Recaps

Ye Qing and Infernape defeated Li Zifan and Swampert after a string of successful Protects and a decisive Fire Punch, earning a promise that Li Zifan would obtain a Dusk Stone by the next day. As Ye Qing watched, Wangchen then challenged another Trainer and Heracross quickly defeated Primeape.

• Infernape blocked Swampert's Hammer Arm three times with Protect, then struck with Mach Punch when the fourth Protect failed and Waterfall hit him.
• Ye Qing ordered Double Team and Fire Punch, and Infernape broke through Swampert's Protect, burned him, and knocked him into the fountain.
• Li Zifan conceded, promised to get Ye Qing a Dusk Stone by the next day, and hurried to take Swampert to the Pokémon Center.
• Ye Qing encountered Wangchen among the challengers and watched him send Heracross against a young Trainer's Primeape.
• Heracross launched Primeape with Megahorn and slammed him into the ground with Seismic Toss, quickly ending the fight.

Ye Qing learned about Iron Fist City's unusual Fighting-type Gym rules and went out late at night with Li Zifan after receiving the Dusk Stone. They encountered Wangchen's drunken Gardevoir before reaching the Gym, where Li Zifan told Ye Qing about an upcoming Battle Ring tournament.

• Ye Qing read about the Gym's joint Trainer-and-Pokémon battles and decided to visit the next day without checking the Gym Leader's information.
• Li Zifan arrived after ten at night with the Dusk Stone and persuaded Ye Qing to go out with him.
• Ye Qing and Li Zifan encountered Wangchen's drunk Gardevoir, who rejected Wangchen's attempt to calm her and drank from her bottle before he recalled her.
• Ye Qing and Li Zifan reached the crowded Fighting-type Gym and learned that the visitors had come to watch its weekly Pokémon boxing event.
• Li Zifan offered to bring Ye Qing to a larger Battle Ring tournament the day after tomorrow.

Ye Qing arrived at the Fighting-type Gym and watched Lion brutally defeat a challenger before accepting Lion’s challenge without protective gear. He prepared to fight alongside Infernape, and the battle was about to begin.

• Ye Qing and Li Zifan entered the Gym, where Li Zifan left to attend a training class.
• Ye Qing watched Machamp defeat Poliwrath while Lion knocked out the opposing Trainer, making him reconsider challenging the Gym Leader.
• Lion invited Ye Qing to challenge him, and Ye Qing accepted despite Lion warning that one punch could kill him.
• Ye Qing refused protective gear and released Gardevoir, Milotic, and Infernape to prepare for the fight.
• Ye Qing and Infernape took their positions as the spectators cheered and the battle rings lit up.

Ye Qing and Infernape faced Lion and Machamp in a brutal Fighting-type Gym battle that tested the bond between Trainer and Pokémon. As Lion forced Ye Qing to endure the pain his Pokémon suffered, Infernape fought back and finally wounded Machamp, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Lion explained that the Gym battle would test the courage and trust between Trainers and Pokémon, and the referee started the match without allowing commands.
• Infernape used Fake Out and Mach Punch to stagger Machamp, while Ye Qing struck Lion and discovered how little his punch affected him.
• Machamp caught Infernape and slammed him into the ground, while Lion punched Ye Qing in the abdomen and explained that Trainers did not feel the pain their Pokémon endured.
• Machamp used his hearing to find the real Infernape among his copies, then slammed him down again as Lion knocked Ye Qing to the ground with a punch.
• Ye Qing got back up, and Infernape attacked Machamp with repeated Mach Punches before switching to Fury Swipes and cutting bloody streaks across Machamp's face.

Ye Qing and Infernape lost their Gym battle against Lion and Machamp, but Ye Qing resolved to train and challenge them again. Later, he found a viral photo of Infernape’s fiery transformation and was relieved that it did not reveal his identity.

• Ye Qing and Infernape attacked Lion and Machamp, but Machamp slammed Infernape down while Lion overwhelmed Ye Qing.
• Machamp stopped Infernape’s transformation and kicked him away, while Lion threw Ye Qing aside and defeated him.
• Gardevoir treated Ye Qing, and Lion recognized him as the trainer Zhang Sisi had mentioned before Ye Qing teleported away with his Pokémon.
• Ye Qing encouraged Infernape, decided to return to the Gym the next day, and realized the battle had revealed another opening for the Bond Phenomenon.
• Ye Qing saw a trending photo of Infernape blazing beside Kyurem and felt relieved that the blurry image did not expose his face.

