Recaps

After a year of traveling with his Pokémon, Chen Shi returned to his grandparents’ farm in Verdanturf Town and reunited with Gengar. He settled in with his team and looked forward to life at home.

• Chen Shi returned to the farm with his shiny Dreepy and recalled how it had hatched, lost to a Caterpie, and begun traveling alongside the Mudkip his Grandpa had prepared.
• Gengar greeted Chen Shi and showed off his strength after reaching early Elite Four level.
• Gengar pointed Chen Shi toward his Grandpa and Grandma, who were feeding the farm’s Pokémon, then carried Chen Shi’s backpack upstairs.
• Chen Shi released Swampert, Florges, Togepi, and Leafeon and reassured Togepi with the promise of an extra ice cream.
• Chen Shi looked at his Pokémon and welcomed their new life together at the farm.

Chen Shi brought Swampert, Florges, Leafeon, and Togepi to visit his grandparents, while Dreepy reunited with them at the Combee farm. Dreepy was teased for still being unable to defeat strong rivals, but Grandma Chen reassured him that he was close to evolving.

• Chen Shi promised Florges a flower garden and was carried by an impatient Swampert toward his grandparents' home.
• Grandma Chen and Grandpa Chen harvested Combee honey and discussed their worries about Chen Shi and an injured Arcanine.
• Dreepy flew to Grandma Chen and eagerly tried to open a jar of honey before joining his grandparents on the way home.
• Grandma Chen and Grandpa Chen teased Dreepy about still being unable to beat a Caterpie or Swampert.
• Grandma Chen comforted Dreepy by saying he seemed close to evolving, and Dreepy believed Chen Shi had told him the truth.

Chen Shi returned to the farm after a year of travel, reassuring his grandparents that he would stay and look after them. He introduced them to his Pokémon and asked Grandma Chen to find a Shiny Stone for Togepi, leaving its evolution a mystery.

• Grandma Chen worried that Dreepy would need other Dreepy to evolve, and Grandpa Chen explained that it could split them off itself.
• Chen Shi came home with Swampert and told his grandparents he planned to stop traveling and stay on the farm.
• Chen Shi said he had reached the Senior Breeder level, and Grandpa Chen praised his talent.
• Swampert hurried off to fetch Threefold Honey while Grandma Chen suggested a reunion dinner.
• Grandpa Chen recognized Leafeon as a newly discovered Eevee evolution, and Grandma Chen realized Chen Shi had found Florges's Shiny Stone.
• Chen Shi asked Grandma Chen to find another Shiny Stone for Togepi, then walked home with his grandparents.

At the Chen family farm, Chen Shi shared the stories of how he had rescued Florges, Leafeon, and Togepi during his travels in Sinnoh. After declining his grandfather’s offer to trade for a Shiny Beldum, he proposed trading the Stone family the location of a place full of ancient Pokémon instead.

• Chen Shi fed the Pokémon at the farm and teased Garchomp about keeping his old promise to have a baby with Salamence.
• Grandma Chen asked about Chen Shi’s year in Sinnoh, and he explained that he had rescued Florges from poachers who had taken her from Kalos.
• Chen Shi told his grandparents that he had found Leafeon and Togepi unconscious from hunger in an underground cavern while searching for a Shiny Beldum.
• Grandpa Chen offered to trade with the Stone family for a Shiny Metagross or Beldum, but Chen Shi declined to avoid the expense.
• Chen Shi suggested trading the Stone family the location of a place full of ancient Pokémon.

Chen Shi traded information about an undiscovered fossil Pokémon site in Kanto for a chance to obtain Beldum and its training resources, then helped Dreepy evolve safely. Dreepy became a Shiny Drakloak and embraced Chen Shi, eager to grow strong enough to protect him.

• Chen Shi told his grandparents about Big Root Valley and its ancient Pokémon, and Grandpa Chen agreed to contact Mu Jin about trading for Beldum and supplies.
• Chen Shi asked for a top-grade Recovery Potion and Type Gems to help Dreepy evolve, and Grandma Chen had Gardevoir bring them.
• Dreepy eagerly absorbed energy from the gems, but Chen Shi stopped him to ask whether he was ready for the hardship of training and battles after evolving.
• Dreepy recalled how Chen Shi had cared for him and how their stronger companion had protected them, then decided he wanted to become strong enough to protect Chen Shi.
• Dreepy drank the Recovery Potion and absorbed the gems' energy, evolving into a level 53 Shiny Drakloak.
• Chen Shi congratulated Drakloak, who inspected his new body and threw himself into Chen Shi's arms as the other Pokémon offered their congratulations.

