Chapter Summaries

Sato and his Pokémon were ambushed in their camp by an assassin from Ghost Ship and several Pokémon. The fight left Sato and his team struggling against prepared opponents, with Houndour temporarily gaining the advantage over Banette.

• Sato, Houndour, and Gengar detected an approaching human and Pokémon while Spinarak slept in the tent.
• The assassin sent Arbok at the camp, but Gengar intercepted it with Psychic as Sato rushed outside to confront the attacker.
• Sato's dagger struck the assassin's steel-toed shoe, and both sides released their Pokémon: Zoroark faced Hitmonchan while Gengar fought Arbok.
• Banette attacked Sato from behind, but Houndour blasted it away and pinned it with Bite, saving Sato from serious injury.
• The assassin engaged Sato with a dagger as the battles continued; Zoroark and Gengar were under pressure, while Houndour began to overpower Banette at the cost of its stamina.

Spinarak helped Sato’s team defeat an assassin’s ambush and evolved into Ariados. After the assassin and his Pokémon were defeated, Sato congratulated Ariados on its evolution.

• Spinarak woke to find Sato, Zoroark, and Houndour battling the attackers, then climbed a tree to set traps.
• Houndour defeated Banette but collapsed, while Spinarak bound Arbok in silk and trapped Pidgeot among its webs.
• Spinarak struck Pidgeot with Sucker Punch, and Sato sent out Carvanha and Larvitar to help bring it down.
• Spinarak poisoned the wounded assassin, and Sato’s team defeated the remaining Hitmonchan.
• Spinarak evolved into Ariados, and Sato congratulated it.

Sato buried the Blue Rank Ghost Ship killer, then learned that Sen and Ryu would hold an Elite Four Competition in Mahogany Town. He realized Ghost Ship was responsible for Sen’s future assassination and headed toward the event with that knowledge.

• Sato reflected on Larvitar’s difficult path to evolution and noted that Ariados had reached Elite Beginner after evolving.
• Sato confiscated the killer’s Pokémon, found a Blue Rank badge, and buried the killer and damaged tent with Larvitar’s help.
• The next day, Sato sent three captured Pokémon to Nurse Joy Liyia and sent the remaining Pidgeot to West.
• Sato told West he planned to visit Mahogany Town, and West invited him to the Elite Four Competition hosted by Sen and Ryu.
• Sato recalled that Sen would be assassinated after the competition and recognized Ghost Ship as the organization responsible.

Sato traveled toward Mahogany Town, where he planned to check whether a former prodigy was in danger, but unexpected Pokémon encounters slowed him down and eased his concern. Three days later, Nurse Joy Liyun informed him that the Joy Clan had developed a safe method to stimulate Pokémon potential.

• Sato arranged to meet West in Mahogany Town, then set out with Houndour while telling himself he would only observe and not interfere.
• Sato and Houndour fought their way through a Victreebel colony and a Tangela before escaping into a sea of flowers.
• Houndour charmed the Vileplume, received a flower crown and a Leaf Stone, then burned its crown and prompted Sato to burn his as well.
• Sato stopped rushing toward Mahogany Town, reasoning that his actions might already have changed the course of the planned assassination.
• Three days later, Nurse Joy Liyun told Sato that the Joy Clan had deciphered the Potential Stimulation Stock Solution and found a way to stimulate Pokémon potential without side effects.

Sato joined Nurse Joy on wilderness investigations while Houndour rested through a seven-day course of Potential Stimulation Stock Solution injections. After the final dose, Houndour began to evolve, leaving Sato eager to see what it would become.

• Nurse Joy gave Sato the optimized stock solution and instructed him to inject Houndour daily for seven days while it rested.
• Sato accompanied Nurse Joy on outdoor investigations, learning medicinal plant formulas and battling wild Pokémon with his team.
• Sato’s Ariados and Larvitar fought Nidoking and Nidoqueen, who attacked together with Earth Power.
• Sato continued the daily investigations and battles, while Houndour ate and slept as it grew larger.
• On the seventh day, Nurse Joy injected Houndour with the final dose, and Houndour’s body began to glow with the light of evolution.

Sato’s Houndour evolved into Houndoom before he traveled to Mahogany Town for the Elite Four Competition. There, he reunited with West and agreed to team up, but their conversation ended with West proposing a size comparison between their Houndoom.

