Recaps

Xinhai settled into the Mauville City Pokémon Center with his partners and spent the day preparing for the Breeder assessment. The next morning, he set out for the assessment after recalling his partners into their Poké Balls.

• Xinhai booked a room for a week and settled in with Eevee, Blaziken, Gardevoir, Linoone, Mightyena, Sandile, and Feebas.
• Xinhai called his mother Nami to tell her that he and his partners had arrived safely in Mauville City.
• Xinhai fed and massaged his partners, then reviewed Breeder theory while they trained or rested.
• Xinhai and his partners ate dinner and went to bed early before the assessment.
• The next morning, Xinhai checked his identification and Pokédex, recalled his partners, and left the Pokémon Center for the assessment.

Xinhai took the Beginner Breeder theory assessment at the Mauville City branch of the Pokémon Breeders' Association and finished with time to review his answers. He left the exam room knowing the results would be announced at one in the afternoon, with the practical assessment reserved for those who passed.

• Xinhai stored his Spatial Backpack, checked his exam details, and entered Room 304 after his Pokédex identity verification passed.
• Kato Xia explained the exam rules and introduced an Alakazam whose psychic field monitored the candidates for cheating.
• Xinhai completed the theory exam, applying his breeding knowledge to questions about Pokémon development, Pokéblocks, berries, and herbs.
• Xinhai reviewed his answers before the bell ended the assessment and the system automatically submitted his paper.
• Xinhai left the exam room without lingering, awaiting the results and the chance to take the practical assessment.

Xinhai learned that he had placed second in the written exam with 98 points, behind Miyabi Ito’s perfect score, and then went to the fourth-floor practical exam room. He prepared at Station No. 2 with fellow top scorers Yuu Shimizu and Ken Yamada as the other candidates arrived for the practical exam.

• Xinhai returned to his room, told his Pokémon about the morning exam, and rested before the results were announced.
• Xinhai saw that he had scored 98 points and placed second, while Miyabi Ito had earned the only perfect score.
• The Association announced that written-exam passers should report to their assigned practical exam rooms on the fourth floor.
• Xinhai checked in at Examination Room One and inspected the equipment at Station No. 2.
• Yuu Shimizu and Ken Yamada greeted Xinhai, discussed their written scores, and wished each other luck in the practical exam.
• Miyabi Ito and the other candidates entered the room and took their stations as the practical exam approached.

Xinhai began the Beginner Breeder practical assessment, drawing the task of making a Basic Bone-Strengthening Energy Cube. He carefully prepared the ingredients and controlled the production process, reaching the final solidification stage before the chapter ended.

• Teacher Kimura assigned Xinhai a Bone-Strengthening Energy Cube task, with a requirement to reach Ordinary quality within sixty minutes.
• Teacher Matsumoto supplied the ingredients, and Xinhai judged that he had enough materials for only three attempts.
• Teacher Kimura released an Espeon to help monitor the assessment and warned the examinees not to cheat.
• After the assessment began, Xinhai reviewed the recipe, prepared the ingredients, and started the Berry Blender.
• Xinhai precisely completed the extraction and centrifugal purification, then moved into concentration fusion and pressurized solidification.

Xinhai Bai Mu completed the practical examination and waited with the other candidates for the results. He passed with second place overall and received his Beginner Breeder Badge and qualification certificate.

• Xinhai Bai Mu successfully made three good-quality Pokéblocks, cleaned his workstation, and submitted his work to Teacher Kimura.
• Teacher Kimura ended the practical examination; seven of the ten examinees had submitted finished products, and the candidates waited for results in the rest area.
• Yuu Shimizu told Xinhai Bai Mu that Ken Yamada's uncle was Yutai Yamada, vice president of the Mauville City branch.
• Yutai Yamada announced the passing candidates, and Miyabi Ito received first place with a perfect theory score and an excellent practical evaluation.
• Xinhai Bai Mu received second place with 98 points on theory and a good practical evaluation, then accepted his badge and certificate.
• Yuu Shimizu received third place, and Hiroki Yamada continued announcing the remaining candidates.

