Chapter Summaries

Lin Hao and May uncovered evidence of Team Rocket's artificial Moltres project and escaped the core room with stolen data, but Giovanni arrived and trapped them underground. Lin Hao sent May toward the exit and prepared to confront Giovanni alone.

• May recorded two researchers discussing the unstable artificial Moltres, Giovanni's deadline, and the danger to Goldenrod City.
• Lin Hao sent the evidence to Morty and had May escape while he copied the project logs, routes, samples, and personnel data.
• Team Rocket combat operatives attacked Lin Hao, but Pikachu and Greninja defeated them and cleared a path through the corridor.
• Lin Hao learned from a stolen Communicator that Giovanni had arrived underground, and he and May ran toward the stairs as security gates sealed the levels.
• Lin Hao pushed May toward the stairs and faced Giovanni as Ho-Oh prepared to emerge from System Space.

Lin Hao fought Giovanni’s modified Salamence with Suicune in Team Rocket’s underground hideout, then escaped with May through a warehouse ceiling. As Morty and the Johto branch arrived, an alarm reported that the life-form in Core Pod Three had awakened and the control system had failed.

• Giovanni confronted Lin Hao in the corridor and sent out a modified Salamence to stop him.
• Lin Hao summoned Suicune, which broke through Salamence’s damaged armor and defeated it as May watched and recorded from the escalator.
• Lin Hao warned Giovanni that the Johto branch was coming, then joined May as they escaped the sealed hideout through a hole in the ceiling.
• Outside in an alley, Lin Hao told May he had only wanted to see what Team Rocket was hiding, and May asked whether Suicune was doing well.
• Morty arrived with Johto branch personnel just as hot vapor erupted from the warehouse vent and a researcher announced that the life-form in Core Pod Three had awakened and the control system had failed.

Lin Hao and Suicune stopped Giovanni’s artificial Moltres from losing control and defeated Giovanni’s Pokémon, allowing Morty and the League to arrest Team Rocket’s members. Giovanni vowed revenge, while Lin Hao warned May that Cyrus still planned to use Legendary Pokémon to reshape the world.

• Morty arrived as Lin Hao and May reported Giovanni’s warehouse experiments, and Lin Hao told him to leave Suicune out of the report.
• The artificial Moltres destabilized the underground lab, so Lin Hao sent Suicune to contain its energy with water.
• Giovanni emerged with his subordinates and confronted Lin Hao, who challenged him to surrender or face Suicune.
• Giovanni sent out Magnezone and Trevenant, but Charizard burned away Trevenant’s vines and Suicune defeated Magnezone.
• Morty’s officers arrested Giovanni and the Team Rocket members, and Giovanni threatened Lin Hao before being taken away.
• Lin Hao told May that Cyrus still sought to control Legendary Pokémon and reshape the world, then accepted her offer to buy breakfast.

Lin Hao and May escaped Goldenrod City’s collapsing streets when Lin Hao summoned Ho-Oh to carry them to safety. Suicune’s Poké Ball resonated with the Bell Tower as Mewtwo warned that something beneath it had awakened and Cyrus’s people were approaching.

• Morty told Lin Hao that Artificial Moltres’s genetic breakdown had triggered an energy crisis and that Suicune’s containment had been breached.
• As Goldenrod City shook and fissures spread, Lin Hao pulled May through the streets while May used Furret’s Rock Smash to clear their way.
• With their escape route cut off, Lin Hao summoned Ho-Oh, which carried him and May away just before their block collapsed into a crater.
• May recognized Ho-Oh and confronted Lin Hao about his secrets, while Lin Hao recalled the Legendary Pokémon and headed farther from the destruction.
• Suicune’s Poké Ball began resonating with the Bell Tower, and Mewtwo told Lin Hao that something beneath the tower had awakened and Cyrus’s people were moving toward it.

Lin Hao told May that he came from another world and possessed a Pokédex containing every Pokémon, including Legendary Pokémon, and May reaffirmed that she was on his side. As they left the park, Morty reported that Cyrus had abducted Giovanni during transport, leaving Lin Hao and May facing another crisis.

• Lin Hao confessed to May that he came from a world without Pokémon and had received a Pokédex containing every Pokémon, including Legendary Pokémon.
• May connected Lin Hao's use of Mewtwo and Ho-Oh to earlier events and understood that Pikachu served as his cover.
• Lin Hao told May he trusted her enough to reveal everything, and May said she was still on his side after learning the truth.
• Lin Hao and May left the park while Ho-Oh, Groudon, and Mewtwo reacted from the System Space.
• Morty sent Lin Hao an encrypted message saying Cyrus had abducted Giovanni during transport while wearing a gray-blue coat and having blue hair.

