Chapter Summaries

Sato and his companions investigated Verity Lakefront while Zoroark infiltrated a dam and discovered a massive, tortured Gastrodon absorbing other Gastrodon and Shellos. After finding three matching outlets, Sato held off on attacking until they could investigate further, while the Sinnoh Alliance learned that the tributary problems had been exposed.

• Sato calmed George and led the group on a secret shoreline investigation as Zoroark flew behind the dam disguised as a Staravia.
• Zoroark observed captured Pokemon being scanned and sorted, then infiltrated a black room where a huge Gastrodon was restrained and tortured by Elite Level Carnivine.
• Zoroark watched living Gastrodon and Shellos merge into the giant Gastrodon, then returned to Sato and projected what it had seen.
• Sato and the others discovered two more outlets and inferred that each outlet likely had a Giant Gastrodon, but Sato ordered further investigation before they attacked.
• Sato sent Gengar to search underground for a base and for Mesprit, while Chikuno's faction in the Sinnoh Alliance received a report that the problems in Verity Lakefront's tributaries had been exposed.

Sato, George, and Mark discovered that the enemy base had at least three Pseudo-Elite Four Pokémon, so they launched a coordinated assault on the underground camp. Tyranitar devastated the base’s defenders, but the group’s advance was met by three powerful attacks, leaving Sato to direct Tyranitar’s next move.

• Gengar found the enemy base and sensed at least three Pseudo-Elite Four auras, though it could not determine how many Trainers or other powerful Pokémon were there.
• Sato revised the group’s plan, and he, George, and Mark waited until three in the morning before attacking the base entrance.
• Explosions at Verity Lakefront drew attention as Tyranitar used Earthquake to collapse the ground and expose the underground base.
• Sato led George and Mark into the base behind Tyranitar, which used Stone Edge to kill or incapacitate the Trainers who confronted them.
• A sinister voice sent Blast Burn, Hydro Pump, and Giga Drain at Tyranitar, which blocked the attacks with Stone Edge before Sato ordered it to counterattack.

Sato and his companions faced Sinnoh’s three Starter Pokemon and their powerful Pledge Combination Technique. Tyranitar defeated Empoleon, but Infernape and Torterra fought back as George and Mark joined the battle.

• Sato ordered Tyranitar to use Protect and woke Ralts, who used Disable to stop Empoleon from using Water Pledge.
• Tyranitar’s Stone Edge: Offensive injured Empoleon and Torterra, while Infernape dodged behind its companions.
• Sato had Tyranitar use Rock Tomb to trap all three opponents and block their Fire-and-Grass Combination Technique.
• Tyranitar charged Empoleon and knocked it out with Brick Break as it tried to escape with Aqua Jet.
• Infernape and Torterra attacked Tyranitar, and George and Mark entered the fight with Gogoat and Lucario.

Sato's Pokemon turned the battle around, captured the opposing trainers, and used Hypnosis to uncover the people behind the Verity Lakefront Incident. One captive warned Sato to stay out of Sinnoh's affairs and demanded their release.

• Zoroark, Sharpedo, and Gengar returned after completing their mission at the dams, restoring the advantage to Sato's side.
• Sato ordered Ralts to use Imprison on Bronzong, preventing the opposing trainers from escaping with Teleport.
• Sato's Pokemon overwhelmed the enemy team, defeating Bronzong, Infernape, and Roserade before capturing the remaining trainers.
• Sato sent Tyranitar and the others to find survivors while Gengar used Hypnosis to make a captive reveal details about the incident.
• One of the unhypnotized men recognized Sato as the Great Demon King Gym Leader and warned him to leave Sinnoh's affairs alone.

After capturing the men responsible for the disaster, Sato, George, and Mark joined the rescue of the Pokémon fleeing Verity Lakefront as three Giant Gastrodon rampaged. George exhausted his Viridian Power to call nearby Pokémon to help, and Bayleef evolved into Meganium as it went to aid the rescue.

• Sato confiscated the three captured enemies' Poké Balls while Tyranitar and the others brought back the remaining captives.
• Sato, George, and Mark reached Verity Lakefront and found three Giant Gastrodon firing Hyper Beams as wild Pokémon fled.
• The three trainers split up to defend the fleeing Pokémon, treat the injured, and clear blocked waterways.
• Staraptor and other wild Pokémon joined the rescue, while George's Chansey and Houndoom coordinated their efforts.
• George collapsed after using his Viridian Power to summon help, and Bayleef evolved into Meganium before running to join the rescue.

At Verity Lakefront, Houndoom’s breakthrough let it coordinate the rescue, while George realized the Giant Gastrodon were likely Energy Collectives that would weaken as they spent their energy. The defenders kept fighting as Mark faced a crisis after Lucario was badly injured blocking a Hyper Beam.

