Chapter Summaries

Mark returned to Old Man Qian’s courtyard after a foraging trip and learned that a Ghost-type Special Ability User had attacked while he was away. As Old Man Qian prepared for the attacker’s possible return, Aya arrived on Charizard.

• Mark returned with bags of food and found Machamp exhausted and Old Man Qian shaken by a nightmare caused by the attacker’s Gengar.
• Old Man Qian mistook Mark’s identical reassurance and mushroom-eating for part of a chained nightmare, and Mark restrained him until he calmed down.
• Mark learned that a dangerous Ghost-type user with a Gengar and Chandelure had been driven away after Machamp, Blaziken, and Infernape resisted the attack.
• Old Man Qian warned Mark about the Ghost-type Pokémon and gave him Awakening Potion to use if the attacker returned.
• Mark, Old Man Qian, and their Pokémon sensed someone approaching, recalled most of their Pokémon, and watched Aya descend into the courtyard on Charizard.

Aya warned Old Man Qian that the wanted criminal Number 27 might be hiding in Clear Stream Village and asked him to help Zhao Meisha stop the dangerous Ghost Resonance user. Meanwhile, Number 27 entered John's Mind World to feed on negative emotions but found so many that he and Gengar became sick.

• Aya showed Old Man Qian evidence that Number 27 had attacked the Pokemon Center and explained his criminal history and suspected interest in a Heavenly King’s tomb near Fallen Sky Mountain.
• Aya relayed Zhao Meisha’s request for Old Man Qian to help Charizard kill Number 27 and preserve his body for study.
• Old Man Qian realized the rumored Heavenly King’s tomb might be connected to his grandfather, the Fighting Heavenly King among Emperor Arthur’s Thirteen Round Table Knights.
• Electivire grew anxious in Mark’s abandoned courtyard, then unexpectedly completed its Energy Cycle and became a Veteran-level Pokemon.
• Number 27 entered John’s Mind World to absorb his negative emotions, found a locked door concealing them, and went inside with Gengar.
• Number 27 and Gengar dry-heaved after absorbing too many negative emotions.

Number 27 and Gengar escaped Lei Meng’s Mind World after John and Electivire drove them off, then set out to find more victims to feed on. They ambushed Mark, but he and Caterpie fought back without landing a hit on their elusive enemies.

• John woke from a nightmare, struck the Silver-Haired Man, and Electivire attacked him and Gengar before they vanished.
• Number 27 and Gengar hid behind Clear Stream Village Pokemon School, where Number 27 recalled absorbing Lei Meng’s memories and witnessing the Nightmare in his Mind World.
• Number 27 shared energy with the three Chandelure, then set out with Gengar to find villagers and drain their negative energy through nightmares.
• Number 27 chose Mark as a target and planned to make him dream of starvation and cannibalism.
• Mark dodged Number 27’s attack while Caterpie and he struck at Gengar’s shadow, smashing a wall but failing to hit either opponent.

Mark and Caterpie realized that their planned Return to Simplicity training would leave them unable to hit Ghost-type Pokemon, and decided Number 27’s attack had exposed a crucial flaw. After spotting and fighting a Chandelure, Mark pursued it with Caterpie while Aya and Charizard followed, but a burst of black mist concealed their escape.

• Mark and Caterpie recognized that Tackle could not hit Ghost-type Pokemon and concluded that Number 27 had revealed a weakness in their planned Return to Simplicity path.
• Mark proposed repeatedly fighting Number 27 and investigating moves such as Foresight and Odor Sleuth to overcome the weakness.
• Aya arrived with Raichu after hearing the commotion, and Mark and Caterpie suddenly attacked a concealed Chandelure.
• Mark told Aya not to pursue Chandelure recklessly and suggested using it to find Number 27, then chased it with Caterpie across the village and into the forest.
• Aya followed on Charizard, but a blast of eerie black mist obscured the forest, and Mark and Caterpie disappeared.

Mark and Caterpie pursued Number 27 and Gengar through Clear Stream Forest, learning more about fighting Ghost-type Pokémon as the pair repeatedly escaped. After Caterpie sensed their hiding place, Mark called Butterfree and Vikavolt to help continue the chase.

• Mark and Caterpie confronted the injured Number 27 and Gengar, and Mark used a homemade healing potion to treat his burn.
• Number 27 and Gengar used a sneak attack to daze Mark and Caterpie, then fled into the forest.
• Caterpie used Mind's Eye to sense the fugitives, discovering that they had doubled back and hidden nearby.
• Caterpie struck the hidden pair with a charged Power-Up Tackle, and Mark followed with punches and kicks before Number 27 and Gengar escaped again.
• Mark released Butterfree and Vikavolt to help with the pursuit, while Wimpod remained fainted from fear.

