Recaps

Xia You celebrated winning the Whirl Islands Cup and received his championship prizes from High Priestess Maya. After the ceremony, he planned to give the Mystic Water to Suicune.

• The crowd cheered as Xia You was announced as the Whirl Islands Cup champion.
• Xia You rode Red Gyarados onto the viewing platform, startling the guards before recalling it.
• High Priestess Maya congratulated Xia You and invited him to receive his prizes and the Blessing of the Sea.
• Maya and the attendants presented Xia You with a medal, a trophy, a million-prize check, and the Mystic Water.
• Xia You decided Suicune would use the Mystic Water.

Xia You received the Hero of the Sea blessing at the Whirl Islands Cup, but the Soul of the Sea unexpectedly glowed and sent its light into his chest. Maya could not explain the event, and the ceremony ended with Xia You wondering if he had truly received the Sea God's blessing.

• Maya performed the blessing ceremony while Xia You knelt before her with the Golden Scepter resting on his shoulder.
• The Soul of the Sea bathed Xia You in pale blue light as the traditional blessing neared its end.
• The Soul of the Sea emitted a brighter azure glow, lifted Xia You into the air, and sent the light into his chest.
• Xia You asked Maya whether the unusual event was normal, and Maya said the Soul of the Sea had never behaved that way before.
• Xia You suggested he might be the only winner to truly receive the Sea God's blessing, and Maya agreed it could be the reason.
• Maya resumed the ceremony, and the Whirl Islands Cup ended with the audience applauding Xia You.

After defeating Gaomei, Xia You reunited with his friends and told them about the strange blessing he received from the Soul of the Sea. They asked him to test whether he could communicate telepathically with Water-type Pokémon, and his reaction after trying with Misty's Psyduck left them wondering what he had discovered.

• Xia You accepted Gaomei's congratulations, and she wished him success at the Silver Conference before leaving to have her Pokémon treated.
• Erika and Misty asked Xia You about the strange light that had lifted him during the blessing ceremony, and he recounted his encounter with High Priestess Maya.
• Brock reasoned that Xia You might have received the Soul of the Sea's blessing, while Misty suggested testing whether he could communicate with Water-type Pokémon.
• Misty's Psyduck emerged from her pouch, and Xia You tried to communicate with it.
• Xia You stared at Psyduck, then stood up looking puzzled, prompting Misty to ask whether he had understood its thoughts.

Xia You discovered that the Soul of the Sea let him sense the moods of Water-type Pokémon, though he could not understand their thoughts or sense Pikachu’s mood. After the Whirl Islands Cup, he and Ash’s group planned to attend Maya’s banquet before continuing their journey.

• Xia You told Ash, Misty, Erika, and Brock that he could vaguely sense Psyduck’s relaxed mood but could not connect with its mind.
• Xia You tried to sense Pikachu’s mood and found that his ability seemed limited to Water-type Pokémon.
• Misty wondered whether Xia You’s blessing would let him move freely underwater, while Xia You said he would need to test that later.
• Ash’s group decided to stay for High Priestess Maya’s banquet before setting off the next day.
• Xia You mailed his trophy and medal to Cerise Laboratory and transferred Blastoise and Red Gyarados back.

Xia You and his companions attended a banquet at the Temple of the Sea, where they saw a life-sized statue of Lugia and spoke with High Priestess Maya about the whirlpools around the islands. As the feast began, Xia You sensed that Maya was troubled and that the banquet might have another purpose.

• Xia You brought Erika, Ash, Misty, and Brock to the Temple of the Sea for a banquet celebrating his status as the Hero of the Sea.
• The group examined the temple’s life-sized Lugia statue, and Misty asked Maya whether Lugia had created the nearby whirlpools.
• Maya said the whirlpools’ origins could not be verified and noted that scientists linked them to the ocean trenches and currents near the islands.
• Xia You introduced Erika and Brock to Maya, who praised his strength and the Gym Leaders among his companions.
• At the banquet, Ash, Misty, Brock, and their Pokémon eagerly ate while Xia You chatted with Maya and noticed that she seemed troubled.

