Chapter Summaries

Dongshu returned to Heavenly Green Mountain with Raikou, where Fire Emperor worried that the human child might leave them for the human world. Fire Emperor told Raikou about Team Rocket’s experiments on Pokémon, while Sakaki ordered Dr. Fuji to move the Mewtwo Project materials to New Island Laboratory after Alpha Base was destroyed.

• Dongshu and Raikou returned to Heavenly Green Mountain after nearly half a month, and Fire Emperor checked that Dongshu was safe before bringing him home.
• Fire Emperor told Raikou that Pokémon were disappearing and that Team Rocket was conducting cloning experiments, so Raikou agreed to protect the Pokémon.
• Fire Emperor worried that Dongshu might choose to return to human life, and Raikou promised he would protect him wherever he went.
• Matori reported that an unknown intruder had destroyed Alpha Base, but Dr. Fuji had escaped with the research materials.
• Sakaki ordered Dr. Fuji to move the materials to New Island Laboratory and declared that the Mewtwo Project would let him rule the world.

Dongshu told Fire Emperor about his trip with Raikou and eagerly discussed getting a starter Pokémon when he turned ten. He reassured Fire Emperor that Heavenly Green Mountain was home, then planned to invite Pokémon to live in its empty secret garden and shared a tender moment remembering how Fire Emperor had cared for him.

• Dongshu told Fire Emperor about Raikou, Ash, Serena, and Professor Oak, then searched for the Rainbow Feather Ho-Oh had given him.
• Dongshu said he could choose Charmander, Bulbasaur, or Squirtle when he turned ten, and Fire Emperor worried he might leave Heavenly Green Mountain for good.
• Dongshu promised Fire Emperor that he would return from his travels and invite Pokémon to live in the empty Ecological Garden.
• Dongshu remembered Fire Emperor finding him nearly seven years earlier and asked Fire Emperor to carry him along the beach as it had when they searched for Berries.

On Dongshu’s tenth birthday, Ho-Oh and the Legendary Beasts discussed who would accompany him on the journey he had long wanted to take. Dongshu woke and was asked to choose a traveling companion, leaving him to face an unusual version of the starter Pokémon choice.

• Ho-Oh told the others that Dongshu was already a Rainbow Hero and that he wanted to begin traveling now that he was ten.
• Raikou, Fire Emperor, and Suicune each volunteered to accompany Dongshu, while Marshadow watched silently.
• Ho-Oh decided that he would travel with Dongshu, explaining that the Legendary Beasts needed to fulfill their own missions and that Dongshu needed energy.
• Dongshu woke up, learned it was his birthday, and heard that the group had been discussing who would travel with him.
• Raikou asked Dongshu to choose his companion as Fire Emperor, Suicune, Raikou, Ho-Oh, and Marshadow watched expectantly.

Ash arrived late at Professor Oak's lab and received the remaining starter Pokémon, a Pikachu. At Heavenly Green Mountain, Ho-Oh chose Fire Emperor to accompany Dongshu, who prepared to leave for Pallet Town and seek a Pokédex, though he wondered how to explain Raikou's replacement to Professor Oak.

• Ash rushed to Professor Oak's lab, where Gary Oak bragged about getting his starter Pokémon and left in a red convertible with his cheerleading squad.
• Professor Oak told Ash that the usual starters were gone, then brought out a Pikachu for him.
• Dongshu struggled to choose among Ho-Oh and the three Legendary Beasts, so Ho-Oh decided that Fire Emperor would accompany and protect him.
• Ho-Oh, Raikou, and Suicune left Heavenly Green Mountain, leaving Dongshu and Fire Emperor to begin their journey.
• Dongshu planned to visit Professor Oak's Research Lab in Pallet Town for a Pokédex and worried about explaining why Fire Emperor was with him instead of Raikou.

Dongshu prepared to leave Heavenly Green Mountain with Fire Emperor, and Ho-Oh returned to give him life-giving Rainbow Feathers to use for healing during the journey. After saying goodbye to Marshadow and the mountain’s Pokémon, Dongshu set off with Fire Emperor.

• Dongshu packed supplies for the trip, and Fire Emperor told him Ho-Oh had returned.
• Ho-Oh gave Dongshu a mountain of Rainbow Feathers and explained that Fire Emperor could burn them with Sacred Fire to make Sacred Ash for healing.
• Dongshu thanked Ho-Oh, packed the feathers, and told Fire Emperor they could leave.
• Dongshu told Marshadow they were traveling and promised to return for the New Year, then Marshadow secretly followed him through the Shadow World.
• Dongshu told the Pokémon in the forest they could eat from the Berry orchard while he was away, reassured Butterfree they would return, and departed with Fire Emperor.

