Chapter Summaries

Li Wei searched for Cogita in Celestic Town and learned from Xiao Meng that she had once sheltered there, but she had already left. Xiao Meng recalled how Cogita had helped her, while Li Wei concluded that Mt. Coronet was the likeliest place to find her next.

• Li Wei unexpectedly met Xiao Meng while searching Celestic Town's western foothills for Cogita.
• Li Wei questioned Xiao Meng and realized that the elder she had come to visit was likely Cogita.
• Xiao Meng led Li Wei to Cogita's empty wooden home, where he read her letter and learned she had been gone for at least a month.
• Li Wei inferred from Cogita's farewell that they might meet again and suspected her other residence was on Mt. Coronet.
• Xiao Meng told Li Wei how Cogita had helped her as a child, and Li Wei reassured her before they headed home to eat.

Li Wei prepared to return to the Jubilife Breeding Center after becoming the Pokémon League’s youngest recognized Top Breeder and receiving powerful system rewards, including Sacred Ash. He left Celestic Town with Wen Hui and their Pokémon, ready to prepare the Breeding Center and Pokémon Restaurant for reopening.

• Li Wei reviewed his progress in Breeding, cooking, and Pokéblock Crafting, and planned to seek high-quality ingredients in Jubilife City.
• Li Wei officially became the Pokémon League’s youngest Top Breeder and received an Advanced Ancient Language skill and four Pokémon Item Prize Tickets.
• Li Wei used the tickets to obtain a Speed Enhancer (Powerful Version), an Ancient Coin, Sacred Ash, and a Figy Berry.
• Li Wei learned that Cogita had left Celestic Town and decided he would meet her another time.
• Wen Hui checked that Li Wei and the Pokémon were packed, and they left for the Jubilife Breeding Center to prepare for reopening and the Pokémon Restaurant’s January 25 launch.

Li Wei returned to the Breeding Center with his Pokémon and reunited with the staff who had stayed behind over the holiday. He then brought Dayou to help move Corviknight’s oversized cat tree after Corvisquire evolved during their trip to Celestic Town.

• Li Wei and his family arrived in Jubilife City and drove back to the Breeding Center, where Arcanine greeted them.
• Li Wei released his Pokémon, and Diancie went to greet the Carbink emerging from their winter hibernation.
• Li Wei brought Shaymin to the warm Greenhouse, where Turtwig and Eevee lived.
• Mizuki, Dayou, and the others welcomed Li Wei back and received local specialty gifts from Celestic Town.
• Li Wei asked Dayou to help carry out Corvisquire’s tree-shaped cat tree because Corvisquire had evolved into the towering Corviknight.

Li Wei and Cynthia traveled to Mirror Lake Island with Steven and Sinnoh Ancient Researchers to investigate the Cave Ruins and verify that Calamity’s seal remained intact. Steven confirmed there was no problem with the seal, while the researchers continued studying the ruins and called everyone over to examine a discovery.

• Li Wei and Cynthia arrived at Mirror Lake Island, where the magnetic field had returned to normal and local Water-type Pokémon greeted them.
• Li Wei noticed that the Shiny Seel he had treated had evolved into Dewgong and sent it back to rest in the lake.
• Li Wei and Cynthia took a lift up to the Cave Ruins and met Steven, who was studying the unusual rocks.
• Steven confirmed that Calamity’s seal remained intact and said he had hoped to communicate with the sleeping Giant Vileplume.
• Li Wei and Cynthia joined the Ancient Researchers to study the murals and Ancient Script, then heard someone call everyone over to look at something.

Li Wei, Cynthia, and Steven uncovered ancient records showing that Shaymin had brought life to Mirror Lake Island, helping explain its lush forest and the giant Vileplume’s role in suppressing Giant Scolipede. The researchers began planning stronger protection for the island as a separate study of giant Pokémon started in Johto.

• Cynthia, Steven, and Li Wei examined newly uncovered Cave Ruins murals while researchers cleaned and documented the ancient site.
• Li Wei read the mural’s account of Shaymin, called Heavenly Grace by the island’s early inhabitants, scattering life-giving dust across Mirror Lake Island.
• Li Wei explained that damage to the island’s vegetation during the battle between Giant Dragonite and the Pokémon Hunters had weakened the conditions keeping Giant Scolipede sealed.
• Steven called for Mirror Lake Island to receive priority protection, and Cynthia suggested assigning Pokémon Rangers to patrol it.
• Steven scanned and uploaded the mural as the team planned further study of the ruins and their fallen fragments.
• Oak, Rowan, Elm, Bill, Professor Carolina, and other researchers gathered in Blackthorn City at Dragon’s Den to begin another study of giant Pokémon.

