Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Yoshino Sōma

 is a fight taking place during the Bount Invasion between Ichigo Kurosaki and Yoshino Sōma, marking the first direct conflict with a Bount and the return of Rukia Kuchiki to Karakura Town.

Prelude
After Kisuke Urahara briefs Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends on the threat posed by the Bount, a woman in a white dress walks through downtown Karakura Town at nighttime. The woman passes a pair of intoxicated businessmen before hearing Yoshino Sōma singing a song, causing her eyes to dilate and become glazed over as she turns and walks into a nearby alley, where Yoshino leans against the wall and straightens up while holding her arms out benignly. Back at the Kurosaki Clinic, Ichigo listens to music with earbuds in his ears and reads a textbook at his desk.

Lying on Ichigo's bed nearby, a bored Ririn rolls over onto her back and remains still for several seconds before opening her eyes in shock and informing Ichigo that she has detected a Bount. Though Ririn assures him that the Bount is far from his home, Ichigo yanks out his earbuds and gets up. Meanwhile, in the alleyway, Yoshino lures the woman into her arms and holds her closely. After praising the woman, Yoshino opens her mouth and bites the woman's throat, causing the latter's legs to tremble as a drop of Reishi falls to the ground. Suddenly, Ichigo demands to know what Yoshino is doing while approaching her in his Shinigami form.

When Yoshino expresses surprise at seeing a Shinigami, Ichigo clarifies that he is only a Substitute, and as Yoshino inquires what business he has with her, Ichigo firmly states that he cannot let her devour the Souls of living people. Though Yoshino requests that he not interfere, Ichigo refuses to do so and rushes forward. In response, Yoshino throws the lifeless woman at Ichigo, who is forced to stop and catch her in his arms before looking up to discover that Yoshino has vanished. When Ririn indicates the direction that Yoshino moved in, Ichigo is hesitant to leave the woman behind, but Ririn assures him that she is simply unconscious. Shortly afterward, Ichigo pursues Yoshino down a street as Ririn warns him to keep his guard up even though she is not as vicious as they expected her to be, which Ichigo acknowledges.

As Kon questions how far Orihime and Sado intend to walk, Kurōdo instructs them to turn right at the next corner since they are close, prompting Orihime and Sado to begin sprinting. Meanwhile, Yoshino climbs over a fence and runs into a larger, dead-end alley while Ichigo leaps over the fence behind her. Upon hitting the wall at the end of the alley and looking up to see how tall it is, Yoshino faces Ichigo, who levels his Shikai, Zangetsu, at her from several meters away and demands to know what she is planning. Despite this, Yoshino claims that there is no way Ichigo could comprehend her plan even if she told him and criticizes him for being so troublesome.

With Ichigo asserting that he will not leave until he is satisfied regardless of how troublesome it is, Yoshino sighs and admits that she does not want to fight before striking the finger claw on her left hand against the bracelet on her right wrist and summoning her Doll, Goethe, causing an arc of flames to burst from the trail of her finger claw and splatter onto the ground. While Ririn cautions Ichigo that this is not ordinary fire, Goethe stands up in the flames as a tall, muscular, flaming golem that breathes fire into the air in front of its face, startling Ichigo, who leaps back and questions what exactly he is as Yoshino asks him how he likes her Doll.

Battle
Ichigo is left confused by the term as Goethe asks Yoshino if she called him, leading Yoshino to instruct him to help her since Ichigo is being persistent. Angered by this, Goethe forms a large ball of flame in his hand and hurtles it at Ichigo. Dodging to the left as the fireball strikes the ground behind him and sets it on fir, Ichigo tells Ririn to hold on tightly and rolls to avoid a second fireball from Goethe before slashing through a third fireball, which sets the area in front of him ablaze as Goethe leaps through the flames and throws a punch, only for Ichigo to slash sideways with Zangetsu and sever the right forearm of Goethe, which begins to fly away.

However, Ichigo is shocked to see the forearm of Goethe reattach itself to his upper arm with a tendril of flame, and as Ririn observes that he recomposed himself, Yoshino confirms this and declares that Ichigo has no chance of winning because Goethe will recompose himself no matter how many times he is cut. Back in the alley, a yelling Ichigo runs up to Goethe and slashes diagonally through his upper torso from his left shoulder, but can only watch in astonishment as Goethe reattaches the two portions of his body with fire. Though Yoshino tells him that it is useless to keep cutting Goethe, Ichigo insists that there must be a weak point to attack.

