Chapter Summaries

Sato and his companions entered the Reverse World, where Mark discovered that its mirror-like surfaces could affect the Elven world. After testing the connection, Sato urged the group to catch up with Bourgeois, suspecting he was pursuing an unreachable goal.

• Ralts's Ancient Bracelet made the boulder glow, opening a passage into the Reverse World, and Sato, George, Mark, and their Pokémon entered.
• The group explored the floating islands, and Sato explained that Black Mist was waste transferred from the Elven world.
• Gengar led the group across an island whose unusual gravity changed their orientation, until Mark found a smooth blue stone showing a Pokémon battle.
• Mark's hand passed through the stone and disrupted Butterfree's wing in a battle in Viridian Forest, while Sato reached through and withdrew water droplets.
• Sato told Gengar to hurry after Bourgeois and said he believed Bourgeois sought something he could never reach in the Elven world.

Sato and his companions pursued Bourgeois through the Reverse World, stopping him just as he neared his destination. Bourgeois urged Sato to hear out his plan, but Sato pointed out that something was approaching behind them.

• Bourgeois rode Sawsbuck through the Reverse World using navigation glasses, while Giratina sensed the intruders and hurried away from the Black Mist.
• Sato, Mark, and George spotted Bourgeois and chased him on Sharpedo and Gogoat, battling his Braviary, Mandibuzz, and Mienshao along the way.
• Bourgeois injected Sawsbuck with blue medicine, causing it to grow stronger and faster, but Sharpedo and Ralts caught up and stopped it.
• Sato confronted Bourgeois over stealing the Ancient Pot and trying to bury them alive, while Bourgeois defended his mission and challenged Sato to judge it for himself.
• Sato refused to go with Bourgeois and told him to look behind, whereupon Giratina's cry rang out.

Sato and George followed Bourgeois through the Reverse World while Giratina pursued them, until Bourgeois revealed a Shaymin that stopped Giratina's rampage. Giratina spared the group but demanded that they hand over Shaymin.

• Sato drew Giratina's attention with Sharpedo and pursued Bourgeois, who suspected Sato knew he had a way to deal with Giratina.
• George caught up to Bourgeois, and they continued toward their destination while keeping their Pokemon apart to avoid fighting.
• Bourgeois sent out Gigalith to use Explosion against George, but George escaped with Teleport, enraging Giratina and turning its pursuit toward Bourgeois.
• Bourgeois revealed Shaymin, whose Seed Flare eliminated the explosion's mushroom cloud and stopped Giratina from attacking.
• Giratina forgave the group because it liked Shaymin, but demanded that they hand the Mythical Pokemon over.

Bourgeois used Shaymin to take Sato, George, and Mark through a pool in the Reverse World to a hidden facility, warning them that what they saw might shatter their faith. The group discovered that the facility was dissecting Pokémon for parts, while Bourgeois moved ahead without them.

• Bourgeois asked Giratina to let him use the Reverse World and promised that he and Shaymin would stay there for the rest of his life; Shaymin confirmed their agreement, and Giratina let them pass.
• Bourgeois invited Sato, George, and Mark to witness what he had come to reveal, then led them to a floating island and ordered Shaymin to use Seed Flare.
• Bourgeois changed into white work clothes and entered the facility, while Sato, George, and Mark followed invisibly under Gengar's Space Barrier.
• Sato, George, and Mark saw workers remove a Fearow's beak and prepare another Fearow for the Decomposition Machine.

Mark and George attacked the laboratory staff after seeing the mutilated Pokémon, while Sato sent Ralts to find an escape route and prepared to face the arriving Guard Team. As the battle intensified, Ariados broke through to Elite Peak and Sato amplified Zoroark and Umbreon with Dark Power.

• Mark sent Arbok and Togetic against the white-clothed people, and George joined the attack with Gogoat and Gallade.
• Sato asked Ralts to map the base and find an escape route, then went to guard the entrance with Gengar.
• Sato found the entrance blocked and faced the arriving Guard Team as a Golem smashed through the gate and Sharpedo drove it back.
• Ariados used Scary Face and Sludge Bomb to defeat a Pidgeot, then broke through to Elite Peak.
• Sato sent out Sharpedo, Zoroark, and Umbreon, and used his Key Stone to raise Zoroark and Umbreon's power before Mark and George joined the battle.

Sato and his companions fought through Number Nine Laboratory, where Ariados’s poison overwhelmed the base guards. Leizang confronted them, and the chapter left Sato’s Zoroark and Umbreon battling Leizang’s Electabuzz and Jolteon.