• Houndour evolved into a 1.7-meter Houndoom, and Sato discovered its Fire-type talent had reached the Pseudo-Elite Four Level.
• Sato said goodbye to Nurse Joy Lixiang and traveled from Olivine City to Mahogany Town over the next month, training his Pokémon through frequent battles.
• Sato met West and learned that West had focused on training Shuppet while his other Pokémon had made little progress.
• Sato agreed to team up with West for the Elite Four Competition, and West reacted with surprise when Sato said Ariados had reached the Elite Level.
• Sato released his Houndoom, and West suggested they compare whose Houndoom was bigger.

Sato and West prepared for the Elite Four Competition while Sato uncovered signs that the Ghost Ship planned to assassinate Elite Four Sen. In their first Double Battle, Sato chose Houndoom and West's Xatu, and Houndoom used Sleep Talk to attack Slowbro after Yawn put it to sleep.

• Sato and West trained Pokemon pairings, settling on Ariados with Skarmory and Houndoom with Xatu for Double Battles.
• Sato decoded Ghost Ship messages and realized the group was moving to assassinate Elite Four Sen in Mahogany Town.
• At the opening ceremony, Sato and West drew the first match at the main venue, and Sato changed their lineup to Houndoom and Xatu so Ariados could adjust to the crowds.
• Sato and West faced two cowboy-dressed Trainers with Tauros and Slowbro, while Houndoom and Xatu took the field.
• Houndoom attacked Tauros with Flamethrower and Dark Pulse as Xatu gathered power, then intercepted Slowbro's Yawn and used Sleep Talk to bite Slowbro.

Sato and West advanced to the Top 16 after strong performances in the Elite Four Competition’s preliminary round. As they left the venue, Sato spotted a figure from his past and recalled his harsh training under a Ghost Ship mentor, ending with the mentor opening his prison cell during a riot.

• Houndoom and Xatu defeated Cowboy Number Two’s Tauros and Slowbro with a combination of Snore, Thunder Fang, and Psychic.
• Sato and West won their following preliminary matches, with Ariados supporting Skarmory and Houndoom and Xatu using a kiting tactic against Heracross and Donphan.
• Sato and West advanced to the Top 16 and drew their match order for the following afternoon.
• Sato noticed an old friend near the venue exit and recognized him as his former teacher from the Ghost Ship.
• Sato recalled how the young man had trained him through isolation and brutal lessons, sacrificed two Pokémon to save him, and later opened his prison cell during a riot.

Sato remembered how the young man saved him twice and sacrificed his escape to send Sato away with Teleport, after which they never met again. Back in the present, Sato and West entered the Elite Four Competition knockout round and faced opponents who mistook West’s Houndoom for Sato’s.

• At nineteen, Sato received his Pokemon back from the young man after being freed from prison.
• At twenty-two, Sato failed his Silver Rank Killer mission, and the young man again claimed that saving him was an organizational mission.
• When the Pokemon League cornered them, Sato ran back to draw pursuit away, and the young man used Teleport to send Sato away with Claydol.
• In the present, Sato returned to the hotel with West, then attended Morning Training and went with him to the knockout stage.
• Sato and West drew the third match, where their opponents sent out Gengar, Houndoom, Rapidash, and Magcargo expecting Sato’s usual Pokemon.
• Sato realized the opposing team had mistaken West’s Houndoom for his own and quietly instructed West to exploit their assumption.

Sato and West defeated the semifinalist pair Masako and the Glasses Guy after a coordinated Pokémon battle. The pair surrendered, then argued over whether Masako had been holding back, leaving Sato and West wondering who had really won.

• Sato and West used Gengar and Houndoom to put Magcargo to sleep and defeat it with Dream Eater.
• Masako and the Glasses Guy sent out Noctowl and Feraligatr, but Sato and West switched targets and knocked out Rapidash and Houndoom.
• West’s Breloom and Sato’s Gengar attacked Feraligatr, and the Glasses Guy surrendered after Sato used Hypnosis.
• Masako recalled Noctowl and surrendered, then blamed the Glasses Guy for their loss while insisting she had been holding back.

While competing in Mahogany Town, Sato investigated the Ghost Ship Organization’s planned assassinations and sent Elite Four Sen an anonymous warning. Sen and Elite Four Ryu received the message, and the next day Sato and West returned to the tournament as Sato drew the crowd’s attention and West revealed Banette’s breakthrough.

