Chapter Summaries

Lorelei and Wallace battled with their final Pokémon, Lapras and Milotic, in a heated showdown at Hammerlocke Stadium. Lorelei’s Gigantamax Lapras survived Wallace’s Hydro Vortex and gained the advantage, but both Pokémon remained standing as the chapter ended with matching Ice Beam attacks.

• Wallace used Aqua Ring to restore Milotic, while Lorelei ordered Lapras to attack with Ice Beam.
• Wallace unleashed the Waterium Z-Move Hydro Vortex, and Lorelei Dynamaxed Lapras to meet the attack head-on.
• Gigantamax Lapras endured Hydro Vortex and countered with G-Max Resonance, damaging Milotic and surrounding the field with auroral light.
• Wallace used Coil and Aqua Ring to help Milotic withstand Lapras’s Max Moves throughout all three Dynamax turns.
• After Dynamax ended, Lorelei and Wallace each ordered their Pokémon to use Ice Beam for a final attack.

Lorelei defeated Wallace, and Roland beat Raihan as the tournament advanced to its 1-0 bracket. Li Wei then faced Leon again, with Arcanine and Cinderace opening their match as Arcanine gained the early advantage.

• Lapras's Ice Beam overwhelmed Milotic's Ice Beam, allowing Lorelei to defeat Wallace.
• Roland defeated Raihan, leaving him in the 0-2 bracket while she advanced to 1-1.
• The announcer introduced the highly anticipated rematch between Li Wei and Leon.
• Li Wei and Leon sent out Arcanine and Cinderace, respectively, to begin their battle.
• Arcanine evaded Cinderace's Double Kick with Extreme Speed and counterattacked before using Flamethrower.

Li Wei's Arcanine overwhelmed Leon's Cinderace and Inteleon with its immense power and stamina, forcing Leon to switch Pokémon and fight defensively. The chapter left Inteleon reeling from Earthquake as Li Wei ordered another Precipice Blade.

• Arcanine used Earthquake to knock Cinderace down, then threatened it with Precipice Blade.
• Leon had Cinderace use U-turn at the last moment and sent out Inteleon.
• Inteleon struck Arcanine's shoulder with Snipe Shot, but Arcanine barely reacted to the attack.
• Leon ordered repeated Snipe Shots at the same spot, while Arcanine used Extreme Speed to weave through them and close the distance.
• Arcanine used Earthquake beneath Inteleon, disrupting its attacks, and Li Wei called for Precipice Blade.

Li Wei’s Arcanine defeated Leon’s Inteleon despite its type disadvantage, and Leon sent out Dragapult to continue the battle. Their Dragapult clashed evenly until Li Wei’s Dragapult used its Giratina-trained Shadow Force to evade Phantom Force and strike from behind.

• Li Wei’s Arcanine defeated Inteleon with Precipice Blade, and the referee declared it unable to battle.
• Leon praised Arcanine, recalled Inteleon, and sent out Dragapult as Li Wei brought out his own Dragapult.
• The two Dragapult matched each other with Dragon Darts, Shadow Ball, and Draco Meteor.
• Leon’s Dragapult vanished with Phantom Force, but Li Wei ordered Shadow Force, which his Dragapult had honed while training with Giratina in the Distortion World.
• Li Wei’s Dragapult evaded the ambush and emerged behind Leon’s Dragapult, striking it in the back.

Li Wei defeated Leon more easily than the year before, while Red beat Steven and Blue narrowly defeated Cynthia. Ash surprised the crowd by reaching a final one-on-one against Mustard’s Urshifu, with his Pikachu still battling for a place in the 2-0 group.

• Li Wei’s Dragapult defeated Leon’s Dragapult with a powerful Dragon Darts attack, and Leon sent out Mr. Rime.
• Li Wei’s Sirfetch’d, Lucario, Arcanine, and Mega Diancie defeated Leon’s remaining Pokémon, including Gigantamax Charizard.
• Red defeated Steven, and Blue beat Cynthia by a score of 6-5 after a close exchange between Machamp and Garchomp.
• Ash and Mustard battled down to their final Pokémon, Pikachu and Urshifu, without either using a battle gimmick.
• The crowd cheered as Ash’s Pikachu faced Mustard’s Urshifu in the deciding matchup.

Ash and Pikachu faced Mustard and Urshifu in a Gigantamax showdown at Hammerlocke Stadium. Pikachu defeated Urshifu, earning Ash the victory, and Mustard thanked them for the battle.