• The three Giant Gastrodon grew to thirty meters and unleashed increasingly powerful Hyper Beams as Tyranitar and the other Pseudo-Elite Four Pokemon struggled to hold them back.
• Houndoom broke through to Pseudo-Elite Four Beginner and organized the Wild Pokemon from atop Tropius, nearly doubling the rescue operation’s efficiency.
• Sato suspected Houndoom might eventually become a Totem Pokemon, possibly taking the place he had once envisioned for Murkrow.
• George noticed a Giant Gastrodon had shrunk and told Houndoom to inform Sato that it was likely an Energy Collective whose energy would run out as it released Hyper Beams.
• Lucario was severely injured after blocking a Hyper Beam to save Trapinch, and Mark joined his other Pokemon in detonating another Hyper Beam before it struck.

Mark and the rescue teams fought to protect Verity Lakefront while Lucario recovered, and the three Giant Gastrodon finally turned on one another. Sato told Mark to help let them destroy each other.

• Gallade treated Lucario and moved him beneath a tree, while Mark returned to lead the struggling rescue effort.
• Houndoom took command, brought more evolved Pokémon to help block Hyper Beam, and flew along the shore to organize escape routes.
• After a night of fighting, Lucario rejoined the battle, George helped treat the injured, and the weakened Giant Gastrodon entered Verity Lakefront.
• The three Giant Gastrodon began fighting one another, and the defeated one released normal-sized Gastrodon before its pink energy flowed into the other two.
• Sato told Mark it was his turn to play a part and ordered him to let the Giant Gastrodon destroy each other.

Sato and the others watched the two Giant Gastrodon fall and merge into Mesprit, but a helicopter immediately captured the weakened Lake Guardian. Chikuno and her Elite Four-level Pokemon rescued Mesprit, then offered to take Sato and his exhausted team with her.

• The two Giant Gastrodon struck each other with Hydro Pump, collapsed, and broke apart as their pink energy merged into Mesprit.
• Mesprit awoke to find Verity Lakefront ruined, and Pokemon began returning to the area.
• A helicopter fired a special iron net over Mesprit, blocked its Teleport, and turned invisible to flee.
• Gliscor punched through the helicopter and freed Mesprit, while Chikuno used Cacturne to guide the falling aircraft toward shore.
• Mesprit thanked Gliscor and Teleported away, and Chikuno asked Sato to explain what had happened.
• Sato said their Pokemon needed urgent treatment, so Chikuno told the group to come with her.

After Sato handed Elite Four Chikuno a recording of the Verity Lakefront Incident, she promised to reward him and his companions. Just as Chikuno struggled to fulfill Mark and George’s requests for Mega Evolution Stones, Professor Rowan arrived and offered to provide them.

• Sato and George treated their injured Pokémon at the Sandgem Town Pokémon Center while Mark complained that his Pokémon should receive treatment first.
• Sato challenged Chikuno to explain her attitude toward the troubled Sinnoh Alliance, and Chikuno admitted Alliance members were involved in the Verity Lakefront Incident and vowed to send them to prison.
• Sato gave Chikuno a hard drive containing a video record of the incident and told her the captured Trainers were still tied up near Verity Lakefront.
• Chikuno promised the group a personal reward, and Sato requested Ground-type training notes while Mark and George asked for Lucario and Gallade Mega Evolution Stones.
• Professor Rowan arrived and offered to provide the Mega Evolution Stones Mark and George wanted.

After the Verity Lakefront incident, Professor Rowan rewarded Sato, Mark, and George with training materials and Mega Evolution Stones. Sato received a stone for Gardevoir, but he worried that Gardevoir could not Mega Evolve, until Gardevoir spoke to him through Telepathy.

• Professor Rowan told Sato and the others that he had reported the Verity Lakefront incident and invited them to rest before visiting his research institute.
• Elite Four Chikuno left after saying she would review their recorded video, and Sato, Mark, and George went to rest.
• The next morning, Sato and the others visited Professor Rowan's research institute, where he gave them a Hippowdon training notebook from Chikuno.
• Professor Rowan gave Mark and George Lucario and Gallade Mega Evolution Stones with Key Stones.
• Professor Rowan gave Sato a Gardevoir Mega Evolution Stone, leaving Sato troubled because Gardevoir could not Mega Evolve.
• Gardevoir spoke to Sato through Telepathy and said that it did not need a Mega Evolution Stone.

