Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Calisthenics! Breaking Through to Elite Four Level! Aura!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mu Yun selects Critical Hit +1 as Xiao Du’s trait enhancement.
• Beedrill’s original Critical Hit ability evolves:
  • All attacks now count as critical hits.
  • Critical damage increases to 5× normal power, or 750% of standard damage.
• During the enhancement, Xiao Du gains a new move, Swords Dance, and immediately reaches Mastered proficiency.
  • Mastered Swords Dance increases physical power by 100% and speed by 50% for a period.
• Xiao Du’s level rises to Level 50, Totem Level.
• Mu Yun realizes that combining Swords Dance with Xiao Du’s five layers of Focus Energy could produce overwhelming damage, potentially allowing Xiao Du to challenge Elite Four-level opponents after reaching Gym Leader Level.
• Mu Yun exchanges the Pokémon treasures given by Ceruledge for 1,959,000 Energy Points.
• He spends 999,000 Energy Points to upgrade Ninth National Fitness Exercise from LV5 to LV6.
• The upgrade raises the skill’s physical enhancements and increases Mu Yun’s Constitution, ultimately bringing it to 70—Elite Four Level.
• Mu Yun tests his newly condensed Vital Force by denting an alloy safe with one finger.
• LV6 also unlocks the active ability Aura, though Mu Yun currently has only a vague awareness of it and cannot yet manipulate it.

Character Development

• Mu Yun undergoes a major physical breakthrough. His body becomes vastly stronger, tougher, more flexible, resilient, and resistant to extreme temperatures.
• His Vital Force expands more than tenfold and becomes dense enough to be externally concentrated around his body.
• He gains the confidence and capability to handle extremely durable Pokémon, particularly Steel Types, without fearing that his massages will injure him.
• Mu Yun’s power now reaches Elite Four level, marking a significant advancement from his previous state.
• Xiao Du/Beedrill becomes dramatically more dangerous through the Critical Hit +1 enhancement, learns Swords Dance, and reaches Totem Level.
• Mu Yun begins exploring the concept of Aura, setting up another future stage of growth.

Significant Themes

• Continuous self-improvement: Both Mu Yun and Xiao Du grow through persistent training, system upgrades, and hard-earned breakthroughs.
• Synergy and specialization: Xiao Du’s Critical Hit +1, Focus Energy, and Swords Dance combine into an extremely powerful offensive strategy.
• Transformation through discipline: Mu Yun’s long-term calisthenics training results in a fundamental bodily evolution rather than merely a numerical increase in strength.
• Power and discovery: The chapter introduces Aura as a deeper force connecting living beings and the world, hinting at future spiritual and sensory abilities.
• Humor amid power growth: Mu Yun’s casual attempt to hide the dented safe and his disbelief that anyone could suspect a human caused it provide comic relief.

Character Interactions

• Mu Yun interacts primarily with Xiao Du, observing and evaluating the Beedrill’s new abilities and imagining how they will function in battle.
• He also interacts with the system, using it to enhance Xiao Du’s trait, exchange Pokémon treasures, upgrade his calisthenics, and inspect the newly unlocked Aura ability.
• Though no direct conversations occur with other characters, Ceruledge’s earlier gift of Pokémon treasures indirectly enables Mu Yun’s breakthrough in this chapter.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mu Yun spends over 100,000 Energy Points rapidly upgrading Aura Power from LV0 to LV5.
• At LV5, Aura Power can:
  • Enhance strength, defense, speed, reactions, stamina recovery, and mental energy.
  • Extend outward to sense objects and living beings.
  • Form tangible long-range attacks.
  • Merge with the Aura of people whose wills and emotions align with his, potentially amplifying their combined power.
• Mu Yun discovers that Aura was always present within and around him, but he previously lacked the ability to perceive it.
• He tests Aura by reinforcing his arm and finds that it nearly doubles his strength while making his movements feel lighter. He also combines it with Vital Force, creating a stronger dual enhancement without interference between the two powers.
• He experiments with Aura’s sensory capabilities, using it to perceive objects and life forms through walls in an abstract, aura-based “sixth sense.”
• He creates and controls Aura Spheres, discovering that they can be remotely manipulated, recalled, and rapidly regenerated after being dispersed. He theorizes that Aura follows a law of conservation.
• Mu Yun then spends large amounts of Energy Points upgrading several other skills:

Wang-style Cannon Fist → LV5

Energy Cube Making → LV5

Cooking → LV5

General Massage → LV5

• Several language skills reach LV5, while Mihaiya Common Language reaches LV4.
• His remaining Energy Points fall from nearly two million to just over five hundred thousand, and his Mental stat rises from 47 to 59.

Character Development

• Mu Yun gains a major new power system through Aura, significantly increasing his combat potential.
• His understanding of Aura develops from simple curiosity into practical mastery, including reinforcement, perception, ranged attacks, and remote control.
• By combining Aura with Vital Force, he moves closer to possessing Champion-level enhancement despite already having an Elite Four-level body.
• His upgraded martial skill improves the explosive strength of his arms, legs, and waist, while also unlocking Vital Force Integration.
• His practical and support-oriented abilities become much stronger:
  • Energy Cubes provide significantly greater nutritional and training benefits.
  • Cooking can induce pleasurable “Gourmet Illusions” and influence emotions.
  • Massage becomes more effective, with improved recovery, stronger trait amplification, and the ability to temporarily enhance a recipient’s physical and sensory abilities.
• Mu Yun continues investing in languages because he hopes to unlock the ability I Am the Center, which might allow him to communicate or negotiate with powerful Legendary Pokémon.

Significant Themes

• Power through systematic improvement: Mu Yun uses accumulated Energy Points to transform multiple abilities rather than relying on a single combat skill.
• Synergy between different powers: Aura and Vital Force have distinct functions but can be used together, multiplying Mu Yun’s effectiveness.
• The interconnectedness of all things: Aura exists throughout the world and can be shared or synchronized by people whose minds and hearts are aligned.
• Conservation and balance: Mu Yun observes that Aura returns after use, unlike Vital Force, suggesting different laws govern different forms of energy.
• Preparation for the future: His upgrades are not limited to immediate combat; he strengthens food production, healing, communication, and negotiation in anticipation of future encounters.

Character Interactions

• Mu Yun has no direct interaction with other characters in the chapter. His main “interactions” are with the surrounding environment and his own abilities:
  • He senses life through walls using Aura.
  • He experiments with combining Aura and Vital Force.
  • He considers testing his new strength against acquaintances’ Elite Four-level Pokémon.
  • His plans to improve language skills reflect an intention to communicate with, rather than simply fight, powerful beings such as Legendary Pokémon.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the special college entrance examination, Mu Yun and the other students officially begin their summer break because they have already secured admission.
• Before leaving, Qin Yilin invites Zhu Mingze and Mu Yun to visit the Imperial City.
• Ma Yue informs Mu Yun that his requested Beldum has been arranged. In a month, the Xu Family’s Metagross will produce a Pokémon Egg, which Mu Yun can claim using the provided contact information and collection certificate.
• After returning to Heijiang City, Mu Yun learns from Principal Liao Ding that his application for a Gastly has been approved. In three days, he will be taken to the Evergreen Liu Family’s private Secret Realm to collect it.
• Liao Ding explains that Private Secret Realms are ancient resources controlled by powerful families. Most families have declined, selling their realms to the Pokémon League, but the Liu Family still retains theirs.
• While waiting, Mu Yun fishes in the Black River and catches more Magikarp, intending to develop Second Carp’s Schooling Trait.
• The system reveals several possible Trait enhancements for Little Gold, Mu Yun’s Shiny Magikarp. He chooses not to use the straightforward Rattled or Moxie upgrades and instead focuses on the long-term potential of the mutation Trait, Dragon Transformation.
• Dragon Transformation permanently increases Little Gold’s base stats whenever it defeats an opponent of equal or higher level, with doubled benefits against Dragon-type Pokémon. It also gradually builds True Dragon Blood, which improves energy quality, stamina, and total energy, potentially triggering a future miraculous evolution.
• Mu Yun decides to reserve Schooling for Second Carp and later give Little Gold a more immediately powerful second Trait.
• Little Gold and Second Carp continue growing, reaching approximately 3.3 meters and 2.8 meters respectively.
• Three days later, Mu Yun travels to the Liu Family estate in Evergreen City with Miss Qu, a school representative. Liu Hesheng, whom Mu Yun already knows, meets him and offers to serve as his guide.
• Liu Hesheng introduces the family’s private Secret Realm, Spirit Channeling, named after an ancestor’s innate ability. After entering, he points out the room containing the Gastly Egg and offers to show Mu Yun around.