• Ash and Mustard agreed to settle their fight with their strongest forms, and Pikachu and Urshifu Gigantamaxed.
• Mustard ordered Urshifu to use G-Max One Blow, while Ash countered with Pikachu’s G-Max Volt Crash.
• The two attacks clashed evenly until Pikachu’s power overwhelmed Urshifu’s fist and staggered him.
• Ash followed up with Max Lightning, knocking Urshifu out of Gigantamax and leaving him unable to battle.
• The referee declared Ash the winner, and Ash embraced Pikachu while Mustard thanked them for the match.

The Master League draw paired Li Wei with Ash in a top-eight advancement match, while Iris and Raihan were eliminated and Professor Kukui advanced. Li Wei and Ash began their battle with Zeraora and an unusually powerful Pikachu facing off at speed.

• The draw matched Li Wei against Ash, Red against Blue, and set the remaining group matchups.
• Iris lost to Wallace and was eliminated, while Professor Kukui defeated Raihan and advanced to the 1-2 group.
• Li Wei and Ash entered Hammerlocke Stadium for their long-awaited rematch, which Ash approached with intense determination.
• Ash sent out Pikachu, and Li Wei chose Zeraora to meet it.
• Pikachu and Zeraora clashed in a high-speed opening exchange, and Li Wei realized Pikachu was fighting at full power.

Ash’s Pikachu lost to Li Wei’s Zeraora after their Steel-type Z-Move failed to knock it out. Ash sent out Lycanroc next, choosing to battle with his Alola lineup to show Li Wei how much his Pokémon had grown.

• Pikachu and Zeraora traded fast attacks before Ash used Corkscrew Crash.
• Zeraora endured Pikachu’s Z-Move and knocked Pikachu out with a powerful Plasma Fists.
• Ash praised Pikachu, then returned to the battlefield and sent out Dusk Form Lycanroc.
• Li Wei recognized Ash’s choice of Alola Pokémon, while Blue and the others understood Ash wanted to show their growth.

Ash’s Lycanroc challenged Li Wei’s Diancie, but Diancie used Trick Room to reverse the speed advantage and defeated Lycanroc. Ash sent out Melmetal next, and Li Wei recalled Diancie while Trick Room remained active.

• Ash sent out Lycanroc, and Li Wei chose Diancie.
• Diancie activated Trick Room, letting her evade Lycanroc’s Stone Edge and attack with Moonblast and Earth Power.
• Ash ordered Lycanroc to charge with Counter, but Diancie’s Diamond Storm overwhelmed it and knocked it out.
• Ash praised Lycanroc, declared he would not give up, and sent out Melmetal.
• Li Wei recalled Diancie as Melmetal entered the field, with Trick Room still active.

Li Wei defeated Ash 6-0 in their Hammerlocke Stadium match, with Ash's Melmetal putting up a close fight before falling to Li Wei's. Ash accepted the result, satisfied that he had shown how much his Pokémon had grown.

• Ash sent out Melmetal as Trick Room neared its end, and Li Wei answered with his own Melmetal.
• The two Melmetal battled evenly with heavy attacks until Trick Room dissipated and they collided in a final clash.
• Ash's Melmetal fell, while Li Wei's Melmetal remained standing and won the matchup.
• Ash's Rowlet and Incineroar were quickly defeated, leaving Cameran Palace's Lucario as his final Pokémon.
• Li Wei's Lucario overpowered Cameran Palace's Lucario, and the match ended with Li Wei winning 6-0.
• Ash was not too disheartened, since he had wanted to showcase his Pokémon's recent growth.

Red defeated Blue and joined Li Wei as the first Trainers to advance to the Master League Top 8 with 3-0 records. The next day, Cynthia battled Lance, and her Mega Garchomp took down his Dragonite to give her a decisive advantage.

• Red defeated Blue by a score of 6-4, leaving Blue and Ash waiting for their next chances to advance.
• Li Wei rested his Pokémon and watched the matches with Meloetta, Diancie, and Hoopa.
• Cynthia and Lance began their battle by sending out Garchomp and Dragonite, then switched Pokémon as the fight continued.
• Lance's Mega Gyarados badly injured Cynthia's Roserade, so Cynthia Mega Evolved Garchomp and defeated Gyarados with Dragon Claw.
• Cynthia trapped Lance's Dragonite in Sand Tomb and struck it with Dragon Claw, knocking it out.

Cynthia, Diantha, Steven, and Leon won their matches at Hammerlocke Stadium, while the round-robin draw paired Ash with Steven and Blue with Leon. The 1-2 group draw also set old rivals Lance and Lorelei against each other.