Sato declined Professor Rowan’s offer of a Mega Evolution Stone because Gardevoir refused to Mega Evolve, then toured the institute with George and Mark. At lunch, Rowan revealed he wanted the three Trainers to demonstrate their Mega Evolutions and offered them more stones in return.

• Sato told Professor Rowan that Gardevoir could not Mega Evolve and declined any further gifts.
• George and Mark spoke with their guide, Naoto Kinoshita, whom they called A-Shu, while Mark apologized for joking about his name.
• A-Shu showed the group the institute’s Pokémon research projects and nursery, explaining the unusual evolution methods under study and the Sinnoh starters raised there.
• Professor Rowan joined the group for lunch and apologized for being busy because of an emergency at Verity Lakefront.
• Professor Rowan asked Sato, George, and Mark to demonstrate their Mega Evolutions and offered them as many Mega Evolution Stones as they wanted afterward.

Sato, Mark, and George endured three days of Mega Evolution tests for Professor Rowan and received one pair of stones each. After Rowan warned them away from Jubilife City because of Gym Leader Mo Ya’s conflict with Chikuno’s faction, Sato learned that Mo Ya had publicly provoked him and began considering his response.

• Professor Rowan put Sato and Houndoom through exhausting Mega Evolution tests while Mark and George repeated their own trials under different conditions.
• After three days of testing, Professor Rowan offered the group a box of Mega Evolution Stones and Key Stones, and each of the three took one pair.
• Professor Rowan advised Sato, Mark, and George to avoid the Jubilife City Gym because Gym Leader Mo Ya opposed Chikuno’s faction, so Sato chose to head for Iron City instead.
• Nurse Joy showed Sato reports accusing him of arrogance and cowardice after Mo Ya challenged his reputation, while George recognized the publicity campaign as a ploy to provoke him.
• Sato asked whether Mo Ya had Elite Four-level strength, learned that he probably did not, and began forming a plan.

Sato used a series of fabricated trending topics to make Jubilife Gym Leader Mo Ya look like he had spent days attacking him while Sato was unreachable in the wilderness. After Mo Ya realized the public had turned against him, Sato and his companions arrived in Iron City, where Sato planned to defeat Mo Ya’s friend, Gym Leader Tieshaoshan.

• Sato explained that he would avoid challenging Mo Ya immediately and instead use repeated trending topics to make Mo Ya appear to be bullying a junior.
• George deduced that Sato planned to defeat Iron City Gym Leader Tieshaoshan and publicize the victory while people were still displeased with Mo Ya.
• Mark grew confident in Sato’s plan and practiced Phione’s water control and levitation as the group traveled through the forest.
• For five days, trending topics falsely portrayed Mo Ya as repeatedly insulting Sato, causing the public to sympathize with Sato and criticize Mo Ya.
• Mo Ya paid the media to stop covering the insults, then panicked when Nurse Joy’s post revealed that Sato had been deep in the wilderness and unable to respond.
• Sato, Mark, and George arrived in Iron City after more than seven days of travel.

Sato conducted a surprise assessment of the Steel Gym and faced Gym Leader Tieshaoshan in a three-Pokémon match. Tieshaoshan sent out his rare Rampardos, but Sato’s Krookodile exploited its weaknesses and left it trapped and taking repeated damage.

• Tieshaoshan welcomed Sato and agreed to the urgent Steel Gym assessment after Sato showed his Gym Assessor badge.
• The referee announced a three-Pokémon, one-on-one consecutive battle, and Tieshaoshan sent out Rampardos against Sato’s Krookodile.
• Sato had Krookodile use Sand Tomb to slow Rampardos, then used Stomping Tantrum to clear away the rocks Rampardos created with Rock Tomb.
• Krookodile struck Rampardos with Dark Pulse as it jumped down, knocking it into the quicksand trap.
• Tieshaoshan ordered Rampardos to use Flamethrower, but Krookodile’s Dark Pulse repeatedly overwhelmed the weak special attack and hit Rampardos.

Sato’s Krookodile defeated Tieshaoshan’s Rampardos despite taking damage, then used Grass Knot to exploit Rhyperior’s fourfold weakness to Grass and win again. Tieshaoshan recalled Rhyperior and acknowledged that he was getting old.

• Tieshaoshan urged Rampardos to use Head Smash, and Rampardos broke free of Sand Tomb and charged Krookodile.
• Sato had Krookodile use Dragon Tail to redirect Rampardos’s charge, knocking Rampardos out but injuring Krookodile’s tail.
• Tieshaoshan sent out Rhyperior, and Sato let Krookodile continue battling after its Moxie boost.
• Rhyperior overwhelmed Krookodile with Stone Edge and charged with Megahorn, but Krookodile used Grass Knot to trip it.
• The referee confirmed Rhyperior was incapacitated, and Tieshaoshan recalled it and said he was still old.