Character Developments

• Mu Yun becomes increasingly strategic about his Pokémon’s long-term development. Rather than choosing the strongest immediate Trait, he recognizes Little Gold’s potential for exponential growth through Dragon Transformation.
• He also distinguishes between his Pokémon’s roles: Little Gold is being built as a future powerhouse, while Second Carp is intended to receive Schooling and support a group-based strategy.
• Little Gold gains a clearly defined evolution path centered on becoming a True Dragon. Its enormous growth potential may eventually allow it to evolve beyond its normal form.
• Second Carp continues growing and is prepared to become the primary user of Schooling.
• Liu Hesheng shows a warmer, more familiar side around Mu Yun than the aloof persona he displays publicly. He is trusted by his family to guide Mu Yun through the Secret Realm.
• Liao Ding continues assisting Mu Yun by arranging both his hotel stay and transportation to the Liu Family.
• The author’s comments establish intended combat roles for other Pokémon: Xiao Du is envisioned as a fast, lethal assassin reliant on overwhelming Attack, while Namikaze is associated with speed and kiting.

Significant Themes

• Long-term growth versus immediate power: Mu Yun rejects simple short-term enhancements in favor of Dragon Transformation’s much greater eventual potential.
• Strategic specialization: Different Pokémon are assigned distinct roles rather than being developed identically.
• Inherited power and decline: The Liu Family’s enduring Secret Realm contrasts with families such as the Liao Family, whose former influence has faded.
• Family heritage and private resources: Secret Realms are shown as symbols of ancient family strength and status.
• Evolution through effort: Little Gold’s future transformation depends on defeating worthy opponents and accumulating True Dragon Blood, linking growth to combat experience.
• World-building and social hierarchy: The chapter expands the setting by revealing how Pokémon resources, Secret Realms, prestigious families, schools, and the League interact.

Character Interactions

• Qin Yilin bids farewell to Mu Yun and invites him and Zhu Mingze to visit the Imperial City.
• Ma Yue gives Mu Yun the documentation and contact information needed to claim the Beldum Egg.
• Liao Ding explains the nature of Private Secret Realms and arranges Mu Yun’s stay and transportation.
• Miss Qu escorts Mu Yun to the Liu estate on behalf of the school.
• Liu Hesheng greets Mu Yun personally, explains the Spirit Channeling Secret Realm, and offers to guide him to the Gastly Egg and around the Liu Family’s territory.

Key plot points and events

• Liu Hesheng invites Mu Yun to explore the Liu Family’s Spirit Channeling Secret Realm. Mu Yun suspects the invitation is an obligation and learns the family’s ancestor—mother of the Gastly egg he is receiving—wants to meet him before her son leaves.
• Liu Hesheng explains that Mu Yun’s unusual Constitution and strong vitality make ordinary Ghost-type Pokémon unlikely to approach him. Qu Ning is more vulnerable, but she carries a protective Spirit-Sealing Talisman made by her grandmother from Champion-Level Absol fur.
• The group inspects the egg: it contains a male Gastly with Champion-Level Potential, Levitate, several moves, and a bonus inherited from his Champion-level parent. It is expected to hatch in about a week.
• They then enter the Secret Realm, where a permanently dim, reddish sky and a withered forest create an ideal habitat for Ghost-type Pokémon. Even its “day” is dark; at night, visibility nearly disappears.

Character developments and interactions

• Mu Yun is curious, quick to notice Liu Hesheng’s unusual eagerness, and confident about raising the Gastly despite judging its displayed stats unimpressive. He agrees to meet the anxious mother.
• Liu Hesheng is accommodating and candid once Mu Yun sees through the invitation. He also takes pride in the Secret Realm’s exceptional conditions.
• Qu Ning shows she has powerful family connections through her protective charm, though her exact family background remains unclear. She insists she can safely accompany the others.
• The Gastly’s mother, though not yet seen, is established as protective and concerned about her child’s future.

Significant themes

• Family heritage and affinity: The Liu family’s generations of life alongside Ghost-type Pokémon give them a natural affinity with them, helping explain their specialization.
• Parental care and responsibility: The Gastly’s mother wants to assess the person who will raise her offspring.
• Potential versus present ability: Mu Yun is unfazed by the egg’s ordinary-looking stats because he believes his own training can bring out its Champion-level potential.
• Distinctive environments shape Pokémon families: The Realm’s endless darkness makes it an ideal home for Ghost-types and a source of the Liu family’s strength.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Liu Hesheng leads Mu Yun and Qu Ning into the Spirit Channeling Secret Realm, explaining that it spans more than 100,000 square kilometers and is one of the Pokémon League’s largest Secret Realms.
• Although the realm contains vast resources, its harsh environment makes development difficult. Much of it remains under the control of the Liu Family’s ancient ancestor-level Ghost Pokémon.
• Liu explains that the Liu Family has seven recognized ancestors, descended from the earliest Pokémon associated with the family. However, countless other powerful “ancestor-level” Pokémon roam the realm, making their exact number impossible to determine.
• The family’s enormous stock of long-lived Ghost Pokémon gives its descendants access to Starter Pokémon with Elite Four potential and, for talented members, even Champion-level Pokémon. This explains why the family can give Mu Yun a Champion-potential Gastly Egg without hardship.
• Liu brings Mu Yun and Qu Ning to the branch belonging to the Third Ancestor, whose daughter laid Mu Yun’s Gastly Egg.
• Along the way, numerous Haunter, Gengar, and Gastly observe and gossip about the visitors. Mu Yun realizes that the Ghost Pokémon are curious because humans are rare in the Secret Realm.
• The Third Ancestor appears as a plump, white Shiny Gengar wearing glasses and using a customized tablet. He is interrupted while playing an online-style game with another ancestor, revealing an unexpectedly modern and internet-addicted personality.
• Mu Yun secretly uses his Data Eye and discovers that the Third Ancestor is a Level 89, peak-Champion-level Shiny Gengar with extraordinary abilities and bonuses.

Character Developments

• Mu Yun: Gains a clearer understanding of the Liu Family’s immense power and heritage. He is increasingly curious about the personality his future Gastly will possess and is shocked by the Third Ancestor’s strength and modern behavior.
• Liu Hesheng: Acts as a knowledgeable guide and intermediary. His respectful attitude toward the ancestors contrasts with the Third Ancestor’s casual dismissal of formal traditions.
• Qu Ning: Shows unease around the eerie Ghost Pokémon and instinctively moves closer to Mu Yun, emphasizing her discomfort with the Secret Realm’s atmosphere.
• Third Ancestor Gengar: Is introduced as powerful, irreverent, and technologically obsessed. Despite his ancient status, he dislikes ceremonial behavior, casually swears, plays games, and treats the visitors with relaxed indifference.

