Ichigo comes to bring Rukia breakfast to find the closet empty. Rukia had left to find the Urahara Store – an illegal importer of Soul Society goods. She arrives to the mysterious Kiseku Urahara’s store to do some shopping, and to pick up her special order.

Urahara the Shopkeeper.

 Urahara tells Ururu, one of his employees who happens to be no more than a child, to fetch the order from the backroom. “It say’s ‘New Goods’ on the box.” Unfortunately, Ururu sees only the ‘goods’ marking on the box. Before leaving, Urahara warns Rukia that she can’t keep pretending forever.* Rukia acknowledges the advice, and leaves for school.

Rukia pulls Ichigo out of class to give him the special order: one tube of Soul Candy. Rukia explains that Soul Candy is medicine that forcefully removes the soul from the body. By swallowing a pill, you can put a fake soul in and take the real one out. The Soul Candy is in case he runs into a hollow while Rukia isn’t around. Ichigo tries it, goes into his soul reaper form, and watches his body be taken over by a fake soul.
 

A fake soul takes over Ichigo's body.

Ichigo is rather angry that the fake soul has a personality that could completely ruin his reputation, orders come, and duty calls. The fake soul will take care of school while Ichigo takes care of a hollow.

Back at the Urahara Store, Kiseku Urahara notices the first markings on the box that Ururu had taken the goods from. It says ‘Inferior Goods’. They had sold Rukia an untrustworthy product. Urahara worries what that soul could be up to.

What that soul was up to was smashing a fence and frightening a teacher. Pleased with his new found sense of freedom, the fake soul jumps three stories to the window of Ichigo’s classroom. Needless to say, everyone is quite astonished. The fake soul eyes the girls, pleased to find they’re all hot, ‘above average.’ Orohime catches his eye (for two rather large reasons). He kisses her hand, and proceeds to kiss Tatsuki – a very, very big mistake. Having beaten the hollow, Ichigo and Rukia head back to school. Ichigo has a bad feeling about the fake soul, and his worries are confirmed when a table smashes through his classroom’s window. Tatsuki’s pissed, and going on a violent rampage against the fake soul. When Rukia arrives, the fake soul decides to get out of there. Ichigo cuts him off at the window, and the two get into a fight in the classroom

The fake soul fights back.

. ** Once he knocks Ichigo down, the fake soul leaps from the third story window, and lands with ease. As he runs off with amazing speed, Rukia confirms it: it’s not a normal fake soul, it’s a modified soul. She and Ichigo leave to chase it down.

 

Taking a break in an abandoned warehouse, Ichigo inquires what exactly a modified soul is. Rukia explains that in Soul Society, a plan called Spearhead was brought up. A soul specialized for battle would be injected into a dead body, and would be used as an anti-hollow soldier. The mod souls were able to endow some part of the body with superhuman power (in this case, the legs, explains why he can run fast, jump high and has strong kicks). Because of the inhumanity of making dead bodies fight, Spearhead was rejected.

Created and killed for convenience.

And simultaneously, all the modified souls in development at the time were ordered to be scrapped. Who knew there was one left. Ichigo feels disturbed that he was created against his will, and will die against his will. Ichigo wonders how he’s using his freedom.

 

He’s having a ball jumping all over town, that’s what. The mod soul takes a break to watch three kids play with their Game Boy Advances (who happen to be skipping P.E.). The kid with glasses complains his ‘guy’ (Pokemon?) loses too much. So he deletes him, since he can always make a better one. “Who do you think made you? If you can’t obey your master’s orders, then die.”
 

Hitting too close to home.

This really hits home for the mod soul. Pissed off, he attacks the kids. Ichigo blocks the kick in the nick of time. He and the mod soul face each other, knowing it’s time to finish the fight in the classroom.

 

                                                                                                                                    

 

*[Difference: In the manga, Urahara never gives this warning]
** [Difference: Originally, the mod soul simply passes Ichigo as he enters.]