Battle against Hō & Ban

The Battle Against Hō and Ban is a battle that initially takes place in a hospital but eventually goes out into the streets of Karakura Town. It is the first true victory that Ichigo and the others have over the Bount.

Prologue
Ichigo and his friends head to the hospital and find Uryū in a hospital bed. Ichigo asks what happened and Uryū states that he heard an incredible story from Yoshino. He states that she explained that the Bount are not allowed to consume Human souls because it gives them a great amount of energy that effects the atmosphere and ends up hurting the balance of the world. However, a Bount named Kariya is trying to do just that, and that she wants to stop him with her current power. Uryū was then told that he must be protected because a Quincy is key to Kariya's plan, but just as he was told that he passed out and woke up in this hospital. Uryū states that it's still a mystery why the Quincy are needed, but Ichigo asks if they can really trust her. Uryū states that they probably can because Yoshino brought him back safely. Kisuke Urahara decides to head back to his shop to come up with a plan, and Ichigo and the others leave to see him off. As he's alone, Uryū thinks to himself that he saw Yoshino's saddened eyes in the eyes of his mother. Meanwhile, Ryō asks Kariya if it's really all right to leave Yoshino alone but he states that they have a deal and she won't leave him. Two young Bount are then shown to be in the room as well.

Back at the hospital, a nurse shows Uryū where everything in his room is, and then states that Uryū is the only patient on this floor. She then gives Uryū something so he can call them if needed and then leaves the room. Ichigo remarks that it's convenient that Uryū is the only one on this floor and Uryū explains that it's because his father owns this hospital. Ichigo and the others then tell Uryū to get some rest and that they'll protect him if anything happens. A bit later, Sado wonders why the Bount would need a Quincy, causing both Kon and Ririn to begin arguing about whether or not Uryū was mistaken. Meanwhile at a convenience store, Hanatarō is shown to be working at the store and is amazed at how things in the Human World work. All of a sudden a crash occurs outside and Hanatarō's boss tells him to go out investigate. Hanatarō immediately does so and he finds Ganju at the crash site, and everyone that has gathered around runs away because they believe he's an alien. Hanatarō and Ganju are surprised to see each other but before they can talk the police begin to come and Hanatarō takes Ganju away so that there won't be any problems.

At the hospital, night has fallen and the group remarks that since there's no enemies there's no point in staying here. As this happens, the two young Bount from earlier are shown and they talk about the lack of power that their enemies have. One of them then says that it would be boring if there was no resistance, but the other says that not all jobs are going to be interesting. Meanwhile, Ichigo and Rukia begin talking to each other and they suddenly get into an argument after a misunderstanding. After they're finished arguing, Rukia begins to get annoyed at the constant dripping of water from the sink and she tries to fix it. However, her attempts only cause more water to flow from the sink and Rukia begins to wonder if it's broken. Ichigo tries to help but he is unable to do anything as the water nearly fills up to the top. As Ichigo asks for something to catch the water before it hits the ground, Renji appears with a bucket. Orihime then appears with a larger bucket for the group to use.

Orihime notices that at the current rate the water is going to overflow and she suggests that she gets a nurse. Orihime then notices a noise coming from a room and she opens the door for it, only for water to flow out everywhere from it. Uryū suddenly wakes up from what's going on and Ichigo tells him to just focus on sleeping. As this happens, the mod-souls sense a Bount in the area and Noba remarks that there's a doll. The overflowing water suddenly takes on a mind of its own and begins attacking the group.

Battle
Uryū is encased in the water and begins drowning so Sado tries to save him but he is unable to get rid of the water with just his hands. Ichigo suddenly turns into a Shinigami and gets rid of the water with his Zanpakutō. Ichigo then swings his Zanpakutō at a ball of water that attacks him and cuts it in half. However, the water continues to move and the group quickly runs out of the room. They then use a towel to try and stop the water from creeping out from under the door. As this happens, the two young Bount that are causing all of this remark that Ichigo and the others are surprised by their doll, and they decide that they should reveal themselves to the group soon. Ichigo and the others then begin running away but they are quickly confronted by more water. The water attacks the group and Renji begins slashing at the water with his Zanpakutō. The water then goes away and Orihime wonders if what's attacking them is a doll. The group then decides to head downstairs.

Immediately after heading down they are attacked by more water, and Uryū states that the Bount must be controlling the water. As Ichigo swings his Zanpakutō at some water that goes towards him, Sado and Uryū are encased in water and the two of them begin drowning. Renji swings his Zanpakutō to get rid of the water, but the water quickly encases the two of them again. Ichigo then swings his Zanpakutō at the water but his attempts end in failure. Rukia suddenly tells everyone to get out of the way and she fires off '''Hadō #31. Shakkahō''' with an incantation at the water, successfully saving the two of them. An alarm suddenly begins ringing from the Kidō spell and the group begins running away. As this happens, the two Bount remark that this is going to be troublesome because of the Shinigami with the group.

