Battle against Hō & Ban

The  is a fight taking place during the Bount Invasion, consisting of Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends facing off against Hō and Ban after the latter invade Karakura Hospital in an attempt to kidnap Uryū Ishida at Jin Kariya's behest.

Prelude
After being injured and knocked out by Ryō Utagawa, Uryū Ishida is rescued by Yoshino Sōma and regains consciousness to find himself bandaged and staring at Yoshino as he lies on a couch within a desolate, abandoned house, causing him to back up instinctively. Clutching his head from the ensuing pain, Uryū sees that Yoshino is sitting still and wonders why she saved him, only to assume that dead Souls do not taste as good. When asked by Yoshino if he is a Quincy, Uryū notes that he is being asked this again and that his Soul must smell very different compared to that of an ordinary Human, which Yoshino confirms as she describes it as not smelling very tasty, especially when it has lost all of its Quincy powers.

With Uryū commenting on her bluntness, Yoshino inquires about how he lost his powers, prompting Uryū to recall activating the Quincy: Letzt Stil to defeat Mayuri and his Bankai, Konjiki Ashisogi Jizō. Uryū describes this as the result of his lack of training combined with reaching the limits of his capabilities, only to be startled when Yoshino questions if self-pity is a common Quincy characteristic, causing him to blush. Upon hearing Yoshino muse that she should have found another Quincy, Uryū reveals that he is the only Quincy left, to her surprise and melancholy. After reiterating Uryū's statement of there being no other Quincy, Yoshino moves onto the couch and begins to lean down toward Uryū, who is left sweating in fear, only to abruptly stop and get off the couch at the last second.

Walking across the room to the window, Yoshino explains that the Bount have an ancient, unbreakable rule of never devouring the Souls of living Humans because doing so would grant them immense energy that would allow them to affect space. When asked by Uryū what this means, Yoshino notes that they could travel to Soul Society, shocking Uryū, but observes that no one decided to break this rule until now because it would upset the balance of the worlds. As she paces across the room, Yoshino elaborates that a Bount has appeared who has decided to do this and that his name is Jin Kariya. Though a stunned Uryū reminds her that she also attacked Humans, Yoshino asserts that she failed.

Detailing how she needed more strength in order to fight Kariya, Yoshino admits that she no longer wants to do this since rules should never be broken and declares that she will be using the power she has now to defeat Kariya and put an end to his ambition. With Uryū wondering what this has to do with him, Yoshino warns him that Kariya will definitely be pursuing him now and that she wants to him live, and as Uryū begins to lose consciousness again and questions why Kariya is pursuing him, Yoshino concludes that the outcome of this whole situation will depend upon a Quincy while Uryū fully loses consciousness and slumps over on the couch.

Afterwards, Uryū is brought to Karakura Hospital and contacts Tessai Tsukabishi to alert his friends. Soon afterward, Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends walk briskly down a hall and enter one of the rooms, where they find Uryū in a hospital bed as he greets them and requests they enter more quietly next time since loud noises aggravate his injuries. While Rukia Kuchiki and Orihime Inoue express relief at him being alright, Yasutora Sado pulls back the covers to look at Uryū's lower body, prompting an unnerved Uryū to confirm he is not a Soul before agreeing to tell his friends what happened at Ichigo's prompting by relaying the unbelievable story Yoshino told him.

Soon afterward, Uryū finishes his recounting by revealing that he was in the hospital when he woke up again. When Urahara ponders why a Quincy is crucial to this situation, Uryū apologetically states that he did not get to ask Yoshino this while Ichigo expresses uncertainty over whether they can trust this story. Though he admits that he does not know this, Uryū reflects on how Yoshino looked when standing in front of the window, only to be snapped back to reality by Ichigo, prompting him to point out how it is likely not completely false because Yoshino brought him back safely like this as Ichigo notes that they will need to protect Uryū if he is being pursued.

While Rukia promises that they will protect Uryū, who thanks her, Urahara decides to return to his shop with his employees in order to formulate a plan. Ichigo informs Uryū that they will see Urahara off and Orihime instructs him to get some rest as she closes the curtain in front of his bed, leaving Uryū to lie back and think about how Yoshino heavily resembles his mother, whom he once saw with an expression mixed between laughing and crying when he was a child. Meanwhile, in the abandoned hotel, Utagawa questions Kariya's decision to allow Yoshino to roam around freely like this, but Kariya assures him that Yoshino can never leave him and that he has taken precautions as Hō and Ban stand up behind him and smile maliciously.

