Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “No Modifier”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hu Yang flees through Petalburg Woods while being pursued by a swarm of Beedrill. He escapes by diving into a river and swimming downstream.
• After reaching shore, he discovers a Master Ball in his possession and releases a Cramorant. Although he cannot remember why, he instinctively feels that the Pokémon is important to him.
• Cramorant flies away, and Hu Yang follows it. He eventually finds it being attacked by a deceptive Mawile.
• Mawile uses Fake Tears to appear harmless, but Hu Yang sees through the trick. He forces a rock into its open jaws and pins it down until it abandons the attack.
• Hu Yang then collapses from the Beedrill venom spreading through his body.
• A Skwovet finds him, recognizes that he has been poisoned, and sacrifices its recently gathered Berries to feed and help him. Mr. Briney later discovers Hu Yang and takes him home with Cramorant and Little Pippy.
• While unconscious, Hu Yang recalls this event as his first meeting with Cramorant, confirming that the scene is connected to his forgotten past.
• In the present timeline, Cross confronts Beheeyem in White Forest, believing it caused Hu Yang’s unconsciousness. Beheeyem explains that it merely helped awaken fragments of Hu Yang’s memories by responding to a powerful sealed force inside his mind.
• Beheeyem reveals that the force is stronger than its own Psychic abilities and is not hostile toward Hu Yang.
• Cross begins connecting Hu Yang’s lost memories, Mewtwo’s memory-erasing abilities, his apparent immortality, and the coffin in Hu Yang’s room.
• He suspects that Hu Yang has been cursed with immortality and has endured centuries of loneliness after everyone close to him died.
• Cross attempts to contact Dialga to remain in the current era and uncover the truth, but receives no answer. He nevertheless resolves to change Hu Yang’s fate, even if doing so erases his own future relationship with his master.

Character Developments

• Hu Yang: Demonstrates resourcefulness and courage despite being an ordinary human without clear memories or special powers. He protects Cramorant from Mawile even while poisoned, and his instinctive attachment to Cramorant suggests a deep bond from his forgotten past.
• Cramorant: Initially acts independently, but returns to Hu Yang and remains with him after his collapse. Its panic shows that it already cares about him, even before either fully understands their relationship.
• Mawile: Is portrayed as cunning and predatory, using Fake Tears to deceive Hu Yang. It retreats once Hu Yang proves unexpectedly determined and dangerous.
• Skwovet: Shows compassion and gratitude by giving up its own food to save Hu Yang, remembering that humans had helped it previously.
• Cross: Moves from suspicion and confusion to deep concern for Hu Yang. His discoveries about the curse of immortality evoke fear and sympathy, motivating him to defy fate and alter the past.
• Beheeyem: Acts as a mysterious guide rather than an enemy. It explains that answers must be found within Hu Yang himself and presents itself as a mentor to those seeking truth.
• Dialga: Appears cautious and unable to perceive the future clearly because of an unknown force, emphasizing that Hu Yang’s fate is being concealed or manipulated.

Significant Themes

• Lost memories and identity: Hu Yang’s forgotten past is gradually resurfacing through Beheeyem’s intervention, raising questions about why his memories were sealed or erased.
• Immortality as a curse: Cross realizes that Hu Yang’s long life may not be a blessing but a source of profound loneliness, as he has outlived everyone familiar to him.
• Fate versus free will: Cross chooses to interfere with the established timeline, accepting the possibility that his own future may disappear if it means Hu Yang can live happily.
• Compassion and repayment: Skwovet’s actions show that kindness creates lasting bonds, even between humans and Pokémon.
• Hidden forces and uncertain truth: The powerful presence within Hu Yang, the unexplained force hiding the future from Dialga, and the possibility of Mewtwo’s involvement suggest that greater powers are controlling or protecting his destiny.
• Human–Pokémon bonds: Hu Yang’s connection with Cramorant begins under dangerous circumstances and is reinforced by mutual protection and loyalty.

Important Character Interactions

• Hu Yang and Cramorant: Hu Yang instinctively follows and protects Cramorant, while Cramorant stays with him after he collapses. Their relationship is revealed to have begun during this earlier forest incident.
• Hu Yang and Mawile: Their confrontation highlights Hu Yang’s ability to recognize deception and fight defensively without killing or seriously harming the Pokémon.
• Skwovet and Hu Yang: Skwovet repays past human kindness by using its own Berries to treat Hu Yang’s poisoning.
• Mr. Briney and Hu Yang: Mr. Briney rescues Hu Yang and assumes Cramorant is his Pokémon, unknowingly helping establish their future connection.
• Cross and Beheeyem: Cross confronts Beheeyem, but the encounter shifts from hostility to an investigation into Hu Yang’s memories and hidden power.
• Cross and Hu Yang: Cross’s memories of Hu Yang reveal a relationship built over many years. His final decision shows that his loyalty has become strong enough to outweigh his concern for his own existence or future.
• Cross and Dialga: Cross asks Dialga for permission to remain in the era, but the silence forces him to act independently and commit himself to changing history.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hu Yang awakens in his tent after being placed under a psychic-induced sleep by Beheeyem. Gengar and the other Pokémon explain that they had been unable to wake him.
• He realizes that Beheeyem reconstructed fragments of his lost memories through his dreams. These memories reveal that he and Cramorant entered the Pokémon world together, and that Cramorant stayed with him after he rescued it from Mawile.
• By using the Modifier, Hu Yang confirms that Cramorant is a powerful Shiny Pokémon with perfect base stats, extraordinary moves, and maximum friendship. The message—“You are its most beloved trainer; it loves you more than it loves itself”—finally gains emotional meaning.
• Hu Yang reflects on his forgotten past, the origin of the Modifier, and the possibility that he and Cramorant may be immortal. However, he decides not to pursue every mystery, believing that living peacefully with his Pokémon is enough.
• Cross returns after locating Beheeyem, who identifies itself as Mentor, the guardian of White Forest. Mentor explains that its psychic power cannot restore more of Hu Yang’s memories, but it senses that powerful beings connected to time, space, darkness, and the sky are protecting or assisting him.
• Mentor emphasizes that, despite these outside influences, Hu Yang must ultimately make his own choices. It also asks him to help four orphaned Little Gastly survive.
• Hu Yang adopts the four Little Gastly and sends them to his Ecological Park. Gengar initially fears that the newcomers will replace it, but relaxes when Hu Yang clarifies that they will live separately in the park.
• The next morning, Hu Yang and Cross travel toward Black City. Hu Yang discusses Team Plasma, Looker’s investigation, and the possibility that the Unova storyline is nearing its conclusion. He remains wary of Ghetsis, Zero, and Team Plasma, who have not yet attempted to reclaim Kyurem or the Ghost Plate.
• Cross reveals that he would prefer to remain in the present rather than return to the future, largely because he wants to spend more time with Hu Yang and see the flourishing Ecological Island of the past. Hu Yang promises to show him modern Hoenn.
• They arrive in Black City but quickly leave after finding it bleak, artificial, nearly vegetation-free, and emotionally oppressive. Hu Yang and Cross decide to travel toward Striaton City instead.
• While preparing for the next leg of the journey, Hu Yang looks forward to catching more Unova Pokémon, especially Audino, Whimsicott, and Zorua.

Character Developments

• Hu Yang: Gains a deeper understanding of his bond with Cramorant and begins accepting that some parts of his past may remain unknowable. He chooses present relationships and happiness over obsessively uncovering the truth. He also demonstrates compassion by adopting the orphaned Gastly.
• Cramorant: Its loyalty to Hu Yang is shown to be unconditional. Although it was once an ordinary, forgetful Pokémon, its trust and bond with Hu Yang have endured across an immense period of time.
• Gengar: Shows strong attachment and insecurity, briefly fearing that the new Gastly will cause it to be abandoned. Hu Yang’s reassurance restores its confidence.
• Cross: Becomes more emotionally attached to Hu Yang and expresses a desire to remain in the present. His admiration for his master and sorrow over the lonely future deepen his characterization.
• Beheeyem/Mentor: Establishes itself as a wise but limited guide. It provides partial answers, confirms the presence of powerful forces around Hu Yang, and urges him to help vulnerable Pokémon.

Significant Themes

• Memory and identity: Hu Yang’s incomplete memories raise questions about his origins, the Modifier, and possible immortality. The chapter suggests that identity is shaped not only by remembered history but also by continuing bonds.
• Loyalty and unconditional love: Cramorant’s devotion demonstrates that trust, once formed, can survive forgetfulness, transformation, and the passage of time.
• Acceptance versus curiosity: Hu Yang could pursue the mysteries of his existence, but he chooses to value his current life rather than risk losing its peace.
• Chosen family and responsibility: Adopting the Little Gastly reinforces Hu Yang’s role as a protector and trainer who creates a home for abandoned Pokémon.
• Free will and destiny: Mentor reveals that powerful beings may influence or protect Hu Yang, but the final decisions remain his own.
• Emotional environments: Black City’s sterile, joyless design contrasts with the warmth of Hu Yang’s camp and Ecological Park, suggesting that prosperity without nature or community can become oppressive.

Character Interactions

• Gengar and the Pokémon watch over Hu Yang while he sleeps, demonstrating their concern for him.
• Hu Yang gently examines Cramorant and recognizes the depth of their shared history and affection.
• Hu Yang questions Mentor about his lost memories; Mentor responds with limited knowledge but offers spiritual guidance.
• Mentor asks Hu Yang to protect the orphaned Gastly, and Hu Yang accepts.
• Gengar reacts anxiously to the idea of adopting more Gastly, but Hu Yang reassures it that its place is secure.
• Hu Yang and Cross discuss Team Plasma, their uncertain future plans, and Cross’s wish to remain in the present. Their conversation shows growing mutual trust and affection.
• Both Hu Yang and Cross share an immediate dislike of Black City, strengthening their sense of companionship as they choose to leave together.