Ye Qing visited the Fighting-type Gym to ask Lion for guidance, unaware that the Pokémon League had secretly tasked Lion with helping him explore Infernape’s evolutionary path. Lion’s Lucario sent Infernape flying with an invisible force, leaving Ye Qing shocked.

• Lion told Zhang Sisi that Infernape had nearly evolved during its battle with Machamp, and Zhang Sisi instructed him to secretly guide Ye Qing.
• Li Zifan brought Ye Qing breakfast, revealed that Lion was his father, and said Lion no longer took disciples or advised other Trainers.
• Ye Qing asked Li Zifan to take him to the Fighting-type Gym, then entered the rear courtyard alone after they parted ways.
• Ye Qing and Infernape tried meditating while Lion and Lucario sat nearby, but Infernape struggled to stay still.
• Lion asked Ye Qing why he had come, and Lucario struck Infernape with an invisible force that sent him flying.

Ye Qing and Infernape trained with Lion and Lucario to develop an aura-based mind link and reach mind-body unity. After a week of daily practice, they had begun using aura to understand each other’s intentions in battle, though Ye Qing still could not sense their bond.

• Ye Qing asked Lion to train him and Infernape so they could reach mind-body unity, and Lion agreed to test their resolve through meditation.
• Lucario froze Infernape in an ice prison while Ye Qing meditated, then used aura to help the two communicate mentally until nightfall.
• Ye Qing and Infernape returned the next morning and continued practicing their aura link, but Ye Qing still could not sense their bond.
• Lion wondered whether their evolution could surpass Mega Evolution and allow them to contend with Legendary Pokémon.
• A week passed, and Ye Qing and Infernape began using aura to understand each other’s intentions in battle.

After a month of intensive training, Ye Qing and Infernape had strengthened their bond and prepared to continue their unfinished Gym battle against Lion. Ye Qing arrived at the Fighting type Gym at night and found Lion and Machamp waiting in the illuminated Battle Ring.

• Lion trained Ye Qing and Infernape to synchronize their movements, while the rest of the Pokémon continued their own conditioning.
• Over the month, Ye Qing and Infernape trained and rested together, gradually learning to sense each other's intentions without Aura.
• Ye Qing reviewed the team's progress: Haunter and Lairon each gained two levels, Lairon's potential returned to B+, and Infernape remained level 45 while improving in vitality, energy, and spirit.
• Lion ended Ye Qing and Infernape's special training and challenged Ye Qing to finish their Gym battle that night.
• Ye Qing met Li Zifan, who said he had a date, then put modified heart-rate-monitoring watches on himself and Infernape.
• Ye Qing entered the empty, dark Gym and found Lion and Machamp waiting in the Battle Ring after the lights came on.

Ye Qing and Infernape battled Lion and Machamp in a private match where trainer and Pokémon shared each other’s injuries. The fight left both sides badly hurt, and Ye Qing’s bond with Infernape intensified as Lion prepared to strike again.

• Lion told Ye Qing there were no spectators or listening devices and said they could give commands while sharing their Pokémon’s injuries.
• Ye Qing and Infernape launched a coordinated attack, but Machamp and Lion countered, injuring Infernape and sending Ye Qing flying.
• Infernape used Quick Guard to block Machamp’s Thunder Punch, then attacked with Close Combat before Machamp’s Protect and kick sent him crashing into a wall.
• Lion’s flying kick cracked Ye Qing’s chest, and Ye Qing urged Infernape to keep fighting despite their injuries.
• Ye Qing and Infernape’s heart-rate waveforms drew close as Infernape charged Machamp in flames, but Machamp used Strength to seize him and withstand the explosion.
• Lion clenched his fist to attack Ye Qing again, and Ye Qing screamed for Infernape to charge.

Ye Qing and Infernape unleashed a powerful bond phenomenon during their battle with Lion, but Ye Qing fainted after Infernape’s evolved Fire Punch collided with Lucario’s attack. Lion later told Zhang Sisi that Lucario had sensed aura in Ye Qing, leaving them to suspect a Legendary Pokémon might be involved.

• Infernape’s golden flames erupted, blasting Machamp into a wall and startling Lion with Ho-Oh’s power.
• Ye Qing urged Infernape to release his lava staff, and their bond transformed the flames into a towering tornado and a giant ape phantom.
• Infernape struck at Machamp, but Lucario arrived and blocked the blow with Bone Clubs.
• Ye Qing commanded Infernape to use Fire Punch, and Lucario countered with a blue ball of energy, destroying the Battle Ring and knocking Ye Qing unconscious.
• Lion arranged for Ye Qing and Infernape to receive medical care, then told Zhang Sisi that Lucario had sensed aura in Ye Qing.

