Mod Soul Training

The Mod Soul Training is an event opening the anime exclusive Bount Invasion. Three mysterious figures with strange powers begin hounding Ichigo and his friends, leading them through a series of crazy and risky games.

Prelude
Having returned home from his trip to the Soul Society, Ichigo finds it hard to readapt himself to a normal Human's life. As the first period in the new semester begins Ichigo, along with the rest of his class, is surprised to hear the voice of Renji Abarai calling out to him. After confronting Renji about the reason for his presence there he learns that Renji's been put in charge of Karakura Town. Ichigo insinuates that Renji being sent there meant he was demoted but Renji explains they had to send him on the count of Ichigo's inability to control his Reiryoku. As if to emphasize his words, Ichigo's Hollow alarm goes off and a Hollow appears in the school yard. Since Renji has trouble getting out of his Gigai it is up to Ichigo to purify the Hollow. He then insists Renji doesn't show up at the school for no reason again.

That night, Renji who was staying at the Urahara Shop, gets a strange order on his Soul phone. He leaves the shop and goes to alert Ichigo. Ichigo is oblivious at first but when it's spelled out for him he does sense a strange presence right next to his friend, Orihime Inoue. Orihime herself opens the door to a person who looks just like her late brother, Sora. Even though she suspects something, she nevertheless puts her hand in the creature's hand and agrees to go with him through a strange portal, resembling the gates of Hell. When Ichigo, Renji, Uryū and Chad arrive there is nothing they can do except stand and watch as Orihime is sucked into the portal. Ichigo makes an attempt to cut through the portal but it simply vanishes into thin air.

The Running Game
The four spend the entire night searching but find no trace of Orihime's Reiryoku. The next day at school they find that someone has replaced the memories of their classmates, making them forget all about Orihime's existence. This proves to them the abduction was planned rather than accidental. They decide to double back to Orihime's house, to see if there are any clues they missed there. While they are there Renji suddenly gets a call to his soul phone. When he answers the voice of a young girl can be heard on the other end, claiming to be the one who kidnapped Orihime. Ichigo grabs the phone and demands to know who the girl is and why Orihime was abducted but the girl refuses to answer. She asks if Ichigo would like to see Orihime and Ichigo says he wants Orihime returned. The girl suggests they play a game and if Ichigo and his friends should win she might return Orihime. The boys must get to the nearby park within three minutes; if they are even one second late Orihime's life might be at risk.

The four arrive at the park but see no one. After a few seconds the pay phone at the park rings and Ichigo picks up. The girl informs him that they have passed the first challenge. Ichigo asks for Orihime to be returned but the girl refuses, saying the game would not be fun if it ended after just one challenge. Their second challenge would be to get to a supermarket in the shopping center within three minutes. When Ichigo claims that is too long a way to cover in three minutes the girl threatens Orihime again. She hangs up and the four are off racing against time again. They arrive at the supermarket on time but when the pay phone rings someone else picks it up. After Chad scares the man away Ichigo grabs the receiver but the girl informs him that they lost the challenge and that Orihime will now die. Ichigo screams desperately into the phone but gets no reply. After a few more seconds however the phone rings again and the girl's voice informs him that she was 'just kidding' and casually moves on to the third challenge. Ichigo demands to hear Orihime's voice but the girl says that might happen if they beat the next challenge. Ichigo is flabbergasted when he hears the next destination.

Jinta and Ururu are quietly sweeping up the front of the Urahara Shop when they hear a distant rumble closing in on them. When the four boys clear the corner they all lunge at the two children and demand to know where the phone is. Urahara and Tessai, having heard the ruckus too, come out to see what the fuss is about. Urahara tells them the phone is in the back and just then they hear it ring and run inside. The girl informs Ichigo that since they cleared the third challenge she'll do them a favor. She tells Ichigo to go to Orihime's house that night at eight and perhaps Orihim will be there too. Ichigo's attempt to bargain only causse the girl to laugh and she hangs up. Later on, as they discuss the conundrum with Urahara Yoruichi claims the very fact that she called the shop suggests she is not a normal Human. Ichigo asks Urahara to investigate and he agrees but says since he's never done something like this Ichigo shouldn't expect too much.

At Eight PM the four gather in front of Orihime's house. They see nothing out of the ordinary until a bright light suddenly shines through Orihime's bedroom window. Ichigo and the others run to the front door but find it locked. Ichig asks Chad to bust it open but at that moment the light goes out and they hear someone at the door. The knob turns and the door opens to reveal Orihime, seemingly unharmed. When they interrogate her they find she remembers nothing of her abduction and has in fact lost an entire day - having had her memories erased. They realize however that they cannot let up their guard that easily.

