Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Dian reasons that Magnitude varies with naturally fluctuating seismic waves, while Earthquake also depends on the user’s control. Both moves draw on a Pokémon’s ability to amplify the earth’s force—an idea expressed in Earth Power.
• He expands this into a theory that vibrations, or the earth’s primal force, exist in all things. He speculates that moves such as Land’s Wrath and Rototiller reflect or extend this force.
• While Eevee practices using aura to anticipate Beedrill’s attacks, Dian has Tyranitar try to sense surrounding vibrations and break a stone. Tyranitar is also experimenting with using Earthquake to move river water, with the eventual aim of learning Surf through control of the earth’s power.
• Dian reflects on the uneven number of Elite Trainers across types and considers why some types produce more Elites than others.
• He recalls Lorelei’s theory that one type can give rise to many others. Through profound mastery of their own type, Pokémon can incorporate other types and overcome—or even reverse—type disadvantages.
• Remembering how Lorelei’s Cloyster resisted Aggron’s Fighting attacks and struck back powerfully with Ice Beam, Dian considers her description of the Elite level: Elites break past conventional limits and turn disadvantages into advantages. He admits he is still working toward that level and resolves to keep progressing.

Character developments

• Dian shows himself to be a curious, analytical Trainer, connecting move mechanics, vibration, aura, and type theory. Though he recognizes how far he is from Elite mastery, he remains optimistic and committed to the path ahead.
• Tyranitar is training to perceive and manipulate vibrations, developing greater control over Ground-type power.
• Eevee demonstrates its practical use of aura through Foresight, predicting and evading Beedrill’s attacks, though it does not yet understand the underlying principle.
• Lorelei emerges as a formidable teacher whose Cloyster demonstrated mastery beyond ordinary type matchups.

Significant themes

• Observation and theory as tools for growth: Dian turns battle experience and natural phenomena into hypotheses for training.
• Mastery beyond type matchups: At the highest levels, Trainers can overcome conventional strengths and weaknesses by deeply developing and incorporating type powers.
• The interconnectedness of nature: Dian’s theory treats vibration—and the earth’s primal force—as present in living things, stones, and the wider world.
• Progress through persistence: Dian does not yet understand Elite or Champion mastery, but trusts that continued effort will bring him closer.

Character interactions

• Dian coaches Tyranitar through its vibration-based training, tossing it a stone and urging it to listen to the vibrations around it.
• Eevee trains against Beedrill, using aura-powered Foresight to dodge Pin Missile.
• Dian’s reflections on Lorelei’s Cloyster and her teaching shape his understanding of what an Elite Trainer can achieve.

Key plot points and events

• Tyranitar studies a pebble, trying to understand vibration and resonance as powers of the earth. Dian plans to commission a device from Team Rocket’s trio to help it practise.
• Beedrill defeats Eevee in training. Eevee’s ability to anticipate attacks is useful but physically taxing, and Beedrill can also read the energy in Eevee’s movements.
• Dian reflects on his “one becoming all” approach: developing Pokémon’s innate types while teaching them other powers and moves. He intends to combine this theory with conventional ways of improving strength.
• Noticing someone watching from across the river, Dian orders Tyranitar to use Surf. A trainer sends out a Nidoking, which charges across the wave and attacks with Double Kick.
• Nidoking follows up with a powerful Surf, but Tyranitar withstands both attacks. Tyranitar counters with Brick Break, then pins Nidoking in a crater with Stomp.
• As Nidoking struggles beneath Tyranitar’s foot, Dian orders Earthquake, leaving the outcome unresolved.

Character development

• Dian shows himself to be both an ambitious theorist and a practical trainer, eager to pursue multiple methods of growth and learn from others.
• Eevee recognises the limits of its evasive technique and concedes when Beedrill’s strength and anticipation overwhelm it.
• Nidoking is aggressive and resourceful, adapting its attacks and judging its opponent, but it underestimates Tyranitar’s resilience.

Significant themes

• Learning and mastery: Tyranitar’s attempt to understand resonance and Dian’s experimentation with moves emphasise deliberate practice.
• Combining knowledge: Dian believes Pokémon can transcend conventional limits by expanding their types and integrating different approaches.
• Strength and limits: Eevee’s physical fatigue and Nidoking’s failed assault show that insight and technique cannot always overcome a gap in power.
• Fairness through retaliation: Dian frames Tyranitar’s counters as repayment for Nidoking’s attacks.

Character interactions

• Dian coaches Eevee and Beedrill, observes their training, and considers how to develop Tyranitar.
• Dian and Tyranitar respond to Nidoking’s ambush with measured, increasingly forceful counterattacks.
• Nidoking acts independently as well as following its hidden trainer’s commands, while Tyranitar appears to acknowledge its persistence before overpowering it.

Plot points and events

• Dian defeats Team Rocket’s Nidoking, leaving it unconscious and likely needing a long recovery.
• The Rocket team’s scarred operative, Viper, rescues the red-haired boy—Giovanni’s son—and flees with him. The boy tries to pass himself off as an ordinary Trainer, but Viper knows Dian would see through the disguise.
• Their helicopter explodes before they can escape by air. The boy assumes Viper is comforting him, but admits he is actually hungry. Their awkward flight continues, culminating in Viper dropping him after the boy asks him to stop touching his backside.
• Dian discovers that Golem, a Pokémon Team Rocket had raised in the wild, has joined him willingly. Golem uses Hyper Beam to destroy the helicopter and drags the defeated Nidoking along.
• As Dian tries to reassure Golem that Rangers treat Pokémon fairly, Golem points out Misdreavus. She appears to be preparing a duck with leeks—apparently explaining the alarming quacking Dian heard.

Character developments

• Dian shows caution as well as confidence: he avoids pursuing the shadowy figure without Misdreavus, but quickly recognizes the Rocket connection. He also tries to persuade Golem not to rely on Explosion.
• Golem is revealed to prefer its freedom over Team Rocket’s control and to have formed an immediate bond with Dian. Its timely Hyper Beam helps the escapees’ aircraft go down.
• Viper is capable and experienced but increasingly exasperated by his responsibility for Giovanni’s foolish, hungry son.
• Giovanni’s son comes across as impulsive, naïve, and comically preoccupied with food and personal comfort.
• Misdreavus is briefly seen cooking, adding a humorous twist to the scene.