Ash and Pikachu survived the Spearow attack, accepted one another as partners, and witnessed Ho-Oh leave a rainbow feather with Ash. At Professor Oak’s lab, Dongshu arrived to receive a starter, but Oak was stunned by the powerful, unfamiliar Pokémon standing beside him instead of Raikou.

• Ash fell while fleeing the Spearow and stood between them and Pikachu as they prepared to attack.
• Pikachu protected Ash with a powerful electric blast that drove the Spearow away, then accepted Ash as its Trainer.
• Ho-Oh flew overhead and dropped a rainbow-colored feather into Ash’s hand.
• Professor Oak waited for Dongshu, while the last Pokémon in the lab despaired at being left without a Trainer.
• Dongshu arrived at the lab, and Professor Oak was shocked to see a powerful, scorching Pokémon beside him instead of Raikou.

Dongshu visited Professor Oak’s research institute with Fire Emperor to receive his first Pokémon and chose a frail Squirtle that the other children had passed over. After receiving Squirtle’s Poké Ball and a Pokédex, Dongshu heard Professor Oak eagerly ask to observe Fire Emperor.

• Professor Oak recognized Dongshu and was astonished to meet Fire Emperor, whom Dongshu introduced as the Pokémon who raised him.
• Professor Oak told Dongshu that Ash and Gary Oak had already started their journeys, and that one unchosen Pokémon remained.
• Dongshu met the undersized, nervous Squirtle and learned that it would stay at the institute if no Trainer chose it.
• Dongshu chose Squirtle, reassured it, and accepted its Poké Ball, five empty Poké Balls, and a Pokédex from Professor Oak.
• Professor Oak eagerly asked Dongshu if he could observe Fire Emperor.

Professor Oak revealed that Dongshu’s human parents, Matsuda and Yumiko, died protecting him from Pokémon Hunters, and gave him the address of his former home and their graves in Viridian City. After Fire Emperor corrected Oak’s mistaken belief that Raikou had found Dongshu, Dongshu set out for Viridian City with Raikou to visit his past.

• Professor Oak tested Fire Emperor’s power, and Fire Emperor’s strength exceeded the machine’s detection limit, shocking Oak.
• Professor Oak told Dongshu that his parents were Matsuda and Yumiko, who died when Pokémon Hunters attacked them ten years earlier.
• Oak gave Dongshu the address of his former home and his parents’ graves in Viridian City.
• Fire Emperor used telepathy to correct Oak, insisting that it—not Raikou—had found Dongshu and was his father.
• Dongshu thanked Professor Oak, said he was going to Viridian City, and departed with Raikou after Squirtle returned to its Poké Ball.

Dongshu arrived in Viridian City with Fire Emperor and learned that the address Professor Oak had given him was a supposedly haunted, abandoned manor. After Officer Jenny left to deal with criminals at the Pokémon Center, Dongshu and Fire Emperor stood outside the manor, ready to investigate.

• Officer Jenny stopped Dongshu and Fire Emperor at Viridian City's entrance, confirmed Dongshu's identity with Professor Oak's Pokédex, and told him Ash was receiving treatment at the Pokémon Center.
• Dongshu showed Officer Jenny the address for Residence No. 326, Butterfree Street, and she offered to guide him there.
• Officer Jenny explained that the abandoned manor had belonged to a family whose parents were murdered and whose infant child disappeared, while their Pokémon had later vanished too.
• Officer Jenny warned Dongshu that the house might be haunted, then left after receiving a call about criminals breaking into the Pokémon Center to steal Pokémon.
• Dongshu faced the dilapidated manor with Fire Emperor, who reassured him that it would stay by his side.

Dongshu explored his abandoned childhood home, remembered his late parents, and befriended a lonely Gastly that he captured. After an explosion lit up downtown Viridian City, he recognized the incident from the anime and decided to visit Ash.

• Dongshu entered his old home with Squirtle and Fire Emperor, and memories of his deceased parents overwhelmed him.
• Fire Emperor subdued a Gastly that had been living alone in the house, and Dongshu wondered if it had once been the family’s lost Meowth.
• Dongshu invited Gastly to come play with him, and it eagerly agreed to be caught in a Poké Ball.
• Dongshu saw a huge explosion in downtown Viridian City and recognized it as the Pokémon Center incident involving Ash and Team Rocket.
• Dongshu decided to go see Ash, whom he had not met in three years.