Urahara tried analyzing the girl's voice and found that it lacks the print of a Soul. Tessai calls him outside and shows him a strange looking dark cloud twisting over the shop; the cloud soon moves away. At Orihime's house the reunited gang sits at the table waiting for something to happen. All of a sudden the lights go out and a freak storm - from the same cloud that was observed nar the shop - strikes the house. Distracted by the storm they suddenly realize Chad is being attacked by Orihime. Her eyes glowing red and with unimaginable physical strength, they quickly realize it can't really be Orihime, but cannot harm her for fear that it's only her body being possessed. She lets Chad go, kicking him in the back as she does.

Her shape then shifts into that of a bespectacled man with a thin mustache and long hair that's blond on the left side of his scalp and black on the right. The man introduces himself as Kurōdo and then summons his companion, Noba, whose face is covered by a mask. Kurōdo grabs Chad and the three disappear. Looking out the window they see Chad disappearing into the same portal as Orihime did the day before. Ichigo tries to reach him but is too late. He lands on the roof when he hears the voice of the girl he spoke to laughing. The trio appears on top of the portal. Ichigo tries asking them why they are doing this but the girl, Ririn, says it's all a game. Ichigo joins forces with Renji to attack the two men. However, in lieu of fighting, the three disappear along with their portal. Now they have two of Ichigo's friends.

The Maze Game
Ichigo and his friends arrive at the Urahara Shop and inform Urahara of Chad's abduction. They ask Urahara to keep Ichigo's body safe until the crisis is over. Urahara tells them what he had found about the girl's voice but doesn't know how to interpret it except to say that it's neither a Human's nor a Shinigami's. Tessai suggests the trio might be using a type of Kidō, in which case fighting them using Hakuda would be difficult. Ichigo asks if his Getsuga Tenshō would be any use but the others remind him that the Getsuga's destructive power is far too great to be used safely. Renji claims he doesn't feel confident about his Bankai and, being a lieutenant, has a seal limiting his powers. Ichigo turns to Uryū, telling him his Quincy powers are their last resort. Tessai points out the enemy's been attacking them in a way that would hinder their fighting prowess; Ichigo bitterly remarks that so far their plans have all worked perfectly. At that moment the phone rings and when Urahara answers Ririn asks to speak with Ichigo. She tells him it's time to continue their game and asks him to bring everyone to the Karakura Town Museum.

The three, accompanied by Kon who was converted into a pouch by Uryū, arrive at the museum and immediately upon entering encounter Ririn's voice on the museum's speakers. She tells them they'll be playing a game of hide and seek - with them as the seekers. If they manage to find her and her partners, Orihime and Chad will be released; but they'll have to leave their weapons at the lobby or their friends might get hurt. The boxes left for the Zanpakutō are labeled in demeaning versions of their Zanpakutō names, which ticks the two Shinigami off. Uryū asks Ichigo and Renji to stop falling for such childish provocations but the two just tell him to shut up. They leave the swords and make their way into the exhibition area. Uryū thinks he senses something as they walk in. Kon says he felt nothing but admits he has sensed a strange spiritual power since they walked in the door. Renji alerts them to the fact that now every one of the rooms surrounding them is identical to the one they're standing in, as well as the rooms past it for as far as the eyes can see.

Uryū says a way to solve a maze is to keep going with your hand touching the same wall. They start by taking a right turn then take two more rights, as Uryū suggested. Renji stops them, saying according to logic they should now be back in the room where they started, which leads to the entrance; instead to the right of them now is just another room. They decide to retrace their steps and walk back. As they return they find that the entrance has vanished. Ichigo yells at Kon, who was supposed to be watching their backs but he claims he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Ririn's voice comes out on the speaker again, mocking them. Uryū says there must be a riddle they need to solve in order to clear the maze. He ties a red string he pulled out of Kon's belly to one of the posts so they can use the current room as a reference point. Kon is asked to hold on to the spool and make sure it keeps spinning. They decide to go straight but after crossing two rooms they arrive in a room without lights. When they enter the room they find three exhibition boxes with their names on them. In two other boxes to the left and right they find Orihime and Chad. They then dissolve into thin air and reappear inside their boxes. In the next room, in front of their eyes, the still laughing Ririn disappears as well.

