Ichigo and his friends manage to drive away Grimmjow and the other Arrancars. But behind the scenes, Aizen orders Ulquiorra to bring Orihime to Hueco Mundo. Orihime agrees to go in exchange for the safety of her friends. She is given a twelve-hour reprieve and is allowed to say her farewells to only one person. Orihime prepares herself and leaves her room to say goodbye to the one person she has in mind. Meanwhile, Hitsugaya and the others are recovering from the injuries they received from their fight with the Arrancars.

Hitsugaya's advance troops continue to fight the Arrancars who appeared in Karakura Town. Urahara shows up to help. He dodges Wonderweiss, but Yammy hits him with a flurry of Bala attacks. Meanwhile, Rangiku, Ikkaku and Yumichika are having trouble fighting Espada Number Six, Luppi, who has released his zanpakuto. And on the other side of town Ichigo has cornered Grimmjow.

Arrancars suddenly appear in the World of the Living. Yammy, Luppi, Grimmjow, and Wonderweiss are confronted by Hitsugaya's advance troops and Ichigo. Ichigo fights Grimmjow and immediately uses his Bankai. Meanwhile, Luppi, the newest Espada Number Six, takes on Hitsugaya and his troops by himself. He releases his Zanpakuto and knocks down Hitsugaya with the tremendous force of his eight tentacles. His tentacles then set their sights on Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika.

There are only a few months left until the showdown with the Arrancars. Ichigo continues to train with the Visoreds, but the amount of time in which he can remain Hollowfied hasn't increased by much. In the Soul Society, Rukia and Orihime have also been undergoing rigorous training. Ukitake happily watches the two and is pleased that Rukia finally has friends. Sosuke Aizen may have plans to cut their training short as he calls on his Espada.

Renji's fight with Patras continues as it destroys Urahara's shop and parts of Karakura Town. Repeatedly overpowered by Patras's attacks, Renji leads the Arrancar into Urahara's underground training facility where he can safely use his Bankai. Meanwhile, Hitsugaya and the others engage Menis and Aldegor while the Arrancars are in their released state.

Trouble is brewing in Las Noches, Aizen's palace in the Hollow realm, Hueco Mundo. One of the Arrancars, Patras, rebels against Aizen and tries to steal the Hogyoku. Ulquiorra realizes what Patras is up to, but he is defeated when he is caught off-guard by Menis and Aldegor, who assist Patros in his rebellion. Upon obtaining the Hogyoku, the three go to the World of the Living, where they head to Urahara's shop in order to find Kisuke Urahara, the creator of the Hogyoku.

Kenpachi overcomes Yammy’s monstrous size and tough exterior to land a clean blow against the Espada. Meanwhile, Ichigo uses Garganta to return to the World of the Living. On the way, Captain Unohana explains to Ichigo about Aizen’s power of “Complete Hypnosis.” She then reveals that Ichigo is the key to defeating Aizen.

chigo awakens to realize that the serious injuries he received from Grimmjow's attack have completely healed. He senses that Orihime came to his room from the traces of Spiritual Pressure that she left behind. Hitsugaya comes to get Ichigo, and they head to Orihime's room. Ichigo senses that something is odd when he sees Rukia and the others gathered there. A transmission comes in from the Soul Society and Captain Ukitake appears on the monitor. He tells them the terrifying truth: that Orihime is with the Arrancars and may already be dead.

Bunmei and Maya go to Matsushiro City to look for Nostradamus's Key. A legendary mask has been found there. It's said that when it and its partner meet, Minakamiyama will be destroyed. During the investigation, Maya eagerly offers ice cream and other treats, but Bunmei is glum. In his mind he hears again and again the words he's been told: Maya is the key to open the door to hell. Bunmei finally makes his decision.

With the master collapsed, and Magnolia minutes away from being completely destroyed by the Thunder Palace, Erza and Natsu desperately search Magnolia to find Laxus and stop him. Waiting in Kardia Cathedral, Laxus is first visited by the mysterious and powerful Fairy Tail S class wizard, Mystogan. As they battle, Natsu and Erza show up, and Mystogan ends up showing his face to the one he least wanted to see... Will the strongest in Fairy Tail finally be decided this time?

I can't focus...probably because I skipped breakfast... Stupid Futaba, she says grabbing my stomach's like grabbing an I-cup! Hmm...? Th-The "Vibe-Shape Belt," it makes you skinny just by wearing it! What a wonderful device....It's so expensive, but I want it so bad! Huh? Hey, it's Sugisaki's cell phone... H-Holy cow! If I put this on my stomach... Aah...my abs...my abs...they're getting tighter...What an amazing discovery! Mitsu: I'll use dad's phone when I get home.

Yuki has fallen into Reiga's hands. Having Yuki stolen from him in front of his face, Luka is unable to conceal his frustration with his own powerlessness. Hearing the voices of his allies, Luka returns to his senses and decides to rescue Yuki with his friends. Takashiro also searches for Reiga with the intention of rescuing Yuki. Meanwhile, Yuki awakes to find himself unable to move as a prisoner of Reiga.

Ringo and Leila are invited to a party at Natsuki's house. This party has a long tradition where someone's groom is decided for them.

Team Tennouji lost in the semi-finals?! With that shocking revelation, Team Ichigo is left scratching their heads wondering what to make of it. And watching the DVD of the match leaves them even more perplexed after seeing Tennouji give a completely sloppy performance. Worried and confused, Amano runs off to speak with her. Meanwhile the rest of Team Ichigo start to research their new rivals, Team François, by asking Lemon about them. What Lemon tells them about François's skills, and what Tennouji tells Ichigo about what happened, completely shocks everyone...