Sato’s Krookodile faced Tieshaoshan’s Bastiodon in a battle of relentless attacks against Metal Burst, and both Pokémon were eventually incapacitated. Because Tieshaoshan had two Pokémon left unused, Sato won the match.

• Tieshaoshan sent out Bastiodon after Krookodile defeated Rhyperior, and Sato ordered Krookodile to attack with Brick Break.
• Tieshaoshan repeatedly used Iron Defense to raise Bastiodon’s Defense, then had it counter with Metal Burst to reflect damage onto Krookodile.
• Sato kept Krookodile attacking with Brick Break, choosing to let it fight the way it preferred despite the reflected damage.
• After repeated clashes, Krookodile could no longer stand and Bastiodon struggled to rise, leaving both Pokémon incapacitated.
• The referee declared Sato from Dark Night Town the winner because Tieshaoshan still had two Pokémon unused.

Sato’s Krookodile defeated three of Tieshaoshan’s Pokémon before collapsing, and Sato’s victory sparked a wave of public support and a new challenge against Mo Ya. After five days of rest and preparation, Sato and his companions traveled to Jubilife City for their widely anticipated match.

• Krookodile defeated Rampardos and Rhyperior before battling Bastiodon to a mutual knockout, and Sato praised it before taking it to Nurse Joy.
• Reporters publicized Sato’s three-on-one victory over Tieshaoshan, pushing him to the top of Sinnoh’s trending topics.
• Sato announced that he had accepted Mo Ya’s challenge and would face him at Jubilife Gym in one week, causing Sinnoh’s trending topics to crash.
• Tieshaoshan admitted that Sato had beaten him, while Mo Ya welcomed the upcoming match and Tieshaoshan decided to travel to Jubilife City with his disciple.
• After five days of rest and analyzing Mo Ya’s information, Sato and his companions boarded a shuttle bus from Iron City to Jubilife City.

Trainers and Gym Leaders gathered in Jubilife City for Sato’s high-stakes Gym Assessment Match against Mo Ya, whose defeat could leave her faction vulnerable to Elite Four Chikuno. The packed stadium match began at nine o’clock, with each side set to use three Pokémon in consecutive one-on-one battles.

• Chikuno, Flint, Volkner, and other League Trainers traveled to Jubilife City while Gym Leaders and Trainers from across Sinnoh gathered to watch Sato’s match.
• Sato arrived in Jubilife City and focused on predicting which Pokémon Mo Ya would use, narrowing his guesses based on her Flying-type specialty and the local Pokémon rule.
• A Jubilife Gym Trainer delivered Mo Ya’s challenge letter, setting the match for nine o’clock the next morning at Jubilife Stadium.
• Mo Ya regarded the match as a battle of life and death because Chikuno was preparing to report her faction, and a loss could give Chikuno leverage against them.
• Sato and Mo Ya faced each other in the packed stadium as the referee announced a three-Pokémon consecutive battle, and the match began.

Sato's Tyranitar battered Mo Ya's Staraptor with Sand Stream, Stone Edge, and Rock Slide, while Staraptor fought through the attacks to reach it. The chapter ended as Staraptor launched Brutal Swing and Tyranitar used Protect.

• Sato sent out Tyranitar as Mo Ya sent out Staraptor, and the battle began.
• Staraptor's Aerial Ace struck Tyranitar's back, but Tyranitar countered with a tail sweep and activated Sand Stream.
• Tyranitar used Stone Edge to send hundreds of stone cones through the Sandstorm, wearing Staraptor down despite its evasions and Steel Wing Defense.
• Mo Ya ordered Close Combat, and Staraptor charged through Tyranitar's Rock Slide, smashing the boulders in its path.
• Staraptor used Brutal Swing at close range, and Tyranitar responded with Protect.

Sato’s Tyranitar defeated Mo Ya’s Staraptor and Yanmega in succession, outmaneuvering both of the Gym Leader’s strategies. Mo Ya recalled Yanmega without despair, still relying on a trump card.

• Tyranitar used Protect to foil Staraptor’s desperate counterattack, then knocked it out with a single punch.
• Mo Ya sent out Yanmega, and Tyranitar’s Parting Shot canceled its Bug Buzz as its Speed Boost began to take effect.
• Tyranitar raised a Sandstorm, used Rock Slide to strike Yanmega as it tried to escape, and trapped it with Rock Tomb.
• Tyranitar sealed Yanmega in with rocks and finished it with Stone Edge before its speed could become an advantage.
• The referee declared Yanmega incapacitated, and Mo Ya recalled it while still showing confidence in his trump card.