Chapter Summaries

Dayou, Incineroar, Lucario, and Sirfetch'd trained the two Kubfu in martial arts, the Softness Secret, and the Hardness Secret. The younger Kubfu surprised them by independently varying her attack rhythm, though neither sibling was close to defeating Sirfetch'd.

• Dayou taught the Kubfu that martial arts meant controlling power, protecting the weak, and surpassing themselves.
• Lucario trained the Kubfu in the Softness Secret, teaching them to redirect an opponent's force while also helping them develop their breathing.
• Sirfetch'd trained the Kubfu in the Hardness Secret through relentless sword-and-shield sparring, forcing them to face attacks head-on.
• The younger Kubfu began changing her attack rhythm on her own and nearly got close enough to touch Sirfetch'd.
• Dayou and Incineroar realized the younger Kubfu had figured out the rhythm changes without being taught, but Sirfetch'd remained far beyond the siblings' reach.

Li Wei continued preparing the two Kubfu for their eventual evolutions, while their intensive training pushed them toward the Veteran tier. After deciding which style suited each Kubfu, he sought a Water Scroll and learned that one would be auctioned in Porto Marinada.

• Dayou, Lucario, Sirfetch'd, and Metagross trained the Kubfu, who learned several moves and advanced from the beginner tier to the upper Elite tier in two weeks.
• Dayou prepared tougher conditioning exercises for the Kubfu, while Li Wei provided food, hot springs, and recovery care.
• Li Wei, Dayou, and Lucario concluded that the male Kubfu suited Single Strike Style and the female Kubfu suited Rapid Strike Style.
• Li Wei asked the Chat Group for help finding a Water Scroll, and Lorelei explained its connection to Kubfu and Urshifu.
• Steven found a Water Scroll listed for an auction in Porto Marinada and agreed to bid on it for Li Wei.

Steven won the unidentified Mega Stone and the Water Scroll at an auction in Porto Marinada, then sent both items to Li Wei through Hoopa. Li Wei recognized the Mega Stone and planned to pass it to Professor Sycamore for study.

• Steven won the unidentified Mega Stone for 9.5 million Pokémon Dollars and planned to have Professor Sycamore study it.
• Steven won the Water Scroll for seven million Pokémon Dollars after outbidding the other collectors.
• Li Wei transferred the payment to Steven and asked Hoopa to collect the Water Scroll.
• Steven handed Hoopa both the Water Scroll and the Mega Stone to deliver to Li Wei, asking him to pass the stone to Professor Sycamore.
• Li Wei received the Mega Stone and recognized which Pokémon it was for.

Li Wei sent Steven’s unidentified Evolution Stone to Professor Sycamore for testing, hinting that it held Ground- and Steel-type energy. After Blue won his match against Bruno, Li Wei discussed the upcoming Alola League opening at Manalo Stadium, where Professor Kukui had invited him and Cynthia.

• Li Wei and Cynthia recognized familiar energy in the unidentified Evolution Stone, and Li Wei arranged for Hoopa to deliver it to Professor Sycamore.
• Li Wei told Professor Sycamore that Steven had bought the stone and suggested testing Steelix and Excadrill as possible Pokémon that could use it.
• Blue defeated Bruno after a battle in which both Trainers sent out Machamp.
• Cynthia asked about the Alola Pokémon League, and Li Wei explained that Manalo Stadium was complete and Professor Kukui had invited them to its opening ceremony.
• Cynthia said she might attend despite having a Monday meeting, while Li Wei offered to represent them if she could not go.

Lillie showed Ash and her classmates the Magearna without a Soul-Heart that her father had left behind, and Sophocles agreed to study how to revive it. At Manalo Stadium, Professor Kukui officially opened the Alola League Conference and announced an exhibition match for the region’s first Champion.

• Lillie led Ash and the others to her father’s laboratory, where they found a Magearna missing its Soul-Heart.
• Lillie explained that Mohn had tried to revive Magearna and shared his research notes; Sophocles took them to study.
• Lillie said Mohn’s Zoroark had also disappeared, and that her older brother was searching for it.
• Lillie and the others watched the Manalo Stadium opening ceremony on television, where Professor Kukui appeared with Li Wei, Cynthia, and Alola’s representatives and Gym Leaders.
• Professor Kukui declared the Alola League Conference open at Manalo Stadium and announced a surprise exhibition match for Alola’s first Champion.

