Chapter Summaries

Qiao Ran and the others helped Acerola undergo Nihilego parasitism, and she recovered without complications. The procedure left her amazed by Nihilego’s human form and the group’s antics, while her account of being inside a Poké Ball prompted Mei to bring up further surprises.

• Acerola accepted a Mimikyu plush from Mei and admitted she had not yet said goodbye to the children or Uncle Modan at Aether House.
• Qiao Ran warned Acerola about the risks before a Nihilego parasitized her, with his own Nihilego supervising the procedure.
• After more than two hours, the procedure ended safely, but Acerola was stunned to learn that the white-haired girl beside Qiao Ran was Nihilego.
• Mei and Lillie jokingly tackled Qiao Ran and examined him to see whether he was secretly a Pokémon, while Acerola watched in disbelief.
• Qiao Ran checked on Acerola, who said she felt comfortable and described the strange, relaxing experience of entering a Poké Ball.
• Mei agreed that Acerola’s account matched her own and said there were more surprising things to tell her.

Qiao Ran and Mei brought Acerola to the Wild Area, where she learned that it was a distinct, developing world and met several of Qiao Ran’s Pokémon in human forms. After exploring and receiving a gift from Dianxi, Acerola returned to the Aether House feeling better, and Qiao Ran ended the visit so she could rest.

• Mei reminded Qiao Ran to take Acerola to the Wild Area, and he opened a Portal so they could bring her there.
• Acerola asked whether the Wild Area was an Otherworld, and Qiao Ran explained that it was a separate world still growing.
• Nihilego kissed Qiao Ran’s cheek before returning to the cavern, leaving Lillie flustered and Acerola astonished.
• Qiao Ran took Acerola to Dianxi and Vulpix’s cave, where they revealed their Pokémon identities and welcomed her as a companion.
• Dianxi offered Acerola Gem hair clips, and Acerola felt better as Qiao Ran showed her other Pokémon around the Wild Area.
• Back at the Aether House, Acerola admired her hair clip, and Qiao Ran ended the visit so she could rest before saying proper goodbyes the next day.

A video of Qiqi singing the Pokémon World song “Together” drew attention in the Real World, prompting Sabrina and Cynthia to wonder where Qiao Ran had found her. In Alola, Acerola told the children she would leave to help people threatened by Ultra Beasts, and she prepared to set out with Qiao Ran.

• Qiao Ran’s uploaded video of Qiqi singing “Together” attracted viewers, who searched for the singer and discussed the lyrics.
• Sabrina and Cynthia recognized the song and discussed Qiao Ran’s absence, the video, and their hope of finding a better way to travel between worlds.
• Acerola told the Aether House children she would leave to help people suffering from Ultra Beast attacks across Alola.
• Acerola asked Modan and Lusamine to care for the children, who cried but ultimately stopped trying to keep her from leaving.
• Qiao Ran and Acerola stood alone at the Aether House entrance as they prepared to depart, with the Ultra Beasts nearby already greatly reduced.

Acerola prepared to leave, while Qiao Ran took Mei, Lillie, and the others to the Magic City Gym, where he revealed Altaria’s human transformation to Sabrina and later to Cynthia. As the group helped Sabrina at the Gym, Qiao Ran left alone and was recognized by students on the street.

• Acerola told Qiao Ran she hoped to return to Alola and might join its Pokémon League as an Elite Four member once the crisis was over.
• Mei suggested visiting the Magic City Gym to help Sabrina, and Qiao Ran agreed to take her, Lillie, and the others there.
• Sabrina confronted Qiao Ran about the viral video of Altaria singing, so he privately revealed that Altaria could transform into a human.
• Sabrina learned that Latias was also a Pokémon who could take human form, and Qiao Ran later told Cynthia about Altaria’s identity.
• Altaria discovered how popular her song had become, while Lillie and the others stayed to help Sabrina at the Gym.
• Qiao Ran went out alone and was recognized by students who asked him for autographs.

After Acerola joined Qiao Ran’s team, they set out toward Mount Hokulani to reach its observatory and learn more about Alola and the other regions. Back in Magic City, Sabrina offered them places in a livestreamed Battle Train event, while their difficult mountain climb continued.

• Qiao Ran and the others said goodbye to the children at the Aether House, and Acerola officially joined their team.
• Acerola proposed visiting Hokulani Observatory to gather information and help the people isolated on the mountain, and the group agreed to go there.
• As they climbed toward Mount Hokulani, Acerola began to understand how the team shared perceptions, but Qiao Ran called off the hike for the day as night approached.
• Sabrina showed Qiao Ran a flyer recruiting three Trainers for a livestreamed Battle Train trial, and Qiao Ran, Mei, and Mei were chosen to participate.
• The group showed Acerola around Magic City, where Lillie tried to get her to wear a pink dress, and then resumed the exhausting climb toward the observatory.

