Chapter Summaries

Phoebe sensed a strange power in Qiao Ran’s left hand and summoned him to her room after the banquet to ask about it. After Qiao Ran tried to deny knowing anything, Phoebe tasted his fingertip and began reacting strangely to the power.

• Phoebe announced the banquet and explained that the expedition would enter underwater ruins in Zhenze Lake the following night.
• Phoebe warned that the ruins contained a trial that created mist copies of the participants’ Pokémon and singled out Qiao Ran and Mei as key candidates.
• After the banquet, Froslass led Qiao Ran through the mansion to Phoebe’s private room, where Phoebe offered him a reward for helping during the expedition.
• Phoebe told Qiao Ran that Iron Maiden had written about the special power in his left hand and asked him to let her examine it.
• When Qiao Ran denied knowing about the power, Phoebe licked his middle fingertip and began turning red as she reacted to what she sensed.

Phoebe kept Qiao Ran with her for three hours, leaving him exhausted and with a badly treated left hand, but he promised to keep what happened secret. After Lillie and Mei mistakenly ambushed him on his return, the expedition team prepared to depart for the ruins the next day.

• Phoebe had Froslass restrain Qiao Ran and take him to a bed; three hours later, she made him promise not to reveal what happened and sprayed perfume on his injured left hand.
• Qiao Ran returned to his room, where Mei and Lillie had Serperior bind him, believing he might have been abducted by an enemy.
• Mei and Lillie noticed the perfume on Qiao Ran's hand and questioned him, but he claimed not to remember and fell asleep before they could press him.
• The Pokémon League operatives arrived to check the expedition team and its equipment, while Phoebe ordered anyone who needed practice to prepare for the dive.
• Phoebe kicked Qiao Ran and told him to train so he would not embarrass himself during the expedition.

Qiao Ran, Phoebe, Mei, and Lillie entered the underwater ruins, crossed a strange dry cavern, and followed Gastly through thick mist to a chamber where the ruins created copies of Pokémon. The ground then formed a naked copy of Lillie, leaving everyone stunned.

• Phoebe led the Research Team underwater with Jellicent and showed them the dry cavern sealed beneath a curtain of lake water.
• Qiao Ran released Dianxi and Vulpix as the group followed Phoebe into the cavern, where thick mist separated the researchers and a wolf's howl echoed nearby.
• Phoebe sent Gastly through the mist to find the way forward, and the group emerged into a clear chamber beyond an invisible barrier.
• The ground formed mud-and-energy copies of Dianxi, Vulpix, and Serperior, and Phoebe urged the Trainers to prepare to fight them.
• The ground created a naked copy of Lillie, who blushed and told everyone not to look.

Qiao Ran and Dianxi defeated the copies in the cave trial after Dianxi Mega Evolved, and the team found a rusty sword with a golden key on its hilt beyond the corridor. Phoebe brought the separated team members together before they continued toward the mysterious relic.

• Lillie's copy kept her occupied, so Phoebe took over as Vulpix's Trainer while Qiao Ran and Dianxi fought their own copy.
• Qiao Ran and Dianxi Mega Evolved through their bond, and Dianxi overwhelmed her copy with Diamond Storm.
• Dianxi joined the other battles and defeated the remaining copies, freeing the team from the trial.
• Qiao Ran spotted a golden key hanging from a rusty sword on an altar beyond the corridor.
• Phoebe sent Gastly through the mist to bring the separated team members back, and they praised the battle's swift conclusion.

Qiao Ran, Dianxi, and Vulpix were pulled through a rift into a Singularity, where the altar sword became stuck to Qiao Ran’s hand and Rotom ran out of power. They encountered Marnie and her punk-clad followers, who recognized Qiao Ran as the true Hero.

• Qiao Ran took the key from the altar, triggering a slash of light that pulled him, Dianxi, Vulpix, and the sword into a rift.
• Qiao Ran woke in a wilderness and found the sword bound to his left hand, while Dianxi and Vulpix explained how they had followed him through the rift.
• Qiao Ran found Rotom drained and used Tokiwa Power to revive her briefly; she warned him to keep moving before falling asleep again.
• A black-haired girl and her punk followers appeared, and the girl clasped Qiao Ran’s sword-bound hand and declared him the true Hero.

Qiao Ran followed Marnie to Spikemuth after she identified him as a legendary hero, but an emergency interrupted his questions about Galar's condition. Outside town, they encountered an enormous Machamp chasing a supply-gathering vehicle.