Ye Qing recovered from the Bond Phenomenon and confirmed to Lion that Aura was essential to using it, then left the Gym with his Pokémon to test his bond with Infernape again. Meanwhile, a Blaziken tracked a direction through a distant forest, and Ye Qing reached a deserted canyon with his team.

• Ye Qing woke in the hospital, reassured Infernape, and realized he could partly understand its excitement about the Bond Phenomenon.
• Lion asked Ye Qing whether Aura was the reason others could not use the Bond Phenomenon, and Ye Qing confirmed it before Lion left the Fighting Badge behind.
• Ye Qing left a letter for Lion and said goodbye to Li Zifan, who vowed to beat him at the National Tournament.
• A Blaziken raced through a distant forest after tracking a direction by scent.
• Ye Qing traveled with Gardevoir and Infernape to a deserted canyon to test their Bond Phenomenon, while Gabite happily ate the rocks there.

Ye Qing used Blaziken as a sparring partner to test Infernape’s newly awakened Bond Phenomenon and discovered the scale of his increased power. Blaziken was overwhelmed but refused to give up and unleashed his fighting spirit.

• Blaziken tracked Ye Qing to the rocky clearing and brought out Fujii Gongshu’s five Pokémon.
• Infernape accepted Blaziken’s challenge, and Ye Qing activated their Bond Phenomenon.
• Infernape formed a huge lava staff and struck at Blaziken, who blocked the attack with Protect.
• Ye Qing tested Infernape’s speed and Special Attack, and Infernape’s Flamethrower overwhelmed Blaziken.
• Blaziken fell to his knees, then rose with bloodshot eyes and renewed fighting spirit.

Ye Qing defeated Blaziken with Infernape and added the Fighting-type Badge to his collection, bringing him two Badges away from the National Tournament. After deciding to travel by water toward the distant desert Gym, he noticed reports of an Absol in Waterdrop City and became interested in finding one.

• Ye Qing tested Infernape's defense against Blaziken, then used Fire Spin and a powerful Fire Punch to defeat him.
• Ye Qing left Healing Spray for Blaziken and departed with Gardevoir and the others.
• Ye Qing added the Fighting-type Badge to his case and considered training Lairon and Gabite before choosing his next Gym challenge.
• Ye Qing decided to travel by water to the distant Ground-type Gym after ruling out a long flight.
• Ye Qing saw reports of an Absol in Waterdrop City and considered the Pokémon valuable for sensing disasters.
• Ye Qing recalled Waterdrop City's connection to Alto Mare and the legends of Latios and Latias, who had left to escape Pokémon Hunters.

Ye Qing reached Shuidi City to search for Absol and the hidden Latios and Latias, while Hunter J prepared a tsunami to draw the siblings out. After failing to find Absol, Ye Qing learned of a reclusive, mute brother and sister and set off to meet them.

• Hunter J ordered her team to prepare a thirty-meter tsunami as part of the Tsunami Plan and to monitor the Legendary Pokémon detector.
• Ye Qing arrived in Shuidi City with Gardevoir and saw the city on alert after Absol’s appearance.
• Ye Qing and Gardevoir searched much of the city for Absol but found no clues, so Ye Qing decided to look for Latios and Latias.
• Ye Qing asked an older woman at a basketball court about a mute brother and sister, and she told him of a reclusive pair in the district.
• Ye Qing released Milotic and rode with Gardevoir toward the siblings’ home.

Ye Qing found Latios and Latias in Shuidi City and used Gardevoir’s Future Sight to show them a vision of the city destroyed by a tsunami and their attack by Hunter J. He and the siblings set out to find Absol to learn when the disaster would strike, and Ye Qing called Dragon Tamer, only to discover he already knew about the coming tsunami.

• Ye Qing visited Latias’s home with Gardevoir, where Latios confronted him and demanded an explanation.
• Gardevoir showed Ye Qing, Latios, and Latias a future vision of a tsunami destroying Shuidi City, followed by armed attackers led by a silver-haired woman.
• Ye Qing asked Latios and Latias to speak elsewhere, and they took him and Gardevoir to a reef in their true forms.
• Ye Qing suggested finding Absol to estimate when the disaster would strike, and Latios set out to protect Shuidi City.
• Ye Qing called Dragon Tamer to warn him about the tsunami and Hunter J, but Dragon Tamer said he already knew a tsunami was coming.