During the banquet, Maya learned about Xia You’s adventures and explained that his unusual reaction to the Sea God’s blessing matched the first Hero of the Sea’s experience. The Soul of the Sea’s nature remained uncertain, leaving everyone wondering why Xia You had been chosen.

• Brock eagerly told Maya stories about the group’s travels, and Ash nearly revealed Xia You’s secret before Misty stopped him by shoving a drumstick into his mouth.
• Maya formally invited Xia You to stay at the Temple of the Sea, but he declined.
• Maya said that records showed the first Hero of the Sea had experienced the same unusual blessing as Xia You, though no later hero had.
• Misty told Maya that Xia You could sense Water-type Pokémon’s moods, and Maya concluded that he had truly received the Sea God’s blessing.
• Maya explained that the Soul of the Sea might be the ocean’s will or a crystal formed from Lugia, but its true nature was unknown.

Maya asked Xia You to help protect the Sea God of the Whirl Islands from Team Rocket, and he agreed. Later that night, Gengar spotted James and two other Team Rocket members sneaking around the temple, so Xia You decided to investigate.

• Brock offered to help Maya, but Misty pushed him aside and asked what she needed.
• Maya told Xia You that Team Rocket was trying to capture the Sea God of the Whirl Islands, and Xia You agreed to stop them.
• Maya explained that more than one Lugia existed, and Xia You recalled that a mother and child pair lived near the Whirl Islands.
• Gengar woke Xia You and told him that three Team Rocket members had sneaked into the temple.
• Xia You realized Gengar meant James and his two companions, then got up to see what they were doing.

Xia You followed Gengar through a hidden passage in the Temple of the Sea and discovered that the Team Rocket Trio planned to steal Maya’s scepter. He hid beside them as Gengar’s eerie laugh sent the trio onward, with Jessie forced to lead.

• Gengar showed Xia You a hidden passage and led him toward the Team Rocket Trio.
• Xia You used Jolteon’s light to navigate the passage, then recalled it and hid when he heard approaching footsteps.
• The Team Rocket Trio rested in the temple and argued about being lost and the risk of waking Xia You and the others.
• Xia You overheard Jessie, James, and Meowth reveal that they intended to steal Maya’s scepter.
• Gengar’s chilling laugh frightened the trio, and Jessie reluctantly led them onward toward the scepter.

Xia You and Gengar confronted Team Rocket as Jessie tried to steal the Soul of the Sea from Maya. Team Rocket escaped in a hot-air balloon with Maya and the Golden Scepter, and Xia You pursued them on Charizard.

• Gengar’s scare sent Team Rocket fleeing until they stumbled into Maya’s room and grabbed the Golden Scepter.
• Xia You rushed inside as Maya and Jessie struggled over the scepter, while Maya called for him to stop Team Rocket.
• Gengar paralyzed Meowth with Lick and defeated James’s Weezing with Shadow Ball.
• Jessie released smoke bombs, and Team Rocket escaped through a broken window with Maya and the Golden Scepter.
• Xia You mounted Charizard and chased Team Rocket’s rising hot-air balloon.

Xia You pursued Team Rocket and rescued Maya and the Golden Scepter after Charizard brought down their hot-air balloon. With Maya safe on Charizard’s back, Xia You covered her with his jacket, while she began to feel a new attraction to him.

• Meowth spotted Xia You and Charizard catching up to Team Rocket’s balloon, and James urged them to find a way to escape.
• Jessie and Meowth decided to throw Maya overboard to lighten the balloon, but James hesitated to abandon her.
• Charizard burned through the balloon, sending its basket, Team Rocket, and the bound Maya plunging toward the sea.
• Xia You caught Maya, while Gengar caught the Golden Scepter.
• Xia You freed Maya, gave her his jacket, and reassured her that she was safe; Maya thanked him and felt her heart race beside him.