Xinhai passed the Breeder assessment and celebrated with Eevee, Gardevoir, and his other Pokémon. After shopping for a feast, he prepared to call his parents and share the good news.

• Hiroki Yamada announced that Xinhai and sixteen others had passed and welcomed them as Beginner Breeders.
• Xinhai declined Yuu Shimizu's invitation to celebrate, saying he needed to report to his family and prepare for his Mauville Gym challenge.
• Xinhai reunited with Eevee and Gardevoir, thanked them for their support, and took them shopping for ingredients and treats.
• At the Pokémon Center, Xinhai showed his badge to his Pokémon and announced a celebration feast.
• Before cooking, Xinhai picked up his Pokédex to call his parents, and Eevee eagerly watched for the call to connect.

After passing the Beginner Breeder assessment in second place, Xinhai celebrated with his Pokémon and shared the news with his parents. He explored the Breeders' Association’s internal resource network and realized that a breeder’s real challenge was accumulating knowledge.

• Xinhai called his parents, showed them his Beginner Breeder Badge, and told them he had placed second in the assessment.
• Nami and Yantai congratulated Xinhai, and he promised to prepare a celebratory feast with his Pokémon.
• Xinhai and his companions cooked and shared a feast, then relaxed together after cleaning up.
• Xinhai opened the Breeders' Association’s internal resource network and examined its detailed breeding resources and certified Energy Cube formulas.
• Xinhai concluded that the true difficulty of a Breeder assessment lay in acquiring and accumulating knowledge.

After passing the Beginner Breeder assessment, Xinhai explored the Association’s resources and considered how access to breeding knowledge was restricted by rank and family privilege. He added fellow breeders as contacts, planned to earn more League Points, and booked a Mauville Gym battle for three days later.

• Xinhai reflected on how inherited knowledge and financial pressure gave candidates from wealthy families an advantage in the Beginner Breeder assessment.
• Xinhai found that the Association restricted the Flame Energy Cube recipe to Intermediate Breeders and browsed its missions and member directory.
• Xinhai accepted friend requests from Yuu Shimizu and Ken Yamada, then sent friend requests to Joy Luo and Roxanne.
• Xinhai browsed the Resource Exchange, saw that advanced items required more League Points than he had, and decided to pursue League missions.
• Xinhai planned to sell his Basic Berry Blender and reserved a Mauville Gym battle for October 18 at 10:00 AM.

Xinhai studied the Breeders' Association knowledge base, accepted a League mission to drive an Electrike and Manectric pack from Route 117, and upgraded his Berry Blender. He found the pack and launched a coordinated attack with his Pokémon.

• Xinhai studied the Beginner knowledge base late into the night and went to sleep after his companions had settled down.
• Xinhai accepted a mission to drive away an Electrike and Manectric pack on Route 117 for 50,000 League Coins and 200 League Points.
• Xinhai sold his Basic Berry Blender and bought an Intermediate-Advanced Berry Blender in Mauville City's commercial district.
• Xinhai and his companions found the pack, which Gardevoir identified as seventeen Electrike led by a level 28 Manectric.
• Xinhai assigned his Pokémon roles, then ordered Mightyena to use Roar and Linoone to disrupt the pack's formation.

Xinhai and his Pokémon defeated a pack of Electrike led by a Manectric, then traveled to an abandoned power station to find a safe place to release them. After Gardevoir confirmed the area held only weak Pokémon, Xinhai prepared to let the captured Pokémon out.

• Xinhai's team coordinated their attacks to scatter the Electrike and knock the Manectric leader unconscious.
• Xinhai captured the unconscious Electrike and Manectric in Poké Balls and explained that the mission required him to relocate them, not turn them in.
• Xinhai chose an abandoned power station near Route 118 as a remote habitat with a faint electrical environment.
• Xinhai traveled to the power station with Eevee, Gardevoir, Blaziken, and Sandile, then inspected its overgrown grounds.
• Gardevoir detected weak Magnemite, Plusle, and Minun inside but no serious threats, so Xinhai selected the site and prepared to release the Electrike and Manectric.