Lin Hao learned that Cyrus had abducted Giovanni to obtain Team Rocket’s Legendary Pokémon research and planned to reshape time and space. As Lake Acuity began drying up, Lin Hao and May set out to finish their Johto Gym challenge before heading to Sinnoh.

• Lin Hao told May that Cyrus had abducted Giovanni to seize his knowledge of Legendary Pokémon genetics, while the League reviewed the destruction of Team Rocket’s Goldenrod City laboratory and decided to watch Lin Hao without contacting him.
• Morty’s message revealed that Cyrus was taking Giovanni toward Sinnoh’s Three Lakes Region, and Mewtwo explained that the Lake Guardians could help Cyrus summon Dialga and Palkia.
• Lin Hao decided he and May would finish their remaining Johto Gym battles before traveling to Sinnoh, while telling Ho-Oh to stay in system space.
• A news alert reported that Lake Acuity had receded abnormally and exposed a trail of enormous unknown Pokémon footprints, so Lin Hao hurried toward the Cianwood Gym.

Lin Hao took a day off with May in Cianwood City and introduced her to Ho-Oh and Suicune at a deserted beach. That evening, May received an urgent message from Morty about anomalies at Johto’s Three Lakes and Team Galactic’s move.

• Lin Hao told May they would rest for the day, then asked if she wanted to meet the Pokémon he had told her about.
• Lin Hao released Ho-Oh, which let May pet it and quickly warmed to her.
• Lin Hao released Suicune, and he and May spent the afternoon relaxing by the shore with Ho-Oh and Pikachu.
• May received a message from Morty saying sensors at Johto’s Three Lakes had detected falling lake temperatures and Team Galactic had made its move.

Lin Hao and May traced Team Galactic’s energy experiments to Cliff Cave, where Pluto lured Lin Hao toward a trap. Lin Hao headed for the cave while May contacted Morty, then received a threat warning that Morty would be killed if she checked the northern district’s cell towers.

• May showed Lin Hao Morty’s reports of Team Galactic draining Pokémon and detecting spatial fluctuations near Cianwood City.
• Lin Hao and May connected the fluctuations to reports of a silver-blue Pokémon near Cliff Cave, and Lin Hao decided to investigate.
• Pluto texted Lin Hao and revealed that Team Galactic had his number; Mewtwo traced the message to a cell tower near Cliff Cave.
• Lin Hao went toward Cliff Cave while May stayed behind to seal off the harbor, check cell towers, and mark Team Galactic’s locations.
• After Lin Hao left, Pluto sent May a second text warning her not to check the northern district’s cell towers or Morty would be killed.

Lin Hao used Pluto’s tracker and a genuine Cianwood Gym booking to mislead Team Galactic while May and Morty spread a fake Port Closure List. Cyrus dismissed Lin Hao as a distraction and accelerated the Lake Guardians’ energy collection, while Team Galactic prepared to focus on Lin Hao at the Gym battle.

• May received Pluto’s threat, but Lin Hao urged her to call Morty and continue investigating the Northern District Base Station.
• Mewtwo traced Pluto’s retreat northeast and detected a Miniature Tracker transmitting Lin Hao’s location through relay hops.
• Lin Hao chose to let the tracker follow him and booked a normal Cianwood Gym challenge for eight the next morning as cover for his plans.
• May sent the real Port Closure List to Morty and circulated a fake through her former Investigator channels, while Lin Hao revealed that Arceus’s Scale detected Legendary-level energy nearby.
• Pluto reported Lin Hao’s location and Gym booking to Cyrus, who declined to divert forces and ordered the next Lake Guardians energy collection moved forward.
• Morty confirmed the Gym battle, and the chapter ended with Team Galactic set to focus on Lin Hao at eight the next morning.

Lin Hao defeated Kijō’s three Pokémon with Charizard and earned the Storm Badge at the Cianwood Gym. After Lin Hao and May noticed a covert observer had left, Kijō warned them that people in black uniforms were operating around Cianwood City and were not Team Rocket.

• Lin Hao entered the Cianwood Gym, where Mewtwo identified a spectator carrying miniature recording equipment.
• Charizard defeated Kijō’s Machamp and Typhlosion in succession.
• Kijō sent out a powerful Lucario, but Charizard won their battle despite taking a hit to its wing.
• Kijō conceded, gave Lin Hao the Storm Badge, and Lin Hao noticed the dark-coated observer had left.
• Kijō warned Lin Hao and May that people in black uniforms were operating near Cianwood City and were not Team Rocket.

