Chapter Summaries

After Cheng Tian’s Greninja defeated Mega Charizard, Magic University celebrated its championship while Shi Pokémon League handed the trophy to Cheng Tian. He Xisong then proposed separate volunteer teaching assignments for Cheng Tian and Su Han, which Cheng Tian realized would help him pursue his mission to the Temple of the Sea.

• Meng Ha and Bai Momo congratulated Cheng Tian after Greninja defeated Mega Charizard, while Cheng Tian credited Mega Garchomp with creating the opening.
• He Xisong led both teams to the awards ceremony, where Shi Pokémon League presented the trophy to Cheng Tian instead of Bai Momo.
• He Xisong told Cheng Tian that Greninja’s mutation was progressing well and that meeting Manaphy might reveal what had happened.
• Cheng Tian welcomed Su Han inside from the cold, and she explained that He Xisong was friends with her grandfather.
• He Xisong offered Su Han three months of volunteer teaching and said Cheng Tian would teach separately in coastal cities and visit Water-type Trainers.
• Cheng Tian realized He Xisong was arranging for Su Han to be away so he could continue his mission to the Temple of the Sea.

Cheng Tian and Su Han prepared for three months apart as she agreed to volunteer teach in Bingzhou and he planned to leave for training. Back in Magic City, Cheng Tian asked Bai Yun to keep Su Han from discovering his plans and sought Counselor Liang’s approval for an extended leave, ending with him asking He Xisong for help.

• Su Han agreed to volunteer teach in Bingzhou after He Xisong promised to arrange the assignment, and she and Cheng Tian discussed being apart for three months.
• After returning to Magic City, Cheng Tian noticed Bai Yun had a newly hatched Riolu and later asked Bai Yun to help keep Su Han settled while he went away.
• Bai Yun agreed to help conceal Cheng Tian’s plans during Su Han’s volunteer teaching assignment.
• Cheng Tian asked Counselor Liang for at least three months of leave, but she objected that he would miss classes, exams, and academic requirements.
• When Counselor Liang still refused, Cheng Tian had Rotom message He Xisong’s private number for help.

Su Han and Cheng Tian prepared for their engagement banquet, with Su Han ordering Cheng Tian a custom suit. Cheng Tian realized they still needed engagement rings and rushed off to find a shop.

• Su Han took Cheng Tian to a Magic City suit shop and chose expensive fabric for his custom engagement outfit.
• The staff measured Cheng Tian, and Su Han paid for the suit after asking whether its design could be finished sooner.
• Su Han listed the engagement preparations and said they should split up, leaving Cheng Tian confused as she drove away.
• Cheng Tian's mother asked to see their engagement rings, prompting him to realize they had not bought any.
• Cheng Tian asked Rotom to locate a nearby ring shop and ran off to buy an engagement ring.

Cheng Tian chose an Eternal Heart engagement ring for Su Han while Su Han bought a gift and called her father with news of their relationship. After learning they had been dating for three years and were getting engaged, Su Mulin rushed to Magic City.

• Cheng Tian used Su Han's message to learn her ring size and selected an Eternal Heart ring symbolizing lifelong devotion.
• Su Han left a jewelry store pleased with her purchase, and Xiao Ye reflected on how much she had changed.
• Su Han called Su Mulin and told him she had a boyfriend, leaving him stunned.
• Su Han revealed that she and Cheng Tian had been dating for three years and that she was getting engaged.
• Su Mulin grabbed his coat and announced that he was heading to Magic City immediately.

Su Han took Cheng Tian to school in a space-expanded backpack after transforming into a Gardevoir girl. During class, Cheng Tian accidentally emerged from the bag and left Su Han struggling to answer the teacher’s question.

• Cheng Tian woke up, saw Gardevoir girl Su Han, and fainted again.
• Su Han fed Cheng Tian Pokéblocks, cuddled him, and stuffed him into her schoolbag when she left for school.
• Cheng Tian discovered that Secret Power had expanded the backpack’s interior into a large space.
• At school, Su Han secretly opened the backpack during class to let Cheng Tian get some air.
• The schoolbag tipped over as Su Han was called on, and Cheng Tian’s upper body poked out while she tried to answer the question.

Cheng Tian panicked when Su Han told him her father had arrived and wanted to meet him, so Bai Yun and Lin Lin helped him prepare before he went to see the Su family. He entered Old Master Su’s office and found Su Mulin kneeling while Old Master Su scolded him for choosing politics over the family business.

