Recaps

During the month-end elimination challenge, Cheng Tian fought off challengers to protect his place in the Training Camp, relying on his transformed Aron. The chapter ended with Aron defeating a Fighting-type Tauros and securing Cheng Tian’s first victory.

• Xiong Weidong’s new rule let the bottom 100 challenge students in the top 500, and Cheng Tian, ranked 499th, faced thirteen challengers.
• Cheng Tian’s friends and four Elite Four members watched as he entered the battlefield against a Mongolian girl and her level 25 Fighting- and Fire-type Tauros.
• Cheng Tian sent out Aron, whose tungsten-steel armor and training surprised the onlookers despite Aron’s apparent type disadvantage.
• Aron used its Heavenly Gang Vajra Body sequence to boost its defenses and attack before charging Tauros with Iron Head and Dragon Rush.
• Aron broke both of Tauros’s horns with Head Smash, then crushed it unconscious with Body Slam.

Cheng Tian won two tournament matches by using Aron, Noibat, and Floette against opponents’ Pokémon. After Floette defeated Masquerain, Cheng Tian and Granny Du praised its improvement.

• Cheng Tian’s Aron endured Lokix’s Fighting-type attacks, but he recalled it and sent out Noibat, which knocked Lokix out with Air Slash.
• The girl burst into tears after losing to Cheng Tian and ran off the field.
• Noibat battled Staravia in the air, but Staravia’s Whirlwind forced Noibat back into its ball and brought Floette onto the field.
• Floette’s Pollen Puff exploded beside Staravia, filling the air with pollen that left it unable to battle.
• Masquerain used Quiver Dance and Safeguard to evade Floette’s attacks, but Cheng Tian used Light Screen to make it crash and Floette defeated it with Hidden Power and Psychic.
• Granny Du praised Floette’s improving battle skills, and Cheng Tian was pleased with the results of its pollen modification.

Cheng Tian’s Pokémon fought through a succession of opponents, with Frogadier defeating Hitmonlee before the battle left his team badly worn down. As his final opponent prepared to face an exhausted Frogadier, Cheng Tian recalled it and introduced Haunter, leaving the next battle about to begin.

• Cheng Tian sent Frogadier against Hitmonlee, which had knocked Aron out, and Frogadier scattered Toxic Spikes across the field.
• Frogadier used Grass Knot to send Hitmonlee flying, then combined its Fire-type Hidden Power with Whirlpool to produce steam during their clash.
• Frogadier exploited Hitmonlee’s missed High Jump Kick and finished it with a combination of Whirlpool, steam, and Power-Up Punch.
• Cheng Tian continued through the succession of battles until Noibat and Floette were unable to battle and Frogadier was badly exhausted.
• Cheng Tian recalled Frogadier and summoned Haunter to face the last boy’s Bellibolt.

Cheng Tian defeated his opponent with Haunter, demonstrating how much his Pokémon had improved. After the battle, Nalu, the Water-type Elite Four member, took him aside, leaving Su Han jealous and wary.

• Haunter broke Bellibolt’s defensive stalemate with Skill Swap, then poisoned and knocked it unconscious with Sludge Bomb and Hex.
• Cheng Tian defeated the opponent’s Mienfoo with Haunter and claimed the final victory.
• The Elite Four praised Cheng Tian’s Pokémon and encouraged him to keep improving.
• Nalu asked Cheng Tian to come with her, teasing Su Han before Long Weixi introduced her as the Water-type Elite Four member.
• Nalu pulled Cheng Tian away, and Su Han resolved to keep him in line.

Nalu offered to train Cheng Tian’s Frogadier in a powerful physical Water-type move in exchange for Cheng Tian challenging someone after placing in the Midterm Exam’s top five. Cheng Tian accepted, and Nalu began training immediately by preparing Mystic Water for Frogadier to drink.

• Nalu led Cheng Tian to an underground hot spring training room and pointed out Frogadier’s lack of a suitable close-combat move.
• Nalu offered to teach Frogadier a powerful physical Water-type move if Cheng Tian agreed to help her defeat someone about his age.
• Cheng Tian initially refused, mistaking Nalu’s request for something illegal, but agreed after she explained the challenge and its conditions.
• Nalu gave Cheng Tian a high-quality Mystic Water as a first-meeting gift and started training right away.
• Nalu’s male Primarina shattered the Mystic Water with Aqua Jet and caught its liquid inside a bubble for Frogadier to drink.