Summary: “Beastmen Shall Never Be Slaves!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• In mid-April of League Calendar Year 214, Hu Yang and Cross track unfamiliar large feline footprints through the mountains north of Striaton City. The tracks appear to belong to a Pokémon not native to Unova.
• They encounter a huge swarm of Cottonee drifting through the sky like storm clouds. A sudden gust scatters many of them, while others cling to Hu Yang and Cross for safety.
• Hu Yang offers the Cottonee food, shelter, and a home in his Ecological Park. Using Aura to communicate his sincerity, he convinces the entire group to willingly enter Poké Balls.
• Hu Yang explains that Pokémon do not always need to be defeated in battle to be caught; many will agree if they trust a trainer and believe they will be cared for. Cross attempts the same approach with a Pidove but fails because he cannot effectively convey his emotions.
• Continuing along the trail, Hu Yang discovers evidence of a powerful battle involving Electric- and Ground-type Pokémon. The unusually large feline tracks and immense electrical damage suggest that the Pokémon may be Raikou.
• The tracks lead to an abandoned research facility resembling Unova’s Dreamyard. Inside, Hu Yang finds Munna and Musharna, as well as the injured Raikou.
• Raikou explains that humans attempted to capture it using Ground-type Pokémon and machines capable of absorbing Electric-type energy. It escaped only by using Extrasensory.
• Cross recognizes the machines as technology associated with Zero and Team Plasma’s attempt to obtain the Electric-type Creation Plate.
• Before the situation can be resolved, an elderly man named Asura appears with a Cofagrigus. He identifies himself as one of Team Plasma’s Seven Sages and claims to be working with their king to liberate Pokémon.
• Asura demands that Hu Yang and Cross stay out of the matter, but Raikou confronts him. Hu Yang then asks whether Asura was responsible for injuring Raikou.
• The chapter ends as Asura is visibly shocked by the appearance of two powerful Pokémon accompanying Hu Yang, implying that a confrontation is about to begin.

Character Developments

• Hu Yang demonstrates his unusual ability to communicate emotionally with Pokémon through Aura. His compassionate, practical approach allows him to recruit the Cottonee without battling them. He also shows strong observational and investigative skills while interpreting tracks, battle damage, and the abandoned facility.
• Cross becomes interested in Hu Yang’s nonviolent method of befriending Pokémon and tries to imitate it. His failure with Pidove emphasizes that genuine emotional connection, not merely promises of food, is necessary. He also contributes important knowledge by identifying Team Plasma’s technology.
• Raikou is shown to have developed a more accepting attitude toward humans because of Hu Yang’s past influence as the “Rainbow Hero.” Despite this trust, it remains fiercely protective and reacts aggressively toward those who harmed it.
• Asura is introduced as a calm but threatening Team Plasma leader. His speech about Pokémon liberation contrasts sharply with his attempt to capture Raikou, revealing the hypocrisy or coercive nature of Team Plasma’s ideology.

Significant Themes

• Trust and mutual respect: Pokémon are portrayed as intelligent beings capable of choosing whether to live with humans. Hu Yang’s success comes from offering sincere care rather than relying solely on force.
• Freedom versus exploitation: The title’s joke about “slavery” reflects the chapter’s question of whether Pokémon are being controlled or willingly entering partnerships. This theme becomes darker through Team Plasma’s attempts to imprison and exploit Raikou.
• The difference between ideology and action: Asura claims Team Plasma seeks Pokémon liberation, yet his group uses capture machines and battle tactics against a Legendary Pokémon. Their supposed ideals are undermined by their behavior.
• Compassion and responsibility: Hu Yang’s treatment of the Cottonee and Raikou emphasizes that a trainer’s duty includes providing safety, shelter, and medical care.
• Power and technology: Team Plasma’s machines represent the dangerous use of technology to counter Pokémon abilities and exploit Legendary Pokémon for greater power.

Character Interactions

• Hu Yang and Cross share a lighthearted discussion about catching Pokémon through trust rather than battle, with Cross humorously attempting and failing to persuade Pidove.
• The Cottonee interact protectively with Hu Yang and Cross by clinging to them during the storm, strengthening Hu Yang’s decision to offer them a home.
• Hu Yang comforts and treats Raikou with a Full Restore, while Raikou expresses gratitude and allows him to pet it, showing the trust between them.
• Cross and Hu Yang connect Raikou’s attackers to Team Plasma through Cross’s knowledge of the Electric-type energy-absorbing machines.
• Raikou immediately challenges Asura, while Asura attempts to dismiss Hu Yang and Cross as uninvolved outsiders. Hu Yang’s final question directly confronts Asura and sets up the impending conflict.

Chapter Summary: The Seven Sages Become the Six Sages, Ghetsis’s New Plan

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hu Yang and Cross confront Asura, one of Team Plasma’s Seven Sages, who has captured Raikou.
• Hu Yang reveals that he possesses both Reshiram and Kyurem. He orders Kyurem to use Glaciate, freezing Asura from the neck down.
• Asura’s Cofagrigus attempts to intervene but is immediately overwhelmed by Kyurem’s intimidating power.
• Hu Yang deduces that Team Plasma has allied with Zero’s organization. Zero wants the Ghost Plate, while Ghetsis wants to counter Hu Yang’s Reshiram and Kyurem by capturing powerful Pokémon such as Raikou.
• Asura’s reaction confirms Hu Yang’s theory. He refuses to provide further information and is handed over to the International Police.
• Looker arranges for an undercover International Police officer to collect Asura, who is sentenced to life imprisonment on Prison Island.
• Raikou decides to travel with Hu Yang and help him protect wild Pokémon. Because of Raikou’s traumatic experiences with forced capture, Hu Yang agrees not to place it in a Poké Ball.
• To prevent panic in Striaton City, Gengar creates an illusion that makes Raikou appear to be an ordinary Growlithe or Arcanine.
• Meanwhile, aboard the Plasma Frigate, Ghetsis learns of Asura’s defeat and Raikou’s disappearance. He orders Team Plasma to stop focusing on Raikou and instead concentrate on N and Zekrom’s plan to establish N as Unova’s king.
• A representative of Zero proposes reviving and technologically modifying ancient Genesect to help Team Plasma oppose Hu Yang’s Reshiram and Kyurem. Ghetsis remains skeptical but listens to the proposal.

Character Developments

• Hu Yang: Demonstrates his overwhelming strength and strategic insight by defeating Asura, exposing the alliance between Team Plasma and Zero, and arranging Asura’s arrest. He also shows compassion by protecting Raikou and respecting its fear of Poké Balls.
• Raikou: Moves from distrust and fear of humans toward trusting Hu Yang. It accepts his protection and agrees to accompany him, while still displaying trauma from being repeatedly trapped in Poké Balls.
• Cross: Becomes less anxious after learning the enemy’s true objective. His fear is shown to stem more from uncertainty than from the threat itself.
• Asura: Suffers a decisive defeat and loses his freedom, marking the fall of one of the Seven Sages. His capture reduces Team Plasma’s leadership group from seven sages to six.
• Ghetsis: Remains focused on making N and Zekrom the symbolic rulers of Unova. Although he understands Kyurem’s immense power, he begins considering Zero’s proposal to create modified Genesect as a countermeasure.
• Gengar: Uses its illusion abilities to help Raikou travel unnoticed through populated areas.

Significant Themes

• Trust and companionship: Raikou’s decision to travel with Hu Yang reflects the gradual rebuilding of trust between Pokémon and humans.
• Trauma and respect for autonomy: Hu Yang recognizes Raikou’s psychological distress and allows it to avoid Poké Balls, emphasizing that protection should not become another form of captivity.
• Power and escalation: Team Plasma and Zero continually seek stronger weapons—Reshiram, Kyurem, Raikou, Zekrom, and now modified Genesect—showing how the conflict is escalating.
• Truth versus manipulation: Hu Yang exposes the hidden motives behind Team Plasma’s actions, while Ghetsis continues manipulating N and the political future of Unova.
• Law and justice: Asura’s arrest and life imprisonment contrast with Team Plasma’s ambitions to rule through force.

Important Character Interactions

• Hu Yang commands Kyurem to defeat Asura and questions him about Team Plasma’s alliance with Zero.
• Hu Yang contacts Looker, who coordinates the International Police’s arrest of Asura.
• Hu Yang comforts and recruits Raikou, promising to travel alongside it and protect it.
• Cross reacts to the revelation of Zero’s cooperation with Team Plasma and gains confidence after the enemy’s motives become clear.
• Ghetsis receives a report on Asura’s defeat and discusses the threat posed by Hu Yang’s legendary Pokémon.
• Zero’s representative suggests reviving and modifying Genesect, offering Ghetsis a potential weapon against Kyurem and Reshiram.

Chapter Summary: “Panic Spreads Through the City”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hu Yang and Cross arrive in Striaton City and immediately notice that its normally peaceful atmosphere has been replaced by widespread panic.
• At a restaurant, they learn that Team Plasma has been spreading its “Pokémon liberation” ideology, claiming that Poké Balls imprison Pokémon and that all Pokémon should be released into the wild.
• The movement gained major public support after a dead person was discovered in the wilderness beside a Poké Ball containing a Minccino that had supposedly been trapped for nearly twenty years. The incident convinced many citizens that Pokémon ownership was inherently oppressive.
• A citywide march begins outside the restaurant. Influenced by the protesters, a man attempts to release his domesticated Lillipup, even though the Pokémon is clearly unsuited to surviving in the wilderness.
• Hu Yang uses his ability to communicate with Pokémon to translate Lillipup’s feelings. Lillipup explains that it does not want freedom from its owner—it wants to remain with him and is willing to adapt in any way necessary.
• Realizing that he had mistaken abandonment for kindness, the man apologizes and chooses to take Lillipup home. Lillipup then evolves into Herdier, apparently responding to the renewed bond and sincerity between them.
• After eating and checking into an inn, Hu Yang receives a call from Looker. Looker gives him a 152,000 Poké Dollar reward for defeating Asura, the fourth-ranked member of Team Plasma’s Seven Sages.
• Looker also confirms that the Striaton City crisis has become widely known. With Champion Alder missing and the Pokémon League being managed by the Elite Four, no clear response has yet been organized.
• Hu Yang investigates online and sees the conflict spreading between Team Plasma’s Liberationists and those who support coexistence between humans and Pokémon. Even prominent figures such as Professor Oak and several Champions are being pressured to give their opinions.
• Wallace argues that people should ask their own Pokémon what they truly want. Hu Yang agrees to think of a solution rather than trying to debate every manipulated citizen individually.
• He ultimately contacts Slow Wisdom at the Ecological Park and begins seeking assistance from scientists and specialists, including Professor Oak, Kurt, Bill, and Colress.

Character Developments

• Hu Yang demonstrates both restraint and insight. Rather than arguing with the affected man, he lets Lillipup reveal the truth directly, showing his understanding that genuine Pokémon welfare depends on individual feelings and relationships.
• Cross reacts with shock and concern, recognizing that releasing domesticated Pokémon into the wild could endanger them. He serves as a practical contrast to the emotionally manipulated citizens.
• The Lillipup’s owner changes from a tearful but misguided follower of Team Plasma’s ideas into someone who recognizes his Pokémon’s actual wishes. His realization restores their relationship and triggers Lillipup’s evolution into Herdier.
• Looker continues acting as both an International Police agent and Hu Yang’s informant, rewarding him for his earlier work while providing updates about the growing crisis.
• Wallace presents a balanced viewpoint, emphasizing communication with Pokémon instead of blindly accepting either side’s ideology.
• Ghetsis remains an unseen but powerful threat. Hu Yang recognizes that Ghetsis is manipulating a morally appealing cause for political control, while even N does not understand the true extent of his plan.

