Recaps

Qingyu tried to teach Eevee Snarl by combining the move with Eevee’s King Engine, but Eevee could only manage a weak squeak. After Eevee fell asleep, Qingyu began a livestream focused on a strategy for removing battlefield hazards.

• Qingyu watched a film with Eevee and observed that frightening scenes activated Eevee’s King Engine.
• Qingyu chose Snarl as Eevee’s next move and played a Mabosstiff training video for it.
• Eevee struggled to imitate Snarl, so Qingyu stopped the lesson and reassured it.
• Eevee fell asleep on the sofa after dinner while Qingyu prepared for his livestream.
• Qingyu teased viewers who were struggling against hazard-stacking teams and introduced a Paldean hazard-removal strategy.

Qingyu showcased a team of common Paldea Pokémon and explained how Maushold could be a powerful battler. In his first match, he faced an opponent using the entry-hazard strategy he had taught viewers and began countering it with Encore and Tidy Up.

• Qingyu added Maushold, Meowscarada, Jumpluff, Talonflame, Corviknight, and Clodsire to his team for a Paldea-themed stream.
• Qingyu reminded viewers that he was the officially certified Gym Leader of the Sunshine Gym in Cabo Poco.
• Qingyu matched with a higher-rated Great Ball opponent whose team used the entry-hazard strategy he had taught.
• The opponent's Skarmory set Stealth Rock, and Qingyu had Maushold use Encore to lock it into repeating the move.
• Qingyu ordered Maushold to use Tidy Up to counter the entry hazards.

Qingyu used Maushold’s Tidy Up to clear hazards and boost its stats, then outpredicted his opponent and disrupted the opponent’s battle plan. Maushold nearly defeated Metagross with Population Bomb as the battle continued.

• Qingyu had Maushold use Tidy Up to sweep away Stealth Rock and boost its Attack and Speed, then ordered it to use the move again when Skarmory laid more hazards.
• Qingyu’s opponent recalled Skarmory and sent out Bronzong, but Maushold’s Taunt stopped Bronzong from using Trick Room.
• Qingyu predicted the opponent’s Explosion command and had Maushold use Protect, leaving Bronzong knocked out while Maushold remained unharmed.
• Qingyu sent Maushold after the opponent’s Metagross with Population Bomb, draining most of its HP in a rapid series of attacks.

Qingyu used Maushold to sweep through opponents on stream and nearly reached Great Ball rank, but a missed Population Bomb cost him his promotion match. After joking that Garchomp was less distinguished than Maushold, he discovered that Cynthia herself had watched the stream and heard him.

• Qingyu's Maushold overwhelmed an opponent's Metagross and won the match 4-0, while Qingyu explained how Rocky Helmet and Rough Skin could counter Population Bomb.
• Qingyu swept several Hazard Stack teams with Maushold and reached the Great Ball rank promotion match, but Population Bomb missed and he lost.
• When viewers asked how to counter Maushold, Qingyu recommended Garchomp and joked that it lacked Maushold's Mouse Dance.
• Cynthia, identified as the new Sinnoh League Champion, sent Qingyu a paid message teasing him about making Garchomp angry.

After becoming Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia finished selecting three new Elite Four members and finally had time to reconnect with her childhood friend Qingyu. She discovered that Qingyu had become a streamer and entered his livestream, where her teasing message left him sweating nervously.

• Cynthia defeated Lucian in an Elite Four assessment, then told him he had passed alongside Flint and Aaron.
• Bertha reassured Lucian that he was qualified and recalled that the previous Elite Four had managed to defeat only two of Cynthia's Pokémon during her Victory Road challenge.
• Back at her villa, Cynthia found Qingyu's message saying he had recovered and wanted to keep the Sunshine Gym running in Paldea.
• Cynthia replied to Qingyu and watched his videos under the streamer name Azure Feather, recognizing his familiar voice.
• Cynthia entered Qingyu's livestream and sent a gold paid message joking that Garchomp would be angry about his insult.