Chen Shi discovered Mega Stones and Key Stones in his grandparents’ collection and used them to unlock Swampert’s Mega Evolution. The chapter ended with Mega Swampert appearing before Chen Shi’s stunned grandparents.

• Chen Shi asked Garchomp and Salamence to train and watch over Drakloak, while Gengar volunteered to help later.
• Swampert’s mother gave him a stone that Chen Shi identified as a Swampert Mega Stone, and Grandpa Chen revealed he had collected more unusual stones.
• Gardevoir brought out the grandparents’ chest, where Chen Shi found three Key Stones and five Mega Stones.
• Chen Shi recalled the promise he and Swampert had made when they first met, then joined his Key Stone with Swampert’s Mega Stone.
• Chen Shi and Swampert Mega Evolved, revealing Mega Swampert to the astonished elders.

Chen Shi revealed Mega Evolution to his grandparents and helped Swampert Mega Evolve, while the family discussed the risks of collecting Mega Stones and the many rising talents across the regions. The chapter ended with Gardevoir arriving at the seaside.

• Chen Shi Mega Evolved Swampert, raising its level from Late Elite to Early Gym and changing its Ability to Swift Swim.
• Chen Shi explained Mega Evolution to his grandparents and Swampert's mother, then told Florges, Leafeon, and Togepi that he had no Mega Stones for them.
• Chen Shi sent Swampert to train with its mother and instructed the others to go upstairs, while Togepi chased after them.
• Grandma Chen urged Grandpa Chen to collect Mega Stones secretly and keep their family low-profile to protect Chen Shi.
• Grandma Chen and Grandpa Chen discussed exceptional young talents emerging across the regions and the League's secret preparations to nurture them.
• Gardevoir came to the seaside.

Chen Shi planned to strengthen his Pokémon and continue his research career, while discovering that Togepi had learned the Fairy-type move Charm. After struggling to choose his next research topic, he gave up for the night and resolved to begin enjoying country life the next day.

• Chen Shi reassured Togepi that she could evolve and checked her and Leafeon's stats, noticing Togepi had learned Charm.
• Chen Shi considered how he needed to become stronger to protect his grandparents' farm and its rare resources.
• Chen Shi decided to keep pursuing research to gain access to resources and funding.
• Chen Shi logged into the Researcher Forum and weighed possible Pokémon evolution discoveries, but found each option difficult.
• Chen Shi shut down his computer and decided to start living an idyllic country life the next day.

Chen Shi learned that Grandpa Chen would teach him the family’s potion-making skills and that Grandma Chen would teach him to make Pokémon food. After breakfast, he went to the mountain pond to deliver Pokéblocks and arrange training for Leafeon, while Togepi resolved to train hard too.

• Gengar woke Chen Shi with a Lick, and Chen Shi shook Togepi awake before promising it ice cream.
• Grandpa Chen told Chen Shi that Mu Jin had accepted their terms for Big Root Valley and asked for the site’s exact location; Chen Shi also asked him to retrieve a Togepi egg as a gift for someone.
• Grandpa Chen told Chen Shi to train his Pokémon in the mornings and study Breeder knowledge with him in the afternoons, while Grandma Chen gave him Pokéblocks for Dreepy.
• Chen Shi asked Sceptile to train Leafeon, and Sceptile whisked Leafeon away; Chen Shi reassured Togepi and encouraged it to train.

Chen Shi returned home to find Officer Jenny Muko’s Arcanine gravely weakened by Champion Level Camerupt’s Fire-type energy. Grandpa Chen treated Arcanine by drawing the foreign energy out, leaving Chen Shi stunned by its immense power.

• Chen Shi watched Drakloak fail to aim its newly learned Draco Meteor, then gave it food and encouraged it to train with Salamence and Garchomp.
• Chen Shi arrived home and found Officer Jenny Muko and his grandparents examining her weakened Arcanine.
• Grandpa Chen explained that a surge of foreign Fire-type energy was making Arcanine’s own energy run wild, and Muko revealed that a Champion Level Camerupt had injured him.
• Grandpa Chen prescribed an Energy-Attracting Potion and a Recovery Potion, then took Arcanine outside to treat him.
• Arcanine drank the Energy-Attracting Potion and expelled the raging energy in a towering pillar of fire, astonishing Chen Shi with its heat and power.