After Kijō warned Lin Hao and May about Team Galactic’s dangerous activity near Cianwood City, Lin Hao headed for Olivine City to investigate possible ancient energy and temporal traces. Meanwhile, Kijō reported Lin Hao’s strength to Karen, and the Kanto League began monitoring him as he and May set out for Iron Island.

• Kijō told Lin Hao and May that Team Galactic had moved powerful crates through Cliff Cave, that a student had seen unnatural blue light offshore, and that Lucario had recoiled from the crates; he also gave Lin Hao Karen’s contact information.
• Lin Hao reasoned that Team Galactic was not concerned about being exposed, and Mewtwo detected ancient energy near Olivine City that was closer to Dialga’s temporal energy than to the Lake Trio System.
• Lin Hao and May decided to take a ferry to Olivine City, while Kijō called Karen to report Lin Hao’s Gym battle and the Team Galactic activity.
• Karen sent Kijō’s report to League headquarters, and Lance and Charles Goodshow agreed to have Karen observe Lin Hao without contacting him.
• At the harbor, Lin Hao told May they would investigate Iron Island first, where he suspected Team Galactic was digging up graves.

Lin Hao and May discovered Team Galactic excavating Dialga’s residual Time Energy beneath Iron Island and forced them to abandon the site. After Pluto ordered his team to evacuate, Lin Hao found that something else remained buried below the mural.

• Lin Hao and May rented a speedboat to reach Iron Island after hearing reports of mysterious nighttime excavation.
• Mewtwo detected Team Galactic members and identified their equipment as Energy Collectors designed to harvest ancient energy underground.
• Lin Hao and May found Team Galactic drilling beneath a mural of Dialga, where Mewtwo sensed traces of Time Energy.
• A Team Galactic officer contacted Pluto, who ordered everyone to evacuate after learning Lin Hao was there.
• Lin Hao made the officer leave a Sealed Tube behind, then sensed another object beneath the mural when the scale on his chest lit up.

Lin Hao and May stopped Cyrus’s officers from breaking Dialga’s seal on Iron Island, then discovered the mural also depicted Arceus. As they sailed toward Olivine City, Lin Hao revealed that Arceus was above Dialga and Palkia and had a connection to him.

• Lin Hao learned that Cyrus’s personal guard had arrived and that Team Galactic’s drilling rigs had restarted to breach the seal beneath the mural.
• Two officers and their Pokémon attacked, but Greninja, Pikachu, and Suicune defeated them and stopped the machines from opening the seal.
• Lin Hao let the officers flee with a warning for Cyrus, intending to keep Cyrus focused on him and away from the Three Lakes.
• May spotted another silhouette on the mural, and Lin Hao took a fragment showing the figure before leaving Iron Island with her.
• May identified the figure as Arceus, and Lin Hao said it stood above Dialga and Palkia and had a connection to him.

In Olivine City, Lin Hao explained that Cyrus’s search for the Lake Guardians’ frequencies could awaken Arceus and trigger the destruction of the world. After learning Cyrus had accelerated his plan and set a five-day deadline at Spear Pillar, Lin Hao prepared to head to Sinnoh with May.

• Lin Hao showed May the mural fragment and explained that Cyrus had mistaken the Lake Guardians’ role in awakening Arceus.
• Mewtwo revealed the mural’s final warning: forcing the key would make Arceus destroy the old world and create a new one.
• Lin Hao and May planned to travel to Ecruteak City for his final Gym badge before heading to Sinnoh, while keeping the mural’s full message from the League.
• Morty sent May a satellite image showing a black opening above Spear Pillar and reported that Cyrus’s backup equipment had cut the remaining time to five days.
• Lin Hao bought two tickets for the earliest train to Ecruteak City and decided they would fly to Sinnoh after the Gym battle.
• Cyrus messaged Lin Hao that they would meet at Spear Pillar in five days, while the scale against Lin Hao’s chest continued to glow.

May decided to attend League Investigator training in New Bark Town rather than accompany Lin Hao to Sinnoh, so she would be better able to fight. They parted at the station, with Lin Hao continuing toward Ecruteak City and Sinnoh while May asked him to return after facing Cyrus.

• May refused to travel with Lin Hao, explaining that she would hold him back against Cyrus and revealing she had secured a place at a fifteen-day League Investigator Training Camp.
• Lin Hao gave May a train ticket to New Bark Town and promised to treat her to a meal when she finished training and he returned from Sinnoh.
• The next morning, May got off at New Bark Town while Lin Hao continued toward Ecruteak City, and they waved goodbye through the train window.
• May messaged Lin Hao to remember breakfast, and he replied before receiving a message from Red inviting him to fish north of Ecruteak City.