Xinhai released the healed Electrike and Manectric near the abandoned power station, completed his League mission, and spent two days exploring Mauville City and earning League Points. On the eve of his fourth Badge challenge, he chose Sandile, Linoone, and Mightyena to battle at the Mauville Gym and prepared his team for the next morning.

• Xinhai had Gardevoir heal the unconscious Electrike and Manectric and guide their leader toward peaceful coexistence before leaving the power station with his partners.
• Xinhai submitted proof of mission F-07-0358 at the Mauville League Mission Hall and received fifty thousand League Coins and 200 League Points.
• Xinhai explored Mauville City with Eevee and Gardevoir, bought gifts for his partners, and enjoyed dinner before returning to the Pokémon Center.
• Xinhai completed simple League missions over the next two days and studied Berry Blender use and Intermediate Energy Cubes.
• On the evening before the Gym challenge, Xinhai told his partners that the fourth Badge battle could feature an Elite-level final Pokémon and named Sandile, Linoone, and Mightyena as his lineup.
• Xinhai encouraged his team to rest while Eevee, Gardevoir, and the others promised to support the three Gym battlers.

Xinhai began his three-on-three challenge at Mauville Gym against Fang Rui, one of Wattson’s disciples, and sent Sandile out against Manectric. Sandile used Dig and Mud Shot to catch Manectric off guard, then began a Sand Tomb attack.

• Xinhai arrived at Mauville Gym for his reserved challenge and was led to the battle arena.
• Fang Rui introduced himself as Xinhai’s opponent, and the referee announced a three-on-three match with only the challenger allowed to switch Pokémon.
• Fang Rui sent out Manectric, and Xinhai chose Sandile while Eevee cheered from the spectator area.
• Manectric charged with Quick Attack, but Sandile dodged underground with Dig.
• Manectric fired Flamethrower into Sandile’s tunnel, but Sandile emerged behind him and struck him with two Mud Shots.
• Xinhai ordered Sandile to use Sand Tomb as Manectric struggled to recover.

Sandile defeated Fang Rui’s Manectric with a second Rock Slide, then Fang Rui sent out Magneton. Magneton used a Lock-On technique enhanced by Analytic to mark Sandile, and Xinhai sent Sandile underground to test its effect.

• Sandile trapped Manectric in Sand Tomb, but Manectric escaped with Protect and Quick Attack.
• Sandile struck the airborne Manectric with Rock Slide, then knocked it out with another Rock Slide.
• Sandile’s Moxie boosted its Presence after the win, and Fang Rui recalled Manectric and sent out Magneton.
• Fang Rui ordered Magneton to use Lock-On, and its Analytic-enhanced beams placed a triangular mark on Sandile.
• Xinhai recognized the move as a special combination technique and ordered Sandile to use Dig toward Magneton.

Xinhai’s Sandile was badly injured by Magneton’s lock-on attacks but used Sand Tomb and Sandstorm to disrupt the battle before Xinhai recalled it. Xinhai sent out Linoone, which launched a Quick Attack through the dust as Fang Rui’s Magneton rose and spread Thunder Wave; Linoone then burst out at Magneton’s flank.

• Fang Rui used Magneton’s lock-on to predict Sandile’s emergence and hit it with Magnet Bomb, badly injuring it.
• Xinhai had Sandile evade Flash Cannon by sinking into a Sand Tomb, but Magneton continued targeting it with Magnet Bombs.
• Xinhai ordered Sandile to unleash a powerful Sandstorm, and Magneton fired Flash Cannon into the swirling sand.
• Xinhai recalled Sandile and sent out Linoone with Quick Attack through the dust.
• Fang Rui had Magneton rise and spread Thunder Wave, but Linoone burst from the dust at Magneton’s flank.

Xinhai and Linoone defeated Fang Rui’s Magneton in a fierce battle, but Linoone was badly injured by Magneton’s final explosion. Fang Rui sent out his true partner, an Elite-level Ampharos, leaving Xinhai facing a formidable final opponent.