• Bourgeois disguised himself as a panicked researcher and ran toward his destination as guards rushed to Number Nine Laboratory and vanished inside.
• A muscular guard officer learned that dozens of reinforcements had been lost, while the laboratory’s surveillance and power systems were disabled.
• Sato, Mark, and George saw the poisoned entrance after the lights came back on, then avoided a wave of water that washed over the fallen guards and researchers.
• Sato recognized Leizang, the former Kanto Alliance Seventh Army regimental colonel and current Vermilion City Gym Leader, and stepped forward to face him.
• Zoroark clashed with Electabuzz while Umbreon endured Jolteon’s Thunder Fang and counterattacked with Payback and Pursuit.
• Electabuzz and Zoroark traded attacks until Electabuzz was poisoned again.

Sato and his companions reunited with Bourgeois in Research Lab No. 1, where Dr. Aixi revealed she had volunteered to conduct her research and had only pretended to hesitate. As Leizang’s forces attacked, Sato chose to escape by breaking through the undersea base, and Bourgeois agreed to go with him so he could return to Nicole.

• Leizang learned that the intruders had been poisoned, but Ariados was recalled before his Magneton could confront it.
• The base began shaking, and Ralts returned and teleported Sato and his companions to Bourgeois.
• Sato’s group overheard Bourgeois urging Dr. Aixi to leave with him and see her daughter, Nicole.
• Dr. Aixi rejected Bourgeois and revealed that she had volunteered to work at the base, while Leizang arrived with the Guard Team and protected her.
• Leizang ordered his Pokémon to attack, but Gardevoir subdued the surrounding enemies as Sato invited Bourgeois to escape with them.
• Bourgeois agreed to return to Nicole, and Sato ordered Gardevoir to destroy the base.

Sato and his companions escaped the collapsing underwater base through a passage opened with the Ancient Stone Statue, taking the rescued Pokémon with them. In the Reverse World, Bourgeois revealed that the base belonged to the Pokemon League and tried to turn the group against it, but Sato explained why Bourgeois would still let them leave.

• Gardevoir destroyed the base’s escape route and emergency pods, then helped rescue the captured Pokémon while seawater flooded the facility.
• Sato produced an Ancient Stone Statue, and George used his Viridian Power to help Shaymin cross into the Reverse World and open a stable passage.
• Gardevoir sent the spatial boxes through the passage, and Sato, Mark, Bourgeois, and Gardevoir escaped the base before it flooded completely.
• Bourgeois told Sato, George, and Mark that the base belonged to the Pokemon League and warned that the League might punish them for what they had seen.
• Sato reasoned that Bourgeois was trying to estrange them from the League and would let them leave because keeping them in the Reverse World could endanger Nicole.

Sato and his companions cleared Black Mist in the Reverse World while Shaymin worked, then helped Giratina settle hundreds of rescued Pokémon there. At the stone island, Sato challenged Bourgeois’s promise to remain with Giratina and offered to protect and train Nicole in exchange for a transaction involving the Ancient Crown.

• Bourgeois reluctantly guided the group along their route as Shaymin absorbed Black Mist and used Seed Flare until it exhausted itself and fell asleep.
• Giratina returned with a huge pile of treasures for Bourgeois, then agreed to let the rescued Pokémon settle in the Reverse World.
• George used his Viridian Power to calm the rescued Pokémon while the group searched for suitable habitats and continued clearing contamination.
• At the stone island, Sato asked whether Bourgeois truly intended to stay in the Reverse World forever and raised concerns about Nicole’s care.
• Sato offered to take Nicole into his planned Dark Night Gym as a Registered Trainer, then revealed the Ancient Crown and proposed a transaction, prompting Bourgeois to grab him by the collar.

Sato returned from the Reverse World with an agreement to establish a teleportation point for trading its treasures, then traveled back toward Johto with Nicole and Anbo. During the voyage, Umbreon defeated Xizi Yi’s Seismitoad and broke through to Elite Intermediate.

• Sato explained that he had struck a deal with Bourgeois and arranged for Nicole to return to Johto and register as a Trainer at Dark Night Gym.
• Sato, Mark, and George left Reverse Mountain and rested at a nearby hotel, then later returned to Icirrus City with Nicole and Anbo.
• Drake concluded the Unova exchange event and began the voyage back toward Kanto, planning to let Sato disembark on the way to Johto.
• Sato and the others trained during the month-long voyage, and Mark fought at least three battles a day.
• Sato battled Xizi Yi as Umbreon used Toxic and Wish to wear down Seismitoad and win.
• Umbreon broke through to Elite Intermediate after the battle.

