Chapter Summaries

After the battle, Qiao Ran collapsed and was brought to Marnie’s home, where Marnie concealed that his Hero’s sword had disappeared. In a dreamlike mental space, Zacian explained their connection, and as Qiao Ran woke, she formally pledged to remain by his side.

• Qiao Ran passed out after jumping down, and Marnie took him home with help from Rotom and Yveltal.
• Marnie and Gloria questioned Rotom about Qiao Ran’s condition, while Marnie hid the disappearance of his sword.
• Qiao Ran met Zacian in their mental space and learned that she remembered little about her past or Zamazenta’s whereabouts.
• Zacian declared that she would always be Qiao Ran’s Pokémon and lowered her head in a pledge of loyalty.
• Qiao Ran solemnly accepted Zacian’s pledge and grasped the sword she presented.

Qiao Ran returned to the real world after forming a bond with Zacian, while Lillie and the others waited anxiously for him at Phoebe’s mansion. Phoebe investigated the mysterious power that had taken him, but found no answers.

• Qiao Ran learned that four days had passed during his journey and that Marnie and Gloria were exhausted from watching over him.
• Qiao Ran fastened Zacian’s sword to his back, then returned to the real world through a gateway opened by Rotom.
• Lillie reassured the twin-tailed girl that Qiao Ran was alive and would return, while they waited beside Zhenze Lake and studied Pokémon ruins.
• Phoebe returned to her room and wondered whether Qiao Ran had been sent to another world after disappearing during the expedition.
• Phoebe examined the stone pedestal from the Lakebed Ruins but found no useful clues.

Qiao Ran returned from Galar and unexpectedly appeared in Phoebe’s room, where she restrained him before Lillie and Mei arrived and reunited with him. After explaining his journey and introducing the Long Sword, he prepared to test it by cutting Phoebe’s floor.

• Qiao Ran teleported into Phoebe’s room because the Long Sword’s location marker pointed to its pedestal, and Phoebe knocked him down and bound him.
• Rotom explained that the return location had been chosen through the sword and warned Qiao Ran that unrecorded crossings could strand him in a frozen world.
• Phoebe summoned Lillie and Mei, who rushed to see Qiao Ran, and he embraced the twin-tailed girl as they celebrated his return.
• Phoebe dragged Qiao Ran from her room, and he told the others that he had visited a strange place with a special ability called Gigantamax.
• Qiao Ran showed them the Long Sword and, at Phoebe’s urging, prepared to test its power against the mansion’s specially made floor.

Qiao Ran accidentally unleashed Zacian’s immense power, wrecking Phoebe’s mansion before she had him subdued. After waking, he prepared to visit the Aether Foundation, but Mei asked to travel with him by becoming his Pokémon, and Lillie supported her choice.

• Qiao Ran transformed the Long Sword with Tokiwa Power and accidentally carved a huge crater into Phoebe’s mansion floor.
• Zacian told Qiao Ran that the attack had exhausted her and she needed to sleep in the Wild Area.
• Phoebe blamed Qiao Ran for the damage and sent the mansion’s Ghost Pokémon to knock him unconscious.
• Qiao Ran woke at night with Mei and Lillie watching over him, then prepared to visit the Aether Foundation about Mei’s situation.
• Mei asked Qiao Ran to take her with him, explaining that she knew she would have to become his Pokémon so she could find him if he disappeared again.
• Lillie supported Mei’s decision, though she worried that her feelings about sharing Qiao Ran might have led her to make a mistake.

Qiao Ran escaped the Pokémon in the Wild Area with Suicune and Rotom’s help, then returned to find Mei and Lillie preparing supplies for Alola. The chapter left him asking what was in their bags.

