Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Lugia accidentally obliterates the courtyard’s plants during Ralts’s training. When Xu Mu wakes and sees the damage, Lugia tries to deny responsibility, but Xu Mu sees through him.
• As punishment, Xu Mu says Lugia will no longer be allowed to battle and will serve as a mount instead. Charizard laughs at Lugia, only to be assigned the next battle himself. Charizard retreats to his Poké Ball, while Lugia is left despondent.
• Ralts checks on Lugia, who tells his apprentice that the future is now Ralts’s responsibility.
• Misty calls Xu Mu to ask whether he will take her and Jessie to an upcoming Pokémon Contest. He agrees to learn the details.
• Xu Mu calls his aunt, Xu Qingqing, who reveals that the contest has not yet been publicly announced. Contestants must earn five ribbons to qualify. Xu Mu clarifies that he is asking on behalf of some children, not because he plans to compete.

Character developments and interactions

• Lugia shifts from proud mentor to anxious culprit, then fears losing his chance to battle. He encourages Ralts despite his own disappointment.
• Ralts shows concern for Lugia and remains his attentive apprentice.
• Xu Mu handles the courtyard damage with dry humor and imposes playful but pointed punishments on Lugia and Charizard.
• Charizard enjoys Lugia’s misfortune, then discovers that mocking the situation can bring consequences of its own.
• Misty and Jessie are eager to attend the contest; Misty’s teasing argument with Jessie is briefly heard during their call.
• Xu Qingqing greets Xu Mu warmly and teases him about his motives, while providing the contest rules.

Significant themes

• Actions have consequences: Lugia’s destruction of the courtyard leads to punishment, and Charizard’s gloating earns him an unwanted battle.
• Mentorship and responsibility: Lugia passes his hopes for the future on to Ralts.
• Humor and reversal: Xu Mu’s punishments turn the Pokémon’s expectations upside down.
• Competition and opportunity: The new contest introduces a goal requiring contestants to earn five ribbons.

Plot points and events

• Xu Mu reviews information from Xu Qingqing and learns that the Pokémon Contest follows rules similar to the Story World’s: contestants need five badges earned by challenging five Training Halls.
• Since the finals will be held in Magic City, Xu Mu agrees to help Misty compete and asks when she and Jessie will arrive. Misty says they are on their way.
• Cynthia is excited to welcome Misty and Jessie—and offers to cook for them. The two visitors, terrified of her notoriously inedible food, try to dissuade her by saying they will arrive late.
• Cynthia insists she will wait for them. Xu Mu distracts her by suggesting he cook dinner first and she can prepare their meal later, sparing him from eating her cooking that night but leaving Misty and Jessie in danger.
• Before Xu Mu can start cooking, he finds Cynthia staring at the ruined yard. Lugia and Charizard have apparently fought there, destroying the plants she cherishes.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Mu is practical and protective: he supports Misty’s contest plans, subtly avoids Cynthia’s cooking, and tries to comfort her after seeing the yard.
• Misty and Jessie are united by their shared dread of Cynthia’s food. Their fear is so strong that they briefly doubt whether the contest is worth the risk.
• Cynthia is enthusiastic and caring toward Misty, but her confidence in her cooking contrasts comically with everyone else’s experience of it. The ruined yard leaves her stunned.
• Lugia and Charizard are blamed for the garden’s destruction. Charizard’s imagined defense insists Lugia started the fight and forced him into it.

Significant themes

• Comedy through dramatic irony: Cynthia sees her cooking as a loving welcome, while Misty, Jessie, and Xu Mu treat it as a culinary disaster.
• Friendship forged by shared adversity: Cynthia’s cooking brings former enemies Misty and Jessie together.
• Care and responsibility: Xu Mu tries to protect others from trouble while supporting their plans, though he cannot prevent every mishap.

Plot points and events

• Cynthia discovers that her carefully tended flower garden has been destroyed and angrily confronts Xu Mu.
• Xu Mu blames Lugia, who reveals that Xu Mu had promised him the chance to battle if he cleared the flowers to make room for vegetables.
• Xu Mu denies the arrangement and escapes to the kitchen, leaving Cynthia to deal with Lugia.
• Cynthia makes Lugia fly off and replace every missing flower. While doing so, he vents his frustration by challenging powerful Pokémon in several Secret Realms.
• Xu Mu prepares an elaborate dinner to placate Cynthia. Lugia eventually returns dusty and asks to go back to his Poké Ball, but Cynthia leaves without answering.
• Alone with Xu Mu, Lugia realizes that blaming Xu Mu has only created a new problem for himself.

Character development and interactions

• Xu Mu shows himself to be evasive and quick to shift blame, though he sincerely cares for Cynthia and tries to make amends through cooking.
• Cynthia is furious about the flowers but handles the damage practically, assigning Lugia the task of replacing them. Ice cream helps her cool down.
• Lugia first tries to expose Xu Mu’s role, then accepts his punishment and completes the replacement task. His bravado and resentment give way to anxiety when he realizes Xu Mu may retaliate.
• The chapter’s central interaction is a comic blame game: Xu Mu and Lugia each try to make the other responsible, while Cynthia remains the one whose anger—and garden—must be dealt with.

