Chapter Summaries

Captain Moore organized teams to investigate the Arctic research stations that had gone silent, and Su Hao equipped their leaders with devices that could contact and locate him. As the teams set out across the frozen continent, Su Hao took to the sky with Articuno to begin his own search.

• Captain Moore briefed the personnel aboard the Hope and assigned exploration teams led by Ault, Sophia, and Shi Wei.
• Su Hao gave Ault, Sophia, and Shi Wei watch-like devices that provided reliable communication and location tracking, and all three accepted them.
• The exploration teams put on protective suits and departed in polar tracked vehicles to investigate the Arctic Continent.
• Su Hao summoned Articuno, flew above the frozen continent, and examined the map Shi Wei had given him.

Su Hao flew toward the Yellow River Research Station on Articuno and found a researcher observing Arctic Pokémon from atop a Cryogonal. He approached the Shenzhou researcher, who mistook Articuno’s arrival for divine punishment.

• Su Hao chose the Yellow River Research Station to avoid overlapping with the other exploration teams and flew toward it on Articuno.
• Su Hao observed populations of Piplup and Dewgong living peacefully under Empoleon’s protection.
• Su Hao detected a weak Aura signature and spotted a fully equipped person watching the Pokémon from a Cryogonal.
• Su Hao recognized the person as a researcher from the nearby Yellow River Research Station and descended with Articuno to speak with them.
• The researcher exclaimed in alarm and trembled at Articuno’s Divine Might.

Su Hao reached the Yellow River Research Station and learned that attacks by a Weavile pack had cut off its communications. After hearing that other research stations had also mysteriously lost contact, the station director asked Su Hao to restore the relay stations.

• He Wen recognized Su Hao as the Pokémon League's new Champion and explained that the station had lost contact after Pokémon attacked its signal relay stations.
• He Wen identified the attackers as a Weavile pack that had forced the researchers to suspend their expedition into the Arctic interior.
• Su Hao decided to visit the research station and help resolve the communication problem, temporarily recalling Articuno before entering.
• The Yellow River Research Station's director told Su Hao that repairing its shared relay stations might restore contact with other research stations and entrusted him with the task.

Su Hao rushed to repair the Arctic signal relay stations and destroyed a large Weavile and Sneasel pack blocking the repair team. After the stations were restored, the Yellow River Research Station contacted the other outposts and received an alarming encrypted warning: “Do not answer!”

• Su Hao used Lucario’s Teleport to bring the repair team to a relay station, where a pack of more than five hundred Weavile and Sneasel surrounded them.
• Su Hao Mega Evolved Lucario, which stopped time and defeated the entire pack with Close Combat.
• Su Hao guided the repair team as they restored five signal relay stations and returned to the Yellow River Research Station in less than half a day.
• The station reported that it was safe and tried to contact the other Divine Land Alliance research stations; one responded while four remained silent.
• An encrypted message played over the speakers, repeatedly warning everyone not to answer.

Shi Wei's team found the Yanhuang Research Station deserted, with its Pokémon turned into ice sculptures, and called Su Hao for help. Meanwhile, two other teams investigated abandoned stations without realizing that their actions had drawn danger toward them, as a black-cloaked man surveyed an icy palace.

• The Yellow River Research Station received an automatic warning from the Yanhuang Research Station: “Don't answer,” and Su Hao tracked the expedition teams arriving at their destinations.
• Shi Wei's team searched the Yanhuang Research Station and found no people, only ice sculptures matching the Pokémon registered to its staff.
• Shi Wei had her team leave the station and pressed the distress-call button on Su Hao's watch.
• The other two exploration teams investigated their deserted stations and tried to use the equipment, unknowingly attracting danger.
• In the Arctic interior, Cryogonal guarded a vast hollow filled with Icicle Plates and humanoid ice sculptures as a black-cloaked man dismissed the latest batch.

Glacier planned to force his way into the Hollow Trial after failing to find anyone qualified, and set out to capture people at two research stations while hunting Ancient Sword Leopard. Meanwhile, Su Hao arrived at the Yanhuang Research Station and exposed Shi Wei and the others hiding in the snow.