• Cheng Tian learned that Su Han’s father had arrived and was waiting to meet him.
• Bai Yun and Lin Lin lent Cheng Tian clothes, helped him with makeup, and urged him to go without bringing a gift.
• Xiao Ye drove Cheng Tian to the office, reassuring him that Old Master Su was there.
• Su Han greeted Cheng Tian and told him that her suit was ready while her father spoke with Old Master Su.
• Cheng Tian entered the office and saw Su Mulin kneeling as Old Master Su rebuked him for refusing to inherit the business and entering politics.

Su Mulin refused to approve Cheng Tian and Su Han’s relationship until Cheng Tian proved his strength in a Trainer battle. He challenged Cheng Tian to hurt his level 62 Kingambit, which would not use any moves.

• Su Mulin questioned Cheng Tian about his relationship with Su Han and said he could not yet approve their marriage.
• Old Master Su approved of Cheng Tian, but Su Mulin insisted Cheng Tian prove he was worthy of Su Han.
• Su Mulin led Cheng Tian to a basement battlefield while Su Han nervously asked Old Master Su to speak up for Cheng Tian.
• Su Mulin sent out his level 62 Kingambit against Cheng Tian’s Greninja and challenged Cheng Tian to hurt it without Kingambit using any moves.

Cheng Tian and Greninja faced Su Mulin’s powerful Kingambit, which effortlessly dispelled their attacks with its killing intent. Greninja endured Kingambit’s blade-polishing pressure but was struck and sent flying during a close-range attack, while Kingambit’s slash carved into the battlefield near Cheng Tian.

• Cheng Tian ordered Greninja to use Water Shuriken, but Kingambit dispersed the attack with its killing force without moving from its seated position.
• Cheng Tian used a coded command to have Greninja activate Mind Reader and attack again, but Kingambit polished its blade and sent Greninja reeling with the hum of its killing intent.
• Kingambit continued polishing its blade, forcing Greninja to use Protect against the pressure, then acknowledged Greninja for standing firm.
• Cheng Tian ordered Greninja into Steam Mode and had it charge with Liquidation, but Kingambit turned and struck Greninja in the abdomen, sending it flying.
• Kingambit’s blade aura cut the battlefield just in front of Cheng Tian, who wondered whether Su Mulin was putting him in his place as his future father-in-law.

Cheng Tian faced Su Mulin’s Kingambit in a test of whether he could protect Xiaohan and win her family’s approval. Greninja wounded Kingambit with a surprise attack, earning Su Mulin’s acknowledgment, while Su Han celebrated and Old Master Su assigned Su Mulin a two-hour sparring punishment.

• Kingambit badly wounded Greninja with a single strike, so Cheng Tian asked to give Greninja a helper and tossed it the Fisherman Hat, which transformed into a katana.
• Greninja used Double Team and Liquidation, but Kingambit read its intent and outmatched it in swordplay until knocking its katana away.
• As Kingambit brought its cleaving blade down, Greninja used Substitute to evade and thrust a water spike through Kingambit’s right shoulder.
• Su Mulin admitted Cheng Tian had won, recalled Kingambit, and said Cheng Tian was good but still needed to be observed and shaped.
• Su Han hugged Cheng Tian, while Old Master Su ordered Su Mulin to spar with his Kingambit for two hours as punishment.

As Cheng Tian prepared for the upcoming Temple of the Sea expedition, two men tried to steal his shiny Milotic, but he easily defeated them and confronted their masked accomplice. The masked man shot at Cheng Tian, and after Gengar blocked the bullets, someone launched a Poison Sting at the back of Cheng Tian’s neck.

• Cheng Tian planned to buy emergency supplies and moves for the Temple of the Sea expedition scheduled for March 1, using funding from He Xisong.
• Cheng Tian spotted two men following him and lured them into a secluded alley.
• The two men sent out Victreebel and Pinsir and demanded Cheng Tian hand over Milotic.
• Cheng Tian’s Milotic blasted one attacker with Hydro Pump, while a ghostly face frightened the other unconscious, and Cheng Tian subdued their Pokémon.
• A masked man with a vermilion birthmark stepped from the shadows, offered Cheng Tian a chance to work with him, then fired several shots.
• Gengar blocked the bullets, but a Poison Sting shot toward the back of Cheng Tian’s neck.