Significant themes

• Blame and consequences: Shifting responsibility may offer temporary escape, but it can create further trouble.
• Affection and domestic life: Xu Mu’s care for Cynthia is shown through his efforts to soothe her, while the supernatural scale of Lugia’s punishment turns an ordinary household dispute into comedy.
• Comic power dynamics: Despite Lugia’s immense strength, he is stuck obeying Cynthia and worrying about Xu Mu.

Key plot points and events

• Lugia anxiously asks Xu Mu whether he will be punished, knowing his earlier trickery has angered him.
• Cynthia returns after checking that her plants have been restored. Misreading Lugia’s fearful expression, she thinks he still doubts she will forgive him and becomes angry again.
• Lugia tries to explain that he is only seeking Xu Mu’s favor, but this sounds to Cynthia as though he cares more about Xu Mu’s approval than hers.
• Xu Mu intervenes, claiming Lugia was asking what gift Cynthia would like. Cynthia accepts the explanation, and Xu Mu sends Lugia back into his Poké Ball.
• Cynthia’s anger subsides, and she sits down to eat Xu Mu’s cooking.
• Xu Mu cleverly reminds her that Misty and Jessie are due to try her cooking later, steering her toward preparing their meal—and away from making him eat it.

Character developments

• Lugia becomes increasingly helpless as his attempts to placate Xu Mu and Cynthia backfire. He gives up arguing, convinced he is doomed.
• Xu Mu plays the amused mediator, rescuing Lugia with a convenient excuse and using his quick thinking to avoid Cynthia’s cooking himself.
• Cynthia moves from suspicion and anger to contentment once she believes Lugia meant to make amends. Her confidence and enthusiasm about cooking for Misty and Jessie return.

Character interactions

• Lugia flatters Xu Mu while privately believing him petty, then panics when Cynthia interprets his words as disrespect.
• Xu Mu teases Lugia’s predicament but ultimately steps in to calm Cynthia and protect him.
• Xu Mu and Cynthia share a warm domestic moment over the meal, though Xu Mu’s reassurances are partly self-serving.
• Cynthia imagines Misty and Jessie eagerly enjoying her cooking; an aside jokes that Jessie may not share her enthusiasm.

Significant themes

• Miscommunication and comic escalation: Lugia’s fearful demeanor and poorly chosen explanations repeatedly make the situation worse.
• Power and appeasement: Lugia carefully manages the moods of Xu Mu and Cynthia, both of whom can determine his fate.
• Domestic affection and self-preservation: Xu Mu cares for Cynthia and wants to keep her happy, but also strategically avoids being served her cooking.

Plot points and events

Cynthia eagerly prepares a welcome feast for Misty and Jessie, unaware that they dread her cooking. Kale calls to tell her the two are on their way; after realizing Cynthia plans to cook, he is relieved he won’t have to taste it himself. Xu Mu also recognizes what is happening and is glad the cooking ordeal has been shifted to someone else.
Misty and Jessie arrive by helicopter and are ushered straight to the table. When Cynthia encourages them to eat, Misty claims she has lost her appetite and says Jessie can eat her share. Jessie objects, telling Cynthia that Misty is lying. Misty quickly backtracks, but the two continue glaring at each other.

Character developments and interactions

• Cynthia is affectionate and excited to welcome Misty and Jessie, but misses their obvious discomfort and assumes they will enjoy her cooking.
• Misty and Jessie share a mutual dread of the meal, yet each tries to escape eating it by shifting the burden to the other. Their nervous alliance collapses into playful hostility.
• Kale feels neglected when Cynthia barely pauses to talk with him, then is privately grateful he avoided her cooking.
• Xu Mu silently enjoys having avoided the same fate.

Significant themes

The scene plays up comic dread and dramatic irony: the reader knows the guests fear the meal, while Cynthia sincerely believes she is preparing a treat. It also highlights self-preservation, strained friendship, and affectionate family concern, as Misty and Jessie betray one another to avoid the food, even while Cynthia tries to care for them.

Plot points and events

• Misty and Jessie struggle through Cynthia’s terrible cooking, pretending to enjoy it while secretly desperate to escape.
• Xu Mu gives them an excuse to rest, and Cynthia postpones the meal—promising to prepare an even better feast the next day.
• After Cynthia leaves, Misty and Jessie throw the food away. Xu Mu privately sympathizes with them, though he has inadvertently ensured they will face Cynthia’s cooking again.
• Xu Mu tells the girls he has researched Pokémon Contests: the format resembles the contests they know, and they must collect five ribbons to qualify for the finals. He warns that winning the finals will be harder.
• Excited by the prospect of competing, Misty asks when they can begin collecting ribbons.

