Recaps

Xia You described Johto’s Grass-type Pokémon and travel routes to Erika, who decided to join him on his return trip the next day. After arranging to meet at the Gym, Xia You worried that Sabrina might misunderstand and chose not to tell her.

• Xia You used his Pokédex and phone to explain where he had encountered Grass-type Pokémon in Johto, while Erika listened over tea and cakes.
• Erika said she planned to leave for Johto within a few days, and Xia You suggested she take extra time to explore the region’s sights.
• Xia You invited Erika to travel to Johto with him, and Erika agreed to leave with him the following morning.
• Xia You declined Erika’s offer of a guest room and arranged to meet her at the Gym entrance after spending the night at the Pokémon Center.
• Xia You worried that Sabrina might misunderstand his trip with Erika, but decided not to tell her.

Xia You and Erika left Celadon City and flew to Johto on Charizard. After a long day of travel, they stopped in an unidentified part of Johto to rest for the night.

• Xia You waited for Erika outside the Celadon Gym, and she said goodbye to the girls who worked there.
• Xia You asked Erika how she wanted to travel to Johto, and she chose to ride Charizard with him.
• Xia You helped Erika secure her luggage and board Charizard, then they set off from Celadon City.
• Xia You and Erika flew for a day, stopping once for lunch before reaching Johto near nightfall.
• Xia You suggested they stop and rest for the night since they had arrived in Johto.

Xia You and Erika reached the outskirts of Green Meadow, where a mysterious blue-violet energy erupted from a manor and began turning the landscape into crystal. They left the townspeople at the edge of the expanding crystal field as the police arrived.

• Xia You and Erika rested near the hills, then learned from Erika's travel guide that Green Meadow was a popular destination in Johto.
• Xia You and Erika walked across the hills toward Green Meadow after deciding not to continue riding Charizard.
• Xia You and Erika saw a blue-violet pillar of light erupt from a manor and transform it and the surrounding area into crystal.
• Xia You and Erika hurried to the town and joined the townspeople watching the strange waves of light spread from the manor.
• Xia You tested the energy with a branch, which rapidly turned to crystal, then police cars arrived at the outskirts of the crowd.

Xia You and Erika retreated from the spreading crystal phenomenon and rested at the Pokémon Center, where they learned that the manor belonged to Dr. Xiuli and his family. By morning, the crystal field had expanded considerably, and Officer Jenny arrived in Greenfield Town as the investigation escalated.

• Xia You and Erika left the police cordon and went to the Pokémon Center to rest and recover.
• Nurse Joy arranged rooms and dinner for Xia You and Erika but said she did not know what had caused the crystal phenomenon.
• Xia You woke the next morning and saw that the crystal field had spread about two hundred meters overnight, forming a strange landscape around the vanished manor.
• Nurse Joy told Xia You and Erika that the manor was Dr. Xiuli’s home, that he had gone away to conduct research, and that his assistant had returned alone.
• Nurse Joy explained that Dr. Xiuli’s daughter, Xiaomei, was left in the care of the manor’s butler while her researcher mother had been missing for a long time.
• Xia You and Erika went outside after hearing a commotion and saw Officer Jenny speaking with town police and several unfamiliar men.

Xia You reunited with Ash, Misty, and Brock at the Pokémon Center, where he learned Ash had earned two Johto badges and told the group about the strange crystal-covered area. Brock eagerly asked Xia You for advice on attracting women, but Xia You insisted he and Erika were only friends.

• Xia You and Erika met Ash, Misty, Brock, and Xiao Ling outside the Pokémon Center.
• Ash showed Xia You his Zephyr Badge and Bug Badge, and Xia You said he had earned three badges.
• Ash asked where Sabrina was, and Xia You said she had returned to the Saffron Gym.
• Xia You told Ash and his friends what he knew about the crystals and realized the incident might be from a Pokémon movie.
• Brock grabbed Xia You's hand and asked how he had gotten Sabrina and Erika to travel with him, and Xia You said he and Erika were just friends.

Xia You teased Brock by telling him that girls liked handsome men, leaving Brock devastated. John then explained how Professor Hale vanished amid Unown research and how the Unown appeared around Xiaomei as the estate began crystallizing; Officer Jenny asked the Trainers to help stop the crisis and rescue her.

