Chapter Summaries

Lance visited Li Wei to discuss a failed operation to capture Hunter J and vented about the League’s outdated tactics and internal coordination problems. He planned to study Hunter J’s case files before trying again, then turned the conversation to Zeraora.

• Lance arrived at the Breeding Center for breakfast and told Li Wei that Hunter J and her people had escaped a joint operation in Sinnoh.
• Lance explained that Hunter J had detected the search because officers used conspicuous, outdated tactics despite his instructions.
• Lance said the mixed force of Investigators, International Police, and regular police had made coordination difficult, and Li Wei agreed the operation needed changes.
• Li Wei offered to help with the next attempt to capture Hunter J but said Lance would need to handle the League’s internal problems.
• Lance decided to study Hunter J’s case files while waiting for her to reappear, then said he felt better and brought up Zeraora.

Lance visited Li Wei to help treat Zeraora and praised the care Li Wei gave his Pokémon. After Lance revealed that Lucario and the others trained because they wanted to protect Li Wei, Li Wei better understood their feelings, and he and Lance took Zeraora to the Pokémon Center for a checkup.

• Lance met Li Wei and discussed his refusal to become Kanto's Champion, while Li Wei explained how he supported each Pokémon's preferences and training.
• Lucario and the others gathered when Li Wei arrived, then returned to training after he explained they were treating Zeraora.
• Lance used his Viridian Force to tell Li Wei that Lucario and the others ultimately trained because they wanted to protect him.
• Li Wei realized he should respond more thoughtfully to his Pokémon's care, while Zeraora rested as ordered and treasured the attention it received.
• Li Wei and Lance called Zeraora over to go to the Pokémon Center, and Zeraora dashed to them in a flash of blue lightning.

Lance treated Zeraora with the Viridian Force, easing its pain but leaving its severe injuries in need of further recovery. He then showed Zeraora news from Windswept City, where officials and the Pokémon League promised to protect Back Mountain and its wild Pokémon.

• Lance used the Viridian Force to treat Zeraora for about thirty minutes, easing much of its pain while warning that one treatment could not heal its severe injuries.
• Lance promised to keep visiting Zeraora, and Nurse Joy arranged for another full examination in a few days.
• After leaving the Pokémon Center, Lance showed Zeraora a news report about the wildfire on Windswept City's Back Mountain and the joint rescue effort by humans and Pokémon.
• Mayor Oriba promised that Back Mountain would never be developed and thanked Li Wei, Lorelei, Ash, Blue, Yellow, and their Pokémon for helping extinguish the fire.
• Lorelei and two Pokémon Rangers announced plans to rebuild trust with wild Pokémon, help them return home, and restore the forest.

Li Wei showed Lance and the Pokémon the completed Pride Rock exhibition hall, designed as a grassland habitat for Pyroar and other Pokémon. The structure passed an initial safety check, while Li Wei planned how to stock the enclosure and keep its future residents living together peacefully.

• Lance reassured Zeraora that a Pokémon Ranger had moved into Windswept City and that Li Wei would take it there after its recovery.
• Li Wei gave Zeraora a massage and cold therapy, which sent Dragonite hurrying outside.
• Li Wei unveiled the new Pride Rock exhibition hall and explained its design as a Pyroar grassland habitat.
• Zeraora and Lucario explored Pride Rock while Li Wei, Lance, and Diancie climbed to its summit.
• Li Wei tested the rock with several heavy Pokémon and used Rotom's estimate to check its capacity.
• Li Wei planned to bring in Pyroar, Zebstrika, and Copperajah, but recognized that getting the Pokémon to coexist would be the harder task.

At the Jubilife Breeding Center, Li Wei welcomed visitors and discussed the future Pokémon theme park with Mayor Luca and Lance. Li Wei proposed inexpensive admission and planned to rely on supporting businesses for revenue, while Mayor Luca said the Pokémon League would need to review the prices.

• Families from across Sinnoh visited the Breeding Center, where Mizuki explained Bibarel's habits to Xiaoying.
• Aoli, Yuji, and Hideyoshi returned to photograph the changed center and interviewed Lance about his relaxing visit.
• Mayor Luca visited Li Wei and Lance after touring the new Exhibition Hall and thanked Lance for supporting Sinnoh's operation.
• Li Wei proposed admission prices of 1,600 for adults and 800 for children under ten, with free entry for children under six.
• Li Wei explained that hotels, restaurants, shops, rides, and annual passes would support the park, and Mayor Luca said the Pokémon League would review the prices.