Character developments and interactions

• Misty and Jessie share a comic bond of mutual misery, relief, and growing fear of Cynthia’s cooking. Their excitement about the contest quickly replaces their dread.
• Cynthia is sincerely hurt that the guests do not enjoy her food. Xu Mu’s reassurance restores her confidence—and encourages her to cook for them again.
• Xu Mu acts as the girls’ apparent ally, rescuing them from the meal and encouraging them about the contest. His private thoughts reveal that he knows the food is awful, while his reassurance to Cynthia unintentionally sets Misty and Jessie up for another ordeal.

Significant themes

• Kindness mixed with deception: Xu Mu tries to protect everyone’s feelings, but his comforting lie has comic consequences.
• Friendship and solidarity: Misty and Jessie endure the meal together and appreciate Xu Mu’s intervention.
• New goals and optimism: The contest gives the girls something exciting to look forward to after their uncomfortable arrival.

Plot and events

• Misty and Jessie shift from cooperating over Cynthia’s cooking to competing for the Pokémon Contest. Misty vows to beat Jessie and win; Jessie accepts the challenge, and both retreat to their rooms.
• Xu Mu agrees to take them to collect Contest Ribbons the next day but insists they must fight their own battles.
• Remembering Lugia’s part in the mess, Xu Mu releases him and orders him to wash the dishes. Lugia resents the chore but fears disobeying.
• Lugia recruits his apprentice, Ralts, by calling dish-clearing a difficult new training exercise. Ralts eagerly uses Psychic power to move the dishes, while Lugia relaxes in the living room.
• Plates begin shattering. Xu Mu discovers what is happening and confronts Lugia, asking how Lugia himself should be trained.

Character developments and interactions

• Misty and Jessie reveal that their friendship is fragile: their shared grievance had temporarily united them, but their rivalry quickly returns. Their teasing turns into a genuine contest of pride.
• Xu Mu stays out of the Contest battles but takes responsibility for arranging the Ribbon tour. He also holds Lugia accountable for the household damage.
• Lugia is frustrated by being treated like a housekeeper, then tries to shift the work onto Ralts by disguising it as training. His comfortable nap ends when Xu Mu catches him.
• Ralts is earnest and obedient, taking Lugia’s supposed training assignment seriously—even as his Psychic work damages the dishes.

Significant themes

• Friendly rivalry: Misty and Jessie’s competitive instincts emerge as soon as their temporary alliance is no longer needed.
• Responsibility and consequences: Xu Mu expects Lugia to make amends for the damage, and Lugia’s attempt to evade the task only worsens his predicament.
• Training versus exploitation: Ralts believes he is training, while Lugia uses the language of mentorship to offload chores.
• Humorous role reversal: Despite his legendary status, Lugia is ordered to do housework and then faces the prospect of being trained himself.

Plot points and events

• Lugia swears he will stop causing trouble, tying his fate to the ceiling light. He immediately smashes it by accident, leaving him horrified that his own oath might require him to disappear.
• Xu Mu, though exasperated, sends Lugia back to his Poké Ball to reflect on his behavior rather than punishing him physically.
• Xu Mu stops Ralts’s training, explaining that the current method will not help him improve. Ralts worries that Xu Mu considers him weak but accepts the explanation and returns to his Poké Ball.
• After cleaning up the broken light and other wreckage, Xu Mu goes to bed with Cynthia.
• At five the next morning, Jessie and Misty arrive eager to leave. Xu Mu realizes they are mainly trying to avoid Cynthia’s cooking and offers to make breakfast instead. Reassured, they go back to sleep until it is ready.

Character development

• Lugia is remorseful but remains impulsive and comically unlucky; he takes comfort in being grounded rather than facing harsher consequences.
• Xu Mu acts as a firm but caring trainer: he disciplines Lugia, considers Ralts’s development, and looks after his companions.
• Ralts shows strong determination but also insecurity and innocence, interpreting a pause in training as a sign that he is weak.
• Jessie and Misty reveal their shared aversion to Cynthia’s cooking, disguising their desire to escape breakfast as eagerness to leave.

Character interactions

• Xu Mu confronts Lugia’s accidental destruction of the light, then confines him to his Poké Ball.
• Xu Mu gently reassures Ralts that stopping training is about choosing a more effective approach, not doubting his strength.
• Jessie and Misty ask Xu Mu when they can leave; he sees through their excuse and offers to cook, prompting them to relax and return to bed.
• Xu Mu’s affectionate thoughts about Cynthia contrast with the others’ reluctance to eat her cooking.

Significant themes

• Responsibility and consequences: Lugia’s careless oath and broken light turn a promise into an ironic predicament.
• Care through discipline: Xu Mu’s restrictions and training guidance reflect concern for his Pokémon’s well-being.
• Domestic comedy: The chapter balances mishaps and exhaustion with warm romantic comfort and jokes about Cynthia’s cooking.