For a few seconds the three feel as if they are paralyzed dolls on display. Kon is their unlikely savior when he punches Ichigo in the face, forcing him to wake up. They run out of the room and Kon tells them they all suddenly lost consciousness and fell to the floor. They choose another path and this time check every room cautiously before entering. Renji, who was walking first, suddenly stops when the floor in the second room disappears right before him. As they're walking in yet another direction, Uryū ponders the riddle. He says the building isn't big enough for it to contain such an endless loop. While they're walking Renji peeks into the room to their left and recognizes the red string Uryū tied to a post earlier. Ichigo tells Kon to hold on and starts pulling on the string. Sure enough, after some pulling and tugging, Kon returns through the door they just passed through. Seeing this, Uryū concludes they are in a Möbius strip, a place where time and space are distorted. This means they've been circling through the same rooms over and over. Uryū pulls a notebook out of Kon and sketches a diagram of their route and they realize whenever they tried to walk in a straight line through two rooms they encountered a trap, so the solution would be to keep on walking in an 'L' shaped path until they cross the maze.

After trying this for hours, they don't encounter any more traps but they also don't advance anywhere. Finally, exhausted, the three have a rest at the center of one of the rooms. Ichigo picks a fight with Renji and the two start walking again - in opposite directions. As soon as that happens Uryū sees that the doorway in the room in front of him becomes blurry. Kon points out that that is a room with a trap, according to their game plan. Uryū considers all the clues he has gotten so far about the kidnappers and then comes up with the answer and calls Ichigo and Renji back. He tells them his idea and they can hardly believe its simplicity. Before they try, Uryū asks Ichigo to lend him his representative badge. The three run forward and as soon as they enter the trapped room the floor collapses beneath their feet. Uryū ignores that and keeps on running normally over what appears to be a chasm. The three pass through the doorway and find themselves back at the entrance. Having solved the riddle, the illusion of the endless room is lifted.

Ririn, sitting and laughing on the snout of a T-rex fossil, asks him how he solved it. Uryū explains that there were only nine rooms in a 3X3 structure, each of the outer rooms was linked via teleportation to another. The solution was to cross three rooms in a row, but whenever they were about to achieve that the room was blocked by a trap which was only an illusion. When Ichigo and Renji had a row and went their separate ways the three were suddenly spread out across three rooms, it was something the abductors hadn't expected, which caused the illusion to jitter.

The real trick to clearing the challenge was to get over the fear of a trap and cross the hazardous room. Ririn commends him for his solution, but at that second Noba appears behind Uryū and grabs him. Ririn informs them that they may have solved the riddle but the game won't end until they stop them. Uryū catches both her and Noba by surprise when he presses the representative badge against Noba, causing a Mod Soul pill to fly out of his mouth. Uryū says he could compare their spiritual powers with those of Kon and realized they were similar. Noba used his powers to create teleporting loops between the rooms. He suspects Ririn was the one who blocked the rooms with illusory traps.

Uryū suggests she tells them what her and her comrades' purpose is. Before any answer is given Kurōdo appears from behind; he grabs Noba's body and his pill and fleas the museum, followed closely by Ririn. When Ichigo, Uryū and Renji follow them outside they find Chad and Orihime waiting for them. However, they do not remember how they got there. The Mod Souls summon their portal. Ririn tells the group since they won the hide and seek game Chad and Orihime have been returned. Noba, now back in his body, returns Ichigo and Renji's Zanpakutō. The gates of the portal open and Noba steps through them and disappears. Ririn soon follows but not before telling the group that the game is not over yet. She reminds them that school is about to start and states that students ought to be in school. She says unless they hurry, they stand to lose more and more of their friends. With this ominous threat the portal closes and vanishes.

Death Game: Find the Impostor
The group rushes to get to school. When they get there they find Ichigo's body and Renji's Gigai placed back to back in the school yard. They wonder if Urahara could have left them there but Uryū urges them to get back in their bodies before any other students get there. Ririn and Noba appear again, Ririn holding a large clock in her hand. She says she will now explain the rules of the next game. She informs them that one of them is an impostor. Ichigo asks what she means but Renji turns their attention to the fact that Kurōdo, the shapeshifter, isn't with them. The others find it hard to believe he could have done this and wonder when they could have pulled the switch; Kon, however, points out that since both Orihime and Chad had been in the custody of the Mod Souls, they could have switched either of them at any point. Renji claims the Mod Souls are bluffing. Ririn tells him he is free to think what he wants, but unless they discover the impostor in time their friends will disappear. Ichigo tries to intimidate Ririn but she effortlessly escapes his grip and moves out of reach.