The Alola League announced that the Masked Royal would battle Alola’s first Champion, while Li Wei and Cynthia would commentate the finals. After the announcement energized Ash and his friends, Li Wei, Cynthia, and Lusamine traveled to Aether Paradise, where Li Wei offered to show Cynthia the Pokémon sanctuary.

• Professor Kukui announced that the Masked Royal would face Alola’s first Champion in a six-on-six battle and revealed that Li Wei and Cynthia would commentate the finals.
• Ash, Kiawe, Lana, Lillie, Sophocles, and Mallow grew excited about the League and decided to train toward using Z-Moves.
• Professor Kukui thanked Cynthia for accepting the commentator role, and Cynthia praised Alola’s enthusiasm for battling.
• Lusamine invited Li Wei and Cynthia to lunch at Aether Paradise and arranged a Jet Plane to take them there.
• After the Jet Plane landed, Li Wei offered to show Cynthia around Aether Paradise’s Pokémon sanctuary while the chefs prepared lunch.

Ash and his friends arrived at Manalo Stadium ahead of the Alola League, explored its facilities, and watched Li Wei test the battlefield’s safety. Hau arrived and greeted Ash, leaving the group ready for the tournament.

• Ash and his friends sailed to Manalo Stadium, where Lillie showed off her new look and offered to guide them around.
• Professor Kukui explained that registration would open that evening and sent the group to explore while he continued safety inspections.
• Ash, Kiawe, and Sophocles found Li Wei testing the battlefield with Lucario, Zeraora, Latios, and Latias.
• Li Wei finished the tests, and Ash, Kiawe, and Sophocles declared their determination to win the Alola League.
• Hau arrived with Hala, greeted Ash, and told Li Wei that he was a fan.

At Manalo Stadium, Lillie asked Li Wei how to awaken Magearna without its missing Soul-Heart. Li Wei proposed exploring whether emotion and the bond with Magearna could provide a solution, and promised to seek help from other experts.

• Li Wei tested Manalo Stadium's safety with Lucario and Zeraora while Ash, Hau, and their friends arrived early.
• Hau revealed that he had passed Hala's Grand Trial and showed off his evolved Decidueye, then noticed Meltan resembled Li Wei's Melmetal.
• Gladion had found Zoroark, told it that Mohn was alive, and gained its help in searching for him.
• Lillie explained that her attempts to activate Magearna had failed without its Soul-Heart and asked Li Wei for another approach.
• Li Wei wondered whether Magearna's bond and emotion could serve as a power source, then promised to consult Professor Oak, Red, Blue, and other experts.

Li Wei sought help investigating Magearna’s missing Soul-Heart and asked researchers and Team Rocket to look for ways to revive her. He gathered early opinions and leads, while several inquiries remained in progress.

• Li Wei told Lillie to investigate the Soul-Heart’s origins and consider bonds and emotions, then promised to ask researchers for advice.
• Li Wei contacted Clemont, who guessed the Soul-Heart was artificial and agreed to look into making an alternative energy source.
• Professor Oak told Li Wei that the Soul-Heart was likely artificial but might have incorporated a natural medium, and agreed to ask around.
• Matori confirmed the Soul-Heart was artificial, said its manufacturing technology had been lost, and began searching Team Rocket’s archives.
• Li Wei asked the Chat Group for leads, and Blue, Professor Oak, and Crystal said they were investigating.

Li Wei searched the Chat Group for information about Magearna’s Soul-Heart and learned that Diantha could provide one from the Battle Chateau. Diantha arranged to send the unlisted collectible to Alola for Lillie’s Magearna, leaving Li Wei waiting for the paperwork to be completed.

• Li Wei asked the Chat Group about Magearna’s Soul-Heart, and Blue, Crystal, Steven, Lance, and others searched for information without finding one.
• Diantha called Li Wei and revealed that the Battle Chateau held a complete Soul-Heart that was not listed in its catalog.
• Diantha offered to authorize the Soul-Heart’s transfer to Li Wei because Lillie’s Magearna needed it.
• Diantha explained that paperwork would take more than a week and promised to send the Soul-Heart safely to Alola.
• Li Wei accepted the gift and promised to give Diantha a Goomy after breeding a Hisui Goodra.