Mark captured Number 27 and discovered that his Dusclops could use Foresight, which would let their attacks hit Ghost-type Pokémon. As Number 27 recognized Mark as the Nightmare from Bald John's inner world, Mark gave him ten doses of Amnesia Potion.

• Mark found Number 27 hiding in a burrow and pulled him out after the exhausted man could no longer resist.
• Mark captured Number 27's Gengar, Duskull, and Dusclops, then realized Dusclops could use Foresight to make Ghost-types vulnerable to Normal- and Fighting-type moves.
• Mark heard the strange buzzing from Fallen Sky Mountain again, but Number 27 could not hear it.
• Mark told Number 27 he planned to erase his memories with an Amnesia Potion and Hypnosis Gun, then use altered memories to help train Caterpie.
• Number 27 recognized Mark as the Nightmare from Bald John's inner world and began screaming in fear and fascination.
• Mark pinned Number 27 down and poured ten doses of Amnesia Potion into him, causing him to roll his eyes.

Mark tried to use hypnosis and daily Amnesia Potion doses to make George a long-term sparring partner, but George’s Ghost Power weakened the potion until the training and memory loss drove him into a dangerous fanaticism. Mark abandoned the plan and kept George as an assistant, leaving him to figure out how to manage George’s devotion.

• Mark hypnotized George, gave him a false identity and memories, and planned to erase each day’s training memories so he could build muscle memory.
• Mark treated George’s Gengar and explained the sparring plan; Gengar and the other Ghost-type Pokémon agreed to cooperate.
• After seven days of Combat Training and repeated Amnesia Potion doses, George’s memories returned and the potion stopped working.
• George became convinced Mark was the Nightmare Crown and treated him as a divine master, while refusing to fight him and attempting suicide when ordered to train.
• Mark stopped the Muscle Memory Plan and told George to stay as his assistant, but George continued calling him Lord Mark.

Mark disguised George and prepared to return to Clear Stream Village for his final training before increasing his stats. At Old Man Qian’s home, Aya asked about Mark and her teacher Zhao Meisha’s interest in taking him as a student, just as Mark arrived with George.

• Mark dyed George’s hair black and put him through three days of recuperation and disguise training.
• Mark’s Trainer Panel recovered, his Experience Bar reached 65%, and he decided to train with Uncle Qian Three’s Machamp in Clear Stream Village.
• Aya visited Old Man Qian, served drinks made by Raichu, and repeatedly asked him about Mark.
• Aya said her teacher Zhao Meisha was interested in taking Mark as a disciple, and Old Man Qian weighed the potential benefits against the risks.
• Mark returned after ten days aboard a Vikavolt Aircraft, bringing the black-haired George with him.

Mark returned from the forest with Number 27, whom he had renamed George and made obedient after forcing him to drink Amnesia Potion. He left George in Old Man Qian’s care to monitor his mental state, then planned to resume training with Machamp.

• Mark told Old Man Qian and Aya that he had failed to capture Number 27, then sent Aya and Raichu out of the courtyard before discussing George.
• Mark introduced George to Old Man Qian and explained that Number 27 had attacked him before becoming convinced that Mark was Nightmare and his master.
• Mark revealed that he had forced Number 27 to drink Amnesia Potion after wearing him down, causing him to lose his former identity and obey Mark.
• Old Man Qian agreed to monitor George’s mental condition and consult Doctor Locke about the potion’s effects.
• Mark said he planned to train with Old Man Qian’s Machamp, but Machamp fell asleep before he could finish.

Mark and Caterpie spent 253 years in a Dream World refining Tackle in their pursuit of Return to Simplicity. Caterpie finally awakened its bloodline, reached Veteran-level, and transformed Tackle into Hundred Styles as Mark watched.

• Mark and Caterpie began their point-added training at Clear Stream Lake while the other Pokemon practiced separately.
• Over the years, Mark and Caterpie developed multiple specialized Tackle techniques, including defensive, perceptive, Foresight, Thunder Charge, and Absorb variations.
• After 117 years, Mark and Caterpie stopped developing individual techniques and meditated while working to simplify and integrate what they had learned.
• Vikavolt, Wimpod, Butterfree, and Magnemite each completed their Dream World training and disappeared, leaving Mark and Caterpie alone by the lake.
• In the 253rd year, Caterpie awakened its bloodline, achieved Veteran-level Energy Cycle and the Activated State, and saw Tackle become Hundred Styles.
• Caterpie's bloodline shackles came undone, its genes revealed countless moves that merged into Hundred Styles, and its body began dancing on its own.