At nighttime, Ichigo and his friends stand at the foot of Uryū's hospital bed while a nurse shows the features and components of the bathroom, as well as the miniature refrigerator, to Uryū. After noting Uryū's room is currently the only one on the ninth floor being used and the nurses will be on the eighth floor station as a result, the nurse gives Uryū a button to call her with. After the nurse departs, Ichigo comments on the accommodations in the room and the convenience of Uryū being the only patient on the ninth floor since it will prevent innocent people from getting hurt should the Bount attack, prompting Uryū to stoically observe this is likely something his father took into account before revealing the latter is the owner of the hospital.

With Rukia instructing Uryū to get some rest since they do not know when the Bount will attack again, Ichigo affirms this and promises they will keep watch, though Uryū points out that he cannot rest if Ichigo rushes him like this. Some time later, Renji sits at a table in the waiting room outside with Orihime, Sado, Kon, and the Mod-Souls as he expresses disbelief at the Bount pursuing a Quincy. When Sado wonders why the Bount need a Quincy's power, Kon questions if they should accept this as the truth and raises the possibility of Uryū not being able to tell the difference between his dreams and reality due to his injury, but Ririn notes Yoshino abducted him for a reason.

Hopping down from the couch she, Kurōdo, and Noba are sitting on and moving to the table, Ririn insults Kon's intelligence for not understanding the situation, and as Kon expresses frustration at this, Ririn claims to have already known of his idiocy before punching Kon in the face when he attempts to insult her in turn, leaving Orihime, Sado, and Renji to sigh in embarrassment. Elsewhere, at a 24-hour convenience store with a few customers browsing the aisles, 4th Division 7th Seat Hanatarō Yamada offers to heat up a customer's meal, which the latter accepts, and watches it rotate after putting it in and activating the microwave behind him.

Hanatarō asserts that the Human World really is as amazing as Rukia described it to be and wonders how the microwave works, only to be startled when the customer impatiently requests that Hanatarō let him pay for his purchase, prompting Hanatarō to apologize as he does so. Suddenly, as the customer leaves with his groceries, a large, burning object falls from the sky and crashes into the ground next to the convenience store, shaking the entire building and knocking items off the shelves while the customers scream in fright. Though initially left swaying by this, Hanatarō recognizes something familiar about the sensation as his manager asks him to look outside.

Unperturbed by the impact, Hanatarō agrees and exits the building through the entrance, where he makes his way through a crowd of people gathered nearby to discover a large crater in the clearing smoke. However, Hanatarō is astonished when Ganju Shiba pushes his way out of the ash in the crater and gasps for air, leading the bystanders to assume he is an alien and flee in terror. With Ganju noting he almost got himself killed, Hanatarō expresses joy at seeing him for the first time since their adventure in Soul Society. Upon confirming this really is Hanatarō, Ganju embraces him and inquires about his presence here as Hanatarō returns the question.

While laughing happily together, Ganju and Hanatarō are alerted by the sound of approaching sirens, which leads Hanatarō to tell Ganju the police are coming and it will be bad if Ganju is found here. After admonishing Hanatarō for not telling him sooner, Ganju lets the former take him somewhere else to hide. Back in the hospital, with the waiting room illuminated only by the displays of the vending machines, Orihime stifles a yawn as she continues to sit with Sado and Renji, who observes nothing is happening, though Sado reminds him it is best if nothing happens. Orihime struggles to keep her eyes open and sinks down in her seat as she admits that she is getting tired.

As the sound of dripping water is heard, Hō criticizes Orihime and her friends as being stupid, prompting Ban to state that it cannot be helped since normal Humans do not have the capacity to learn and have low physical abilities in addition to different lifespans. Admitting that this is true, Hō laments that this will be boring if they do not present a challenge, and when Ban counters that work is not always fun, Hō comments on how unexpectedly philosophical he is today and agrees when Ban concludes that this is the result of living for a long time. Meanwhile, in his room, Uryū sleeps on his side in his bed while Rukia looks over him and Ichigo reads a magazine.

After observing that Uryū is asleep, Rukia turns to Ichigo and stares at him for several seconds before thanking him, to his confusion. When Ichigo asks her what this is about, Rukia notes that she simply felt like saying it as Uryū silently wakes up and opens one of his eyes to look at them. Having been called creepy by Ichigo for this, an irritated Rukia demands to know what he means, leading Ichigo to clarify that it usually feels strange when someone says something like this suddenly. Rukia questions what is wrong with her expressing her feelings, but Ichigo counters that he did not say anything was wrong and that it just felt strange.

Despite this, Rukia insists that Ichigo just said something is wrong with it again as Uryū begins to pull himself further underneath the covers. Though an annoyed Ichigo claims that the meaning is different, Rukia declares that it is the same thing and Ichigo is just an insensitive idiot, resulting in the two of them glaring at each other before stubbornly backing off and looking at the wall on the other side of the room instead. Sitting in silence as water drips from the faucet in the bathroom, Rukia eventually loses her patience and gets up to turn it off, only to find that it keeps dripping and begins to pour water when she turns the knob on top to the right.