Ichigo strikes at Goethe, who evades to his right and throws a punch that Ichigo blocks with Zangetsu. After Goethe moves backward to avoid another blow, Ichigo slashes horizontally through his midsection, but Goethe easily reattaches the two halves of his body with another braid of fire. Upon being reminded by Ririn of Yoshino telling him that it is useless to do this, an irritated Ichigo inquires if she has a better idea, which prompts Ririn to reiterate Urahara's advice of staying calm in battle and observing one's opponent to find a weakness. Looking over Goethe, Ichigo hones in on his left pectoral as a weakness and rushes forward despite Ririn's protests before shoving Zangetsu through the left pectoral of Goethe, who moans in pain as he falls apart.

However, while Ichigo presumes he has won and tells Ririn the weak point of Goethe was his heart, a shocked Ririn tells him to look at Goethe, who reforms and surges toward Ichigo in a torrent of flame, resulting in Ichigo and Ririn being sent flying back and slamming into the wall of a nearby building as five chunks of Goethe crash into them. While she watches the resulting explosion, a smiling Yoshino notes she warned Ichigo about this and orders Goethe to finish them, which Goethe acknowledges as he forms a large ball of fire in either hand. With Ichigo lying in the wreckage, a concerned Ririn frantically asks him if he can move, and when Ichigo assures her he is fine, Ririn directs his attention to Goethe charging up his fireballs.

Seeing a whirlwind form around Goethe due to the intensity of his flames, Ichigo struggles to get up, but discovers that the debris is trapping him in place, to Ririn's chagrin. After combining the two fireballs in his hands, Goethe unleashes a large and wide beam of fire that hurtles toward a screaming Ichigo and Ririn. Suddenly, a '''Hadō #33. Sōkatsui''' from above strikes the flames before they can reach Ichigo and Ririn, dispersing them in a violent shockwave that forces Yoshino to shield herself with her arms. With Ichigo staring in astonishment, Rukia Kuchiki lands among the flames in the dress Uryū made and demands to know what he is doing before looking over her shoulder.

As he shoves and kicks away the debris trapping him, Ichigo reaches for Zangetsu embedded in the wreckage next to him while a roaring Goethe unleashes a large wave of flame that transforms into several fireballs, forcing Ichigo and Rukia to leap away as two crashes into their positions. While Ichigo slashes through another fireball with Zangetsu and Rukia evades a fourth, Yoshino urges Goethe to destroy them, and after acknowledging this, Goethe rises into the air and increases the intensity of the flames emitting from his leg stumps, leaving an astonished Rukia to wonder what kind of power this is as he forms a massive fireball above his head. Though she initially prepares to counterattack with Kidō, Rukia mentally realizes that the fireball is too big.

Aftermath
However, before Goethe can throw the fireball down, several snakes formed by Ryō Utagawa's Doll, Fried, fly into the air and wrap themselves around Goethe, who groans and vanishes alongside his fire under their constriction. With the snakes turning back into bent and warped pipes that fall to the ground, Utagawa approaches Yoshino and admonishes her for roaming around Karakura Town without permission. When Ichigo demands to know if he is a Bount and what this was about, an annoyed Utagawa comments on how noisy he is while Fried perches on his shoulder and bares her fangs, which leads Ririn to pop up on Ichigo's shoulder and urge him to be careful.

After asserting that food does not talk, to Ichigo's confusion, Utagawa smirks as Fried slithers down to the ground and turns his attention back to Yoshino before inviting her to return home with him as he licks his lips. Intimidated, Yoshino takes a step back and moves to summon Goethe again, but Utagawa merely notes that he has no choice and calls out to Fried, who wraps herself around Yoshino's right leg and both of her wrists while declaring that the latter will not disobey as she struggles to escape. With Utagawa advising Yoshino to not fight since Fried is somewhat short-tempered, a hissing Fried moves through the air to the right of Yoshino's head.

Upon being asked by a shocked Ichigo if they are not on the same side, an irritated Utagawa claims to be getting a headache from how noisy he is as the eyes of Fried glow red, causing a nearby pipe leaning against a wall to transform into a snake that lunges at Ichigo, who narrowly evades it and is surprised to see some strands of his hair severed by the attack. Seeing the snake having return to its pipe form and left crooked and damaged by its attack as it lays embedded in the wall behind him, Ichigo questions what is going on and what the capabilities of the Bount are while Utagawa requests he excuse them since nobility never shares a table with pigs.

Utagawa calls out to Fried and moves up to the rooftop behind him as he pulls on the other end of Fried, who is now wrapped around Yoshino's torso, wrists, and neck. After pulling Yoshino up to the roof, Utagawa grabs her and runs off, leaving Ichigo to demand that he wait. As the fire burning around them diminishes and vanishes, Rukia asks Ichigo what this was about, only for him to admit that he has no idea. Suddenly, Orihime Inoue and Yasutora Sado land on the ground a few meters away from Ichigo and Rukia, and as he helps Orihime to her feet, Sado brings up Utagawa to Ichigo, who inquires if Sado knows who Utagawa is.