Themes and interactions

• The chapter contrasts control with freedom: Golem chooses Dian over the organization that raised it.
• It highlights loyalty and trust, as Golem acts against Team Rocket and Dian welcomes it.
• Comedic misunderstandings and contrasting personalities drive much of the humor, especially Viper’s frustrated caretaking and Dian’s realization about Misdreavus’s cooking.
• Dian and Golem’s discussion of Ranger values sits alongside the ongoing battle’s practical consequences: powerful Pokémon are difficult to raise, and reckless schemes can cost them.

Key plot points and events

• While Servine and Misdreavus cook, Farfetch’d—carrying a leek—accidentally leaps into their soup. It enjoys the broth, eats its leek, and drinks the pot dry before fainting under the lid. Misdreavus is disappointed that the duck has consumed the soup’s flavor.
• Dian returns with Golem and Nidoking. He reflects on how much he and his Pokémon have grown since the frightening night in the cave. Golem, watching him, also recognizes Dian’s transformation.
• Dian sets out for nearby Lavender Town. Farfetch’d is suddenly whisked away by Linoone, who has been searching for it. Linoone reunites with Mr. Fuji at a crossroads; Mr. Fuji notices Dian approaching.
• At Pokémon House, Dian meets Xiaomi and sees a local Vulpix. He introduces his Alolan Vulpix, astonishing Xiaomi and the Kantonian Vulpix. Mr. Fuji explains that Alolan Vulpix adapted to snowy conditions and is exceptionally rare in Kanto.
• Mr. Fuji sends Xiaomi downstairs, then privately addresses Dian. He assumed Dian had come to discuss Mega Evolution, but realizes Dian has come for “her.”

Character developments and interactions

• Dian shows increased confidence and competence, contrasting his current strength with his former helplessness. Golem also reflects on Dian and Misdreavus’s growth.
• Misdreavus’s comic enthusiasm for the accidentally “seasoned” duck gives way to frustration when Farfetch’d drinks all the soup.
• Linoone reluctantly retrieves Farfetch’d, while Mr. Fuji warmly welcomes both.
• Xiaomi is curious and shy around Dian, then surprised by his Alolan Vulpix. The two Vulpix regard each other with mutual curiosity.
• Mr. Fuji shifts from a warm host to a serious, perceptive figure as he recognizes the real reason for Dian’s visit.

Significant themes

• Growth and changed perspectives: Dian and his Pokémon are stronger than they were before, and even Golem’s memories of Dian begin to change.
• Unexpected encounters and humor: Farfetch’d’s accidental plunge into the soup provides comic relief amid the journey.
• Rarity and difference: Alolan Vulpix highlights how Pokémon can adapt to different environments—and how unfamiliar forms can challenge what people assume they know.
• Hidden purpose: Dian’s visit appears connected to a specific person, not merely the topic Mr. Fuji expected.

Plot and revelations

• Dian visits Dr. Fuji and discusses a magazine column about Pokémon and humans, hosted by Mihara—Team Rocket leader Giovanni’s mother. The coincidence strikes him as ironic.
• Fuji explains that decades earlier, organizations such as Team Rocket began as regional armed forces maintained by the Pokémon League. Amid the disorder of that era, trust was scarce and technology like the Dark Ball was developed. These groups later broke partly free of League control.
• Dian asks about Mewtwo. Fuji recounts how he encountered Mew on a remote Hoenn island and somehow knew its name, as though the knowledge were an innate memory. He later learned that Mihara’s people had found a fossilized Mew eyelash in South America (now Unova).
• Studying Mew’s DNA, Fuji became convinced it contained “everything” and pursued his forbidden ambition to revive a human. With Team Rocket’s resources, he reverse-engineered the DNA and created four conscious entities: the person he hoped to revive and three Pokémon meant to accompany her.
• Fuji says the experiment did not go as he intended. The cloned body took on a humanoid form, the Mew fossil vanished, and the intended person’s consciousness disappeared just as Mewtwo was born. Fuji concludes that Mew—not the researchers—chose the people involved and brought Mewtwo into existence, perhaps allowing Mewtwo to create itself.

Character developments and interactions

• Dian listens thoughtfully, offering Fuji water and choosing not to press him about the person he hoped to revive. He challenges one inconsistency in the account and asks what Fuji means by Mewtwo’s “bizarre” body.
• Dr. Fuji shifts from composed scholar to someone revisiting painful memories. His account reveals both his grief-driven motive and his growing recognition that the experiment exceeded human control.
• Their conversation is candid but restrained: Dian is curious and perceptive, while Fuji reveals sensitive history at his own pace.

Significant themes

• Good and evil beyond affiliations: Dian judges people by their actions, not whether they belong to Team Rocket or the League.
• Power, control, and unintended consequences: Team Rocket sought power beyond humanity, but the creation of Mewtwo escaped the researchers’ plans.
• Human limits and mystery: Mew’s agency challenges the belief that scientific methods alone explain or command life.
• Trust and historical context: Fuji’s account places modern institutions against an earlier age defined by disorder and distrust.

Key plot points and events

• Dian finishes questioning Dr. Fuji about Mewtwo. Fuji suggests that Mewtwo may have a purpose and says his own wish has been fulfilled—or that he has let it go. Dian concludes Team Rocket is pursuing Mewtwo because it cannot simply recreate it.
• Dian asks about an artificial Pokémon. Fuji says Porygon, based on Sumio’s research, was buried after the battle in the Sevii Islands.
• After Dian leaves the Pokémon House, Fuji sends his Linoone after him with a scrap of cloth it had picked up. The cloth carries the aura of the Spirit World, and Dian recognizes it as a Reaper Cloth.
• Misdreavus uses a leek to handle the cloth safely. Farfetch’d rushes in to reclaim the leek, and the commotion causes pale hands and then a figure to emerge from the cloth.
• Dian recognizes the figure’s voice as belonging to the ghostly acquaintance he encountered in the Spirit World. Misdreavus attacks; Dian stamps on a mirror shard that appears, shattering it and interrupting the figure’s appearance. The figure nevertheless remains on the ground and begins to sit up.