After completing Return to Simplicity in the Dream World, Mark and the spirits woke to a Trainer Panel crash and an overwhelming hunger. Mark discovered that the Trainer Panel was a special ability formed after his transmigration, and resolved to understand and strengthen it as Caterpie continued to grow.

• Mark and Caterpie completed Return to Simplicity, but the Trainer Panel crashed as Mark tried to check their gains.
• Mark and the spirits ate for days, while Caterpie devoured most of their supplies and began crunching stones.
• Mark sent Vikavolt and Butterfree to gather branches, which Caterpie eagerly ate as green flames appeared and it grew to about 2.3 meters.
• Mark found that the Trainer Panel recovered from its crash within minutes and could now be controlled as a speck of light at his fingertip.
• Mark realized the Trainer Panel was a special ability created from mobile-game information fragments and decided to study and strengthen it.

After five days of eating and training, Mark’s Trainer Panel recovered and listed Duo Magnemite as his fourth Spirit. He checked Caterpie’s improved potential and new Hundred Styles, then discovered his own martial arts had advanced to Grandmaster through a new Transforming Strength technique.

• Mark checked his restored Trainer Panel and found that his experience had dropped to zero and Duo Magnemite had become his fourth Spirit.
• Mark examined Duo Magnemite and found it floating on Vikavolt’s back as a new, more comfortable flying seat.
• Mark checked Caterpie’s panel and saw that its physical potential had risen to B and that it had gained Activated State alongside Hundred Styles.
• Mark found that his Tackle Training Method had gained new modifiers and his Martial Arts Master rank had become Martial Arts Grandmaster after he comprehended Transforming Strength.
• Mark closed his panel and opened Butterfree’s and Wimpod’s information panels to inspect what they had gained.

Mark examined Butterfree and Wimpod’s new abilities, then planned to train Wimpod in Transforming Strength and strengthen Caterpie’s foundation before its evolution. As he considered registering at Hack Pokemon Academy, a voice from Fallen Sky Mountain called to him again.

• Mark saw that Butterfree’s Telekinesis had gained Willpower Amplification and that Wimpod’s Protect could transform its body into water to negate damage.
• Mark suspected Wimpod had Vaporeon genes and decided to teach it Transforming Strength to strengthen its defense.
• Wimpod agreed to learn Transforming Strength, and Mark planned to prioritize it for Wimpod’s next training points.
• Mark considered Caterpie’s unstable quasi-Master-level foundation and planned to optimize its Effort Range and develop its Bug-type Energy Cycle before evolution.
• Mark remembered Hack Pokemon Academy’s approaching registration deadline, then heard a girl’s voice from Fallen Sky Mountain asking why he had not come.

Mark followed Jirachi’s call to Fallen Sky Mountain and awakened it from its Dormant Cocoon. Jirachi explained that it could only stay awake for seven days and offered Mark a Small Wish after his wish to free it from sleeping failed.

• Mark deduced that Jirachi had chosen him and waited eleven days for Caterpie’s appetite to decrease before setting out.
• Mark traveled cautiously to Fallen Sky Mountain and followed Jirachi’s voice into a cave.
• Mark placed his palm on the cave wall, and a stone cocoon appeared and transformed into crystal.
• Mark broke open the crystal and freed Jirachi, who complained that he had taken too long to arrive.
• Mark wished for Jirachi to never sleep again, but Jirachi explained that its wishes could not affect itself and offered him a Small Wish.

Jirachi explained the rules and limits of its wishes while urging Mark to decide quickly. After meeting Mark’s Pokemon and offering to make Caterpie stronger, it left Mark asking whether he could wish for more than Master-level strength.

• Jirachi explained that wishes could not grant multiple wishes, alter Jirachi, fulfill overly ambitious desires, or exceed its limited power.
• Jirachi grew impatient as Mark thought about his wish, then examined and bit Mark’s hand before noticing his Pokeballs.
• Jirachi released Wimpod, which trembled and hid behind Mark after seeing Jirachi.
• Jirachi released Caterpie and offered to raise it to Master-level strength, but Caterpie thought it could reach that level through its own efforts.
• Mark asked Jirachi whether he could only wish for Caterpie to reach Master-level.

