Chapter Summaries

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.

Qiao Ran and his allies battled the Ultra Beasts pouring through an open rift, but their numbers overwhelmed the defenders. He flew toward the rift with Nebby while Latias used her invisibility to attack an airborne Naganadel, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Qiao Ran, Gladion, Lillie, Mei, and Mei released their Pokémon and fought the Ultra Beasts advancing across the island.
• Gladion was astonished by Qiao Ran’s Legendary Pokémon and by Lillie’s newfound ability to battle alongside Pokémon.
• As the Ultra Beasts kept emerging and the defenders tired, Qiao Ran took Nebby and flew toward the rift with Reshiram, Yveltal, and Latias.
• Qiao Ran told Lillie, Mei, and Mei to hold the line while he tried to get Nebby to the rift.
• Latias turned invisible to evade Naganadel, then flew toward it as Qiao Ran prepared to give his next command.

Qiao Ran and his Pokémon fought their way toward the enormous rift while the others defended themselves on the island. As the exhausted group neared the opening, Cosmog gathered its resolve and prepared to try to close it.

• Qiao Ran and his Pokémon pushed through the Ultra Beasts, with Reshiram, Yveltal, and Latias fighting while Qiao Ran used Tokiwa Power to sustain them.
• Mei nearly took a hit from Kartana, but Zacian and Vulpix intervened and helped drive it back.
• Lillie, Gladion, and their Pokémon defended the cave, while Zacian, Vulpix, Dianxi, Mimikyu, and Nihilego fought independently and coordinated with one another.
• Lusamine watched from the cave, unable to join the battle because of her condition and her Pokémon's injuries.
• Qiao Ran and his exhausted Pokémon advanced toward the rift, and Cosmog resolved to try to close it.

Qiao Ran collapsed after leading his Pokémon to the spatial rift, but Nebby used his renewed encouragement and power to close it. The rift nearly vanished, and Mei, Lillie, and Gladion realized the team had succeeded.

• Qiao Ran exhausted himself using Tokiwa Power to carry Reshiram, Yveltal, and Nebby to the rift, then collapsed.
• Reshiram urged the others to continue, and Nebby began closing the rift while Reshiram and Yveltal fought off the Ultra Beasts.
• Nebby reached an invisible limit, so Latias prepared to teleport the team away.
• Qiao Ran revived enough to place a hand on Nebby and encourage it, helping it gather strength beyond its limit.
• Nebby unleashed a powerful move that forced the rift shut, and Mei, Lillie, and Gladion watched it nearly disappear.

After Qiao Ran closed the rift, Latias carried his unconscious body and the exhausted Nebby back to the others. Lillie took them to a cave for care and proposed returning to the Aether House, while Lusamine watched over them and reflected on letting her children grow independent.

• Gladion recognized Qiao Ran’s strength as the rift closed and the remaining Ultra Beasts attacked Reshiram and the others.
• Latias used repeated Teleports to carry unconscious Qiao Ran and Nebby away from the Ultra Beasts and down to the battlefield.
• Mei and Mei took over fighting while Lillie had Nihilego carry Qiao Ran and Nebby into a cave.
• Lillie checked Qiao Ran and Nebby, then asked Rotom to send them away for treatment, but Rotom could not open a Portal while Qiao Ran was unconscious.
• Lillie proposed going to the Aether House for medical care, called Lusamine “Mom,” and left her to watch over Qiao Ran and Nebby.
• Lusamine agreed to stay with them and reflected on her loneliness and the need to accept that her children would eventually leave her.

After Qiao Ran and the others agreed to escape the island, Cosmog evolved into a cocoon-like Cosmoem while Qiao Ran dreamed of their reunion. The group prepared to flee toward Ula'ula Island, while Sabrina and Cynthia waited anxiously in the real world for Qiao Ran and the others to return.

• Mei, Gladion, and the others agreed to use their remaining strength and flying Pokémon to leave the island rather than wait for another attack.
• In his dream, Qiao Ran reunited with Cosmog, which then absorbed the surrounding stars and transformed into a cocoon.
• Lusamine recorded Cosmog’s evolution and explained that its new form was sleeping as it accumulated power.
• Lillie recalled the too-heavy Cosmoem into a Poké Ball, and the group prepared to leave the cave for Ula'ula Island.
• Sabrina and Cynthia waited until two in the morning for Qiao Ran and the others, then went to bed without knowing what had happened.

Qiao Ran woke at Aether House after sealing the rift and learned that Gladion had left Alola to confront its Ultra Beast problem. After returning to the Wild Area, Qiao Ran found it overrun with Ultra Beasts and asked Nihilego to help establish rules for them.

