Several years later, Yue left Akimoto-sensei's dojo for the Academy. When she thought back to when she first started out at the dojo and how eager she was to leave, it seemed like such a stupid thing to think like that. The Academy was everything she'd expected, from the various classes to the after-hours activities she was practically forced to join. Most classes were just as hard as she expected but then she met her match: Zanjutsu. Yue quickly discovered she had little to no talent for wielding a blade of any kind - a katana was too big for her hands, just like the bokken (a wooden katana in place of the real one) they used in class. Several months in, Yue lost count of how many times the bokken slipped out of her hands and flew off in the opposite direction no matter how tightly she gripped the handle - it was a miracle no one had been hurt by an airborne bokken yet. 

Yet, she did perfectly alright in other classes, mainly Kido. As the months slowly wore away, Yue settled into the monotonous routine of the Academy. Those months turned into years and in the middle of her third year, their group was elected to go into the Human world for a training session involving Konso. It was nerve-wracking, to say the least, as they'd never been in the Human world before. 

As they stepped out of the Senkaimon, one by one, Yue was mildly disappointed to see no living beings in sight but that was understandable, seeing as they were in a rather deserted part of the town they'd emerged in. There were various souls scattered around, and as the teacher pointed them out and demonstrated Konso, he motioned for the rest to draw their Zanpakuto's and do the same. 

Nearly four hours passed before their 'excercise' drew to an end, and as the students gathered themselves up again, the group was slightly smaller than what they'd started with. The missing students in question were, in fact, only around a 100 feet away, coming back from their last Konso ritual. Their sensei had been careless letting them go that far, despite having taught in the Academy so long. It was when they'd gotten closer that they realized something was... off. 

It was quiet, eerily quiet as compared to the small noises that occasionally drew their attention some time ago. Yue attributed it to the fact that most of the souls were now gone - they'd be waking up in Rukongai sometime soon - but now the air was heavy and tense. Then it went wrong. 

A couple of Hollows materialized behind the approaching students, and a dozen or so around the group, scaling down the buildings under the cover of the night. It was strange, the way they moved, quietly and without a whisper of sound. Only when Yue turned around, sensing a presence behind her, did it open its mouth and let out a cry that terrified Yue down to her very being. The cry was echoed by most of the other Hollows, those horrifying cries silent to the sleeping humans' ears. 

The group, now alert, froze for a moment before panic overtook them. Their sensei berated himself for his carelessness, for not noticing the Hollows' presence but it was far too late. Even as he deflected a claw that swiped down towards a girl, two more were heading towards the student next to her. Zanpakuto's were raised, ready for action, and the Hollows sprang.