Recaps

Mewtwo stopped the tsunami threatening Shuidi City after Ye Qing called him, then recharged Ye Qing’s Spoon Mark and warned him not to summon him unless Ye Qing’s life was at stake. Ye Qing returned to the hotel with Latios and Latias, where the crowds drawn by the incident kept him confined indoors.

• Mewtwo split the hundred-meter tsunami and stopped it with a wall of psychic power, earning cheers from the crowd as Latios and Latias watched in amazement.
• The crowd recognized Mewtwo and learned that he had appeared beside Ye Qing, while Dragon Tamer realized Ye Qing’s connection to the Legendary Pokémon could benefit the Pokémon League.
• Mewtwo praised Gardevoir and recharged Ye Qing’s Spoon Mark, but refused to recharge Mew’s mark and told Ye Qing not to call him unless his life was in danger.
• Dragon Tamer tried to speak with Mewtwo, who vanished without answering, and Ye Qing apologized for his big bro’s bad temper.
• Latias and Latios returned to Ye Qing, and Latias affectionately kissed him before he said goodbye to Dragon Tamer and went back to the hotel.
• The crowd and Trainers gathered around the Pokémon Center to catch a glimpse of Ye Qing and the two Legendary Pokémon, leaving Ye Qing and Latias bored indoors as videos of Ye Qing and Mewtwo circulated online.

Ye Qing prepared to leave Shuidi City for the desert to challenge its Ground-type Gym after receiving recognition for saving the city. He departed with Absol in a Poké Ball and Latias’s feather, while Latias and Latios promised to help him if he was in danger.

• The Dragon Tamer told Ye Qing that the Shuidi City Pokémon League branch would erect a statue of him and let him skip the National Tournament preliminaries.
• Ye Qing told the Dragon Tamer he planned to travel by river to challenge the Ground-type Gym in the desert, and Latias reluctantly accepted that he would leave.
• Ye Qing stayed in the hotel for several more days to review the statue documents, rejected a proposal to erect a statue of Mewtwo, and received Pokéblocks and a ship ticket.
• Ye Qing asked Absol to become his Pokémon, and Absol entered the black Poké Ball.
• Ye Qing said goodbye to Latias and Latios and asked them to help him if he was ever in danger; Latias gave him a feather that turned into transparent glass.

Ye Qing prepared for the desert journey during a weeklong ship voyage and trained Haunter against wild Pokémon. With little else to do, he asked Gardevoir to learn human writing, and Infernape eagerly took charge of teaching her.

• Ye Qing hung Latias’s feather on his Key Stone necklace, boarded a ship with Gardevoir, and studied desert survival for the weeklong voyage.
• Ye Qing decided to train Haunter before letting him evolve and took him onto the deck to battle wild Pokémon in the river.
• Haunter got distracted after defeating a Qwilfish, so Ye Qing ordered extra training and cut his dinner in half.
• Ye Qing asked Gardevoir if she wanted to learn human writing, and she happily agreed.
• Infernape volunteered to teach Gardevoir and began explaining human writing at the cabin desk.

Ye Qing reached a county town near the desert after teaching Gardevoir to read and training Haunter during the voyage. The next morning, Haunter evolved into Gengar, whose attempt to demonstrate a storage Black Hole ended with him pulling open his body and spilling out organs.

• Ye Qing taught Gardevoir pinyin while training Haunter, who reached level 36 before the ship arrived at the end of its route.
• Ye Qing rented a Pidgeot and reached a county town near the desert at midnight, then saw that Ye Menghan had caught a Marshtomp and that Wangchen owned a shiny Milotic.
• The next morning, Ye Qing used a Dusk Stone to evolve Haunter into Gengar, whose uncontrolled power affected everyone’s shadows and chilled the hotel room.
• After Gengar settled down, Ye Qing asked him to demonstrate a storage Black Hole, and Gengar pulled his body open as blood and organs spilled out.

Ye Qing discovered that Gengar could store items in a pocket of darkness inside his belly, then stocked up on supplies and TMs for the desert. After leaving the Pokémon Center, Ye Qing prepared to set out across the vast desert, where a wrong turn could take him into another country.

• Gengar revealed that his belly could store items, though its capacity was limited to about one cubic meter and it could not preserve food’s temperature.
• Ye Qing recalled Gardevoir and Infernape, then headed to the Pokémon Center near the desert boundary.
• Ye Qing bought TMs for Gengar, Gabite, and Absol, along with Pokémon Food and medicine.
• Ye Qing stocked up on travel necessities, including water, food, tents, and desert gear, and had Gengar store them.
• Ye Qing left the Pokémon Center at ten in the morning and considered the risks of navigating the enormous desert.