Significant Themes

• Freedom versus abandonment: The chapter questions whether releasing a Pokémon is truly liberation if the Pokémon does not want to leave its human companion.
• The importance of communication: Hu Yang’s translation of Lillipup’s feelings reveals that many conflicts arise because humans assume they know what Pokémon want without listening to them.
• Manipulation of moral ideals: Team Plasma takes a legitimate concern—mistreatment of Pokémon—and turns it into an absolutist ideology that ignores individual circumstances.
• Emotional bonds between humans and Pokémon: The owner’s reconciliation with Lillipup, followed by its evolution, suggests that trust, love, and mutual understanding are powerful forces.
• Public panic and groupthink: The citizens of Striaton City abandon their earlier views after a shocking incident and begin pressuring others to follow the movement, demonstrating how fear can overwhelm reason.
• Political polarization: The growing divide between Liberationists and the Coexistence faction threatens to escalate into broader conflict, echoing Unova’s historical wars between truth and ideals.
• The difficulty of solving systemic manipulation: Hu Yang realizes that exposing or correcting Team Plasma’s beliefs will be far more complicated than simply defeating individual criminals.

Character Interactions

• Hu Yang and Cross discuss the danger of releasing domesticated Pokémon into the wilderness.
• The waitress explains the origins of Striaton City’s panic and gives a more rational perspective on the Liberationist movement.
• Hu Yang communicates between the Lillipup and its owner, enabling both to understand each other and repair their relationship.
• Looker and Hu Yang discuss the reward for Asura and the lack of an effective official response to the crisis.
• Wallace and Hu Yang exchange messages about how people should determine what their Pokémon truly want.
• Hu Yang reaches out to Slow Wisdom and several other knowledgeable figures, beginning to form a possible response to Team Plasma’s expanding influence.

Chapter Summary: “Leave Request”

• Key events: The narrator takes a day off to organize their thoughts, explaining that the story’s pacing has felt uneven. They note that the current Unova arc has been particularly depressing but is nearing its conclusion. Major truths are expected to be revealed soon, after which the Kalos and Alola sections should become more cheerful.
• Villains: Ghetsis and the other antagonists are described as minor obstacles rather than central figures. The protagonist is expected to defeat them effortlessly in a single move, so they will receive little narrative focus.
• Character development: No major character development occurs in the chapter itself. The narrator’s comments suggest confidence in the protagonist’s overwhelming strength and foreshadow a shift from the darker Unova storyline to lighter future arcs.
• Character interactions: There are no direct character interactions; the chapter consists primarily of the narrator’s explanation and apology to the audience.
• Themes: The chapter focuses on pacing, authorial reflection, tonal transition, anticipation of revelations, and the contrast between the depressing Unova arc and the more optimistic Kalos and Alola arcs.

Chapter Summary: “Poké Ball Reform Underway~”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After speaking with Hu Yang by phone, Professor Oak becomes deeply moved and excited by the possibility of contributing to a major new project. He leaves his laboratory in Pallet Town, entrusting it to his assistant Xiao Hui, and travels to Hoenn.
• At Bill’s Lighthouse, Bill reflects on the history of Poké Balls, from their Apricorn origins to their modern forms. He considers Hu Yang’s argument that Poké Balls themselves do not oppress Pokémon—the real problem is the people who misuse or manipulate them.
• Bill is especially intrigued by the proposed reform: creating Poké Balls with comfortable internal environments where Pokémon can live freely. He immediately books a flight to Hoenn.
• In Azalea Town, the Poké Ball craftsman Kurt teaches a girl how to carve a Friend Ball from a green Apricorn. After learning about the project, he arranges for her father to care for her and prepares to leave for Hoenn as well.
• In Unova, Colress travels to Hoenn while thinking about Team Plasma’s brainwashing campaign, N’s coming coronation, and the danger of another conflict over truth and ideals.
• Colress arrives at Ecological Island, where Slow Wisdom welcomes him and leads him to a new laboratory. There he meets Professor Oak, Bill, and Kurt, who have already gathered for the project.
• Slow Wisdom reveals an advanced Poké Ball containing a miniature lake. The lake remains contained within the opened ball, demonstrating that a Pokémon could potentially live inside a natural, comfortable environment.
• When Bill remarks that such spatial technology should be impossible in the present era, Slow Wisdom reveals that it originated from the future.

Character Developments

• Professor Oak shifts from a respected researcher to an enthusiastic participant in a revolutionary project, showing renewed excitement despite his age.
• Bill becomes emotionally invested in the reform because of his love for Pokémon. He recognizes that improving Poké Ball interiors could greatly benefit Pokémon welfare.
• Kurt demonstrates both confidence in his craftsmanship and eagerness to take part in an unprecedented technological development. He also acts responsibly by arranging care for the girl before leaving.
• Colress joins the project with a serious understanding of Team Plasma’s ideology and brainwashing methods. His personal hope is that the new movement will prevent a repeat of ancient conflicts.
• Slow Wisdom appears as the organizer and technological authority behind the research, calmly guiding the scientists and unveiling the future-derived technology.
• Hu Yang, though absent from the chapter, is established as the visionary whose ideas inspire the entire collaboration.

Significant Themes

• Pokémon welfare and freedom: The chapter questions whether Poké Balls are inherently oppressive, arguing that their moral impact depends on how humans use them.
• Technology as a tool: Poké Balls are presented as containers rather than instruments of oppression; ethical responsibility lies with people.
• Reform through cooperation: Researchers, inventors, craftsmen, and former Team Plasma scientists unite across regions to pursue a shared goal.
• Tradition and innovation: Kurt’s ancient Apricorn craftsmanship is placed alongside advanced spatial technology, linking the history of Poké Balls with their possible future.
• Truth versus manipulation: Colress’s concerns about Team Plasma emphasize the importance of helping people recognize when they have been deceived or brainwashed.
• Hope for a better future: The project represents an attempt to change the relationship between humans and Pokémon rather than simply abolish existing tools.

Character Interactions

• Professor Oak reassures his assistant by leaving the laboratory in Xiao Hui’s care while he pursues the new opportunity.
• Bill responds to Hu Yang’s ideas with admiration and excitement, deciding independently to join the effort.
• Kurt speaks with the girl he is teaching, balancing his enthusiasm for the project with his responsibility toward her.
• Colress and Slow Wisdom exchange formal introductions before entering the laboratory together.
• Colress meets Oak, Bill, and Kurt, forming a diverse research team.
• The group collectively witnesses Slow Wisdom’s miniature-lake Poké Ball, allowing them to share in the same sense of wonder and anticipation.

Chapter Summary: “Seeking Team Plasma”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hu Yang learns from Slow Wisdom that Team Plasma’s influence has spread widely, convincing many people of Ghetsis’s ideology. He reflects that Ghetsis similarly manipulated N and forced him to follow his plans.
• Realizing that passive observation is no longer enough, Hu Yang decides to take action. His first priority is locating Ghetsis and Team Plasma’s headquarters.
• Since Hu Yang does not know the base’s location, he contacts Cynthia and asks her to pass the information to Caitlin, a member of the Unova Pokémon League’s Elite Four.
• Caitlin arranges a meeting in Castelia City, and Hu Yang and Cross travel there by Charizard and Dragonite.
• In Castelia City, Caitlin explains that the League knows about Team Plasma’s activities but cannot openly suppress them without provoking a larger rebellion. The Gym Leaders and Elite Four oppose the possibility of another war like the one two thousand years earlier.
• The League has been unable to locate Team Plasma’s headquarters. Interrogated members only provided locations where no permanent base could be found.
• Hu Yang deduces that Team Plasma’s base may not be on the ground at all, but instead a mobile aerial facility—likely the Plasma Frigate—which explains why the reported locations were empty.
• Before revealing his plan, Hu Yang asks how the League intends to deal with the people Ghetsis has already influenced. He argues that destroying Team Plasma will not automatically undo the ideological damage.
• Hu Yang challenges the simplistic belief that Poké Balls themselves oppress Pokémon. He explains that Poké Balls are only tools; the real issue is the intentions of the humans who use them.
• He rejects both Team Plasma’s ideal of total Pokémon liberation and blind adherence to the existing system, choosing instead to act according to what he believes is right.
• Hu Yang leaves Cross and Raikou behind, summons White Kyurem, and flies into the sky to search for Team Plasma.
• His presence is detected by Rayquaza, which awakens and begins flying toward him, setting up a likely confrontation.

Character Developments

• Hu Yang shifts from observation to direct intervention, taking responsibility for countering Ghetsis’s growing influence. He demonstrates a pragmatic, independent philosophy rather than aligning completely with either side of the ideological conflict.
• Cross is increasingly aware of the historical importance of the operation and recognizes that it may affect the future of the world. His role remains supportive, though he is left behind during Hu Yang’s aerial search.
• Caitlin is initially frustrated by the League’s inability to act but gains a new understanding of the deeper issue after Hu Yang explains that public beliefs, not Poké Balls, are the true center of the conflict.
• Ghetsis is portrayed as a manipulative ideologue who has deceived large numbers of people and used N as part of his larger plan.
• Rayquaza is reintroduced as a powerful guardian of the sky. It reacts aggressively to White Kyurem’s presence in its territory.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and ideological control: Ghetsis’s influence extends beyond direct commands, reshaping how people understand Pokémon and society.
• Action versus neutrality: Hu Yang concludes that remaining silent in the face of injustice is no longer acceptable.
• The true source of oppression: The chapter argues that objects such as Poké Balls are morally neutral; the intentions and behavior of their users determine whether they become tools of care or control.
• False ideological extremes: Both total liberation and unquestioned preservation of the status quo are presented as incomplete solutions.
• Consequences of belief: Even if Team Plasma is defeated, the beliefs implanted in its followers will remain, making ideological recovery more difficult than military victory.
• Humanity and nature: Castelia City’s urban prosperity contrasts with the powerful legendary Pokémon governing the skies above it.

Character Interactions

• Hu Yang and Cross discuss the significance of the unfolding crisis, with Cross expressing awe at becoming part of a world-changing event.
• Hu Yang communicates with Cynthia and Caitlin to coordinate the League’s response.
• Caitlin and Hu Yang discuss the League’s inability to confront Team Plasma directly and the difficulty of locating its mobile base.
• Hu Yang challenges Caitlin’s assumptions about Poké Balls and Team Plasma’s ideology, prompting her realization that the issue lies in human intentions.
• Hu Yang gives Cross and Raikou instructions before departing on White Kyurem.
• White Kyurem’s arrival in the sky provokes Rayquaza, creating a tense final encounter.