Significant Themes

• The Liu Family’s hidden strength: The family’s true foundation lies not merely in its human members but in its ancient Ghost Pokémon and their immense longevity.
• Longevity and inheritance: Ghost Pokémon’s extraordinary lifespans allow power and bloodlines to accumulate across generations, giving the family unmatched resources and continuity.
• Tradition versus modernity: The ancestral hall and formal greetings represent old family customs, while the Third Ancestor’s tablet gaming and casual speech show how ancient beings can embrace modern culture.
• Appearances versus reality: The eerie forest and terrifying Ghost Pokémon initially seem threatening, but many are merely curious and sociable. Likewise, the Third Ancestor looks comical and lazy despite possessing overwhelming strength.
• The scale of the Pokémon world: Mu Yun’s discovery that the Liu Family has seven beings of extraordinary power makes him reconsider the strength of other major families and the Pokémon League’s overall Champion.

Important Character Interactions

• Mu Yun questions Liu Hesheng about the number of Liu Family ancestors, prompting an explanation of the family’s vast Ghost Pokémon lineage.
• The surrounding Haunter, Gengar, and Gastly gossip about Liu Hesheng and his Ceruledge, while reacting with excitement to the rare presence of humans.
• Mu Yun grins at the Gastly, causing some to imitate him while others flee, hinting at the varied personalities among the Pokémon.
• Liu Hesheng formally greets the Third Ancestor, but Gengar dismisses the ceremony and complains that Liu repeats it every time.
• The Third Ancestor swallows his tablet to hide his gaming session, then pretends nothing unusual happened, leaving Mu Yun amused and astonished.

Plot points

• Mu Yun, Liu Hesheng, and Qu Ning visit Third Ancestor Gengar to arrange for Mu Yun to receive a Gastly. The ancestor dismisses the matter and vanishes, apparently more concerned about someone taking his gold.
• Liu Hesheng takes them to meet Gastly’s mother. Despite the eerie, dead-wood house, its interior is cozy and modern. The mother jokingly offers to go with Mu Yun instead of her son, then tells the visitors to leave so she can watch her shows.
• As they prepare to go, Mu Yun’s Pioneering Power detects a nearby remnant of a special ability. He accepts it, and an unseen blue-purple flame merges into him.
• The system identifies the captured ability as Spirit Channeling, stored as a seed that will bloom in seven days. Mu Yun recognizes it as an ability associated with the Liu Family’s ancestor. He decides to continue exploring the Secret Realm.

Character developments and interactions

• Mu Yun stays composed around ancient, talking Ghost-type Pokémon, explaining that their intelligence and long lives make speech unsurprising. His calmness impresses Liu Hesheng and puzzles Qu Ning. He also quietly conceals the ability’s arrival from both companions.
• Liu Hesheng acts as guide and is bemused by how casually his ancestors treat the Gastly’s departure.
• Qu Ning contrasts the Gengar mother’s relaxed attitude with her own grandmother’s protective concern, and follows Mu Yun’s lead.
• The two Gengars are eccentric and unconcerned: the Third Ancestor is distracted by gold, while Gastly’s mother prefers lounging and watching shows to worrying about her child.

Significant themes

• Longevity and detachment: The ancient Gengars treat family departures as routine, suggesting that great age can make such events feel ordinary.
• The uncanny made ordinary: Mu Yun’s experience with unusual Pokémon has made him accepting of things that once might have shocked him.
• Hidden opportunity: Mu Yun’s visit brings not only a potential Pokémon but also an unexpected power, hinting that exploring the Secret Realm may yield further rewards.

Key plot points and events

• Mu Yun leaves the Spirit Channeling Secret Realm with Gastly’s Egg and returns to Songjiang City.
• His apartment has been thoroughly cleaned by Wang Dan, who had been looking after it. He visits her for dinner and learns Chi Duoduo has gone with Lü Shouchun for intensive training.
• At home, Mu Yun tests whether humans can eat Energy Cubes. Ordinary people cannot safely digest them, but his unusually Pokémon-like constitution lets him eat several without harm. They ease hunger but taste bland.
• Since his apartment is too small for his Pokémon, Mu Yun sleeps in Pokémon Space with Bingbing and Xiao Xin.
• On his way to school the next day, he finds five huge banners celebrating him as the Pokémon Department’s first National Top Scholar.
• At school, Principal Xu and Instructor Wang welcome him. Xu presents a provincial reward: a Psychic-type Pokémon Egg Mu Yun had hoped to receive. It contains a female Hatenna with the Healer ability and Elite Four-level potential.

Character developments and interactions

• Mu Yun feels comfort and nostalgia at returning to his longtime home, and shows appreciation for Wang Dan’s help by visiting her for dinner.
• His growing strength is underscored by his ability to eat Energy Cubes, which would harm an ordinary human.
• Principal Xu is exuberant about Mu Yun’s achievement, viewing it as a major boost to his own career and the school’s standing. He has also secured Mu Yun a generous provincial reward.
• Wang He greets Mu Yun warmly, proud of his success and pleased by the recognition it has brought.
• Mu Yun’s Pokémon remain central to his daily life: he pets Bingbing and chooses to sleep beside Bingbing and Xiao Xin.

Significant themes

• Home and belonging: After months away, Mu Yun finds comfort in familiar places and relationships.
• Transformation and adaptation: His altered constitution lets him safely consume Pokémon food, highlighting how far he has changed.
• Recognition and ambition: Mu Yun’s national achievement brings public acclaim, while school officials also see its practical benefits.
• Growth and opportunity: The Hatenna Egg gives Mu Yun a new Psychic-type partner and signals the next stage of his development.

Key events

• Former principal Xu Defu gives Mu Yun a Hatenna egg with Elite Four-level potential, laid by an Elite Four-level Hatterene. He hopes Mu Yun will eventually let him see Hatenna compete.
• Mu Yun values the gift both for Hatenna’s strength and for her broad healing moves. He is especially curious how her healing abilities might be enhanced—and what Healing Wish could do.
• Wang He invites Mu Yun to spar, and Mu Yun agrees, eager to test Xiao Du’s recent Totem-level growth and enhanced Ability.
• At the school gym, Wang He summons Ferrothorn, Corviknight, and Steelix. Ferrothorn greets Mu Yun warmly, and he gives her a Milk Candy that sends her into a Gourmet Illusion.
• Wang He notices Mu Yun produce the candy from nowhere. Mu Yun casually presents this as a practiced trick; Wang He accepts the explanation without probing. He then asks which Pokémon Mu Yun wants to challenge.

Character developments and interactions

• Mu Yun’s growing power and reputation are clear: Pokémon that once seemed formidable to him, such as Wang He’s Peak Totem-level Steelix, may no longer offer much of a challenge.
• Wang He reflects on how quickly his former student has become a national prodigy and decides to test him while he still can.
• Xu Defu’s gift expresses personal pride and gratitude, while Mu Yun accepts it with sincere thanks.
• Ferrothorn’s affectionate greeting shows her fondness for Mu Yun, and his treat reinforces their warm relationship. Wang He is surprised by Mu Yun’s apparent storage ability but respects his privacy.

Significant themes

• Rapid growth and changing standards: Mu Yun’s progress has transformed what he considers a challenging opponent.
• Potential and long-term strength: Xu Defu worries that Mu Yun’s current Pokémon may eventually be limited by their potential, making Hatenna a valuable addition.
• Trust and discretion: Mu Yun feels secure enough to reveal a little of his ability, and Wang He chooses not to question him.
• Strength balanced by support: Hatenna’s combination of combat power and healing introduces a new kind of value to Mu Yun’s team.