Nalu trained Frogadier in Waterfall and Liquidation, teaching Cheng Tian that Frogadier first needed to master Surf and strengthen its legs. After Cheng Tian returned from battling, Frogadier had made progress with Surf, and Nalu began its leg-focused training.

• Frogadier drank Nalu’s potion and joined Primarina in the hot spring, where Primarina demonstrated a powerful Waterfall that frightened Frogadier.
• Nalu guided Frogadier to practice gathering waves while Primarina maintained Waterfall, and Cheng Tian fetched lunch with Nalu’s bank card.
• Cheng Tian went out to complete his training tasks, while Su Han remained unhappy and sent him back to check on Frogadier.
• Frogadier formed a small wave, and Nalu explained that it needed to learn Surf before it could master Waterfall by riding the spray.
• Nalu brought out Quaquaval to demonstrate Liquidation and told Frogadier to train its legs first.

Nalu began training Frogadier with Ferrothorn’s Gravity ahead of the Midterm Exam, while Cheng Tian and his friends worried about the coming test and Lin Lin’s chances. As the group prepared for a wilderness mission, Su Han arranged to share a tent with Cheng Tian, and Floette kissed him before bed.

• Nalu used Ferrothorn’s Gravity to intensify Frogadier’s training and said Frogadier would train with her until the Midterm Exam.
• Yu Fei, Shen Gun, Bai Yun, and Cheng Tian discussed the exam, with Bai Yun worrying that Lin Lin might be eliminated because she lacked a third Pokémon.
• After Alakazam turned off the lights, Cheng Tian agreed over messages that he and Su Han would sleep in a separate tent during the next day’s wilderness mission.
• Floette kissed Cheng Tian on the cheek, and he kissed Floette back before tucking it under the blanket.

Cheng Tian and his companions defeated a Victreebel and found a Leaf Stone, confirming a likely vein near a large Victreebel colony. They postponed confronting the colony until morning, while Su Han shared Cheng Tian’s tent and kissed him.

• Aron, Noibat, and the others helped Cheng Tian’s group defeat a fleeing Victreebel, whose Poison Heal strategy failed against Breloom.
• Cheng Tian found a badly corroded Leaf Stone in Victreebel’s mouth, supporting the theory that a Leaf Stone vein lay near the colony.
• Cheng Tian and his companions returned to Yu Fei, Song Rongxue, and Shen Gun, then decided to camp and face the Victreebel the next day.
• Su Han announced she would share Cheng Tian’s tent, and their friends tried unsuccessfully to eavesdrop outside.
• Su Han cuddled Cheng Tian and kissed him, telling him that she liked him the most.

Cheng Tian and his friends lured most of the Victreebel away with Rattata and ambushed their strongest member. After restraining it, they began searching for the Leaf Stone, which Cheng Tian believed would be near the forest surface.

• Yu Fei noticed Cheng Tian looked exhausted, while Su Han admitted to Lin Lin that she and Cheng Tian had not gone all the way.
• Cheng Tian used Rattata with the Run Away Ability to lure most of the Victreebel away from their strongest member.
• Cheng Tian, Song Rongxue, and the others ambushed the level 41 Victreebel with their Pokémon and overwhelmed it with coordinated attacks.
• Song Rongxue and Shen Gun trapped the Victreebel in a pit, leaving it buried with only the top of its head exposed.
• Cheng Tian explained that Leaf Stones formed near the forest surface and that the group should search there.

Cheng Tian’s group ambushed three Victreebel while searching for Bai Yun, as Bai Yun’s group struggled to escape five Victreebel. Bai Yun and the others reached a plain and got away when a powerful Scyther attacked their pursuers.

• Cheng Tian’s group hid in a tree and surprised three Victreebel with Snorlax, Aron, and Togetic, defeating them.
• Bai Yun ordered his group to retreat as two more Victreebel approached, and Lycanroc carried the injured Lin Lin.
• Shen Gun found a route to a plain, and Bai Yun’s group escaped the forest with the Victreebel close behind.
• A one-eyed Scyther attacked the Victreebel, giving Bai Yun, Lin Lin, and Shen Gun time to get away.