Xia You rescued Maya from Team Rocket at the Temple of the Sea, and the next morning the group set out for Silver Rock Island to investigate the Sea God’s last reported appearance. They arrived near the island after a rough boat ride, with the weather clearing as they reached its waters.

• Xia You carried Maya into the temple and assured her that Team Rocket had been driven away for now.
• Maya told Ash and his friends about the attack, thanked Xia You for rescuing her, and urged them to stop Team Rocket from capturing the Sea God.
• Ash, Brock, and Misty promised Maya they would prevent Team Rocket from succeeding.
• Xia You and his friends left the Temple of the Sea and boarded a boat for Silver Rock Island, where the Sea God had last appeared.
• Rough seas left Xia You, Erika, and Brock dizzy, so Xia You rode Charizard with Erika until they reached the waters near Silver Rock Island, where the weather turned calm.

Xia You and his companions searched Ogi Island for clues to Lugia and unexpectedly reunited with Ritchie. Ritchie revealed that he had come to find a mysterious Pokémon, leaving them wondering whether he was also searching for Lugia.

• Xia You, Ash, Misty, Erika, and Brock landed on Ogi Island and decided to search the nearby islands for Lugia or for the person who had reported signs of it.
• The group explored inland and encountered Raine, whom Ash recognized as Ritchie's Pikachu.
• Ritchie appeared, and he and Ash greeted each other with surprise before the group settled down to catch up.
• Ritchie told them he had come to search for a mysterious Pokémon, prompting Xia You and the others to wonder if he was looking for Lugia.

Ritchie joined Xia You and the others after learning that the mysterious Pokémon was Lugia and agreeing to help protect it from Team Rocket. The group searched a nearby island and encountered a boy with a Lanturn.

• Ritchie explained that his research had led him to Chong Island, and Xia You revealed that the group had come to protect Lugia.
• After learning Team Rocket was targeting Lugia, Ritchie gave up on catching it and joined the group.
• Ritchie said he had already searched Chong Island, so Xia You led everyone toward a nearby uninhabited island.
• Xia You, Erika, Misty, Brock, Ash, and Ritchie crossed the sea on their Pokémon and explored the nameless island.
• The group found a nervous boy floating in a pool with a Lanturn, which Ash identified with his Pokédex.

Xia You and the others questioned Shuichi after spotting a Pokémon slip away underwater, and Xia You suspected it was Lugia. After revealing he was the Hero of the Sea, Xia You won Shuichi’s trust and asked him to let them meet Lugia.

• Xia You and Erika spotted a Pokémon secretly swim away behind Shuichi, while Shuichi denied knowing anything about mysterious Pokémon.
• Xia You asked Shuichi his name and confronted him about the Pokémon, prompting Shuichi to swim away and insist he had seen nothing.
• Xia You guessed the hidden Pokémon was Lugia and assured Shuichi that the group wanted to protect it from bad people.
• Xia You introduced himself as the Hero of the Sea, changing Shuichi’s attitude and earning his trust.
• Xia You asked Shuichi to speak honestly and let the group meet Lugia.

Shuichi introduced Xia You and his companions to Silver, a young Lugia he had befriended, and they shared lunch together. As everyone ate, Team Rocket spies reported Silver’s location to Dr. Namba.

• Shuichi surfaced with Silver and introduced Lugia to Xia You and the others.
• Shuichi explained that he had befriended Silver while playing by the sea and kept him hidden to protect him from people who might try to catch him.
• Brock and Erika prepared lunch, and Silver eagerly ate the food with the group.
• Two Team Rocket members watched from a distant reef and reported that they had found Lugia to Dr. Namba.

Dr. Namba ordered nearby Team Rocket teams to begin plan A and try to capture Lugia. Xia You proposed luring Team Rocket into a favorable battlefield to protect Silver, and the group agreed to take the offensive.