Rukia assumes that the faucet is broken and that this hospital is run-down as Ichigo approaches and offers to tighten the knob for her. However, Rukia refuses and asserts that she can do it herself while struggling to prevent Ichigo from reaching the knob, but stops alongside him when they see the water rising to the edge of the sink. With Ichigo frantically instructing Rukia to find something to catch the water in and her grabbing a bottle in response, Renji steps in and places a bucket underneath the spilling water before revealing that he could hear them making a ruckus in the hall outside as Orihime approaches them with a large tub, surprising her friends with its size.

As water begins to drip from the handset in the shower next to them, Ichigo wonders what is going on since the water from the sink clearly is not stopping. Having joined them in the bathroom, Sado bluntly states the sink is broken while Orihime suggests calling a nurse since the floor will soon be flooded at this rate. Suddenly, Orihime hears a strange noise coming from behind the door leading into the shower, and when she pulls it open, more water floods into the room as she and her friends see the shower room is completely flooded, to their disbelief. Responding to Ichigo's inquiry about what is going on by revealing the water cannot be stopped in here either, Orihime sneezes.

While Rukia runs off to get towels, Renji scoffs at the hospital for experiencing such problems despite seeming to be in good condition, prompting an embarrassed Uryū to sit up and demand that he shut up. However, as Ichigo tells Uryū to focus on sleeping instead, the water from the faucet stops pouring into the sink and instead wraps itself around Renji's left wrist, which causes the Mod-Souls in the other room to sit up and shock and realize that a Doll is attacking them, though Kon does not understand what is wrong. The water bursts out of the faucet, shocking Renji, and separates into two large spheres, each containing the cap of Guhl or Günther.

Battle
With Guhl hurtling toward Uryū, Rukia runs back into the room and warns him to be careful as Guhl surrounds him with a large amount of water, causing Uryū to begin drowning. Alerted to this by Orihime, Sado runs up to Uryū and attempts to free him from the water with his hands, but his strikes prove ineffectual due to the water simply reforming each time. Cursing, Ichigo uses his Substitute Shinigami Badge to enter his Shinigami form and tells Sado to move back before slashing at the water with his Shikai, Zangetsu, which disperses the liquid, leaving a petrified Uryū to watch as a small portion of his left eyebrow is severed by the attack.

When Günther moves toward Ichigo from behind, Rukia calls out to him, allowing Ichigo to turn around and cut through the sphere of water comprising Günther, which falls to the ground and pulsates as a blob. Looking at Günther, Orihime expresses fright at it still moving, and as Günther begins sliding toward her, Rukia instructs her friends to get out of the room, leading them to run out into the hallway with Sado carrying Uryū on his back. However, even after Renji closes the door, water continues leaking into the hallway from underneath it and around Orihime's foot, which prompts Orihime and Rukia to cover it with a nearby bedsheet in an attempt to absorb it.

From afar, Hō observes that their Dolls surprised Ichigo and his friends as Ban instructs him to show some sympathy since they will die without ever knowing this is his and Hō's work, though Hō asserts that such feelings have already worn away while the water in the sink begins siphoning back into the faucet. Shortly afterward, Ichigo and his friends run down the hallway in search of an exit, but stop in shock when a water fountain in front of them suddenly turns on and begins spraying water into the air. When he sees the cap of Guhl in the sphere of water, Ichigo grips his Zanpakutō alongside Renji and deduces that they are being attacked out here as well.

Several tendrils of water extend from the sphere past a stunned Sado, where they are slashed apart by Renji before the main body of water containing the cap hurtles toward him as well and is also cut through, leaving it to fall to the ground as Orihime wonders if it is a Doll as well. Startled when the water rushes off into the darkness, Orihime questions where it is being controlled from while Renji suggests they keep heading down the stairs. Upon reaching the dark eighth floor with the rest of the group as she clings to Ichigo's head, Ririn warns him the Dolls are coming as Günther emerges from a nearby faucet and Guhl follows the group down the stairs.

While Renji curses at this, Uryū realizes that Guhl and Günther are Dolls made of water, leading him to inform his friends of this as he admits that he does not know where they are being controlled from. Suddenly, Günther pushes six small spheres of water out from its central mass and fires them at Ichigo, who slashes through them with Zangetsu after instructing his friends to head for a location where there is no water. However, as he attempts to run off with Uryū, Sado is engulfed alongside him by the water of Guhl and begins to drown, which prompts Renji to declare that he will split it in two before cutting through the water, which separates into smaller masses.