Chapter Summary: “Rayquaza’s Gaze, Ghetsis’s Death!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hu Yang summons Rayquaza and asks it to locate Team Plasma’s hidden Plasma Frigate. Rayquaza initially arrives in an aggressive Mega Rayquaza form, but recognizes Hu Yang and agrees to help in exchange for a future reward.
• Rayquaza locates the frigate by sensing the air currents and leads Hu Yang, Caitlin, and Cross to it.
• Inside the frigate, Ghetsis and Zero’s leader, 0, inspect their newly created army of modified Genesect. The Pokémon have enhanced armor, flight forms, powerful cannons, and interchangeable type cartridges. A larger scarlet Genesect is identified as their leader, or Alpha.
• When Rayquaza approaches the frigate, Ghetsis realizes Hu Yang is behind the attack and sees White Kyurem with him. Hoping to seize Kyurem and obtain the Ghost Plate for 0, he orders the frigate’s Freezing Missile to be launched.
• Mega Gardevoir teleports the missile away before it can strike the group. Rayquaza interprets the attack as a direct violation of its sky and responds with Dragon Ascent, cutting the Plasma Frigate in half.
• The frigate crashes and burns, killing Ghetsis and apparently destroying Zero’s organization. Most of Team Plasma’s remaining leaders are still at large, but the immediate threat is eliminated.
• Caitlin and Hu Yang discuss the next step: freeing the people who were deceived by Team Plasma. Hu Yang also plans to develop new Poké Balls and seek out N.
• As Hu Yang and Cross leave, Dialga appears and confirms that Cross’s mission has been completed. However, because the timeline has changed, Cross’s future is now uncertain.
• Dialga asks Cross whether he will continue even if his original future is altered. Cross firmly chooses to stay and proceed, and Dialga permits him to remain for the time being.
• Meanwhile, Alpha Genesect and several other Genesect survive the crash and begin flying toward their remembered homeland.

Character Developments

• Hu Yang: Demonstrates his influence and connections by summoning Rayquaza and coordinating the assault on Team Plasma. Although Ghetsis dies before Hu Yang can expose him to N, Hu Yang immediately shifts focus toward helping Team Plasma’s victims and meeting N.
• Rayquaza: Shows its territorial pride and aggressive defense of the skies. After recognizing Hu Yang, it becomes an ally rather than an enemy, ultimately destroying the frigate after Ghetsis attacks.
• Ghetsis: Reveals his ambition and ruthlessness by attempting to use the Freezing Missile against Hu Yang’s group. His desire to control Kyurem and obtain the Ghost Plate leads directly to his death.
• Caitlin: Acts responsibly by informing the Pokémon League before joining the mission. She remains focused on the broader consequences of Team Plasma’s actions and the need to awaken those who were manipulated.
• Cross: Develops greater resolve. Though he knows his changed timeline may erase or transform his original future, he chooses to remain and continue his mission.
• Dialga: Acknowledges that even a time deity cannot clearly foresee the future after major timeline changes. Rather than forcing Cross to return, it respects his decision and allows him to stay.
• Genesect: The surviving Genesect begin to display an instinctive desire to return home, suggesting that they may possess memories, emotions, or an identity beyond their role as weapons.

Significant Themes

• Consequences of ambition: Ghetsis’s pursuit of power causes him to make a reckless attack, resulting in the destruction of his organization and his own death.
• The instability of time and fate: Cross’s future is no longer certain, emphasizing that changing history also changes the identities and destinies of those involved.
• Freedom versus exploitation: The Genesect were modified into weapons, yet their desire to return home hints at their suppressed individuality and longing for freedom.
• The limits of control: Ghetsis believes he can command legendary Pokémon and engineered weapons, but Rayquaza, Dialga, and even the Genesect ultimately act according to their own wills.
• Redemption and healing: With Team Plasma defeated, attention turns from military conflict to helping the people who were deceived and repairing the damage caused by the organization.

Important Character Interactions

• Hu Yang negotiates with Rayquaza by offering a future reward in return for its help.
• Caitlin and Cross witness Rayquaza’s arrival and join Hu Yang in the assault on the frigate.
• Ghetsis and 0 discuss the capabilities of the modified Genesect and their plans for ruling Unova.
• Ghetsis orders an attack on Hu Yang, provoking Rayquaza’s devastating retaliation.
• Caitlin and Hu Yang discuss Team Plasma’s remaining members and how to restore the people they manipulated.
• Dialga directly confronts Cross about whether he will accept an uncertain future. Cross’s answer confirms his commitment to continuing his mission.
• The surviving Genesect separate from the ruined frigate and begin searching for their homeland.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• At Mistralton Gym, N defeats Skyla and receives the Jet Badge. He discovers that the Team Plasma members who once secretly followed him have disappeared.
• Gorm informs N that Team Plasma has effectively fallen, but N declares that he will still awaken the Legendary Dragon Pokémon using the Dark Stone. Unlike Ghetsis, however, N intends to use its power to improve the world rather than wage war.
• N encounters Touya and reflects on his former belief that Pokémon battles were cruel and exploitative. After experiencing battles himself and hearing how Touya’s Pokémon feel about fighting alongside him, N begins questioning whether willing cooperation between humans and Pokémon can itself be a form of liberation.
• In a snowy northern region, Mewtwo senses the despair of a group of Genesect. It rescues four of them from an avalanche after Mega Evolving, then learns through their memories that they have lost their home and are wandering without a place to belong.
• Mewtwo identifies with the Genesect and decides to help them, but the red Genesect attacks without listening to its explanation. The entire group fires Techno Blast at Mewtwo and escapes.
• In Nimbasa City, Hu Yang and Cross relax after their recent crisis. They watch a musical, explore the amusement park, and attempt to ride the Ferris wheel, only to learn that it is restricted to couples.
• Hu Yang takes Cross to Gear Station because he wants to meet Ingo, who had previously disappeared and returned with partial memory loss. They board the Orange Line of the Battle Subway, where Ingo and Emmet are working as Subway Bosses.
• Ingo recognizes Hu Yang and thanks him for helping him return. Emmet realizes Hu Yang’s connection to his brother, cancels the planned battle, and enthusiastically arranges a large meal for everyone.
• During dinner, Ingo discusses events in Hisui, including Akari’s victory over the wardens with an avatar of Arceus, leaving Emmet and Cross astonished.

Character Developments

• N begins moving away from Team Plasma’s rigid ideology. His personal experience with Pokémon battles makes him reconsider whether all human–Pokémon partnerships are inherently oppressive. Nevertheless, he remains determined to awaken the Dragon Pokémon and pursue his own vision of changing the world.
• Touya serves as an important emotional connection for N. Their meeting shows that N still values their past relationship, especially their time together on the Ferris wheel.
• Mewtwo demonstrates compassion and empathy by saving the Genesect. It recognizes their loneliness as similar to its own and develops a desire to protect them, though the Genesect’s fear and hostility prevent cooperation.
• Hu Yang acts as a protector and mentor to Cross while also seeking out old acquaintances. His visit to Ingo reflects his concern for people affected by unusual journeys and memory loss.
• Cross becomes more comfortable spending time with Hu Yang outside of danger and adventure. Their visit to Nimbasa City gives their relationship a more relaxed, familial quality.
• Ingo has recovered enough to work again as a Subway Boss, but his partial memory loss remains evident. His recognition of Hu Yang suggests that important memories and emotional connections may still be returning.
• Emmet is energetic, welcoming, and deeply grateful to Hu Yang for helping Ingo. His immediate decision to replace the battle with a feast emphasizes his strong affection for his brother and his generous personality.

Significant Themes

• Redefining liberation: N questions whether Pokémon battles are wrong when Pokémon willingly choose to fight beside their Trainers, challenging Team Plasma’s simplistic belief that all human control is exploitation.
• Loneliness and belonging: Mewtwo and the Genesect share experiences of displacement, artificial origins, and isolation. Their attempted connection shows how shared suffering can create sympathy but does not automatically overcome fear or mistrust.
• Recovery and identity: Ingo’s return and incomplete memories suggest that identity can endure even when memories are damaged. His bond with Hu Yang remains meaningful despite what he has forgotten.
• Ideology versus lived experience: N’s beliefs begin changing because of direct experience rather than doctrine. His conclusions about Pokémon battles differ sharply from Ghetsis’s manipulative interpretation of liberation.
• Family and companionship: The interactions between Hu Yang and Cross, as well as Emmet’s concern for Ingo, emphasize relationships built through trust, care, and shared experiences.
• Contrasting legacies: Team Plasma has been destroyed, but its consequences continue through N’s plan, the disrupted lives of Pokémon such as the Genesect, and the lingering effects of past events.

Important Character Interactions

• N and Touya: N shares his changing view of Pokémon battles and reveals his intention to awaken the Dragon Pokémon for peaceful reform. Their conversation highlights both their ideological differences and their lingering emotional bond.
• Mewtwo and the Genesect: Mewtwo rescues the Genesect and attempts to communicate, but the red Genesect distrusts it and leads the others in an attack. Their encounter establishes a potential alliance that currently fails because of fear and misunderstanding.
• Hu Yang and Cross: They enjoy Nimbasa City together, share food with their Pokémon, and travel through the Battle Subway. Their lighthearted outing contrasts with the serious events occurring elsewhere.
• Hu Yang and Ingo: Their reunion is understated but emotionally significant. Ingo recognizes Hu Yang and thanks him, confirming that Hu Yang played a major role in his return.
• Emmet and Hu Yang/Ingo: Emmet quickly understands Hu Yang’s connection to Ingo, expresses gratitude, and replaces the formal battle with a generous dinner.
• Ingo, Emmet, Cross, and Hu Yang: Their meal allows the characters to exchange information, with Ingo’s account of Akari and Arceus providing both comic surprise and a glimpse into ongoing events in Hisui.