The group look at a map to see where they can go and Renji remarks that no one else is being attacked in the hospital. Uryū states that this is because the Bount are after him for some reason. The group then decides to take the elevator, and the two Bount remark that they should finish this soon. Ichigo and the others run into a dead end and Ichigo begins to get angered at how confusing this hospital is. The group then begins running more and the hallway suddenly begins to get dark. They eventually reach a door but it is being guarded by the two young Bount named Hō and Ban. They tell them that they shouldn't run around so much since it takes too much time, and they summon their two dolls, Guhl and Günther, to attack the group. Ichigo decides that they should run away and the group begins escaping.

Ichigo asks Noba if he can get any data on the two Bount, but Kurōdo states that right now in Noba's current plushie body the distance between him and the Bount are too great. The group then continues running and they eventually find the elevators they were looking for. However, water begins flowing out from the elevator, and everyone is forced to run away again. The group then stops as Rukia and Renji simultaneously fire off '''Hadō #31. Shakkahō''' at the water. However, the attack wasn't enough so Ichigo takes a nearby lighter and is able to use it to destroy the water. As this happens, the two Bount remark that their enemies are foolish to think that what they did was enough to stop them. They then cause water to flow out of the surrounding rooms and the group quickly runs to the elevator again. Ichigo tells Sado to take Uryū and go on ahead, and Sado does so. Rukia and Orihime head into the elevator as well, and Ichigo and Renji stay behind to fight.

As the elevator goes down, Ichigo swings his Zanpakutō and Renji uses Kidō to get rid of water. Renji eventually releases his Zanpakutō and begins attacking the water again, but neither his or Ichigo's efforts are enough. Ichigo states that the elevator is almost down, and they continue attacking the water. Once the elevator reaches its destination, Ichigo breaks down the elevator door and the two of them jump down to quickly escape. They then quickly head outside and reunite with the others, but they're shocked to see it raining outside. Hō and Ban suddenly send their water to attack the group again and they tell them that they can't escape from water. Hō and Ban then reveal themselves again and they decide to finish things up by combining the both of their dolls together. Ichigo orders Sado and Orihime to take Uryū and get away from here, and Ichigo begins attacking the water.

Renji releases his Zanpakutō and swings it at the water, but the water continuously forms back together. Rukia fires off a Shakkahō at the water but the attack is unable to do anything. Ichigo and Renji are then encased in the water and they begin drowning, and this causes Orihime and Sado to stop running. Rukia herself is then encased in water and Uryū tells Sado that he wants to give himself up since he doesn't want to be a burden to the group. However, Ichigo tells him to be quiet and then tells the three of them to run away while they still can. Orihime tries to object, but Sado tells her that Ichigo is correct and that he'll be okay. He states that their objective right now should be to just protect Uryū, and Orihime reluctantly agrees. They then begin running away again.

Meanwhile Yoshino is shown standing in front of a store and she is soon confronted by Ryō. He informs her that Kariya is worried about her and that she should come back to him. Yoshino refuses, and Ryō asks if this is the case even for the man she loves. However, Yoshino explains to him that love grows old eventually, and that it grows old even faster when you're deprived of your freedom. Ryō then changes the subject and states that it seems as if Kariya is going to make his move soon, but Yoshino states that she doesn't care about that since the Bount are self-reliant to begin with, and she states that he can do whatever he wants. Ryō wonders why Kariya is so tolerant of Yoshino's behavior, and he states that she seems so unworthy for him, but Yoshino tells him that he's more naive than he looks. She then tells Ryō that one of these days his lust for power will end up being his undoing.

At the convenience store, Ganju is shown to have been given a job at the store and he and Hanatarō leave once work is over. Hantarō then asks Ganju why he came here and Ganju explains that he was sent to investigate by Kūkaku because she felt a strange presence coming from this town. Hanatarō states that he had the same reason for coming here as well, with the only difference being that Unohana gave him the order. Ganju suddenly senses some type of reiatsu and wonders what it is. Back at the battle, Rukia tries to free herself and everyone else by firing off another Shakkahō, but the water quickly encases the three of them again. Ichigo then swings his Zanpakutō to try and free himself but he is unsuccessful. As they try to free themselves, Hō and Ban state that they need to hurry up because they can't let Uryū get away. The two then decide to head towards Uryū, but they are forced to free Ichigo and the others in the process.