Ye Qing waited for Latias to find Absol, then followed her into the mountains near Waterdrop City and discovered the wild Pokémon. After a fleeing Trainer frightened Absol with his panic, Ye Qing approached him and tried to gain his trust.

• Dragon Tamer warned Ye Qing to leave Waterdrop City if he had no reason to stay, and Ye Qing refused to report his whereabouts.
• Ye Qing comforted Gardevoir and promised she would personally take revenge on the Hunter J who killed her parents once they were stronger.
• Latias returned in the afternoon and led Ye Qing and Gardevoir to a forest where they found a healthy, level 50 male Absol without a Trainer.
• A traveling Trainer ordered Manectric to use Thunderbolt near Absol, then ran away in fear of the misfortune he believed Absol would bring.
• Absol reacted warily when Ye Qing, Gardevoir, Latias, and Latios approached, and Ye Qing tried to reassure him.

Ye Qing persuaded Absol that he could help change how people viewed Absol’s species, then challenged him to become his Pokémon. Infernape battled Absol, and the fight continued as Absol used his enhanced perception to slow Infernape’s movements in his vision.

• Ye Qing told Absol he understood the prejudice against his species and promised to help people see them differently.
• Ye Qing asked Absol to become his Pokémon, and Absol accepted the challenge to battle.
• Ye Qing checked with Gardevoir that Trainers were nearby, so Infernape could not use the Bond Phenomenon.
• Infernape used Fire Spin and Counter Shield to trap Absol in flames, but Absol broke through with Razor Wind.
• Infernape struck Absol with Fake Out and Mach Punch, then blocked Absol’s Megahorn with a blue barrier.
• Absol’s eyes gleamed as he slowed Infernape’s movements in his vision.

Ye Qing defeated Absol with Infernape, then arranged to get a black Poké Ball and Dark-type Pokéblocks as he prepared to welcome Absol onto his team. Absol confirmed that the disaster would not strike that evening but could not predict its exact timing, so Ye Qing led everyone toward the Pokémon Center to investigate further.

• Infernape trapped Absol into using Detect with Encore, then knocked him out with Mach Punch and Focus Punch before Ye Qing and the others healed him.
• Ye Qing called his grandfather to request a black Poké Ball and Dark-type Pokéblocks for delivery to the Shuidi City Pokémon Center, and his grandfather guessed that Ye Qing had found Absol.
• Absol confirmed that a disaster was coming but shook his head when Latios and Latias asked if he could tell when it would happen; Infernape explained that Absol’s foreknowledge was passive.
• Ye Qing proposed continuing their investigation at the Pokémon Center and led the group toward Shuidi City.
• Ye Qing reassured Absol that they would begin taking action, and Infernape welcomed him with a friendly gesture.

Ye Qing brought Absol into Shuidi City, where residents’ superstitions provoked hostility until Ye Qing defended Absol and challenged the crowd’s beliefs. Absol felt warmed by Ye Qing’s support as the confrontation eased.

• A passing Trainer panicked at the sight of Absol, and residents in Shuidi City soon gathered to glare and accuse the group.
• Infernape angrily raised a pillar of fire when the crowd insulted Absol, making the hostility worse.
• Ye Qing released Gabite, whose presence quieted some of the crowd, then introduced Absol as a symbol of good fortune.
• Ye Qing debated a hostile woman, arguing that Absol warned people of disasters rather than causing them.
• Absol felt warmth as Ye Qing defended him, while Latios and Latias relaxed when the crowd began to settle.
• The woman dismissed Ye Qing’s arguments and claimed that rich people always got to decide what was right.

Ye Qing defended Absol from hostile residents, then considered how to prevent the tsunami threatening Shuidi City. After calling the Dragon Tamer, he concluded the League’s future vision might have missed Hunter J’s role in the disaster.

• Ye Qing left after defending Absol, while Infernape and Absol frightened a woman who demanded that Absol be removed from Shuidi City.
• Ye Qing asked the media to show the entire incident, and he continued to the Pokémon Center with his Pokémon as locals still whispered about Absol.
• Ye Qing booked a top-floor ocean-view room and told Latios that only someone as powerful as Lugia might stop the coming tsunami.
• Ye Qing wondered whether Hunter J had caused the tsunami and whether the Pokémon League’s vision had failed to reveal her appearance.
• Ye Qing called the Dragon Tamer, who said Hunter J had been missing for a long time, and Ye Qing hung up after drawing his conclusion.

