Chapter Summaries

Ye Lan arrived at Snake Guardian Village and learned that a crisis had prompted the clan to summon everyone back. The High Priest summoned him, and Ye Lan discovered the seemingly human elder was actually a Serperior.

• Mia and Ye Lan entered the village, where Scar greeted Ye Lan with elaborate Huaxia-style etiquette that Jero explained Scar had learned after hearing about Ye Lan.
• Ye Lan asked why the Snake Guardian Clan had gathered, and Jero said the elders had warned that the real bandits were coming.
• Clan members told Ye Lan that the High Priest wished to meet him, so he followed them to a dim wooden hut.
• Ye Lan sensed that the High Priest was a Grass-type Pokémon and recognized the elder as a Serperior.
• The High Priest confirmed that Ye Lan had correctly identified its true nature.

Ye Lan met Andrew, a Serperior who had lived for more than a thousand years, and learned that Andrew had sought him out after confirming his abilities. Andrew began describing his late wife, who differed from ordinary Serperior, but had not yet explained what made her unique.

• Andrew demonstrated his ability to change between human and Serperior forms and said his kind had developed methods of their own despite lacking psychic talent.
• Ye Lan scanned Andrew, discovered his Mastery-level moves, and received Sunshine Points for the scan and the “Thousand-Year-Old Serpent” achievement.
• Andrew introduced himself and said the Pokémon in Ye Lan’s shadow had existed for almost as long as he had.
• Andrew explained that his wife had been unusually gentle and looked different from ordinary Serperior, leading Ye Lan to mistakenly guess she had a special form.
• Andrew began recalling his wife’s appearance, but withheld the details after Ye Lan offered to massage his shoulders.

Andrew told Ye Lan about the ancient pact guarding the forest’s Grass-type treasure and revealed that he had lured intruders into an explosive decoy. He asked Ye Lan to awaken his wife and conceal the treasure, offering friendship and knowledge in return.

• Andrew described the golden-marked Serperior and explained that a treasure beneath the forest had enriched the Snake Guardian Clan for generations.
• Andrew revealed that he had lived among the clan disguised as its High Priest to protect the pact and keep watch over humans.
• Andrew said intruders had been drawn to a decoy, and an explosion shook the area as they triggered the trap.
• Andrew explained how the decoy and the village’s Grass-type Energy had been concealed to lure and prepare for the intruders.
• Andrew asked Ye Lan to awaken his wife and hide the treasure’s aura, promising him the Snake Guardian Clan’s friendship and instruction in Leaf Storm and Glare.

Ye Lan agreed to enter the trial beneath Snake Guardian Village and try to reach Andrew’s sleeping wife, hoping to learn about Serperior’s unknown form. After receiving a bracelet that enhanced Grass-type and solar energy, he bargained with Andrew for Serperior scales, and Andrew finally agreed to give him some.

• Andrew explained that the trial beneath Snake Guardian Village led to his sleeping wife, whose consciousness Ye Lan might be able to reach.
• Ye Lan agreed to attempt the trial, then asked Andrew for compensation because he had recently acquired a third Pokémon.
• Andrew gave Ye Lan a crystal bracelet, and the system reported improved effects from several of Ye Lan’s abilities.
• Marshadow emerged from Ye Lan’s shadow and harried Andrew while Ye Lan recognized the bracelet’s crystals as material from the evolution chamber.
• Ye Lan asked Andrew for boxes of shed Serperior scales, and Andrew agreed after Ye Lan refused to stop Marshadow.

Ye Lan prepared to enter the Snake Guardian Clan’s ancestral trial after earning enough Sunshine Points to approach his first ten-pull on the Lucky Wheel. While the other young participants entered the village passage, Mickey led Ye Lan to a separate trial entrance: a cave.

• Andrew watched Marshadow join Ye Lan’s shadow and reflected on the Pokémon’s unusual nature.
• Scar interpreted its beating from the boss lady as proof that she had feelings for it, and Jero learned the details while Reg and Ai Li began teasing him.
• Ye Lan checked his 236 Sunshine Points and looked forward to spinning the Lucky Wheel after saving enough for a ten-pull.
• Mickey gathered the Serperior trainers and recounted his past adventures instead of explaining the trial, until Granny Qing stopped him.
• Mickey told Ye Lan to wait while the other participants entered the village passage, then led him to a separate trial entrance in a cave.

Ye Lan learned about the Snake Guardian Clan’s ancestral land trial from Ru Hua, who also introduced her Serperior to his. After Ru Hua opened the passage, Andrew kicked Ye Lan and Whimsicott into the deep shaft, leaving Ye Lan vowing revenge.