Chapter Summary: “Xiao Du: Oh No, That Was Too Much Force!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mu Yun chooses to battle Wang He’s Steelix rather than all of Wang He’s Pokémon. He avoids fighting Ferrothorn out of respect for her role in his early training and avoids Corviknight because he worries about injuring Wang He’s riding partner.
• Before the battle, Mu Yun tells Beedrill—nicknamed Xiao Du—to restrain his strength. However, Xiao Du has not fought since his Critical Hit ability was strengthened, so neither of them knows how much his power has increased.
• Wang He allows Steelix to fight independently and reassures Mu Yun that Steelix will not attack first. Steelix uses Iron Defense.
• Xiao Du combines Focus Energy with X-Scissor and attacks at tremendous speed. Despite using what he believes is limited strength, he strikes Steelix with overwhelming force and sends the massive Pokémon flying.
• Steelix is instantly defeated. The system confirms that Beedrill has completed a permanent battle mission, earns points, and receives a slight growth increase.
• Wang He, Ferrothorn, and Corviknight are all stunned by the result. Steelix’s Steel/Ground typing, immense physical defense, and Iron Defense prove useless against Beedrill’s superior stats and enhanced critical-hit damage.
• Mu Yun estimates that Beedrill is around Gym Leader Level in combat strength. Shocked but impressed, Wang He decides to test Beedrill against his strongest Pokémon—his “old partner.” Mu Yun eagerly accepts.

Character Developments

• Mu Yun: Demonstrates maturity and restraint by considering the condition of Wang He’s Pokémon instead of simply seeking an easy victory. However, he also realizes that he has underestimated how powerful Beedrill has become.
• Beedrill/Xiao Du: Reveals a dramatic increase in strength, speed, and attack power. His enhanced Critical Hit ability transforms even a restrained X-Scissor into a devastating blow. He is embarrassed and concerned that he accidentally used too much force.
• Wang He: Initially worries that he has challenged Mu Yun too soon by using a veteran Peak Totem Level Steelix. After Steelix is defeated instantly, he is shocked, humbled, and reassured that Mu Yun’s championship-level reputation is deserved. He responds by bringing out his strongest partner to properly assess Beedrill.
• Ferrothorn: Confused by Beedrill’s sudden increase in power, since her previous sparring matches with him had been much more balanced.
• Corviknight: Terrified by Beedrill’s strength and relieved that Mu Yun did not choose him as the opponent.

Significant Themes

• Unintended growth and hidden strength: Beedrill’s power has advanced beyond Mu Yun’s expectations because its enhanced Critical Hit ability could only be measured in real combat.
• Respect and restraint: Mu Yun’s decision to avoid seriously harming Wang He’s Pokémon highlights his respect for his instructor and former training partners.
• The gap between genius and ordinary talent: Wang He recognizes that Mu Yun’s victory over Steelix reflects the extraordinary level of the National Top Scholar.
• Testing one’s limits: The upcoming battle against Wang He’s strongest Pokémon promises to reveal whether Beedrill truly possesses full Gym Leader-level strength.

Important Character Interactions

• Mu Yun privately warns Beedrill to control his power, while Wang He mistakenly assumes Mu Yun is nervous.
• Wang He’s confidence in Steelix contrasts sharply with his disbelief after the one-hit defeat.
• Ferrothorn and Corviknight react with confusion and fear, emphasizing how far Beedrill has surpassed his former level.
• Wang He and Mu Yun end the chapter by agreeing to a more serious test: Beedrill will face Wang He’s strongest, long-time partner.

Chapter Summary

• Battle Begins: Wang He sends out his powerful Copperajah, a massive Steel-type Pokémon over five meters tall, using a Heavy Ball. Its ability, Heavy Metal, doubles its already enormous weight, making its physical attacks especially destructive.
• Copperajah’s Condition: Mu Yun inspects Copperajah and discovers that it possesses a serious Hidden Injury. The old damage prevents it from fully recovering stamina, limits how often it can exert its energy, and worsens during prolonged battles. This injury explains why Wang He retired despite remaining a powerful Trainer.
• Underlying Theme: Mu Yun reflects on how people in a world filled with powerful Pokémon maintain social order through unseen sacrifices. Copperajah’s injuries symbolize the burdens carried by those who protect others, reinforcing the theme that peace often depends on someone else’s suffering.
• Wang He and Copperajah: Copperajah is visibly excited to battle after a long absence from combat. Wang He recognizes its enthusiasm and orders it to fight seriously, showing the deep trust and companionship between them.
• Copperajah Attacks: Copperajah charges with Heavy Slam, using its immense weight and Heavy Metal ability to create an attack potentially comparable to Explosion. Mu Yun realizes that an ordinary Totem-level Beedrill might not even be able to penetrate its defenses.
• Mu Yun’s Decision: Although Mu Yun initially considers asking Xiao Du to hold back after learning of Copperajah’s injury, Copperajah’s intense battle spirit changes his mind. He decides that giving it a full-strength battle is the greatest respect he can show.
• Xiao Du’s Power-Up: Xiao Du refuses to evade. Through Aura communication, Mu Yun tells it to give everything it has. Xiao Du activates the maximum five stacks of Focus Energy, dramatically increasing its combat aura and critical-hit potential.
• Decisive Clash: Xiao Du uses a parallel Brick Break attack, gaining a major advantage against Copperajah’s Steel typing. With the combined effects of type advantage, critical-hit amplification, and extraordinary strength, Xiao Du meets Copperajah’s Heavy Slam head-on.
• Unexpected Result: Despite the vast difference in size and weight, Xiao Du overpowers Copperajah, lifts its forelegs, flips its massive body, and slams it to the ground.
• Character Reactions: Wang He is stunned. He had expected Copperajah to lose only after a prolonged struggle or because its old injury worsened, never imagining that it would be defeated instantly in a direct contest of strength. The battle leaves him questioning how a Beedrill could possess such overwhelming power.

Key Themes

• Respect through combat: Mu Yun chooses not to restrain Xiao Du, believing a serious battle honors Copperajah’s desire to fight.
• Hidden sacrifices: Copperajah’s permanent injuries and Wang He’s retirement reveal the costs endured by former protectors.
• Subverting expectations: A small Beedrill defeats an enormous, heavily weighted Copperajah through technique, preparation, and extraordinary physical power.
• Trainer–Pokémon bonds: Wang He and Copperajah’s shared excitement demonstrates their enduring partnership, while Mu Yun and Xiao Du’s Aura connection highlights their exceptional trust.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Beedrill (Xiao Du) defeats Wang He’s Level 69 Copperajah despite being only Level 50. The system rewards Mu Yun with 69 points and moderately increases Beedrill’s growth level.
• Copperajah is knocked unconscious but suffers no serious injury. Wang He recalls Copperajah, relieved that the battle did not aggravate its old wounds.
• Wang He reflects on the defeat, remembering how Copperajah once helped him destroy criminal organizations and establish his reputation as an “impregnable wall.” He ruefully realizes that he may be getting old.
• Ferrothorn Auntie proudly praises Xiao Du’s growth, while Xiao Du remains humble. He refuses to consider himself truly strong because he still cannot defeat the terrifying Ceruledge from the Battle Secret Realm.
• Wang He informs Mu Yun that his sister, Wang Di, wants him to contact her. He suspects the reason is the upcoming Martial Arts Tournament.
• The chapter explains the tournament’s origins: it began as a martial-arts exchange among traditional families but gradually became a highly competitive event after fame, rivalry, and even deaths entered the picture.
• Unlike the Open Martial Arts Tournament, which allows both Trainers and Pokémon, this tournament is fought solely by human Trainers. Participants engage in close-quarters combat without Pokémon, moves, or held items.
• Mu Yun considers the tournament rules and believes he would be overwhelmingly dominant if he entered, since even the strongest Pokémon permitted in the Open Martial Arts Tournament are only at Peak Gym Leader level.
• Wang He hesitates to encourage Mu Yun’s participation, believing that Mu Yun has already reached exceptional heights as a Trainer and may not need to pursue martial arts.
• Before Mu Yun can answer, the system activates Long-Term Task 2: Human Bodily Peak, challenging him to demonstrate that the human body can surpass the supposed Elite Four-level biological limit at three major combat events within three years.

