The Hollowfication Incident

Prelude
One hundred and ten years ago, Lieutenant Sōsuke Aizen moves through his division, greeting other members before arriving at his Captain's office. His Captain, Shinji Hirako chastises him for not dressing up and introduces him to Jazz music before they leave for an inauguration ceremony at the First Division.

Shinji almost has a tantrum over not being granted entry into the meeting but when the door opens he is kicked in the face and sent flying by Hiyori Sarugaki, Lieutenant of the Twelfth Division. She insists she will not apologize but Love Aikawa hits her head from behind and tells her to say sorry.

Shinji begins to tease Hiyori by making faces at her behind Captain Love Aikawa's back and she starts to get angry as a result. She insists that Love look his way and see what he is doing but instead Love just pushes her back inside the First Division barracks for the ceremony. Horrified, Aizen requests that his captain behave more maturely in front of other officers from the Gotei 13.

While walking through the barracks, Shinji and Love discuss which captains have arrived for the ceremony with Love confirming that the 10th Kenpachi, Kenpachi Kiganjō is lazy and disobedient and they must blame the previous Kenpachi for losing to him. Shunsui Kyōraku arrives with Jūshirō Ukitake and Lisa Yadōmaru and chastises them for talking about other captains behind their back.

A concerned Ukitake wonders why Kirio Hikifune left so soon for her new post, thinking things should have gone at a more paced rate. Shinji expresses exasperation at the constant changes in captains and Kyōraku states that it is the natural cycle of things and that in the last two hundred years there is only himself, Ukitake and Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto still as captains. Ukitake reminds him that he's left out Retsu Unohana and the captain panics slightly at the thought.

Kyōraku carries on and suggests there are many different reasons for the different captains over the years; the Captain of the Tenth Division died on duty; the Third Division Captain retired; and Hikifune was promoted which means others are needed to fill those roles. This news incites Aizen's curiosity as he asks how a captain can be promoted and wonders if Hikifune is now among Central 46 but Kyōraku denies this and asserts that she has been promoted to the Royal Guard, a division that is not among the Gotei 13. The news greatly stuns Aizen as he has never heard of a Zero Division.

Kensei Muguruma, Captain of the Ninth Division, interrupts their conversation and informs everyone that the new captain has arrived for the ceremony and Yamamoto wants them all to stand at in their usual positions. Kisuke Urahara then arrives in the room and Shinji wonders about his odd appearance. Urahara sheepishly apologizes for being late but Yoruichi Shihōin, Captain of the Second Division, stands forward berates him for being so hesitant as he is now a captain. Yamamoto arrives by pushing him into the room before formally announcing that Urahara has completed the Captain Proficiency Test and as such is the new Captain of the Twelfth Division.