Though Ichigo briefly celebrates this, Günther flies past him and covers the two of them in water once again, and after Ichigo slashes through this as well, Guhl reforms around Sado and Uryū while they continue to drown. Ichigo continues to attempt to free Sado and Uryū with Zangetsu, but is unable to harm Guhl, leading Orihime to wonder what they should do. With Kon on her shoulder, Rukia deduces the weakness of the Dolls and orders Ichigo and Renji to stand back as she recites the incantation for and fires '''Hadō #31. Shakkahō, blasting away the cap of Guhl''' and dispersing the water to leave Sado and Uryū singed and emitting steam while they catch their breath.

As Rukia proclaims it worked exactly like she thought it would, a stunned Uryū asks Sado if he is alright, though the latter does not respond. Suddenly, the fire alarm begins ringing and lights begin turning on all over the hospital, including the eighth floor, which prompts Ichigo and his friends to run off while the patients on the floor begin milling out into the hallway from their rooms in confusion. Observing this, Hō comments on the group having a Shinigami with them and Ban admits they are proving to be more troublesome than he expected them to be. With the nurses escorting the patients through the building and calming them down, Ichigo and his friends look at a map.

Orihime observes the water systems of the hospitals seem to be concentrated around the stairs as Renji sees the other patients and nurses are not being attacked by the Dolls, which Uryū notes is due to him being their target. After Sado states they should find another exit, Rukia points to an elevator on the map they can use, which the group begins heading for. While watching this, Hō notes they have taken too much time, which Ban concurs with, and casually affirms that they will deal with it as Ban recalls that they have dealt with this situation many times before. With Hō concluding that they should finish it quickly, another faucet turns on and begins pouring water.

Elsewhere, Ichigo and his friends find themselves at a dead end between the rooms, and as an annoyed Renji comments on them having followed Ichigo's lead to get here, Ichigo angrily demands to know why it is so hard to find their way around this hospital, prompting Uryū to npte the director followed a strange Feng shui when designing it, though Ichigo counters that they should not be concerned with Feng shui as Quincy. As two more faucets and a shower begin spraying water as well, Ichigo and his friends run down another hallway and eventually enter a section with the lights turned off, where they are confronted by Hō and Ban standing in front of the exit doors.

Shocked by this, Ichigo and his friends stare as Hō drinks from a bottle of water and admits that he is tired, which leads Ban to agree as he admonishes Ichigo and his friends for taking so much time when running around. While a stunned Orihime wonders if these two children are responsible for the attacks, water begins pooling at Hō and Ban's feet, startling Uryū, and Ban asserts that it is just water as Renji curses at their inability to find a location without water. After dropping the caps of their Dolls into the puddle of water, Hō and Ban summons Guhl and Günther, resulting in the two caps rising up in separate tendrils of water in front of them.

With Guhl raising two more tendrils after Hō questions where his greeting is, Rukia asks Ichigo what they should do, which leads him to run away alongside his friends and explain to a critical Ririn that they cannot fight with injured people in their group. Ichigo asks Noba if he could transport Uryū away from here, and though Orihime claims he should be able to, Kurōdo and Noba, who sits inside the former's pouch, reveal Noba can only teleport people about two meters away while in his plushie body, prompting Renji to declare this is useless as he and his friends continue to run around the hospital, eventually discovering the two elevators at the end of a hallway.

While the two water tanks on the roof of the hospital begin creaking, Ichigo presses the down button for the elevator on the right, but is shocked when water begins gushing out of the elevator shaft from between the closed doors, resulting in one of the two water tanks exploding and the doors being forced apart by the torrent as Ichigo and his friends turn around and run back down the hallway. Though Sado is uncertain of where they can run to, Rukia and Renji stop and fire two more '''Hadō #31. Shakkahō''' in unison, evaporating the water approaching them in a large cloud of steam. However, as Renji assumes they were successful, the steam clears to reveal even more water.

The water reforms itself into a large sphere hovering above the ground with a thin tendril as Rukia realizes they will need more firepower. Looking around, Ichigo sees a lighter lying on one of the nearby desks and picks it up to stare at it before grinning as he thinks of a plan. Upon seeing Ichigo leap over the counter to the pharmacy, Orihime wonders what he is going to do, which prompts Ichigo to tell her to wait momentarily as he finds several containers of compressed oxygen lined up against the wall and takes one. After returning to the mass of water, Ichigo grins widely and sparks a flame with the lighter in his right hand while holding the container in his left.

The resulting explosion blows out all the windows on the eighth floor and expels large clouds of steam, leaving the patients on the ground outside to stare upward in astonishment and fright, and Renji admonishes Ichigo for potentially burning someone with the steam while the two express pain at the heat, though Ichigo claims he had no other options available. However, Hō merely observes Ichigo's group uses crude techniques and Ban dismisses the idea of this conflict being over because of how important water is to Humans as several faucets and pumps turn on, causing water to overflow into the hallway and forcing Ichigo's group to run to the elevators.