Character Developments

• Mu Yun: His confidence in his physical strength grows, but he remains restrained rather than arrogant. The system’s new task gives him a strong incentive to enter martial-arts competitions and test the limits of his body.
• Beedrill/Xiao Du: Demonstrates enormous combat growth by defeating Copperajah, yet remains humble and dissatisfied with his strength. His goal is not merely victory but becoming powerful enough to protect his Trainer.
• Wang He: Experiences both shock and nostalgia after seeing his former ace defeated. His pride in Copperajah remains, but he recognizes the younger generation’s frightening potential.
• Wang Di: Though absent, she is established as Mu Yun’s martial-arts mentor and likely the person connecting him to the tournament.
• Ferrothorn Auntie: Acts like a proud teacher, delighted that Xiao Du has grown from a sparring partner into a powerful battler.
• Corviknight: Provides a humorous contrast by recognizing that Xiao Du’s current strength is already terrifying by ordinary standards.

Significant Themes

• Growth and changing generations: Wang He’s defeat highlights the transition from veteran fighters to rising talents like Mu Yun and Xiao Du.
• Humility despite overwhelming power: Xiao Du and Mu Yun are both extremely strong, yet neither fully accepts that they have reached the pinnacle.
• The limits of the human body: The new system task introduces the central question of whether humans can break through their natural biological restrictions without relying on Pokémon.
• Competition versus martial-arts tradition: The tournament’s history shows how a gathering intended for learning and exchange gradually became dominated by fame, rivalry, and victory.
• Protection and responsibility: Xiao Du’s desire to become strong enough to protect Mu Yun emphasizes strength as a duty rather than merely a means of gaining status.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Du’s victory over Copperajah prompts Wang He’s reflective reaction and Ferrothorn Auntie’s enthusiastic praise.
• Mu Yun checks on Copperajah after the battle, showing concern and respect toward Wang He and his Pokémon.
• Wang He discusses Wang Di’s message with Mu Yun and explains the nature of the Martial Arts Tournament.
• Wang He advises caution, believing Mu Yun may be better off focusing on his already successful Trainer path.
• The system interrupts their conversation by presenting Mu Yun with a new long-term challenge tied directly to martial-arts competition and human physical potential.

Chapter Summary: “Signing Up!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mu Yun studies a new mission requiring him to demonstrate his strength in three levels of Fighting-type tournaments: small-country, major-country, and world-class events.
• He identifies a likely progression:
  1. Martial Arts Tournament
  2. National Open Martial Arts Tournament
  3. Global Open Martial Arts Tournament
• The mission rewards excite him, especially:
  • A powerful Fighting-type enhancement opportunity, potentially allowing him to apply an Ability such as Medicham’s Pure Power.
  • A host-exclusive Ability slot, which might grant him abilities such as Huge Power, Speed Boost, Telepathy, or even Wonder Guard.
• Wang He introduces Mu Yun to the possibility of entering the Martial Arts Tournament through Wang Di and her family.
• After agreeing to meet Wang Di, Mu Yun carries the newly acquired Pokémon Egg home and stores it in Pokémon Space alongside the Gastly Egg.
• Mu Yun meets Wang Di and her Machamp at a dessert shop. Wang Di explains that the Martial Arts Tournament is traditionally a closed competition controlled by martial-arts families and now overseen by Pokémon League authorities.
• Outsiders normally cannot register, but the Wang Family can sponsor Mu Yun as a registered disciple of the Songjiang Wang Family.
• Wang Di invites Mu Yun to her family’s martial arts school that afternoon so he can complete registration and receive instruction from her grandfather.

Character Developments

• Mu Yun shows ambition and strategic thinking by immediately planning a route from the Martial Arts Tournament to the national and global competitions. His confidence has grown considerably, and he is eager to test his increasingly superhuman abilities.
• He remains humble and practical, accepting the Wang Family’s “registered disciple” status without concern for prestige because it gives him access to the tournament.
• Wang Di is portrayed as casual, outspoken, and somewhat reclusive, spending her summer playing games and shopping with Machamp. Despite her relaxed attitude, she is helpful and willing to use her family’s influence to support Mu Yun.
• Wang He displays concern for his younger sister but humorously recognizes that, as an unmarried older man himself, he has little right to criticize her lifestyle.
• Machamp provides comic relief, particularly when Wang Di takes its unfinished sundae for herself, suggesting a familiar and slightly exasperated relationship between the Pokémon and its Trainer.
• Wang Di’s grandfather is established as an experienced martial artist whose physical strength has declined with age but whose knowledge may still benefit Mu Yun.

Significant Themes

• Ambition and progression: Mu Yun sets his sights on increasingly prestigious competitions, reflecting his rapid growth and desire to challenge stronger opponents.
• Talent versus background: The chapter contrasts Pokémon training—which allows ordinary people to rise through effort and opportunity—with traditional martial arts, where success depends heavily on wealth, family connections, childhood training, and access to famous teachers.
• Human potential and abnormal strength: Mu Yun’s physical power is so extraordinary that he questions whether he can still be considered an ordinary human.
• Access and social connections: Although the tournament is officially regulated by the Pokémon League, traditional martial-arts networks still control entry. Mu Yun must rely on the Wang Family’s sponsorship to enter.
• Humor and family relationships: Casual teasing, food-related jokes, and Wang Di’s commentary soften the competitive setup and emphasize the informal relationships surrounding Mu Yun.

Important Character Interactions

• Mu Yun and Wang He: Wang He informs Mu Yun about Wang Di and helps connect him to the tournament registration opportunity. Mu Yun accepts the invitation to investigate further.
• Mu Yun and Wang Di: Wang Di explains the tournament’s exclusive registration system and offers to sponsor him as a Wang Family disciple. Their conversation establishes her confidence in his potential while also showing that she underestimates how strong he has become.
• Mu Yun and Machamp: Mu Yun helps carry Machamp’s shopping bags, earning the Pokémon’s grateful approval and reinforcing his physical strength.
• Wang Di and Machamp: Wang Di casually steals Machamp’s unfinished dessert, creating a humorous moment that reveals their comfortable but chaotic partnership.
• Mu Yun and the Wang Family: By agreeing to visit the martial arts school, Mu Yun begins forming an official connection with the family and gains access to both the Martial Arts Tournament and traditional martial-arts instruction.