Key plot points and events

• After a late night, Xu Mu gets up early and cooks breakfast for Cynthia, Misty, and Jessie.
• Cynthia finds him cooking and warmly embraces him, telling him how grateful she is to have him. Misty arrives, catches them hugging, and pretends to cover her eyes while peeking through her fingers.
• Xu Mu serves eight dishes and soup. Misty and Jessie, hungry after Cynthia’s poor cooking the night before, eagerly start eating.
• Cynthia apologizes for not preparing a proper welcome meal. Misty reassures her that they are already family, but Cynthia suspects Misty is avoiding her cooking.
• Cynthia blames Misty’s supposed habit of lying on her father, Kale, and tells her to take Xu Mu as a better example. Xu Mu modestly boasts that Kale cannot match him, but reminds Cynthia that Kale is still her father.
• Misty insists she is honest. Xu Mu sees through her performance and thinks she is clever enough to outmaneuver Cynthia if Cynthia is not careful.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Mu shows affection through caring for Cynthia and cooking for everyone. He enjoys her praise and teases her about his superiority to Kale.
• Cynthia is loving and appreciative toward Xu Mu, but also self-conscious about her cooking and quick to suspect Misty is being deceptive.
• Misty is playful and tactful: she dodges Cynthia’s apology, then earnestly denies being a liar. Her innocent act amuses Xu Mu but makes Cynthia wary.
• Jessie shares Misty’s hunger and silently supports her quick response with an approving thumbs-up.
• The group’s interactions are affectionate and teasing, with Xu Mu and Cynthia’s romance at the center and Misty and Jessie’s comic hunger and evasions driving the humor.

Significant themes

• Care and affection: Xu Mu’s cooking and Cynthia’s gratitude express love through everyday acts.
• Family and belonging: Misty uses the idea that they are already family to ease Cynthia’s guilt.
• Honesty and deception: Misty’s insistence that she is honest contrasts with the group’s suspicion and creates the chapter’s central joke.
• Humor in domestic life: Romantic embarrassment, bad cooking, and playful accusations turn an ordinary breakfast into a lighthearted scene.

Plot points and events

• Cynthia catches Misty trying to avoid her cooking. Misty admits she does not want to eat it, but Cynthia forgives her on the condition that she gives it a proper try next time. Misty and Jessie are relieved they can put off the meal for now.
• In another world, Tarot—the Hunter Guild’s founder and Magician’s biological father—confronts the guild’s remaining leaders after Xu Mu kills three of them. He is furious that they have not sought revenge.
• Pope explains that the leaders fear they cannot defeat Xu Mu, but Tarot slaps him and berates the group, noting that nine of them each possess a Legendary Pokémon.
• Tarot orders Pope, Empress, and Emperor to avenge Magician, warning them not to return if they fail. The three travel to the Blood Pool Secret Realm, where Magician died.
• Empress asks Pope what they should do. Pope threatens him for his mannerisms, and Emperor tries to stop their bickering. He points out that Tarot has always treated them as expendable protectors for his son.

Character developments and interactions

• Misty gives up pretending she is not hungry, while Cynthia remains confident about her cooking and insists Misty try it eventually. Jessie shares Misty’s relief.
• Tarot is revealed as a ruthless, grief-stricken father who values his son above the guild leaders he raised. He trained them through deadly competition and now directs his rage at them.
• Pope tries to defend the leaders’ caution but is humiliated by Tarot. He is harsh toward Empress, whose delicate manner and voice irritate him.
• Emperor plays mediator between his brothers and voices their shared resentment of Tarot’s treatment.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and exploitation: Tarot calls the leaders his subordinates, but has treated them as tools for protecting Magician.
• Grief turned to vengeance: Magician’s death drives Tarot to demand retaliation, even when the leaders fear the consequences.
• Power and survival: The Hunter Guild was built through brutal competition, where failure meant death.
• Comic relief amid conflict: The cooking exchange and the brothers’ banter contrast with the Hunter Guild’s violent world.

Plot points and events

• The Pope, Emperor, and Empress are revealed to be three orphaned brothers. After their parents died during a trial, Tarot took them in under false pretenses and forced them to grow powerful through constant violence.
• Now inseparable and highly coordinated, the brothers secretly long to escape Tarot and live peacefully together. They nevertheless continue their assignment and use Zeraora’s energy to track Xu Mu, then teleport to his home.
• Xu Mu recognizes the powerful spatial disturbance and sends Cynthia to take Misty and Jessie inside before going out to meet the newcomers.
• The brothers initially greet him politely, then reveal they came to confront him for crossing the Hunter Guild. Xu Mu mocks the Guild’s repeated attempts to send attackers after him, recalling that the Fool, Magician, and another woman have already died.
• The Empress adopts a coquettish, feminine manner. Xu Mu, unsettled by the contrast with his burly appearance, tells him to talk like a man. The Empress explains that his mannerisms came from growing up with girls and persisted as he grew into a bearded, imposing adult.