• Qiao Ran asked the Pokémon in the Wild Area for their opinions about Mei becoming a Pokémon, but Yveltal pinned him down and demanded the Tokiwa Power treatment he had promised.
• Vulpix and Dianxi volunteered to go before Yveltal, stirring up the Pokémon and drawing suspicion toward Qiao Ran, while Nihilego crowded around him.
• Suicune used Rotom’s warning about leaving for Alola as a distraction, allowing Qiao Ran to escape after briefly using Tokiwa Power on Yveltal.
• Suicune signaled Dianxi to keep quiet about what she suspected had happened between Qiao Ran, Dianxi, and Vulpix.
• Qiao Ran returned to his room, showered, and changed; Mei and Lillie came back carrying bags of food and supplies they had gathered with help from Ghost Pokémon.

Qiao Ran agreed to take Mei to the Pokémon World and brought her with Lillie to a clearing to prepare her for the journey. As Nihilego gathered for Mei’s fusion, Lillie explained what she would face while Phoebe investigated a mysterious gem and wondered about Qiao Ran.

• Mei feared Qiao Ran had rejected her, but he agreed to find a way to take her to the Pokémon World, and she hugged him.
• Qiao Ran, Mei, and Lillie left the Western-style Mansion to prepare in a nearby clearing while Phoebe watched them depart.
• Phoebe examined an old pink gem that showed her an image of a strange batlike creature, then grew frustrated when thoughts of Qiao Ran interrupted her research.
• Qiao Ran released Nihilego and asked Mei to prepare for the next step, leaving her confused about what the creatures had to do with traveling worlds.
• Qiao Ran asked Lillie to explain her past experience to Mei while he chose a gentler Nihilego for the fusion and promised another Pokémon a reward.

After Mei completed her fusion with Nihilego, Qiao Ran and Lillie returned to the Aether Foundation, where Mei was confronted by an angry Phoebe and challenged her to a battle. Lillie then reunited with her mother, Lusamine, who found Qiao Ran resting in Lillie's lap and asked if he was an alien.

• Mei excitedly described being caught in a Poké Ball and sensed her new connection with Qiao Ran before they left with Lillie.
• Phoebe scolded Qiao Ran for keeping her waiting, while her Poison-type Pokémon joined in and one Toxapex poisoned him.
• Phoebe questioned Mei, and the two recognized each other's eagerness to battle before starting a Pokémon match.
• Lillie noticed an Ultra Beast presence and saw her mother, Lusamine, appear at the Aether Foundation.
• Lusamine greeted Lillie, then asked about the purple-skinned Qiao Ran resting in Lillie's lap, leaving Lillie flustered.

Lillie reunited with Lusamine at the Aether Foundation and told her how Qiao Ran had helped them, while Mei and her counterpart quickly became close. Lusamine’s questions about traveling between worlds reopened painful family wounds, and Lillie found comfort with Qiao Ran as the two Meis left the room, jealous.

• Lillie told Lusamine about Qiao Ran and their recent experiences as Lusamine listened and asked about Lillie's friends.
• Mei and the other Mei explained that they had bonded through their battle and found their personalities and judgment remarkably alike.
• Qiao Ran woke and learned that Mei had released Lusamine from her container while he and the others were away.
• Lusamine praised Lillie's work and asked Qiao Ran how he traveled between worlds, but Lillie reminded her that Gladion and their father were already lost.
• Lusamine left the room, and Lillie admitted she still could not forgive her for what had happened to the Aether Foundation and its people.
• Mei urged Qiao Ran to comfort Lillie, and the two Meis left after watching him hold her and feeling jealous.

Qiao Ran left the Aether Foundation after asking Mei to consider joining him, then prepared to resume his Gym journey and took Mei and Lillie to Galar. The chapter ended as a girl emerged from a dark alley in Spikemuth and challenged Qiao Ran’s description of the town’s residents.