Chapter Summary: “Could a Mere Half-Grown Kid Hurt Him?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mu Yun visits the Wang-style Martial Arts Gym on the outskirts of Songjiang City with Wang Di.
• Wang Di explains that the gym is famous for:
  • Its ancestral Wang-style Cannon Fist.
  • Its generations-old Machop breeding program.
  • Providing Pokémon growth resources and martial arts training for Novice Trainers.
• At the front desk, Wang Di’s younger relative Wang Qi registers Mu Yun as a gym disciple and signs him up for the upcoming Martial Arts Tournament.
• Wang Di explains that the tournament differs from standard competitions because weapons—including spears, swords, concealed weapons, bows, and crossbows—are permitted. The North River Zhao Family is highlighted as a famous “Gun King” family that trains Sirfetch’d in spear techniques.
• Wang Di brings Mu Yun through the gym’s training grounds, where young Wang Family members and Machop are practicing martial arts foundations.
• They encounter Aunt Cui, a massive Shiny female Machamp at late Elite Four level. Mu Yun is impressed by her exceptional abilities, powerful Fighting-type bonuses, and formidable combat potential.
• Wang Di introduces Mu Yun to her grandfather, Old Master Wang, the head of the family and a highly respected martial artist.
• Old Master Wang criticizes Wang Di for abandoning martial arts and refusing to inherit the family business. Wang Di instead presents Mu Yun as a talented student.
• After carefully observing Mu Yun’s physique, posture, and eyes, Old Master Wang becomes interested and challenges him to exchange moves.
• Mu Yun accepts confidently, while Wang Di teasingly warns her grandfather not to injure himself. Old Master Wang rejects the implication that a young man could threaten him.

Character Developments

• Mu Yun: Demonstrates growing confidence and earns recognition for his martial arts talent. His physical bearing, stable stance, and composed gaze impress Old Master Wang, suggesting that Mu Yun possesses unusually strong foundations and potential.
• Wang Di: Acts as Mu Yun’s guide and advocate. She is familiar with the Wang Family’s traditions but has chosen a different path as a school health teacher, despite once being considered the likely successor to the family headship. Her playful relationship with her grandfather reveals both affection and long-standing tension over her career choice.
• Wang Qi: Provides a brief introduction to the Wang Family’s operations and shows surprise at Mu Yun’s apparent strength.
• Old Master Wang: Appears elderly but remains physically capable, proud, and competitive. His interest in Mu Yun shows that he can recognize genuine talent, while his challenge reflects his confidence and martial pride.
• Aunt Cui: A powerful Shiny Machamp with a warm, affectionate personality. She greets Wang Di enthusiastically and appears amused or approving when she sees Mu Yun accompanying her.

Significant Themes

• Tradition versus modernity: The Wang Family preserves martial arts and Pokémon training traditions, but modern society has made weapon use less practical, and Pokémon have become central to combat.
• Family expectations and personal choice: Wang Di’s refusal to inherit the family legacy contrasts with Old Master Wang’s desire to preserve it through her.
• Martial arts as discipline and identity: The gym emphasizes foundational training, persistence, and physical conditioning, especially among the younger generation.
• Youth and hidden potential: Mu Yun’s young age causes others to underestimate him, but his demeanor and abilities suggest he may exceed conventional expectations.
• Human-Pokémon cooperation: The chapter presents martial arts as something that can be integrated with Pokémon abilities, such as the Zhao Family’s spear-trained Sirfetch’d and the Wang Family’s Machop lineage.

Important Character Interactions

• Wang Di and Wang Qi interact familiarly, with Wang Di treating her younger relative affectionately while assigning her work.
• Wang Di and Aunt Cui share a close, affectionate bond, though Aunt Cui’s bear hug nearly overwhelms Wang Di.
• Wang Di and Old Master Wang exchange playful but pointed remarks about her abandoning martial arts and avoiding the family inheritance.
• Mu Yun respectfully greets Aunt Cui and Old Master Wang, establishing his politeness and confidence.
• Old Master Wang scrutinizes Mu Yun closely before challenging him, creating the chapter’s central tension and setting up a likely martial arts confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “They Weren’t Dreaming, Were They?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Di proposes that Mu Yun spar with her grandfather, Old Master Wang, adding a wager: if Mu Yun wins, Old Master Wang will teach him an advanced Wang Family technique.
• Old Master Wang accepts, recognizing Mu Yun as Wang Di’s student and therefore a junior member of the family’s martial tradition.
• Mu Yun uses Wang-style Cannon Fist and immediately shocks Old Master Wang with his speed and power.
• Their fists collide, and although Mu Yun deliberately restrains himself, he knocks Old Master Wang backward into a pine tree.
• Rather than becoming angry, Old Master Wang is delighted. He realizes that Mu Yun may be the successor the Wang Family has long lacked.
• After examining Mu Yun’s physique, Old Master Wang concludes that ordinary training will not benefit him much. He reveals the existence of a mysterious Wang Family secret technique that no one except the family’s ancestor has ever mastered.
• To determine whether Mu Yun qualifies to learn it, Old Master Wang asks his strongest Pokémon, Aunt Cui—a powerful Elite Four-level Machamp—to test Mu Yun.
• Unlike in his spar with Old Master Wang, Mu Yun unleashes nearly all his strength, using his physical power, Aura, and Vital Force Integration.
• Machamp reinforces herself with Bulk Up but does not counterattack, since the encounter is meant only as a test.
• Mu Yun’s punch creates a sonic boom and sends the Elite Four-level Machamp flying, leaving both Wang Di and Old Master Wang stunned and questioning whether what they witnessed was real.

Character Developments

• Mu Yun: Demonstrates that his speed, physical strength, and martial arts foundation are far beyond what Wang Di and Old Master Wang expected. He is respectful and careful with Old Master Wang, holding back to avoid injuring him, but he confidently unleashes his true strength against Machamp.
• Old Master Wang: Moves from skepticism and curiosity to overwhelming excitement. He recognizes Mu Yun as an extraordinary martial arts talent and potentially the long-awaited successor to the Wang Family’s tradition. His pride and hope for the future of Wang-style Cannon Fist are reignited.
• Wang Di: Shows her clever and playful side by arranging the wager to help Mu Yun learn from her family. She is surprised to realize that Mu Yun may be much stronger than she had understood and begins questioning how much of his progress can truly be attributed to her teaching.
• Aunt Cui/Machamp: Initially confident in her strength, she becomes alarmed when Mu Yun’s attack reveals a level of power capable of threatening even her. She nevertheless cooperates with the test and withstands the blow as best she can.

Significant Themes

• Passing down tradition: Old Master Wang’s fear that the Wang Family’s techniques may disappear is contrasted with his sudden hope that Mu Yun can preserve and elevate the family’s martial legacy.
• Hidden potential: Mu Yun repeatedly exceeds everyone’s expectations, revealing that his apparent strength is only a fraction of his true ability.
• Generational succession: The chapter emphasizes the search for a worthy heir and suggests that an outsider connected through Wang Di may become the Wang Family’s greatest successor.
• Human potential versus Pokémon power: Mu Yun’s ability to overpower an Elite Four-level Pokémon challenges the established boundaries between human martial artists and Pokémon.
• Pride and validation: Old Master Wang’s joy comes not from losing, but from discovering someone capable of carrying Wang-style Cannon Fist to greater heights.

Character Interactions

• Wang Di and Old Master Wang exchange teasing, familiar banter over her scheme to obtain instruction for Mu Yun.
• Old Master Wang praises Wang Di’s teaching after seeing Mu Yun’s stance, though Wang Di privately wonders whether she deserves the credit.
• Mu Yun treats Old Master Wang with respect and concern after knocking him back, while the old master responds with laughter and enthusiasm.
• Old Master Wang physically examines Mu Yun and openly evaluates his potential, creating a mentor-and-prospective-student relationship.
• Aunt Cui encourages Mu Yun to attack without restraint, but her confidence turns to shock when his punch sends her flying.
• The chapter ends with Wang Di and Old Master Wang united in disbelief at Mu Yun’s extraordinary strength.