Mark proposed ways to use Jirachi’s wish to let it stay awake and explore while sleeping, then arranged to spend three days preparing a plan before they chose a wish. Jirachi granted Caterpie’s Small Wish for Great Balls and left to play, promising to return in three days.

• Jirachi explained that its wish could raise a Pokemon as high as Legendary level but could fail and be lost, while urging Mark to choose a Master-level wish.
• Mark proposed creating a remote clone for Jirachi, temporarily awakening it after sleep, or changing the world so sleep no longer existed; Jirachi thought the first two might work but rejected the third as dangerous.
• Mark said he did not urgently need a wish and suggested spending three days preparing a Wish Plan, followed by four days discussing it with Jirachi.
• Mark asked Jirachi to guide his Pokemon in Combat Training if their wish succeeded and directed it to give Caterpie the Small Wish.
• Caterpie wished for a Great Ball, and Jirachi fulfilled the wish by dropping several dozen blue Great Balls before leaving to play for three days.

Mark and Caterpie returned to Clear Stream Village, where Caterpie showed off its new strength before Old Man Qian revealed that Three Mountains Town had ordered the village to resume paying steep taxes. The chapter left Mark confronting Zhao Meisha’s scheme, which threatened to leave the villagers struggling to afford food.

• Caterpie celebrated Jirachi’s gift of sixty-three Great Balls, and Mark stored them before returning with it to Clear Stream Village.
• Caterpie demonstrated its muscular form and used Hundred Styles: Mega Punch to knock the courtyard’s Black Heavy Stone aside.
• Mark told Old Man Qian that Caterpie had comprehended Energy Cycle and reached Veteran-level, leaving him astonished.
• Old Man Qian gave Mark an official notice requiring Clear Stream Village to pay taxes again, including large shares of the breeding base and tomato garden’s output and a head tax.
• Old Man Qian blamed Zhao Meisha’s scheme for the tax burden and lamented that Aya had taken her as a teacher.

Old Man Qian told Mark that Zhao Meisha planned to burden Clear Stream Village with taxes, then win the villagers’ support by establishing a Gym and continuing her banned experiments. Jirachi intervened by changing the Gym application to name Old Man Qian as Gym Master and Mark as Vice Gym Leader.

• Old Man Qian explained that Zhao Meisha had arranged heavy taxes and was seeking approval to establish a Gym in Clear Stream Village.
• Mark and Old Man Qian heard a little girl’s voice, and Jirachi used Small Wish to alter their identity cards and the Gym application.
• Jirachi revealed itself to Mark and Old Man Qian, explaining that it had returned to help thwart Zhao Meisha’s scheme.
• Jirachi said it had listed Old Man Qian as Gym Master and Mark as Vice Gym Leader.
• Old Man Qian said Mark could receive a Trainer Qualification Certificate after the Gym had been established for a year.

Old Man Qian discovered that Jirachi had been playing games in his room and had helped Mark secure approval for Clear Stream Village Gym. He found Mark training in the courtyard, where Mark warned that provincial inspectors might arrive soon.

• After a night of tree planting and dancing in Clear Stream Forest with Mark, Old Man Qian woke to find Jirachi playing a handheld game console beside his bed.
• Jirachi gave Old Man Qian Fu Cong Capsules and said it liked Mark far more than Alice because Mark made it feel safe.
• Jirachi invited Old Man Qian to play games because Mark was busy, prompting Old Man Qian to seek Mark out in the courtyard.
• Old Man Qian found Mark and his Pokemon training, while Mark explained that Jirachi had adjusted the application order and Clear Stream Village Gym had already been approved.
• Jirachi confirmed the gym application was approved and explained that it had not mentioned this earlier because Old Man Qian had not asked.

Old Man Qian prepared for and underwent the Alliance’s review of his application to establish the Clear Stream Gym, while Mark learned that Aya had awakened a trace of Aura Power. The review moved to the Pokemon Center for its strength assessment, leaving Mark curious about Aya’s abilities.

• Old Man Qian explained the Gym Qualification Review to Mark and the others, then prepared gifts for the inspector.
• Gao Qiu arrived at the Clear Stream Village Pokemon Center, accepted Old Man Qian’s gift, and confirmed that the Center and local residents met the requirements.
• Gao Qiu greeted Mark as the prospective Vice Gym Leader and led Old Man Qian and Aya to the Pokemon Center for the Pokemon review.
• Aya asked Mark about his role and the future Gym Badge, then tried unsuccessfully to pet his disguised Mimikyu.
• Jirachi told Mark that Aya had awakened a small amount of Aura Power, and Mark wondered whether Zhao Meisha had taken Aya as a disciple to study it.