• Marnie recognized Dianxi and invited Qiao Ran to Spikemuth, introducing herself as its acting Gym Leader and Settlement Management Association chairwoman.
• Qiao Ran noticed Spikemuth's dilapidated buildings and street shelters and asked Marnie why she had called him a hero.
• A Team Yell member reported that wild Pokémon had attacked the Special Attack Captain gathering supplies and were approaching Spikemuth.
• Marnie asked Qiao Ran to help and accompanied him toward the valley leading to Hammerlocke, recognizing his sword as the legendary weapon that had protected Galar.
• Qiao Ran and Marnie saw a Machamp over thirty meters tall, surrounded by a black-and-red aura, chasing an off-road vehicle driven by a girl wearing a green hat.

Marnie explained that uncontrolled Gigantamax Pokémon had devastated Galar, and Qiao Ran agreed to help protect Spikemuth. When a Gigantamax Machamp appeared, Qiao Ran chose to fight it with Dianxi and Suicune, astonishing Marnie and Gloria with their power.

• Marnie told Qiao Ran that uncontrolled Gigantamax Pokémon were attacking cities and asked him to help lure the Machamp away from Spikemuth.
• Qiao Ran agreed, and Gloria arrived in an off-road vehicle while fleeing the Machamp and mistook Qiao Ran's closeness to Marnie for a reason to resent him.
• Marnie sent out Liepard, while Qiao Ran deployed Dianxi and Suicune and ordered them to attack the Gigantamax Machamp instead of retreating.
• The Machamp answered with a gigantic energy fist that blasted a hole in the road, but Dianxi and Suicune dodged its attack.
• Qiao Ran said he believed he could defeat the Machamp, and Marnie stopped Gloria from pulling him away.
• Gloria recognized Qiao Ran's Pokémon as Legendary Pokémon and saw that they were battling with extraordinary coordination.

Qiao Ran, Dianxi, and Suicune defeated and captured Gigantamax Machamp, then returned toward Spikemuth with Marnie and Gloria. During the ride, Gloria mocked Qiao Ran’s Sacred Sword, and Marnie insisted that Professor Magnolia had confirmed its identity.

• Qiao Ran coordinated Dianxi and Suicune as they repeatedly attacked Machamp’s ankles until it fell and lost its Gigantamax energy.
• Dianxi and Suicune returned safely, captured the unconscious Machamp in a Poké Ball, and helped Qiao Ran despite his inability to move.
• Marnie praised Qiao Ran and invited him to return to Spikemuth, while he considered Gigantamax energy and his mission to catch Fighting-type Pokémon.
• Gloria’s vehicle broke down, so Marnie invited her to ride with them; Gloria then took the back seat beside Qiao Ran to keep him away from Marnie.
• Gloria mocked Qiao Ran’s sword, and Marnie defended it, saying Professor Magnolia had announced that it was the Sacred Sword.

Qiao Ran returned to Spikemuth with Marnie and Gloria, then needed a place to stay while the sword remained stuck to his hand. Marnie arranged for him to use her absent brother’s room, and despite Gloria’s objections, she insisted he stay.

• Qiao Ran examined the ancient sword attached to his hand and wondered whether he could channel Tokiwa Power through it.
• Marnie, Gloria, and Qiao Ran arrived in Spikemuth, where Team Yell welcomed Marnie and Gloria left to store their supplies.
• Marnie brought Qiao Ran to her home and offered him her brother’s vacant room, while Team Yell members tried to stop them at the door.
• Marnie showed Qiao Ran the room and explained that her brother, the Gym Leader of Spikemuth, was away helping in Hammerlocke.
• Gloria confronted Marnie about letting Qiao Ran stay, but Marnie defended her decision and said he could stay in her own room if necessary.
• Gloria finally gave in and accepted that Qiao Ran would stay in Marnie’s home.

Qiao Ran discovered that Spikemuth had no electricity, then planned to investigate a larger town and use Gigantamax to fight the Gigantamax threat. At dinner, Marnie helped explain his Sacred Sword to her parents, while Qiao Ran remained stranded in Galar with Rotom unresponsive.

• Qiao Ran found that the room's outlets had no power and put away the charging cable when Rotom did not respond.
• Dianxi and Vulpix reassured Qiao Ran that Lillie could sense their connection, and Qiao Ran decided to seek out a larger town and use Gigantamax against the threat.
• Qiao Ran comforted Dianxi and Vulpix, then Gloria interrupted them and summoned them to dinner.
• Marnie's parents asked why Qiao Ran held his sword while eating, and Marnie explained that it was the Sacred Sword.
• Marnie’s parents accepted Qiao Ran as the Sword Hero, and Qiao Ran thanked Marnie for defending him.