Character developments and interactions

• The brothers’ threatening role is complicated by their tragic past and genuine affection for one another. Their shared suffering has made them loyal, inseparable, and mutually supportive.
• The Pope speaks openly to his brothers about wanting freedom from Tarot, while their grief over the lives they have been forced to lead briefly overwhelms them.
• Xu Mu remains confident and dismissive of the Hunter Guild’s attackers, but treats the brothers’ arrival as serious enough to protect those inside.
• Xu Mu and the Empress trade insults: the Empress teases him as a “little” Xu Mu, and Xu Mu ridicules the Empress’s feminine speech and appearance.

Significant themes

• Found family and loyalty: The brothers’ bond is their main source of comfort and strength.
• Coercion and the desire for freedom: They have become formidable through a life they never chose, yet still hope to escape it.
• Appearance versus identity: The Empress’s mannerisms clash with his imposing appearance, prompting Xu Mu’s comic reaction.
• Darkness and humor: The brothers’ tragic history contrasts with the chapter’s irreverent banter and Xu Mu’s blunt mockery.

Plot points and events

• Xu Mu’s insults infuriate the Empress, who threatens him. The Pope restrains the Empress because he wants to learn how Xu Mu defeated the Hunter Guild’s three presidents.
• Unable to vent his anger on Xu Mu, the Empress tears apart Cynthia’s newly arranged garden. Xu Mu realizes the destruction will provoke Cynthia, while the Pope notices Xu Mu’s unusually calm, pitying reaction.
• Cynthia rushes outside and calls out Lucario. The Pope and Emperor respond by sending out Cobalion and Virizion; the Empress then releases Terrakion.
• Xu Mu sends out two Mewtwo, startling the visitors. He challenges the three men and questions why the justice-minded Cobalion, Virizion, and Terrakion serve an organization he considers evil.
• At the chapter’s end, the Pope orders Cobalion to attack, but Cobalion hesitates, reluctant to take part in a pointless fight.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Mu remains contemptuous and confident, even when threatened. His concern shifts from the confrontation to Cynthia’s garden—and then to protecting her when the visitors deploy Pokémon.
• The Empress is hot-tempered and poor at trading insults. His anger leads him to destroy the garden, apparently not realizing that Cynthia is addressing him until she confronts him directly.
• Cynthia goes from watching the exchange to taking action when her garden is wrecked, summoning Lucario in fury.
• The Pope is more controlled and curious than the Empress, but Xu Mu’s mockery eventually provokes him into ordering an attack.
• Cobalion’s hesitation contrasts with its trainers’ aggression and hints at tension between the Legendary Pokémon’s moral convictions and the role it has been given.

Significant themes

• Temper and consequences: The Empress’s uncontrolled anger creates a new conflict by damaging Cynthia’s garden.
• Power and intimidation: Xu Mu refuses to be cowed, while the rare Pokémon on both sides raise the stakes.
• Justice versus obedience: Cobalion’s reluctance—and Xu Mu’s questions about the trio’s allegiance—suggest that the Pokémon’s values may conflict with their trainers’ aims.

Plot and events

• Cobalion asks the Pope whether Xu Mu has done anything wrong. Because Cobalion will fight only those he believes harm Pokémon, the Pope falsely tells him that Xu Mu is a Pokémon abuser.
• Cobalion charges Xu Mu, but Chaofan takes control of Virizion and sends him crashing into Cobalion. Virizion soon regains control and looks apologetic; Cobalion understands the attack was not intentional.
• Chaofan taunts Cobalion, then agrees to let Chaoyue train against him. Insulted by being called an “old dog,” Cobalion attacks Chaoyue.
• Remembering Lugia’s advice to face his fear, Chaoyue steadies himself and hits Cobalion with Psychic Power. Cobalion grows cautious and decides to observe him for a weakness, mistakenly assuming Chaoyue is also skilled at close combat.
• Elsewhere, Terrakion and Lucario’s battle wrecks Cynthia’s garden. Cynthia blames the Empress, who insults her appearance. Xu Mu defends Cynthia and mocks the Empress in return.

Character developments and interactions

• Cobalion remains devoted to justice but is easily misled by the Pope. After his failed charge, he becomes more cautious; Chaoyue’s psychic strike impresses him, though he misreads Chaoyue’s abilities.
• Chaoyue moves past his fear and takes his first confident step into battle, drawing on Lugia’s advice and his wish to train. His confidence contrasts with his limited close-range ability.
• Chaofan shows his power through mind control and playful taunting, while encouraging Chaoyue to fight.
• Virizion resists Chaofan’s control and, once free, signals regret to Cobalion.
• Xu Mu and Cynthia show mutual loyalty: Xu Mu stands up for Cynthia after the Empress provokes her.

Significant themes

• Justice and deception: Cobalion’s moral sense is admirable, but the Pope exploits it with a lie.
• Facing fear and growing through challenge: Chaoyue applies Lugia’s advice and discovers his own strength.
• Misjudgment: Cobalion mistakes Chaoyue’s psychic power for broad combat skill.
• Conflict and collateral damage: Pokémon battles damage Cynthia’s garden, prompting comic quarrels and personal insults.