After the Pokémon thieves destroyed the Viridian City Pokémon Center, Ash and Misty set off together, with Ash agreeing to replace Misty’s bicycle. They reunited with Dongshu and Fire Emperor, and Ash challenged Dongshu to a battle, but Dongshu promised to battle another time.

• Officer Jenny identified the attackers as Pokémon thieves, while Nurse Joy told the Trainers the Pokémon had been moved to Pewter City and sent them to nearby inns.
• Misty insisted on traveling with Ash until he compensated her for her bicycle, and Ash agreed to buy her a new one.
• Officer Jenny recognized Dongshu at the ruins, and Ash, Misty, and Pikachu noticed Fire Emperor, an unfamiliar Pokémon traveling with him.
• Pikachu recognized Dongshu from their childhood and joyfully greeted him; Dongshu reminded Ash they had met at Professor Oak’s summer camp three years earlier.
• Dongshu explained that Raikou was away and introduced Fire Emperor as his father, startling Ash and Misty.
• Ash challenged Dongshu to a Pokémon Battle, but Dongshu declined because he was not yet ready to command his Pokémon and promised to battle another time.

Dongshu stayed behind in Viridian City to visit his deceased parents and decided to challenge the Tokiwa Gym so he could gain energy for raising Squirtle and Gastly. Before setting out with Fire Emperor, he turned Ho-Oh’s Rainbow Feathers into a bottle of Sacred Ash.

• Ash invited Dongshu to travel to Pewter City, but Dongshu said he needed to take care of something in Viridian City first.
• Misty warned Dongshu and Ash that the Tokiwa Gym was difficult for rookie Trainers, and Ash decided to challenge it after earning seven badges.
• Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny discussed Ash and Pikachu’s trip through dangerous Tokiwa Forest and reassured themselves that the pair would be fine.
• Dongshu visited his parents’ graves, promised to live well and travel as a Trainer, then told Fire Emperor he wanted to challenge Sakaki for energy.
• Dongshu asked Fire Emperor to use Sacred Fire to turn Ho-Oh’s Rainbow Feathers into Sacred Ash, filling a large glass bottle.

Dongshu challenged Sakaki at Tokiwa Gym and won the Green Badge after Fire Emperor defeated Golem and Kingler with Extrasensory. After learning Dongshu was a rookie Trainer, Sakaki decided against stealing Fire Emperor and chose to wait for Mewtwo’s birth.

• Dongshu entered Tokiwa Gym with Fire Emperor and challenged Sakaki for the Green Badge.
• Fire Emperor knocked out Sakaki’s Golem with Extrasensory before Golem’s Stomping Tantrum could take effect.
• Fire Emperor defeated Sakaki’s Kingler with another Extrasensory, and Sakaki awarded Dongshu the Green Badge.
• Dongshu left the Gym with Fire Emperor and headed toward Tokiwa Forest.
• Matori told Sakaki that Dongshu was a rookie Trainer who had received Squirtle and a Pokédex from Professor Oak less than a week earlier.
• Sakaki rejected Matori’s suggestion to steal Fire Emperor and decided to wait for Mewtwo to be born.

Dongshu and Fire Emperor traveled through Tokiwa Forest, where Dongshu cooked lunch for Squirtle and Gastly. After eating seafood rice infused with Sacred Ash, Squirtle’s body heated up and it suddenly unleashed a powerful stream of water.

• Fire Emperor lied about sensing danger to steer Dongshu away from the path where Raikou waited.
• Dongshu stopped in a clearing for lunch and called out Squirtle and Gastly while Fire Emperor lit the cooking fire.
• Dongshu prepared seafood rice with Sacred Ash for Squirtle as Gastly explored the campsite and played with a plush toy.
• Squirtle ate the meal and resolved to train harder so Dongshu would not abandon it.
• Squirtle felt its body heat up, then blasted a powerful stream of water that pierced a small tree.

Dongshu fed Squirtle Sacred Ash mixed rice, which left Squirtle feeling much stronger, then continued through Tokiwa Forest with Squirtle and Gastly. After Fire Emperor scared away a swarm of Beedrill, bug-catching boy Xiaosong challenged Dongshu to a Pokémon Battle.

• Dongshu explained that the rice contained Sacred Ash, and Squirtle eagerly finished its meal after sensing a surge of strength.
• Dongshu checked the Pokémon’s levels and considered catching a Caterpie as the group walked toward Pewter City.
• Xiaosong ran from a swarm of Beedrill and warned Dongshu to flee.
• Fire Emperor roared and drove the Beedrill swarm away.
• Xiaosong thanked Dongshu, introduced himself as a Bug Pokémon enthusiast, and challenged him to a battle.