Cheng Tian and the others found a Leaf Stone hidden inside a tree trunk, then prepared an ambush for three returning Victreebel. Their teams defeated the Victreebel in separate battles, and they moved on to support the remaining groups.

• Floette used Grassy Terrain and sensed a Leaf Stone inside a severed tree trunk, which Su Han retrieved with Togetic's help.
• Cheng Tian assigned the group to ambush the returning Victreebel and warned them to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
• Cheng Tian and Su Han's Pokémon ambushed one Victreebel with a barrage of attacks and defeated it, then prepared to hide it and support the others.
• Bai Yun, Lin Lin, and Shen Gun used their Pokémon to wear down and defeat their Victreebel.
• Yu Fei's defensive Pokémon endured another Victreebel's attacks, then Snorlax used Giga Impact to pin it down.

After being cut from Shadows, Cheng Ye spent his pay on a knife and queued for a ranked CS2 match, where he showed off his skill against a suspected cheater. At the internet café, he stopped in front of a televised match when he saw a short-haired beauty dominate with a Desert Eagle.

• Cheng Ye received notice that Shadows had terminated his contract and was paid over 3,000 yuan.
• Cheng Ye sent 1,000 yuan to his maternal grandmother, bought a Bayonet (★) | Pure Water, and began looking for another youth training opportunity.
• Cheng Ye entered a Flawless ranked match and recognized his opponent, Magic City's Richest Bro, as a suspected subtle cheater.
• Cheng Ye led his team to a 13-11 victory on Dust II with a 1.69 rating, defeating Magic City's Richest Bro in the final duel.
• Cheng Ye went to the internet café front desk and froze when he saw a short-haired beauty cutting down opponents with a Desert Eagle on television.

Cheng Tian searched for Bai Yun's group after finding evidence of a battle with Victreebel, then learned they had already returned to the Training Camp. He reunited with them and visited Frogadier, which was training under Nalu for the upcoming midterm exam.

• Cheng Tian and his companions found two dead Victreebel but could not locate Bai Yun's group, so Cheng Tian called for a rescue worker to help search.
• The rescue worker told Cheng Tian that Bai Yun and the others had already returned to the Training Camp after completing their mission.
• Cheng Tian reunited with Bai Yun and learned that Lin Lin had been slightly injured and was in the Nurse's Office.
• After turning in his mission, Cheng Tian visited Frogadier and saw it training Waterfall with Nalu.
• Cheng Tian saw that Frogadier had learned Surf and encouraged it to keep training so they could aim for the top five in the midterm exam.

Cheng Tian and Su Han watched Bai Yun reassure Lin Lin that she would pass the midterm exam, then shared their hopes for the future together. Cheng Tian asked Su Han to marry him after he became Champion, while the exam and its top-five requirement remained ahead of them.

• Cheng Tian and Su Han watched Bai Yun feed Lin Lin and comfort her fears that she would fail the midterm and have to return to Bingzhou.
• Bai Yun promised Lin Lin he would help her pass, and Lin Lin hugged him, saying she wanted to stay with everyone and grow stronger together.
• Cheng Tian and Su Han went to the top floor, where Cheng Tian said he wanted to become the world's strongest Trainer and win the Global Pokémon Championships.
• Cheng Tian told Su Han he wanted to marry her after becoming Champion, and she happily imagined their life together.
• Cheng Tian faced the remaining challenge of passing the midterm exam and placing in the top five.

Cheng Tian began his midterm exam battle against Dark-type Gym Leader Song Yinghan and chose Floette, only to face Song Yinghan’s level 40 Drapion. Cheng Tian refused a chance to switch Pokémon and opened with defensive tactics, but the battle remained dangerous as Song Yinghan ordered Drapion to use Toxic Spikes.

• The Training Camp announced that each trainee would face three coaches in recorded midterm battles, and Su Han and Bai Yun received their opponents.
• Cheng Tian learned that his first opponent was Dark-type Gym Leader Song Yinghan and went to the arena to battle him.
• Cheng Tian chose Floette, and Song Yinghan sent out a level 40 Drapion with the Sniper Ability, putting Floette at a type disadvantage.
• Song Yinghan offered Cheng Tian a chance to switch Pokémon, but Cheng Tian and Floette chose to continue together.
• Cheng Tian used Misty Terrain, Light Screen, and Safeguard before Floette’s Pollen Puff disrupted Drapion’s Night Slash and Fairy Wind pushed it back.
• Song Yinghan ordered Drapion to use Toxic Spikes.