• Xia You told Brock that the secret to winning girls over was being handsome, and Brock crumpled in despair while Pikachu laughed.
• Erika and the others returned to find Brock sulking, and Xia You said Brock had suffered a major blow to his inner world.
• John arrived and explained that Professor Hale had vanished in a desert ruin, leaving behind a box of Unown writing.
• John said he had given the box to Hale's daughter, Xiaomei, after which the estate began crystallizing and Unown surrounded her.
• Officer Jenny asked the Trainers to stay and help stop the Unown and rescue Xiaomei, and Ash immediately agreed.

While waiting for experts to arrive in Green Meadow, Xia You proposed a six-on-six free-for-all battle to pass the time. The teams took the field and released their Pokémon, leaving the match ready to begin.

• Xiao Ling and Ash challenged Xia You to a battle, and he suggested a three-on-three team free-for-all with all six Trainers participating.
• Misty and Erika joined Xia You's team, while Ash teamed up with Brock and Xiao Ling.
• Xia You set the rules: each team would field six Pokémon, and the team with Pokémon still standing at the end would win.
• Xia You sent out Larvitar and Dragonair, Erika sent out Leafeon and Tangela, and Misty's Psyduck came out on its own alongside Starmie.
• Brock sent out Onix and Golbat, Xiao Ling sent out Aipom and Quagsire, and Ash sent out Pikachu and his golden Shiny Noctowl.
• Erika thanked Xia You for the Leaf Stone that had helped her Eevee evolve into Leafeon, and Xia You said he was glad it had been useful.

Ash and Brock opened the free-for-all by targeting Xia You’s Pokémon, while Erika and Misty defeated Xiao Ling’s Pokémon. After a huge clash left nearly everyone unable to battle, Misty’s Psyduck used Confusion to defeat Noctowl and Golbat, securing the win for Erika and Misty.

• Ash and Brock coordinated attacks against Xia You’s Dragonair and Larvitar, injuring both while Xia You let his Pokémon fight without commands.
• Ash and Brock’s Pokémon overwhelmed Larvitar and pushed Dragonair to the brink, but Erika and Misty defeated Xiao Ling’s Pokémon while the boys focused on Xia You.
• Erika and Misty’s Pokémon joined Dragonair in a pincer attack against Ash and Brock, and the ensuing explosion left most Pokémon unable to battle.
• Ash and Brock sent Noctowl and Golbat after the unharmed Psyduck, who suddenly used Confusion to slam both Pokémon into the ground and win the battle for Erika and Misty.
• Ash felt discouraged by the loss, though he and Brock were happy that they had defeated Xia You’s Pokémon.

After the battle, Professor Oak arrived at the Pokémon Center with Delia to investigate the crystals and check on Dr. Xiuli’s daughter. As everyone learned why Delia had come, Pikachu and Gengar sensed a powerful presence, and Entei descended before them.

• Misty, Erika, and Xiao Ling praised Psyduck after the battle, and Misty revealed that her Water-type Pokémon could not swim.
• Xia You and the others returned to the Pokémon Center, where Professor Oak arrived with Officer Jenny’s escort and surprised Ash and his friends.
• Delia reunited with Ash and explained that she had come with Professor Oak because she was worried about Dr. Xiuli’s daughter.
• Delia showed Ash and the others a photograph of their family with Professor Oak and Dr. Xiuli’s family, taken years earlier in Pallet Town.
• Pikachu and Gengar sensed an approaching threat, and Entei descended in front of Xia You, Erika, and the others.

Entei abducted Delia and carried her into the crystal forest, leaving Ash desperate to pursue her. Xia You, Erika, and Professor Oak urged caution, and Oak reported that the crystals were weakening and a road to the estate would be cleared that night.

• Ash scanned Entei with his Pokédex, and Xia You realized it was a manifestation connected to the Unown and the estate's crystals.
• Delia stepped toward Entei, which called her Mama, hypnotized her, and carried her away.
• Ash tried to chase Entei into the crystal forest, but Brock restrained him while Xia You and Erika urged him not to rush in.
• Xia You told Professor Oak about Delia's abduction, and the group met Oak at the Pokémon Center.
• Professor Oak reported that the crystals did not affect humans or Pokémon, were spreading more slowly, and that Officer Jenny's bulldozers would clear a road to the estate that night.