Character developments

• Dian shows caution around supernatural threats, but also quick judgment: he recognizes the Reaper Cloth and immediately orders Misdreavus to attack when he hears the familiar voice. His relief at smashing the mirror shard suggests a strong dislike—and perhaps fear—of the persistent ghostly visitor.
• Dr. Fuji appears to have made peace with his past ambitions, while still believing Mewtwo’s creation had a reason. His concern over what Linoone may have picked up hints at its habit of collecting strange objects.
• Misdreavus mirrors Dian’s survival-first attitude, carefully lifting the dangerous cloth with a leek before defending herself.
• Meloetta is frightened by the sudden apparition, while the very young Vulpix remains curious and tries to chew things.
• Farfetch’d is driven by its desire to reclaim its stolen leek, but becomes frightened when the supernatural events begin.

Significant themes

• Purpose and acceptance: Fuji reflects on whether extraordinary beings have a purpose and whether his own wish has been fulfilled or simply released.
• Caution and survival: Dian and Misdreavus avoid touching the Spirit World-tainted cloth directly, emphasizing that knowing when to stay safe is not cowardice.
• The uncanny intruding on the ordinary: A mundane Pokémon House visit turns bizarre when a Reaper Cloth acts as a passage for a mysterious figure.
• Humor amid danger: The Pokémon’s comic antics and Dian’s incredulous reactions offset the eerie supernatural encounter.

Character interactions

• Dian and Fuji share a reflective conversation about Mewtwo, Team Rocket, and the abandoned Porygon research.
• Fuji treats Linoone affectionately and directs it to deliver the cloth to Dian.
• Dian protects Meloetta and Vulpix from the cloth, while Misdreavus and Farfetch’d clash over the leek.
• Dian and Misdreavus confront the returning ghostly figure; the figure recognizes Dian, and Dian responds by destroying the mirror shard.

Key events

• A girl who looks like Ash suddenly appears near Dian, crying and calling for “big brother Ash.” She introduces herself as Tomoko, and Dian realizes she has come from the Mirror World through a Crystal Mirror Shard.
• Dian takes Tomoko into the woods, hoping to find a way to return her home. She explains that her world’s Ash won two Pokémon League Conferences, then gave up training to study a Pokémon virus. He also caught a giant Dragonite and a Latias.
• They make camp. Tomoko reveals she is a girl who disguised herself as a boy to protect May from unwanted attention. She is impressed by Dian’s powerful Pokémon and worries about her friends back home.
• Tomoko asks whether Dian’s Pokémon are infected with the Pokémon virus, describing it as a beneficial symbiotic organism that boosts Pokémon’s growth. Dian is astonished: in his world, the virus is virtually nonexistent and cannot be studied or reproduced.
• When Dian gives his full name, Tomoko recognizes him as a famous researcher and Hall-level trainer—but says he died in the Battle of the Sevii Islands more than a decade ago. As she says this, she vanishes, leaving behind only the Crystal Mirror Shard.

Character developments and interactions

• Dian shifts from disbelief and awkward humor to serious curiosity as Tomoko’s account reveals how radically her world differs from his. He tries to protect and accommodate her while quietly investigating her origins.
• Tomoko begins frightened and homesick, but gradually shares information about her world and its Ash. Her final recognition of Dian turns the encounter from a strange reunion into a potentially ominous mystery.
• Dian and Tomoko build a tentative rapport through conversation and shared camp life, though Dian remains bemused by her resemblance to Ash and her unusual story.

Significant themes

• Parallel worlds and alternate lives: Ash, Dian, and Pokémon history differ sharply across worlds.
• The unknown costs of crossing worlds: Tomoko’s sudden disappearance suggests the Mirror Shard’s effects are unstable or temporary.
• Knowledge and scientific possibility: The Pokémon virus is an abandoned mystery in Dian’s world but a practical research subject in Tomoko’s.
• Contrasting identities and expectations: Tomoko’s disguise and the alternate histories challenge Dian’s assumptions about familiar people and events.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• After returning to the tent, Misdreavus and Meloetta fall asleep, but Dian remains awake, shaken by Tomoko’s claim that he has been dead for years.
• He reflects on the distinction between Ghost-type Pokémon and actual ghosts, and on the ancient beings and civilizations that once existed alongside legendary Pokémon such as Groudon and Kyogre. He wonders what destroyed the Super-Ancient Civilization and why the League is so focused on studying the past.
• Dian fears that groups such as Team Magma, Team Aqua, and Team Rocket are provoking forces they cannot control—including legendary Pokémon and the mysterious power near Alola.
• His Capture Styler has no records of the “Battle of the Sevii Islands.” Dian suspects it involved powerful people and may connect his apparent death to an event more than a decade earlier. Because Tomoko is traveling with May and Brock, he reasons that the timelines of this world and the Mirror World may be nearly aligned.
• He considers whether Celebi and time travel could explain the contradiction. After contemplating a theory in which past, present, and future are fixed, he destroys his notes and vows to defy that fate.
• Dian plans to adjust his Pokémon team, restock supplies in Saffron City, and bring Ralts along. The chapter ends with a strange girl in a Western-style dress appearing across from him in Tomoko’s former seat, greeting him eerily.

Character developments

• Dian shifts from anxious speculation to determined resistance. Although he fears for himself and his Pokémon, he resolves not to accept a predetermined future and begins making practical preparations.
• Misdreavus and Meloetta remain unaware of the significance of death and sleep through Dian’s crisis.
• Tomoko is absent, but her claim about Dian’s death and her unexplained disappearance continue to trouble him.
• The mysterious girl is introduced at the end, setting up a new encounter.