• Dr. Namba recognized Xia You in the search team's live footage and ordered nearby field teams to converge and try to capture Lugia.
• Ash challenged Ritchie to a battle, but Ritchie declined and said he did not plan to enter the Silver Conference.
• Ritchie explained that he planned to travel, catch stronger Pokémon, and train after his loss at the Indigo Conference.
• Xia You proposed drawing Team Rocket out and defeating them to protect Silver.
• Misty, Erika, and Brock supported Xia You's plan, and Ritchie saw that Shuichi agreed as well.

Shuichi and Lugia played in the sea while Xia You and Ash waited for Team Rocket’s ambush. Cassidy and Butch surfaced with a large force and surrounded the beach, determined to capture Lugia.

• The Team Rocket captain noticed that only Shuichi, Xia You, and Ash remained on the shore, then ordered the submarine to surface and deploy the Action Team.
• Ash asked whether Team Rocket would come, and Xia You explained that they were using Lugia as bait.
• A submarine emerged beside Shuichi and Lugia, and Cassidy and Butch introduced themselves as Team Rocket.
• Ash warned Xia You that Cassidy and Butch were persistent, while the pair demanded that everyone surrender Lugia and leave.
• More than seventy Team Rocket Members arrived in speedboats and surrounded the beach.

Xia You and Ash faced Team Rocket’s overwhelming force as they fought to protect Lugia and Silver. Their Pokémon battled across a chaotic battlefield, but Team Rocket’s growing numbers pushed their line to the brink, and Zubat threatened Silver directly.

• Xia You and Ash refused to retreat as Cassidy and Butch deployed dozens of Zubat and Weezing against them.
• Ash and Xia You sent out their Pokémon, while Xia You kept Pupitar, Crystal Steelix, Suicune, and Raikou in reserve.
• Xia You told Shuichi to stay with Silver and protect him rather than join the battle.
• Both sides charged, and the clash divided into a sprawling melee of smaller fights.
• Xia You used Gardevoir’s Telepathy to direct his Pokémon while Ash struggled to command his amid the chaos.
• Team Rocket released more Pokémon, weakening Xia You and Ash’s battle line as several Zubat slipped past and attacked Silver.

Xia You's group fought off Team Rocket's attack on Lugia while Xia You's signal brought Erika, Misty, and Ritchie into the battle. The reinforcements helped stall Team Rocket as Xia You waited for Brock to return with the police and International Police.

• Lanturn trapped the attacking Zubat with Electroweb and fought to protect Shuichi and Silver.
• Xia You had Gengar fire a Shadow Ball signal after learning Brock had been gone for almost an hour.
• Cassidy and Butch joined the fight with Primeape, Hitmontop, Houndour, and Sableye as Team Rocket released dozens more Pokémon.
• Erika, Misty, and Ritchie arrived with Pokémon from the forest and attacked Team Rocket from three directions.
• Xia You kept fighting while relying on Brock to bring Officer Jenny, Anabel, and Looker as reinforcements.

Team Rocket’s assault on Lugia stalled as Xia You and his allies held their ground, while incoming helicopters forced Butch and Cassidy to reconsider the battle. Cassidy chose to retreat, but the tangled fighting and surrounding allies left them trapped as the reinforcements approached.

• The submarine captain detected helicopters approaching and ordered Butch and Cassidy to capture Lugia within eight minutes.
• Butch and Cassidy suspected Xia You had arranged the intervention, while Team Rocket’s Pokémon launched a desperate attack.
• Xia You told Ash that the International Police had arrived, and both sides intensified the fight over Silver’s position.
• After seeing Team Rocket’s losses and Xia You’s Pokémon still fighting, Butch urged Cassidy to retreat.
• Cassidy agreed to retreat, but she and Butch found their forces trapped among the fighters and surrounded from the outside.

The International Police arrived and overwhelmed Team Rocket, forcing Cassidy and Butch to retreat while most of their members were captured. Xia You had Misty send Poliwhirl after the submarine to locate Team Rocket’s Secret Base, and he told Ritchie they would protect Silver at any cost if the operation failed.