Gloria challenged Qiao Ran to a one-on-one battle restricted to Dark-type Pokémon, hoping to keep his Legendary Pokémon out of the fight. They met at Spikemuth’s square, where Gloria sent out her Obstagoon and Qiao Ran prepared to reveal his own Dark-type Pokémon.

• Gloria accused Qiao Ran of being a fraud and challenged him to a Dark-type battle, while Qiao Ran agreed on the condition that she listen to his advice if he won.
• Marnie offered Qiao Ran a Pokémon and wished him luck, but he said he already had an eager Dark-type Pokémon of his own.
• Team Yell gathered at Spikemuth’s square to watch the battle and cheered for Marnie and Gloria while booing Qiao Ran.
• Gloria sent out her Obstagoon, which the crowd compared to Gym Leader Piers’s ace.
• Qiao Ran ignored Gloria’s taunts, took out a black Poké Ball, and prepared to send out his Pokémon.

Qiao Ran summoned Yveltal during his battle with Gloria, stunning the residents of Spikemuth. Gloria overcame her fear and insisted on continuing the fight, but Yveltal’s Oblivion Wing overwhelmed Obstagoon’s defenses and left Gloria facing a likely defeat.

• Yveltal appeared above the battlefield, and Marnie and Team Yell recognized the Legendary Pokémon while Gloria stared in disbelief.
• Qiao Ran asked whether Gloria would concede, but she overcame her fear, declared that she had not lost, and ordered Obstagoon to keep fighting.
• Qiao Ran commanded Yveltal to use Oblivion Wing, and Gloria told Obstagoon to block the attack with Obstruct.
• Yveltal repeatedly fired Oblivion Wing, eventually shattering Obstagoon’s barrier and blasting it with the attack.
• Obstagoon stood after the hit with ordinary injuries, while Gloria realized that Yveltal’s control of the sky left her at a severe disadvantage.

Qiao Ran defeated Gloria in a wager battle with Yveltal, earning the cheers of Team Yell and leaving Gloria to accept his terms. Afterward, Gloria asked what he wanted from her, and he told her to stop bothering him.

• Gloria sent Obstagoon charging at Yveltal with Double-Edge, but Yveltal knocked it back and left it badly wounded.
• Gloria ordered Obstagoon to use Reversal, but Qiao Ran and Yveltal synchronized and struck it with Oblivion Wing at close range.
• Obstagoon fell unconscious, and Marnie declared Qiao Ran the winner as Team Yell cheered for him.
• Yveltal reminded Qiao Ran of a promise, then returned to her Poké Ball while Marnie watched in confusion.
• Gloria asked Qiao Ran what he wanted her to do, and he told her not to bother him for no reason.

Qiao Ran asked Marnie about finding electricity for Rotom, then told her he planned to leave the next day. He went outside to check on his Pokémon, where Nihilego clung to him and Suicune drenched him while trying to help.

• Qiao Ran asked Marnie whether Spikemuth had electricity or another way to recharge Rotom, and Marnie arranged for Gloria to search the warehouse for a Pokémon-powered generator.
• Marnie confided that she was exhausted from supporting Spikemuth, while Qiao Ran thanked her and reassured her.
• Marnie lamented that Qiao Ran would eventually leave, and Qiao Ran said he had decided to depart the next day.
• Gloria returned from the warehouse, and Qiao Ran pinched her cheek before heading out for a walk.
• Qiao Ran released his Pokémon in the forest and checked whether Type: Null and Nihilego had behaved themselves.
• Nihilego wrapped her tentacles around Qiao Ran's head, Vulpix tried to pull her away, and Suicune used water to drive her off before trying to dry Qiao Ran.

Qiao Ran discovered that Yveltal could suppress the living force inside his sword, allowing his Tokiwa Power to flow through it and restore Pokémon, though the method alarmed the others. Nihilego transformed into human form and was left in Suicune’s care, and the next day Qiao Ran departed Spikemuth with a power bank from Marnie.

• Yveltal sensed a living force inside Qiao Ran’s sword and used her death-related power to suppress it so his Tokiwa Power could flow smoothly.
• Qiao Ran struck Type: Null with the sword infused with Tokiwa Power, restoring her but leaving her exhausted; the other Pokémon refused to try it themselves.
• Nihilego absorbed Tokiwa Power from the sword, transformed into a human girl, and clambered over Qiao Ran before Suicune restrained her and volunteered to teach her.
• The next day, Marnie saw Qiao Ran off outside Spikemuth and gave him her Morpeko power bank, which he accepted and promised to return.