Chapter Summary: “Sunrise and Sunset”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hu Yang and Cross discuss Ingo’s claim that Arceus may have created an avatar. They connect this possibility to Dialga’s earlier statement that a power greater than itself had interfered with time and space.
• Ingo recounts his experiences in Hisui. Hu Yang reflects on how tragic Ingo’s situation was: he lost his memories, built a life in the past, and was eventually returned to the modern era.
• Hu Yang, Cross, Emmet, and Ingo arrive at Golden Wheel Town. Hu Yang reassures Ingo that what happened to him should never have occurred.
• Emmet briefly sees Raikou’s true form instead of the Growlithe disguise, but assumes he is hallucinating.
• Hu Yang explains that Professor Oak and others are developing special Poké Balls inspired partly by Cross. He hopes they will help people understand the truth about Pokémon and create the better future Cross once described.
• Hu Yang and Cross watch the sunset with their Pokémon, take a commemorative photograph, and share dinner.
• Raikou thanks Hu Yang and admits that his distrust of humans changed after meeting him. After Team Plasma’s defeat, Hu Yang encourages Raikou to return to the wild, and Raikou leaves as the proud Legendary beast he truly is.
• The next day, Hu Yang and Cross travel toward N’s castle, expecting N’s coronation to take place soon.
• At the Pokémon League, N defeats Champion Alder in a battle of ideals, using Zoroark to defeat Volcarona. He then travels to his castle on Zekrom.
• Touya arrives at the castle, determined to convince N that he has been deceived. The Five Sages block his path.
• Hu Yang and Cross appear to help Touya. Hu Yang lends him Reshiram and sends him upstairs to confront N.
• Kyurem confronts and freezes the Five Sages. The Gym Leaders arrive after Alder alerts them, and Drayden recognizes Hu Yang and Kyurem.

Character Developments

• Hu Yang continues to act as a mediator and protector. He remains committed to changing society’s relationship with Pokémon, even though he admits he does not know whether people will accept the truth.
• Cross becomes more hopeful and emotionally connected to Hu Yang’s vision of a better future. Their shared sunset and photograph emphasize their growing companionship.
• Ingo is portrayed as calm but quietly nostalgic, suggesting that returning from Hisui has left him emotionally marked.
• Emmet experiences a brief glimpse of Raikou’s true identity, adding mystery to the Legendary Pokémon’s disguise.
• Raikou undergoes an important emotional transformation. Once distrustful of all humans because of past cruelty, he now believes some humans are worthy of trust because of Hu Yang’s kindness.
• N proves himself extraordinarily powerful by defeating every Gym Leader and Champion Alder. Despite his confidence, he still wonders whether Touya will come to challenge his beliefs.
• Touya demonstrates determination and courage by entering the castle alone. With Hu Yang’s support and Reshiram in his possession, he is given the chance to oppose N directly.
• Alder suffers a major defeat, showing that N has successfully challenged the established order of Unova.
• The Five Sages become increasingly desperate and hostile as outsiders threaten N’s coronation.

Significant Themes

• Trust between humans and Pokémon: Raikou’s change of heart shows that trust can be rebuilt through compassion and genuine actions.
• Hope and persistence: Hu Yang acknowledges that society may resist change but vows to continue working toward the future Cross envisions.
• Identity and destiny: Ingo’s lost memories, Raikou’s hidden form, and the questions surrounding Arceus’s avatar all explore how identity can be concealed, altered, or shaped by larger powers.
• Conflict between ideals and authority: N’s battle with Alder represents a direct confrontation between N’s beliefs and the established Pokémon League system.
• Freedom versus control: Team Plasma’s plans to separate humans and Pokémon contrast with Hu Yang’s belief that cooperation and mutual trust are possible.
• Transitions and new beginnings: The sunset marks the end of one stage, while Hu Yang’s journey to N’s castle and Touya’s confrontation signal the beginning of a decisive conflict.

Important Character Interactions

• Hu Yang reassures Ingo and indirectly validates the suffering caused by his displacement through time.
• Hu Yang and Cross discuss the future of humanity and Pokémon, strengthening their shared purpose.
• Hu Yang and Raikou reflect on their first meeting, with Raikou admitting that Hu Yang changed his view of humans.
• Hu Yang releases Raikou from his obligation to remain with him, allowing him to reclaim his freedom and return to the wild.
• N and Alder engage in a symbolic Champion battle, with N’s victory confirming his growing authority.
• Hu Yang gives Touya Reshiram and urges him to show N the truth, positioning himself as an ally rather than the person who will resolve the conflict.
• Hu Yang reunites with Drayden and the Unova Gym Leaders, while Kyurem’s appearance immediately shifts the balance of power against the Five Sages.

Chapter Summary:

Truth and Ideals: Touya and N

Key Plot Points and Events

• N confronts Touya in the castle throne room and challenges him to a decisive battle. N summons Zekrom, while Touya uses the mysterious Poké Ball containing Reshiram.
• The two dragons battle fiercely, with lightning and fire destroying much of the throne room before the fight moves into the sky. Their clash represents the conflict between N’s ideals and Touya’s truth.
• While the battle continues, Touya questions N’s belief that humans and Pokémon must be separated. N explains that he temporarily captures Pokémon so they can later be liberated, but Touya argues that many Pokémon willingly love battling and living alongside their Trainers.
• Touya declares that he wants to remain with his Pokémon forever. Reshiram recognizes the truth in his conviction, gains renewed strength, and defeats Zekrom.
• Touya reveals that the founding legend N believed was false and that Ghetsis manipulated him. Ghetsis intended to use N to obtain Zekrom, combine it with Kyurem, and rule Unova.
• Alder arrives with the Gym Leaders and the captured Five Sages. Rather than imprisoning N, Alder encourages him to travel the world and discover the truth for himself.
• The Gym Leaders leave to handle the remaining affairs of Team Plasma. Drayden thanks Hu Yang for helping them meet Kyurem, while Hu Yang thanks him in return.
• Hu Yang and Cross depart by Charizard and Dragonite, heading toward New Tork City in search of Mewtwo.
• After the others leave, N speaks privately with Touya. He explains that he will travel the world to fulfill his dream and encourages Touya to pursue his own ambitions. N reveals that he noticed Touya from the beginning because he heard Touya’s Pokémon express genuine love for him.
• N departs on Zekrom, beginning his journey to find answers. Touya watches him leave and decides that, after the Pokémon League, he will also travel beyond Unova.
• Hu Yang and Cross meet Jessie, James, and Meowth aboard their airship. They continue toward New Tork City, where Ash and the others are also expected to arrive.
• Hu Yang learns about Pokémon Hills, a natural sanctuary in the modern city, and receives updates on research into the new Poké Ball and spatial-compression technology.
• The chapter ends with the group arriving in New Tork City, setting up the search for Mewtwo.

Character Developments

• Touya: Becomes more confident in his beliefs and directly opposes N. He proves that his bond with Pokémon is based on mutual affection and choice rather than exploitation. Reshiram’s recognition of his “truth” validates his ideals. He also resolves to leave Unova after the League and continue learning from the wider world.
• N: Experiences his first major ideological doubt after hearing Touya’s Pokémon express genuine happiness with their Trainer. His defeat forces him to question Ghetsis’s teachings. Rather than clinging to his former beliefs, he accepts the need to seek his own answer through travel.
• Hu Yang: Acts as an observer and facilitator during the conclusion of the Team Plasma conflict. With the crisis resolved, he turns his attention to locating Mewtwo and continuing his technological and research projects.
• Alder: Shows mercy and wisdom by allowing N the opportunity to discover the truth independently instead of treating him solely as a criminal.
• Cross: Continues accompanying Hu Yang and provides an outsider’s perspective, particularly regarding the mysterious Pokémon Egg.
• Ghetsis: Is exposed as the true manipulator behind N’s ideology and Team Plasma’s plans for Zekrom, Kyurem, and control of Unova.

Significant Themes

• Truth versus ideals: The battle between Reshiram and Zekrom symbolizes Touya’s belief in lived truth confronting N’s inherited ideals.
• Freedom and coexistence: The chapter challenges the idea that all Pokémon must be separated from humans. It emphasizes that genuine partnership can itself be a form of freedom when both sides willingly choose it.
• Questioning authority: N begins to understand that the beliefs taught by Ghetsis and Team Plasma were constructed to manipulate him.
• Personal growth through travel: Both N and Touya recognize that their answers cannot simply be given to them; they must experience the world and develop their own convictions.
• Mercy and redemption: Alder’s decision to let N go reflects the possibility of growth for someone who was manipulated rather than acting from entirely malicious intentions.

Important Character Interactions

• Touya and N: Their confrontation moves from physical battle to philosophical debate. Touya challenges N’s assumptions, while N recognizes the sincerity of Touya’s bond with his Pokémon.
• Touya and Reshiram: Reshiram hears Touya’s genuine conviction and responds by defeating Zekrom, affirming their connection.
• N and Zekrom: Their defeat marks the collapse of N’s certainty and the beginning of his independent search for truth.
• Alder and N: Alder acknowledges N’s wrongdoing but offers him a chance to learn and change rather than imposing immediate punishment.
• Hu Yang and Drayden: Their mutual thanks reflect the cooperation that helped end the Team Plasma crisis and encounter Kyurem.
• N and Touya after the battle: N encourages Touya to pursue his own dream and reveals that he has long recognized the authenticity of Touya’s relationship with his Pokémon.
• Hu Yang, Cross, and Team Rocket: Their reunion aboard the airship transitions the story from the Team Plasma resolution to the upcoming New Tork City and Mewtwo plot.

Chapter Summary: “Genesect”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hu Yang, Cross, and their companions arrive in New Tork City. While Meowth and the others explore, Hu Yang and Cross walk through a peaceful city park.
• They encounter Ash riding an unfamiliar Pokémon across the river. Hu Yang recognizes it as Genesect, an extinct Pokémon revived and modified by Team Plasma.
• Ash and Pikachu later meet a lonely purple Genesect, which repeatedly says that it wants to return home. Ash promises to help, despite not knowing where its home is.
• Two more Genesect, including an aggressive red one, arrive. The red Genesect attacks Ash and his friends, apparently interpreting humans as enemies.
• Pikachu attempts to defend them, but the attack is stopped when Hu Yang and Charizard intervene. Charizard Mega Evolves into Mega Charizard Y and overwhelms the Genesect’s assault.
• Mewtwo arrives, using its Psychic power to contain the resulting explosion. The red Genesect retreats with the other two.
• Mewtwo explains that the Genesect are searching for their ancient homeland, which no longer exists. Hu Yang reveals that Celebi—or possibly Dialga—could theoretically send them back through time.
• However, the Genesect have been revived and altered into weapons, making them distrustful and hostile toward anyone who obstructs them.
• Hu Yang explains that they are likely heading to Pokémon Hills to establish a nest around the ancient Oltus flowers, which resemble the flora of their prehistoric home.
• Mewtwo volunteers to communicate with the Genesect, recognizing their shared experience of being artificially created and treated as weapons.
• Hu Yang asks Mewtwo to later examine the memories he has been avoiding. Mewtwo agrees, and Ash, Iris, and Cilan follow toward Pokémon Hills.