When he reaches the elevators, Ichigo presses the down button for the elevator on the left and instructs Sado to go ahead of them with Uryū while he takes care of this. Though initially shocked alongside Rukia, upon being urged to hurry by Ichigo, Sado agrees and enters the elevator, which Orihime joins him in as Renji asserts he will be staying behind. With Ichigo requesting that she take care of everyone, Rukia enters the elevator with Ririn hopping onto her other shoulder and demands Ichigo and Renji join them later before the elevator doors close, leaving Ichigo and Renji to face the approaching water tendrils as they attack with Zangetsu and '''Hadō #31. Shakkahō'''.

Meanwhile, in the elevator, Orihime holds Kon as he repeatedly bashes the first floor button on the elevator panel, prompting Ririn to remind him that this will not make them get there any faster and criticize his intelligence for this, which Kon takes offense to. Conversely, Kurōdo details how people perform acts that they know are meaningless and that he understands this behavior regardless of its uselessness if it acts as a release before encouraging Kon to continue pushing the button without any reservations, but a deflated Kon merely questions if Kurōdo is trying to make him feel better with this as he lightly taps the button, which Kurōdo enthusiastically confirms.

Back on the eighth floor, Ichigo repeatedly slashes through Guhl with Zangetsu, only to find himself panting heavily in exertion as the Doll simply reforms itself each time despite his efforts. Releasing his Shikai, Zabimaru, Renji extends it through the mass of water controlled by Günther to disperse the latter. However, upon seeing Günther easily reform as well, Renji bemoans how there is no end to this battle while Ichigo sees the elevator approaching the first floor and mentally notes that they only have to hold out for a little while longer. With Orihime expressing concern for him, Ichigo continues fighting the Dolls alongside Renji.

As an exhausted Renji wonders if the others have made it, the elevator reaches the first floor lobby and opens, to the excitement of those within. Noticing the first floor icon having lit up on the panel behind him, Renji observes that their friends made it to safety and questions how they will escape, leading Ichigo to slash through the doors of the other elevator with Zangetsu to create an opening, leaving Renji impressed. After Ichigo leaps down and tells him to follow, Renji turns around and fires one last '''Hadō #31. Shakkahō at Günther''', which dissipates into steam in the resulting explosion, before screaming in fright alongside Ichigo as he falls with him down the shaft.

Upon crashing into the bottom of the shaft, Ichigo admits it was a bit much to jump from the eighth floor as he and Renji run outside the hospital, where they find their friends standing still and staring out into the street. Confused by this, Ichigo tells his friends to run away as fast as they can, but is shocked into silence when he sees it is raining outside, prompting Hō and Ban to remind them they cannot run away from water as one of the puddles formed by the rain suddenly distorts. Seeing this, Kon screams in fright and runs in front of the group as he begins panicking, to their confusion. Upon being asked about what is wrong, Kon declares he has realized something terrible.

However, Kon simply posits that someone in their group is attracting rain, and in response, Ichigo angrily stomps on Kon's face and asserts that this is not the time to distract them with superstitions, only for a concerned Renji to assure them that he is not the one attracting rain, prompting Ichigo to instruct him to not pay attention to this story. When Kon begins panicking again, Ichigo admonishes him for being so persistent, but Kon directs his and his friends' attention to the parking lot in front of them, where two swirling masses of water form as Guhl and Günther emerge from the large pool of water formed by the pouring rain.

With Kon terrified to see them again, Hō and Ban comment on how nice the rain is and reiterate their warning that Ichigo and his friends cannot run away from water, to Ichigo's chagrin. Kon demands to know why the other Mod-Souls did not notice this earlier, which leads Ririn to explain that the Dolls are difficult to track while they are merged with water as Kurōdo notes that they are troublesome opponents. Standing behind Guhl and Günther, Hō and Ban smirk and agree that it is time to attack before merging Guhl and Günther into a single mass of water that towers above them and Ichigo's group with dozens of water tendrils twisting and coiling around it.

While Orihime and Sado express shock at Guhl and Günther merging and becoming bigger, Ichigo orders them to run away with Uryū, which they affirm as Kurōdo and Noba join them. Upon having several blasts of water fired at him and his friends by Guhl and Günther, Ichigo runs forward alongside Rukia and Renji to leap into the air and slash through four of the blasts with Zangetsu while hurtling toward the top of Guhl and Günther. Cutting through one of the blobs of water containing the caps of the Dolls, Ichigo lands on ground behind Guhl and Günther and turns around to see the blob reforming without permanent harm.

