Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Yoshino Sōma

 is the first battle between Ichigo Kurosaki and a Bount.

Prelude
After the events in Soul Society, unusually large numbers of Humans begin disappearing in the Human World. Investigating to discover the culprit behind the alarming rate of attacks on Humans, Yoruichi Shihōin and Captain Suì-Fēng, reaching a train yard, hear a woman singing. Walking towards her as if in a trance, a man reaches the woman, and she opens her mouth as if to bite him. Ordering Suì-Fēng to begin transmitting data, Yoruichi moves to attack the unknown woman. As Yoruichi, changing to her normal form, slams the ground, the woman, jumping back, escapes. Yoruichi tells Ichigo, Kisuke Urahara, and the others the intruder she encountered was a Bount. As the group sits around the table in the Urahara Shop, Urahara, telling them he first learned of the Bounts during his time as captain of the 12th Division, states they are a small group of specialized Humans like the Quincy, and they are able to eat and absorb Human souls; doing so allows them to live forever.

Yoruichi notes though they normally consume the souls of the dead, in the recent case, the Bount was trying to consume a living soul, which would effectively render the Human dead. Out of concern for powerful Human souls such as those of Ichigo, Orihime Inoue, and Yasutora Sado, Urahara assigns a Mod-Soul to each of them, for each Mod-Soul has a secondary function as a "Bount sensor." Elsewhere, a Bount lures a Human towards her. As the three groups of two go about finding stuffed animals for the Mod-Souls to hide in to avoid suspicion, Ririn, Kurōdo, and Noba sense the presence of a Bount. All three pairs head out to intercept the Bount.

Battle
Arriving in the alley, Ririn and Ichigo encounter Yoshino Sōma just before she can devour a woman's soul. As he moves to attack her, she, throwing the unconscious woman at him, escapes down another alley. Pursuing her, he succeeds in cornering her. As she summons her Doll, whom she calls Goethe, which launches several fire attacks, Ichigo, dodging Goethe's fire attacks, cuts off one of its arms, but it reattaches itself to the Doll. As Ichigo and Ririn express surprise, Yoshino tells them they do not stand a chance, for Goethe will regenerate no matter how many attacks are inflicted on it.

As Ichigo continues to slash Goethe, it continues to regenerate. As Yoshino taunts him about how useless it is to attack Goethe, he, unable to find a way to stop Goethe, begins to lose his patience until Ririn reminds him to stay calm and collected to find a weakness. Spotting a weakness in Goethe's heart, Ichigo hits it, and Goethe seems to disintegrate. When Goethe, reforming, blasts them into a nearby building, Yoshino orders Goethe to finish them off. Creating a pair of fireballs while Ichigo is pinned in the rubble, Goethe releases the blasts, but a lightning bolt, crashing down from the sky, stops them. An astonished Ichigo watches as Rukia Kuchiki lands in front of him.

Aftermath
As Rukia stands in the flames in front of Ichigo, she asks what is he doing, and if his fighting ability has gotten rusty. As Goethe charges up an even larger fireball, numerous snakes, appearing, entangle the Doll. As Goethe disappears while the snakes fall and turn into metal pipes, the male Bount whom Orihime and Sado encountered appears nearby. As Ichigo questions the Bount's appearance, the Bount, brushing his question off, states Ichigo is noisy. As Yoshino prepares to reactivate her Doll, he uses his Doll to bind Yoshino before she can do so. As Ichigo speaks up again, the Doll turns a nearby metal rod into a snake to attack. With Yoshino as his captive, the Bount escapes.