Professor Oak, Professor Rowan, and other researchers gathered in Dragon's Cave to study Giant Dragonite. Their measurements and analysis suggested that he resembled ancient Dragonite, while Professor Rowan examined whether the energy environment could explain how Pokémon size changed over time.

• Lance guided Professor Oak, Professor Rowan, Sonia, Blue, Daisy, and other researchers through Dragon's Cave to a temporary research center in the valley.
• Lance had obtained Giant Dragonite's permission for the study and built him an artificial lake connected to the sea.
• The researchers measured Giant Dragonite at 75.7 meters tall and estimated his weight at a minimum of roughly 8,560 metric tons.
• Professor Oak found that Giant Dragonite's scale structure resembled fossil reconstruction models more than modern Dragonite.
• Blue wondered whether ancient Pokémon had gradually shrunk, while Professor Rowan studied Professor Magnolia's paper on energy fields and Pokémon body size.

Researchers studied the Giant Dragonite to investigate Ancient Pokémon and the origins of their immense size. Professor Carolina proposed that Lance use his Viridian Force to explore the Giant Dragonite’s memories, and Lance chose to accept the risk.

• Professor Oak, Professor Rowan, Professor Elm, Bill, Sonia, and Professor Carolina compared the Giant Dragonite’s energy and ancient records to investigate how Ancient Pokémon had become gigantic.
• The researchers debated what had caused Ancient Pokémon to disappear and whether their size came from natural evolution or a special power.
• The Giant Dragonite told Lance that his kind had hatched from ordinary-sized eggs as Dratini and grown rapidly into Dragonite.
• Professor Carolina proposed that Lance use his Viridian Force to read the Giant Dragonite’s memories, despite the danger to his mind.
• Blue asked Lance to be careful as Lance went to the Artificial Lake, looked at the Giant Dragonite, and closed his eyes.

Lance read Giant Dragonite’s memories and uncovered evidence that it had witnessed ancient battles involving Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, Origin Forme Dialga, Origin Forme Palkia, Giratina, and Arceus. The professors began investigating whether an ancient blessing explained giant Pokémon, while Lance and Blue shared the discovery in the Chat Group.

• Lance used Viridian Force and Dragon Power to read Giant Dragonite’s memories, seeing ancient battles between powerful Pokémon and the dragon’s long solitude before finding peace in the Dragon’s Den.
• Lance told Blue and the gathered professors what he had seen, and Professor Oak, Professor Rowan, Professor Elm, Professor Carolina, and others recorded and discussed the findings.
• Sonia contacted Professor Magnolia, and Professor Oak brought his colleagues into an online discussion with Magnolia and Samson Oak.
• Samson Oak explained that Alolan Totem Pokémon were enlarged through guardian blessings, territorial leadership, and Z-Power, distinguishing them from Giant Dragonite.
• Professor Oak proposed that Giant Dragonite’s kind might once have inherited a blessing through reproduction, and the researchers discussed the theory through the night.

Lance reported memories from Giant Dragonite showing Primal Groudon and Kyogre, Dialga and Palkia in their Origin Formes, and Arceus intervening in their clashes. Li Wei, Cynthia, and Steven discussed the ancient Pokémon’s rapid growth and the disappearance of the energy that sustained them, leaving the cause of their extinction unresolved.

• Lance shared that Giant Dragonite’s memories contained Primal Groudon and Kyogre, Origin Forme Dialga and Palkia, and Arceus stopping their battles.
• Li Wei recognized the forms as Primal Reversion and Origin Formes but withheld his knowledge so the professors could investigate them.
• Lance described how a black-marked Dratini hatched from a tiny egg and quickly evolved into a giant Dragonite in an ancient, energy-rich environment.
• Cynthia noted that Giant Dragonite remembered the air suddenly losing energy before it fell into a deep sleep.
• Li Wei proposed that clashes between ancient Legendary Pokémon caused an extinction crisis, and Cynthia agreed it was possible.

Professor Oak, Professor Elm, Professor Carolina, and the other professors studied Giant Dragonite’s memories to understand the origins and extinction of ancient giant Pokémon. They concluded that an emerald energy had helped the Pokémon grow enormous, but they left the cause of its disappearance—and the giants’ extinction—unresolved.