Renji slashes through the other blob containing the caps as well, and though the body of water collapses and disperses, the caps simply form another body nearby, to Kon and Ririn's disbelief. When Rukia fires '''Hadō #31. Shakkahō at Guhl and Günther''', the body is blasted apart into hot water and steam that rains down on her and her friends, only to quickly return as tendrils of water surrounding them that envelop and begin drowning Ichigo and Renji. Startled by this, Orihime and Sado stop running and turn around as Rukia, Kon, and Ririn are also restrained and enveloped by the water tendrils, which writhe around in the parking lot.

Upon succeeding in partially swimming out of the water enveloping him, Ichigo instructs Orihime and Sado to continue running away, but Uryū pleads with them to simply leave him behind. However, Ichigo counters that he has time to run away if he has time to complain and asserts that they cannot allow everyone to be captured by the water before being covered by the tendrils again. Though a concerned Orihime moves to help Ichigo, Sado promises her that Ichigo will be alright and points out how they need to protect Uryū, which Orihime reluctantly agrees with as she and Sado run off. Elsewhere, Yoshino stands in front of an antiques shop and looks at the display.

With Yoshino examining a female marionette doll with long hair and a bonnet while holding an umbrella above her head, Utagawa stands behind her and observes that this marionette seems expensive, but Yoshino clarifies that it is simply old and probably does not have any value. Utagawa informs Yoshino that Kariya is worried and suggests she return to him, which prompts Yoshino to remind him that she does not take orders from anyone. When Utagawa questions if she will not do so even when they come from the man she loves, Yoshino says even love grows old, especially when it feels like one is being controlled, leading Utagawa to note Kariya is making his move soon.

Yoshino asserts that she does not care since Bount are self-reliant and decides to let Kariya do what he wants. When Utagawa wonders why Kariya is so tolerant of her since she seems unworthy to him, Yoshino mocks him for being more naive than he looks, to his confusion, and states that the world does not run on ambition alone before warning Utagawa that unnecessary ambition will destroy him, only for a smiling Utagawa to refuse to comment as Yoshino discovers that he has vanished from her sight. Meanwhile, at the convenience store, Hanatarō informs his manager that he is clocking out and Ganju promises to work hard starting tomorrow.

While Ganju comments on how nice the manager was to let him work here and to give him the remaining bento, Hanatarō inquires about the reason he came to the Human World, and when Ganju reveals that Kūkaku Shiba sent him here because she sensed a strange presence, Hanatarō details how his captain, Retsu Unohana, sent him here for the same reason, which leads Ganju to clap him on the back and cheerfully note that they both have it rough as a startled Hanatarō agrees. Suddenly, the two of them stiffen up in surprise upon sensing the Reiatsu emanating from the fight against Guhl and Günther, which they mutually recognize.

Back in the hospital parking lot, Ichigo and his friends continue to struggle within Guhl and Günther as Rukia fires another '''Hadō #31. Shakkahō''', causing the water to disperse around them. However, as Hō and Ban call out in concern to them, Guhl and Günther simply reform the water mass around Ichigo's group. After having Guhl and Günther close a gap created by a slash from Ichigo, Hō notes that Uryū will get away at this rate, which Ban confirms. Suddenly, Guhl and Günther fly out of the water mass, which collapses, leaving Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji to land on the ground as an astonished Kon and Ririn fall flat and shake themselves off.

Upon being asked by Renji why the water mass fell apart like this, Ririn reveals Hō and Ban left and are headed after Uryū, to Ichigo's shock. In a different part of Karakura Town, Orihime and Sado run down the street with Uryū as Sado tells Orihime they are headed to the abandoned factory where they trained their powers since Ichigo and the others should be able to meet them there. When Sado abruptly stops running, Orihime questions what is wrong, only for Sado to assert Hō and Ban are coming as Guhl rises from the ground in front of them in a water tendril. With Sado realizing they have been outpaced, Kurōdo and Noba leap down to the ground.

Guhl sends water surging toward Orihime, Sado, Kurōdo, and Noba, who all leap into the air to avoid it. While Kurōdo evades a blast of water in midair by twisting, Orihime dodges two more blasts of water with her back against a nearby wall as Sado runs away from Guhl and the blasts toward Günther, only to trip and fall over when one of the blasts from Günther hits his left foot, sending Uryū sprawling across the pavement. Seeing this, Orihime runs in front of Uryū and uses Santen Kesshun to form a barrier in front of her hands that she protects Uryū from the subsequent water blasts with, though she is sent flying back by a larger one that shatters Santen Kesshun.