Cheng Tian lost his midterm battle against Song Yinghan, but Aron wounded Drapion and showed Cheng Tian how much his team still needed to grow. After Song Yinghan thanked him for looking after Rong Xue, Cheng Tian considered evolving Floette to strengthen his chances of reaching the top five.

• Drapion paralyzed Floette with Pollen Puff, then badly injured it with Poison Fang, so Cheng Tian recalled it and sent out Aron.
• Aron resisted Drapion’s poison and landed several attacks, including Head Smash and Metal Claw, but Drapion’s Night Slash and Earthquake eventually left Aron unable to battle.
• Song Yinghan declared his victory and said the result would be submitted for review.
• Song Yinghan stopped Cheng Tian to thank him for looking after Rong Xue, then walked away without explaining further.
• Cheng Tian went to have his Pokémon treated and wondered whether Floette should evolve into Florges to help him reach the top five.

Cheng Tian let Floette choose whether to evolve, and it used his Premium Shiny Stone to become Florges. During Cheng Tian’s midterm battle against Cao Min’s Cradily, Florges demonstrated its new strength and launched Petal Dance.

• Cheng Tian offered Floette his Premium Shiny Stone and let it decide whether to evolve.
• Floette chose to evolve, becoming Florges and gaining a level.
• Cao Min sent out Cradily for Cheng Tian’s midterm battle, and Cheng Tian introduced Florges.
• Florges countered Cradily’s Sludge Slope with Misty Terrain, Light Screen, and Fairy Wind, then attacked with Petal Blizzard.
• Florges began Petal Dance and sent a mass of petals surging toward Cradily.

He Xisong visited the midterm battles and watched several outstanding students compete. Cheng Tian’s Florges stunned the spectators with a powerful attack on Cao Min’s Cradily, leaving He Xisong impressed by the boy’s talent.

• He Xisong left his office to inspect the midterm exams and asked Granny Du to show him the outstanding students.
• He Xisong watched Su Han’s Sylveon battle Long Weixi’s Druddigon and asked Granny Du to have Su Han visit his office after the exam.
• He Xisong observed Cao Min’s Cradily battle Cheng Tian’s Florges and learned that Cao Min was not always giving his all.
• Cheng Tian’s Florges used Safeguard at the precise moment after Petal Blizzard to avoid confusion and launch a powerful attack.
• Florges struck Cradily with three enormous lengths of flower silk, astonishing the spectators and impressing He Xisong.

Cheng Tian’s newly evolved Florges impressed everyone with its power but collapsed after pushing itself too hard in battle. Cao Min helped restore it, and the chapter ended with Florges waking safely in Cheng Tian’s arms.

• Cao Min noticed Florges’s combination of Safeguard and Petal Dance and decided to try it with his own Florges.
• Cao Min ordered Cradily to use Swords Dance, Earthquake, and Stone Edge, while Cheng Tian had Florges recover with Wish and Synthesis.
• Cheng Tian had Florges use Safeguard and Petal Dance to evade Earthquake and charge Cradily, but Florges suddenly lost strength and fell.
• Haunter used Skill Swap to slow Florges’s fall, and Cao Min realized it had evolved just before the battle and warned Cheng Tian that its power had not stabilized.
• Cao Min’s Lurantis used Sunny Day, Pollen Puff, and Giga Drain to restore Florges, which woke up and reassured Cheng Tian.

After Cheng Tian completed two test matches, Director He Xisong took him to conduct his final test. The chapter ended as Cheng Tian faced He Xisong’s level 38 Gligar with Frogadier.

• Cao Min and Cheng Tian recalled their Pokémon, and He Xisong warned Cheng Tian to monitor his partners’ condition.
• Granny Du assigned Cao Min to train with Gang, but Liang Pingfeng arrived to report that Long Weixi’s Noivern had eaten an Aguav Berry and become confused.
• Long Weixi rushed outside to deal with Noivern, and Cao Min slipped away by volunteering to fill her vacant position.
• He Xisong learned that Cheng Tian had completed two test matches and led him to a new arena for his final test.
• Cheng Tian sent out Frogadier, while He Xisong chose his clingy level 38 Gligar, promising it another berry if it won.