Li Wei completed the Loyal Customers quest, gained a master-tier Affinity skill and two new recipes, and accepted a quest to draw visitors to the Pokémon Theme Park. Meanwhile, Ash, Dawn, and Brock returned to Jubilife City and headed for Li Wei’s Breeding Center.

• Li Wei completed Loyal Customers (II) after the Breeding Center’s customer count rose, likely thanks to visitors drawn by the Pokémon Theme Park’s attractions.
• Li Wei received Affinity (Master Tier), five Pokémon Item Prize Tickets, and the recipes for Crab-Stuffed Orange and Honey-Glazed Ham.
• Lance noticed Li Wei seemed more approachable, and Li Wei found that the Day Care quest had been replaced by a Pokémon Theme Park quest requiring 10,000 admissions.
• Li Wei made Honey-Glazed Ham, which Lance and the others praised, and decided to add it to the restaurant’s menu.
• Ash, Dawn, and Brock returned to Jubilife City, and Dawn suggested they visit the Breeding Center first.

Li Wei prepared Crab-Stuffed Orange for Dawn and her friends, who visited the Jubilife Breeding Center before Dawn's Pokémon Contest debut. Brock repeatedly flirted with the women there and was paralyzed and dragged away by Croagunk, then Farfetch'd told him not to sleep there.

• Lance had left after treating Zeraora, and Nurse Joy planned to reassess Zeraora after his next treatment in two weeks.
• Li Wei arranged for live crabs and fresh oranges so he could make Crab-Stuffed Orange for Dawn, Ash, and Brock.
• Dawn brought Ash and Brock to the Breeding Center, where she introduced Piplup to the police Arcanine.
• Brock flirted with Xiao Rou, so Croagunk paralyzed him and dragged him away while Xiao Rou welcomed Ash and gave Pikachu a Pokéblock.
• Brock revived and flirted with Xiao Meng, so Croagunk paralyzed him again and Farfetch'd prodded him with its Stick.

Dawn brought Ash and Brock to the Jubilife Breeding Center, where Brock introduced himself to Li Wei’s family after Mizuki rejected him. In Li Wei’s Workshop, he prepared to try Crab-Stuffed Orange again and invited Brock to learn with him, while Dawn and Ash eagerly stayed to watch.

• Dawn and Ash arrived at the Jubilife Breeding Center with Brock, who was rejected by Mizuki and then introduced himself to Li Wei’s family as Pewter City’s Gym Leader.
• Dawn asked where Li Wei was, and Wen Hui told her he was experimenting with a new dish in the Workshop.
• Dawn led Ash and Brock through the Breeding Center, where Ash admired the Pokémon facilities before heading to see Li Wei.
• Li Wei reviewed why his first Crab-Stuffed Orange had turned out B-grade and planned to use residual heat to cook the crab more slowly.
• Li Wei welcomed Dawn, Ash, and Brock into the Workshop and agreed to let Brock learn the recipe with him as Dawn and Ash chose to stay and watch.

At the Jubilife Breeding Center Workshop, Li Wei taught Brock and Dawn to prepare Crab-Stuffed Orange, then served the finished dish to everyone. After Dawn asked when she could cook as well as him, Li Wei redirected her to focus on Pokémon Contests and checked her training results.

• Li Wei showed Brock and Dawn how to hollow out oranges and prepare a crab filling for Crab-Stuffed Orange.
• Ash tried to scoop out an orange but damaged it, so Li Wei sent him to sit aside while Brock and Dawn continued helping.
• Li Wei and Brock steamed the filled oranges, added Snow Fragrance Wine, and produced eight Grade A Crab-Stuffed Oranges.
• Ash, Dawn, Brock, Pikachu, and Piplup tasted the dish, and Pikachu guarded his portion when Ash tried to get some.
• Li Wei gave Ash and Dawn the two remaining oranges, and Dawn asked when she could cook as well as him.
• Li Wei told Dawn to focus on Pokémon Contests and said he would check her training results.

Li Wei showed Dawn, Ash, and Brock around the Breeding Center before leaving to groom Lance’s Red Gyarados. Dawn led Ash and Brock through the park, but she struggled to identify a Galarian Ponyta and Brock pointed out the nearby sign.

• Dawn used her Pokédex to learn about the Shiny Torterra, and Ash brought out his Turtwig to greet them.
• Li Wei left Dawn in charge of showing Ash and Brock around while he went to groom Lance’s Red Gyarados.
• Li Wei told Ash and Brock that the recovering Zeraora was resting on Pride Rock and asked them not to challenge him to a battle.
• Dawn led Ash and Brock across the Stone Bridge by Swan Lake and toward the Pokémon exhibits.
• Dawn failed to identify a Galarian Ponyta with her Sinnoh Pokédex, and Brock pointed out the display sign.