Plot points and events

• The Empress, furious at Xu Mu’s taunts, orders Terrakion to attack Xu Mu and his companion. The Pope and emperor warn the Empress not to let Xu Mu provoke him.
• Xu Mu insists that the others started the conflict and damaged his garden, then mocks the Pope’s suspicion that he is a bad person. He ends the argument by ordering Chaofan and Chaoyue to fight Cobalion and Virizion.
• Cobalion and Virizion charge the two Pokémon. Chaofan opens with Brick Break, but Cobalion dodges and attacks from behind. Chaofan counters easily, and their clash makes clear that Chaofan is stronger.
• Convinced he is defending the world’s peace from Xu Mu’s supposed evil, Cobalion refuses to retreat. He and Chaofan abandon moves and fight hand-to-hand. Chaofan enjoys the contest and overwhelms Cobalion, who keeps fighting despite being outmatched. The chapter ends as the furious Pope shouts at the sight.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Mu remains provocative and quick-witted, but also presents himself as someone unfairly blamed for a conflict the others began. He treats the confrontation with confidence and leaves Chaofan free to fight.
• The Empress is easily baited by Xu Mu’s insults and focused on revenge.
• The Pope is wary of Xu Mu and challenges his claim to be good; Xu Mu counters with sarcasm and insists they are the aggressors.
• Cobalion acts from a strong sense of justice, interpreting Xu Mu as a threat and refusing to give ground even when he recognizes Chaofan’s strength.
• Chaofan displays superior power and a playful appetite for battle, while Chaoyue joins the confrontation against Virizion.

Significant themes

• Words as provocation: Xu Mu’s taunts intensify the conflict and expose the others’ emotional reactions.
• Clashing ideas of justice: Cobalion’s sincere but mistaken belief that he is protecting peace drives him to keep fighting.
• Strength and stubbornness: Chaofan’s clear advantage contrasts with Cobalion’s refusal to retreat.
• Comic contrast: The grand stakes of the confrontation sit alongside the absurdly primitive, punch-and-kick style of the battle.

Plot points and events

• Chaofan and Cobalion argue over fighting styles: Cobalion wants a conventional battle, while Chaofan insists that winning matters more than being “civilized.” They charge at each other again.
• Nearby, Chaoyue keeps Virizion at a distance with Psychic Power, preventing him from closing in and countering his attacks.
• Frustrated by the brothers’ struggles, the Emperor lashes out at Virizion and threatens Xu Mu. Xu Mu, confused at being targeted, trades insults with him.
• Xu Mu’s taunts bring back the Emperor’s painful memories of being berated at the Hunter Guild. Overwhelmed, the Emperor coughs up blood.
• The Pope catches his brother and threatens to kill Xu Mu and his Pokémon. Xu Mu drops his playful act and urgently orders Chaofan and Chaoyue to finish the fight.
• Chaofan and Chaoyue stop holding back. Chaofan uses Body Flicker to get behind Cobalion and strike him down, leaving Cobalion stunned.

Character developments and interactions

• Chaofan is brash and combative, dismissing Cobalion’s preference for a formal fight. Once Xu Mu is threatened, he shifts from playing around to fighting seriously.
• Cobalion grows increasingly frustrated by Chaofan’s unorthodox, physical approach, but his confidence falters after Chaofan’s sudden attack.
• Chaoyue remains composed and controls the fight through Psychic Power, repeatedly denying Virizion a chance to engage.
• Virizion becomes angry and helpless as his attacks fail and he cannot reach Chaoyue.
• Xu Mu moves from bemused observer to sharp-tongued provocateur, then turns serious when the Pope threatens him.
• The Emperor is already burdened by past humiliation; Xu Mu’s remarks trigger those memories and cause him to collapse emotionally and physically. The Pope, protective of his brother and enraged by Xu Mu, responds with a direct death threat.

Significant themes

• Practical results versus convention: Chaofan rejects rules of “proper” combat in favor of whatever wins.
• Mockery and emotional vulnerability: Xu Mu’s insults expose the Emperor’s unresolved shame, showing how words can wound as deeply as attacks.
• Escalation and consequences: The brothers’ threats prompt Xu Mu to order his Pokémon to stop playing around, rapidly intensifying the battle.

Key plot points and events

• Chaofan and Chaoyue gain the upper hand against Cobalion and Virizion, but both Legendary Pokémon continue fighting openly and honorably.
• Xu Mu recognizes their commitment to justice and tells his Pokémon to “stay true to yourselves.” Surprised by his unexpected compassion, Chaofan and Chaoyue begin holding back.
• Cobalion accepts that he may lose, but asks Chaofan to let him finish the fight for the sake of his principles. He also asks that the Pope be spared.
• The Pope angrily insists that Cobalion belongs to him. Cobalion reflects on how he came to serve the Pope.
• In a flashback, Cobalion and the other Swords of Justice rescue the Pope and his two brothers when they are badly wounded. Inspired by the brothers’ vow to right wrongs, Cobalion eventually considers joining them—provided they prove their sense of justice.
• The Pope later persuades Cobalion that humans and Pokémon could work together to create a more just world. Cobalion consults Virizion, Terrakion, and Keldeo, their young successor.
• Keldeo objects, believing humans cause conflict and fearing the Three Musketeers will leave him behind. Cobalion argues that cooperation with humans is necessary to address the roots of injustice, not merely its symptoms.