After receiving a mysterious video showing Xiaomei with Ash’s mother and missing Dr. Xiuli, Ash decided to rush to Crystal Petal to rescue Delia. Xia You, Misty, and Brock joined him, and the group entered the Crystal Forest, determined to face Entei.

• Professor Oak received a mysterious video in which Xiaomei said her parents had returned and asked everyone not to disturb them, prompting Misty to wonder about her connection to Delia and Dr. Xiuli.
• Ash grew worried about Delia and sneaked out of the Pokémon Center with Pikachu to head for Crystal Petal.
• Xia You met Ash on the road and said he would accompany him, while Misty and Brock caught up and joined them.
• Xia You explained that Erika and Xiao Ling had stayed behind to distract Professor Oak and Officer Jenny, then led the group through the sunflower fields toward the Crystal Forest.
• The group entered the silent forest, found the surrounding plants and ground encased in crystals too hard to break, and discussed how to face Entei.
• Ash said he and Pikachu could defeat Entei if they gave it everything they had, and Xia You encouraged the group to find a way to handle the Legendary Pokémon.

Xia You and his companions followed a river through the Crystal Forest and entered the crystal-encased Petal Tower. As they searched the greenhouse for a way forward, Erika warned Xia You that Professor Oak had learned of their operation after a TV reporter filmed them.

• Xia You led the group upstream through the river, but Entei attacked Team Rocket's airship, giving them a chance to hide.
• Xia You and Misty flew to a high drainage outlet on Charizard, while Ash and Brock climbed up using Vine Whip from Bulbasaur and Chikorita.
• The group entered the Petal Tower's greenhouse and saw that crystals had transformed nearly all of it, apart from a flower house.
• Erika called Xia You and told him that Professor Oak had discovered their operation after a TV reporter broadcast footage of them sneaking away.

Ash and his companions entered the Crystal Tower to rescue Delia and learned that Unown had likely shaped its crystalline surroundings from Xiaomei’s thoughts. On an illusory grassland inside the tower, they encountered an older-looking Xiaomei riding Entei, who insisted that only her parents were there.

• Professor Oak told Ash’s group that Unown might have created the crystallization from Xiaomei’s thoughts and advised them to wait for the rescue team if danger arose.
• Ash and his companions crossed the conservatory and manor, then climbed through the crystal maze to an illusory grassland inside the tower.
• Xia You explained that the grassland was likely part of Xiaomei’s imagined inner world, and Misty spotted a staircase leading upward.
• A young woman resembling Xiaomei arrived on Entei and challenged Ash and Xia You to battle.
• Ash asked Entei where it had taken his mother, and the young woman revealed herself as Xiaomei by insisting that only her papa and mama were there.

Xia You, Ash, and Misty climbed through Xiaomei’s illusions to rescue Delia while Brock and then Misty stayed behind to battle Xiaomei’s avatars. Xia You and Ash continued toward the next level as Misty faced Xiaomei on the beach.

• Ash demanded that Xiaomei give Delia back, and Xiaomei challenged him to battle for her.
• Brock stayed behind to battle Xiaomei, while Xia You, Ash, and Misty headed upstairs to find Delia.
• Xia You, Ash, and Misty crossed a strange crystal-filled void and reached an illusory beach beneath a dusk sky.
• Xiaomei appeared before them again with Entei, and Xia You realized Brock had likely lost his battle.
• Misty stepped forward to battle Xiaomei so Xia You and Ash could continue toward Delia.

Xia You and Ash reached Xiaomei’s bedroom, where Ash reunited with Delia and learned she was safe. Xiaomei awakened and used crystals to separate Ash and Xia You, forcing them to split up: Ash would protect Delia while Xia You searched for the Unown.

• Xia You and Ash climbed to the top of Petal Tower after leaving Misty to battle Xiaomei below.
• Ash found Delia sitting on Xiaomei’s bed, and she told him she was unharmed.
• Delia explained that the Pokémon who had brought her there had left, and Ash told her about Entei and the Unown.
• Xiaomei woke up and refused to let Delia leave, then raised sharp crystals throughout the room.
• Entei appeared beside Xiaomei and ordered Ash to leave Delia behind, but Ash refused.
• Xia You and Ash agreed to split up, with Ash protecting Delia and Xia You searching for the Unown.