Significant themes

• Death and identity: Dian’s uncertainty about whether he has already died challenges his understanding of himself and his place in the world.
• Fate versus free will: The possibility that time is fixed drives Dian to reject the idea that the future cannot be changed.
• Ancient history and catastrophe: The fall of powerful civilizations raises questions about humanity’s vulnerability and the League’s efforts to prevent another disaster.
• Power and recklessness: Dian fears that organizations seeking legendary Pokémon are inviting catastrophe.

Character interactions

• Dian’s concern extends beyond himself to Misdreavus and the others, even though they do not share his understanding of death.
• He mentally connects Tomoko’s revelation to the wider mysteries of the Mirror World, Celebi, and the Sevii Islands.
• The chapter closes with a direct, unsettling encounter: the newly arrived girl addresses Dian with an eerie “Good evening.”

Key plot points and events

• As Dian is about to act, a strange Time Flower blooms in silvery light. Its chime freezes everything around it and sweeps Dian and the nearby area away. Sabrina resists the effect briefly, but cannot stop it; when the light fades, Dian is gone and the flower remains.
• Sabrina examines the flower, then decides to return to her true self rather than investigate while operating through a Psychic double.
• Back in the forest, Sentret finds Pokéblocks and a microphone, assumes they are payment for guarding the campsite, and calls other Pokémon over. Pichu sneaks into the tent and discovers the food in Dian’s backpack.
• Dian regains consciousness in an unfamiliar, old-fashioned room beside the sea. His equipment is present, but his Pokédex has no signal, and Misdreavus and Meloetta are missing.
• He concludes that the Time Flower has carried him through time and space. Worried for his friends, he forces himself to stay calm and plans to establish where and when he is before searching for them.
• As hurried footsteps and fragments of conversation approach the room, Dian realizes that information may be coming to him.

Character development and interactions

• Dian moves from confusion and fear to focused determination. His immediate worry is for Misdreavus and Meloetta, but he restrains himself and prioritizes gathering facts.
• Sabrina is startled by the Time Flower’s power, yet quickly regains her composure and chooses to investigate later, once she has returned to her full form.
• Sentret comically interprets the abandoned supplies as a reward for guarding the camp, then invites the forest Pokémon to share in the discovery. Pichu independently sneaks into the tent in search of food.
• The chapter’s central interaction is between Sabrina and the Time Flower: she attempts to resist its mysterious force but is powerless against it. Dian’s separation from his Pokémon also establishes the emotional stakes of his new predicament.

Significant themes

• Time, displacement, and mystery: The Time Flower abruptly transports Dian to an unknown place and era.
• Separation and attachment: Dian’s fear for Misdreavus and Meloetta shows how deeply he depends on and cares for his companions.
• Composure in crisis: Dian’s effort to set aside panic and work methodically contrasts with his initial distress.
• Comic misunderstanding: Sentret’s mistaken belief that the supplies are payment provides a light counterpoint to Dian’s alarming disappearance.

Plot points and events

• A Team Rocket assault has overtaken the cruise ship Klose. A pack of Gyarados, driven by black auras and crimson eyes, surrounds the vessel, while a silver moon’s light calms the sea and suppresses the flames—but its influence is gradually shrinking.
• Apollo commands the operation from the deck. He treats the ship’s passengers and Pokémon as “goods” and “tools,” and credits Lord Mihara’s Dark Balls for the power at his disposal.
• When the captain fails to report success in capturing people still hiding aboard, Apollo has him thrown overboard to be killed by the Gyarados.
• Apollo promotes Acting Captain Fujii Tōya conditionally: Tōya must find the hidden fugitives before the moonlight fades. Apollo then privately orders his aide, Aria, to ensure Tōya dies in a way that makes it appear the fugitives killed him, helping turn Team Rocket members against ordinary people.
• Apollo dismisses the moon’s protective force, identifying it as the work of a Lunatone and boasting that it cannot stop him.

Character developments and interactions

• Apollo is shown as cruel, vain, and calculating. He uses theatrical gestures and aristocratic language to mask his brutality, and sees Pokémon and people alike as expendable resources.
• Fujii Tōya eagerly accepts the chance to rise in rank, unaware that Apollo has already arranged his death. His ambition—and his satisfaction at the previous captain’s removal—makes him useful to Apollo.
• Aria acts as Apollo’s trusted, compliant aide and understands the political purpose of his orders.
• The passengers’ fear and the child’s frightened reaction to a Gyarados contrast with Apollo’s amused indifference. Team Rocket’s members obey his commands under threat.

Significant themes

• Power and dehumanization: Apollo reduces Pokémon and people to tools or goods, rejecting the idea that Pokémon are humanity’s friends.
• Tyranny and manipulation: He rules through fear, disposes of subordinates, and engineers blame to deepen conflict.
• Light versus darkness: The moonlight offers temporary protection against the storm and Rocket’s forces, while Apollo’s confidence signals his intent to extinguish it.

Chapter summary

Key events

• Team Rocket deputy captain Fujii Tōya searches a cruise ship for escaped passengers, under orders from senior executive Apollo. He brings along Ito Cheng and uses his near-evolved Houndour to track them.
• Ito discovers signs of a concealed passage beneath a bed and leads Fujii onward. Though he resents Fujii’s bullying, Team Rocket’s hierarchy and its control over Pokémon leave him powerless to resist.
• The fugitives—Dorag, his wife Sanae, a blonde mother and her young daughter, and Uchinai—reach a secret room, hoping to hide. Uchinai has lost his Poké Balls and quietly hopes his Lunatone can escape to alert the League.
• The room is already occupied by Dian, a mysterious young man dressed in expensive black clothing. As Fujii and Ito arrive with Houndour, Dian calmly asks what year it is.
• The girl answers: League Year 83. Dian realizes he has returned to the same point in time as his earlier journey—ten years before the present—and suspects Celebi’s power brought him there, possibly in connection with Darkrai.
• Dian resolves to seek out Misdreavus and Meloetta and to settle his debt to the powers he carries. When asked who he is, he declares, “I’m a Pokémon Trainer.”