Qingyu ended his stream after Cynthia unexpectedly appeared, then spent an hour chatting with her and learned she planned to visit the Sunshine Gym the next day. Cynthia revealed she intended to bring him a Pokémon, while Garchomp protested after she decided to take him along.

• Cynthia recognized Qingyu during his stream and sent him a paid message, prompting him to end the broadcast.
• Qingyu messaged Cynthia, and they chatted for an hour before realizing it was nearly four in the morning in Sinnoh.
• Cynthia told Qingyu she would visit the Sunshine Gym the next day to deliver him a Pokémon.
• Cynthia privately admitted her grandmother had not asked her to deliver the Pokémon, though a suitable Pokémon was available at the laboratory.
• Cynthia woke Garchomp and announced that they would travel to Paldea the next day, leaving him bewildered and unwilling.

Nemona trained Pawmi and challenged Qingyu to another battle while he waited for Cynthia to arrive from Sinnoh. Cynthia reached the Sunshine Gym and greeted Qingyu, leaving Nemona stunned that he knew the New Sinnoh Champion.

• Nemona trained Pawmi's punching and stamina under Qingyu's guidance.
• Cynthia flew toward Paldea on Garchomp after Qingyu sent her the gym's location.
• Nemona challenged Qingyu, and Eevee easily wore Pawmi out in battle.
• Cynthia arrived at the Sunshine Gym, greeted Qingyu, and shocked Nemona, who realized they knew each other.

Qingyu reunited with Cynthia and discussed his past, Nemona’s ambitions, and the value of a Trainer’s bonds with Pokémon. Cynthia brought out a Riolu and offered Qingyu the chance to earn its recognition.

• Qingyu felt isolated as Eevee cuddled with Cynthia and Pawmi hid behind Nemona, while Garchomp glared at him over an old bathing mishap.
• Nemona learned that Qingyu and Cynthia had known each other as children, and Cynthia teased Qingyu about becoming a Champion.
• Qingyu encouraged Nemona to pursue Victory Road, and she eagerly agreed to work hard.
• Cynthia told Qingyu that a strong Trainer needed a team of trusted Pokémon, not just one partner.
• Cynthia released a Riolu from a Luxury Ball and offered Qingyu the chance to gain its recognition.

Qingyu faced Cynthia’s cautious Riolu in a battle to earn Riolu’s approval, with Cynthia withholding commands. Eevee and Riolu exchanged evasive moves and a counterattack without either landing a hit, leaving Qingyu intrigued by the closely matched battle.

• Riolu appeared on the battlefield and judged Qingyu’s Aura while remaining wary of the unfamiliar people around him.
• Qingyu saw that Riolu had the Hidden Ability Prankster and several strong moves, and decided he wanted to catch him.
• Cynthia told Qingyu that Riolu would only follow a Trainer who earned his approval and said she would not give Riolu commands.
• Riolu adopted a defensive stance, so Qingyu ordered Eevee to use Covet and make the first move.
• Riolu dodged with Detect and launched Counter, but Eevee lowered its body and slid past the punch without either Pokémon landing a hit.

Qingyu and Eevee faced Riolu in a tense battle, while Riolu misread their nervousness as deliberate restraint and guidance. After Eevee used Snarl, Riolu accepted Qingyu as its Trainer and joined his team.

• Riolu struggled to understand Eevee’s extraordinary reflexes and the pressure from its pounding heartbeat while Cynthia watched.
• Qingyu worried that Eevee’s attacks would not work, and Riolu mistook his concern for disappointment in its own strength.
• Riolu launched a renewed attack, and Qingyu told Eevee to use Snarl, which made Riolu stop and conclude that the battle had been a lesson.
• Cynthia said Riolu had accepted Qingyu, and Qingyu offered Riolu his hand.
• Riolu sensed Qingyu’s sincere welcome, took his hand, and resolved to train harder as his Pokémon.