• After Sato and West advanced to the quarterfinals, Sato left the matches to investigate the Ghost Ship Organization’s assassination plans.
• Sato discovered that the targets included Elite Four Sen, important League officials, and potential contestants, and he sent Sen a warning through a hidden message on Sen’s computer.
• Elite Four Sen and Elite Four Ryu read the warning, but the anonymous email vanished before they could investigate it further.
• The next day, Sato and West arrived at the competition venue, where Sato’s Gengar had made him the center of attention.
• West chose Banette for his match and revealed that it had evolved and reached Elite Level.

Sato and West faced a coordinated team of Typhlosion, Crobat, Electabuzz, and Sneasel in the Eight-to-Four round, where Sato used Gengar’s Toxic and Destiny Bond to trade it for Typhlosion. The battle continued with Houndoom and Xatu targeting Sneasel while Electabuzz was weakened by poison.

• Sato and West began their match against opponents with Elite Intermediate Typhlosion and Crobat, and Banette used Curse to cripple Crobat before being knocked out.
• Sato’s Gengar trapped Crobat with Mean Look, while Xatu blocked Crobat’s Brave Bird and struck it with Psychic until the Curse finished it off.
• The opponents sent in Electabuzz, whose Electric attacks pressured Xatu as Typhlosion and Electabuzz coordinated to keep Sato’s side on the defensive.
• Sato ordered Gengar to poison Electabuzz, then used Destiny Bond as Typhlosion’s Flamethrower knocked Gengar out, taking Typhlosion down with it.
• Sato sent out Houndoom as the opponents brought in Sneasel, and Houndoom and Xatu worked together to pin Sneasel down while avoiding poisoned Electabuzz.

After losing in the semifinals, Sato and West stayed for the award ceremony while Sato tracked the killers monitoring the tournament’s semifinalists and Alliance officials. That night, a crash came from the Pokemon Center’s Dormitory Area, and Sato followed Nurse Joy to investigate with Gengar and Zoroark.

• Sato and West lost their semifinal match, then stayed for the award ceremony and split the prize money.
• Sato learned that all four semifinalists were being watched and identified the Blue Rank Killer’s and Green Rank Killer’s targets.
• Sato memorized the Pokemon Center’s layout and stayed alert through the tournament’s final events, sensing the unusual activity outside that night.
• After a crash sounded from the Dormitory Area, Nurse Joy ran to investigate with Chansey, and Sato followed with Gengar hidden in his shadow and Zoroark at his side.

Sato helped Nurse Joy Lihua respond to an attack on the Mahogany Town Pokémon Center, where assassins targeted tournament competitors. After finding several trainers dead and seeing the champions fight off an attacker, Sato wondered whether his master had already completed the mission or was still in danger.

• Joy reached a blood-soaked dormitory room, where Sato stopped a disguised assassin from stabbing him with help from Gengar.
• A Kecleon freed the assassin, who escaped through a window with it before Zoroark attacked them with Dark Burst.
• Joy sounded the alarm, called the police for support, and joined Pokémon League trainers responding to the attack.
• Sato returned to search the dormitory and found another top-four team dead without visible wounds.
• Sato saw the tournament champions defeat an assassin and Golbat, then wondered where his master was.

Sato was targeted by Dead Fish Eyes during an attack on the Pokémon Center and fled before choosing to confront his former master in the suburbs. He gained the upper hand with his Pokémon, but the battle remained unresolved as Dead Fish Eyes brought out more Pokémon and ordered a coordinated attack.

• Sato called West to warn him that the Pokémon Center and the other semifinalists had been attacked, then defended himself from an Arbok and a Rhyhorn.
• Sato recognized the masked killer as Dead Fish Eyes, escaped the Pokémon Center on Zoroark, and lured him toward the suburbs.
• Sato stopped to face Dead Fish Eyes and used Zoroark and Gengar to counter Fearow and Arbok, while Larvitar struck Dead Fish Eyes with stones.
• Dead Fish Eyes brought out Rhyhorn and ordered an Earthquake, then directed Fearow and Arbok to attack Larvitar as Larvitar and Gengar emerged from underground.