• Mickey summoned his Serperior, Ru Hua, who sent him crashing into a rock wall after he teased her name.
• Ru Hua enthusiastically spoke with Ye Lan’s Serperior and revealed that she wanted her son Qingqing to be considered as a match for Ye Lan’s Serperior.
• Ru Hua explained that each clan member faced a different ancestral land trial and that enduring it longer brought benefits only Serperior could receive.
• Ru Hua used Leaf Storm to make the vines lift the boulders and reveal a deep underground shaft.
• Andrew suddenly kicked Ye Lan and Whimsicott into the shaft, and Ye Lan threatened to catch Andrew’s wife with an Ultra Ball.

Ye Lan, Serperior, Whimsicott, and Marshadow fell through an old shaft, where a green membrane slowed their descent. They emerged into a vast primeval forest that Marshadow recognized as at least four hundred years old.

• Andrew kicked Marshadow into the shaft after it struggled to jump in after Ye Lan, while Ru Hua reassured him that the fall was safe.
• Mickey asked Andrew whether Ye Lan had said he wanted to capture Andrew's wife, and Andrew denied hearing it before kicking Mickey into the rock wall.
• Ye Lan fell with Whimsicott and Serperior, and Whimsicott used Cotton Guard to slow Serperior's descent.
• Marshadow caught up with Ye Lan using Turbo Acceleration and collided with his back, leaving Ye Lan coughing.
• Ye Lan tested the green membrane with cotton, then led the group through it after Marshadow sensed it was safe.
• The group reached a crystal passage overlooking an immense ancient forest, and Marshadow recognized it as at least four hundred years old.

Ye Lan used Sunshine Points to translate ancient inscriptions in the Snake Guardian Clan’s underground trial grounds and learned how the forest and the clan came to be. The murals left the story of Andrew and his wife’s arrival unexplained, while the final inscription revealed that the Snake Guardian Clan alone remained to guard the place after the other Pokémon clans departed.

• Ye Lan discovered that the crystal passage was lined with ancient Unova text, and the system offered him temporary translation access for 25 Sunshine Points per hour.
• The system added the Ancient Text Scholar task, which required Ye Lan to converse with three Unown, and Ye Lan spent 25 Sunshine Points to translate the inscriptions.
• The murals described a deity restoring the ravaged Unova Region by planting a Grass-energy stone slab in a forest, where a human tribe later settled.
• Ye Lan saw a mural of two wounded snake-like magical beasts arriving at the tribe’s settlement and guessed they were Andrew and his wife.
• The translated text said the other Pokémon clans returned to their homelands after the deity withdrew the stone slab, leaving the Snake Guardian Clan to guard the place.

Ye Lan reached the end of Crystal Passage and discovered a wooden Serperior statue guarding the trial's next step. After Serperior awakened it with Leaf Storm, the statue challenged the group, but Ye Lan impatiently told it to hurry up and begin the assessment.

• Ye Lan wondered what treasure the Snake Guardian Clan protected after learning that the Plate had been taken, then left Crystal Passage with Rillaboom.
• Ye Lan explored the enclosed ancient forest and found a wooden Serperior statue in a clearing with no other Pokémon nearby.
• Ye Lan had Serperior use Leaf Storm on the statue, and it absorbed the leaves and gradually changed color.
• The statue came to life, looked over the group, and questioned whether they were Snake Guardian Clan members participating in the trial.
• Ye Lan told the statue to restore its mobility and start the assessment, leaving it stunned by his lack of deference.

Ye Lan passed the forest trial by defeating a wooden Serperior and learned that its energy could improve Serperior’s sensitivity to Grass-type energy. After a second Serperior shared information with him, the trial shifted to a tent where Ye Lan was separated from his Pokémon.

• The wooden Serperior raised its power to peak advanced level, but Ye Lan had Rillaboom, Serperior, and Whimsicott attack it together and quickly defeated it.
• Serperior absorbed the motes of light left by the wooden Serperior and became more sensitive to Grass-type energy.
• Ye Lan entered the next forest and met an elegant wooden Serperior, which declared that he had passed and then revealed information to him through its psychic powers.
• The elegant Serperior turned into motes of light and was absorbed by Serperior, who grew furious at its flirtation with Ye Lan.
• The forest disappeared, and Ye Lan found himself alone inside a tent decorated like an ancient tribe.