Character development

• Chaofan and Chaoyue move from combatants to respectful opponents, choosing restraint after recognizing their adversaries’ honor.
• Xu Mu reveals an unexpected capacity for fairness and respect, surprising his Pokémon.
• Cobalion is shown as principled but conflicted: he remains loyal to his vision of justice even while serving a flawed leader.
• Keldeo emerges as earnest and anxious about being abandoned, while also holding a strong, distrustful view of humanity.
• The Pope is portrayed as possessive and threatening in the present, contrasting with the idealistic promises that originally won Cobalion’s trust.

Significant themes

• Honor in conflict: Cobalion and Virizion refuse to exploit openings, earning their opponents’ respect.
• Justice and its methods: The chapter asks whether lasting justice requires cooperation with humans and attention to underlying causes.
• Idealism versus reality: The Pope’s early promise of a just world contrasts with his present claim of ownership over Cobalion.
• Loyalty and belonging: Cobalion’s commitment to the Pope and Keldeo’s fear of losing his companions reveal competing forms of attachment.

Character interactions

• Chaofan and Chaoyue respond to Cobalion and Virizion’s honorable conduct with admiration and restraint.
• Xu Mu’s advice gives them permission to fight according to their own values.
• Cobalion appeals to Chaofan both to let him complete the fight and to spare the Pope, while the Pope responds with rage.
• In the flashback, the Pope’s brothers’ vow inspires the Swords of Justice, but Keldeo challenges Cobalion’s decision to trust humans.

Summary

Keldeo watches Cobalion, Virizion, and Terrakion leave to join the Pope and his siblings. Distrustful of the humans, whom he senses are stained by bloodshed, Keldeo secretly follows them. He hears Cobalion insist that the trio fight injustice and remain true to their principles. The Pope is unnerved by Cobalion’s forceful, justice-driven gaze but is delighted that the Legendary Pokémon have agreed to join them. Cobalion chooses the Pope, Virizion the Emperor, and Terrakion the Empress.
Over time, Cobalion notices troubling signs in the battles they fight, but repeatedly dismisses his suspicions, believing it wrong to judge his Trainers unfairly. In the present, he asks Chaofan to spare the Pope. Chaofan understands why Xu Mu might show mercy to the Pokémon, but cannot save the Pope. Realizing he has failed to protect his Trainer, Cobalion turns toward him in grief. The Pope responds by insulting him, accusing him of weakness and betrayal. Cobalion’s sorrow gives way to disappointment.

Character developments and interactions

• Keldeo feels abandoned by the older Pokémon and distrusts the Pope and his brothers, but follows them rather than confronting them.
• Cobalion remains devoted to justice and loyalty, even when his doubts suggest his Trainers may have sinister motives. His request to save the Pope reflects that loyalty; the Pope’s abuse finally disillusions him.
• The Pope and his siblings eagerly welcome the Legendary Pokémon, valuing the protection and status they bring. The Pope’s later contempt for Cobalion exposes the harshness of their relationship.
• Chaofan recognizes Cobalion’s sincerity but refuses to spare the Pope; he sees the decision as beyond his power and tied to Xu Mu’s overwhelming strength.

Significant themes

• Loyalty versus judgment: Cobalion’s loyalty leads him to suppress reasonable suspicions.
• The cost of misplaced trust: His commitment to his Trainers leaves him unable to face the truth until their conflict becomes unavoidable.
• Power and survival: The Pope and his siblings welcome the Legendary Pokémon partly because they fear the brutality of Tarot’s command.
• Disillusionment and betrayal: The Pope’s insults transform Cobalion’s grief into disappointment, hinting that his loyalty has not been reciprocated.

Plot points and events

• Pope reflects on Cobalion’s unwavering loyalty. After Pope once drunkenly cursed at him, Cobalion never retaliated or complained. Pope came to see this as proof of Cobalion’s justice and devotion, and began habitually lecturing him.
• That dynamic falters when Pope notices disappointment in Cobalion’s eyes, stirring an unfamiliar flicker of panic—though Pope brushes it aside.
• Pope recognizes Chaofan and Chaoyue as powerful Legendary Pokémon. He believes Xu Mu’s strength explains the deaths of Magician and High Priestess, and is shocked to see Cobalion beginning to lose ground against Xu Mu’s Pokémon.
• Pope proposes a truce, but Cynthia refuses because the three brothers destroyed her garden.
• Empress insults Cynthia, provoking Xu Mu. He declares that the brothers will die that day and orders Chaofan and Chaoyue to finish the fight quickly.