Chapter Summary: “Darkest Lariat! Secret Technique: Sky Uppercut!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mu Yun demonstrates a shocking increase in martial ability by striking the Wang Family’s Shiny Machamp, Xiao Cui, hard enough to send her crashing through a courtyard wall and leave a dent in her arm.
• Old Master Wang is astonished by Mu Yun’s strength. He realizes that Mu Yun held back and could have seriously injured Xiao Cui.
• Wang Di is equally shocked, noting that Mu Yun had only been evenly matched with Machamp six months earlier. His rapid improvement seems almost impossible.
• Old Master Wang eagerly brings Mu Yun to examine the Wang Family’s legendary secret technique. He hopes Mu Yun can either successfully inherit it or prove that the technique itself is flawed.
• The group enters a hidden underground chamber containing four ancient, highly abstract stone murals. The Wang Family has never been able to understand them.
• When Mu Yun touches the murals, his system detects and extracts a Residual Move Learning Memory. He obtains the move Darkest Lariat, associated with Urshifu’s Single Strike Style.
• Mu Yun reflects on the difference between game statistics and the terrifying strength of Legendary Pokémon in the real world.
• Old Master Wang explains that the murals only record a “great opportunity” and do not contain the actual secret technique. He reveals a hidden compartment containing a scroll.
• The scroll bears the name of the Wang Family’s true inherited technique: Sky Uppercut.

Character Developments

• Mu Yun is revealed to have undergone extraordinary martial development. He remains cautious and hides the system’s existence, pretending to study the murals normally.
• His growing interest in martial arts is evident as he prioritizes investigating the secret technique over eating at the luxurious Wangjiang Tower.
• Old Master Wang shifts from skepticism to intense enthusiasm. He now views Mu Yun as a potentially ideal successor who could restore the Wang Family’s martial reputation.
• Wang Di becomes increasingly bewildered by both Mu Yun’s strength and her grandfather’s sudden favoritism toward him.
• Xiao Cui, the Shiny Machamp, demonstrates impressive durability by surviving Mu Yun’s blow with only a minor injury.

Significant Themes

• Talent versus inheritance: The Wang Family wonders whether its descendants failed because they lacked talent or because the secret technique was never properly preserved.
• Tradition and revival: Mu Yun may allow the declining Wang Family martial art to regain prestige, especially through the upcoming Martial Arts Tournament.
• Hidden knowledge: The ancient murals appear meaningless to ordinary observers but contain a system-detectable memory for Mu Yun, suggesting that valuable power can be concealed beneath confusing or incomplete records.
• Reality surpassing expectations: Mu Yun’s thoughts emphasize that real-world Pokémon may be far more powerful than their game counterparts, particularly Legendary Pokémon.
• Secrecy and deception: Mu Yun must conceal the system and the move he has acquired while maintaining the appearance of an ordinary student examining the murals.

Character Interactions

• Mu Yun’s attack on Xiao Cui creates a dramatic confrontation between human martial ability and Pokémon strength.
• Old Master Wang questions Mu Yun about his training, then quickly becomes eager to mentor and recruit him.
• Wang Di attempts to slow her grandfather down and reminds him to let Mu Yun eat, but Old Master Wang dismisses her while treating Mu Yun like a prized heir.
• In the secret chamber, Old Master Wang explains the history of the murals and watches Mu Yun’s reaction closely.
• Mu Yun silently uses the system to obtain Darkest Lariat, while outwardly pretending to search for clues.
• The chapter ends with Old Master Wang unveiling the scroll containing Sky Uppercut, setting up Mu Yun’s attempt to learn the Wang Family’s true secret technique.

Key plot points and events

• Old Master Wang explains that the Wang Family’s ancestor created a secret fist technique after training with a martial-arts Pokémon. Despite generations of effort, no descendant has learned it.
• Mu Yun opens the family scroll, which appears to show animated demonstrations. He becomes absorbed in studying it and, after five minutes, says he has learned something.
• The system awards him substantial Wang-style Cannon Fist experience and unlocks Sky Uppercut, a powerful technique that channels the user’s vitality, energy, spirit, and Gifted abilities into one attack. Using it causes a period of weakness.
• Mu Yun also captures the scroll’s hidden special ability, Martial Arts Heart, though its effect will not be known until its seed blooms in seven days.
• He explains Sky Uppercut’s demanding requirements: a Gym Leader-level body, powerful mental strength, and a Gifted ability. Old Master Wang realizes this explains why the family could not learn it. Mu Yun confirms the technique is exceptionally powerful.

Character developments

• Mu Yun demonstrates extraordinary learning ability and discovers that his strength and multiple powers may let him use Sky Uppercut to devastating effect.
• Old Master Wang shifts from pride in his ancestor’s legacy to relief: the family’s failure was due to nearly impossible requirements, not necessarily a flaw in the technique.

Significant themes

• Legacy and inheritance: A family treasure preserves its ancestor’s achievement, but passing down knowledge alone cannot guarantee successors can meet its demands.
• Hidden potential and exceptional talent: Mu Yun can unlock what generations of the Wang Family could not.
• Power and its cost: Sky Uppercut can greatly exceed ordinary limits, but leaves its user weakened afterward.

Character interactions

• Old Master Wang entrusts Mu Yun with the scroll and watches hopefully as he studies it.
• Mu Yun shares the technique’s requirements and effects, giving Old Master Wang a long-awaited explanation—and a concrete, if daunting, goal for the family.

Key plot points and events

• Mu Yun and Old Master Wang finish inspecting the Wang Family’s ancestral secret technique. Mu Yun has mastered Sky Uppercut, but the technique’s demanding requirements mean no current Wang Family member can learn it.
• Wang Di reveals she registered Mu Yun for the Martial Arts Tournament as a Wang-style gym disciple. Old Master Wang objects to the low-status title, and Mu Yun agrees to become a full disciple.
• The group celebrates over lunch at Wangjiang Tower. Old Master Wang seats Wang Qi beside Mu Yun, apparently hoping to bring them closer, though Wang Qi seems uncomfortable.
• On the drive home, Wang Di offers Mu Yun free gym training and medicinal meals while he prepares for the tournament. Mu Yun says he plans to travel toward Chang City over the summer, collecting Gym Badges and sightseeing.
• Back at his Pokémon-space villa, Mu Yun finds his Pokémon gathered around three Eggs.

Charcadet’s Egg begins flashing, signaling that it is about to hatch.

Character developments and interactions

• Mu Yun accepts the Wang Family’s full-disciple status out of gratitude for the ancestor’s instruction and considers the tournament a chance to honor that legacy. He remains focused on his original travel plans.
• Old Master Wang is impressed by Mu Yun and hopes he will become connected to the family. His matchmaking hopes are hinted at, but he accepts Mu Yun’s choices.
• Wang Di is supportive and teasing, offering practical help while joking about her grandfather’s matchmaking. Her relaxed attitude toward training and life contrasts with her martial-arts expertise.
• Wang Qi is quiet and stiff around Old Master Wang, especially during the arranged seating at lunch.