Character Developments

• Hu Yang demonstrates his knowledge of Genesect and the larger situation, quickly recognizing the connection to Team Plasma and anticipating Mewtwo’s arrival. He also shows compassion toward the Genesect and takes a major step toward confronting his own painful memories.
• Ash remains impulsive but deeply empathetic. He immediately treats the lonely Genesect like a lost child and promises to help it, even without a clear plan. His concern later becomes determination to resolve the conflict.
• Mewtwo shows significant emotional and philosophical growth. It believes it has found its answer regarding its identity and purpose: humans and Pokémon are companions, and all living beings belong to the world. Seeing the Genesect’s suffering reminds Mewtwo of its own past.
• Genesect are portrayed as confused, traumatized beings. The purple Genesect longs for home, while the red Genesect responds to fear and perceived threats with violence, revealing the effects of their revival and weaponization.
• Cross reacts with admiration toward the peaceful city but has little involvement in the central conflict.
• Iris and Cilan provide support and express concern, especially as they realize that the Genesect cannot be solved through simple communication.

Significant Themes

• The meaning of home: The Genesect seek a homeland that has vanished, forcing the characters to consider whether home is a place, a memory, or something that can be recreated.
• Identity and belonging: Mewtwo and Genesect were artificially created or altered, yet both struggle to understand their place in the world.
• The consequences of human experimentation: The Genesect’s aggression stems from being revived and transformed into weapons, emphasizing the lasting harm caused by treating living beings as tools.
• Compassion versus fear: Ash responds to Genesect with sympathy, while the Genesect respond to humans with suspicion and violence. The chapter suggests that understanding may eventually break this cycle.
• Confronting the past: Mewtwo has accepted its own history, while Hu Yang prepares to face memories he has long avoided.

Important Character Interactions

• Ash comforts the purple Genesect and promises to help it return home, establishing an emotional bond.
• The red Genesect attacks Ash because it sees his contact with the purple Genesect as a threat.
• Hu Yang attempts to reason with the Genesect, but their traumatic memories prevent them from trusting him.
• Mewtwo and Hu Yang discuss whether they have found answers about their existence, highlighting their shared history and mutual understanding.
• Mewtwo chooses to approach the Genesect personally because it identifies with their suffering.
• Hu Yang asks Mewtwo to inspect his memories, marking a significant moment of trust and personal vulnerability.

Chapter Summary: “Mewtwo vs. Genesect, Apex of Extremity!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Five Genesect invade Pokémon Hills, destroying the glass dome and attacking the Pokémon living there to claim the area as their new home.
• The Genesect build a massive nest over the power facility, draining its electricity and plunging Pokémon Hills—and eventually the surrounding city—into darkness.
• Administrator Eric realizes the power system cannot be restored while the nest remains.
• Ash, Iris, Hu Yang, and Cross enter Pokémon Hills and discover the Genesect fighting the local Pokémon.
• Mewtwo intervenes, attempting to persuade the Genesect to leave and avoid harming humans and Pokémon. The red Genesect refuses and begins attacking Mewtwo.
• Mewtwo and the red Genesect battle at high speed through the darkened city, causing explosions and endangering skyscrapers.
• Inside Pokémon Hills, Ash encounters a friendly Genesect and learns that it values an ancient Orta flower, a remnant of its original prehistoric home.
• The local Pokémon attack the invading Genesect, but a fire breaks out and traps three of them. Although Genesect are powerful, they are extremely vulnerable to flames.
• Ash, Pikachu, Oshawott, Hu Yang, Cross, and the local Pokémon work together to extinguish the fire. Pikachu also saves the friendly Genesect from a falling metal panel.
• The rescued Genesect and Pokémon begin recognizing one another as allies rather than enemies. However, the red Genesect returns and prepares to attack everyone.
• Mewtwo protects the others, restrains the red Genesect, and carries it into space to show it the planet they share.
• From above the atmosphere, Mewtwo explains that both of them were created in laboratories and that humans and Pokémon are all companions on the same planet.
• The red Genesect begins to understand this idea, but Mewtwo loses consciousness from the extreme cold during their descent.
• The red Genesect protects Mewtwo while falling back to Earth. The other Genesect, Ash’s Charizard, Iris’s Dragonite, and White Kyurem cooperate to slow their fall and save them.
• After landing safely, Hu Yang treats Mewtwo and the red Genesect with Full Restores. The red Genesect accepts the belief that everyone can be a companion.

Character Developments

• Mewtwo demonstrates patience and compassion by trying to reason with the Genesect instead of immediately defeating them. Its shared experience as a lab-created Pokémon allows it to empathize with them.
• The red Genesect begins as a ruthless leader who views anything obstructing its group as an enemy. After seeing Earth from space and witnessing both Pokémon and Genesect helping one another, it gradually abandons its hostility.
• The friendly Genesect shows that the group is capable of trust and affection, especially after Ash and Pikachu save it. Its acceptance of the local Pokémon helps encourage the other Genesect to stop fighting.
• Ash acts protectively toward the Genesect despite their attacks, saving one with Pikachu and organizing efforts to extinguish the fire.
• Hu Yang understands that defeating the Genesect would worsen the conflict. He deliberately supports Mewtwo’s peaceful approach and reassures Ash during the final rescue.
• The local Pokémon move from fear and anger to cooperation, ultimately risking themselves to save the Genesect.
• Mewtwo and the red Genesect develop a bond based on their shared origins and mutual dependence, culminating in the red Genesect saving Mewtwo.

Significant Themes

• Companionship over hostility: The chapter’s central message is that humans and Pokémon do not have to be enemies; all life on the planet can coexist as companions.
• Empathy through shared experience: Mewtwo reaches the red Genesect because both were artificially created and struggled with questions of identity and purpose.
• The danger of fear and misunderstanding: The conflict begins because the Genesect see the Pokémon Hills inhabitants as threats, while the local Pokémon view the Genesect as invaders.
• Cooperation and reconciliation: The Pokémon, humans, and Genesect save one another despite initially being enemies.
• Home and belonging: The Genesect’s search for a home is connected to the ancient Orta flower, while Pokémon Hills becomes a place where old enemies may eventually coexist.
• Choosing understanding over force: Mewtwo and Hu Yang show that compassion and communication can succeed where direct combat would only create greater destruction.

Important Character Interactions

• Mewtwo repeatedly tries to reason with the red Genesect, while Genesect responds with aggression and claims that obstacles must be destroyed.
• Ash and Pikachu rescue the friendly Genesect, creating the first meaningful connection between the invading group and the human side.
• Oshawott, Feraligatr, Golem, Sawsbuck, Sableye, Gardevoir, Slowbro, and others join forces to save the trapped Genesect.
• The ordinary Genesect eventually shield the local Pokémon from their own leader, openly rejecting the red Genesect’s command to continue attacking.
• Mewtwo shields everyone from the red Genesect’s final assault and takes it into space for a direct conversation.
• During the descent, Genesect saves unconscious Mewtwo, while Charizard, Dragonite, the other Genesect, and White Kyurem work together to prevent their deaths.
• The chapter ends with Ash and the others affirming Mewtwo’s lesson: everyone is a companion.

Chapter Summary: “The Boy Met Pokémon”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Eric restores New Tork City’s power, Hu Yang leads the Genesect to a secluded valley filled with Oltus flowers. The Genesect happily settle there and begin building nests.
• With the Genesect’s future secured, Mewtwo asks Hu Yang whether he is ready to recover his lost memories. Hu Yang agrees, and Mewtwo uses its psychic powers to unlock them.
• Hu Yang remembers his countless lives and journeys:
  • His first arrival in the Pokémon world with Cramorant.
  • His adventures across Hoenn, Johto, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, and Galar.
  • His friendships with Pokémon, Steven, Brendan, and many Legendary Pokémon.
  • His role in stopping major crises involving Groudon, Kyogre, Team Galactic, and the Ultimate Weapon.
• In Kalos, Hu Yang and Cramorant are exposed to the Ultimate Weapon’s energy, gaining immortality. Although Hu Yang initially tries to use immortality and time travel to preserve his companions, he repeatedly fails to prevent their deaths.
• Desperate to escape the pain of endless loss, Hu Yang asks Mewtwo to erase his memories and persuades Dialga to return him to the beginning of his life, creating a new cycle.
• In the 1,384th cycle, Hu Yang gains the Modifier, shared with Cramorant. The altered power changes events, but Hu Yang still forms many of the same bonds and eventually watches his friends and Pokémon pass away.
• After witnessing Steven’s death and reflecting on the inevitable ending of every story, Hu Yang once again has Mewtwo erase his memories.
• Before losing his memories, Hu Yang says goodbye to the Pokémon who have accompanied him for thousands of years. He then enters Dialga’s Spacetime Rift, hoping to meet them again in a new beginning.
• Hu Yang awakens in the past, with a Caterpie crawling across him, beginning another life.
• Returning to the present, Hu Yang recognizes Cross, who has grown from the boy he once trained into a Champion. Cross realizes that Hu Yang has remembered him.
• Dialga warns that Cross’s presence in the altered timeline is causing the worldlines to split. Cross must return to the future or disappear.
• Hu Yang and Cross exchange an emotional farewell. Hu Yang tells him he is proud of him, and Cross vanishes as dawn breaks.

Character Developments

• Hu Yang: His recovered memories reveal the immense emotional burden of his immortality. He evolves from someone desperate to preserve his loved ones into someone who accepts that life, death, and separation are unavoidable. Despite his grief, he continues to value the relationships he formed.
• Cramorant: Remains Hu Yang’s most constant companion throughout countless cycles, sharing both his adventures and his loneliness.
• Mewtwo: Acts as the guardian of Hu Yang’s memories, first helping him recover them and previously helping him forget the pain of his past.
• Cross: His relationship with Hu Yang is confirmed as that of student and master. He matures into a powerful Champion while retaining deep affection and respect for Hu Yang.
• Steven: His eventual death emphasizes the passage of time and the loss of Hu Yang’s human companions.
• The Pokémon companions: Their repeated deaths and rebirths reinforce how much Hu Yang has endured and how deeply he remains connected to them.

Significant Themes

• Immortality and its cost: Living forever does not eliminate suffering; instead, it forces Hu Yang to repeatedly experience the deaths of everyone he loves.
• Acceptance of impermanence: Hu Yang eventually understands that every story must end and that trying to control fate only prolongs his pain.
• Memory and identity: His memories define his relationships and emotional history, yet forgetting them offers temporary relief from unbearable grief.
• Fate versus free will: Hu Yang repeatedly attempts to alter the future, but events continue to echo across timelines. His choices nevertheless create new variations, such as his relationship with Cross.
• Love and farewell: The chapter portrays farewell not as the end of affection but as proof of the bonds Hu Yang has formed.
• Cycles and renewal: Hu Yang’s repeated returns to the beginning suggest that endings can lead to new beginnings, even when the past cannot be completely escaped.