• Qiao Ran woke at Aether House after two days unconscious, and Acerola, Lillie, Lusamine, and the others welcomed him back.
• Lillie showed Qiao Ran that Nebby had become a cocoon-like form, while Lusamine and Lillie told him that Gladion had secretly left to deal with Alola's problems.
• Gladion set out with Silvally, believing that his presence would attract Ultra Beasts and endanger his family and the children at Aether House.
• Qiao Ran opened a gateway to the Wild Area and found it crowded with Ultra Beasts that were spreading into other Pokémon's territories.
• Qiao Ran confronted Nihilego's queen and asked her to help manage the Ultra Beasts and prevent them from taking other Pokémon's territory.
• Nihilego pressed against Qiao Ran and asked for a future reward, leaving him worried that the other Nihilego might imitate her behavior.

After helping resolve the Ultra Beast crisis, Qiao Ran rested with Altaria, who transformed into a girl and asked him to bring her song videos. He returned to the Real World, where he found Cynthia waiting and learned Sabrina was preparing for her Gym Leader Election.

• Qiao Ran praised Altaria and rested in her soft wings while Latias and Suicune watched enviously.
• Altaria transformed into a girl, and Qiao Ran agreed to bring her song performances and an electronic device so she could pursue singing.
• Qiao Ran and Rotom prepared to return to the Real World, and he wondered why Rotom had not transformed into a humanoid.
• Qiao Ran arrived at Sabrina's home and unexpectedly found Cynthia coming out of the bathroom in a bath towel.
• Cynthia told Qiao Ran that Sabrina was staying at her Gym to prepare for her Gym Leader Election, which was due to begin the day after tomorrow.
• Cynthia asked Qiao Ran what had happened to him and the others while they were away.

Qiao Ran returned to Aether House after traveling between worlds, reunited with Lillie, Mei, and Acerola, and answered the children’s questions while sharing his belief that loving Pokémon made a Trainer strong. Later, Lillie and Mei visited him secretly, and he told them about his travels and Sabrina’s upcoming Gym Leader Competition.

• Lillie and Mei struggled to keep Acerola from entering Qiao Ran’s room while he was away, until he opened the door and ended their standoff.
• Acerola brought Qiao Ran to dinner, where the children surrounded him with questions about Ultra Beasts and his Pokémon.
• Qiao Ran told the children he had fought with Yveltal, Reshiram, and Latias, then encouraged them to grow strong by loving Pokémon.
• That night, Lillie and Mei sneaked into Qiao Ran’s room and asked where he had gone; he explained that he had visited the Wild Area and the Real World.
• Qiao Ran told Lillie and Mei that Sabrina was preparing for the Gym Leader Competition in two days, and they agreed to support her.

After resolving the crisis in Alola, Qiao Ran and his companions decided to rest before helping Aether House deal with a dangerous Ultra Beast in the island’s largest city. Back in the Real World, they prepared to attend Sabrina’s Gym Leader Election and released a video revealing Phoebe as a mysterious Elite Four member, setting off a public frenzy.

• Qiao Ran and Mei agreed that Mei would remain in Alola to search for her mother and help rebuild the island, while Qiao Ran’s group planned to rest before traveling onward.
• Qiao Ran offered to help Acerola and the people of Po Town deal with the powerful Ultra Beast, and Lusamine volunteered to speak with Guzma.
• Qiao Ran told the children of Aether House that the group would wait a few days before facing the monster because he had not recovered from his recent exertion.
• Qiao Ran, Lillie, and the others returned to the Real World to attend Sabrina’s Gym Leader Election and discuss a planned video with Cynthia.
• Qiao Ran posted an interview presenting Phoebe as the Pokémon League’s oldest and most mysterious Elite Four member, and verified accounts, including the China Pokémon League, confirmed her identity.
• The video spread rapidly, and viewers began forming a temporary fan club for Phoebe.

Qiao Ran and his companions left Aether House to attend Sabrina’s Magic City Gym Leader Competition, where Sabrina and Nian Hongyu were among the Psychic-type contenders. The competition began before a packed audience, with its winner set to become the Gym’s next leader.

• Qiao Ran reassured Phoebe that he would share any new information after his online video made her unexpectedly popular.
• Qiao Ran and his companions left Aether House after persuading Acerola to stay and look after the children.
• Qiao Ran, Cynthia, and the others arrived at the old Magic City Gym, where they met Nian Hongyu, Nian Xiaoxiao, Xia Fei, and Sabrina.
• Old Man Nian Hai seated Qiao Ran’s group with his remaining Gym Leader privileges and argued that Nian Hongyu could win.
• The host opened the daylong competition, announcing that one contender would become the next Magic City Gym Leader.