Chapter Summaries

A Ghost-type Pokémon disaster devastated Gongshan, killing more than twenty thousand people, and officials suspected it was connected to a banished god sealed away in Bingzhou. Long Lan vowed to alert the central government and investigate while students at Training Island remained unaware.

• At 3:50 a.m. on March 20, cracks opened around Gongshan and hordes of Drifblim and other Ghost-type Pokémon attacked the towns.
• The disaster lasted two hours, killing more than twenty thousand people and damaging over three thousand buildings.
• Long Lan and He Xisong discussed the attack and agreed to suppress public discussion while they sought answers.
• He Xisong connected the attack to the earlier catastrophe that preceded the appearance of a banished god.
• Long Lan recalled how Xiao Qian had died sealing the god in Bingzhou and promised to report the danger to the central government.
• The students at Training Island continued their event, unaware of the disaster.

By mid-April, Su Han's Togepi evolved, and Bai Yun's disobedient Rockruff evolved into Midnight Form Lycanroc during a grueling battle. Bai Yun and Lycanroc left the training ground with their bond strengthened and a renewed resolve to grow stronger.

• Two students from Bingzhou No. 1 High School were eliminated, while the rest of the group continued training on Training Island.
• Su Han's Togepi evolved after their bond deepened, and Rockruff had evolved into Lycanroc about a week earlier.
• Bai Yun struggled with Rockruff's increasing aggression and disobedience, so he sent it into battle during a practical combat lesson.
• The Fighting-type Elite Four member tested Rockruff through a prolonged fight, and Rockruff kept rising despite its injuries and exhaustion.
• Rockruff evolved into Midnight Form Lycanroc and defeated its opponent with Psychic Fangs before collapsing from exhaustion.
• Bai Yun thanked Lycanroc and vowed to train harder alongside his Pokémon to protect what they cherished.

Cheng Tian’s Pokémon grew stronger through intensive training and field missions as May approached. Meanwhile, Gamino’s arrogance strained his team, while Sakuma Kazuo prepared to lead Sakura Country’s team at a pre-tournament exchange.

• Noibat learned several moves, including Dragon Claw, under Noivern’s demanding instruction and reached level 27, while Aron reached level 29 after training with Aggron.
• Cheng Tian focused his missions on battling large, low-level Pokémon populations, helping his Pokémon gain levels and learn new moves while Floette’s appearance continued to change.
• Wells worried that Gamino’s confidence after two consecutive championship wins had made him neglect training and alienate his teammates, though Gamino proved his strength by defeating the team’s members in battle.
• Sakuma Kazuo told Miyamoto Shigeru that Sakura Country would win the upcoming championship and agreed to lead the team at the early-June pre-tournament exchange.

Long Lan and He Xisong arranged Training Island’s participation in the June exchange tournament, while He Xisong announced the upcoming midterm exams and a reserve team. Cheng Tian continued secretly feeding Pokéblocks to Haunter, which finally appeared, and the author ended with a note about feeling worn down by harsh reviews while promising to finish the novel.

• Long Lan discussed the June exchange tournament with a man on a video call, who approved adding promising Training Island students to a reserve team and said someone else would investigate the Nu River incident.
• He Xisong announced that the midterm exams would take place in about a month, with written tests and practical battles, and that the top five would receive a special opportunity.
• He Xisong asked Yang Yonggang to captain the second team at the exchange tournament and said the top five students would join a reserve team, with Su Han guaranteed a spot that would not count toward her midterm ranking.
• Cheng Tian told Bai Yun that he had bought a purple Pokéblock for Floette, though he had secretly been feeding one to Haunter every night for a month.
• Haunter appeared in front of Cheng Tian in the bathroom after he left it another Pokéblock.
• The author thanked readers, described feeling exhausted by hostile reviews, and said the novel would continue to its conclusion.

Cheng Tian persuaded Haunter to help him prepare for the Central Assessment and began battling alongside it. Granny Du examined Haunter’s talents, began developing its Poison type, and urged Cheng Tian to aim for the top five in the Midterm Exam.

• Cheng Tian asked Haunter to help him in the Central Assessment, and Haunter agreed to work with him while hiding in his shadow.
• Cheng Tian and Haunter defeated Bai Yun’s Monferno in their first battle together, though Cheng Tian said they still needed to get in sync.
• Cheng Tian visited Granny Du and asked her to help develop Haunter’s Poison-type talent.
• Granny Du used toxins from her level 65 Toxicroak to help Haunter develop its Poison type and gave Cheng Tian a Sludge Bomb TM.
• Granny Du urged Cheng Tian to aim for the top five in the Midterm Exam, hinting that he could earn rich rewards.

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.