• Professor Oak gathered Professor Sycamore, Professor Magnolia, Professor Samson Oak, and other researchers to study Giant Dragonite and search for the cause of the ancient giants’ extinction.
• Professor Elm proposed that Giant Dragonite’s eggs might have formed through environmental conditions or an energy field rather than normal breeding, while Professor Carolina linked Pokémon Eggs to the creation process attributed to Arceus.
• The professors learned from Giant Dragonite’s memories that many ancient Pokémon had been gigantic and marked with black patterns, and they suspected liquid-like emerald energy in the air had caused their great size.
• Professor Carolina favored the possibility that legendary Pokémon had caused the extinction, while Professor Oak and Professor Rowan favored a natural disaster, such as a massive meteorite, followed by gradual size reduction through natural selection.
• Professor Oak, Professor Rowan, and the other professors resolved to give greater attention to ecology and Pokémon diversity, recognizing that protecting them also protected humanity.

Li Wei left Mirror Lake Island after translating the surviving records and returned to the Jubilife Breeding Center to prepare for the Pokémon Restaurant's opening. The restaurant was ready, and he planned to finalize its opening-day menu with his family.

• Li Wei translated records describing the island's early inhabitants, their lives with Pokémon, and their eventual departure by boat, while researchers continued restoring damaged inscriptions.
• Cynthia saw Li Wei off at the island's edge and promised to attend the restaurant's opening, while Steven had already returned to the Mossdeep Space Center after collecting stones for analysis.
• Li Wei flew back to the Jubilife Breeding Center on Corviknight and reassured Elder Uncle that Vera was eating properly with Cynthia and Roland nearby.
• Li Wei and Lucario inspected the finished restaurant, which Elder Uncle had designed and renovated, and Li Wei prepared to finalize the menu before its opening in seven days.

Li Wei prepared to hire staff for the Pokémon Restaurant and gathered media contacts with help from Dayou and Elder Uncle. The next day, applicants arrived early at the Jubilife Breeding Center, drawn by Li Wei’s fame.

• Li Wei discussed the restaurant’s staffing needs and confirmed that reporters arranged through Miss Yuka would publish promotional articles soon.
• Comrade Leon invited Li Wei to join the next day’s interviews and asked him for the list of guests he had invited.
• Dayou gave Li Wei a notebook of media contacts, and Elder Uncle offered to send additional recommendations.
• Li Wei drove Mom and Elder Aunt downtown, then returned to the Breeding Center before the scheduled interviews.
• Li Wei saw applicants waiting at the Cafeteria at 1:15, unaware that many had come because of his fame.

The Jubilife Breeding Center began recruiting staff for its Pokémon Restaurant, drawing many applicants because of the center’s reputation. Li Wei and his family interviewed the kitchen candidates, where they met Kane Anderson, the prodigious heir to Kalos’s Rainbow-rated Anderson Restaurant, who had come to improve his cooking.

• Applicants arrived early for the restaurant recruitment, and Dayou and Incineroar handled registration at the cafeteria entrance.
• Dayou recognized chef applicant Kane Anderson as the Anderson Restaurant heir and Siebold’s student, and directed him into the kitchen.
• Li Wei, Leon, and Xiao Meng interviewed kitchen applicants while planning to hire a head chef, assistant cooks, and kitchen hands.
• Li Wei wondered why Kane had come to Jubilife instead of taking over his family restaurant, while Leon took his arrival as proof of the Breeding Center’s prestige.
• Kane observed Li Wei and his family as they discussed his application.

Li Wei and Leon interviewed chefs for the Jubilife Breeding Center, where Kane Anderson sought a new culinary challenge and Thor hoped to keep cooking despite his family’s objections. Leon hired Thor after hearing how he had secretly left home to find work.

• Kane Anderson reflected on Li Wei’s skill and explained that Siebold had encouraged him to seek a culinary path beyond memorized recipes.
• Li Wei began the kitchen assessment, and Kane prepared Sweet and Sour Pork and rosemary steak for the interview.
• Li Wei asked sixty-five-year-old Thor why he wanted to work, and Thor revealed that he had retired five years earlier and secretly traveled from Veilstone City after his son forbade him from opening a restaurant.
• Leon was moved by Thor’s dedication and immediately told him he could stay.

Li Wei hired Kane and Thor as head chefs for the Pokémon Restaurant and learned from Siebold that Kane needed to make his cooking more accessible to ordinary people. Siebold asked Li Wei to guide Kane, and Li Wei agreed.

• Thor's lifelong love of cooking had led him to become Master Leze's only apprentice, and he came to apply for a job at the Pokémon Restaurant.
• Li Wei and Dad hired Kane and Thor as head chefs, chose four assistant cooks, and filled the remaining kitchen positions with helpers.
• Li Wei told the new kitchen staff to come in by January 23 to sign contracts and said they would receive free accommodation.
• Li Wei called Siebold and confirmed that Kane had passed the assessment and been hired as a head chef.
• Li Wei observed that Kane focused too much on refined presentation, and Siebold explained that Kane needed to balance his aesthetic principles with ordinary people's needs and budgets.
• Siebold asked Li Wei to advise Kane when appropriate, and Li Wei agreed.