Sato’s Sandile defeated Ryoko’s Axew in a battle before lunch. At the table, Drake invited Sato to train with him for a month, and Sato agreed to learn from him while continuing to plan to become a Gym Leader.

• Sato sent Sandile to battle Ryoko’s Axew while Zweilous waited for its turn.
• Sandile used Sand Tomb and Dig to trap and strike Axew, then defeated it with Payback.
• Sato postponed Little Left and Little Right’s battle until the afternoon so they could eat lunch.
• Drake asked Sato to travel with him longer and postpone becoming a Gym Leader, but Sato said he wanted to pause and let himself and his Pokémon adjust.
• Drake accepted Sato’s choice but told him to stay by his side for the month and come find him after lunch.

After a month of training with Drake, Sato arrived in Dark Night Town and began organizing the staff and preparations for opening his Gym. He assigned responsibilities to his companions and promised Nicole Pokémon to train.

• Drake told Sato that he had taught him everything he could, and Sato thanked him for his guidance before leaving the ship with his friends.
• Sato confirmed that Drake had become his teacher and said he would choose his own path, while Mark wondered whether he would join the Pokémon League as a Regional Elite Four.
• Sato and his companions traveled from Olivine City to Dark Night Town, where they waited for the Gym to be completed and inspected.
• Sato gathered George, Mark, Anbo, and Nicole to assign duties for the new Gym: George would handle finances and logistics, Mark would find local staff, and Nicole would train to test challengers.
• Sato promised Nicole an Eevee and a Houndour, while telling her she would need to raise the Eevee herself if she wanted an Umbreon.

Sato organized Dark Night Gym’s staffing, with Anbo agreeing to manage its daily operations and Mark recruiting local workers. Sato then went to Dark Night Forest, reunited with Little Murkrow, and challenged the newly strengthened Murkrow leader to another battle.

• Nurse Joy Lixin told Sato that Anbo could register as a referee, but the Gym needed one more referee; she also asked Sato to call her Sister Lixin.
• Anbo offered to help George manage the Gym’s logistics after deciding to stay with Sato and Nicole, and Sato promised to treat Nicole as his younger sister.
• Anbo arranged the Gym’s renovations, supplies, and functional rooms, while George focused on medical facilities and Pokémon training.
• At Uncle An’s request, Mark recruited several older local residents he trusted to work at the Gym.
• Sato traveled to Dark Night Forest, where Little Murkrow greeted him, and he challenged the Murkrow leader after learning it had reached Pseudo-Elite Four Beginner rank.

Sato let Murkrow battle Zweilous, but stopped the fight when Little Right lost control and bit Murkrow. He brought Murkrow to Dark Night Town and finished organizing his Pokémon into training groups.

• Murkrow chose to battle Zweilous, and Sato allowed them to fight without his commands unless he called a stop.
• Murkrow dodged Zweilous’s attacks and struck from behind, but Little Left and Little Right countered with Dragon Tail, Thunder Fang, and Ice Fang.
• Sato stopped Little Right after it ignored his command and began to go berserk, then calmed Zweilous with his Dark Power.
• Sato warned Murkrow about choosing close combat against a Dragon-type and advised Zweilous not to use different elemental moves at the same time.
• Sato took Murkrow to Dark Night Town, where the Murkrow leader reluctantly agreed it could visit him, and he brought his transferred Pokémon together at the Pokémon Center.
• Sato wrote out his training plan, listing his teams and categorizing Sandile, Pichu, and Dark Ralts separately.

Sato visited Sinan and Sian, orphaned siblings who supported themselves as adventurers, and invited Sinan to join his new Gym. Sinan refused, but Sato challenged him to prove Gligar’s strength, and George’s examination and treats left Sinan stunned.

• Mark led Sato, Anbo, George, and Nicole to an abandoned factory where Sinan and Sian lived.
• Sinan explained that he and Sian had survived by exploring the outskirts of Dark Night Forest with their Gligar and Marill, while Mark’s parents had quietly helped them.
• Sato invited Sinan to join the Gym, but Sinan refused, saying he and Sian were living well and had already received enough help from Mark’s family.
• Sato dismissed Mark’s attempt to persuade Sinan and asked to inspect Gligar’s strength.
• George examined Gligar and fed it Energy Cubes, which delighted the Pokémon and shocked Sinan.