Officer Jenny Muko explained how Arcanine was injured by the fallout of a battle with Team Magma, and Grandpa Chen told Chen Shi about the immense gap between peak Elite Four Level and Champion Level. Chen Shi reflected on his Pokémon’s potential and promised his grandparents he would not let them down.

• Grandpa Chen treated Arcanine, and Officer Jenny Muko explained that Team Magma’s Champion Level leader had injured it during a battle at Mt. Chimney.
• Grandpa Chen advised Muko to have Arcanine checked by Nurse Joy and keep it from battling for two weeks, so she left to do so.
• Grandpa Chen explained that Pokémon at peak Elite Four Level needed exceptional potential or an extraordinary opportunity to break through to Champion Level.
• Chen Shi considered the potential of Dreepy, Swampert, Togepi, Florges, and Leafeon and resolved to help every Pokémon he caught reach its potential.
• Grandma Chen recalled Grandpa Chen’s efforts to ensure Swampert had high potential, and Chen Shi felt grateful for his grandparents’ care and promised not to let them down.

Chen Shi discovered that Florges had awakened a Fairy-type move and realized Pokéblocks could restore the energy she needed to use it. As Florges and Togepi continued training, he suspected Fairy energy was returning because Xerneas might soon awaken.

• Chen Shi found Florges training in the backyard and noticed she had learned the Fairy-type move Disarming Voice.
• Florges explained that she could use the new move only once, and Chen Shi realized she lacked Fairy energy to replenish it.
• Chen Shi gave Florges her usual Pokéblocks, and after eating, she used Disarming Voice again.
• Chen Shi explained the Fairy type to Florges and told her to focus on training moves that matched her developing abilities.
• Chen Shi watched Florges and Togepi train and wondered whether Xerneas was awakening and Fairy energy was returning to the world.

Chen Shi received the Shiny Beldum and other promised items from Steven, completing the transaction between their families. Their peaceful visit ended when someone reported that Pokémon were attacking Verdanturf Town.

• Chen Shi's Pokémon grew stronger during half a month of rest, with Swampert reaching Gym level and Drakloak reaching level 56.
• Gardevoir teleported Chen Shi to meet Steven, who had come to complete the deal with the Chen family.
• Steven gave Chen Shi a Shiny Beldum, its breeding handbook, two top-grade Shiny Stones, and a Togepi Egg.
• Beldum quickly accepted Chen Shi as its Trainer, while Steven explained that Devon Corporation hoped Big Root Valley would help advance its fossil revival research.
• A visitor urgently reported that Pokémon were attacking Verdanturf Town and asked Uncle Chen to come help.

Chen Shi and Steven stopped an Aggron herd from destroying Verdanturf Town. After the battle, Mr. Nakajima revealed that Pokémon Hunters had provoked the herd by stealing the leader’s child and many Aron, leaving the group unsure what to do with the Pokémon.

• Buka warned Grandpa Chen that Aggron were attacking Verdanturf Town, and Chen Shi went to help with Steven.
• Mr. Nakajima and the Officer Jennys were overwhelmed as the Aggron injured their Pokémon and threatened the fleeing defenders.
• Chen Shi and Steven arrived and defeated the Aggron and Lairon with Salamence, Garchomp, and Metagross.
• Mr. Nakajima thanked Chen Shi and Steven, then explained that Pokémon Hunters had stolen the Aggron leader’s child and many Aron.
• Chen Shi, Steven, and Mr. Nakajima wondered what to do with the remaining Aggron and Lairon.

Chen Shi and Steven watched over the Aggron herd while they waited for the stolen Aron to be returned. After Chen Shi calmed the Aggron leader, he and Steven agreed to battle later and confirmed that they were friends.

• Officer Jenny told Mayor Nakajima that the Pokémon hunters had been caught in Rustboro City and the Aron were being brought back.
• Mayor Nakajima asked Chen Shi and Steven to watch the Aggron herd while he handled the aftermath, and they agreed.
• Steven suggested a battle between Metagross and Drakloak, but Chen Shi proposed waiting until they had dealt with the herd.
• When the Aggron leader woke, Chen Shi stopped Garchomp from attacking and promised the leader its children and herd would return that day.
• Chen Shi sent Drakloak to fetch Potion Spray, Pokéblocks, and Florges, then chatted with Steven as they waited.
• Steven asked whether they counted as friends, and Chen Shi assured him that they already did.

Chen Shi befriended Steven and revealed that fossil revival required Munna’s dream energy, leaving Steven excited to redirect Devon Corporation’s research. After Florges healed Aggron and the other Pokémon, Officer Jenny returned the captured Aron, and the herd went back into Rusturf Tunnel.