Li Wei and his family prepared to taste test dishes for the Pokémon Restaurant, while his elder uncle showed him the completed ordering system. The restaurant’s opening was nearly ready, and friends in the Chat Group planned to travel to Jubilife City for the ceremony.

• Li Wei’s elder uncle showed him a customer ordering system with chef selection, dish prices, and estimated wait times, as well as a chef interface for tracking orders.
• Li Wei and his family planned to begin taste testing in two days and asked the head chefs to submit ingredient lists and menus.
• Li Wei and Leon prepared their dish lists, and Li Wei’s elder uncle praised the wide variety of Li Wei’s cooking.
• Li Wei asked Cynthia about the Mirror Lake Island investigation, and she said they were still repairing the damaged stone wall.
• Red, Yellow, Blue, Akin, Christa, Green, Professor Rowan, and Professor Oak booked flights to Jubilife City for the restaurant’s opening, and Li Wei told them not to bring gifts.

Li Wei's restaurant staff held a taste test, beginning with his candied sweet potato, which impressed Kane and the other tasters. Kane then served pan-seared scallops with his pineapple-brandy sauce, and Li Wei prepared mapo tofu as the next dish.

• Li Wei invited the Breeding Center staff and the new restaurant employees to taste dishes and vote on whether they should join the menu.
• Dayou, Shiyin, Kane, and the others tasted Li Wei's candied sweet potato, and Kane recalled his life and the praise he had received from his father and teacher.
• The staff praised Li Wei's cooking, while Dayou and Shiyin said the Old Master's food was even better.
• Kane prepared pan-seared scallops with his pineapple-brandy sauce, and Li Wei found the scallops' sweetness and savory flavor balanced by the sauce.
• Li Wei warned everyone to get Moomoo Milk before tasting his mapo tofu.

Li Wei finished preparing the Pokémon Restaurant, hired and assessed its staff, and announced its opening to the trainers in Red's Chat Group. On the morning of January 25, he began preparing ingredients for the opening ceremony.

• Li Wei's staff sampled Kane and Thor's dishes, and the tasting confirmed their different cooking skill levels.
• Biscara quickly took charge as head server, while Li Wei noticed Xiao Yue's advanced drawing skill and planned to ask her about it later.
• Biscara blacklisted a new server who focused on gossiping about Li Wei and Kane, while Li Wei welcomed Xiao Yue to the team.
• Li Wei announced the restaurant's opening time in Red's Chat Group, and Lance, Red, Akin, Lt. Surge, Lorelei, Blue, and Professor Oak said they would attend.
• Li Wei and the others discussed the research progress on Giant Dragonite and its value for understanding Pokémon history and preventing past mistakes.
• On the morning of January 25, Li Wei got up early to prepare ingredients for the restaurant's opening ceremony.

Li Wei prepared the Jubilife Pokémon Restaurant for its opening, which drew major attention from across Sinnoh and the restaurant industry. As the opening ceremony began, invited guests and reporters arrived, and flower baskets from prominent figures filled the entrance.

• With Lance's help, Li Wei hired experienced Lilligant, Tsareena, Indeedee, and Mr. Mime as servers, completing the restaurant's staff.
• Li Wei supported Mayor Luca, who was expected to run for Sinnoh League President after leaving Jubilife City at year's end.
• Li Wei's commissioned media articles built excitement for the restaurant by highlighting its ties to famous Champions and researchers.
• Li Wei, the Old Master, Leon, Kane, and Thor prepared to serve the opening's guests, while Biscara organized the dining room and instructed the servers.
• Invited guests, customers, and reporters arrived for the opening, and flower baskets from Lucian, Steven Stone, Wallace, Professor Oak's Laboratory, and the Rowan Research Institute gathered outside.

As the Jubilife Breeding Center prepared to open its restaurant, crowds, reporters, and prominent guests arrived. Red, Yellow, and Blue joined the invited guests inside, while Li Wei began a livestream and Yellow spotted Cynthia arriving.

• Flower baskets and a growing queue gathered outside the Breeding Center as customers came for the grand-opening meal draw.
• Shaymin watched the crowds from home while Diancie enjoyed the lively scene at the center.
• The Sinnoh NOW crew arrived, followed by Red, Yellow, and Blue, and reporters questioned Red as he entered the restaurant.
• Red, Yellow, and Blue were seated with prominent guests, and Red examined the restaurant's scan-to-order code.
• Steven, Wallace, Green, Professor Oak, Professor Rowan, Mayor Luca, Zoro, and other guests arrived as Li Wei started a livestream, and Yellow spotted Cynthia.