• Glacier recalled how he had used intercepted signals to locate Arctic research stations and abducted their personnel to test for the Hollow Trial’s qualification.
• With the polar night nearing its end and no more people to test, Glacier decided to capture Ancient Sword Leopard and use it to strengthen his forces.
• When three new signal sources appeared, Glacier chose to visit the White Eagle and North Bear Alliance stations first, believing a qualified person might be among their personnel.
• Glacier departed with Regice, intending to capture Ancient Sword Leopard along the way and ultimately awaken the Strongest Dragon on the Surface.
• Su Hao flew to the Yanhuang Research Station on Articuno and used Aura to reveal Shi Wei and the others, who had been hiding under homemade snow camouflage.

Su Hao reached the Yanhuang Research Station, melted the supernatural ice encasing nearly a hundred Pokémon, and restored their vitality. He left Shi Wei and the others to care for them while he prepared to investigate the Yellow River Research Station, which he suspected was the next target.

• Su Hao followed Shi Wei and the others to the frozen Pokémon and praised them for avoiding the station’s communications equipment.
• Shi Wei tried to melt a Piloswine-shaped ice sculpture with her Delphox, but its flames could not affect the ice.
• Su Hao used Reshiram’s Blue Flare to melt the ice, then treated the weakened Pokémon with Life Energy spheres until they were out of danger.
• Su Hao ordered Shi Wei and the others to stay at the Yanhuang Research Station, care for the Pokémon, and contact him through their watches if danger arose.
• Su Hao cut off the station’s contact with the survey vessel and suspected that the Yellow River Research Station would be the next target.

Su Hao followed Articuno’s detection of a severely injured Ice-type Legendary Pokémon near the Yellow River Research Station, expecting to find Regice and Glacier. Instead, he discovered that the familiar Aura inside the cave belonged to Ancient Sword Leopard.

• Su Hao ordered Captain Moore to keep the Hope research vessel silent and cut contact with the exploration teams while he prepared to return to the station.
• Articuno told Su Hao it could sense another Ice-type Legendary Pokémon only if its aura leaked within range, and Su Hao suspected the missing Regice was responsible for the frozen Pokémon.
• As Su Hao approached the Yellow River Research Station, Articuno sensed a nearby Ice-type Legendary Pokémon that was badly injured and unable to hide its unstable aura.
• Su Hao changed course and followed the aura to a cave in the Snow Mountains, where he extended his Aura to check for danger.
• Su Hao recognized the familiar Aura inside the cave as Ancient Sword Leopard, which responded to his presence with a weak, threatening hiss.

Su Hao calmed the badly injured Ancient Sword Leopard by petting it and healing it with Tokiwa Power, and it fell asleep after asking him for revenge. Articuno and Su Hao suspected that Glacier’s allies had used special technology alongside Regice’s power to injure it.

• Ancient Sword Leopard hissed at Su Hao, mistaking him for a threat while it muttered about Old Wu.
• Articuno prepared to subdue Ancient Sword Leopard, but Su Hao insisted on calming it himself.
• Su Hao used Aura, Wave Power, and Tokiwa Power to soothe Ancient Sword Leopard, then petted it until it relaxed.
• Ancient Sword Leopard told Su Hao it had been bullied, and Su Hao promised they would get revenge before it fell asleep.
• Articuno and Su Hao discussed how Regice and technology from Giovanni’s side might have injured Ancient Sword Leopard, and Articuno sensed residual power interfering with Su Hao’s treatment.

Su Hao and his Pokémon purified the negative energy inside Ancient Sword Leopard, then learned that Giovanni’s research had led to its ambush. As Su Hao prepared to help Ancient Sword Leopard get revenge, his watch showed that Ault and Sophia’s teams were in danger beyond the expedition map.

• Su Hao recognized that foreign negative energy was preventing Ancient Sword Leopard from healing, so Diancie and Milotic purified its body.
• Ancient Sword Leopard woke up restored and remembered how a human and an ice Pokémon had ambushed it with a device that injected Alien Energy.
• Su Hao asked Ancient Sword Leopard what had happened, and it recounted the attack before Su Hao offered to help it get revenge.
• Su Hao’s watch displayed emergency distress signals for Ault and Sophia’s teams, whose markers had overlapped and moved beyond the map.

Su Hao learned that Glacier had captured Ault and Sophia, then flew toward Glacier’s location to rescue them. Meanwhile, Glacier brought his captives to a Great Hollow and offered them a chance to seek Kyurem’s recognition, leaving them facing a path into the abyss.