The rules of the game are: they must decide who among them is the impostor by the time her clock strikes noon. If they guess is correct they win. If their guess is incorrect the entire population of the school will be eliminated. When asked what she means by 'eliminated' she explains they will disappear without a trace and never be seen again. The group only gets one guess to find the impostor. Ichigo asks if they can truly make good on their threats and Uryū points out that Orihime and Chad did disappear before. He asks Orihime and Chad if they remember anything from their captivity, but Orihime remembers nothing and Chad only remembers floating in darkness. Uryū says the portal used by the Mod Souls probably leads to an alternate dimension. He reminds the others the Mod Souls never threatened to eliminate Orihime and Chad. Ichigo says he would never allow them to do this. At that moment someone places both his hands on Ichigo's shoulders.

The hands belong to Keigo Asano, who's just arrived at the school and is surprised to see Ichigo and the others out of uniform. He is doubly surprised to see Renji again and immediately starts trying to befriend him. Mizuiro asks if Renji is Ichigo's relative and Ichigo approves this, trying to avoid a deeper inquiry into Renji's identity. Uryū asks what Ichigo intends to do and he replies that they must find the impostor if they wish to save their friends. Chad suggests they all head to class; if they are truant it might hurt their efforts by raising questions, Uryū agrees with him but says Ichigo should also call Urahara to see if everything is alright there. After all, the Gigai and Ichigo's body were left in his care.

In class, Ichigo pays no attention to Miss Ochi's lesson, his mind preoccupied with the need to find the impostor before it is too late. His brooding is interrupted by Renji, who sneaked into the classroom and is now crouching next to Ichigo's desk. He begins pestering Ichigo with unrelated questions and seems oblivious to the grim threat made by the Mod Souls. Renji's persistence to get in his personal space ends up annoying Ichigo and he pushes Renji away. Renji in return picks a fight with Ichigo, raising his voice. When Ichigo does the same Miss Ochi throws a piece of chalk at each of them and sends the "Kurosaki brothers" out to the hallway.Standing outside, Renji is wholly amused at the trouble he's gotten Ichigo into. Ichigo, on the other hand, becomes more and more suspicious of Renji's behavior and orders him to "take it off". When Renji refuses and struggles against him Ichigo uses a Judo move to drop him to the floor, saying he will remove it for him if Renji doesn't. The entire class is witness to this exchange and quickly jumps to the obvious yet erroneous conclusions.

During break Ichigo explains to his friends he was only trying to get Renji to leave his Gigai as proof that he is not the impostor, believing it impossible to copy such a transformation. Uryū says it was not wise to assume the shapeshifter wasn't capable of copying the powers of a Shinigami. Observing them from a nearby tree is Ririn. She decides to speed things along a little. In the girls bathroom, Tatsuki Arisawa has a frightening experience. Although she thought she was alone there she hears a noise from one of the stalls. When she opes the door she sees no one. When the lights begin to flicker on and off Tatsuki panics and runs outside but encounters an unseen assailant. Only her wristband remains in the hallway as evidence that she ever existed.

In the Soul Society Captain Jūshirō Ukitake of the13th Division gives the order to halt all movement to and from the Human World; he does this at the behest of Yoruichi Shihōin. Before the Senkaimon is closed, one last traveler crosses through; she is Captain Suì-Fēng of the 2nd Division who was asked her former captain and mistress to help her with a matter of great urgency.

The next period in the Karakura High School is P.E. Mister Kagine separates the class to boys and girls with the boys having a baseball game and the girls running track. When he asks for absentees it is discovered that Tatsuki is missing, although Kagine doesn't seem to think much of it. Ririn surprises Orihime by appearing next to her and informing her that they have captured Tatsuki. She says even more people will disappea unless they decide who the impostor is. As Orihime runs of to look for Tatsuki she is followed closely by her friends. The four find Tatsuki's wristband in the hallway and Orihime refuses to calm down when she finds her best friend had been kidnapped. She begins questioning her three friends, demanding the impostor reveals himself. Ichigo asks her to calm down, telling her this kind of mistrust is exactly what their enemies want. He assures her that Tatsuki will be alright. Outside the window Ririn and Noba appear again. Ririn reminds them that they cannot do anything unless they find out who the impostor is. If they keep on hesitating more and more of their friends will disappear. When Ichigo says they havn't reached their deadline yet she affirms it but says they only have one hour to give an answer.