Sato and George recruited Sian and Sinan for the Dark Night Gym, then Mark brought them to meet Little Ming, a nervous young Trainer with a Phanpy. The chapter ended as Sato agreed to test Little Ming in battle.

• George assessed Sinan’s Gligar and found it had a hidden claw injury and had gone without proper training or care.
• Sian accepted a logistics role at the Dark Night Gym, and George welcomed her as its first member.
• Sinan challenged Mark’s Lapras with Gligar, lost quickly, and was told to pack and report to Uncle An at the Pokemon Center.
• Sato reassured Mark about the referral and asked him to lead the group to the next candidate.
• Mark introduced Kinoshita Ming, or Little Ming, and explained that he had built a Pokemon data-analysis program and studied Pokemon extensively.
• Sato proposed a battle to evaluate Little Ming, and Little Ming agreed.

Kinoshita Ming battled Mark to demonstrate his skills, and Sato accepted him as a Gym trainee despite his desperate, poorly planned strategy. Ming left determined to train hard, with his parents set to meet Sato that night.

• Kinoshita Ming sent Phanpy to battle Mark's Solosis, Qiuqiu, while he analyzed the opponent on his laptop.
• Ming tried to build up Phanpy's Rollout, but Qiuqiu countered with Reflect, Hidden Power, and Psywave.
• Ming revealed his plan to use Endure and Thrash, but Qiuqiu recovered before Phanpy could finish the match, and Sato stopped the battle.
• Sato told Ming that he barely passed the test and warned him not to assume defeat before a fight; Ming tearfully realized he had been accepted.
• Little Nicole teased Ming and declared him a candidate for a follower, while Ming vowed to become a pillar of the Gym.
• George asked whether Ming's parents agreed to his training, and Sato arranged to meet them at the Pokemon Center that night.

Sato arranged training Pokemon for the new Dark Night Gym Registered Trainers and set expectations for their work. After assigning Mark to scout two villages the next day, Sato announced that everyone would move to the Gym that day.

• Mark reported that he had found only three suitable candidates in Dark Night Town, and Sato told him to search the two nearby villages for more.
• Little Ming arrived at the Pokemon Center with his parents, who entrusted him to Sato, and Sato warned that Ming would have to work hard to remain in the Gym.
• Sato explained that each Registered Trainer needed at least two Dark Type Pokemon and had to return them if dismissed or unable to meet the Gym's standards.
• Sinan chose Sneasel and Houndour, Sian chose Eevee and Murkrow, and Kinoshita Ming chose Eevee and Houndour; George distributed their Poké Balls.
• Sato told Mark to look for candidates in the two villages the next day, then announced that everyone would move to the Gym that day.

After moving into Dark Night Gym, Sato tested four newcomers by asking them to earn recognition from their new Pokemon. The training revealed their different approaches and abilities as Sinan battled two Pokemon, Sian bonded with Eevee, Little Ming struggled to coax one from hiding, and Nicole showed talent for directing battles.

• Sato and the others moved into Dark Night Gym and celebrated with lunch before Sato began training the four newcomers.
• Sato told Sinan, Sian, Little Ming, and Nicole to earn their new Pokemon's recognition, warning that unsuitable candidates would be given new Trainers.
• Sinan battled Sneasel and Houndour with Gligar, using its flying advantage and guerrilla tactics to target Houndour first.
• Sian gained Eevee's trust, while Little Ming's Eevee hid from his Phanpy and left him trying to coax it out.
• Nicole persuaded the Eevee and Houndour in her Poké Balls to battle each other and gave them commands, impressing Sato with her talent.

After the four rookies completed their first day of Pokémon training, Sato laid out a demanding daily schedule and warned them that leaving the Dark Night Gym meant they could not return. Three months later, the gym’s opening preparations were underway, and two recruits from nearby villages had joined the training group.

• Sian’s Marill defeated Murkrow, while Sinan, Little Nicole, and Little Ming finished capturing their Pokémon and Phanpy beat Houndour.
• Sato told Sian to train alongside the others, then explained the rookies’ daily schedule and strict requirements to Sinan, Little Nicole, and Little Ming.
• Sato continued planning the gym’s opening, including its invitations and date, while balancing preparations with training the newcomers.
• Over the next three months, Mark selected Ponyo from Blackwater Village and Sosuke from Blackgrass Village to join the gym.
• Ponyo and Sosuke trained diligently and voluntarily took on extra work, encouraging the other trainees.