Xia You searched the Crystal Tower for the Unown and learned from the Team Rocket Trio where they had seen them. He left the trio climbing toward Ash, trusting Ash to handle them while he continued his search.

• Xia You met Brock and Misty on the crystal stairs and sent them to help Ash fight Entei.
• Xia You found the illusory spaces had vanished, then encountered Jessie, James, and Meowth climbing toward the top of the tower.
• James told Xia You that the Unown were gathered in a room below, circling and giving off black light.
• Xia You praised the Team Rocket Trio for accidentally distracting Entei before flying away, leaving them confused and wary.
• After the trio resumed climbing in search of treasure, Xia You and Gengar reappeared and continued toward the Unown, leaving Ash to deal with them.

Xia You found the unstable energy and Unown ritual at the bottom of the Crystal Tower and tried to stop them. When a second Entei appeared and fled rather than fight near the energy, Xia You pursued it, hoping to weaken the energy by defeating it.

• Xia You and Gengar reached the crystal-covered room, where dozens of Unown circled a volatile mass of red energy.
• Xia You brought Gardevoir and Charizard into the room and decided to stop the Unown from gathering energy before releasing it.
• Gardevoir pulled one Unown from the circle with Confusion, but Xia You made it release the Unown when the others began trembling.
• Gengar tried Hypnosis on the Unown, but the move had no effect.
• Entei broke through a wall into the room, and Xia You ordered Charizard and Gardevoir to attack it.
• Entei fled through the wall, so Xia You and his three Pokémon chased after it.

Xia You pursued Entei through the Crystal Tower and discovered that it was a real Legendary Pokémon rather than an Unown creation. Suicune arrived to protect Entei, and Xia You decided to catch both while leaving the Unown to Ash and the others.

• Xia You and his Pokémon chased Entei up the Crystal Tower stairs, and Charizard blocked its path so Gardevoir and the others could attack.
• Entei fought off Xia You's three Pokémon, broke through a crystal wall, and escaped outside the tower, where the battle continued.
• Xia You realized that Entei was real and guessed that the strange events around the tower had drawn it there.
• Suicune appeared and struck Charizard with a powerful Water-type attack, seemingly intervening to save Entei.
• Xia You decided to switch to a catching battle against Entei and Suicune, leaving the Unown to Ash and the others.

Xia You sent Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres to battle Entei and Suicune outside the Crystal Tower, while Ash and the others remained inside fighting the manifested Entei. The battle damaged the tower and forced Raikou out of hiding, bringing all three Legendary Beasts together.

• Xia You released Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres and ordered them to stop Entei and Suicune from escaping.
• Entei and Suicune fled in opposite directions but were forced into battle against the three Legendary Birds.
• Xia You recalled Charizard and watched the Legendary Pokémon fight without directing them, while Gardevoir and Gengar protected him.
• Ash, Brock, and Misty heard the explosions from inside the Crystal Tower and Misty guessed that Xia You was battling Pokémon outside.
• The battle shook the Crystal Tower and a lightning strike shattered one of its spires, forcing Raikou out of hiding onto the battlefield.

Raikou joined Entei and Suicune against Xia You's Legendary Birds, turning the battle into a three-on-three fight amid violent storms that obscured the combatants. From a distant slope, Professor Oak speculated that the Unown had created the Legendary Birds from Ash and the others' memories to oppose Xiaomei's Legendary Beasts.

• Xia You used his Pokédex to identify Raikou, which emerged from hiding and attacked Zapdos.
• Raikou joined Entei and Suicune, balancing the fight against the three Legendary Birds.
• A storm of rain, ice, snow, and fire obscured the battle as the six Pokémon exchanged attacks around the Crystal Tower.
• Gardevoir shielded Xia You from the rain while he watched the Legendary Birds coordinate better than the Legendary Beasts.
• Professor Oak, John, Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, Xiao Ling, and Erika watched from a slope as a reporter asked Professor Oak why the Legendary Pokémon were fighting.
• Professor Oak suggested that the Unown had created the Legendary Birds from Ash and the others' memories to fight Xiaomei's Legendary Beasts.