Li Wei told Lillie that Diantha had found a Magearna Soul-Heart for her, which would arrive in at least seven days. Ash and his friends registered for the Alola League tournament at Manalo Stadium, where Team Rocket also signed up.

• Li Wei told Lillie that Diantha would give her the Soul-Heart from the Battle Chateau, and Lillie was overjoyed.
• Li Wei said the Soul-Heart would take at least seven days to arrive, and Lillie thanked him and Diantha.
• Li Wei directed Ash and the others to register at the stadium Pokémon Center before sharing dinner.
• Ash, Kiawe, Sophocles, Lillie, Mallow, and Lana joined the long line of Trainers registering for the tournament.
• Jessie, James, and Meowth spotted Ash and declared their intention to beat him and win the championship.
• Ash and his friends completed their tournament registration.

The Alola League Manalo Conference opened at Manalo Stadium, where 186 competitors prepared to fight in Battle Royal preliminaries. Ash and his friends aimed to advance, while Guzma entered intending to defeat Professor Kukui’s League.

• Ash, Kiawe, Lillie, and Mallow arrived at Manalo Stadium and spotted competitors including Oluolu, Kahili, Acerola, and Ilima.
• Acerola told Ash she had signed up so she could battle him, while Guzma and Team Skull entered with plans to win the Conference and undermine Professor Kukui.
• Professor Kukui declared the Manalo Conference open, and Lusamine, Professor Burnet, and Wicke watched from a private suite.
• Commentator Ji Qiu introduced the preliminary referees and announced that 186 competitors would battle until only sixteen remained.
• Ash and his friends stacked their hands together and promised to give the preliminaries their all.

The Alola League’s round of 32 began, and Ash and his friends advanced to the top 16. Lana and Mallow were paired against each other in the next round, and they agreed to battle without regrets.

• Ash defeated Faba’s Hypno after Meltan grabbed the coin Hypno used to attack.
• Guzma, Ilima, Sophocles, Mallow, and Kiawe all won their round-of-32 matches and advanced.
• Lana defeated her opponent’s Quilava with Primarina and joined the others in the top 16.
• Lana and Mallow learned they would face each other in the round of 16 and promised to give the battle their all.
• Li Wei told the group to have their Pokémon treated before joining him for dinner.

Mallow and Lana battled in the Alola League, where Lana advanced after Primarina defeated Tsareena. Ash later defeated Guzma in the quarterfinals, and the chapter ended with the semifinals set for the next day.

• Li Wei decided to stay in Alola for the League and planned to invite Mallow, Lana, Kiawe, and the others to the Pokémon Theme Park during their vacation.
• Ash, Guzma, and Hau won their matches, while Guzma surprised the crowd by defeating Ilima.
• Lana used Primarina’s Sparkling Aria and Icy Wind to wear down Mallow’s Tsareena, then won after their Z-Moves clashed in a draw.
• Ash defeated Guzma after Golisopod’s Emergency Exit sent Scizor in front of Torracat’s Fire Blast and Pikachu knocked out Golisopod.
• Guzma decided to lead Team Skull down the right path, and the next day’s semifinals were set as Ash versus Kahili and Gladion versus Hapu.

Gladion defeated Hapu, setting up an Alola League final against Ash. As friends and Champions prepared to watch, Ash and Gladion left the story poised for their six-on-six match and the selection of Alola’s first Champion.

• Gladion used Silvally and Mohn's Zoroark to defeat Hapu and advance to the finals against Ash.
• Li Wei and Professor Kukui decided that Ash and Gladion would battle six-on-six in the final.
• Ash and Gladion promised to give the match their all, while Ash invited viewers across the Eevee Network to watch the livestream.
• Dawn, Brock, and members of the Chat Group prepared to watch Ash's match, and Crystal told Ash she was ready to board a plane to see him.
• The Chat Group discussed Ash's chance to become Alola's first Champion, while Blue considered traveling to the venue with Hoopa's help.