Character developments and interactions

• Fujii Tōya presents himself as friendly toward Ito but is calculating and ruthless, treating subordinates as expendable pawns. He uses the search to reinforce his authority.
• Ito Cheng is fearful and resentful but complies, knowing his Pokémon may not disobey higher-ranking Rocket members. His discovery of the hidden passage makes him useful, even as Fujii continues to intimidate him.
• Aria, following the pair with an armored Nidoking, sees the mission as an opportunity to advance under Apollo’s authority and watches the pursuit from the shadows.
• Uchinai prioritizes the child’s survival and prepares to sacrifice himself, while hoping Lunatone can reach the League. The fugitives’ fear eases somewhat when Dian remains composed, though they do not know what to make of him.
• Dian shifts from bewilderment about his time displacement to a clearer personal purpose: he wants to stop relying on unearned supernatural help and define himself through his own abilities.

Significant themes

• Power and exploitation: Team Rocket’s internal hierarchy mirrors its predatory goals; subordinates and Pokémon alike are controlled and used.
• Courage and responsibility: Uchinai risks himself to protect a child and preserve Johto’s future.
• Identity and earned strength: Dian questions whether his extraordinary gifts are deserved and chooses the identity of a Trainer who will rely on his own strength.
• Fate and time: Dian’s return to League Year 83 suggests a connection among Celebi, Darkrai, and events from the past, setting up a larger mystery.

Key plot points and events

• Dian confronts three Team Rocket members—Fujii Tōya, Ito Cheng, and an associate—and demands to see Giovanni, whom he connects to Leader Mihara.
• Fujii orders Houndour to attack, but the Pokémon instead evolves into Houndoom, apparently freed from an ongoing nightmare. It immediately turns on Fujii.
• Ito’s Tangela weakens Houndoom with Stun Spore and Sleep Powder. Dian calmly instructs Houndoom to use its own fire to burn away the effects, then it captures Ito. Nidoking overwhelms the remaining opposition.
• Dian and the others secure the room and bind the Rocket members. He questions Ito about Team Rocket’s leadership while rapidly recording a half-volume of the ancient Monster Handler Book onto his glasses.
• Dian burns the book after extracting its contents. It describes a method for creating giant Pokémon, though the crucial pages about the medicine and rearing process have been removed. A note indicates that the book’s owner once succeeded in making giant Pokémon.
• Dian reflects on the three broad categories of giant Pokémon: ordinary oversized Pokémon, Alola’s Totem Pokémon, and Super-Ancient beings. He considers their abilities, limitations, origins, and research potential, while noting that academic rules have prevented him from studying the first two subjects directly.

Character developments and interactions

• Dian demonstrates composure, authority, and close rapport with Pokémon: Houndoom responds to his commands, and his quick guidance helps it overcome the powders. His curiosity as a researcher is rekindled by the book’s discovery.
• Houndoom evolves from Houndour and appears relieved to be free of a nightmare. It chooses to cooperate with Dian and follows his instructions, showing a newfound bond and trust.
• Ito Cheng shifts from attacking to surrendering when Nidoking appears. Fujii is knocked unconscious before he can be questioned.
• Uchinai and the others are initially powerless because their Poké Balls have been taken, but they help secure the room once Dian gains control.
• Aria recognizes the significance of the name Giovanni and suspects a connection to Mihara, though Nidoking watches him from the shadows.

Significant themes

• Trust and control: Dian wins Houndoom’s cooperation through clear guidance, contrasting with the Monster Handlers’ coercive methods.
• Research ethics and access: Academic exclusivity is presented as a system meant to protect fairness and focused study, even as it frustrates Dian’s ambitions.
• Power and its costs: Oversized Pokémon can be formidable, but their size may impair mobility, increase food needs, and make them difficult to sustain.
• Mystery and discovery: The missing pages, the successful experiment recorded in the book, and the unresolved origins of Totem and Super-Ancient Pokémon point toward larger unanswered questions.

Plot points and events

• Dian attempts to question Team Rocket member Ito Cheng, but the man abruptly leaves him to collapse. Instead of pursuing the interrogation, Dian destroys the control armor on Nidoking and frees it, then tells the other captives they are free as well.
• The captives warn Dian that Team Rocket executive Apollo controls the ship and that help cannot be summoned. As he leaves, Dian realizes that one captive, Uchinai, is Valerie’s father, and that the little girl Kisaki is connected to his future family. Another captive, Dolag, jokingly offers his daughter Azisa to Dian’s descendants if they survive.
• Dian sends Litwick and Misdreavus to incapacitate Team Rocket members. Misdreavus feeds on fear while Litwick drains life force, and their attack spreads panic through the ship. Meloetta, startled by the screams, clings nervously to Dian.
• On deck, Apollo discovers the apparent victims and concludes a Ghost-type Pokémon is responsible. He arms himself with Crobat and armored Nidoking, but the Nidoking turn against him after Dian arrives.
• Dian blocks Crobat’s attack with a barrier and has the Nidoking restrain Apollo. Apollo mistakes him for a Pokémon Magician; before Dian can pursue the idea, Apollo is knocked unconscious.
• The captives celebrate and restrain the remaining Team Rocket members. Dian reflects on the power of the Capture Styler and speculates about the history of Pokémon Rangers, Monster Handlers, and other ancient groups.

Character developments and interactions

• Dian shows compassion and confidence by freeing the captives and confronting Apollo, while also revealing a playful, irreverent side. He is flustered by the unexpected connection to people who may become his future in-laws and jokes about turning time travel into a business.
• Apollo shifts from arrogant commander to fearful and suspicious opponent, then loses control of both his Pokémon and the situation.
• Nidoking goes from controlled captive to willing ally, demonstrating that its loyalty can be won rather than imposed.
• Misdreavus and Litwick work effectively as a frightening, life-draining team, though Litwick looks to Misdreavus for approval. Meloetta remains shy and frightened by the Ghost Pokémon’s unsettling work.
• Dian’s conversation with the captives hints at future family ties: Uchinai is Valerie’s father, while Dolag offers a marriage alliance involving Azisa.

