Recaps

Qiao Ran and Dianxi and Vulpix impressed the judges with a coordinated performance, then he told the others about the Ultra Recon Squad and their account of the Ultra World. The group advanced to the final sixteen, and Lillie and Mei asked Qiao Ran to take them to Alola.

• Qiao Ran, Dianxi, and Vulpix performed with interwoven ice crystals and gems, earning high praise and an 8.5 from Su Yiliu.
• Qiao Ran and Cynthia told Sabrina, Lillie, Mei, and the others about meeting the Ultra Recon Squad and shared what they knew about Necrozma and the Ultra World.
• Cynthia suggested the Ultra Recon Squad might have meant the Ancient Alola Kingdom, while asking everyone to watch for other explanations.
• Mei and Lillie advanced to the final sixteen alongside Qiao Ran, Sabrina, Cynthia, and Nian Hongyu.
• Qiao Ran told Sabrina that the red-haired woman had left Magic City, keeping Latias's identity secret.
• After training, Lillie and Mei asked Qiao Ran to take them to Alola.

Qiao Ran, Lillie, and Mei returned to the Aether Foundation and found it overwhelmed by powerful Ultra Beast Aura. As they searched for Lusamine, a group of Pheromosa attacked, and the group prepared to fight them.

• Qiao Ran, Lillie, and Mei entered the Aether Foundation, where the dense Ultra Beast Aura made Mei dizzy and stirred painful memories for Qiao Ran and Lillie.
• Qiao Ran decided to search for Lusamine, helped Mei recover, and released several Pokémon to protect the group.
• Nihilego sensed pheromones resembling those of a cockroach, and a Pheromosa lunged at Qiao Ran before Dianxi blocked its attack.
• Lillie spotted several more Pheromosa and sent out her Nihilego and Type: Null to fight alongside Qiao Ran's Pokémon.
• Qiao Ran warned Lillie that the Pheromosa would attack Trainers directly, and Lillie agreed to stay alert.

Qiao Ran, Lillie, and Mei fought their way through the Aether Foundation as Pheromosa and Buzzwole swarmed them, escaping to the lower level after Yveltal and the other Pokémon battled the flying Ultra Beasts. They reached the area near the Central Elevator, where Mei recovered enough to prepare to fight.

• Pheromosa surrounded Qiao Ran and Lillie in a narrow passage, forcing Qiao Ran to use his Pokémon to fight while he treated and carried Mei.
• Qiao Ran Mega Evolved Dianxi and changed Silvally to the Flying type, using Silvally's charge to break through the Pheromosa encirclement and reach the Central Elevator area.
• Buzzwole appeared and attacked the suspended walkways, so Qiao Ran mounted Reshiram with Lillie and Mei and headed toward the lower level.
• Yveltal, Reshiram, Latias, and Altaria fought the pursuing Buzzwole, while Yveltal's attacks destroyed several walkways and Latias captured defeated Buzzwole with Poké Balls.
• Reshiram landed near the Central Elevator, and Mei steadied herself and said she was ready to join the coming battle.

Qiao Ran, Lillie, and Mei reached Lusamine’s laboratory but found her gone, with her research data missing. Lillie discovered a clue pointing to Alola, and the group left the Aether Foundation to investigate.

• Qiao Ran, Lillie, and Mei escaped the Ultra Beasts by taking the central elevator to Lusamine’s laboratory.
• Qiao Ran used Aura Power to search the empty laboratory, while Mei examined scattered research papers.
• Lillie realized Lusamine had left voluntarily after finding the computer wiped and its storage device missing.
• Lillie found the word “Alola” on the back of a family photograph and concluded that Lusamine was there.
• Qiao Ran, Lillie, and Mei decided to head to Alola despite their upcoming match and left through a hidden emergency passage with speedboats.

Qiao Ran, Lillie, and Mei escaped the Aether Foundation and flew across the sea in search of Alola, eventually reaching an island after defeating a Buzzwole. They returned to the Real World late at night, where Sabrina and Cynthia had been waiting for them.

• Qiao Ran and the girls flew away from the Aether Foundation after its spatial barrier no longer prevented them from leaving.
• Qiao Ran, Lillie, and Mei realized they had no idea which direction led to Alola and searched aimlessly over the ocean.
• Qiao Ran spotted a Buzzwole, and Yveltal, Latias, and Altaria attacked it until it fell into the sea.
• Qiao Ran used the direction Buzzwole had come from to guide the group to a beach, though Lillie could not identify which Alola island they had reached.
• Qiao Ran suggested they return to rest and ask Mei for help identifying the area before continuing their search for Mei's mother.
• Qiao Ran and the others returned to the Real World at two or three in the morning, where Sabrina and Cynthia questioned why they had been gone so long.