Qiao Ran and his companions said goodbye to Sabrina and departed Magic City to join the Battle Train filming. After learning the train’s confined-space battle rules, they prepared for the competition on the journey to Rongcheng.

• Qiao Ran visited his aunt with Lillie and the others, learned that Xia Fei had begun caring for Ralts and wanted to become a Trainer, and endured his aunt’s teasing about the girls accompanying him.
• Sabrina took Qiao Ran and the others to dinner, admitted she would miss them, and drank too much, so Qiao Ran helped her home.
• Sabrina, Nian Hongyu, Xia Fei, and Nian Xiaoxiao saw Qiao Ran’s group off, and Qiao Ran hugged Sabrina before joking that she had many more firsts ahead of her and getting struck by a flying suitcase.
• Qiao Ran and the others met the Battle Train production team at the station and learned that the trip to Rongcheng would take about four and a half hours.
• The production staff explained that each carriage would host one-on-one battles in a narrow area, with large Pokémon and Earthquake prohibited and move power tightly controlled.

Qiao Ran competed against Mei and Mei in a train-car challenge, where the contestant who cleared the most cars fastest would face the conductor. After Mei set a 44-minute record, Qiao Ran began his run with Vulpix and swiftly defeated the first gatekeeper, then faced a tougher Flareon in Car Three.

• The secretary explained the challenge rules, and Qiao Ran learned the planned livestream had been canceled in favor of edited production.
• Qiao Ran, Mei, and the other Mei began the competition, with Lillie and Acerola joining the commentary team.
• Mei went first and cleared the challenges in 44 minutes and 32 seconds, setting the train's first speed-clear record.
• Qiao Ran started his run with Vulpix and defeated Pleated Skirt's Gloom in Car One using Icy Wind, Zen Headbutt, and Ice Beam.
• Qiao Ran cleared Car Two with Vulpix, then encountered a Flareon in Car Three and ordered Vulpix to dodge its Flamethrower and use Extrasensory.

Qiao Ran and Vulpix quickly cleared the first four cars of the Battle Train before facing Sportswear and her Lucario in the final car. Vulpix struggled against Lucario’s Aura-powered attacks but tricked it into striking an ice sculpture, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Qiao Ran used Vulpix’s Extrasensory to wear down Flareon and pass through the fourth door in just over ten minutes.
• The spectators praised Qiao Ran and Vulpix’s coordination as they reached the final car after fifteen minutes total.
• Qiao Ran chose to battle Sportswear’s Steel- and Fighting-type Lucario with Vulpix despite her type disadvantage.
• Vulpix dodged Lucario’s Aura Spheres and used Ice Beam and Blizzard to cover the floor with ice, but Lucario avoided her Extrasensory by sensing it with Aura Power.
• Lucario charged Vulpix with Brick Break, only for its strike to shatter an ice sculpture that Vulpix had created as a substitute.

Qiao Ran won the Battle Train’s timed challenge with Vulpix, earning the right to face the Train Conductor in the final round. In Carriage 6, he met the conductor, Anabel, and recognized her as a legendary figure from the Pokémon world.

• Qiao Ran and Vulpix defeated the tracksuit girl’s Lucario in thirty-eight minutes and twenty seconds, breaking Mei’s record.
• The tracksuit girl conceded defeat and told Qiao Ran to challenge the person waiting next.
• Mei reviewed her battle and identified move-power control as an area she needed to improve before beginning her own challenge.
• Mei finished in forty minutes and twenty-five seconds, leaving Qiao Ran as the fastest contestant.
• The host announced Qiao Ran as the winner and sent him to Carriage 6 for the final battle.
• Qiao Ran met Train Conductor Anabel in the transparent carriage and recognized her name from the Pokémon world.

Qiao Ran faced Anabel in the train’s final one-on-one battle, where her level 53 Mismagius challenged Dianxi. Anabel’s Taunt disrupted Dianxi’s control, leaving Qiao Ran struggling to find a way to fight back without risking defeat.

• Qiao Ran and Anabel chose their Pokémon blind, then sent out Dianxi and Mismagius when the countdown ended.
• Rotom revealed that Anabel’s Mismagius was level 53, and Anabel explained that she could adjust her Pokémon’s strength as Train Conductor.
• Qiao Ran and Dianxi used a carefully controlled Little Diamond Storm to neutralize Mismagius’s Shadow Ball, impressing Anabel.
• Mismagius used Taunt, filling Dianxi and Qiao Ran with an overwhelming urge to fight and making Dianxi’s control falter.
• Anabel warned that an uncontrolled attack could cause Qiao Ran to lose, while Mismagius fired another Shadow Ball and Dianxi barely dodged.

