme prizes—no small prizes.
Minor wins don't count as wins.
So when he walked out of Szayelaporro's lab, he was in fairly good spirits.
But just as he stepped out, he ran into Starrk and Lilynette.
"What are you doing here?"
Yoshio asked curiously, "Looking for Szayelaporro?"
"..."
"Starrk came to see you," Lilynette said from the side, while Starrk remained silent. "He thought Szayelaporro would kill you."
"Ha, am I that weak?"
Yoshio couldn't help a chuckle. "This is Roka Paramia. I've borrowed her from Szayelaporro; she'll be with me from now on."
Starrk glanced at Roka Paramia. Though she seemed ordinary, Starrk wasn't the sort to judge people by raw power.
He nodded.
Lilynette, however, ignored Roka entirely and said to Yoshio, "Okay, Yoshio, I'm tired of the last story—I want a new one!"
"What a coincidence, I just thought of a new story."
Yoshio smiled. "Long, long ago, a Vasto Lorde named 'Nine-Tails' attacked the Soul Society. Back then, the Soul Society was divided among five great powers, and Nine-Tails struck the strongest: Konoha."
He walked alongside Lilynette, narrating as they went:
Konoha was supported by one of the Soul Society's Five Great Noble Families, the Tsunayashiro. The leader at the time was Minato Namikaze; his Zanpakuto ability was the 'Flying Thunder God.' Facing the Nine-Tails, he sacrificed his life, invoked a forbidden art, and sealed the Nine-Tails within his Zanpakuto.
"And that's how the story begins…"
Yoshio figured that compared to the melancholic Starrk, it was easier to win over Lilynette.
So he planned to start with her; once Lilynette's favor rose, Starrk's would naturally follow.
So he often told Lilynette stories. She'd spent so long in Hueco Mundo and had only recently split from Starrk—she'd never heard so many tales. Her goodwill rose quickly.
A pity her Souls Ability wasn't the one Yoshio wanted most.
Only after obtaining Starrk's ["Spirit Split"] would Lilynette's ["Spirit Merge"] truly shine.
"..."
Watching Lilynette trail Yoshio, listening intently, a trace of relief flashed in Starrk's eyes, and he followed as well.
As for Roka Paramia, there was no need to say more. She had no self to begin with; since Szayelaporro had transferred her to Yoshio, then Yoshio would be her master henceforth.
She merely needed to obey Yoshio.
As Yoshio spun the tale of the "Konoha Shinigami," he pondered the consequences of his actions of late.
…
The one most impacted was, of course, Szayelaporro.
With [The Animals] Yoshio bestowed to become a perfect being—just how powerful will Szayelaporro become?
This time, he would undoubtedly be the rightful zero Espada among the Espada.
Beyond Szayelaporro, Starrk had also shifted to a degree.
Originally, Starrk had even considered weakening himself to gain friends.
So what exactly is the Hōgyoku's ability?
The Hōgyoku extracts the surrounding desires and fulfills them.
Did Starrk truly grow stronger by leveraging the Hōgyoku?
Starrk's Arrancarization was self-initiated, unrelated to Aizen's Hōgyoku.
Thus Yoshio even felt that with the Hōgyoku's "help," Starrk might not have grown stronger—he might have been weakened by it!
But this time, Yoshio had already become Starrk's friend, and could even encourage others to befriend him.
And then…
When Aizen arrives with the Hōgyoku in the future, will Starrk still wish to weaken himself?
Especially since Yoshio brought Szayelaporro, a powerful ally, to him—this time he might even grow stronger with the Hōgyoku's aid.
One can imagine: if Aizen were to reassemble the Espada now, the lineup would be terrifyingly strong.
Back in his previous life, when Yoshio learned this bit of intel, he wondered: if Aizen mobilized all of Hueco Mundo again and launched another Karakura Town battle, would the Espada still lose?
This time, perhaps he could realize his earliest fantasy.
Of course, changes weren't limited to Hollows; the Shinigami side had shifted too.
The most typical examples were Rukia and Renji. Rukia had the original Hollow White implanted in her, while Renji had entered Hueco Mundo. Who knew how their fates would unfold?
"Then what?!"
Lilynette's voice broke Yoshio's train of thought.
"Naruto, after stealing the 'Sealing Scroll,' be killed by Konoha's Captain-Commander?"