Dawn showed Ash and Brock around the Jubilife Breeding Center, where Brock explained how forest energy changed Galarian Ponyta’s fur. At the Little Ranch, Ash’s Pokémon played with the resident Pokémon while Mizuki reassured visitors that the ranch would keep expanding; the group then headed to see Zeraora.

• Dawn stumbled when Brock asked her about the Galarian Ponyta exhibit, so Brock explained how stored forest life energy affected their fur color.
• Brock reflected that traveling with Ash had helped him grow as a Pokémon Breeder, and he planned to keep traveling if Jiro took over the Pewter Gym.
• Shiyin taught Xiaoying to brush a Vulpix, while Yukino and her husband enjoyed their family visit to the Little Ranch.
• Ash befriended an aloof Eevee, and Pikachu, Rockruff, Eevee, and Buneary played chase as Piplup watched.
• Mizuki explained that the Little Ranch would manage visitor numbers and add more Pokémon, including Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Bounsweet, and Sprigatito.
• After the visitors left, the group set off to see Zeraora.

Dawn showed Ash and Brock around the Jubilife Breeding Center, where they met Milotic, flying Pokémon, and the Pokémon training at the exhibition grounds. As Dawn prepared for the Jubilife City Pokémon Contest, Lucario and Diancie considered joining her, while Ash reunited with Zeraora and asked about its injury.

• Dawn took Ash and Brock past Swan Lake, where they saw Squirtle and the Milotic living alongside other Pokémon.
• Dawn introduced Piplup to Corviknight, but Piplup hid in her arms when it saw Corviknight and Aerodactyl.
• Dawn visited Lucario, Diancie, and the other Pokémon training near the closed Pyroar Exhibition Hall, while Ash greeted Zeraora on Pride Rock.
• Dawn said she was entering the Jubilife City Pokémon Contest the next day and invited Lucario and Diancie to come along.
• Ash bumped fists with Zeraora and asked how its injury was; Zeraora grinned.

Li Wei and Lily helped Dawn prepare for her debut in the Jubilife Pokémon Contest, reassuring her about the challenge ahead. After Dawn practiced her entrance in Saiko’s pink dress, Li Wei urged her to focus on passing the first-round screening.

• Li Wei and Lily discussed Dawn’s likely results in her first Pokémon Contest, with Li Wei predicting she might reach the semifinals or finals but probably not win a Ribbon.
• Dawn modeled the pink dress Saiko had sent, and Shiyin brought her the neck accessory she had left in the lounge.
• Li Wei explained to Ash that formal wear was popular but not required at Sinnoh Pokémon Contests, and he told Dawn her debut would be the next day.
• Li Wei reassured Dawn that she did not need to win a Ribbon, but insisted she had to pass the first-round screening.
• Ash and Brock encouraged Dawn, and Li Wei began her crash training by asking her to demonstrate her performance.

Li Wei coached Dawn on her Pokémon Contest routines and demonstrated how he and Diancie could use Diamond Storm to create a dazzling performance. Dawn settled on Piplup as her safer choice for the first round and was left with Li Wei’s example to guide her training.

• Li Wei checked that Dawn had registered for the Contest and asked her to show him her first-round routines.
• Dawn performed Piplup’s Bubble Beam and Peck routine, while Li Wei and Lily noted its colorful effect and slightly unsteady landing.
• Dawn showed Buneary’s unfinished Ice Beam routine, and Li Wei recommended Piplup as the safer first-round choice.
• Li Wei explained that a Contest performance blended a Pokémon’s qualities, its moves, and the Coordinator’s emotions, then demonstrated Diamond Storm with Diancie.
• Diancie shaped pink diamonds into a starry river, a heart, a turning diamond, and an image of itself before gathering them back into its hand.

After Diancie’s performance inspired Dawn to prepare for her first Pokémon Contest, Zoey arrived at the Jubilife Breeding Center and introduced herself as a fellow aspiring Coordinator. Jessie also prepared to enter the contest as Jessilina while James and Meowth planned to sell Seals.

• Diancie performed elegantly, impressing Dawn, Ash, Brock, and the spectators.
• Li Wei advised Dawn to compete with passion, and Dawn resolved to give her best alongside Piplup and Buneary.
• Zoey introduced herself to Li Wei and said she would enter the Jubilife Pokémon Contest; she asked to discuss Contests with him and agreed to look out for Dawn.
• Jessie dressed as Jessilina and announced her intention to become a top Coordinator.
• James proposed selling Seals with Meowth so they could earn money for a machine to catch Pikachu.