• Cynthia defeated Lance after Togekiss knocked out his last Pokémon, Hydreigon.
• Diantha defeated Mustard when Goodra endured Urshifu's attacks and finished it with Dragon Pulse.
• Steven beat Lorelei 6-4 after Silver Mega Metagross swept through Lapras, Articuno, and Alolan Ninetales, while Leon defeated Roland 6-3.
• Elesa drew Ash against Steven, Blue against Leon, and Cynthia against Diantha in the 2-1 group.
• Elesa drew Lance against Lorelei, Roland against Wallace, and Mustard against Professor Kukui in the 1-2 group.

Ash fell from a 2-0 start to 2-2 after losing to Steven, while Blue, Cynthia, Lance, and Roland advanced and several Trainers were eliminated. The final Round of 16 pairings were set, and Ash and Roland emerged to begin their match with Li Wei commentating.

• Steven defeated Ash at Hammerlocke Stadium, leaving Ash with a 2-2 record and facing elimination.
• Blue defeated Leon 6-4, while Cynthia beat Diantha and Lance defeated Lorelei.
• Roland defeated Wallace, and Mustard advanced after Professor Kukui lost in the Top 16.
• Nessa conducted the draw, producing Ash vs Roland, Leon vs Mustard, and Lance vs Diantha after rematch rules changed the pairings.
• Lillie and the others decided to support both Ash and Roland, and Ash vowed to give the match everything he had.
• Li Wei joined Miller as a special commentator as Ash and Roland entered the arena for their match.

Roland’s Ursaluna defeated Ash’s Melmetal in the opening battle of their Master League match. Ash sent out Greninja next, while Roland’s Ursaluna remained standing but was badly worn down.

• Roland sent out Ursaluna, and Ash answered with Melmetal.
• Ursaluna took Melmetal’s Ice Punch to complete Swords Dance, then used Fire Punch and Drain Punch to strengthen its advantage and recover.
• Ash ordered Melmetal to use Superpower, but Roland’s boosted Ursaluna met it with Headlong Rush and won the clash.
• The referee declared Melmetal unable to battle, giving Roland the first win.
• Li Wei praised Roland’s strategy and noted Ash had been too passive, then Ash sent out Greninja.

Ash switched from Greninja to Infernape after Roland’s Electivire punished Greninja’s attempted U-turn with a powerful Thunderbolt. Infernape faced Electivire in a fierce clash echoing its old rivalry, and the chapter ended as both Pokémon charged into each other with Flare Blitz and Wild Charge.

• Ash sent out Greninja against Roland’s Electivire, but Roland recalled Ursaluna and sent in Electivire to gain the type advantage.
• Greninja launched Water Shuriken and attempted U-turn, but Roland read Ash’s plan and hit Greninja with Thunderbolt before it escaped.
• Ash sent out Infernape, whose past rivalry with Electivire recalled its battles against Shinji’s Electivire at the Lily of the Valley Conference.
• Electivire attacked with Ice Punch, and Infernape met it with Fire Punch, with the flames slightly overpowering the freezing attack.
• Electivire charged with Wild Charge as Infernape answered with Flare Blitz, and the two Pokémon collided in a blast of fire and lightning.

Ash’s Infernape defeated Roland’s Electivire after his powerful Blaze erupted, but the battle left him exhausted. Roland sent out her ace Salamence, and Ash chose Pikachu for the next fight.

• Electivire and Infernape traded close-range attacks until Roland ordered Earthquake and Ash answered with Fire Blast.
• As Infernape neared his limit, his unique Blaze flared to life, and Ash urged him to break through their limits together.
• Infernape’s golden-red Flare Blitz clashed with Electivire’s full-power Wild Charge and knocked Electivire out.
• Roland praised Infernape and sent out her ace Salamence.
• Ash called Pikachu onto the field to face Salamence.

Ash and Greninja restored their bond and transformed into Ash-Greninja during their battle against Roland’s Leafeon. After trading attacks, Greninja struck Leafeon with a full-power Ice Beam at point-blank range.

• Ash and Roland sent Greninja and Leafeon into battle after their earlier Pokémon had traded wins and been withdrawn.
• Leafeon used Swords Dance to strengthen its attacks and pressured Greninja with Leaf Blade, while Greninja struggled with its injuries and type disadvantage.
• Ash and Greninja synchronized their hearts and transformed into Ash-Greninja.
• Ash-Greninja froze Leafeon with Ice Beam, then used Aerial Ace and Dark Pulse while Leafeon tried to recover and counterattack.
• Greninja and Leafeon exchanged rapid attacks until Ash ordered Greninja to fire a full-power Ice Beam at close range.