Character developments and interactions

• Pope is impressed by Xu Mu’s strength, but his reflection on Cobalion reveals how complacent he has become about the Pokémon’s loyalty. Cobalion’s disappointed look briefly unsettles him.
• Cobalion remains silent and steadfast, though his expression hints that Pope’s treatment may affect him.
• Cynthia stands firm and demands accountability for the destruction of her garden.
• Empress taunts Cynthia, then becomes uneasy under Xu Mu’s hostile stare.
• Xu Mu is initially amused by Cynthia’s defiance, but turns cold when Empress insults her. His protectiveness becomes a decisive threat.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and its limits: Cobalion’s devotion is taken for granted, while his disappointment suggests loyalty does not mean indifference.
• Power and reputation: Pope’s assessment of Xu Mu’s strength is confirmed by the battle and the deaths of Magician and High Priestess.
• Protection and retaliation: Xu Mu’s love for Cynthia transforms a tense standoff into a fight he intends to end decisively.

Plot points

• After seeing how badly they were outmatched, the Pope urges the Empress to stop provoking Xu Mu and asks for a temporary truce, hoping the brothers can retreat and return with reinforcements.
• Xu Mu refuses. He points out that the brothers came to attack him and cannot simply leave whenever they choose, then declares that none of them will escape.
• Offended by Xu Mu’s refusal and insults, the Pope abandons his cautious plan and calls on the Emperor and Empress to fight at full strength.
• The Empress claims she will handle Cynthia. Xu Mu sends Dragonite to help Cynthia and her Pokémon against Terrakion, promising to punish the brothers for upsetting her.

Character developments and interactions

• The Pope shifts from fear and attempted diplomacy to anger and renewed aggression. He privately recognizes the brothers’ weakness but cannot keep the Empress from provoking Xu Mu.
• Xu Mu remains confident and uncompromising, while showing tenderness toward Cynthia. He comforts her, takes her side, and vows to defeat the attackers.
• Cynthia accepts Xu Mu’s help when she sees her Pokémon struggling. She asks him to teach the Empress a lesson, then supports him affectionately, holding his hand as he prepares to fight.
• The Emperor and Empress reinforce one another’s confidence, boasting that they have never lost when fighting together. Their bravado contrasts with the Pope’s private concern.
• The Pope is baffled by Xu Mu’s rapid shift between warmth toward Cynthia and cold hostility toward his opponents.

Significant themes

• Arrogance and consequences: The brothers’ expectation that they can attack and then retreat is rejected.
• Loyalty and protection: Xu Mu’s resolve is driven partly by his desire to defend and reassure Cynthia.
• Overconfidence versus reality: The brothers boast of past victories despite the Pope’s awareness that they are outmatched.

Key plot points and events

• Pope, despite previously seeming to understand how badly his side is losing, abruptly threatens Xu Mu and insists that he and his Pokémon can still win.
• His younger brother, the Emperor, is baffled by Pope’s confidence. The Emperor sees that Chaoyue is pushing Virizion back and realizes their side is being overwhelmed.
• Pope claims the Swords of Justice are “slow starters” and that their disadvantage is part of a strategy. Cobalion, Virizion, and Terrakion all know this is nonsense and are frustrated by his delusion.
• Pope tells Cobalion to stop pretending and defeat Chaofan. Cobalion charges with a desperate intent to hurt Chaofan, even at the cost of its own life.
• A young Pokémon suddenly calls on the Three Musketeers to stop their pointless sacrifice. Xu Mu recognizes it as Keldeo, another member of the Swords of Justice.
• The chapter ends by explaining Keldeo’s history: Virizion once found him training, took him on as a pupil, and helped him grow through battles. Though strong, Keldeo is still too inexperienced to wield the Swords of Justice’s power or defeat Virizion.

Character developments

• Pope grows increasingly self-deceived, mistaking the Pokémon’s angry looks for agreement and interpreting their losses as a deliberate tactic.
• The Emperor becomes convinced that his brother may be mentally unwell and wants to end the battle quickly so he can take him to a hospital.
• Cobalion remains committed to justice and cannot bring himself to betray Pope, but begins to doubt that Pope is a worthy Trainer.
• Keldeo enters as a concerned young ally, trying to prevent the Three Musketeers from needlessly risking themselves.

Significant themes

• Delusion versus reality: Pope’s confidence clashes with the obvious defeat unfolding around him.
• Loyalty and duty: Cobalion’s devotion to justice keeps him loyal despite his growing doubts about Pope.
• Growth and inexperience: Keldeo has promise but has not yet mastered the power needed to stand as an equal to the other Musketeers.

Character interactions

• Xu Mu and Cynthia silently share confusion over Pope’s sudden arrogance.
• The Emperor questions Pope’s plan, but Pope reassures him with increasingly implausible claims.
• The Three Musketeers react with anger and disbelief to Pope’s supposed “strategy.”
• Pope urges Cobalion to attack Chaofan; Keldeo interrupts, appealing to all three Musketeers to stop sacrificing themselves.