After returning from the Pokémon World, Qiao Ran told Sabrina and Cynthia about the dangers there and explained that traveling between worlds required becoming a Pokémon. Lillie demonstrated that she could enter a Poké Ball, leaving Sabrina and Cynthia astonished and asking Qiao Ran how the transformation worked.

• Qiao Ran returned with Mei and Lillie looking disheveled and recounted their recent dangers in the Pokémon World.
• Qiao Ran said he planned to return to Alola the next day with a companion who knew the region and had family there.
• Sabrina accepted that Qiao Ran and the others would miss the competition, and Qiao Ran urged her to win it.
• Cynthia asked what price people paid to travel between worlds, and Qiao Ran explained that they had to become Pokémon.
• Lillie entered a Poké Ball and then reappeared, proving the transformation was real and startling Sabrina and Cynthia.
• Sabrina asked Qiao Ran how becoming a Pokémon allowed someone to enter the Pokémon World.

Qiao Ran explained how Nihilego could turn humans into catchable Pokémon and warned Sabrina and Cynthia to consider the irreversible choice carefully. The next day, he took Mei from Spikemuth to the strangely quiet Alola, where they began searching for signs of what had happened.

• Qiao Ran showed Sabrina and Cynthia a Nihilego, explained how it could fuse with humans, and warned them that the transformation and bond were irreversible.
• Sabrina and Cynthia said they needed time to think, while Qiao Ran considered whether Nebby might eventually let him cross worlds without a Portal.
• Qiao Ran went to Spikemuth and, with Marnie and Gloria’s understanding, borrowed Mei for the day without revealing his ability to cross worlds to her parents.
• Qiao Ran told Mei that Ultra Beasts had appeared at the Aether Foundation, Lusamine had vanished, and they had crossed the sea after the spatial barrier disappeared.
• Mei agreed to visit Alola, and Qiao Ran brought her, Lillie, and Mei to a quiet beach where they prepared to explore inland.

Qiao Ran and his companions reached Ula'ula Island, fought off a swarm of Kartana, and found an Aether Foundation shelter while searching for Lusamine. As they approached, Qiao Ran sensed frightened humans inside and his Pokémon surrounded a Gengar that had emerged from his shadow.

• Mei recognized the distant snowy mountains as Ula'ula Island after the group crossed the forest beside the beach.
• A Kartana ambushed the group, and Qiao Ran, Mei, Lillie, and their Pokémon defeated it and the many Kartana that followed.
• The group found an Aether House, and Lillie suggested Lusamine might have gone there.
• Qiao Ran sensed humans inside the building whose emotions showed despair and hope, then warned the others to stay alert.
• Gengar emerged from Qiao Ran's shadow, but the gathered Pokémon surrounded it and made it stop struggling.

Qiao Ran and his companions met Acerola at the Aether House after stopping her Gengar from attacking them, and she brought them inside to avoid the Ultra Beasts. There, they reunited with Mei, met Island Kahuna Modan, and learned that the Aether Foundation staff recognized Lillie before Acerola asked the newcomers to explain what had happened.

• Qiao Ran’s group stopped Acerola’s Gengar, and Acerola emerged from hiding to call out to Mei.
• Mei and Acerola reunited, and Acerola explained that she had been living at the Aether House to care for its children.
• Acerola warned the group about the Ultra Beasts and brought everyone inside, where they found Modan and several children.
• Mei introduced the group to Modan, and the Aether Foundation employees recognized Lillie as the foundation’s young mistress.
• Modan questioned Qiao Ran about his connection to Dark-type Pokémon, then Acerola asked the group to share information about the situation.

Lillie and Qiao Ran learned that Alola had fallen into darkness and been overrun by Ultra Beasts, while the Aether Foundation had separately suffered an invasion and lost its president and staff. After agreeing to help Acerola and Modan find food, they learned that Lusamine might be in Po Town, Team Skull’s hideout.