Professor Oak arrived in Alola to watch Ash compete in the tournament, and Ash’s Meltan summoned many others to evolve into Melmetal. The group headed to a dinner hosted by Lusamine, while Ash welcomed Melmetal to his team.

• Professor Oak, Delia, and Crystal arrived at Manalo Stadium, where Ash and Professor Kukui welcomed them.
• Meltan broke free from Professor Oak, spun its head, and summoned Meltan from beneath the sea and nearby waters.
• The gathered Meltan merged in golden light, transforming Ash’s Meltan into Melmetal.
• Professor Oak and Professor Burnet discussed how the transformation compared with Zygarde’s Complete Forme, while Crystal recorded her observations.
• Li Wei invited the group to Lusamine’s dinner, and Ash introduced Melmetal to Rowlet before they set off to eat.

The Alola League final began with Ash facing Gladion in a six-on-six battle, and Ash opened with his newly evolved Melmetal against Gladion’s Silvally. Gladion changed Silvally to Fighting type, but Ash answered with Melmetal’s Ice Punch and Thunder Punch at once.

• Jessie, Meowth, and the other spectators watched as commentators Ji Qiu, Cynthia, and Li Wei introduced the final, while Ash’s friends and family cheered from the stands.
• Ji Qiu announced the six-on-six rules, and Ash and Gladion each declared their determination to battle at full strength.
• Ash sent out Melmetal, which had evolved the previous night, while Gladion chose Silvally.
• Ash ordered Melmetal to use Double Iron Bash, and Silvally dodged before Gladion activated its Fighting Memory to change its type.
• Gladion used Silvally’s Multi-Attack against Melmetal, which blocked the blow and slid backward, then Ash revealed Melmetal’s Ice Punch and Thunder Punch together.

Ash's Melmetal defeated Gladion's Silvally with a spinning combination of Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, and Double Iron Bash, which Ash dubbed Tornado Destroys the Parking Lot. Gladion sent out Lucario to face Melmetal, and Ash immediately continued the attack as the battle pressed on.

• Ash had Melmetal combine Ice Punch and Thunder Punch with Double Iron Bash, sending Silvally flying and breaking through its Protect with a final spinning assault.
• Hala declared Silvally unable to battle, giving Ash the first-round victory as Manalo Stadium erupted in cheers.
• Li Wei explained that Melmetal's strength powered the combination attack and noted several ways it could be countered, while Cynthia warned that the battle had only just begun.
• Gladion recalled Silvally and sent out Lucario, whose aura rippled across the field as spectators wondered how it would stop Melmetal's attack.
• Ash ordered Melmetal to use the spinning combination again, continuing his offensive against Lucario.

Gladion used Lucario to disrupt Melmetal’s spinning attack and defeat it, tying the battle with Ash at one apiece. Gladion then sent out Crobat, while Ash answered with Naganadel.

• Gladion had Lucario fire Aura Spheres into Melmetal’s path, creating craters that broke Melmetal’s balance and stopped its spin.
• Gladion ordered Lucario to use Close Combat, and Lucario knocked Melmetal out with a six-hit combo.
• Hala declared Melmetal unable to battle, tying Ash and Gladion’s score at one apiece.
• Gladion recalled Lucario and sent out the speedy Crobat.
• Ash sent out Naganadel to face Crobat.

Ash’s Naganadel defeated Gladion’s Crobat, but Gladion’s Porygon-Z used Trick Room and Ice Beam to knock Naganadel out. With the score tied at 2-2, Ash sent out Pikachu to face Porygon-Z.

• Gladion’s Crobat used its speed to harass Naganadel until Ash had Naganadel use Dragon Dance to boost its speed.
• Naganadel struck Crobat with two Thunderbolts and knocked it out, putting Ash ahead 2-1.
• Gladion sent out Porygon-Z, whose Download Ability raised its Special Attack, then used Trick Room to reverse the speed advantage.
• Porygon-Z froze Naganadel with Ice Beam and knocked it out with Tri Attack, tying the score at 2-2.
• Ash sent out Pikachu, and when Porygon-Z opened with Ice Beam, Ash ordered Pikachu to dodge with Quick Attack and charge in.