• Qiao Ran urged Mei to consider leaving the Aether Foundation with him, and Mei wondered whether she could accept becoming his Pokémon before postponing her decision.
• Phoebe let Qiao Ran take Zacian’s sword and asked him to report important information, then watched him leave while reflecting on how time outlasted everyone around her.
• Mei said she needed to return to Dr. Lilia before traveling with Qiao Ran, and Qiao Ran invited her and Lillie to visit another world with him.
• Qiao Ran took Mei and Lillie to Galar to see Marnie and the others and discuss the other world, Chairman Rose, and Celesteela.
• In Spikemuth, Lillie and Mei were unsettled by the gloomy town and its eccentric residents, and a girl stepped out of an alley to ask who looked strange.

Qiao Ran told Marnie, Gloria, Lillie, and Mei about the disasters affecting other regions and his battle with another Chairman Rose, then discussed the dangers facing Galar. The group left the whereabouts of Marnie’s brother unresolved and agreed to create a code phrase to verify one another’s identities.

• Marnie and Gloria brought Qiao Ran, Lillie, and Mei to Marnie’s home, where everyone introduced themselves.
• Qiao Ran explained that Ultra Beasts had devastated Alola and that Mei had lost her memories after a catastrophic battle in Unova.
• Qiao Ran recounted fighting another Chairman Rose in a shattered version of Galar and said he could not be sure Rose had died.
• Lillie asked whether the other world was Nihilego’s home, but Qiao Ran and Nihilego could not confirm it.
• Marnie learned that her brother was missing and feared his disappearance was connected to the fake Rose.
• Qiao Ran and the others discussed their next steps and decided Marnie and Gloria needed a code phrase to confirm their identities.

Gloria challenged Qiao Ran to a public battle after he revealed Zacian, and the match drew a crowd in Spikemuth. Zacian transformed into her king of swords form and met Cinderace’s opening Pyro Ball with Behemoth Blade.

• Qiao Ran summoned Zacian to prove that Galar’s Legendary Pokémon had recognized him, and Gloria immediately asked to battle her.
• Marnie arranged for the fight to take place before Spikemuth’s townspeople, and Gloria sent out her starter Cinderace.
• Qiao Ran threw his sword into the air, and Zacian caught it in her mouth and transformed into her king of swords form.
• Gloria ordered Cinderace to attack first with Pyro Ball, sending a huge fireball at Zacian.
• Qiao Ran and Zacian charged forward with Behemoth Blade, and Zacian struck at Cinderace’s fireball.

Qiao Ran and Zacian faced Gloria and Cinderace in a public battle in Spikemuth, where Zacian’s overwhelming swordsmanship convinced the residents that the Hero could save Galar. Zacian defeated Cinderace, leaving the townspeople hopeful and Gloria determined to grow stronger.

• Zacian sliced apart Cinderace’s fireball and its hidden pebble, convincing Spikemuth’s residents that she wielded the legendary Sacred Sword.
• Qiao Ran recognized Zacian’s vast advantage over Gloria’s Cinderace and ordered Zacian to use Swords Dance.
• Gloria had Cinderace boost its strength with Bulk Up, then attack Zacian with three powerful Pyro Balls delivered by Bicycle Kick.
• Zacian used Sacred Sword to cut all three fireballs into fragments, stunning Gloria and stirring the residents to loudly acclaim Qiao Ran as their Hero.
• Qiao Ran explained that Zacian had struck repeatedly at tremendous speed, then ordered Behemoth Blade against Cinderace’s Flare Blitz.
• Zacian and Cinderace collided, and Cinderace fell; the residents continued to respect Gloria for fighting the Hero.

After leaving the Western-style Mansion, Qiao Ran and Lillie began traveling toward Hangcheng, while Qiao Ran reflected on the people who cared about him and Lillie asked about meeting his parents. That night, Qiao Ran secretly visited Dianxi and Vulpix, who confronted him about hiding them from Lillie and asked whether he was afraid to introduce them.