With Sado catching Orihime, Hō and Ban stand behind them and assert that there is no escape. Turning around to face them alongside Orihime, Sado instructs Kurōdo and Noba to take care of Uryū, leaving Kurōdo aghast that he expects the two of them alone to do this, and manifests his Fullbring, Brazo Derecha de Gigante, before firing an energy blast at the top of Guhl, only to be stunned alongside Orihime when it simply reforms. Hō and Ban assert that they always have a chance in this rain while Sado and Orihime have none, to their chagrin, before sending Guhl hurtling forward as a yelling Sado runs up and fires another energy blast at it.

Though Hō and Ban mock this as useless after Guhl recovers the water hit by the blast since their Dolls will always reform, Sado fires a third energy blast directly at them, prompting a shocked Ban to run away from Hō, who reminds him that they cannot separate from each other. Sado proceeds to fire a fourth energy blast at Hō's feet, sending him flying back on impact, and Orihime sees a wobbling Günther fall apart as Guhl follows suit, to Hō and Ban's astonishment. After picking up Uryū, Sado runs off with Orihime and the Mod-Souls as he admits that he does not know what happened when asked about it by a confused Orihime.

Elsewhere, Ichigo runs down the street with Rukia, Renji, Kon, and Ririn. With Rukia picking up on his pondering about Hō and Ban, Ichigo points out how they never attacked separately and that they seem to control Guhl and Günther by combining their powers, which leads Rukia to speculate that they are using the resonance phenomenon that twins are said to have as Renji observes that this must be why they can combine their Dolls and Ichigo concludes that they are complete when together. Meanwhile, at the Bount Mansion, Maki Ichinose sits on a couch in a dark room illuminated by a lantern and reads a book as a soaking wet Gō Koga enters the room.

When Koga removes his sunglasses and notes how dark it is, Ichinose assures him that he can still read despite this, which amuses Koga. Upon being told by Ichinose to dry his clothes so he does not catch a cold and that he will be served tea at 10 P.M., Koga dismisses this as unnecessary and wonders where the others are, prompting Ichinose to reveal that he is the first one. Within the abandoned factory, Kurōdo approaches a puddle of water on the floor and reminds Sado of his claim that this place would be free of water before proclaiming that it is leaking, which Sado apologizes for as Noba clarifies that it is still preferable to being outside right now.

Kneeling next to Uryū as he sits against a machine, Orihime informs Sado that he has a fever, leaving him concerned. Uryū once again pleads with his friends to leave him there, and though Orihime protests, Uryū asserts that he does not want to be a burden to them any longer and that there is a limit to how pathetic he can get. Suddenly, a laughing Hō and Ban invite Uryū to come with them in this case and promise that he will do so regardless of whether he wants to or not as Guhl hovers above the group and rains water down on them, forcing Sado and the others to the ground as Uryū is lifted high into the air by two tendrils of water connected to Guhl.

As he attempts to intervene, Sado is pushed aside by two blasts of water from Günther, whom he sees floating in a water tendril on his left side while Hō and Ban declare that they have a Quincy. Sado manifests Brazo Derecha de Gigante once more, but Hō warns him that he cannot use this anymore as Guhl begins constricting the water tendrils around Uryū, who cries out in pain. With Ban asking a stunned Sado if he cares about what happens to Uryū, Ichigo and the others enter the room and see what is happening to Uryū, leading Renji to observe that they are too late while Ichigo angrily demands that Hō and Ban let go of Uryū.

However, Hō simply questions why they would do so and Ban counters that Ichigo and his friends should run away if they value their lives. With Ichigo confused by this, Hō muses that they still have not displayed the true power of Guhl and Günther as Ban asserts that their Dolls want to kill Ichigo and his friends. When Günther fires dozens of water blasts at him, Ichigo slashes through them with Zangetsu, but the water reforms in midair and coalesces into a sphere that envelops Ichigo's face, to the shock of him and his friends, who have their faces covered by separate spheres of water as well before the water begins entering their mouths and nostrils.

Ichigo and his friends begin shimmering with light resembling that of a reflection in water and begin collapsing as they struggle to breathe, to the shock and concern of Kon and the Mod-Souls. Upon being asked what is happening, a laughing Hō reiterates that they can go anywhere there is water and Ban brings up how the Human body is 70% composed of water before they order Guhl and Günther to tear apart the bodies of Ichigo and his friends from the inside, resulting in an agonized Ichigo collapsing as Ririn calls out to him and tells Kon to do something. However, Kon counters that this is an unreasonable request since there is nothing he can do about this situation.