Ye Lan confronted Taya in her consciousness space and learned how she had shaped the trials to test his Serperior. After Ye Lan told Taya that Andrew had sent him to check on her, he exaggerated Andrew’s current life until Taya grew suspicious and upset.

• Ye Lan recognized the repeated forest as a scene recreated from his subconscious and realized the trials were taking place inside Taya’s consciousness.
• Taya explained that the challenge was a selection process and refused to let Ye Lan’s Serperior skip ahead without proving itself.
• Ye Lan overwhelmed Taya with sincere praise through his practiced mind-link game, which he had developed with Whimsicott.
• Ye Lan told Taya that Andrew had sent him to check on her, and she believed the explanation after recalling Andrew’s carefree nature.
• Ye Lan exaggerated Andrew’s status and renewed vigor until Taya’s expression darkened, while Ye Lan planned to make Andrew suffer with Domestic Violence.

Ye Lan learned the truth about the Snake Guardian Clan’s treasure and discovered that Andrew had deceived him to find a worthy successor to its power. After Taya offered a customized trial to make amends, Ye Lan chose Whimsicott, and she revealed the Pokémon below them.

• Ye Lan tried to soften his earlier accusations against Andrew, but Taya insisted that Andrew was at fault.
• Andrew learned that thieves were attacking Pokémon groups and ordered all professional-rank Trainers and above to protect them.
• Taya explained that the treasure was an imitation stone tablet containing the consciousness of generations of Serperior, and that she and Andrew had guarded it for centuries.
• Ye Lan realized Andrew had fabricated his claims about Taya’s special form and the forest’s impending crisis to get Ye Lan’s Serperior recognized by the treasure.
• Taya offered Ye Lan a customized trial for one of his Pokémon, and Ye Lan chose Whimsicott.
• Taya made the tent floor disappear, revealing three anxious Pokémon below, and Marshadow cautiously tested the new surface.

Ye Lan and Taya watched Serperior, Whimsicott, and Rillaboom continue the trial after Ye Lan disappeared, but repeated Casteliacone visions turned the test into a farce. Taya ended the trial, and Ye Lan awoke inside a floating green membrane among his Pokémon and the sleeping Mia and Qingqing.

• After Ye Lan vanished, Rillaboom calmed Serperior and Whimsicott and led them back through the crystal passage to continue the trial.
• Serperior activated its wooden sculpture, which appeared as a giant vanilla Casteliacone, and later stages produced more Casteliacones.
• Taya recognized Ye Lan's attempts to probe the consciousness space and pulled Whimsicott back to him; Whimsicott told Ye Lan about the Casteliacones and plotted to threaten Andrew.
• Taya ended the trial, brought Rillaboom to Ye Lan, and left Serperior in the trial grounds.
• Ye Lan's vision blurred, and he awoke floating inside a green membrane alongside his three Pokémon, young Snake Guardian Clan members, and their Pokémon; Mia and Qingqing were still asleep nearby.

Ye Lan passed Taya’s qualification test but was transported to a dangerous primitive setting where his system abilities failed. While he tried to stay calm with Serperior, Whimsicott and Rillaboom attempted to wake Taya and accidentally began slamming her around.

• The green crystal selected Ye Lan as qualified and transported him and Serperior into a strange setting where his Pokémon abilities and system powers failed.
• Ye Lan found himself dressed like a primitive tribesman among roaring people and realized Marshadow was missing.
• Serperior nuzzled Ye Lan, helping him regain his composure despite the danger.
• Whimsicott and Rillaboom tried to wake Taya so she could help Ye Lan escape the crystal.
• Rillaboom grabbed Taya by the tail and repeatedly slammed her into the ground, while Whimsicott watched in alarm.

Ye Lan and Serperior faced the Snake Guardian Tribe’s trial, fighting waves of magical beasts on a stone platform. As their battle stirred the tribe, Whimsicott struggled to wake Taya before she caused more trouble.

• Whimsicott worried that Rillaboom’s violent attempts to wake Taya would get them beaten before they could protect Ye Lan and Serperior.
• The Snake Guardian Tribe hailed Ye Lan as its strongest Kava, performed a ritual blessing on him and Serperior, and began the trial by releasing magical beasts onto the platform.
• Ye Lan caught a spear and fought beside Serperior, helping fend off attacks while Serperior held back the charging beasts.
• Ye Lan and Serperior unleashed a powerful Leaf Storm that swept across the platform and knocked down the beasts.
• Three young tribe members argued over Serperior until someone kicked them into a heap.