Dongshu tested Squirtle’s enhanced power in a battle against Xiaosong, then rode Fire Emperor back to the place where Fire Emperor had found him as a child. He encountered Team Rocket’s trio in the forest and began reciting their familiar introduction.

• Dongshu had Squirtle battle Xiaosong’s Butterfree, and Squirtle’s unusually powerful Water Gun defeated it despite its higher level.
• Xiaosong vowed to catch rarer Bug-type Pokémon and challenge Dongshu again, while Dongshu set off with Squirtle, Gastly, and Fire Emperor.
• Fire Emperor explained that it had first planned to return Dongshu to the human world but had been unable to part with him.
• Dongshu spotted Jessie, James, and Meowth plotting in the grass and startled them with the opening line of their own introduction.

Dongshu and Fire Emperor reached Pewter City after blasting Team Rocket away, and Dongshu visited Pewter Gym to challenge Brock. Brock welcomed him while hiding his dream of becoming a Pokémon Breeder, which he had set aside to care for his nine younger siblings.

• Dongshu pretended to recruit Meowth, and Fire Emperor sent Team Rocket flying with Sacred Fire after Jessie ordered Ekans to attack.
• Dongshu and Fire Emperor crossed Tokiwa Forest, reached Pewter City, and headed straight to Pewter Gym.
• Brock reassured his younger siblings that their parents would return, then declined Forrest's offer to take over their care so Brock could pursue his Breeder dream.
• Brock met Dongshu at the Gym and introduced himself as its Leader.
• Brock activated the Gym's rocky battlefield and formally presented himself to Dongshu.

Dongshu won the Pewter Gym battle with Squirtle and earned the Boulder Badge, then Brock learned that Fire Emperor had raised Dongshu as his son. As Dongshu and Fire Emperor left the Gym, Raikou appeared and angrily confronted Fire Emperor over avoiding him and monopolizing Dongshu.

• Dongshu sent Squirtle to battle Brock's Onix, and Squirtle activated Torrent to defeat it with a powerful Water Gun.
• Squirtle defeated Brock's Geodude with Water Gun after dodging its Rollout, earning Dongshu the Boulder Badge.
• Brock asked whether Fire Emperor was Dongshu's Pokémon, and Dongshu explained that Fire Emperor had raised him since he was less than a year old.
• Brock escorted Dongshu out of the Gym, where Raikou arrived and accused Fire Emperor of deliberately avoiding him and keeping Dongshu to himself.

Dongshu reconciled Fire Emperor and Raikou after they argued over taking turns accompanying him, then set out to explore Pewter City with both of his adoptive dads. Their arrival at the Pokémon Center stunned Nurse Joy and the assembled Trainers when a Pokédex identified Raikou as a Legendary Pokémon.

• Fire Emperor told Raikou he understood why Raikou wanted to take his place, and Raikou objected that Fire Emperor had deliberately avoided him.
• Dongshu suggested that he, Fire Emperor, and Raikou explore Pewter City together, and Raikou agreed.
• Brock learned that Fire Emperor and Raikou had raised Dongshu together and warned him that the Legendary Pokémon would attract attention.
• Dongshu went with Fire Emperor and Raikou to Pewter City's Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy recognized the two Pokémon.
• A Trainer scanned Raikou with a Pokédex, whose announcement that Raikou was a Legendary Pokémon shocked everyone in the center.

Dongshu stayed at the Pewter City Pokémon Center with Fire Emperor, Raikou, Squirtle, and Gastly, drawing attention after revealing that he had caught two Legendary Pokémon. As Dongshu rested, Raikou claimed that he would travel with him next, while Ash and Misty arrived in Pewter City and headed toward the reported Legendary Pokémon sighting.

• Dongshu showed Nurse Joy his Pokédex, received his room, and gained Shock Points from trainers who were shocked that he had caught Legendary Pokémon.
• Dongshu fed Fire Emperor, Raikou, Squirtle, and Gastly at the Pokémon Center, and Squirtle recovered after drinking Moomoo Milk mixed with Sacred Ash.
• Chris challenged Dongshu to a battle, while a noblely dressed trainer offered three rare Dragon-type Pokémon for Raikou; Raikou scared the man off, and Dongshu declined both requests.
• Raikou complained that humans treated Pokémon as trade goods, and Dongshu explained that Trainers sometimes traded Pokémon to find partners better suited to them.
• Dongshu went to sleep, and Raikou announced that he would take his turn traveling with him the next day; Fire Emperor silently agreed to let him.
• Ash arrived in Pewter City and heard reporters discussing a Legendary Pokémon sighting, so Misty urged him to go see it.