Suddenly, Noba has an idea and runs off with a perplexed Kurōdo, and as Hō and Ban note that this should be over soon if they get serious, Ban is suddenly teleported two meters away twice in a row by Noba, causing Ichigo and his friends to recover as the water in their bodies is freed from the control of Guhl. While Ban is teleported further away, Hō attempts to run after him, but is teleported back two meters and falls on his back as Ban suffers the same fate when trying to approach him. With Kon and Ririn cheering this on, Kurōdo asks Noba if he can teleport them any further away, but Noba asserts that this is the best he can do and that they just need a bit more distance.

Running up to Ban, who realizes that he is the source of this, Noba teleports him off a nearby ledge, causing a screaming Ban to fall several meters down and land on his head on a lower level of the factory. With this, Günther collapses onto a shocked Hō while Ichigo and his friends are able to spit out the water in their lungs and sit up. After Noba and Kurōdo run up to him, Ichigo praises Noba for saving them and details how Hō and Ban were controlling two Dolls by sharing their thoughts through resonance before concluding that neither of them can resonate and control their Dolls if one of them loses consciousness, which Noba affirms at Ichigo's prompting.

As he leaps down to the lower level and up to Ban, Hō pleads with him to wake up. Back on the upper level, Ichigo proclaims that this is their chance and runs up to Guhl before slashing through the water sphere containing its cap, resulting in the tendrils restraining Uryū bursting apart and allowing Sado to catch him when he falls. With a shocked Hō seeing Guhl collapse, Ichigo orders him to give up since he has lost, only for an angered Hō to declare that he can do this alone and summon Guhl, who proceeds to lash at Ichigo with water tendrils. Ichigo evades the tendrils as Rukia runs between them and fires '''Hadō #31. Shakkahō at Guhl''' once more.

However, Guhl evades the blast, which blows a hole in the roof above and behind it, and unleashes dozens of water blasts at Ichigo and his friends, who are forced to evade. When another '''Hadō #31. Shakkahō from Rukia only disperses a small part of Guhl, Ichigo insists that this is useless because they do not have enough firepower, but Rukia dodges another tendril and fires a third Hadō #31. Shakkahō''' that blasts through another section of the roof, leading Hō to mock her aim and laugh maniacally as he asserts that he can do this by himself. Suddenly, Ganju observes that they are close and uses Seppa on the wall of the factory, turning it into sand that flows inward.

The sand envelops Guhl, to Hō's astonishment, and Ichigo and Rukia recognize the technique as Ganju stands outside with Hanatarō and confidently states that he knew this had to be the place. With Ichigo shocked by their arrival, Ganju and Hanatarō greet him in turn, and as a stunned Ichigo questions why they are here, Ganju dismisses this as irrelevant and brings up Ichigo lamenting about not having enough firepower before proclaiming that this is a Shiba Clan patent, which prompts Ichigo and Rukia to realize that he is referring to his fireworks. When Guhl rises up next to them, Ichigo instructs Ganju to detonate an extra-large firework directly at it.

Acknowledging this, Ganju reaches for his pouch and warns his friends to stand back due to the likelihood of the resulting explosion causing a mess. With a sweating Hō screaming for Guhl to move, Ganju pulls out and lights a large, spherical firework that he throws directly into the water sphere with the cap of Guhl. Though Ichigo berates him for doing so since the fuse was seemingly doused by the water, a grinning Ganju simply tells him to wait as the fuse re-lights within the water and detonates the firework, blowing apart Guhl and releasing dozens of smaller fireworks that proceed to detonate in midair and evaporate the water while creating showers of sparks.

Aftermath
While Ichigo and his friends express slight pain at the heat of the sparks falling on them, a panicking Hō looks around and sees the cap of Guhl be set on fire by one of the sparks, causing him and Ban to clutch their chests and groan in pain as they begin rapidly aging, with specks of green light exiting their bodies while Ichigo and his friends watch in astonishment. Stumbling over to Ban, Hō collapses on top of him before the two disintegrate into ash that floats upward into the air, leaving only their clothes behind as Orihime gasps in horror and Sado wonders what is going on. When Ichigo echoes this, Renji notes that they have turned to ash.

Rukia theorizes Hō and Ban were probably past their lifespans as Humans even though they looked like children and losing their Dolls pushed them past this point. Suddenly, Orihime begins looking around in confusion, and when asked about what is wrong by Ichigo, Orihime wonders where Uryū is while Uryū slowly limps down the street outside. Meanwhile, at the Bount Mansion, Kariya is let into a room by Utagawa and stands before Ichinose, Koga, Yoshi, Mabashi, Ugaki, and Sawatari, where Ichinose welcomes him back and downplays Kariya's praise of his recent work as Utagawa mentally disparages Ichinose for this. Upon being asked by Kariya about the whereabouts of Hō and Ban, Utagawa reveals they seem to have been defeated since their presence has disappeared, leading a grinning Kariya to laugh.