• Lillie explained how the Ultra Wormhole, the disappearance of Lusamine and her brother, and the Nihilego invasion had left the Aether Foundation in crisis, and vowed to find everyone and rebuild it.
• Acerola told Lillie and Qiao Ran that a black star had plunged Alola into darkness before spatial rifts unleashed Ultra Beasts across the islands.
• Acerola explained that the Tapus restored Alola’s light, but the survivors were forced to hide at Aether House as the Ultra Beasts destroyed their former lives.
• Acerola revealed that she and Modan had fled after losing to a powerful Ultra Beast in Malie City, and Mei offered to help them seek supplies.
• Acerola said Lusamine had never visited Aether House and suggested the group search Po Town, where Team Skull was based.

Qiao Ran’s group left Aether House for Po Town to seek information about Lusamine, but had to stop overnight after battling Ultra Beasts along the way. In the Real World, Mei met Sabrina and Cynthia, then began recounting Alola’s crisis to them.

• Lillie promised the children and Aether Foundation employees that she would bring Lusamine back, and Qiao Ran’s group set off toward Po Town.
• Mei described Team Skull and Guzma while she and Mei spoke about their ambitions to become League Champions, encouraging Lillie.
• Qiao Ran’s group traveled across Ula'ula Island, fighting and collecting Ultra Beasts until they stopped for the night and returned to the Real World.
• Qiao Ran invited Mei to meet Sabrina and Cynthia, and Mei eagerly agreed after hearing their names.
• Mei greeted Sabrina and Cynthia, took photos with them, and volunteered to explain what had happened in Alola.

After Mei described the Ultra Beasts, Cynthia offered help with training and planned to investigate Pokémon history at Zhenze Lake. Back at Sabrina’s home, the group dealt with the fallout from withdrawing from the tournament and drew lots to decide who would share Qiao Ran’s bed, leaving him under Sabrina’s wary gaze.

• Sabrina and Cynthia judged the Ultra Beasts manageable if their weaknesses were understood, while Cynthia offered Garchomp and the others for training and planned to investigate Zhenze Lake.
• Cynthia discussed strange gaps in Pokémon history, including a record of a nurse surnamed Qiao, and agreed to share findings with Qiao Ran.
• Sabrina told Qiao Ran that the group’s tournament withdrawals had angered spectators and prompted strange rumors online, so he decided to post an update.
• Sabrina struggled to find sleeping arrangements for the six people at her home, and the group agreed to draw lots for who would share Qiao Ran’s room.
• Sabrina drew the winning lot and kept watch beside Qiao Ran, who struggled to fall asleep under her constant surveillance.

After Qiao Ran and Sabrina lost a night of sleep sharing a room, they rested while Mei, Lillie, and the others trained with Cynthia’s Pokémon. The group then traveled to Po Town in search of Lusamine and reached its guarded entrance.

• Qiao Ran and Sabrina both appeared exhausted after spending the night awake, so they returned to their rooms to sleep while the others speculated about what had happened.
• Mei, Lillie, and the others trained with Cynthia’s Pokémon and felt their teams had made significant progress.
• After sleeping through the morning, Qiao Ran rejoined the group, and they traveled across Ula’ula Island toward Po Town.
• Lillie worried about Lusamine’s whereabouts, but Qiao Ran and the others reassured her that they would keep searching together.
• The group arrived at Po Town, where several guards wearing skull-patterned bandanas marked with red Xs spotted them, and Mei greeted the guards.

Mei and Qiao Ran arrived at Po Town, where Guzma tried to intimidate them before Qiao Ran stopped him. After Plumeria led the group into town, Mei thanked Qiao Ran, leaving her feelings stirred by his defense of her.

• At the Aether House, Acerola told Modan she had seen Yveltal, alarming him.
• Mei and Qiao Ran waited at Po Town’s gate, where Guzma and Plumeria came to meet them.
• Guzma moved to intimidate Mei, but Qiao Ran grabbed his wrist and stopped him from striking.
• Plumeria intervened, and Qiao Ran released Guzma before Guzma left and Plumeria led the group into town.
• Mei told Qiao Ran he did not need to step in, then quietly thanked him as she felt her cheeks flush.

Qiao Ran and his companions entered Po Town’s former Team Skull headquarters and learned that Guzma had reunited his disbanded gang to protect refugees from Ultra Beast attacks. Guzma demanded Pokémon battles in exchange for information about Lusamine, and Qiao Ran stepped forward to face him.

• Mei compared Po Town’s Team Skull members with Spikemuth’s Team Yell and explained why their motives seemed different to her.
• Plumeria said Guzma had disbanded Team Skull after his earlier defeat, but former members and Ula’ula residents had gathered in Po Town amid the disaster.
• Guzma recognized Lillie’s connection to Lusamine and demanded that the group battle him for information about her.
• Guzma challenged Qiao Ran first, promising to share what he knew if the challengers won two of three one-on-one matches.
• Qiao Ran accepted, and Guzma sent out a red-armored Pokémon with two large pincers.