• Qiao Ran and Lillie said goodbye to Mei and left the Western-style Mansion, with Hangcheng as their next destination.
• Qiao Ran spoke with Iron Maiden and replied to messages from Eve, Long Jiangxue, and his family to reassure them he was safe.
• While camping, Lillie asked whether she could visit Qiao Ran's parents, and Qiao Ran became uneasy when he remembered his promise to Dianxi and Vulpix.
• After Lillie fell asleep, Qiao Ran opened a passage to Pokémon Pioneer Land and visited Dianxi and Vulpix.
• Dianxi asked why Qiao Ran would not introduce her and Vulpix to Lillie, then asked whether he was afraid to do so.

Qiao Ran escaped Pokémon Pioneer Land and returned to find Lillie waiting by the river, only for a mysterious attacker to strike. He recognized the attacker as Genesect as more appeared, and he sent Lillie away while Yi Ruoyun prepared to fight them.

• Qiao Ran woke beside Dianxi and Vulpix, left the cave, and hurried back to the real world after Suicune hinted at what had happened overnight.
• Qiao Ran found Lillie waiting by the river and watched a black-mist-shrouded shadow attack her with a powerful beam.
• Qiao Ran blocked the beam with Zacian's Long Sword, then released Yveltal and Altaria as the attacker returned.
• Yi Ruoyun arrived with her Pokémon and warned Qiao Ran that Hangcheng had been attacked and he should flee.
• Qiao Ran and Lillie identified the attacker as Genesect, and several more Genesect surrounded Yi Ruoyun.
• Qiao Ran pulled Lillie toward the woods and told Rotom to take her away.

Qiao Ran joined Yi Ruoyun’s battle against the Genesect attacking near Hangcheng, and his powerful Pokémon turned the fight in their favor. After they brought down one of the attackers, Yi Ruoyun and Qiao Ran went to capture it and found its purple steel-insect body exposed beneath the vanished black mist.

• Qiao Ran left Lillie with Rotom, which opened a portal to the Wild Area, and hurried toward the battlefield.
• Yi Ruoyun objected to Qiao Ran returning, but he sent out Zacian, Yveltal, and Nihilego to fight the Genesect.
• Yi Ruoyun questioned how Qiao Ran could be so strong with only a few Badges, then asked him to help her in Hangcheng.
• Qiao Ran and Yi Ruoyun agreed to try capturing a fallen Genesect as their Pokémon brought the battle under control.
• Yi Ruoyun and Qiao Ran rode Skarmory to the fallen attacker and found its black mist gone, revealing a purple steel-insect body.

Qiao Ran recognized that Hoopa’s rings were transporting the defeated Genesect away, while Lillie explored the Wild Area and met a maid who revealed herself to be a transformed Pokémon. As Qiao Ran and Yi Ruoyun reached Hangcheng, they learned the attacks were more complicated than they seemed, and Mei’s reaction suggested the Genesect were tied to a past catastrophe.

• Qiao Ran realized that the rings appearing beneath the defeated Genesect were likely connected to Hoopa, while Yi Ruoyun could not explain the creatures’ disappearance.
• Lillie explored the Wild Area with Rotom, where a blue-purple-haired maid greeted her and transformed to reveal she was a Pokémon.
• Qiao Ran and Yi Ruoyun flew toward Hangcheng, and Qiao Ran began considering a risky way to stop the other side from using the rings to retrieve the Genesect.
• Yi Ruoyun learned from her Pokémon League contact that the Genesect in Hangcheng had mostly attacked buildings, though Qiao Ran remembered that they had targeted Lillie earlier.
• Qiao Ran called Mei and told her he had seen Genesect shrouded in black mist and Hoopa’s rings; Mei reacted with fear and asked where he was so she could come to Hangcheng.

Qiao Ran and Yi Ruoyun reached Hangcheng’s besieged Water-type Gym, where Qiao Ran’s Pokémon struck the Genesect from above and turned the battle around. He then Mega Evolved Dianxi, leaving the Trainers and their enemies stunned as the remaining Genesect regrouped.