Meanwhile, Sado tells Orihime that they have to get out of this rain and they decide to head towards a nearby factory. However, they are soon stopped by a large ball of water and the water begins attacking the group. Sado is eventually hit in the foot by the water and he ends up dropping Uryū because of this. The water then goes to attack Uryū but Orihime appears and defends him with Santen Kesshun. However, the water breaks through Orihime's shield, and Hō and Ban inform them that they can't escape. Sado tells Noba and Kurōdo to protect Uryū and Sado activates his armored arm. Sado fires off a blast of spiritual energy at the water but it is unable to do any damage to it. Hō and Ban tell them that they can't win as long as it's raining, and they send their doll after them. Sado continues attacking with his armored arm, but it is unable to do anything to the water. Sado then sends a blast of spiritual energy towards the two Bount, and the two of them quickly get out of the way. Hō tells Ban that they have to stay together, but Hō is quickly hit by a blast of spiritual energy from Sado. The water goes away because of Sado's attack, and the group quickly uses this opportunity to escape.

As this happens, Ichigo and the others are shown running towards Uryū's location, and Ichigo points out that while they were being attacked, they never attacked them separately. Ichigo deduces that because of this it must mean that the two of them have to stick together to use their power, and that if they want to win they'll have to separate them. Meanwhile at the Bount Mansion, a person named Maki Ichinose is shown sitting down and reading a book. A Bount named Gō Koga enters the room and he tells Ichinose that it's too dark, but Ichinose informs him that he can read just fine. Koga simply calls him stubborn, and Ichinose tells him that he should have some tea. Koga declines, and then asks if he knows where the others are, but Ichinose tells him that he's the first one to show up.

Sado and the others arrive at the factory, but Kurōdo points out that water is in here because the place is leaking. Sado simply apologizes and it's pointed out that it's better then being outside. Orihime notices that Uryū's fever is getting worse and Sado remarks that this isn't good. As Uryū states that he doesn't want to be a burden to them anymore, Hō and Ban reappear and tell Uryū that he should just come along with them then, since he'll have to anyway. They then send water after the group and Uryū is grabbed by the water. Sado activates his armored arm to save him but the two Bount tell him not to and they begin strangling Uryū with the water as a demonstration as to what will happen if they try to save him. Ichigo and the others suddenly enter the room, and Ichigo orders the two Bount to let Uryū go. Hō and Ban refuse, and they tell them that they should have gotten away while they had the chance. They then decide to show Ichigo and the others the true ability of their doll.

A ball of water is sent towards Ichigo, but the Shinigami destroys it with a swing of his Zanpakutō. However, the bits of water form back together and forms itself on top of Ichigo's face. The water does the same to everyone else, and the water goes into the mouths and noses of everyone. Hō and Ban explain that they can go into anywhere there is water, and that 70% of the Human body is water. Hō and Ban then order for their doll to tear Ichigo and the others bodies from the inside out. Everyone begins suffering immense pain, and the mod-souls wonder what they should do. Noba suddenly uses his powers to teleport Ban away from Hō. They try to get next to each other again, but Noba continues separating the two of them. This ends up causing their dolls power to stop and Ichigo and the others are saved from the water.

Ichigo realizes that his deduction from earlier was correct and that they really do have to separate the two of them. Hō goes up to Ban, who is now unconscious due to falling a good distance because of Noba's teleportation, and tries to wake him up so they can continue using their power. As he does this, Ichigo swings his Zanpakutō at the water holding Uryū and saves the Quincy. Ichigo tells Hō that he should just quit since it's all over now, but Hō tries to fight by just using his doll alone. Rukia tries to dispatch of the water with a Shakkahō, but her attack misses and Hō uses the water to attack everyone. Rukia continues trying to attack the water with Shakkahō, but her attack is too weak and she is hit away by the water. Ganju suddenly breaks through a nearby wall with Seppa, and the sand from the wall encases the water and destroys it. Hanatarō is also with him, and a shocked Ichigo asks them what they're doing here. The water suddenly reforms to attack the group, but Ganju throws a firework at it and destroys the water.

Aftermath
Hō and Ban grab onto their chests in pain, and their bodies suddenly grow old and turn into dust, much to the shock of everyone else. Rukia remarks that even though they looked like children, they were most likely very old and well past their limits. She states that once their dolls were lost, there was nothing left to hold them together and that's why they just died. Orihime suddenly realizes that Uryū is missing, and outside Uryū is shown walking towards somewhere. At the Bount Mansion, Ichinose and the rest of the Bount are shown together. Kariya enters the room and Ichinose welcomes him back. Kariya tells Ichinose that he did a good job, and then asks Ryō where Hō and Ban are. Ryō states that they were most likely defeated, but Kariya simply laughs at this.