• Steven and Chen Shi realized they had both grown up with few genuine friends and became friends.
• Chen Shi told Steven that fossil revival required Munna’s dream energy rather than life energy, and Steven eagerly accepted the research lead.
• Chen Shi considered that helping Steven could pave the way for Devon Corporation to support future Mega Evolution research.
• Chen Shi had Florges use Grassy Terrain to heal Aggron and the injured Lairon, and the Pokémon calmed down.
• Officer Jenny returned more than thirty Aron, and Aggron led the herd back into Rusturf Tunnel.

Chen Shi and Steven battled on Chen Shi’s farm, where Drakloak used Phantom Force and U-turn to challenge Steven’s Metagross before losing to Ice Punch. The trainers agreed to fight again after Drakloak evolved, and Chen Shi explained to Garchomp why Drakloak had relied on Ghost-type moves.

• Chen Shi brought Steven, Salamence, and Garchomp to the farm, where Gardevoir made a battlefield and Grandpa Chen started the match.
• Drakloak used Phantom Force and Protect to evade Metagross’s attacks, then escaped its grip with U-turn.
• Drakloak and Metagross traded Shadow Ball and Flash Cannon, but Metagross used Confusion to catch Drakloak and knock it out with Ice Punch.
• Gardevoir revived Drakloak with Life Dew, and Chen Shi and Steven promised to battle again after Drakloak evolved.
• Garchomp asked why Drakloak had not used Dragon-type moves, and Chen Shi explained that Metagross resisted them while taking extra damage from Ghost-type moves.

Chen Shi reviewed Steven’s Metagross-raising manual and received a delivery of ores for Beldum before his grandfather sent him to Mt. Pyre to fetch an old friend’s granddaughter. Gengar led Chen Shi, Drakloak, and Salamence to the mountain and opened a hidden passage, leaving Chen Shi to enter it.

• Steven said goodbye to Chen Shi and left on Skarmory after giving him information and a Metagross-raising manual.
• Chen Shi studied the manual, arranged ores delivered by Devon Corporation for Beldum, and began writing after glancing at Togepi’s Egg.
• Grandpa Chen asked Chen Shi to retrieve his old friend’s granddaughter from Mt. Pyre and sent Grandma Chen’s Gengar to guide him.
• Chen Shi took Salamence to Mt. Pyre, allowing Drakloak to come along as well.
• Gengar led Chen Shi through Mt. Pyre’s fog to a rock wall, opened a hidden passage, and pointed Chen Shi inside.

Chen Shi entered a hidden Ghost-type haven on Mt. Pyre and met Pheobe, whom he recognized as his grandfather’s intended pickup. After teasing her and letting her think he had wandered into danger, he reached her grandparents’ home, where Pheobe learned they had invited him.

• Chen Shi followed Gengar through the tunnel and found Pheobe planting flowers, but she told him to leave.
• Pheobe summoned her Dusknoir to confront Chen Shi, and Chen Shi had Drakloak display his strength.
• Chen Shi continued toward Pheobe’s home with Gengar, while Pheobe followed, intending to watch him get into trouble.
• Gengar led Chen Shi to a two-story wooden house, and Pheobe accused him to her grandmother of barging in.
• Pheobe’s grandmother revealed that she and Pheobe’s grandfather had invited Chen Shi, leaving Pheobe embarrassed as Chen Shi entered the house.

Chen Shi agreed to take Pheobe out of Mt. Pyre and received a naturally shed Giratina reverse scale as payment. He left with the elders' request to protect Pheobe and help Mt. Pyre if trouble arose.

• Pheobe's grandfather asked Chen Shi to take Pheobe outside Mt. Pyre and help her learn about the world.
• Chen Shi warned the elders that Team Magma and Team Aqua were seeking the God of the Land and God of the Sea, and the elders gave him a black box in return for his help.
• Chen Shi discovered that the box contained a Giratina reverse scale, which strongly attracted Drakloak, and agreed to accept it.
• Pheobe's grandfather asked Chen Shi to protect Mt. Pyre once he grew stronger, and Chen Shi promised to help if needed.
• Chen Shi suggested that Pheobe stay at his family's farm and learn through experience, and her grandparents agreed to let her leave with him.

Chen Shi brought Pheobe home from the Ghost Mystery Realm after using Gengar’s Hypnosis to quiet her. His grandparents agreed to let her stay with them, and Grandpa Chen explained that Mystery Realms were ancient, resource-rich places with unusual Pokémon and concentrated energy.