Significant themes

• Freedom versus control: Dian rejects armor and coercion as lasting bonds, arguing that genuine attachment comes from the heart.
• Courage and responsibility: He acts alone despite the danger, believing someone must confront Team Rocket.
• Power and loyalty: Apollo relies on force and equipment, but loses the Nidoking; Dian’s influence instead rests on trust and his command of the Capture Styler.
• Humor amid danger: Dian’s thoughts about future in-laws, Pokémon cries, and time-travel tourism contrast with the ship’s terror and violence.

Plot points and events

• Captain Dian takes charge of the captured Team Rocket members and orders Apollo and the others stripped and hung from the ship. Apollo refuses to reveal anything about Team Rocket’s Monster Handler, even when threatened, and tries to bargain for clothes.
• Dian’s Tyranitar drives off a rampaging Gyarados and clears the storm. Dian then examines a Dark Ball and realizes its power is tied to Darkrai.
• Dian deduces that Darkrai may be hypnotizing wild Pokémon to supply Team Rocket with obedient forces, though he is unsure whether Darkrai serves Team Rocket or controls it. He crushes the Dark Ball.
• A colossal Dragonite, towering dozens of meters above the sea, approaches and threatens to destroy the ship. Apollo boasts that it is proof of Team Rocket’s power, but the Dragonite appears willing to crush everyone aboard, including Rocket members.
• Rather than immediately use the ancient Poké Ball at his neck, Dian orders Litwick to use Power Split on the giant Dragonite. Litwick links its power with the Dragonite’s, beginning Dian’s experiment.

Character developments

• Dian shows a mix of ruthlessness, curiosity, and confidence. He deals harshly with the captured Rockets, quickly reasons out the Dark Ball’s connection to Darkrai, and remains focused on testing a move even in the face of overwhelming danger.
• Apollo is defiant and uncooperative about Team Rocket’s Monster Handler, though his swagger fades when faced with Dian’s Tyranitar and the giant Dragonite.
• Litwick appears calm and willing to face an opponent vastly larger than itself, carrying out Dian’s risky command.
• The rescued captain and passengers shift from relief to terror as the giant Dragonite bears down on the ship.

Significant themes

• Power and control: Dark Balls may let Team Rocket mass-produce obedient Pokémon by using Darkrai’s hypnosis, raising questions about who truly controls whom.
• Curiosity under pressure: Dian treats the Dragonite’s arrival as a chance to test the limits of Power Split, even though the stakes are life-threatening.
• The limits of apparent strength: The tiny Litwick confronts a creature many times its size, suggesting that unusual abilities may challenge brute force.

Character interactions

• Dian gives the captain authority over the captured Rockets, while Apollo resists questioning and attempts to negotiate with Dian.
• Dian uses Tyranitar to repel the Gyarados and restore calm, then turns his attention to Apollo’s Dark Ball.
• Apollo boasts about Team Rocket’s power, but the Dragonite’s indifference to the Rockets undermines his confidence.
• Dian directs Litwick against the Dragonite, and Litwick forms a link between them with Power Split as the chapter ends.

Plot points and events

• A gigantic Dragonite attacks the ship, but Dian’s Lampent raises Protect, forming a barrier that shields everyone from its blow.
• Misdreavus and Lampent appear enormous as well. Dian realizes they have not truly evolved or grown permanently: their forms are unstable, likely connected to Lampent’s Power Split.
• Misdreavus reveals through newly demonstrated Telepathy that Dragonite wants a friend—and a mate. Before Dian can learn more, Dragonite’s strength fades and it sinks beneath the sea.
• Dian deduces that Dragonite’s immense size gives it tremendous power but can only be sustained for a limited time. He suspects this is a weakness common to the first type of giant Pokémon.
• The encounter inspires him to investigate ways of making enlargement reproducible. He considers Tyranitar and several other Pokémon promising candidates, but will need the Monster Handler’s records and details of Dragonite’s enhancement.

Character developments and interactions

• Dian remains composed during the attack, though he privately resents the passengers crediting Ho-Oh for their rescue. He quickly shifts from survival to studying Dragonite’s limitations and the possibility of controlled enlargement.
• Misdreavus displays unexpected Telepathy and playful affection, carrying Dian on her head and shielding him from the wind. Her teasing, jealous remarks underline their close, familiar bond.
• Lampent protects the ship and enjoys the spectacle, while indicating that the shrinking of itself and Misdreavus is not caused by Power Split.
• Dragonite is revealed as lonely and seeking companionship, though its apparent desire to find a mate gives the scene a comic twist. Its brief appearance suggests its size comes with a severe energy cost.

Significant themes

• Power and limitations: Greater size brings greater strength, but also instability and limited endurance.
• Companionship: Dragonite’s loneliness humanizes the enormous threat and complicates the idea of strength as self-sufficiency.
• Curiosity and ambition: Dian turns a dangerous encounter into a research opportunity, looking for ways to understand and reproduce giant Pokémon.

Plot and events

• Misdreavus persuades the giant Dragonite to reveal how it grew so large by promising it a future with a mate and a paradise for giant Pokémon. She also offers Apollo as a “friend,” exploiting Dragonite’s interest in him.
• Apollo panics and offers information about the Monster Handler, explaining that the secret is stored inside his Weezing and that it will destroy the information if forced to release it.
• Dian uses Misdreavus’s Trick to exchange the items inside Weezing, then returns it to its Poké Ball, bypassing Apollo’s safeguard. He has Apollo knocked unconscious and handed over to Dragonite.
• With Dragonite appeased, Aegislash retrieves its memories of growing giant. Dragonite leaves with Apollo, carrying a map of Kanto and instructions to wait at Vermilion City’s pier in nine years.
• After Dragonite departs, Dian spots a fog-shrouded island. Darkrai appears above it, conjures a dark sphere, and turns the full moon black, ushering in a terrifying “New Moon”—a moonless night within Darkrai’s domain.

Character developments and interactions

• Dian relies on deception and practical problem-solving rather than fighting. He stays calm, exploits Apollo’s misplaced confidence, and makes sure Dragonite can find its future meeting place.
• Misdreavus embraces Dian’s scheme, enthusiastically bargaining with Dragonite and imagining herself riding atop a giant Dian.
• Apollo shifts from smug confidence in his information safeguard to desperate bargaining when he realizes he may be given to Dragonite.
• Dragonite is persuaded by promises of companionship and a future among giant Pokémon; it cooperates in exchange for those prospects.
• The chapter ends by introducing Darkrai as an overwhelming, ominous threat, contrasting sharply with Dian’s apparent relief.