• Four International Police helicopters arrived, and Cassidy and Butch ordered Team Rocket to retreat toward their submarine.
• The submarine began submerging, while International Police officers rappelled onto the island and captured the scattered Team Rocket members.
• Xia You asked Misty to have Poliwhirl follow the submarine and find Team Rocket’s Secret Base.
• Anabel met Xia You after the battle, and Brock arrived after helping alert the police.
• Xia You told everyone to rest and treat their Pokémon before a possible assault on the Secret Base.
• Ritchie asked what they would have done if the plan failed, and Xia You said they would protect Silver at any cost.

After helping capture the Team Rocket members on the island, Xia You and his companions waited for Silver’s mother to arrive. The adult Lugia emerged from the sea wary of the humans, and Xia You’s group backed away to ease her suspicion.

• Xia You told Anabel that he and his companions would raid Team Rocket’s base themselves, and Anabel agreed to send boats to help afterward.
• Anabel left by helicopter with the captured Team Rocket members, and Shuichi returned Silver from the water.
• Xia You, Ash, Ritchie, Shuichi, and the others shared stories about the battle while waiting for Poliwhirl.
• Shuichi warned the group that Silver’s mother was due to arrive and disliked humans.
• Silver’s mother, an adult Lugia, emerged from the sea and regarded the group with hostility.
• Shuichi pleaded with Lugia, and Xia You signaled everyone to back away, easing her wariness.

Xia You and the others watched Silver leave with his mother, Lugia, then learned that Team Rocket's base was hidden on the seabed. They set off by speedboat for Chong Island to prepare diving equipment before approaching the base.

• Xia You used his Hero of the Sea blessing to sense Lugia's wariness and Silver's happiness, but Lugia noticed him probing her mood.
• Silver reunited with Lugia and swam away with her, waving goodbye to Shuichi, Xia You, and the others.
• Misty's Poliwhirl reported that it had found Team Rocket's base on the seabed nearby, and Gengar translated its message.
• Shuichi led the group to his speedboat, and Xia You decided they should go to Chong Island to get diving equipment before heading to the base.

Xia You and his companions prepared for an underwater operation and followed Poliwhirl to Team Rocket’s hidden base. They left Shuichi on the boat and slipped past the base’s cameras using Misty’s Corsola to block one lens, reaching the outer wall undetected.

• Xia You bought diving gear and underwater writing boards for the group, then sent Anabel the operation’s coordinates.
• Xia You, Erika, Ash, Misty, Ritchie, and Brock dived with their Water-type Pokémon while Shuichi stayed aboard with Lanturn.
• Poliwhirl led them to a brightly lit Team Rocket base on the seabed, where cameras covered the surrounding area and no guards were visible.
• Xia You instructed Misty to have Corsola block a camera as though it were a curious wild Pokémon.
• Xia You led the group across the camera’s coverage to the base’s outer wall, and Corsola swam away without raising suspicion.

Xia You and his companions infiltrated Team Rocket’s underwater base by following a maintenance worker through an open passage, then freed the Pokémon imprisoned inside. The alarms sounded, and the group began fighting their way through the base as Dr. Namba, Cassidy, and Butch recognized them on the surveillance footage.

• Xia You used Misty’s Corsola to bite through an outside camera, prompting a Team Rocket maintenance worker to swim out and repair it.
• Xia You and the others slipped through the open passage into the underwater base and quietly made their way through its corridors.
• The group found dozens of Water-type Pokémon locked in cages and had their Pokémon break them open.
• A Team Rocket member discovered the escapees, sounded the alarm, and was knocked unconscious by a Pokémon.
• Xia You told the group to wreck the base and take down everyone they encountered, and they charged through the facility.
• Dr. Namba, Cassidy, and Butch saw Xia You and his companions on the surveillance footage and realized the base had been infiltrated.