• Linoone struck Magneton with Rock Smash and followed up with a point-blank Swift barrage, badly damaging it.
• Magneton halted its fall with Magnet Rise, then detonated a stored Magnet Bomb as Linoone charged, knocking both Pokémon down.
• The referee declared Magneton unable to battle, while Linoone managed to rise despite its injuries.
• Fang Rui thanked Magneton and sent out his final Pokémon, Ampharos.
• Xinhai recognized Ampharos’s powerful Dragon bloodline, battle-hungry temperament, and Elite-level strength.

Xinhai’s Mightyena faced Fang Rui’s Ampharos in the final round, trading powerful attacks and leaving both Pokémon battered. As the smoke obscured the field, Xinhai ordered Mightyena to rush in with Sucker Punch and use Double Team.

• Xinhai recalled his injured Linoone and sent out Mightyena, whose fierce Presence made Ampharos retreat.
• Mightyena dodged Ampharos’s Power Gem and used Scary Face to slow it before lunging with Sucker Punch.
• Fang Rui ordered Thunder Punch, but Xinhai changed Mightyena’s attack to Fire Fang, and the moves collided, injuring both Pokémon.
• Ampharos fired Thunderbolt while Mightyena answered with Dark Pulse, and their attacks exploded, sending both Pokémon sprawling.
• Fang Rui told Ampharos to use Charge as it rose, but Xinhai ordered Mightyena to use Sucker Punch and Double Team through the lingering smoke.

Xinhai won his Mauville Gym battle after Mightyena defeated Fang Rui’s Ampharos with a carefully timed combination of attacks. Fang Rui awarded Xinhai the Dynamo Badge, and Xinhai set out for the Pokémon Center to have his team treated.

• Mightyena used Double Team to approach Ampharos through the smoke, then struck it with Sucker Punch and Crunch after Ampharos’s Discharge weakened.
• Mightyena endured Ampharos’s electrical counterattack and finished it with Pursuit, leaving Ampharos unable to battle.
• The referee declared Xinhai Bai Mu the winner, and Xinhai treated Mightyena’s injuries while Fang Rui congratulated him.
• Fang Rui gave Xinhai the Dynamo Badge and shared battle advice with him.
• Xinhai left Mauville Gym with Eevee and his other partners, heading to the Pokémon Center for their examinations and recovery.

After his partners recovered from their Gym battle, Xinhai celebrated earning his fourth Badge and announced that he would head to Lavaridge Town next. He planned to explore Mt. Chimney safely, then prepare for the trip with lunch, rest, and an evening shopping visit.

• Xinhai collected his fully healed partners from Nurse Joy and released them in his room to check how they felt.
• Xinhai placed the Dynamo Badge in his case beside his three other Badges.
• Xinhai told his partners they would travel to Lavaridge Town, challenge its Gym, and train near Mt. Chimney.
• Xinhai warned his partners to view the volcano from a safe distance and avoid its crater, toxic Qi, and volcanic ash.
• Xinhai planned to prepare lunch, let everyone rest, and shop in Mauville City for volcanic and mountainous travel supplies.

Xinhai and his Pokémon rested, bought protective gear and supplies in Mauville City, then set out along Route 111 toward the Mt. Chimney Range. They stopped for lunch in the volcanic outskirts, with Mt. Chimney still distant.

• Xinhai and his partners rested after their morning battles, then woke refreshed and went shopping in Mauville City.
• Xinhai bought heat-resistant clothing, protective goggles, masks, medicines, and portable food for the trip toward Mt. Chimney.
• The next morning, Xinhai rode from Mauville City along Route 111 with Eevee and Gardevoir, explaining the volcanic landscape and warning Eevee they would only view Mt. Chimney from a distance.
• Xinhai and his partners encountered Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon as the road grew rockier and more barren, while Gardevoir maintained a Psychic Field for safety.
• Near noon, Xinhai stopped by a large boulder to prepare lunch as his partners explored the area.

Xinhai met Ranger Kenji on Route 111, learned about the League’s efforts to contain the Lost Desert and the dangers of Mirage Tower, and continued toward Lavaridge Town. After admiring Mt. Chimney with his companions, he set off to reach the Route 111 station before nightfall.