• Pheobe peppered Chen Shi with questions about the outside world and became eager to catch a Drakloak after learning it was a Dragon- and Ghost-type Pokémon.
• Chen Shi had Gengar use Hypnosis on Pheobe, and her Dusknoir carried her as they followed him down the mountain.
• Chen Shi returned home with the still-sleeping Pheobe and told Grandpa Chen that she had fallen asleep on the way.
• Chen Shi explained that Pheobe had never been outside the Ghost Mystery Realm, and his grandparents agreed to let her stay so they could prepare her for the outside world.
• Chen Shi asked about the strange world inside Mt. Pyre, and Grandpa Chen explained that it was a Mystery Realm rich in energy and resources, like the Ghost Mystery Realm and the Stone family’s Steel Mystery Realm.

Pheobe woke after Chen Shi used Hypnosis on her, then settled into the room the Chen elders had prepared for her. Back in his room, Chen Shi comforted a distraught Togepi, whose trust in him sparked its evolution into Togetic.

• Pheobe woke up, confronted Chen Shi, and heard him claim he had hypnotized her to teach her not to trust people too easily.
• Grandma Chen welcomed Pheobe, and Grandpa Chen told her she could make herself at home while staying with them.
• Chen Shi showed Pheobe her luxurious room, then returned to find Togepi and Shiny Beldum asleep in his room.
• Togepi cried and accused Chen Shi of leaving it behind, so he reassured it that he would never abandon it and had already given away the other Togepi egg.
• Chen Shi gave Togepi a sky-blue potion as it began to evolve, and it emerged from the light as Togetic.

Chen Shi celebrated Togetic’s evolution and discussed Pheobe’s need to grow stronger and protect her Pokémon. Grandpa Chen revealed that the Kanto League would hold the Pokémon World Championships in three months, and Chen Shi and Pheobe were encouraged to enter.

• Chen Shi saw Togetic’s potential rise to Near-Champion, noted her new moves, and watched Beldum reach level 18.
• Chen Shi secured Giratina’s reverse scale in its sealed black box.
• At dinner, Grandpa Chen urged Pheobe to become strong enough to protect herself and her Ghost Pokémon, while Chen Shi tried to explain the danger of others coveting them.
• Grandpa Chen told Chen Shi and Pheobe about the Pokémon World Championships, a tournament for talented competitors under twenty from all major regions, and invited them to participate.
• Chen Shi and Pheobe looked forward to the tournament and its undisclosed prizes.

Cynthia received a package from Chen Shi containing a Pokémon Egg, a Shiny Stone, a Potential Potion, and a letter explaining Togepi’s evolutions and unusual type. After Professor Carolina teased her about the gifts, Cynthia read the letter and laughed, while her Pokémon eavesdropped and were caught.

• Cynthia tried to hide the delivery from Professor Carolina, but Carolina insisted on opening the box.
• Professor Carolina found a Pokémon Egg, a Shiny Stone, and a sky-blue Potential Potion, then teased Cynthia about the gifts.
• Cynthia snatched Chen Shi’s letter from Carolina and read his news about Togepi’s friendship evolution, Togekiss, and its eighteenth type.
• Cynthia learned that Dreepy had evolved into Drakloak and Chen Shi had caught a Shiny Beldum.
• Cynthia laughed over the letter, but Garchomp, Glaceon, Milotic, and Lucario were caught listening outside her door and fled.

Chen Shi planned to document how Onix evolved into Steelix, and his casual explanation stunned his grandparents. The chapter ended with them accepting that he was already a junior researcher known as Severe Indecisiveness.

• Chen Shi decided to write a paper about evolving Onix into Steelix and offered Pheobe 200,000 League Coins to catch an advanced-level Onix in Rusturf Tunnel.
• Chen Shi checked Florges's progress and learned that her Fairy-type energy reserves had grown, though she could still use Disarming Voice only once.
• Chen Shi told Grandpa Chen he needed a Pokémon transfer device and a Metal Coat to record Onix's evolution.
• Chen Shi explained that an Onix holding a Metal Coat could evolve into Steelix through a link trade, surprising both of his grandparents.
• Chen Shi told his grandparents he had already discovered Leafeon and Glaceon and was a junior researcher known as Severe Indecisiveness.
• Grandma Chen accepted Chen Shi's research interests, while Grandpa Chen concluded that some geniuses simply defied reason.