Significant themes

• Manipulation and negotiation: Misdreavus and Dian secure cooperation through tailored promises rather than force.
• Secrets and security: The chapter highlights the unusual ways people protect information in a world where both computers and physical records can be compromised.
• Humor amid danger: The absurd bargain involving Apollo and Dragonite sits alongside Dian’s dry commentary and opportunism.
• A looming supernatural threat: Darkrai’s arrival transforms the scene from comic scheming to cosmic horror.

Chapter Summary: “Endless Nightmare”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dian awakens from a terrifying, seemingly endless nightmare after Misdreavus calls out to him. He discovers that nearly everyone aboard the cruise ship—including nobles, Team Rocket members, and the previously freed Nidoking—has collapsed into lifeless, unresponsive states.
• Dian realizes he may be the only survivor spared from complete immersion in the nightmare. The aura of the future Darkrai within him protected him long enough for Misdreavus to wake him.
• He experiences visions of various tragedies: endless failed transformation, a prince discovering that the princess loves the dragon, a Pidgey evolving into the form it despises, forced marriages, abandoned parents, and lovers separated by ancestral conflict.
• Dian recognizes that these nightmares are not ordinary fear-based dreams. They are manifestations of abandoned desires, hatred, regret, and separation—suffering without the hope that normally gives those emotions meaning.
• Misdreavus is unable to enjoy these emotions because they lack the fear and hope that make haunted experiences meaningful. Dian recalls that the purpose of the Haunted House is to frighten visitors while ultimately allowing them to leave with renewed hope.
• Dian concludes that a nightmare without an end or a chance to awaken is not truly a nightmare, but simple, endless suffering.
• The cruise ship, seemingly controlled by Darkrai, reaches a black-mist-covered island in the Sevii Islands. Dian and Misdreavus find the port completely deserted, despite every building being brightly lit.
• Dian is puzzled by Darkrai’s actions, especially since even Team Rocket appears to have been drawn into the nightmare. He questions what Darkrai could gain from creating such suffering.
• Misdreavus uses Mean Look against a hidden presence. Her dark chains clash with an azure beam from another pair of eyes, followed by a familiar voice greeting them.

Character Developments

• Dian confronts the overwhelming psychological power of Darkrai’s nightmare and briefly loses himself in it. After recovering, he becomes more serious and determined to understand the island’s mystery.
• His laughter after escaping the nightmare suggests a mixture of shock, tension, and grim recognition of the situation’s absurdity. He then regains composure and reflects on the purpose of fear and his role as a Haunted House performer.
• Dian demonstrates a clearer understanding of the difference between meaningful fear and hopeless suffering. He recognizes that true horror should ultimately preserve the possibility of survival, change, or hope.
• Misdreavus shows concern for Dian by waking him from the nightmare. She also rejects the emotions generated by Darkrai because they are not the fear-based feelings she normally enjoys. Despite her wariness, she actively protects Dian upon arriving on the island.
• Dian recalls Litwick and recalls it into its Poké Ball, recognizing that the island’s atmosphere is too dangerous for it to remain exposed.

Significant Themes

• Fear versus suffering: The chapter distinguishes productive, temporary fear from endless pain. Fear can inspire action and hope, while suffering without escape destroys meaning.
• Hope within horror: Dian believes the Haunted House is valuable because people experience fear but ultimately leave smiling, more prepared to face life. Horror is meaningful only when it allows for release.
• Abandoned desires and emotional emptiness: Darkrai’s power turns desires, hatred, and love into endless tragedies, stripping them of the hope and resistance that normally make emotions meaningful.
• The nature of nightmares: The chapter challenges Darkrai’s title as the “nightmare god,” contrasting its usual role of warning people through prophetic dreams with this unnatural, destructive nightmare that traps beings indefinitely.
• Identity and acceptance: Several visions involve people or Pokémon being trapped in situations or forms they hate, emphasizing the pain of losing control over one’s identity and future.
• Mystery and impending danger: The deserted island, black mist, and unseen opponent establish that Dian is entering a larger confrontation with Darkrai or another powerful entity.

Character Interactions

• Dian and Misdreavus: Misdreavus rescues Dian from the nightmare, while Dian interprets the disturbing emotions surrounding them and explains why they are unlike the fear she enjoys. Their partnership becomes more protective and cautious as they approach the island.
• Dian and Litwick: Dian notices Litwick hiding behind him and recalls it, prioritizing its safety.
• Dian and Darkrai’s presence: Although Darkrai does not directly appear, its power controls the ship, overwhelms the passengers, and envelops the island. Dian mentally compares this Darkrai with the more benevolent, prophetic role traditionally associated with the nightmare god.
• Misdreavus and the unseen entity: Misdreavus immediately responds to the hidden threat with Mean Look, whose chains clash with the opponent’s azure eye-beam. The chapter ends as a familiar voice addresses them, setting up a confrontation.

Key events

• Dian reunites with Lorelei on Time Island, where Misdreavus has already protected him from Lorelei’s Mean Look.
• Lorelei becomes delighted by Misdreavus and holds her, but Misdreavus prefers to return to Dian’s head.
• Lorelei’s Smoochum rushes to greet Dian, trips, and is caught by Misdreavus’s black curtain. Dian gives Smoochum a flower, then presents Lorelei with a rose.
• Slowbro, who evolved from Dian’s Slowpoke, privately laments her new weight: it is 0.0001 kg more than her exact ideal. She hides her distress behind a blank, philosophical expression, while her Shellder seems pleased.
• Dian learns that the island—formerly a place where Celebi appeared—now holds only empty buildings. He suspects Darkrai may be involved and checks the cruise ship, confirming that the people trapped in nightmares have disappeared.