Cynthia said goodbye to Qingyu after assuring him that she and everyone in Celestic Town would support him, while Nemona watched excitedly. During his stream, Qingyu introduced Talonflame and its Gale Wings ability, then matched against Larry for his Great Ball promotion match.

• Cynthia declined to stay in Paldea for long but told Qingyu to return to Celestic Town if he needed a place to rest.
• Qingyu asked whether Cynthia would support him if his Gym failed its evaluation, and she promised that she would.
• Cynthia left on Garchomp after saying that Celestic Town would always welcome Qingyu home.
• Qingyu told his viewers that he and Cynthia were childhood friends, then introduced Talonflame as an easy-to-use Pokémon with powerful Gale Wings.
• Qingyu began his Great Ball promotion match and discovered that his opponent was Larry, the Paldea Elite Four member and Medali Gym Leader.

Larry tried to explore a Flying-type battle style in Pokémon Champions after Geeta urged him to change his approach. He faced Qingyu in a ranked match, where Talonflame disrupted Larry’s opening plan with Taunt.

• Larry finished work, ate roasted rice balls at the Treasure Eatery, and returned to the Medali Gym feeling restless.
• Larry remembered Geeta’s request to change his style and decided to try using Flying-type Pokémon in Pokémon Champions.
• Qingyu encountered Larry’s verified Flying-type team in a promotion match and chose Talonflame as his lead.
• Larry sent out Staraptor, which used Thief to steal Talonflame’s Flying Gem after Talonflame boosted with Bulk Up.
• Larry ordered Staraptor to use Whirlwind, but Qingyu’s Talonflame used Taunt first and stopped it.

Qingyu used careful predictions and Maushold’s Population Bomb to remove Larry’s Oricorio, then revealed that his bulky Talonflame could withstand Staraptor’s attacks and recover with Gale Wings-boosted Roost. Larry recognized that he had fallen into Qingyu’s trap, leaving the match tilted in Qingyu’s favor.

• Larry wondered whether Qingyu had predicted Staraptor’s Taunt and recalled Staraptor after its status moves were sealed.
• Qingyu predicted Larry would send out Oricorio and switched to Maushold, whose ten-hit Population Bomb knocked Oricorio out.
• Qingyu brought Talonflame back onto the field, where it faced Staraptor and received another Intimidate.
• Larry used Staraptor’s Flying Gem-boosted Brave Bird, but Talonflame endured the hit with more than half its health remaining.
• Qingyu used Bulk Up and then Gale Wings-boosted Roost to reveal Talonflame’s bulky strategy, and Larry realized he had been drawn into a trap.

Qingyu defeated Paldea Elite Four member Larry in an online battle, reached Great Ball rank, and drew the League’s attention with his Talonflame strategy. After Larry recommended him to Geeta, Geeta and Rika prepared to watch the match recording.

• Qingyu’s Talonflame defeated Larry’s remaining Pokémon, giving Qingyu a 6-1 victory and promotion to Great Ball rank.
• Larry checked Azure Feather’s profile, discovered Qingyu was the eighteen-year-old Sunshine Gym Leader, and reviewed his League records.
• Larry called Geeta and recommended that she pay special attention to Qingyu, promising to send her the battle recording.
• Geeta told Rika that Larry had also recommended Qingyu, and Rika agreed to watch their match recording with her.

Geeta and Rika watched Azure Feather outmaneuver Larry and recognized him as a promising Paldean Trainer. After Qingyu’s stream earned enough growth points to unlock the Daily Shop, he bought a golden Efficiency-Boosting Pill.

• Geeta and Rika watched Azure Feather’s recording and saw him defeat Larry by predicting his tactics and using Talonflame to sweep five Pokémon.
• Rika recognized Azure Feather as the tutorial streamer from Poké TV, and Geeta decided Rika should assess him in a few days.
• Qingyu ended his stream, earned 817 growth points, and saw that his growing rewards came from adding more Paldea-related content.
• Qingyu unlocked the Daily Shop after surpassing 1,000 total growth points and revealed its four daily items.
• Qingyu bought the Efficiency-Boosting Pill for 900 growth points, wondering if it could help Pokémon training.