Important Character Interactions

• Hu Yang and Mewtwo: Mewtwo restores Hu Yang’s memories, allowing him to confront his entire history.
• Hu Yang and Cross: Their reunion confirms their master-student bond. Cross’s tears and Hu Yang’s pride show the depth of their relationship.
• Hu Yang and Dialga: Dialga serves as the force controlling Hu Yang’s repeated journeys through time. It ultimately removes Cross from the present to preserve the timeline.
• Hu Yang and his Pokémon: His farewell to Groudon, Kyogre, Rayquaza, Celebi, Mew, Hoopa, Marshadow, the Legendary Beasts, and others is the emotional climax of his remembered life.
• Hu Yang and Steven: Their final conversation and Steven’s death symbolize the end of an era and the fading of Hu Yang’s original human friendships.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Dialga saves Hu Yang from Cross, Hu Yang thanks it and admits that he does not know what he plans to do about the future of Kalos, the Ultimate Weapon, and the immortality crisis.
• Wanting to return home, Hu Yang leaves Ash and the others, flies from New Tork City back to Hoenn, and visits his abandoned Ecological Park. The neglected park triggers memories of his many previous loops and the differences in the current timeline.
• Hu Yang realizes that the greatest change in this loop may be the mysterious egg Cramorant brought back from Lavaridge Town. Instead of hatching into Wobbuffet as expected, the egg has remained dormant.
• He returns to Ecological Island and confronts the egg, correctly suspecting that the “Modifier” is connected to Arceus. The egg breaks open, revealing the Creator God.
• Arceus explains that the Modifier is actually a portion of its Creation Power. It gave this power to Hu Yang to observe how he would use it, but split the power between Hu Yang and Cramorant because it was too great for one human to bear.
• Arceus reveals that it has watched Hu Yang through countless time loops. It was especially surprised that Hu Yang refused to use his power to grant immortality to himself and his Pokémon, because his experience with endless loops taught him that immortality could become a form of suffering.
• Arceus admits that Hu Yang’s compassion and self-restraint moved it. It decides to leave an avatar with him, allowing Hu Yang to travel with a fully equipped Arceus bearing all sixteen Creation Plates.
• Hu Yang announces that he will return to Kalos, believing that since the tragedy began there, it must also end there.
• Slow Wisdom interrupts the meeting and welcomes Hu Yang back. Hu Yang emotionally embraces it, revealing how deeply he misses his companions despite recently communicating with them.
• Hu Yang, Arceus, Slow Wisdom, and the others visit a laboratory where Professor Oak, Steel, Bill, and Colress are developing a new, more comfortable Poké Ball. The prototype is complete, and plans are underway for a public press conference.
• Hu Yang decides not to handle the product’s promotion himself, leaving that responsibility to Slow Wisdom, Professor Oak, and the researchers. He explains to Arceus that he wants Pokémon to live more comfortably and hopes the new Poké Ball can serve as a true home for them.

Character Developments

• Hu Yang: His desire to return home and protect his Pokémon becomes clearer. He recognizes the burden of his immortality and immense power, but continues choosing compassion over control. He also accepts responsibility for ending the Kalos crisis.
• Arceus: Initially detached and observational, Arceus develops admiration and emotional interest in Hu Yang’s kindness. It moves from merely studying him to actively supporting him by giving him an avatar.
• Dialga: Continues acting as a quiet ally. It understands Hu Yang’s pain and respects his uncertainty without pressing him for answers.
• Slow Wisdom: Remains a calm, affectionate, and dependable companion. Its warm reunion with Hu Yang highlights their close bond.
• The Pokémon companions: They sense Hu Yang’s distress when he embraces them before leaving, showing their emotional connection and concern for him.
• Professor Oak, Bill, Steel, and Colress: Their reactions to Arceus emphasize the extraordinary nature of Hu Yang’s journey and the researchers’ growing involvement in improving Pokémon welfare.

Significant Themes

• Compassion versus power: Although Hu Yang possesses godlike abilities, he refuses to use them selfishly or impose immortality on others.
• Immortality as suffering: Endless life is portrayed not as an automatic blessing but as a burden when it means repeatedly losing loved ones.
• Observation and emotional awakening: Arceus begins as a detached creator but learns empathy by observing Hu Yang’s relationships and moral choices.
• Home and belonging: Hu Yang’s return to the Ecological Park and island emphasizes his emotional ties to his Pokémon and companions. The new Poké Ball extends this idea by making a Poké Ball a genuine, comfortable home.
• Cycles and closure: The repeated loops have shaped Hu Yang’s understanding of life and loss. His decision to return to Kalos signals his determination to finally break the cycle.
• Human–Pokémon partnership: Hu Yang’s goals, the new Poké Ball, and Arceus’s decision to accompany him all reinforce the importance of mutual care rather than ownership.

Important Character Interactions

• Hu Yang and Dialga: Dialga asks about Hu Yang’s intentions, while Hu Yang thanks it for its help. Their exchange reflects mutual trust and shared awareness of the future.
• Hu Yang and his Pokémon: He releases and embraces them at the airport, reassuring them that he loves them and wants to return home, though they recognize that something is troubling him.
• Hu Yang and Arceus: Their conversation reveals the true origin of the Modifier and allows Arceus to explain its long-term observation of Hu Yang. Hu Yang’s decision to go to Kalos earns Arceus’s respect.
• Hu Yang and Slow Wisdom: Their emotional reunion shows that Hu Yang’s bonds remain central to him, even after countless loops and major revelations.
• Hu Yang and the researchers: He thanks them for developing the new Poké Ball and shares his broader goal of improving Pokémon lives.
• Arceus and the scientific team: Arceus’s arrival overwhelms the researchers, who recognize it as the legendary creator of the Pokémon world.

Chapter Summary: “Meowth’s Song”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• One month after Hu Yang returns to the Ecological Park, the new “Liberation” Poké Ball is completed and unveiled in Goldenrod City by Professor Oak.
• Oak presents the Poké Ball as a way to end Pokémon imprisonment and promote mutual respect between humans and Pokémon. Unlike ordinary Poké Balls, it allows Pokémon to enter and leave entirely by their own choice.
• The new Poké Balls become an immediate worldwide success. Pokémon enjoy their spacious interiors, Trainers rapidly replace their old Poké Balls, and public concerns about Pokémon oppression largely disappear.
• The development also resolves the crisis surrounding Team Plasma’s anti-Poké Ball movement in Unova. Caitlin thanks Hu Yang and invites him to visit Unova.
• Hu Yang spends time fishing with Arceus. Dialga and Giratina soon join him, and he brings all three legendary Pokémon back to the Ecological Park for a large fish feast.
• The chapter depicts the peaceful daily life of the Ecological Park, where humans, ordinary Pokémon, legendary Pokémon, and former villains live together as a family.
• While organizing photographs, Hu Yang reveals his plan to end his immortality. He intends to reactivate Kalos’s Ultimate Weapon and divide the enormous life energy within his body among his companions, allowing them to share one lifespan and ultimately live and die together.
• Later, Steven and Wallace visit the island. Hu Yang gives Steven a Super Steel Gem and Wallace a Prism Scale, suggesting that Hu Yang is preparing emotionally for the future and saying farewell to important friends.
• By December, Team Plasma has fallen, Ash returns to Pallet Town, and Team Rocket’s trio comes back to the island after collecting ecological data.
• Hu Yang reassures Jessie, James, and Meowth that they will always have a home at the Ecological Park. He buys food and New Year supplies, including plenty of snacks for Piplup.
• Mewtwo and the Clone Pokémon arrive unexpectedly and are invited to celebrate New Year’s Eve with everyone.
• On New Year’s Eve, the entire group prepares and shares a large dinner. The gathering emphasizes their unity as one family.
• After dinner, Meowth and Clone Meowth admire the moon. At Hu Yang’s request, Meowth plays and sings “Meowth’s Song” beside the sea, closing the chapter on a quiet, emotional note.

2. Character Developments

• Hu Yang: Becomes increasingly reflective and emotionally tired. Although he enjoys the peaceful life he has created, he is determined to end his immortality and share his remaining life energy with his companions. His gifts to Steven and Wallace and his focus on preserving photographs suggest he is preparing for a final stage of his life.
• Arceus: Continues accompanying Hu Yang, revealing that it once stayed with Akari until the end of her human life. This highlights Arceus’s capacity for attachment and its understanding of Hu Yang’s loneliness.
• Dialga: Shows concern for Hu Yang after recognizing the exhaustion behind his plan. It chooses not to press him for answers.
• Giratina: Begins interacting more directly with Hu Yang, quietly joining the group and becoming part of the island’s communal life.
• Team Rocket’s Jessie, James, and Meowth: Their time at the Ecological Park has transformed them from criminals into helpful members of a supportive community. They are relieved when Hu Yang confirms they will not be expelled and recognize that their current happiness is different from their former life in Team Rocket.
• Mewtwo: Demonstrates trust and gratitude by bringing the Clone Pokémon to the island and accepting Hu Yang’s invitation to join the New Year celebration.
• Piplup: Remains comic and food-loving, but also affectionate toward Hu Yang. Its enthusiasm over snacks reinforces the warm, domestic atmosphere of the chapter.
• Steven and Wallace: Remain close friends of Hu Yang. Steven senses that Hu Yang has changed, indicating that others are beginning to notice his growing weariness and hidden intentions.

3. Significant Themes

• Freedom and mutual respect: The Liberation Poké Ball represents a new relationship between humans and Pokémon, replacing ownership and coercion with choice and cooperation.
• Found family: The Ecological Park is portrayed as a home where humans, Pokémon, legendaries, clones, and former enemies coexist peacefully.
• Mortality and immortality: Hu Yang’s immortality is presented not as a blessing but as a burden because he must repeatedly watch others age and die. His plan reflects a desire to reclaim mortality and share it with those he loves.
• Memory and farewell: Hu Yang’s photographs, gifts, and quiet conversations suggest that he is preserving memories and preparing for separation.
• Redemption and belonging: Team Rocket’s trio have found purpose and happiness outside villainy, showing that acceptance and community can change people.
• Domestic peace after conflict: Following major crises involving Team Plasma, Groudon, and Kyogre, the chapter focuses on cooking, eating, friendship, and celebration as signs of a more hopeful era.
• Loneliness and connection: Meowth’s song, the moonlit sea, and Hu Yang’s reflections create a mood of quiet melancholy softened by companionship.