Ye Qing visited the desert trading area, where he bought a fake Ancient Crown for three hundred before a woman named Zhang Siyu invited him to join her group heading to the Desert Gym. He remained undecided as Zhang Siyu explained that her newly formed team barely knew one another.

• Ye Qing browsed the trading area and considered joining a team for the journey through the desert.
• Ye Qing bought an alleged Ancient Crown from an old vendor for three hundred, then learned from Zhang Siyu that it was fake because its color was coming off.
• Ye Qing asked Zhang Siyu about her group’s destination, and she invited him to join the team heading to the Desert Gym.
• Ye Qing hesitated, and Zhang Siyu told him that the group had only just formed and its members did not really know one another.

Ye Qing joined Zhang Siyu, Mu Guo, and Li Hu’s team and entered the Death Desert with them. After the group divided up their roles, they reached the vast yellow sands.

• Zhang Siyu introduced Mu Guo and Li Hu, and Ye Qing joined their team under the name Ye Liangchen.
• Mu Guo and Li Hu warned Ye Qing that they had limited supplies, but he said his small backpack was enough.
• Zhang Siyu led the group into the desert with Gliscor scouting overhead, while Mu Guo released Snorlax and Li Hu released Electivire.
• Ye Qing released Lairon, and Mu Guo recognized that it had been well raised because his mother was a Pokémon Breeder.
• Ye Qing offered to take the lead, and Zhang Siyu assigned him to handle enemies ahead while the others covered the remaining directions.
• Li Hu took the rear as the team traveled into the desert’s rolling yellow sands.

Ye Qing defeated a Skorupi in the desert and traveled with Zhang Siyu, Mu Guo, and Li Hu, whose questions about recent legendary Pokémon incidents led him to claim he had fought in them all. The group rested in the heat, and Ye Qing’s companions began to suspect he had hidden supplies and abilities.

• Ye Qing ordered Lairon to defeat Skorupi with Head Smash and Dragon Claw, impressing the others with the clean victory.
• After walking for hours through the desert, Zhang Siyu asked to rest, and Mu Guo let her lie on Snorlax’s belly.
• Ye Qing used Gengar to obtain cool water, prompting Zhang Siyu and Li Hu to suspect he had a large supply of provisions.
• Zhang Siyu and Mu Guo discussed reports of Kyurem appearing in Ice and Snow Town and Mewtwo appearing in Shuidi City.
• When Li Hu asked whether he had heard about the incidents, Ye Qing claimed he had led all the famous fierce battles, startling the group.

Ye Qing and the other Trainers crossed the desert on their Pokémon, while Ye Qing and Li Hu both watched for hidden dangers. The group was ambushed by a powerful Pokémon moving beneath the sand, and Ye Qing realized Gliscor was in danger.

• Mu Guo, Zhang Siyu, and Li Hu doubted Ye Qing’s claim that he had led the battle against Kyurem, and the group decided to ride their Pokémon toward the Gym.
• Li Hu sent out Alakazam to detect movement under the sand, while Zhang Siyu revealed her Drapion and Ye Qing summoned his shiny Gardevoir.
• The group traveled across the desert as Mandibuzz circled overhead, and Gardevoir sensed a powerful Pokémon hiding beneath the sand.
• Ye Qing warned everyone to stop, and the Trainers and their Pokémon formed a defensive ring as the hidden Pokémon approached.
• Alakazam and Gardevoir warned the group, but a fast-moving bulge in the sand surged toward Gliscor before Ye Qing could stop it.

Ye Qing, Li Hu, Mu Guo, and Zhang Siyu fought a Level 60 Garchomp that ambushed them in the desert and used Sandstorm to attack from underground. The battle continued as Garchomp trapped several Pokémon in quicksand, but Infernape struck him with a punch after Gardevoir restricted his moves.

• Garchomp knocked out Gliscor and launched a surprise attack, while Ye Qing and Li Hu escaped with Gardevoir and Li Hu fled with Alakazam.
• Ye Qing used Skill Swap to replace Garchomp's Sand Veil with Sap Sipper, but Garchomp burrowed underground and raised a Sandstorm.
• Zhang Siyu sent out Metang and Mienshao, and Gardevoir teleported her away from Garchomp's ambush after he attacked Drapion.
• Ye Qing, Li Hu, and Zhang Siyu coordinated attacks with their Pokémon, but Garchomp broke free, trapped Snorlax and Electivire in Sand Tomb, and slashed Infernape and Zebstrika.
• Gardevoir used Encore to restrict Garchomp's moves, and Infernape punched him in the face.