Sato and Dead Fish Eyes fought in a coordinated multi-Pokémon battle, trading knockouts as Sato’s team struggled against Rhyhorn and Tangrowth. Larvitar learned Stone Edge under pressure, and Gengar brought down Fearow, giving Sato’s side a chance to counterattack.

• Sato and Dead Fish Eyes exchanged attacks with four Pokémon each, and Arbok was eliminated after Sato’s team combined Psychic and Dark Pulse.
• Rhyhorn and Tangrowth struck Houndoom with successive Earthquakes, and Fearow finished it off while Zoroark and Larvitar escaped.
• Sato and Dead Fish Eyes charged into close combat as Zoroark, Gengar, and Larvitar faced Tangrowth, Fearow, and Rhyhorn.
• Larvitar learned Stone Edge to halt Rhyhorn’s Rock Blast, then used Dragon Dance to evade Hammer Arm.
• Gengar struck Fearow with Thunderbolt, and Sato kicked Dead Fish Eyes away as the counterattack began.

Sato defeated Rhyhorn and forced Dead Fish Eyes Master to flee, then Larvitar evolved into Pupitar. Returning to Mahogany Town, Sato learned that only two of the tournament’s final four teams remained, though the League Patrol Team avoided explaining the casualties.

• Gengar and Larvitar attacked Rhyhorn, and Gengar’s Energy Balls incapacitated it while Tangrowth pulled it and Fearow away.
• Dead Fish Eyes Master used smoke bombs to escape, and Sato decided not to pursue him.
• Larvitar evolved into Pupitar as Sato supported its evolution with Dark Power.
• Sato returned to Mahogany Town, where a League Patrol Team checked his identity and confirmed that the town’s situation had stabilized.
• A patrol team member told Sato that only two teams from the tournament’s final four remained, and the captain stopped him from saying more.

After surviving the assassination crisis in Mahogany Town, Sato learned that the attacks had been traced to Team Rocket and checked Pupitar’s new strength and moves. He traveled through Blackthorn City, then set off for Mt. Silver as his final destination in Johto.

• Sato returned to the Pokemon Center, where Nurse Joy Lihua worried over him and Elite Four Sen and Ryu departed; Sen had been injured in the attack.
• West told Sato that thirty-two assassins had been killed, Alliance Officials and trainers had been assassinated, the Elite Four Competitions in Olivine City and Violet City were canceled, and the plot had been traced to Team Rocket.
• Sato checked Pupitar’s data and found that it had reached Elite Beginner strength and learned Thrash and Dark Pulse.
• Sato reflected on his connection to Dead Fish Eyes Master, then left Mahogany Town with his Pokemon and traveled toward Blackthorn City.
• After spending a week in Blackthorn City, Sato packed his things and set off for Mt. Silver.

Sato explored Silver Town and discovered the Adventurer's Guild, where he tried to join missions on Mt. Silver. Unable to qualify for senior missions or find a team, he asked Nurse Joy for help and was stunned when Wataru arrived.

• Sato defeated a Vileplume with Carvanha after entering Silver Town, then went to the Pokemon Center.
• Sato visited the Adventurer's Guild and learned that its missions offered cash, goods, or points for valuable items.
• Sato learned that his Junior Adventurer rank limited him to junior missions unless he joined a team with enough Senior Adventurers.
• Sato was rejected by three teams because he lacked wilderness experience and returned to the Pokemon Center.
• Sato asked Nurse Joy to find him a team, and she called Wataru over to help.

Sato joined the Dragon Quest Adventure Team and met its members, including the future Champion Lance. After receiving preparations and a battle that earned the team’s respect, Sato readied himself to enter Mt. Silver with them.

• Lance brought Sato to the team’s villa and introduced him to Lixiang, Itsuki, White, and Tsubaki.
• Itsuki assigned Sato a temporary support role alongside Tsubaki after questioning him about his abilities and wishes.
• Lance explained that the team’s registered name was Dragon Quest Adventure Team, which could not be changed without disbanding and waiting two years to accept missions again.
• White cooked a welcome dinner, and the team agreed to enter Mt. Silver in two days.
• Lixiang checked Sato’s Pokémon and prepared antidotes, Itsuki briefed him on intelligence, and White redesigned his Pokémon’s meals.
• Lance battled Sato in friendly doubles, and the team’s members became more openly impressed with his skills.