Cheng Tian foiled an ambush by Pokémon traffickers after Ditto blocked their attack and police arrived, then had Gengar extract one attacker’s memories. He learned the traffickers had targeted his Shiny Milotic, leaving him furious and intent on confronting the people behind the scheme.

• Ditto saved Cheng Tian from a Poison Sting, and a green-haired woman and a man with a vermilion mole confronted him with several powerful Pokémon, demanding his Pokémon.
• Cheng Tian revealed that he had alerted He Xisong, and police surrounded the traffickers before they could take him hostage.
• Cheng Tian’s Pokémon appeared and turned the fight in his favor, while Lairon reacted with rage toward the man with the vermilion mole.
• After Officer Li took the suspects into custody, Cheng Tian used Gengar to extract the mole-marked man’s memories.
• Cheng Tian learned the traffickers had planned for months to steal his Shiny Milotic and resolved to go after those responsible.

After recognizing one of Lairon’s parents’ killers, Cheng Tian supported Lairon’s resolve to seek revenge and traveled to Qinzhou to help it evolve. He met Yang Yonggang, who welcomed him and learned about his recent championship win.

• Cheng Tian recognized a Pokémon trafficker from the attack that had destroyed Lairon’s family, and Lairon wept as it resolved to avenge its parents.
• Cheng Tian comforted Lairon and told it to break free of its grief by confronting the past itself.
• Cheng Tian told Su Han he was going to Qinzhou for something important involving Lairon, and she trusted him and urged him to stay safe.
• Cheng Tian asked He Xisong to help Lairon complete its final evolution before the trip, and He Xisong arranged a meeting with Yang Yonggang.
• Yang Yonggang met Cheng Tian in Qinzhou, treated him to dinner, and heard that Cheng Tian’s School Team had won the collegiate league championship.

After learning that Yang Yonggang was helping Qinzhou’s armed police investigate a poaching ring, Cheng Tian persuaded him to let him join the dangerous operation to confront the people who had harmed Lairon. On the fifth day, hundreds of officers set out for an abandoned mine in Wumeng District, where nationally wanted ring leader Xu Shixiong was believed to be hiding.

• Yang Yonggang received word that the police had pinpointed the poaching ring’s location and was invited to discuss an arrest plan.
• Cheng Tian asked to join the operation so Lairon could face the people connected to its unresolved grievance, and Yang Yonggang eventually agreed.
• Cheng Tian learned that the ring had a broad supply and sales network, while the police sought to catch its members and uncover their protectors.
• Officer Xing approved Cheng Tian’s participation, and he joined Yang Yonggang and hundreds of armed officers heading out before dawn.
• The police traced the ring to an abandoned mine in Qinzhou’s Wumeng District, where wanted criminal Xu Shixiong was believed to be based.

Cheng Tian joined a large police operation to raid an illegal mining site in Qinzhou, where Lairon had once lived and hoped to avenge its parents. The officers quietly subdued several guard posts, but the operation was discovered, and Cheng Tian and Yang Yonggang prepared to respond to the new threats.

• Cheng Tian recalled that Lairon had likely come from Qinzhou and watched Lairon return to its former home, determined to avenge its parents.
• Police Officer Xing coordinated nearly eight hundred officers as they surrounded the mining site and began the operation.
• A reconnaissance squad used Pokémon and Stun Spores to incapacitate a guard post and arrest its occupants without raising an alarm.
• Police Officer Xing received reports that squads had been discovered and were facing powerful enemies, then rode west while Yang Yonggang prepared to take Cheng Tian east.

Xu Shixiong discovered that his mining base was under attack and fought the Armed Police Officers with his Tyranitar. Yang Yonggang and Cheng Tian confronted him, ordering him to surrender or be shot.

• Xu Shixiong learned that Sixth Brother had failed and ordered his men to secure the base and monitor the surrounding area.
• Xu Shixiong noticed the watchtower lights had gone out, then ordered his men to fight back after an explosion confirmed the base was under attack.
• Xu Shixiong flew to a watchtower on his Mandibuzz and released his blind Tyranitar to battle the Armed Police Officers.
• The Armed Police Officers protected their Pokémon from Tyranitar's Earthquake, and an Aggron charged in and struck Tyranitar with Heavy Slam.
• Yang Yonggang and Cheng Tian arrived atop a Magnezone and demanded that Xu Shixiong surrender or be shot.

Yang Yonggang and Cheng Tian joined forces against Xu Shixiong’s criminal gang as reinforcements turned the confrontation into a large battle. While Aggron overpowered Tyranitar, Lairon interrupted its attack and faced the enemy from its past, intent on revenge.