Ye Qing and the other trainers joined forces against Garchomp, using their Pokémon to trap and bombard him. As the battle continued, Garchomp struck back by biting Lairon with flaming teeth.

• Garchomp chased Infernape with repeated scythe slashes, but Infernape used Protect to avoid injury.
• Ye Qing released most of his Pokémon, prompting Mu Guo, Li Hu, and Zhang Siyu to send out more Pokémon and attack Garchomp together.
• The trainers used Rollout, Rain Dance, ranged attacks, and Lairon's Earthquake to expose Garchomp and wear him down.
• Garchomp dodged attacks by burrowing underground, surprised Blastoise with a headbutt, and evaded another barrage with Dig.
• Lairon used Earthquake again, causing Gabite to faint, before Garchomp burst from the sand and clamped his flaming teeth around Lairon's waist.

Ye Qing and the others battled a powerful Garchomp, but its Outrage and Sand Veil overwhelmed their team. When the sandstorm cleared, only Infernape and Electivire remained standing against it.

• Ye Qing had Infernape steal Garchomp’s Charcoal while Milotic and the others attacked with Ice-type moves.
• Garchomp unleashed Outrage, knocking out Snorlax and Drapion, injuring Milotic, and defeating Blastoise and Magmar.
• Garchomp raised a Sandstorm and used Sand Veil to hunt down the group’s Pokémon while his Lum Berry protected him from Outrage’s confusion.
• Infernape tried to fight back with Mach Punch but was sent flying by Garchomp.
• The sandstorm cleared, revealing that all the Pokémon except Infernape and Electivire had been knocked out.

Ye Qing and the others survived Garchomp’s attack, but Garchomp escaped after setting an ambush for Li Hu. When Li Hu demanded Ye Qing’s Charcoal and attacked him, Ye Qing’s Gardevoir and Infernape faced Alakazam and Beedrill as the confrontation began.

• Garchomp unleashed Draco Meteor and escaped, then ambushed Li Hu when he followed through the tunnel.
• Ye Qing’s Infernape showed him the Charcoal it had retrieved, while the exhausted Zhang Siyu and Mu Guo kept watch on each other.
• Li Hu demanded that Ye Qing hand over the Charcoal, and Ye Qing challenged him to take it.
• Li Hu attacked with Alakazam and Beedrill; Gardevoir blocked Alakazam’s Psychic while Infernape kept Beedrill occupied.

Ye Qing stopped Li Hu’s Zoroark ambush with Gengar, but Li Hu escaped and Zhang Siyu left, splitting up their newly formed team. After settling in for the desert night, Ye Qing found that his Pokémon had grown stronger and Gabite had learned Dig.

• Gengar emerged from Ye Qing’s shadow, overwhelmed Zoroark, and forced Li Hu to retreat with Alakazam.
• Ye Qing let Li Hu escape and watched Pidgeot fly away, while Zhang Siyu admitted she was leaving too.
• Ye Qing released Absol, then found shelter behind a rock as the desert grew cold and pitched a tent.
• Gabite practiced Dig after being inspired by Garchomp, and Ye Qing saw that Gabite had learned the move.
• Ye Qing checked his Pokémon’s information and found that all except Gengar had gained a level, with Lairon gaining two.
• Milotic returned to her Poké Ball, and Ye Qing slept in the tent with Infernape keeping him warm.

Ye Qing struggled through the monotony and dangers of the desert while traveling toward the Ground-type Gym. On the fourth day, a livestreamer named Xie Yu jumped from a helicopter and his parachute failed to open.

• Ye Qing and his Pokémon defeated a group of Mandibuzz that attacked them in the desert.
• Ye Qing continued traveling without phone signal, growing lonely and exhausted as he saw that only a third of the route to the Gym remained.
• A helicopter approached, and Ye Qing hoped a girl would jump out to keep him company.
• Xie Yu introduced his wilderness challenge to his livestream audience and leaped from the helicopter without deploying his parachute.
• As the ground rushed closer, Xie Yu pulled the parachute cord, but it made only a faint sound and did not open.