• Su Hao used his watch’s tracking to locate Glacier and set out with Articuno and Ancient Sword Leopard, while warning the research teams and Hope that Ault and Sophia had been captured.
• Glacier led Ault, Sophia, and other captives to a Great Hollow surrounded by countless Cryogonal.
• Glacier revealed that Kyurem slept at the bottom of the hollow and claimed that anyone who passed its Trial could command its power.
• Sophia briefly grew excited about meeting Kyurem but calmed down, while Ault distrusted Glacier’s offer.
• Glacier had Regice create an ice path across the Great Hollow and invited the captives to try for Kyurem’s recognition.

Sophia, Ault, and the others reached the ice palace but were judged unqualified and frozen by the dragon within. Glacier prepared to attack the remaining research station before Su Hao arrived to confront him, while a mysterious figure emerged from a spatial rift above the Island Sanctuary.

• Sophia, Ault, and their group found the palace surrounded by living people frozen into ice sculptures, including the missing research station personnel.
• Glacier denied freezing the victims and explained that only those with the proper qualifications could pass the Hollow's Trial and awaken the Strongest Dragon on the Surface.
• The Cryogonal formed an Aurora Veil and declared the group unqualified, after which a dragon's roar paralyzed them and an ice-blue torrent froze them.
• Glacier, protected by Regice, planned to attack the surviving research station and then the ship, but Su Hao arrived on Articuno and told him he would not get the chance.
• At the Island Sanctuary, Tapu Lele sensed danger as Kapu, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Koko looked toward a spatial rift, from which a figure shrouded in black mist emerged.

Mewtwo appeared at the Island Sanctuary alongside Giovanni and overwhelmed the four Tapu Guardian Deities with its immense power. After Mewtwo destroyed their combined Guardian of Alola attack, the Tapu lost consciousness, leaving the island’s fate uncertain.

• Xing Tiandao recognized Mewtwo in the sky as a spatial rift opened over the Island Sanctuary.
• Tapu Lele and the other three Tapu spread their island domains and gathered the Power of Nature to confront Mewtwo.
• Giovanni emerged from the rift and said Mewtwo could defeat the Tapu even while its armor was being upgraded.
• Mewtwo unleashed its aura, causing the people and Pokémon across the sanctuary and nearby seas to faint.
• The four Tapu formed Guardian of Alola and struck Mewtwo together, but its solidified Mental Power shattered their attack and knocked them unconscious.

Giovanni used the four Island Guardians to open the Sun-Moon Altar and force Cosmoem to evolve under its light. His brainwashing and Gigantamax modifications turned it into a frenzied Beast of the Sun, leaving his new weapon unleashed.

• A White Eagle soldier reported that Mewtwo had defeated the four Island Guardians, and the White Eagle Alliance sent support toward the Island Sanctuary.
• Giovanni praised Mewtwo’s transformed power and took Cosmoem toward the hidden Sun-Moon Altar on Poni Island.
• Mewtwo placed the unconscious Island Guardians on the altar’s pillars, and their song opened the altar to its transformation light.
• Giovanni exposed Cosmoem to the altar’s light while his brainwashing and Gigantamax modifications took effect.
• Cosmoem evolved into a blood-red, savage Beast of the Sun and roared.

Giovanni obtained Solgaleo and used mental shackles to make it submit, then prepared to test its power against the approaching Forces of Nature. The Forces of Nature arrived to find the Tapu Guardian Deities defeated, and Solgaleo attacked them in its Rising Sun Form.

• Mewtwo dispersed the Mist, revealing Solgaleo at the Island Sanctuary in its Legendary Class form.
• Giovanni made Solgaleo bow to him through the mental shackles rooted in its soul.
• Mewtwo sensed three Legendary Class auras approaching, and Giovanni ordered it to stand down so Solgaleo could be tested.
• The Forces of Nature arrived at the Island Sanctuary and saw the four Tapu Guardian Deities lying battered on the altar pillars.
• Giovanni ordered Solgaleo to deal with the Forces of Nature, and Solgaleo transformed into its Rising Sun Form.

Giovanni used Solgaleo to defeat The Forces of Nature and the Island Guardian Pokémon, then prepared to kill them with Mewtwo before Zygarde intervened. In the North Pole, Su Hao defeated Glacier’s Regice and was recognized as qualified to begin the Trial of the Void.