Character developments and interactions

• Dian is warm and thoughtful with Lorelei and Smoochum, though Lorelei’s attention and his own bashfulness make him self-conscious. He is also alert to the danger and quickly investigates the missing passengers.
• Lorelei is openly affectionate toward small Pokémon, especially Misdreavus, and protective of Smoochum. She shares what she knows about the island but is uncertain about what happened there.
• Misdreavus remains vigilant, saves Smoochum from falling, and shows a clear preference for staying with Dian.
• Slowbro appears calm but is consumed by perfectionism and wounded aristocratic pride over her weight and evolution.
• Smoochum is eager to see Dian and excited by his flower, though Lorelei interrupts her attempted kiss to apply lip balm.

Significant themes

• The chapter contrasts affectionate, playful reunions with the unsettling mystery of an apparently emptied island.
• It explores perfectionism and identity through Slowbro’s comic distress at the tiny discrepancy in her weight.
• Loyalty and care emerge through Misdreavus’s protective actions and Lorelei’s attentiveness to Smoochum.
• Dian’s lighthearted social exchanges give way to growing concern as the consequences of the nightmare incident become clear.

Plot points and events

• Dian and Lorelai find a ship whose passengers have vanished, leaving human-shaped traces beneath the water. Dian concludes Darkrai used Dark Void to put them to sleep and likely trapped them in its Dream Space.
• Lorelai reveals she was invited to Time Island to compete for the chance to catch a legendary Pokémon. A Malamar guide appears and says its master is waiting.
• Dian notices Malamar is watching him rather than Lorelai, the invitation’s recipient. He tests his suspicion by capturing Malamar with a Dark Ball.
• Malamar’s own dark power merges with the Dark Ball’s, confirming for Dian that the ball uses Darkrai’s power and that Darkrai is likely behind the tournament.
• Dian suspects Darkrai may have manipulated Team Rocket into creating Dark Balls and may be using them to control people and Pokémon. He believes Darkrai’s larger goal is probably to reach Celebi.
• As Dian prepares to act alone, Aegislash uses its power to put Lorelai to sleep.

Character developments and interactions

• Dian is observant and quick to test his theories, but his discovery leads him to fear the scale of Darkrai’s plans. He conceals his intentions from Lorelai and leaves her unconscious rather than bring her into the danger.
• Lorelai shares what she knows and follows Dian’s reasoning, but is caught off guard when he captures their guide and then has her put to sleep.
• Malamar serves Darkrai and appears to recognize Dian, or at least the Dark Ball he carries.
• Dian’s Pokémon remain mostly in the background: Smoochum, Misdreavus, and Meloetta watch quietly, while Slowbro is distracted by a tiny change in its weight.

Significant themes

• Dreams and control: Darkrai’s power may extend beyond sleep to imprisoning and manipulating people and Pokémon.
• Deception and hidden agendas: The invitation’s friendly contest may conceal Darkrai’s true purpose, while Team Rocket may have been manipulated into helping it.
• Trust and isolation: Dian chooses to investigate alone, protecting Lorelai by removing her from the immediate danger—but also denying her the chance to decide for herself.

Chapter summary

Key plot points

• After Darkrai’s attack on the cruise ship, Dian catches Lorelei and asks the mysterious metallic voice whether the power he saw was related to Darkrai’s Black Hole. The voice confirms it was a similar power, apparently hidden within Dian and masked by Celebi’s energy.
• Dian suspects Celebi has concealed Darkrai’s power in him so Darkrai cannot detect it. He hides Lorelei in a Pokémon Center, leaves her a note, and entrusts her safety to her Pokémon—especially Meloetta—before heading to the arena for the final confrontation.
• Dian reasons that Darkrai is preparing for Celebi, whom it expects to arrive from another time. Darkrai may have learned of Celebi through its Forewarn ability, which can provide warnings through dreams. Celebi and Darkrai may each be able to anticipate the other’s changes to time, creating an unpredictable cycle of countermeasures.
• Dian concludes that Darkrai’s attack on the cruise ship was an attempt to eliminate every uncontrolled variable. He believes Celebi has kept him out of Darkrai’s direct reach, but still makes precautions for Lorelei and himself.
• On Time Island, Darkrai reveals its motive: it wants to capture Celebi and use its time-travel power to see Cresselia again. It blames humanity for Cresselia’s sacrifice and plans to undo that outcome by destroying the creatures she saved.
• Darkrai unleashes a vast barrier of dark energy, dark-red lightning, and dangerous Pokémon across the sky and sea, sealing off the island and blocking reinforcements. It then announces that the battle’s “stage” is ready and that the crescent moon will rise again.

Character developments

• Dian shifts from reacting to events to actively interpreting the conflict. He recognizes that the struggle is shaped by foresight, time manipulation, and hidden powers, and prepares cautiously despite knowing he cannot predict every outcome.
• Darkrai is revealed as more than a tactical adversary: its actions are driven by grief and obsession over Cresselia. Its long patience and willingness to manipulate Team Rocket show how thoroughly it has pursued its goal.
• Lorelei is incapacitated and placed under Dian’s protection, while the Pokémon left with her serve as his safeguards.
• Celebi remains absent but is established as a powerful, strategic opponent whose intervention may be central to the coming confrontation.

Significant themes

• Foresight and uncertainty: Darkrai and Celebi appear able to anticipate and counter one another, making the future difficult to control.
• Grief and obsession: Darkrai’s longing for Cresselia has become a destructive mission to reverse the past.
• Manipulation and human ambition: Darkrai exploits Team Rocket’s resources and desires, turning their research and trust against them.
• Sacrifice and remembrance: Darkrai condemns humans for forgetting Cresselia’s sacrifice, while its own refusal to accept that loss drives the conflict.

Character interactions

• Dian questions the unseen voice about the power within him and relies on its explanation to understand Celebi’s concealment.
• Dian protects Lorelei by hiding her and leaving her Pokémon—and Meloetta—as a line of defense.
• Darkrai uses Team Rocket’s researchers and technology while secretly manipulating them, ultimately rewarding them with a vision of their own destruction.
• Darkrai addresses Celebi and the creatures of Time Island as its intended opponents, declaring the island an isolated arena for their confrontation.