• Yang Yonggang confronted Xu Shixiong and revealed his powerful Steel-type Pokémon team as Xu Shixiong sent out his own team.
• A man and a woman arrived as reinforcements, and their side attacked the armed police while Yang Yonggang and Cheng Tian tried to stop Xu Shixiong from escaping.
• Cheng Tian sent out his six Pokémon, then followed Lairon as it charged at Tyranitar despite the danger.
• Aggron overwhelmed Tyranitar with heavy attacks, and Xu Shixiong ordered Tyranitar to use Hyper Beam to force Aggron back.
• Lairon interrupted Tyranitar’s Stone Edge and struck it, but Cheng Tian had to order Protect to shield Lairon from Tyranitar’s Low Kick.

Xu Shixiong Mega Evolved Tyranitar into the Desert Tyrant, prompting Yang Yonggang to Mega Evolve Aggron into a metal behemoth. As the two powerful Pokémon clashed, Lairon struggled to break free from Houndoom and reach the battle.

• Lairon and Florges defeated Conkeldurr, and Lairon reached level 41.
• Tyranitar used Earthquake to disrupt the battlefield, while Xu Shixiong Mega Evolved it into Mega Tyranitar.
• Mega Tyranitar unleashed Stone Edge and Earthquake, forcing Cheng Tian and Yang Yonggang's Pokémon to defend themselves.
• Yang Yonggang Mega Evolved Aggron, and Mega Aggron and Mega Tyranitar traded powerful attacks.
• Lairon continued fighting Houndoom despite its wounds, determined to reach the clash between the Mega Pokémon.

Lairon evolved into Aggron during his battle with Houndoom, then joined Mega Aggron to fight Mega Tyranitar. Aggron recognized the killer of his parents and attacked it with furious determination.

• Houndoom and Lairon exchanged attacks until Houndoom burned Lairon with Fire Blast and Hitmonlee moved in to strike.
• Under the pressure of the battle, Lairon broke through to level 41 and evolved into Aggron, punching Hitmonlee away and knocking out Houndoom with Earthquake.
• Cheng Tian equipped his Key Stone and told Aggron to support Coach Yang's Mega Aggron against Mega Tyranitar.
• Aggron and Mega Aggron struck Mega Tyranitar together, and Aggron smashed its armor before biting into its shoulder.
• Aggron realized Mega Tyranitar was the Pokémon that had killed his parents and tore a chunk of flesh from its shoulder.

Cheng Tian and the two Mega Aggron defeated Xu Shixiong’s Mega Tyranitar, ending the battle with Tyranitar’s death. Mega Aggron avenged its parents and wept over their loss.

• Mega Aggron and Mega Tyranitar fought fiercely, while Xu Shixiong ordered Tyranitar to keep fighting despite its injuries.
• Mega Tyranitar used Dragon Dance and Thrash, and Cheng Tian gave Aggron its Mega Stone and Mega Evolved it.
• Cheng Tian’s Mega Aggron and Yang Yonggang’s Mega Aggron drove Tyranitar into a mining mountain, crushing Xu Shixiong in their charge.
• After Tyranitar fainted and reverted from Mega Evolution, Cheng Tian ordered Aggron to use Take Down, and Aggron pierced Tyranitar’s heart.
• Mega Aggron battered Tyranitar’s corpse before stopping and crying as it declared its parents avenged.

After the Qinzhou battle, Cheng Tian helped Aggron grieve at its parents’ graves and watched it return with renewed resolve. He gave Yang Yonggang a Key Stone and Mega Stone, invited him to his engagement ceremony with Su Han, and headed home looking forward to seeing her.

• Yang Yonggang told the Police Officer that most of the criminals had been defeated, though their leader had died before they could question him about his protectors.
• Cheng Tian and Florges left flowers at Aggron's parents' graves, and Aggron mourned them before resolving to keep traveling and grow stronger.
• Aggron rejoined Cheng Tian and the others, and Cheng Tian welcomed its renewed determination as a new day began.
• Yang Yonggang advised Cheng Tian to let Aggron recuperate, and Cheng Tian gave him the Key Stone and Mega Stone he had found near Tyranitar.
• Cheng Tian invited Yang Yonggang to his New Year engagement ceremony with Su Han, and Yang Yonggang agreed to attend.
• On the train home, Cheng Tian thought about Aggron's recovery and looked forward to returning to Su Han.