Erika left the Pokémon Center to reach Xia You at the Crystal Tower, while the rescue team struggled to approach through the dangerous weather. As the tower broke open, Ash and the others saw six Legendary Pokémon battling outside, and Misty spotted Xia You among them.

• Erika failed to reach Xia You by phone and slipped away toward the Crystal Tower.
• The rescue team arrived at the Pokémon Center, but its vehicles made little progress through the crystals and the helicopter could not approach through the storm.
• Xiao Ling told Professor Oak and Officer Jenny that Erika had gone to help Ash and the others.
• The Crystal Tower shook and broke open, revealing Ash's Charizard battling Entei in Xiaomei's bedroom as crystal spikes tore through it.
• Ash and the others saw Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres, Entei, Suicune, and Raikou fighting outside, and Misty spotted Xia You nearby.

Xia You realized the Unown’s energy had gone out of control and sent Ash and the others to stop it at the tower’s base. With time running short, he ordered Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos to unleash their perfected Three-Bird Combo, leaving the Legendary Beasts terrified as the sky darkened.

• Xia You flew to the Crystal Tower’s upper levels on Charizard and learned from Misty that crystals were spreading and attacking everyone inside.
• Xia You warned Ash that Unown energy at the tower’s base was out of control, and Ash, Misty, Brock, Delia, Xiaomei, and Entei hurried downstairs.
• Xia You returned to the battlefield and used Gardevoir’s Telepathy to order Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos to use the Three-Bird Combo.
• The Legendary Birds gathered and spiraled upward, drawing the clouds into a darkening vortex as Professor Oak and others watched from the Pokémon Center.
• The Legendary Beasts felt the Birds’ power and became too afraid to flee.

Xia You fled the Crystal Tower as the Legendary Birds gathered energy for their Three-Bird Combo, then rescued Erika and explained the battle. Erika learned that the Legendary Pokémon were real and that the Legendary Birds belonged to Xia You.

• Gengar warned Xia You that the Legendary Birds were preparing a dangerous attack, so Xia You recalled Gardevoir and flew away on Charizard with Gengar.
• The Legendary Beasts attacked the clouds, but their uncoordinated moves vanished without stopping the Legendary Birds from gathering energy.
• Xia You spotted Erika heading toward the Crystal Tower and descended on Charizard to bring her along.
• Xia You pulled Erika onto Charizard and held her as they flew away from the approaching attack.
• Erika saw the glowing clouds, and Xia You told her about the Legendary Pokémon and his plan to use the Three-Bird Combo.
• Erika realized the Legendary Birds were Xia You's Pokémon and wondered whether he had already owned them during their raid on Team Rocket's base.

Professor Oak watched the Legendary Birds unleash a fused energy attack that devastated the battlefield and nearly erased the Crystal Tower. The blast threw Xia You and Erika from Charizard, but Gengar caught them before they landed, and they surveyed the destruction beneath a newly cleared sky.

• Professor Oak explained that the Legendary Birds had fused lightning, fire, and frost into a dangerous attack, and he wondered whether the Unown had created the technique.
• The Legendary Beasts tried to flee as the pillar of energy descended, but it struck their battlefield and engulfed them in an explosion.
• The blast swept over the Crystal Tower, destroying nearly all of it and reducing the surrounding Crystal Forest to fragments.
• The shock wave knocked Charizard from the sky and threw Xia You and Erika from his back.
• Gengar caught Xia You and Erika with Ominous Wind, and they recovered to see the ruined Crystal Tower and the cleared night sky.

After the Unown exhausted their energy to stop the pillar of light, Ash and Delia approached Xiaomei to resolve the weakened Entei. Xia You defeated the Legendary Beasts with the Three-Bird Combo, but just as he tried to catch Suicune, Ho-Oh appeared and destroyed the Great Ball.

• The Unown used up their energy holding back the pillar of light, and Ash and Delia walked toward Xiaomei to settle matters with the weakened Entei.
• Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos landed beside Xia You after using the Three-Bird Combo to defeat the Legendary Beasts.
• Xia You recalled the exhausted Legendary Birds and flew back to the battlefield with Erika.
• Xia You threw a Great Ball at the weakened Suicune, but a fiery streak burned it to ash.
• Xia You recognized the Pokémon that had appeared overhead as Ho-Oh.