Ye Qing sent Latios to search the seabed for Hunter J’s underwater laboratory, and Latias shared Latios’s view through Dream Projection. After an overnight search found nothing, an Octillery spotted a human near his reef and feared he had been discovered.

• Ye Qing asked Latios to search the coast’s seabed for anything unusual, and Latios flew out through the guest-room window.
• Latias used Dream Projection to let Ye Qing and the others watch Latios search underwater.
• Latios gathered nearby Water-type Pokémon to help search, but the group failed to find Hunter J’s laboratory through the night.
• Ye Qing ate takeout and played games with Latias while the marine Pokémon continued searching.
• An Octillery returned home, mistook the unfamiliar Pokémon near his reef for a threat to his wife, and discovered that his home was gone.
• Octillery saw a human flash past the reef, remembered Latios’s warning, and released a huge cloud of ink as nearby Sharpedo stared at him.

Ye Qing and Latios traced Octillery’s report to a suspicious reef guarded by Pokémon of several species, and Ye Qing identified Hunter J as the one behind the coming tsunami. He alerted Dragon Tamer and went to the threatened coast, where the League was building defenses as the storm gathered.

• Octillery escaped pursuing Sharpedo with Latios’s help and led him toward the suspicious waters.
• Latios found a reef with no sediment and relayed its location to Ye Qing through Latias.
• Ye Qing called Dragon Tamer, told him Hunter J was behind the tsunami, and had Gardevoir teleport him and Latias to the west coast.
• Pokémon League forces and local Trainers hurriedly built defenses while residents and Trainers watched the storm approach.
• A Security Officer told Ye Qing that Dragon Tamer had already gone out to sea, so Ye Qing set off with Gardevoir and Latias to find Latios.

Hunter J triggered a sonar-induced catastrophe to create a tsunami and capture Latios, while Ye Qing followed the grieving Latias and called the Dragon Tamer for help. Hunter J captured the badly injured Latios and planned to ambush Latias, inviting Team R to join her.

• Hunter J activated the Sonar Jammer, causing Pokémon to rampage as earthquakes, explosions, and a gathering storm drove a tsunami toward shore.
• Hunter J’s helicopter was destroyed by Latios, but Alakazam and Salamence helped the Weezing overwhelm and severely injure him.
• The Dragon Tamer abandoned the search for Hunter J and led the others back toward shore as the tsunami advanced.
• Ye Qing followed Latias after he sensed Latios’s pain, then contacted the Dragon Tamer and asked him to hurry to Latios’s location.
• Hunter J trapped Latios in an Electroweb and planned to ambush Latias, telling a subordinate to invite Team R to join her.

Hunter J used Latios as bait to lure Latias to an island, where her Pokémon ambushed the Legendary Pokémon. The Dragon Tamer rescued Latias and Latios, but Hunter J escaped while two of her Pokémon were left behind.

• Hunter J waited on the island with Latios and her Pokémon while a man aboard an R-marked plane refused to help her.
• Latias ignored Ye Qing’s warnings and rushed toward the island to save Latios.
• The Dragon Tamer intercepted Latias, then rode Gyarados into the sea as Ye Qing followed with Milotic.
• Hunter J’s Weezing exploded around Latias, and her five Pokémon prepared to attack the injured Legendary Pokémon.
• A shock wave threw Ye Qing and Milotic into view, but Mega Gyarados burst from the sea and overwhelmed Hunter J’s Drapion and Ariados with Hyper Beam.
• Hunter J escaped with three Pokémon while the Dragon Tamer rescued Latias and Latios and helped round up the remaining Pokémon Hunters.

Ye Qing watched Latios and Latias fly toward a massive tsunami threatening Shuidi City, where the two Pokémon prepared to sacrifice themselves to stop it. As Ye Qing screamed that he would not accept their fate, Gardevoir used her power to summon Mewtwo, who descended through a hole in the storm clouds.

• The Dragon Tamer learned that the tsunami would reach shore in five minutes and rode Dragonite toward the coast while Latias healed Latios.
• Latios refused to rest and flew with Latias to protect Shuidi City, while Ye Qing followed to the shore.
• The Dragon Tamer ordered the city's personnel to evacuate as the enormous tsunami approached and citizens prayed for Latios and Latias to save them.
• Latios and Latias appeared and formed a ball of light to charge at the wave, prompting Ye Qing to cry out that he would not accept their fate.
• Ye Qing's wrist Mark flickered, and Gardevoir unleashed her power to guide Mewtwo toward them as a humanoid Pokémon descended through an opening in the clouds.