Qiao Ran challenged Guzma to a Pokémon battle and defeated his Scizor with Reshiram’s Blue Flare. Guzma admitted defeat, overwhelmed by the gap between their strength.

• Guzma sent out his level 45 Scizor and challenged Qiao Ran to battle.
• Qiao Ran summoned Reshiram, whose presence stunned Guzma and the onlookers.
• Guzma ordered Scizor to use Night Slash, but Reshiram countered with Blue Flare.
• Reshiram’s attack overwhelmed Scizor and left it unable to battle.
• Guzma accepted his defeat, while Team Skull members and Plumeria watched in astonishment.

Mei defeated Guzma's Vikavolt with Serperior despite its type disadvantage, and the battle pushed Serperior through a breakthrough. Serperior awakened the Contrary Ability alongside Overgrow, leaving Qiao Ran wondering whether Pokémon reaching the Elite Four tier could develop other unusual abilities.

• Mei challenged Guzma with Serperior while Guzma sent out Vikavolt, and she chose to fight despite the type disadvantage.
• Mei used unusual tactics to defeat Guzma's Vikavolt, leaving him devastated by another loss.
• After the battle, Serperior's level fluctuated between 49 and 50 as she approached a breakthrough.
• Serperior burst into emerald light, then demonstrated Leaf Storm without suffering its usual stat drop.
• Qiao Ran realized Serperior had gained Contrary while retaining Overgrow, and wondered whether other Pokémon could develop unexpected abilities.

Mei defeated Guzma in their third battle, leaving him to recover from the loss while Plumeria welcomed Mei, Qiao Ran, and the others to dinner in Po Town. As they learned how the former Team Skull members now lived, Mei pointed out that the settlement still needed improvements.

• Mei thanked Guzma after her Serperior grew stronger, and Guzma challenged her to a third battle despite having already lost twice.
• Mei sent out Decidueye against Guzma's level 48 Golisopod as Team Skull members and Lillie cheered for their respective sides.
• After a long battle, Decidueye defeated Golisopod, and Guzma admitted that he had lost all three matches.
• Plumeria asked Qiao Ran and the others to give Guzma time to calm down, then invited them to dinner in Po Town.
• Plumeria explained that Team Skull had disbanded and that many Po Town residents were islanders, while Mei criticized the settlement's management and asked how its residents obtained food.

Qiao Ran and the others learned from Guzma that Lusamine had borrowed supplies and gone back out to sea, then received a device she had left behind. Lillie suspected her mother was searching for her father and brother, and the group decided to leave Po Town the next day rather than travel at night.

• Guzma told Lillie that Lusamine had visited him recently, borrowed fuel and other supplies, and headed out to sea in search of something urgent.
• Lillie recalled the group photo Lusamine had used to leave clues and suspected she was searching for Lillie's father and older brother; Qiao Ran steadied her when she lost her composure.
• Guzma gave Lillie a white Aether Foundation device with a blinking dot on its radar-like display, though he did not know what it indicated.
• After dinner, Qiao Ran and the others prepared to leave Po Town, but decided not to travel at night toward the sea.
• Plumeria warned them about the dangers of traveling at sea without a boat, and Qiao Ran said their Pokémon could help before the group departed.

After returning to Sabrina’s house, Lillie told Cynthia and Sabrina how Mei’s Serperior had reached the Elite Four level, and they planned to test its strength the next morning. The group drew lots to settle the cramped sleeping arrangements, and the blonde woman ended the chapter holding the marked slip.

• Qiao Ran remembered that the crowded sleeping arrangements meant he might have to share his bed again, then returned to Sabrina’s house with the others.
• Lillie showed Sabrina the device tied to her mother and recounted the group’s battles against Guzma.
• Cynthia and Sabrina reacted with surprise to Mei’s Serperior reaching the Elite Four level, and they agreed to watch Mei test it the next morning.
• Qiao Ran and Lillie discreetly agreed that she would help him sleep well, while Mei and Mei noticed their secretive behavior.
• Lillie offered to share Qiao Ran’s room, but Sabrina’s direct question about whether she liked him embarrassed her into agreeing to draw lots.
• The group drew slips to decide the sleeping arrangements, and the blonde woman found the slip marked in red.