After Dawn lost the finals of her first Pokémon Contest to Zoey, she declared her rivalry and continued traveling toward Oreburgh City. Later, Li Wei learned that Pokémon Hunters were planning an operation near Solaceon Ruins, so he flew to Solaceon Town to help Cynthia and Lance investigate.

• Dawn reached the finals of her debut Pokémon Contest but lost to Zoey, whose Glameow used Shadow Claw to turn Dawn's Ice Beam into a counterattack.
• Dawn called Saiko and Li Wei for advice, then declared Zoey her rival before she and her companions continued toward Oreburgh City.
• Sprigatito, Bulbasaur, and Chikorita joined Li Wei's Little Ranch, while Pyroar and Litleo settled into the grassland enclosure alongside Luxray and Shinx.
• Nurse Joy told Li Wei that Zeraora was recovering well and could fully heal within three months without lasting effects.
• Lance's informant reported that Pokémon Hunters were planning an operation in Solaceon Town, so Li Wei flew there to assist Cynthia and investigate the threat.

Li Wei, Lance, and Cynthia coordinated a plan to capture Hunter J and Hunter X, who were expected to come to Solaceon Town. Ash and Dawn agreed to enter the Solaceon Ruins undercover, leaving the group ready to coordinate from inside and outside.

• Li Wei arrived in Solaceon Town with Zeraora and Aerodactyl and met Lance and Cynthia.
• Ash, Brock, and Dawn reached the Investigators' secret base in a temple and learned that Hunter J and Hunter X might soon arrive.
• Lance asked Ash and Dawn to enter the Solaceon Ruins disguised as tourists and coordinate with the investigators.
• Ash and Dawn agreed to help, despite the danger, and Brock joined them.
• Lance warned that Hunter J might target Ash and Dawn because they had previously foiled her attempt to capture a Gardevoir, but they remained determined.

Ash and his friends explored Solaceon Ruins as bait while Lance and Li Wei waited for the Pokémon Hunters to appear. Hunter J and Hunter X set their plan in motion, targeting the Spear Key to restart Cyrus’s scheme.

• Ash and his friends entered Solaceon Ruins, with Lucario protecting Dawn and Dragonite protecting Brock.
• A plainclothes investigator reported that Jessie, James, and Meowth were following Ash, and Li Wei identified them as Team Rocket members who were after Pikachu.
• Li Wei persuaded Lance and Cynthia to leave the Team Rocket trio alone, while Cynthia described the murals, Unown, and recesses found inside the ruins.
• Ash and his friends turned on their searchlights and followed Pikachu and Pachirisu deeper into the dim ruins.
• Hunter J shared intelligence from Team Galactic’s remnants with Hunter X, and they sent two aerial warships toward Solaceon Ruins to obtain the Spear Key.

Hunter J and Hunter X used three Plate fragments to awaken the Unown in Solaceon Ruins and steal the Spear Key. They escaped as the furious Unown fired red beams and the ruins’ entrance began to close.

• Hunter J recalled how Pluto’s notebook led her to plan a new world with Hunter X while the Pokémon League’s Investigators closed in.
• Hunter J and one subordinate entered Solaceon Ruins, while Lance, Cynthia, and Looker monitored the area and discovered their flying battleship was missing.
• Ash’s group struggled through the ruins’ traps as Cynthia explained the chamber’s three Unown-inscribed walls and triangular Plate recess.
• Hunter J and Hunter X placed the Steel, Splash, and Dragon Plate fragments in the recess, awakening more than a hundred Unown and revealing the Spear Key.
• Hunter J and Hunter X fled with the Spear Key and Plate fragments as the Unown fired red beams and the entrance began closing.

The enraged Unown attacked everyone inside the Solaceon Ruins as Hunter J and Hunter X tried to escape with the Spear Key. The fighting cut off Ash’s group from the rescuers outside, and Hunter J lost the key amid the chaos.

• Dawn identified the Unown as Brock’s group explained that the ruins had changed and the Unown were attacking them.
• Hunter X used one of Hunter J’s subordinates as a shield, and Hunter J confronted him over the lost Plates.
• Hunter J and Hunter X ran into Ash’s group and the Team Rocket Trio, then fought their way through the passage with their Pokémon.
• Brock reported that Hunter J carried a yellow cube, while Cynthia and Li Wei considered what it might be.
• Aggron’s Heavy Slam disrupted the radio contact, leaving Lance, Cynthia, and Li Wei unable to reach Ash’s group.
• Lucario knocked the Spear Key from Hunter J’s hand, but Hunter J and Hunter X retreated without stopping to retrieve it.