Qingyu sent Riolu to Galar’s Isle of Armor Dojo with an Efficiency-Boosting Pill to train among Fighting-type challengers. Riolu quickly won several battles, and the trip ended with a powerful Pokémon taking notice of him.

• Qingyu used most of his points to obtain an Efficiency-Boosting Pill and sent Riolu to the Isle of Armor Dojo.
• Riolu arrived on the Isle of Armor and swallowed the pill Qingyu had given him.
• The pill greatly increased Riolu’s experience gain efficiency, and he easily defeated a Karate Master and a Hiker.
• Qingyu edited videos while watching Riolu’s training notifications and considered spending his remaining points to extend the trip.
• A notification said Riolu’s performance had attracted the attention of a powerful Pokémon.

Riolu dominated the Isle of Armor dojo’s Fighters until Urshifu noticed its strength and Mustard invited it to take the dojo’s trial. Qingyu watched in disbelief as Riolu began challenging Mustard, wondering whether it might return with Unseen Fist.

• Riolu defeated Machoke and challenged the dojo’s Fighters, but they refused to battle it after seeing its strength.
• Urshifu emerged from the dojo and met Riolu’s gaze, then acknowledged its strength.
• Honey stopped Mustard from staying in to play video games and sent him to greet the dojo’s visitors.
• Mustard recognized Riolu’s hidden weights and told it to remove them before taking the trial.
• Urshifu guided Riolu toward challenging the Master Dojo, and Riolu began challenging Mustard as Qingyu watched.

Riolu passed Mustard’s entrance trial by defeating his Mienfoo and stayed at the Isle of Armor dojo to train. Qingyu discovered that Riolu was learning Unseen Fist and committed more time to its training.

• Riolu removed its heavy weights and faced Mustard’s Mienfoo in the entrance trial.
• Riolu dodged Mienfoo’s Fake Out, then endured its Feint and Force Palm before knocking it out with one punch.
• Mustard declared Riolu had passed and invited it to train at the dojo, where Mienshao taught it Fake Out.
• Qingyu saw that Riolu’s training goal was Unseen Fist and spent more growth points to extend its stay.

On a rainy day at the Gym, Qingyu decided to feature Chansey in his next stream after Nurse Joy asked for a battle tutorial. He began the broadcast announcing that they would play the “pink demon,” while Riolu and Eevee continued their training and rest.

• Qingyu reviewed his latest Poké TV videos and saw that Maushold and Talonflame had earned praise, including a recommendation from Larry.
• Qingyu noticed Nurse Joy’s request for a Chansey battle tutorial and agreed to show how the Pokémon could fight.
• Qingyu spent the quiet afternoon watching a movie with Eevee and giving Riolu a basic exercise routine to replace its punishing training.
• Qingyu opened his streaming app and announced that the day’s stream would feature the pink demon.

Qingyu demonstrated how his Scientific Minimize Team used Chansey’s special bulk and Minimize to frustrate an opponent into surrendering. He queued for another battle and was matched against Will of Fire, a newly appointed Sinnoh Elite Four member.

• Qingyu explained that his Chansey strategy relied on Eviolite, Minimize, and wearing opponents down.
• Qingyu led with Chansey against his opponent’s Alakazam, whose Psychic barely dented her health.
• Chansey repeatedly used Minimize to evade Alakazam’s attacks, then struck him with Seismic Toss.
• Chansey’s opponent surrendered, and Qingyu explained how the strategy could overwhelm special attackers.
• Qingyu queued again and was matched with Will of Fire, a newly appointed Elite Four member from the Sinnoh Region.