Cynthia drew the slip that paired her with Qiao Ran for the final night, then questioned him about Pokémon legends after he showed his knowledge of Sinnoh mythology. Qiao Ran began explaining Hoopa’s history and linked its sealing to Arceus, leaving Cynthia eager to hear more.

• Cynthia drew the final slip, and Sabrina offered to arrange another room, but Cynthia agreed to stay with the group.
• After bathing, Qiao Ran returned to find Cynthia reading in their room and discussed her interest in Pokémon and Sinnoh legends.
• Cynthia asked Qiao Ran what he knew about Hoopa, and he initially described its forms, types, and battle weaknesses instead of its legends.
• Qiao Ran explained that Hoopa’s legend involved an enormous space-traveling Pokémon that nearly destroyed Dahara City and was sealed with an item made using Arceus’s power.
• Cynthia questioned whether Qiao Ran was certain that Arceus’s power had been used to seal Hoopa.

Qiao Ran and Cynthia stayed up discussing Pokémon mythology until he fell asleep, and they looked forward to battling after his task was finished. The next morning, Qiao Ran revealed that he had slept well despite having to use Latias’s psychic powers to escape Cynthia’s unconscious embrace.

• Cynthia pressed Qiao Ran about his knowledge of Hoopa, Arceus, and the Prison Bottle, and he explained that Yveltal had told him.
• Cynthia asked Qiao Ran to keep sharing what he knew, and they lay down together to continue discussing legendary Pokémon and mythology.
• Cynthia shared her theories about Sinnoh and Sendoff Spring while Qiao Ran gradually fell asleep.
• Cynthia watched Qiao Ran sleep and decided she wanted to battle him after he finished his task in his world.
• The next morning, the girls asked Qiao Ran whether anything had gone wrong overnight, and he said he had slept well.
• Qiao Ran recalled that Cynthia had unconsciously pressed against him, so Latias had teleported him away before anything else happened.

After Mei tested Serperior’s new Elite Four strength, Qiao Ran and the others traveled to Alola to investigate the location indicated by Lillie’s device and deal with Lusamine. The group questioned Qiao Ran about his growing closeness with Cynthia, then set off by air toward the marked destination.

• Mei tested Serperior against Sabrina’s Alakazam, and Sabrina and Cynthia praised Serperior’s strength and Mei’s training.
• Cynthia tested Serperior with Garchomp, then said she would wait to speak with Qiao Ran when he returned.
• Qiao Ran used Rotom to take the group to Ula'ula Island, where Lillie’s device pointed toward an unknown location.
• Mei and Lillie questioned Qiao Ran about his relationship with Cynthia, and he said they had spent the night discussing Pokémon mythology.
• Qiao Ran released Yveltal and Reshiram to carry the group onward, while Yveltal glared at him over being used as transportation.

Qiao Ran and his companions crossed Alola’s ocean to investigate a terrifying Ultra Wormhole and found a battle-scarred island. There, Lillie reunited with her long-missing brother Gladion, and the chapter ended with him reassuring her that she was safe.

• Reshiram carried Qiao Ran, Lillie, and the others across the ocean while Vulpix helped them endure the heat.
• The group sensed a powerful Ultra Aura and found a rift leading to another world above a small island.
• Qiao Ran urged the group to inspect the island before approaching the rift, hoping to find Lusamine and ask for her knowledge.
• On the island, Zacian protected Lillie from a charging Silvally, and Lillie recognized the Pokémon as an Aether Foundation creation.
• Lillie identified Silvally’s Trainer as her brother Gladion, and the two reunited tearfully.

Gladion and Lusamine explained how Gladion’s return from another world left an unending spatial rift above the island, and Lusamine said Nebby might be able to repair it. Nebby agreed to try, but the rift expanded and a swarm of Ultra Beasts emerged before it could act.

• Gladion reunited with Lillie and Lusamine, then explained that he had returned from another world through the Ultra Recon Squad and left a spatial rift behind.
• Lusamine recounted how Gladion’s bracelet helped her find him, though Ultra Beasts sank her ship and Gladion rescued her.
• Qiao Ran asked how they could deal with the rift, and Gladion revealed that the Ultra Recon Squad had left and would not return soon.
• Lusamine identified Nebby as the only Pokémon present with the power to affect the rift, and Qiao Ran hesitated to put it at risk.
• Nebby sensed Qiao Ran and Lillie’s concern and volunteered to try, but the rift expanded and Ultra Beasts poured through.