While Sado begins to recount Utagawa consuming a man's Soul and reducing him to dust a few minutes ago, Orihime notices Rukia standing behind Ichigo as an enamored Kon leaps toward her and declares that the great vertical cliff which he has dreamed of is now within his grasp, only for an angered Rukia to stomp him to the ground and question why he is calling her a cliff. Running up to Rukia and hugging her, Orihime welcomes her back and tearfully states that she did not think she would be able to see Rukia again so soon, leading an initially stunned Rukia to smile and acknowledge this. Stepping back, Orihime asserts that the dress Uryū Ishida looks good on Rukia.

After struggling to express herself for a few minutes, Orihime reveals that a restaurant near Karakura High School has begun serving green tea spaghetti and suggests that they all celebrate Rukia's return there, prompting Rukia to agree to this after a moment of confusion. With Orihime detailing how the restaurant also serves a curry frappe that is amazing when poured over shaved ice, a smiling Ichigo watches them with Sado. Soon afterward, Ichigo and his friends huddle in a nearby park, where Rukia recounts how she suddenly received orders to purify Hollows in Karakura Town again, which she could not disobey despite wanting to spend more time training.

Crouching next to Rukia, Ichigo laments being stuck with her again, and as Rukia claims that this is her line, Ririn pops up from behind Ichigo's shoulder and asks him who Rukia is, prompting Rukia to recoil in shock at the sight of Ririn, whom she calls ugly. An irritated Ririn asserts that she did not choose this body and that she is forced to be in this plushie in order to provide support to Ichigo before crying as Rukia picks up on her mention of support, leading Ichigo to explain that Kisuke Urahara gave Ririn to him in order to detect the Bount whom they just encountered, though a puzzled Rukia admits that she still does not understand this.

Though Ririn claims that Rukia will regret judging her by her appearance, Kurōdo, who lies at Orihime's waist on a strap around her shoulder, clarifies that Rukia is referring to the Bount, startling Ririn. When Rukia wonders if the Bount are allies or enemies, Kurōdo asserts that they are hard to read and that he does not even know their objective before greeting Rukia, who approaches him in astonishment. While Orihime introduces Kurōdo and Noba to her, with Sado holding up Noba as he greets her, Rukia continues to fixate on Kurōdo and hugs him to her chest, to his surprise, as she proclaims that he is cute and looks just like Chappy.

With Kon protesting that Rukia is supposed to love him most of all, Orihime apologetically informs Rukia that she cannot give Kurōdo to him despite their friendship before assuming that they are now rivals in love. Kon continues to decry this and lies on the ground as he wonders if he has been removed from his status as the object of adoration and made a villain, which he tearfully refuses to accept. Elsewhere, in the desolate penthouse of an abandoned skyscraper hotel in Karakura Town, Jin Kariya sits silently in a dark room in an armchair facing one of the large windows with his hands clasped as Utagawa opens the door on the other side of the room and instructs Yoshino to enter.

After Yoshino and Utagawa enter and stand behind him, Kariya comments on the beauty of the view of the city before them and stands up while observing that they can only take in this view because they are surrounded by darkness. Approaching Yoshino, Kariya asserts that they could never become brilliant lights and reaches out to Yoshino, who flinches and shudders when his hand halts in front of her face, before caressing her cheek and inquiring if she ate a proper meal since she needs to keep her strength up. As he moves his hand down to Yoshino's neck, Kariya notices a thin purple bruise forming there and wonders if she caused Utagawa trouble again.

With Kariya removing his hand and questioning if Yoshino was upset by something that happened, Utagawa suggests that Yoshino does not understand her place here and claims to find it difficult to defend her actions, prompting Yoshino to demand to know what position he is referring to. Though Utagawa asserts that she should figure this out on her own, Kariya admonishes him for being so cruel to Yoshino, which Utagawa apologizes for, and states that he cannot forgive Yoshino completely regardless. However, Yoshino counters that she does not need Kariya's forgiveness for anything, to his bemusement, and declares that she will not be ordered around by anyone.

Acknowledging this, Kariya explains that he is worried about Yoshino due to her weakness and foolishness, which he claims forces him to protect her. When Utagawa takes out a golden pocket watch, the sealed form of Fried, Yoshino whirls around and prepares to summon Goethe, but Kariya warns her against doing this since he does not want to harm her any further, to Yoshino's anger. Afterwards, Utagawa leads Yoshino to a storage room filled with boxes and seals the door shut behind her, leaving Yoshino to stare out of the small circular window at the sky.