4. Character Interactions

• Professor Oak publicly articulates the ideals behind the Liberation Poké Ball, framing the chapter’s vision of human-Pokémon equality.
• Caitlin thanks Hu Yang for helping resolve Unova’s crisis and invites him to visit.
• Hu Yang speaks with Arceus about Akari and the sadness of outliving human companions.
• Hu Yang playfully complains when Dialga scares away his fish, then welcomes Dialga and Giratina to share the meal.
• The residents of the Ecological Park work together in everyday tasks: Mr. Mime cleans, Gardevoir and Father tend flowers, Roserade cares for Cleffa, and the others play or relax together.
• Hu Yang gives Steven and Wallace meaningful gifts, reinforcing their friendship while hinting at his emotional preparations.
• Hu Yang reassures Jessie, James, and Meowth that the island is their home.
• Meowth translates the Pokémon’s happiness for Jessie and James during dinner, allowing the human members of the group to understand how loved and accepted they are.
• Hu Yang invites Mewtwo and the Clone Pokémon into the family celebration.
• Finally, Hu Yang asks Meowth to perform “Meowth’s Song,” creating an intimate moment of shared music, memory, and companionship beneath the moon.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The author takes a day off after completing the Unova arc.
• The story will officially move into the Kalos and Alola arcs the following day.
• These upcoming arcs will focus on the protagonist reuniting with former Pokémon companions.
• The author explains a previously unclear plot point: the protagonist did not allow Cramorant to use the Modifier because he subconsciously opposed it, knowing that doing so would make Cramorant sleep for an entire year.
• The remaining Team Flare villains will eventually be dealt with quickly and decisively.
• The story has reached approximately 1.8 million words, with about 400,000 words remaining, suggesting roughly three months until completion.

Character Developments

• The protagonist’s reluctance to use the Modifier reveals his emotional concern for Cramorant and his unwillingness to sacrifice its well-being, even indirectly.
• The conclusion of the Unova arc marks the fulfillment of the story’s long-term buildup.
• The protagonist is expected to move into a more relaxed phase of life, with future events emphasizing warmth and everyday experiences rather than tragedy.

Significant Themes

• Reunion and continuity: The Kalos and Alola arcs will center on reconnecting with past Pokémon companions.
• Emotional restraint and care: The Modifier subplot highlights the protagonist’s subconscious attachment to Cramorant.
• Transition from darkness to comfort: The author promises that the oppressive and tragic elements are over, replaced by lighthearted daily life.
• The importance of the Modifier: The device remains central to the story’s identity, having inspired the title and shaped the narrative’s major developments.
• Closure and gratitude: The author reflects on the story’s progress and thanks readers as the final stretch approaches.

Character Interactions

• The most significant interaction discussed is between the protagonist and Cramorant: although the protagonist could have used the Modifier through Cramorant, he avoids doing so because of the severe consequence.
• The author also directly addresses the readers, clarifying plot decisions, outlining future developments, and expressing affection and gratitude toward them.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The new year begins in League Calendar 215, and Time Traveler 2 premieres in Rustboro City.
• Hu Yang watches the film with his Pokémon and the Team Rocket trio. The movie continues the story of “Natsuki,” a character based on Hu Yang’s own life.
• In the film, Natsuki returns to the past, reunites with his Pokémon, and repeats his journey of catching Pokémon, training, challenging Gyms, and competing in the Pokémon League.
• The major divergence occurs when Butterfree is about to die. Future humans, inspired by Natsuki’s life, use advanced technology to send energy back and save Butterfree.
• The movie ends with Natsuki and his Pokémon living out their lives together before their graves are shown. The closing text reveals that the film was based on a true story and thanks Cross, creating a happy and emotional conclusion.
• After leaving the theater, Hu Yang encounters the mysterious fortune-teller again. She performs another divination and tells him that the mist surrounding his future has vanished. She sees him living happily with many Pokémon on an island where everyone loves him.
• Hu Yang says that “it’s about to end” and bids the fortune-teller farewell, then returns to his Ecological Park with Mewtwo and Arceus.
• Back home, he makes a list of Pokémon and regions he intends to visit next: Kalos, Alola, and Galar.
• Gengar discovers Hu Yang is preparing to travel again and immediately decides to warn Piplup, fearing that new companions will take away Hu Yang’s affection and attention.

Character Developments

• Hu Yang: Reflects on the strange connection between his life and the film. His decision to travel to new regions shows that he is entering another stage of his journey, while his comment that things are “about to end” suggests awareness of a larger destiny or approaching conclusion.
• Mewtwo and Arceus: Remain calm and supportive as Hu Yang prepares to leave, accompanying him without questioning his decision.
• The fortune-teller: Her second prophecy is much clearer and more positive than the first. She confirms that Hu Yang’s uncertain future has become visible and predicts a happy life surrounded by Pokémon.
• Gengar: Displays jealousy and anxiety over Hu Yang meeting new companions. Its immediate plan to recruit Piplup shows how strongly the Pokémon value Hu Yang’s attention and companionship.
• Team Rocket trio: React emotionally to the movie, especially Meowth, who wishes to meet a Trainer like Natsuki.

Significant Themes

• Life imitating art: Hu Yang watches a fictionalized version of his own life, reinforcing the blurred boundary between reality and storytelling.
• The bonds between Trainers and Pokémon: The movie emphasizes loyalty, companionship, and the desire to remain together until the end of life.
• Hope and emotional closure: Butterfree’s rescue transforms the tragic story into a hopeful one, giving both the film and Hu Yang’s journey a sense of fulfillment.
• Destiny and the future: The fortune-teller’s vision suggests that Hu Yang’s path is becoming clearer and may lead to a peaceful, ideal future.
• Change and new beginnings: The start of the new year and Hu Yang’s plans to visit new regions signal the beginning of another chapter in his travels.
• Possessiveness and insecurity: Gengar’s jealousy humorously reveals how deeply Hu Yang’s Pokémon depend on his love and attention.

Important Character Interactions

• The Team Rocket trio reacts with astonishment to Mewtwo and Arceus, while Jessie reassures Meowth that such surprises have become normal.
• Hu Yang shares the emotional movie experience with his Pokémon and the trio, though he remains quietly reflective about its connection to his own life.
• Hu Yang speaks with Mewtwo about traveling to Kalos, and Mewtwo accepts his decision without resistance.
• Hu Yang reunites with the fortune-teller, receives a hopeful prophecy, pays her, and says what may be a final farewell.
• At the Ecological Park, Hu Yang explains his travel plans to Gengar. Gengar responds by secretly planning to involve Piplup in stopping or delaying his departure.

Chapter Summary: “Every One of You Is Important to Me”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hu Yang focuses on his plan to recover his lost companions, stop Lysandre and Team Flare, and rescue AZ before the Ultimate Weapon can be restarted.
• He calculates that AZ will be captured and imprisoned in Lysandre Labs on April 8th, 215, and considers using Reshiram and Kyurem to destroy the facility.
• Hu Yang realizes that Arceus may accompany him on his journey. He reflects on Arceus’s immense lifespan and his own mysterious Modifier, which is actually a form of Creation Power.
• He tests the power by restoring torn paper and changing Pikachu into a Shiny Pokémon, discovering that the Modifier’s restrictions have been removed and that he no longer falls asleep after using it.
• Hu Yang concludes that Arceus’s former restrictions were a test. Because he did not abuse the power or exploit Cramorant, he has passed and can now theoretically raise any Pokémon’s Base Stats to 999.
• Despite this power, Hu Yang decides that he no longer cares about making everyone stronger. His true wish is simply to live peacefully with the Pokémon close to him.
• Snowfall and the quiet atmosphere of Ecological Island lead Hu Yang into a period of sadness and reflection.
• Slow Wisdom finds him and comforts him. Hu Yang shares his memories and fears with it, revealing his plan involving the Ultimate Weapon and the possibility of sharing his life force with everyone.
• Hu Yang explains that immortality could cause painful mutations, and that he fears surviving alone after everyone else is gone. He also reveals that the Ultimate Weapon’s influence has taken away his ability to die, leaving him exhausted and despairing.
• Slow Wisdom reassures him that the Pokémon do not care about immortality; they only want to remain with him and live peacefully. Gengar and Piplup then arrive, see Hu Yang crying, and join the comforting embrace.

Character Developments

• Hu Yang: Becomes increasingly emotionally vulnerable. Although he possesses overwhelming power and has a strategy for defeating Team Flare, he is more concerned with protecting his companions from suffering than with achieving immortality or power. He openly admits his fear, exhaustion, and suicidal despair, showing how deeply the burden of his long life affects him.
• Arceus: Though absent from the immediate scene, Arceus’s influence is revealed to have shaped Hu Yang’s growth. Removing the Modifier’s restrictions signifies that Hu Yang has passed Arceus’s moral test.
• Slow Wisdom: Demonstrates emotional intelligence and compassion. It recognizes Hu Yang’s distress, respects his reluctance to speak, accepts the truth of his memories, and reassures him without judgment.
• Gengar and Piplup: Their immediate concern upon finding Hu Yang crying emphasizes their emotional attachment to him. They instinctively abandon their original purpose and rush to support him.
• Pikachu: Serves as the subject of Hu Yang’s test of the restored Modifier, confirming that the power can now be used safely.

Significant Themes

• Love over power: Hu Yang realizes that limitless power, immortality, and enhanced abilities matter less than remaining together with those he loves.
• The burden of immortality: The chapter presents eternal life as frightening rather than desirable, especially when it may separate Hu Yang from his companions or force them to suffer.
• Trust and moral growth: Arceus’s removal of the Modifier’s restrictions suggests that restraint and compassion were tests of Hu Yang’s character.
• Emotional vulnerability and support: Hu Yang’s willingness to reveal his pain allows his companions to comfort him, reinforcing that strength does not mean facing suffering alone.
• Chosen family and companionship: The Pokémon’s devotion shows that their bond with Hu Yang is based on affection and shared life, not survival, power, or immortality.

Character Interactions

• Slow Wisdom notices Hu Yang’s sadness and gently confronts him about it.
• Hu Yang shares his memories and plans directly with Slow Wisdom, allowing it to understand the full extent of his fears.
• Slow Wisdom physically comforts Hu Yang and assures him that it will remain by his side regardless of his decision.
• Gengar and Piplup enter and immediately join Hu Yang after seeing him cry, creating a collective moment of affection and reassurance.
• The chapter ends with Slow Wisdom quietly observing Hu Yang embrace Gengar and Piplup, emphasizing the strength of their bond.