• Solgaleo overwhelmed The Forces of Nature and forced them back to the Altar of the Sunne.
• Giovanni ordered Solgaleo to open an Ultra Wormhole, then told Mewtwo to kill The Forces of Nature and the Island Guardian Pokémon.
• Zygarde appeared through a golden ring and transformed into its complete form to confront Giovanni and Mewtwo.
• Su Hao defeated Glacier’s Regice and found Sophia and the others preserved as ice sculptures.
• Glacier taunted Su Hao for lacking the qualification to awaken the Strongest Dragon on the Surface, but the voice at the curtain wall declared Su Hao qualified to initiate the Trial of the Void.

Su Hao learned that the Ice Palace’s Trial qualified him solely because its dormant life-form recognized his life-force, while Glacier’s despair ended in his execution by Ancient Sword Leopard. Su Hao continued inspecting the frozen researchers and confronted the likely Slate Spirit that kept urging him toward the palace.

• The palace’s voice repeatedly ordered Su Hao to enter and begin the Trial, prompting Glacier to demand an explanation for why Su Hao was qualified.
• The voice revealed that Su Hao’s life-force fluctuations were the sole qualification criterion, driving Glacier into a breakdown.
• Su Hao told Ancient Sword Leopard to deal with Glacier, and Ancient Sword Leopard beheaded him.
• Su Hao examined the ice statues and noticed Glacier’s Aura disappear, accepting that Glacier’s past crimes did not vanish because his will had been twisted.
• Su Hao snapped at a presence inside him to control its companion, suspecting the nagging voice was a Youthful Slate Spirit with an Icicle Plate Fragment.

Su Hao entered the palace at the Great Hollow and found Kyurem asleep behind a barrier powered by an Icicle Plate Fragment. When Cryogonal gathered into Kyurem’s shape and the Fragment froze them into a giant ice dragon, the Hollow Trial began.

• Su Hao found the people trapped in ice alive and stable, then left Ancient Sword Leopard to guard them while he entered the palace with Articuno and Diancie.
• Su Hao and his Pokémon found Kyurem sleeping inside an ice-blue barrier beneath a floating Icicle Plate Fragment.
• Cryogonal swarmed into the palace and gathered into a huge Kyurem-shaped formation.
• The Icicle Plate Fragment unleashed an Ice Torrent that froze and unified the Cryogonal into a gigantic ice Kyurem.
• A voice announced that the Hollow Trial had begun and that only those who filled the hollow could awaken the sleeping dragon.

Su Hao and his Pokémon fought a Fake Kyurem formed from Cryogonal, but discovered it could repeatedly revive and grow stronger. They realized defeating it would not complete the Trial and turned their attention to the Icicle Plate Fragment’s Light Barrier and the sleeping Kyurem.

• Diancie blocked the Fake Kyurem’s frigid breath, while Articuno’s Blizzard only strengthened its ice armor.
• Su Hao had Diancie defeat the Fake Kyurem, but Kyurem remained asleep and the Light Barrier did not disappear.
• The Cryogonal reassembled into Fake Kyurem, and Diancie defeated it again, only for it to revive faster and move more agilely.
• Su Hao observed the Icicle Plate Fragment restoring fallen Cryogonal and concluded that the Hollow Trial’s key was Kyurem, not the Fake Kyurem.
• Su Hao sent Milotic and the others to support Diancie, then went with Articuno toward the Light Barrier.

After Articuno discovered that the Icicle Plate Fragment had used Kyurem’s power to form an impenetrable Light Barrier, Su Hao found a way to reach the sleeping dragon. He bought Tokiwa Power from the Slate Spirit’s System Store and prepared to contact Kyurem across the barrier.

• Articuno told Su Hao that threads connected Kyurem to the Light Barrier and Icicle Plate Fragment, making the barrier too powerful to break by force.
• Su Hao apologized to the Slate Spirit and asked it for a way past the obstacle, prompting it to activate a mission to fill the emptiness in Kyurem’s heart.
• Su Hao found Tokiwa Power in the System Store and decided to buy it because it might let him bypass the Light Barrier and contact Kyurem.
• The Slate Spirit quickly infused Tokiwa Power into Su Hao, who sensed Kyurem’s presence through the new ability.
• Su Hao asked Reshiram whether Kyurem could still feel empty after truth and ideals returned; Reshiram admitted it did not know and agreed to guard the outside with possible help from Cycloze.
• Su Hao focused Tokiwa Power on Kyurem and began to transcend the laws of spacetime.