Qiao Ran helped Dianxi break free of Taunt by reaching her through their shared consciousness, then Mega Evolved her to face Anabel’s boosted Mismagius. The battle continued with Dianxi armed with a diamond longsword, as Anabel prepared to test her power.

• Anabel used Taunt to make Dianxi attack uncontrollably, while Mismagius struck her with Shadow Balls and boosted its Special Attack.
• Qiao Ran and Dianxi entered a shared mental world behind Dianxi’s Diamond Shield, where Qiao Ran reminded her to fight with elegance and promised to see her later.
• Dianxi’s frenzy subsided, and Anabel realized Qiao Ran had an ability resembling her own power to connect with Pokémon.
• Qiao Ran Mega Evolved Dianxi, who formed a diamond longsword as Anabel ordered Mismagius to face her.

Qiao Ran and Dianxi defeated Anabel’s Mismagius in a train battle and received the competition’s prizes and recognition. After the recording ended, Acerola recognized Anabel as someone from the Pokémon world who might have lost her memory, and the group decided to approach her cautiously.

• Qiao Ran and Dianxi deflected Mismagius’s Shadow Ball, then used Diamond Storm to wear it down and win the battle.
• Anabel congratulated Qiao Ran, led him to the next carriage, and presented him with a victory keepsake and a photo display.
• Qiao Ran completed the production crew’s awards and interview before the train approached its destination.
• Acerola told Qiao Ran she recognized Anabel as a colleague of Uncle Modan and suspected Anabel had lost her memory.
• Mei, Lillie, Acerola, and the others agreed to get to know Anabel gradually without revealing the Pokémon world yet.
• Qiao Ran asked Mei and Lillie about the amnesiac Nurse Joy they had contacted in Hangcheng, and they said her situation had not changed.

After arriving in Rongcheng, Qiao Ran and the girls met the amnesiac Anabel and planned to challenge her while trying to restore her memories. Qiao Ran later told Sabrina about Anabel, whose strength he judged to be around Sabrina’s level or higher.

• Qiao Ran and the production crew arrived at Rongcheng Station, where the director praised the battle between Qiao Ran and Anabel.
• Mei got Anabel’s phone number, and the girls learned that Anabel remembered little about the Pokémon World and had taken a job as a Train Conductor because she needed work.
• At the Pokémon Center, Qiao Ran learned that Rongcheng’s Gym specialized in Grass-types and held three-on-three matches.
• The girls planned to book Gym challenges, invite Anabel out the next day, and bring her to the Pokémon Battlefield; Acerola also wanted to challenge Anabel’s Mismagius.
• Qiao Ran told Sabrina that he had met Anabel, and Sabrina said an International Police Chief would need considerable strength.
• Qiao Ran estimated that Anabel was about as strong as Sabrina, noting that Anabel had been a Frontier Brain and International Police Chief.

Qiao Ran spoke with Sabrina and Cynthia about a possible amnesiac Pokémon World comrade before Lillie visited him at night, encouraged by Mei to confess her feelings. Lillie and Qiao Ran kissed, and she admitted she could not sleep alone anymore.

• Qiao Ran told Sabrina he planned to ask the amnesiac woman out and discuss her memories, then ended their call after teasing her about the order of her name in pinyin.
• Qiao Ran planned to tell Cynthia what had happened and enjoyed their conversation about Pokémon.
• Mei urged Lillie to stop hesitating and take the initiative with Qiao Ran, warning that someone else might get close to him first.
• Lillie went to Qiao Ran's room, asked him to help remove her coat, and revealed her affection for him.
• Qiao Ran kissed Lillie, and she returned the kiss before saying she could not sleep alone now.

After spending the night with Lillie, Qiao Ran faced the girls’ suspicions and remembered he had stood Dianxi up. The group met Anabel to explore Rongcheng and help her recover her memories, while Qiao Ran and Dianxi escaped an eager crowd with Teleport.

• Qiao Ran and Lillie emerged from his room the next morning looking shy and happy, making Mei and the others suspect something had happened between them.
• Qiao Ran remembered he had promised to visit Dianxi the previous night and worried about how to make up for standing her up.
• Mei noticed that Lillie and Mei were acting strangely and secretly decided to ask Qiao Ran what they were hiding.
• The group checked the Gym booking board, which showed Qiao Ran and Mei scheduled to challenge in two days and the others in three.
• The group met Anabel in Rongcheng and planned to show her the city, get to know her, and help bring back her memories.
• Qiao Ran let Dianxi out at a scenic spot, where tourists crowded around them for photos, so Latias used Teleport to get them away.