Qiao Ran traveled with Gloria to the devastated city of Hammerlocke, where Gigantamax Pokémon had driven survivors into the inner castles. After splitting up to explore, Qiao Ran headed toward the city center and sent Suicune after two Machop, but then sensed that she had run into trouble.

• Gloria invited Qiao Ran to ride with her to Hammerlocke and explained that its energy collector had drawn Gigantamax Pokémon, leaving much of the city ruined and its people trapped inside the castles.
• Qiao Ran and Gloria cleared rubble from their route, then left the pickup and split up to search the outer ruins for supplies and information.
• Gloria warned Qiao Ran to avoid Gigantamax Pokémon as she went searching with Rillaboom; Qiao Ran explored with Dianxi and carried the partly charged Rotom in his backpack.
• Qiao Ran followed the map toward Hammerlocke’s center despite Gloria’s warning, hoping to investigate the area around the stadium and energy collector.
• Qiao Ran spotted two Machop and sent Suicune to catch them; as he followed with Dianxi, he saw that Suicune’s position indicated trouble.

Qiao Ran met Bea, the Fighting-type Gym Leader of Stow-on-Side, while she was looking for her Machop and learned that she wanted to travel with him. Before she could explain further, a Gigantamax Corviknight attacked, forcing Suicune to carry Qiao Ran and Bea to safety as the giant Pokémon loomed overhead.

• Qiao Ran found Suicune with two frightened Machop, who told her they had a Trainer, so he asked Suicune to question them instead of catching them.
• Bea jumped down from a nearby building with her muscular Pokémon and demanded to know what Qiao Ran was doing to her Machop.
• After recognizing Suicune and Dianxi as Qiao Ran's companions, Bea introduced herself, apologized for her misunderstanding, and asked to travel with him.
• Suicune and Dianxi sensed danger and warned Qiao Ran just before a massive shadow struck the ruins; Suicune grabbed Qiao Ran and Bea and escaped the impact with them.
• Qiao Ran identified the attacker as a Gigantamax Corviknight and realized he was still embracing Bea as the group faced the looming threat.

Qiao Ran and Bea fled a Gigantamax Corviknight and hid in the ruins, where Qiao Ran learned that his mission required collecting 100 units of Gigantamax energy. Realizing he could not afford to defeat a hundred Pokémon one by one, he remembered the energy collection device in Hammerlocke.

• Bea recalled her battered Machamp and urged Qiao Ran to flee from the Gigantamax Corviknight.
• Qiao Ran rode Suicune through the ruins as the Corviknight pursued them with Blade Birds, and Bea found a narrow hiding place for them.
• Qiao Ran recalled Suicune to recover, released Mimikyu, and hid with Bea while the Corviknight searched overhead.
• Qiao Ran discovered that Rotom had revealed a mission to collect 100 units of Gigantamax energy, with only one unit collected so far.
• Qiao Ran worried about returning to Mei and remembered Gloria's explanation that Chairman Rose had built an energy collection device in Hammerlocke.

Qiao Ran launched a coordinated attack on the Gigantamax Corviknight, using Yveltal, Dianxi, and Suicune to damage its wing and bring it crashing down. As Bea joined the battle, Qiao Ran exhausted himself directing the attack and began moving toward the grounded Corviknight.

• Qiao Ran decided to confront the Gigantamax Corviknight and asked Bea to help, then rushed out of hiding with several Poké Balls.
• Bea followed Qiao Ran and was stunned when he summoned Dianxi, Suicune, Altaria, Vulpix, Mimikyu, and Yveltal.
• Qiao Ran directed Yveltal, Dianxi, and Suicune to combine their attacks, punching a hole through Corviknight’s wing and forcing it to crash to the ground.
• Qiao Ran sent his Pokémon to attack the grounded Corviknight, and Bea joined the fight with her Machamp, Machoke, and Machop.
• Bea noticed Qiao Ran panting from the effort of coordinating the attack, while he supported himself with his sword and started toward the battlefield.

Qiao Ran’s Pokémon overwhelmed Corviknight, but the battered Gigantamax Pokémon unleashed a final Max Airstream at him and Bea. Qiao Ran’s sword split the tornado apart, leaving him stunned by what it could do.

• Bea supported Qiao Ran as Machamp, Machoke, and Machop battered the fallen Corviknight.
• Corviknight recovered enough to summon a strange red-and-black energy and launch Max Airstream at Qiao Ran.
• Bea stepped in front of Qiao Ran, but he pulled her aside and raised his sword against the attack.
• Qiao Ran’s sword split the tornado into two, astonishing him and Bea.