Significant themes

• Legacy and gratitude: Mu Yun’s acceptance as a full disciple acknowledges the Wang ancestor’s guidance.
• Talent versus tradition: The secret technique’s standards exceed the family’s current abilities, but Old Master Wang believes future generations may succeed.
• Ambition balanced with freedom: Mu Yun pursues tournament preparation without abandoning travel and exploration.
• Growth and anticipation: The chapter ends with the imminent hatching of Charcadet’s Egg, setting up a new development in Mu Yun’s Pokémon journey.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mu Yun incubates Charcadet’s red Pokémon Egg and discovers that it absorbs nutrient solution at an extraordinary rate.
• Unlike the other Pokémon, which consumed only one bottle each before hatching, Charcadet absorbs nearly fifty bottles.
• The egg begins to hatch after absorbing the nutrient solution. Its shell melts into flames, which form Charcadet’s body without harming Mu Yun.
• Charcadet emerges as a small, flame-covered Pokémon wearing black armor. It is friendly and fearless, immediately exploring its surroundings.
• Charcadet particularly likes Xiao Du, apparently because they both possess a connection to Divine Power. Xiao Du lifts Charcadet into the air while Charcadet happily plays.
• Mu Yun uses his Data Eye to inspect Charcadet and is stunned to discover that it is already Level 19, at the peak of the Normal Level, despite being newly hatched.
• Charcadet possesses Master-level potential, unusually high base stats, an expanded move set, the Flash Fire and Child of Fire abilities, and a special Ceruledge Divine Armor.
• Concerned that Charcadet might evolve too quickly, Mu Yun spends 25,000 points to obtain twenty-five Evolution Essences.
• When he uses the Evolution Essence, the system reveals that Charcadet’s two possible evolutionary forms create two different enhancement plans:
  1. Randomly strengthen two of its six stats.
  2. Strengthen the highest stat associated with each evolutionary form.

Character Developments

• Mu Yun: Becomes increasingly impressed and cautious about Charcadet’s overwhelming potential. His curiosity about Charcadet’s abilities leads him to investigate its Aura and status panel, while his concern about uncontrolled growth motivates him to prepare for its evolution immediately.
• Charcadet: Is introduced as exceptionally gifted, possessing immense Aura, Divine Power, powerful abilities, numerous moves, and a special armor item. Despite its strength, it behaves like an affectionate, playful child and quickly bonds with Xiao Du and Mu Yun.
• Xiao Du: Demonstrates gentleness and patience with Charcadet, becoming its preferred companion and “big brother.”
• Other Pokémon: Xiao Xin, Aron, Bingbing, and Bold gather around the hatching egg, showing curiosity and excitement. Even Bold behaves unusually carefully to avoid disturbing the newborn.

Significant Themes

• Innate potential and exceptional birth: Charcadet’s rapid development highlights the enormous differences between Pokémon born with ordinary potential and those possessing rare bloodlines, Divine Power, or special bonuses.
• Power versus innocence: Although Charcadet is already extraordinarily strong, it remains innocent, playful, and childlike.
• Evolution and choice: Charcadet’s multiple evolutionary paths introduce the importance of strategic development. Mu Yun must decide how to distribute its enhancements based on its future form.
• Discovery and experimentation: Mu Yun continues learning about Divine Power, Aura, abilities, and Pokémon growth through direct observation and system analysis.
• Family and companionship: The Pokémon react to Charcadet as a new family member, with Xiao Du naturally assuming a protective older-brother role.

Character Interactions

• Mu Yun carefully feeds and monitors Charcadet throughout the hatching process.
• He gently welcomes Charcadet and touches its heated, armor-like head.
• Charcadet affectionately rubs against Mu Yun’s hand, showing immediate trust.
• Charcadet chooses Xiao Du as its favorite and asks to be picked up.
• Xiao Du lifts Charcadet with his Twineedle, entertaining the excited newborn while Mu Yun watches fondly.
• The surrounding Pokémon gather respectfully, emphasizing the group’s growing sense of unity and family.

Plot points and events

• Mu Yun uses Evolution Essence on his newly hatched Charcadet, Cang Yan (“Xiao Yan”), choosing to boost the highest Base Stat from each of its possible final forms. The result is a major increase to both Physical Attack and Special Attack, setting Xiao Yan up as a powerful mixed attacker once he evolves into Ceruledge.
• Mu Yun decides to delay Xiao Yan’s training for a week while he adjusts to life outside the egg. He entrusts him to Xiao Du, the team’s mature and dependable senior Pokémon, whom Xiao Yan likes spending time with.
• Mu Yun uses a Move Learning Memory obtained from the Wang Family to teach Meowscarada, Xiao Xin, Darkest Lariat. The move’s training projections include Meowscarada among the Dark-type martial artists, and the System rapidly raises her proficiency to Perfected.
• Darkest Lariat always lands a critical hit and creates a piercing effect that lets subsequent close-combat moves bypass surface defenses and strike inside an opponent. Mu Yun considers dangerous follow-up combinations, while noting that the effect may be countered by Pokémon immune to negative conditions.

Character developments and interactions

• Xiao Yan begins life as Mu Yun’s newest team member. His boosted offensive stats give him exceptional future potential, and he is placed in Xiao Du’s care while he rests before training.
• Xiao Du is presented as a steady, experienced caretaker and a companion Xiao Yan enjoys.
• Xiao Xin eagerly approaches Mu Yun expecting head pats, unaware that he intends to teach her a move. Her enthusiasm contrasts with the cool, mysterious image usually associated with Meowscarada. Once taught, Darkest Lariat gives her a formidable new close-combat option.
• Mu Yun shows both care and strategic ambition: he protects Xiao Yan from training too soon, chooses targeted stat growth rather than risking random boosts, and evaluates how Xiao Xin’s new move might work against teammates and future opponents.

Significant themes

• Specialization and preparation: Mu Yun values focused strengths over being broadly capable, and plans his Pokémon’s development around their individual potential.
• Care alongside combat strategy: The team’s bonds and day-to-day trust—especially Mu Yun’s care for Xiao Yan and Xiao Du’s role as mentor—sit alongside increasingly ruthless battle planning.
• The power and limits of techniques: Darkest Lariat can bypass conventional defenses, but abilities such as Bold’s Unceasing can negate the negative condition behind its piercing effect.

Chapter summary

Plot and events

• Mu Yun plans his next journey and reviews the competition system: the Silver Conference requires eight City Badges, while higher-level tournaments require Provincial and National Gym badges. Since his Pokémon are not yet strong enough for major competitions, he will focus on City Gyms and use County Gyms for practice.
• He chooses a route following the Shen River through Liaoning Province and into North River Province, ending at Chang City. He plans to travel on foot or ride a Pokémon, and intends to visit Ma Sitong’s family ranch about renting one. He will wait until Gastly and Hatenna hatch before setting out.
• Mu Yun checks on his Pokémon. The Magikarp have grown substantially on Gyarados Horn Bones: Second Carp is now 3.2 meters long and level 16, while Little Gold is 3.6 meters and level 17, with further growth—and likely evolution—still ahead.
• Wawa the Poliwag has reached level 24 and is nearing evolution. Mu Yun considers his potential Ability enhancements, especially Heaven’s Weeping, an upgraded Drizzle that creates a powerful, vision-obscuring downpour, lowers opponents’ body temperatures, and boosts Water-type moves. Mu Yun remains interested in seeing whether Wawa develops another aspiration—and notes that Corphish already has one.

Character developments and interactions

• Mu Yun shows careful, long-term planning as he maps a route around both travel and training opportunities.
• The Magikarp’s bond with Mu Yun has strengthened through his care and rewards; he expects them to remain loyal after evolving.
• Little Gold and Second Carp are progressing at different rates, with Little Gold still growing while Second Carp appears to have reached his size limit.
• Bold continues training the younger Pokémon, while Mu Yun evaluates their development and possible future abilities.

Significant themes

• Gradual growth and preparation: Mu Yun postpones travel until his Pokémon are ready and builds toward increasingly demanding competitions.
• Care and trust: The Magikarp’s loyalty is presented as the result of humane treatment and a positive relationship with their Trainer.
• Potential and choice: Mu Yun weighs powerful Ability options against his vision for Wawa’s future evolution, while leaving room for the Pokémon to develop its own aspirations.