Lin Hao reunited with Red in Ecruteak City and learned that Team Galactic was digging for ancient energy in the Whirl Islands. A strange hook and the reacting Arceus Scale suggested something beneath the seabed was calling, as Red prepared to join Lin Hao there.

• Red met Lin Hao in Ecruteak City and showed him photos of Team Galactic installing equipment in the Whirl Islands, led by a red-haired woman named Mars.
• Red explained that Morty had told him about the damaged seal on Iron Island and Lin Hao’s suspected involvement.
• Lin Hao and Red discussed Ho-Oh, Team Galactic’s plans for Spear Pillar, and the possibility that Arceus would be awakened.
• Red gave Lin Hao a twisted, salt-stained fishhook from the Whirl Islands, where something had dragged his fishing line straight down.
• Lin Hao’s Arceus Scale grew hot as Red said Team Galactic was digging to the seabed and something below was calling.

Lin Hao and Red reached the Whirl Islands and discovered Team Galactic’s undersea facility was draining a captive young Lugia. They split up to draw away the guards and sabotage the facility, and Lin Hao began his underwater approach as Red started the attack.

• Lin Hao defeated Morty at the Ecruteak Gym and took the Phantom Badge before he and Red headed north by boat.
• Mewtwo detected a Team Galactic facility beneath the Whirl Islands, and Lugia identified the cries from a captive young member of its kind.
• Lin Hao and Red planned a coordinated assault, with Red drawing the guards toward the main island while Lin Hao disabled the extraction equipment and opened the chamber.
• Lin Hao rode Suicune beneath the sea toward the facility as the young Lugia stirred in its glass chamber.
• Red began the assault with an explosion above the water.

Lin Hao and Red attacked Team Galactic’s undersea base and rescued a wounded young Lugia, escaping as the base flooded. Mars revealed that Cyrus had received the rescue footage and Lugia’s life frequency, and Mewtwo detected a new energy response at Spear Pillar as Cyrus accelerated his plan.

• Red’s Charizard attacked the surface facilities while Lin Hao entered the undersea base through a cut drainage pipe with Suicune and Greninja.
• Lin Hao fought past Team Galactic guards and found the young Lugia trapped in an energy-fluid chamber, where Mewtwo began bypassing Mars’s lock on the release system.
• Mars confronted Lin Hao and tried to stop the rescue, but Pikachu and Greninja defeated Infernape and Toxicroak while Mewtwo activated the chamber’s release procedure.
• Mars escaped after warning that Cyrus had Lugia’s life frequency, and Lin Hao carried the young Lugia out as the base flooded and lost power.
• Red helped Lin Hao bring the young Lugia aboard the fishing boat, and Mewtwo reported that Mars had sent Cyrus the rescue footage and frequency data.
• Mewtwo detected a new energy response at Spear Pillar, where Cyrus inserted Lugia’s life frequency and ordered his plan accelerated to five days.

Lin Hao and Red witnessed an adult Lugia reunite with its child, and Lin Hao received the Silver Wing as a token of recognition. After Team Galactic’s satellite recorded the encounter, Cyrus advanced his deadline for Lin Hao’s meeting to three days, and the boat headed toward Sinnoh.

• An adult Lugia emerged from the sea, healed its child, and flew away with it after giving Lin Hao the Silver Wing.
• Red questioned Lin Hao about his Legendary Pokémon and the adult Lugia’s strength, then became intrigued by the challenge.
• Mewtwo revealed that Cyrus had watched the operation through Team Galactic’s satellite and classified Lin Hao as a threat equivalent to the Three Lakes Project.
• Cyrus texted Lin Hao that their meeting would take place in three days instead of five.
• Lin Hao said they would find out that night whether they had enough time, and Red steered the boat toward Sinnoh.

After Cyrus's damaged equipment postponed their trip to Sinnoh, Lin Hao decided to enter Johto's Silver Conference as cover and registered with Pikachu. Cyrus still expected Lin Hao at Spear Pillar in seven days, leaving him just enough time to finish the tournament before heading to Sinnoh with Red.

• Morty told Lin Hao that destroying Cyrus's energy relay station delayed Cyrus's plans by seven to ten days, so Lin Hao and Red redirected their boat toward Ecruteak City.
• Lin Hao decided to enter the Silver Conference to conceal his preparations in Sinnoh, and Red agreed to watch him compete.
• May heard that Lin Hao would compete and said she would finish her training in time to attend; Lin Hao said he would battle with Pikachu.
• Lin Hao registered for the Silver Conference in Olivine City as entry number 417, and Red agreed to join him in Sinnoh after the tournament.
• At the Pokémon Center, Lin Hao learned Cyrus still planned to meet him at Spear Pillar in seven days, and he decided the delay gave him time to finish the Silver Conference.