Xie Yu’s parachute cord snapped during his Wilderness Challenge, sending him and Malamar plunging toward the ground. Ye Qing and his Pokémon rescued them, and Xie Yu survived but needed time to recover from the fall.

• Xie Yu’s parachute cord broke, so he summoned Malamar and clung to him as they fell.
• Malamar used psychic power to slow their descent, but it could not stop them.
• Ye Qing spotted them falling and sent Gardevoir to catch them in a Confusion mire.
• Ye Qing ordered Milotic to use Hydro Pump while Gardevoir teleported beneath Xie Yu and Malamar to cushion them.
• Xie Yu and Malamar landed safely, and Xie Yu thanked Ye Qing before lying down to recover.

Ye Qing rescued wilderness streamer Xie Yu, then continued through the desert with Gardevoir and Gengar. When Absol sensed a disaster, Ye Qing agreed to follow the warning and arrived at a lush oasis beside a crescent-shaped lake.

• Xie Yu thanked Ye Qing for saving him and explained that he had come to the desert for a wilderness survival stream.
• Xie Yu said his phone relied on a helicopter’s signal equipment, then left with his returning team after exchanging names with Ye Qing.
• Ye Qing resumed his journey with Gardevoir, and the trip went smoothly with Gengar helping him manage the desert conditions.
• Absol sensed a disaster to the south and urged Ye Qing to follow his warning, despite the detour from their route to the Gym.
• Ye Qing agreed, and Gardevoir carried him after Absol as they hurried toward the danger.
• Ye Qing and his Pokémon reached a lush oasis centered on a crescent-shaped lake.

Ye Qing and Absol reached an isolated oasis village, where the residents attacked them because they believed Absol brought disaster. Ye Qing used his Pokémon to overpower the villagers and insisted he would face the coming disaster with them, but the confrontation paused when a brawny man approached with his Greninja.

• A village elder recognized Absol and urged the villagers to drive Ye Qing and Absol away, while a little girl questioned why everyone feared the Pokémon.
• Ye Qing tried to warn the villagers, but they refused to listen, so Absol carved a trench in the sand to stop their advance.
• Ye Qing said he would face the coming disaster alongside them, but a goateed elder still refused to let Absol enter the village.
• Ye Qing sent out his Pokémon and had Milotic use Surf to sweep the villagers and their Pokémon down the slope, while Gardevoir shielded the elderly people.
• The goateed elder sent out his level 40 Victreebel, and Infernape stepped forward before the brawny man arrived with the little girl and his Greninja.

Ye Qing met Zhang Zhongxin, the village leader and Greninja’s Trainer, and explained that Absol had warned of a serious natural disaster. Ye Qing agreed to help the village and stayed at Zhang Zhongxin’s home, while Absol watched the threatened oasis with concern.

• Ye Qing noticed that Zhang Zhongxin’s Greninja was level 55 and learned that Zhang commanded respect from the villagers.
• Zhang Zhongxin thanked Ye Qing for warning them about the disaster and asked what Absol knew about it.
• Ye Qing explained that Absol could not identify the disaster or predict its timing, but would not warn them about a minor event.
• Ye Qing said he would help the village and hoped to change people’s views of Absol.
• Zhang Zhongxin invited Ye Qing to his home, where Ye Qing and Gardevoir enjoyed the local Hami melon.
• Absol stood on the roof, worried that the disaster might destroy the oasis.

Ye Qing met Zhang Zhongxin’s daughter, Zhang Weiyao, and gave her a photograph of Ho-Oh, which she first mistook for a Fearow. The family welcomed Ye Qing to stay and began preparing dinner.

• Zhang Zhongxin introduced Zhang Weiyao to Ye Qing, whose name brought back memories of Yaoyao and Zhang Ziren.
• Ye Qing gave Zhang Weiyao a photograph of Ho-Oh, and Zhang Zhongxin explained the Pokémon’s importance while Zhang Weiyao mistook it for a Fearow.
• Meng Wutong returned and tried to give the photograph back, but Ye Qing insisted Zhang Weiyao keep it and asked Meng Wutong to make extra dishes instead.
• Zhang Zhongxin took Ye Qing to see his guest room, which had a heated kang bed.

Ye Qing settled in with Zhang Zhongxin’s family, contacted his relatives about the statue and the coming disaster, and learned that the oasis was preparing for danger. The chapter ended with Zhang Zhongxin reassuring the Old Tusi and organizing repairs to the oasis’s defenses.