• Yi Ruoyun told Qiao Ran they were heading to Hangcheng’s Pokémon Gym because the Trainers there were close to being overwhelmed.
• Qiao Ran and Yi Ruoyun entered the open-roof stadium, where a Gym Leader and his exhausted Trainers were surrounded by more than ten Genesect.
• Qiao Ran sent Yveltal, Zacian, Suicune, and Dianxi diving into the stadium, heavily damaging several Genesect with their attacks.
• Yi Ruoyun feared Qiao Ran would crash during his dive, but he recalled Altaria and reappeared safely in its cloudlike wings near the ground.
• Qiao Ran used his Key Stone to Mega Evolve Dianxi, while the remaining Genesect gathered together and identified him as a threat.

Qiao Ran, Yi Ruoyun, and the Hangcheng Trainers defeated the Genesect attacking the stadium, with Qiao Ran’s Pokémon protecting him and fighting as a close-knit team. After the battle, Gym Leader Jiang Yuanhao asked them to help defend the rest of Hangcheng, and Yi Ruoyun agreed while telling Qiao Ran to stay with her.

• Qiao Ran and Mega-Evolved Dianxi fought off a Genesect with Diamond Storm and a diamond sword while Yi Ruoyun sent Talonflame and Noivern into battle.
• Mimikyu and Vulpix protected Qiao Ran from a Genesect’s sneak attack, and Zacian struck the Genesect down before it could fire its cannon.
• The Trainers rallied as Qiao Ran and Yi Ruoyun turned the battle around, and together they wiped out the last of the Genesect.
• Jiang Yuanhao introduced himself as Hangcheng’s Gym Leader and learned that Qiao Ran had only three Badges.
• Jiang Yuanhao asked Qiao Ran and Yi Ruoyun to help the people fighting monsters elsewhere in the city, and Yi Ruoyun agreed while warning Qiao Ran to stay beside her.

Qiao Ran suspected that the timid, amnesiac Trainer Qiao Yi was connected to the Genesect attacks, but before he could call Mei to investigate, portals opened and a vast swarm of Genesect poured out. As the swarm devastated the Stadium and attacked fleeing Trainers, Qiao Ran and Yi Ruoyun prepared to fight back, while the Genesect strangely ignored them.

• Qiao Ran recognized Qiao Yi’s resemblance to Nurse Joy and suspected she was connected to the Genesect attacking people.
• Gym Leader Jiang Yuanhao explained that Qiao Yi was an amnesiac newcomer who had joined the Hangcheng Gym.
• Six rings opened in the air, releasing a swarm of more than a hundred Genesect.
• Yi Ruoyun and Jiang Yuanhao urged everyone to flee as the Genesect wrecked the Stadium and pursued the escaping Trainers.
• Qiao Ran released his Pokémon and quietly asked Yi Ruoyun to help him bring down some Genesect.
• The Genesect spread out in formation, attacked buildings and fleeing Trainers, but left Qiao Ran and Yi Ruoyun untouched.

Qiao Ran entered the Genesect’s Portal to stop the invasion at its source and found himself in a bleak, gray world. With Vulpix and Mimikyu beside him, he began secretly following a Genesect to learn where it was going.

• Qiao Ran and Yi Ruoyun fought the Genesect swarm while Jiang Yuanhao evacuated the Gym’s Trainers and requested help from the Pokémon League.
• Qiao Ran coordinated attacks to knock several Genesect down at the same spot, then leaped into the Portal as they disappeared.
• Yi Ruoyun realized Qiao Ran had planned their battle to create a chance for him to enter the enemy’s Portal.
• Qiao Ran regained consciousness in a gray, mist-filled world, where Mimikyu and Vulpix hid him from a passing Genesect.
• Qiao Ran noticed the Genesect carried an unconscious member of its kind and decided to follow it quietly with Vulpix and Mimikyu.