Ichigo calls the Urahara Shop and is answered by Jinta. When asked if Yoruichi is there, Jinta says he has not seen her since morning and has no idea where she is. He promises to pass a message to Yoruichi but does so in such an idle manner that Ichigo frowns upon ending the conversation. Ichigo informs the others that they cannot expect help from the Urahara Shop and Renji, who enters the classroom with a worried look on his face says he cannot make contact with the Soul Society and therefore cannot get any help from the Gotei 13. Uryū suggests they try using their intuition to find the impostor, but after they've each had their say everyone was pointing at someone else without even one person being pointed at twice. Ririn appears at the teacher's desk and reminds them that their running out of time. She urges them to look outside and when they do they see first Keigo disappearing just as he was about to make a catch. He is followed by Chizuru and another girl; then all the girls of their class and finally Miss Ochi herself.

Ririn apologizes for disappearing more than she intended to. Ichigo tries to grab her but she merely teleports out of his way and tells him they are not playing tag. She tells them it's about time they tried guessing, since they would never figure it out no matter how much they think about it. Ichigo asks her not to drag in people who are of no concern to them but Ririn insists that she cannot just change the rules of the game. Their chances of getting the right answer by guessing are one out of five, so they'll just have to put their trust in Fortune. Either that or they can just surrender, in which case she just might find a way to save all their friends. Chad asks what they'll have to do and she replies that the answer is simple: to save everyone's lives they must give up their lives. The group is shocked but Ririn maintains since it is their fault the others disappeared the trade is only fair, after it is a challenge of life or death.

Ichigo is about to retort but sees something outside and runs to the window. When he sees Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng running in their direction he calls out Yoruichi's name, to come and help them. However, the two captains jump up the side of the building, completely ignoring their Ichigo's calls. Suì-Fēng even breaks the window as she passes. The entire group is baffled by Yoruichi's behavior but when Ichigo looks at Chad and sees him panting and sweating. He asks him if he knows what they are doing and Chad says he does not but that the woman is very brave to come alone like that. Ririn urges them to choose but Ichigosays they've already chosen. He turns to Chad and tells him it's only natural he doesn't know about Yoruichi's cat form which she puts on in the Human world, since he's never been to Soul Society himself; him being the impostor.

Hearing this, Kurōdo foregos his charade and returns to his true shape. He commends Ichigo and asks what gave him away. Ichigo explains the real Chad would never be so frightened of something like that. Kurōdo says it appears he still has a lot to learn. The group, rightfully angred quickly turn antagonistic and before long Ichigo throws a punch. However, Kurōdo and Ririn are both teleported outside by Noba. Ririn states the score is now tied with two points for each side. Orihime demands the return of their friends. Ririn says their friends are unharmed and informs them the time has come for their final game. Ichigo is reluctant to play along but Ririn reminds him that with Kurōdo exposed, they are still one friend short of a complete group. Chad is still in their possession, as he has been from the get go.

The last game
The group sits down for a rest on the bank of a river and try to consider their options. Renji soon loses his temper with Ichigo voicing his misgivings and before long the two are at each other's throats again. Uryū and Orihime are able to calm them down. Unable to contact Urahara or Yoruichi and not being able to get assistance from Soul Society, the group knows only that they don't know enough to beat the Mod Souls at their game. Suddenly a barrage of fireworks is fired from the other bank, then a note falls from the sky with the instruction to destroy the portal within 30 minutes; signed by Ririn. As they look, a humongous version of the Mod Soul portal descends on the other side of the river, towering over the town. The portal is so big they assume it must be an illusion. However, when its doors open slightly they can feel how strongly it pulls them in. Ichigo uses his badge to transform, leaving his body where it lies as they all rush to get to the portal.

Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng discover an empty set of clothes in the street, containing nothing but dry dust. Yoruichi finds traces of Reishi on it and take a sample to be sent back to the Soul Society for analysis. Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya of the 10th Division, having been clued in by his lieutenant, goes to join his two colleagues, Captain Shunsui Kyōraku of the 8th division and Captain Ukitake, in the 9th Division's Communications Center, where they are awaiting the information from Suì-Fēng. Rin Tsubokura of the SR&DI alerts them that a sample of Reishi has been sent. Analyzing the substance yields no results and the captains realize some more investigation is in order if they wish to get down to the bottom of this.