Qingyu faced Sinnoh Elite Four member Flint in Pokémon Champions and used Chansey to counter his sun team. Chansey endured Infernape’s attacks and restored its health with Soft-Boiled, leaving the viewers stunned.

• Flint, Lucian, and Aaron discussed their Elite Four duties, and Aaron urged Flint to improve his battle tactics.
• Flint matched with Qingyu, whose Chansey faced Flint’s sun team led by Ninetales.
• Qingyu predicted Flint’s Ninetales lead and used Charm as Flint switched to Infernape, which was weakened by Chansey’s move.
• Chansey used Minimize and endured two super-effective Close Combat attacks from Infernape.
• Qingyu ordered Soft-Boiled, and Chansey restored its health as the viewers reacted in disbelief.

Qingyu used Chansey’s Minimize-based stall strategy to defeat Flint’s team and showed Nurse Joy how it could help protect Paldea’s outdoor Pokémon Centers. After watching Flint’s replay, Cynthia recognized Qingyu’s username and smiled.

• Chansey used Minimize and Seismic Toss to wear down and knock out Flint’s Infernape and Arcanine.
• Flint sent out Rapidash, but Chansey poisoned it with Toxic, and Flint disconnected before the battle ended.
• Qingyu asked whether Nurse Joy had watched the stream, and Nurse Joy requested a tutorial to share with the Joy family.
• Qingyu realized Chansey’s moves could help protect Nurse Joy and other staff from wild Pokémon at Paldea’s outdoor Pokémon Centers.
• Cynthia arrived at the League office, watched Flint’s replay, and recognized the username Azure Feather.

Qingyu accepted Cynthia’s invitation to battle and published a video demonstrating how to counter his Minimize strategy. After the video attracted attention, Nurse Joy from Flat Dish Town arrived to challenge his Gym.

• Qingyu joked with Cynthia about Flint’s defeat, and Cynthia asked to try his new strategy in a battle.
• Qingyu checked the rankings, saw Cynthia at number two, and agreed to battle her.
• Qingyu’s video showed Chansey using Minimize to defeat a sun team, then demonstrated Garchomp countering the strategy with Dragon Rush.
• The video drew many Nurse Joys’ comments, and Qingyu felt pleased that his advice could help them deal with troublemakers.
• Nurse Joy from Flat Dish Town arrived at Qingyu’s Gym and announced her challenge.

Nurse Joy challenged Qingyu to a Sunshine Gym battle, where Riolu defeated her Chimecho. The chapter ended with Qingyu observing Riolu’s quick judgment and fighting style.

• Qingyu welcomed Nurse Joy to the Sunshine Gym, and Nemona explained the one-on-one battle rules.
• Nurse Joy sent out Chimecho, and Qingyu chose Riolu despite Chimecho’s Psychic typing.
• Nurse Joy ordered Chimecho to use Growl, but Riolu interrupted with Fake Out and followed with Quick Attack.
• Nurse Joy commanded Chimecho to use Extrasensory, and Riolu dodged the attack before striking Chimecho with a chopping blow.
• Riolu defeated Chimecho, and Qingyu decided to trust Riolu’s judgment and learn from its battle style.

Qingyu defeated Nurse Joy in a Gym battle, then praised her tactics and advised her to teach Chimecho Yawn. Nurse Joy invited him to Flat Dish Town to join the Paldea League’s work chat and claim his Tera Orb.

• Nemona declared Riolu the winner after Chimecho was unable to battle.
• Qingyu assessed Nurse Joy’s battle style and said she had passed his standard, though the Sunshine Gym could not issue a Victory Road badge.
• Qingyu recommended that Nurse Joy teach Chimecho Yawn to counter opponents that closed in quickly.
• Nurse Joy praised Qingyu’s guidance and said the Sunshine Gym might be promoted to one of the eight designated Gyms at the year-end assessment.
• Nurse Joy told Qingyu about the Paldea League’s work communication group and invited him to Flat Dish Town to join it and claim his Tera Orb.