• Ranger Kenji introduced himself and accepted water and Berry soup from Xinhai while explaining his work on the eastern Route 111 afforestation project.
• Kenji warned Xinhai that the Lost Desert was expanding, that environmental changes made it dangerous, and that Mirage Tower had lured many explorers to their deaths.
• Xinhai told Kenji he would stay on the main road to Lavaridge Gym, and Kenji wished him well before leaving with his Manectric.
• Xinhai told Eevee they might explore the desert someday after becoming stronger and better prepared.
• Xinhai and his companions admired Mt. Chimney, then resumed their journey toward the Route 111 station for the night.

Xinhai and his Pokémon traveled from a station on Route 111 toward Mt. Chimney, choosing the greener Route 112 instead of the Lost Desert. They reached the Mt. Chimney Cable Car Station after a day of climbing.

• Xinhai spent the night at a travelers' station, where he and Eevee and Gardevoir watched the stars.
• The next morning, Xinhai equipped his companions and himself with goggles and a dust mask as they approached the Lost Desert.
• At the fork, Xinhai chose westbound Route 112 toward Lavaridge Town rather than continuing into the desert.
• Xinhai explained Mt. Chimney's geothermal steam to Eevee and rested with his Pokémon along the volcanic route.
• After cycling onward, Xinhai and his companions arrived at the Mt. Chimney Cable Car Station.

Xinhai and Eevee took the cable car up Mt. Chimney, admiring the Lost Desert and the mountain’s geothermal scenery along the way. They arrived at the mountainside platform, where they could transfer to a higher observation deck or head toward Lavaridge Town.

• Xinhai bought a one-way ticket to Mt. Chimney’s mountainside platform and recalled Gardevoir and his other Pokémon, leaving Eevee out.
• Xinhai and Eevee boarded the cable car with the other passengers and began ascending the mountain.
• Xinhai showed Eevee the Lost Desert below and reflected on Ranger Kenji and his colleagues’ work there.
• Xinhai and Eevee saw Mt. Chimney’s lava cliffs, steam vents, and hot springs as the cable car climbed through the geothermal zone.
• The cable car reached the mountainside platform, where passengers were told to disembark and arrange onward travel in the transfer hall.

Xinhai and his Pokémon arrived in Lavaridge Town and settled into the Pokémon Center. He booked a Gym battle for the day after tomorrow and prepared to explore the town and its hot springs with his partners.

• Xinhai and his partners followed the trail from Mt. Chimney’s cable car platform down to Lavaridge Town.
• Xinhai checked into the Pokémon Center and made the room their base while his partners settled in.
• Xinhai booked a battle at Lavaridge Gym for two in the afternoon the day after tomorrow.
• Xinhai gave each partner a massage to ease their travel fatigue before they headed out to explore.

Xinhai and his Pokémon checked into a private room at Lavaridge Town’s luxurious Earthcore Warm Current Hot Spring Inn. After exploring the room’s pools and sand bath, they split up to shower and bathe.

• Xinhai found most hot spring inns in Lavaridge Town full and chose the Earthcore Warm Current Hot Spring Inn.
• Xinhai booked a private hot spring room with sand bath facilities for himself and his Pokémon.
• Xiao Lian escorted Xinhai and his companions to room seven and explained its facilities.
• Xinhai and his Pokémon explored the room, then Blaziken and Sandile headed for the sand bath while Xinhai took Eevee, Gardevoir, Linoone, and Mightyena to shower.

Xinhai and his Pokémon relaxed at the inn with sand baths, a hot spring soak, dinner, and bedtime massages. They fell asleep refreshed, ready for their next journey in Lavaridge Town.

• Xinhai finished washing Eevee, Gardevoir, Linoone, and Mightyena, then found Blaziken and Sandile enjoying the warm sand baths.
• Xinhai and his partners soaked in the hot spring, while he set Feebas’s tank beside the pool so it could share in the atmosphere.
• Eevee played in the water before settling in Xinhai’s arms and falling asleep, while the other Pokémon relaxed in the pool.
• After more than an hour, Xinhai helped everyone rinse off and cleaned the sand from Blaziken and Sandile.
• Xinhai and his partners ate dinner, received grooming and massages, and went to sleep beneath the night sky over Mt. Chimney.