Mickey coordinated the evacuation of elf groups into Snake Guardian Village as bandits attacked their route, while he reflected on the High Priest’s decision to transfer clan authority to him. The chapter left the village’s defenses holding and Mickey facing an unexpected role leading the Snake Guardian Clan.

• The High Priest rebuked three young clansmen for fooling around during Kava’s ritual and warned them that he would assign them to patrol duty.
• The three young men complained about the High Priest’s Serperior, which they said was named Andrew and was learning language and writing.
• A clansman reported to Mickey that nearly half of the elf groups had reached Snake Guardian Village through the eastern secret passage, while the others were still making their way there.
• Mickey praised the clan’s young people for helping the elf groups and heard that their clashes with bandits had caused no serious casualties.
• Mickey reflected that the High Priest had begun handing clan authority to him and the elders, despite Mickey’s expectation of retiring quietly.

Mickey recalled leaving Snake Guardian Village after the clanspeople rejected his proposal to increase their share of the forest, then traveling as a hunter of poachers while struggling with the blood on his hands. In the Huaxia Region he found love with Wang Qing and retraced his past with her, ending with questions about what had become of his clan.

• Young Mickey proposed raising the Snake Guardian Clan's share of the forest from twenty percent to thirty, but the clanspeople opposed him and the High Priest told him to win five supporters.
• Mickey left Snake Guardian Village, later hunted poacher gangs for resources, and narrowly escaped the Kanto Region with help from Looker.
• Mickey took the High Priest's proverb to heart and traveled to the Huaxia Region, where he met Wang Qing and fell in love.
• Wang Qing named Mickey's Serperior Ru Hua, and the couple spent a year retracing Mickey's earlier journey.
• Mickey saw that former poacher gangs and exploitative families had fallen, and wondered what had become of the Snake Guardian Clan.

Mickey returned to Snake Guardian Village with Wang Qing and discovered that the village had flourished despite his long absence. The High Priest welcomed them and reminded Mickey that his responsibility as clan chief was to help the Snake Guardian Clan and the Pokémon communities in the forest thrive together.

• Mickey agreed to take Wang Qing to meet his parents in Snake Guardian Village, and Ru Hua teased him about marrying her.
• Mickey and Wang Qing arrived to find modern homes, well-kept streets, and many Serperior, Snivy, and Servine; the clan gathered to welcome Mickey.
• The High Priest examined Ru Hua and learned that Wang Qing had named her, while Wang Qing delighted the clan by declaring Serperior her favorite Pokémon.
• The High Priest told Mickey that the clan had gathered fewer resources since he left and asked him about the outside world and its strongest, most stable force.
• The High Priest told Mickey that the clan chief's duty was to ensure the Snake Guardian Clan and the Pokémon communities in the forest thrived together.

Ye Lan and Serperior faced the fused consciousness inside the prism in the final stage of the Snake Guardian Tribe’s trial, while Whimsicott, Rillaboom, and Marshadow worked outside to free them. Rillaboom prepared to attack the prism after Whimsicott discovered that Grass-type moves could affect it.

• Mickey ordered the mountain folk to send more people while keeping their people safe and protecting the Pokémon.
• Young Sunflora questioned why the group was heading toward the Snake Guardian Clan, but an elder urged it to follow, explaining their ancestral pact.
• Ye Lan and Serperior fought a fully restored Taya, whose strength and battle knowledge came from the fused consciousness in the prism.
• Marshadow emerged from the prism and told Whimsicott that Ye Lan and Big Sis were trapped inside with a dangerous presence.
• Whimsicott discovered that Razor Leaf made the prism ripple and learned from Marshadow that the other trials had already ended.
• Rillaboom volunteered to break the prism and summoned a great log-shaped drum.

Rillaboom's drumming freed the Snake Guardian Clan members from the Consciousness Space, and Whimsicott warned them that Ye Lan and Serperior were in danger. Ye Lan's attack on the diamond-shaped crystal was stopped by a protective barrier, leaving him and Serperior still facing Taya.

• Rillaboom drummed to burst the Air Balloons and awaken the Snake Guardian Clan members in the Crystal Space.
• Whimsicott told the clan that Ye Lan and Serperior were in trouble, prompting the group to prepare to attack the crystal.
• Mia heard Whimsicott's account and explained that the diamond-shaped crystal was likely the clan's guarded treasure.
• Serperior struck Taya with a full-power Iron Tail, but the crystal sent Grass-type Energy into Taya and pushed the attack back.
• Ye Lan used the opening to launch himself toward the crystal with his Crystal Spear, but a green barrier blocked the blow.