• Meng Wutong burned an R-logo USB drive in the kitchen while resolving to protect her family.
• Zhang Zhongxin showed Ye Qing the household signal transmitter, and Ye Qing read messages about his statue before calling his mother and telling his family about the disaster.
• Ye Qing’s relatives celebrated the statue plans, while Psyduck grew jealous of Aerodactyl and kicked a drunken Ditto from a tree branch.
• The Old Tusi confronted Zhang Zhongxin for sheltering Ye Qing and Absol, but accepted Zhang Zhongxin’s explanation and sent the gathered villagers home.
• Zhang Zhongxin kept the tribe in the oasis and assigned people to inspect and repair its defenses before the disaster arrived.

Ye Qing woke in Zhang Zhongxin’s oasis and helped the tribe prepare after Absol warned of an approaching sandstorm. Meanwhile, Meng Wutong recognized Ye Qing from Team R’s wanted list but chose not to report him, and the tribe accepted Absol’s warning.

• Yaoyao playfully woke Ye Qing, who then joined Zhang Zhongxin’s family for breakfast.
• Meng Wutong flew back to the oasis on Pidgeot after defeating a Krookodile, recognized Ye Qing on Team R’s wanted list, and decided not to report his location.
• Ye Qing asked Zhang Zhongxin how the tribe survived sandstorms, and Zhang explained that Trainers defended the settlement while residents sheltered in basements.
• Zhang Zhongxin ordered the tribe to prepare its basements and supplies and told the men not to leave, then explained that Absol had warned them of the coming disaster.
• The tribe members accepted Zhang Zhongxin’s explanation and began taking Absol’s warning seriously.

Absol sensed an approaching sandstorm, and Ye Qing, Zhang Zhongxin, and the other defenders prepared to protect the shelter beneath Crescent Moon Lake. The storm engulfed the oasis and swept Ye Qing off his feet as the defenders braced for the wild Pokémon within it.

• Absol's glowing horn warned Ye Qing that a sandstorm was coming, and Zhang Zhongxin sent Pidgeot to scout while Old Tusi led the crowd into the basement.
• Zhang Zhongxin led twenty-four Trainers toward Crescent Moon Lake to defend the shelter, and Meng Wutong stayed behind to maintain order underground.
• Ye Qing released his Pokémon beside the lake and prepared a gas mask as the wind intensified.
• The sandstorm swept over the oasis, and Zhang Zhongxin shut the shelter entrance and released his Pokémon to hold off the danger.
• The storm's powerful wind blew Ye Qing sideways into the air.

Ye Qing and his Pokémon fought off waves of wild Pokémon driven toward them by the Sandstorm, using Crescent Moon Lake and coordinated attacks to hold them back. After his attempts to spare and recruit some of the less hostile Pokémon failed, Ye Qing resolved to stop being so lenient.

• Gardevoir pulled Ye Qing safely back to the ground as the Sandstorm intensified and the earth began to tremble.
• Ye Qing had Milotic use Surf and Lairon use Earthquake to disrupt the rolling Golem and Graveler, then froze the ground with Ice Beam so the attackers slipped and crashed.
• Gabite, Absol, Gardevoir, and Gengar attacked the wild Pokémon, while Gengar ambushed an underground Onix and drained its energy before defeating it.
• A Golem used Self-Destruct, but Lairon protected the group; Ye Qing’s Pokémon continued fighting off the waves of attackers.
• Ye Qing tried to redirect or stop milder-tempered Pokémon and offered them medicine and Pokéblocks, but they attacked him instead, so he decided he would be less lenient.

Ye Qing and his Pokémon battled through the Sandstorm for hours, gaining several levels before Garchomp arrived and attacked them. Ye Qing ordered his team to fight back and tried to capture Garchomp, then invoked their bond as the battle escalated.

• Ye Qing rotated his Pokémon to conserve stamina as the Sandstorm dragged on, while Lairon, Milotic, Gabite, and Gengar broke through to higher levels.
• Milotic and Lairon broke through again, and Gardevoir also leveled up after explaining that she had been sustaining the group’s psychic protections.
• By the Sandstorm’s fourth hour, Crescent Moon Lake was half-buried when Garchomp appeared and crashed into the lake after failing to turn toward Ye Qing.
• Ye Qing ordered his Pokémon to attack Garchomp; Gardevoir disrupted him, Infernape held him in place, and Absol wounded him with Megahorn.
• Garchomp shook off Encore and slashed Lairon aside despite Lairon’s boosted defense, so Ye Qing shouted “Bond!” and prepared to unleash their power.