After spending the day with Anabel and the others, Mei and her friends challenged Anabel to Pokémon battles. Left alone with Qiao Ran, Lillie acknowledged that their relationship had changed but argued that keeping the group balanced mattered more than making their romance official.

• Lillie finished straightening Qiao Ran's clothes, while Mei noticed their unusual closeness and resolved to question him later.
• Qiao Ran and the group went to lunch and spent the afternoon shopping, where Altaria asked him to arrange an accompaniment track for her future songs.
• Mei and the others led Anabel to a Pokémon training ground and challenged her to battles after watching her fight Qiao Ran.
• As the others battled, Lillie spoke privately with Qiao Ran about what had happened between them the previous night.
• Lillie accepted her changed relationship with Qiao Ran but said that openly favoring each other could destabilize their group, whose members also had feelings for him.

Qiao Ran reassured Lillie that he would keep loving her, then watched Anabel defeat most of Mei’s group in battle and offer to help them train. Back at the Pokémon Center, Qiao Ran was about to explain his relationship with Lillie to Mei when another Mei arrived at his door and found them together.

• Qiao Ran told Lillie he would never let go of her and promised to tell her mother about their situation when they returned to Aether House.
• Anabel defeated Mei and Acerola in the training arena, while Mei narrowly beat Anabel’s Weavile; Qiao Ran recorded the battles.
• After dinner, Anabel offered to help Mei and the others with training during her stay, and the group returned to the Pokémon Center.
• Mei visited Qiao Ran’s room and asked whether something had happened between him and Lillie; Qiao Ran began to explain.
• Another Mei knocked on the door, and the first Mei saw her standing behind Qiao Ran.

Qiao Ran gathered Lillie and the two girls named Mei to explain what had happened between him and Lillie, then told them he wanted them to remain together as a group. When one Mei broke down in tears, Qiao Ran embraced her and promised to make everyone happy as they continued their adventures together.

• Mei arrived at Qiao Ran's room to ask questions, and the other Mei was there for the same reason before Lillie arrived as well.
• Qiao Ran asked everyone to let him speak without interruption and explained what had happened between him and Lillie the day before.
• Qiao Ran said he hoped they could keep traveling together as friends and partners, but Mei cried and insisted things could not stay the same.
• Qiao Ran embraced the crying Mei and promised to make everyone happy and face future dangers together.
• Mei stopped resisting and hugged Qiao Ran, telling him that his words were unfair and against the rules for a Trainer.

Qiao Ran tried to address Mei and the other Mei’s feelings, but Acerola’s interruption left the situation unresolved; Lillie accepted his explanation and asked him to treat her better in private. The next morning, the group prepared to train while Qiao Ran stayed behind, supposedly to work on battle videos.

• Mei demanded that Qiao Ran prove his feelings, while the other Mei struggled to accept his words because he already had Lillie.
• Acerola knocked and asked to speak with Qiao Ran, but he denied that the girls were with him and reassured her that everything would be fine.
• Mei and the other Mei left Qiao Ran’s room to collect their thoughts, leaving him alone with Lillie.
• Lillie said she believed Qiao Ran had acted for the sake of their team and asked him to treat her better when they were alone.
• The next morning, Acerola noticed that the girls looked exhausted, and they denied having lost sleep over their feelings.
• The girls agreed to train together, while Qiao Ran stayed behind, claiming he would work on videos of their battles and Altaria.

Qiao Ran learned that Battle Train had been approved to air on Magic City TV and agreed to make a paid promotional video, then spent the day resting and with his Pokémon. Nihilego hinted that she had been affected by the past two nights and reminded Qiao Ran that he owed her a Tokiwa Power service, while the chapter ended with him telling the girls about the promotion and asking what they had learned in training.

• The Battle Train director told Qiao Ran that the show had been approved to air on Magic City TV and offered to pay him to promote it.
• Qiao Ran agreed to help with the promotion and asked Rotom to make the video, offering to reward her with a massage using Tokiwa Power.
• Qiao Ran rested in the Wild Area, shared lunch with his Pokémon, and heard Nihilego hint that she wanted to discuss the strange events of the past two nights in private.
• Nihilego reminded Qiao Ran that he owed her a Tokiwa Power service, and he put off fulfilling the promise.
• Qiao Ran told the girls about the paid promotion, and Acerola was surprised that making videos could earn money.
• Qiao Ran asked the girls what they had learned during their day of training.