Cheng Tian and Frogadier prepared a full-strength attack against He Xisong’s Gligar, using boosted moves and a new technique to learn Waterfall. Frogadier’s Waterfall broke through Gligar’s defense, and it followed up with Liquidation, though its leg was injured by the effort.

• Cheng Tian had Frogadier build its attack with Swords Dance while He Xisong had Gligar raise its speed with Rock Polish.
• Frogadier used Aerial Ace and Steam Mode to scorch Gligar’s pincer, then demonstrated the Waterfall technique Cheng Tian had helped it develop through training.
• Frogadier successfully learned Waterfall by building momentum with repeated jumps and Swords Dance.
• Frogadier unleashed its boosted Waterfall, but Gligar used Rock Tomb and Steel Wing to escape the main force of the attack.
• Frogadier vanished after the Waterfall broke apart and struck Gligar with Liquidation, knocking it to the ground while injuring its own leg.

Cheng Tian’s Frogadier lost to He Xisong’s Gligar after a fierce exchange, and He Xisong praised Cheng Tian’s talent. Outside, a frenzied Noivern threatened the school grounds, prompting Long Weixi to Mega Evolve her Altaria.

• Frogadier struck Gligar with a boosted Liquidation, but Gligar survived by using Substitute and countered with Counter.
• Gligar overwhelmed Frogadier with X-Scissor, Acrobatics, and a close-range Earthquake, knocking it out.
• Cheng Tian accepted the loss, and He Xisong praised his power and urged him to shine in June.
• Cheng Tian went outside and found Long Weixi’s confused Noivern fighting Liang Pingfeng’s Talonflame while the teachers struggled to intervene.
• Long Weixi used her Key Stone to Mega Evolve Altaria in an attempt to subdue Noivern.

Long Weixi’s Mega Altaria helped subdue her rampaging Noivern, and she explained Mega Evolution and the rare stones it required to Cheng Tian. Cheng Tian set aside his hopes of pursuing it for now and returned to training.

• Long Weixi Mega Evolved Altaria and used its attacks alongside the other Trainers to subdue Noivern without seriously harming it.
• Long Weixi apologized for Noivern’s rampage, and Granny Du reassured her before calling Liang Pingfeng aside.
• Cheng Tian asked Long Weixi how Mega Evolution worked, and she told him his Pokémon needed to reach their final forms and that Mega Stones and Key Stones were rare and expensive.
• Long Weixi described her master’s tale of a Hydreigon Mystery Realm, then admitted Hydreigon could not Mega Evolve.
• Cheng Tian decided to focus on training and returned to the grounds to treat his Pokémon and check on his companions’ battles.

After the midterm results came out, Bai Yun learned that Lin Lin had been eliminated from the training camp and would soon return to the mainland. Cheng Tian helped Bai Yun catch up with Lin Lin as she departed, where Bai Yun confessed his feelings and Lin Lin accepted.

• Yu Fei, Shen Gun, Bai Yun, and Su Han received their midterm rankings, while Cheng Tian waited for his result and spoke with Su Han by phone.
• Bai Yun told Cheng Tian that Lin Lin had been eliminated and planned to return to Bingzhou, and Cheng Tian urged him to tell her how he felt before she left.
• Lin Lin boarded a Corviknight to leave Training Island, and Cheng Tian and Bai Yun caught up to her on Noivern.
• Bai Yun reassured Lin Lin that he did not hate her and promised to stay in touch with her after she returned home.
• Bai Yun asked Lin Lin to be his girlfriend, and Lin Lin accepted while leaping into his arms.

After the midterm exam, Director He invited the five top students to join China’s Reserve Team for the June Exchange Tournament and granted them leave to train or visit home. He gave Cheng Tian a Key Stone and Wristband as his reward, then called Su Han to his office.

• Liang Pingfeng brought Cheng Tian to Director He’s office, where He Xisong congratulated the five top midterm students and invited them to join the Reserve Team for the Exchange Tournament.
• He Xisong explained that the students would leave on June 13 to observe and learn, though they might face battles against other countries’ young reserve teams.
• He Xisong granted the five students free leave to train or visit their hometowns before departure, provided they returned to the Training Camp on time.
• After the other students left, He Xisong praised Cheng Tian and gave him a Key Stone and a Wristband.
• He Xisong sent for Su Han, who entered his office unsure what to do.