Recaps

Driven by curiosity about Cynthia and Team Galactic, Xia You sneaked into the Eterna Building, assuming Cynthia was preparing to attack it. He planned to strike the base’s officers with Gengar, but an unsuspecting Team Galactic member approached the storage room where he was hiding.

• Xia You decided to investigate the Team Galactic Eterna Building and sent Gengar to scout and get him inside.
• Xia You disguised himself in a Gengar Mask and black raincoat, prompting two passersby to mistake him for a monster and call the police.
• Gengar returned, and Gardevoir teleported Xia You into a fourth-floor storage room inside the building.
• Gengar found that the building was a heavily guarded administrative center, and Xia You decided to target its officers and disrupt its command.
• Xia You recalled Gardevoir, sent out Metagross and Milotic to guard him, and dispatched Gengar to find a valuable target.
• A Team Galactic member sneaking into the storage room to smoke sensed something strange before opening the door.

Xia You stormed Team Galactic’s Secret Base with Milotic and Metagross, fighting his way up through its members while Gengar helped clear the route. On the seventh floor, Jupiter recognized that the commotion had drawn the police and ordered Team Galactic to evacuate.

• A Team Galactic member discovered Xia You in the storage room, but Milotic struck him with a jet of water and knocked him unconscious, triggering the base alarm.
• Xia You ran toward the upper floors and attacked the Team Galactic members blocking his way with Metagross’s Flash Cannon and Milotic’s Surf.
• Xia You fought through waves of Team Galactic members and their Pokémon in the narrow corridors, while Gengar returned and destroyed stairways leading up from below.
• Xia You reached the seventh floor and encountered Jupiter, who recognized that the fighting had brought police, ambulances, and fire engines to the base.
• Jupiter ordered the Team Galactic members to retreat and evacuate the base immediately.

Xia You let most of Team Galactic escape while he and Gengar fought Jupiter and her elite members inside the Secret Base. He abducted Jupiter and drew her subordinates into pursuit, while police gathered outside the Team Galactic Eterna Building and Cynthia headed toward the commotion.

• Jupiter ordered most Team Galactic members to withdraw, while Xia You stayed to capture her and revealed that he knew about Cyrus, the other commanders, and their plan.
• Jupiter and her elite members attacked Xia You, but Gengar’s unseen strikes repeatedly knocked out their Pokémon and members.
• Xia You recalled Milotic, escaped the stairwell on Metagross, and lured Jupiter’s group into a conference room, where their attacks destroyed much of the building.
• After the bombardment, Gengar attacked Jupiter’s subordinates from unseen positions, then Xia You grabbed Jupiter and glided out through the damaged wall.
• Jupiter’s subordinates released flying Pokémon and pursued Xia You, while Team Galactic members fled the building and police moved to intercept them.
• Cynthia heard the commotion and left Festival Plaza to head toward the Team Galactic Eterna Building.

Xia You handed the captured Jupiter to Cynthia, causing Team Galactic to mistake the Champion for their attacker and fight her while he escaped. Afterward, he reached Eterna Gym and learned that Gardenia and Cheryl had drawn, with their rematch scheduled for the next day.

• Cynthia tried to stop Xia You, but he tossed the unconscious Jupiter at her and escaped into Festival Plaza.
• Team Galactic members mistook Cynthia for the Gengar-masked attacker and accused her of abducting Jupiter, then attacked her Pokémon.
• Cynthia fought Team Galactic with Milotic, Garchomp, Lucario, and Roserade while Xia You and Gengar watched from a safe distance.
• Xia You explained that he had handed Jupiter to Cynthia to draw Team Galactic's attention and left the commander with the Champion.
• Xia You arrived at Eterna Gym after Gardenia and Cheryl's battle had ended in a draw, and they arranged to battle again the next day.

After Xia You told May and Cheryl about his role in the Team Galactic raid, the three visited a museum, where Cynthia recognized him but lost sight of him in the crowd. Meanwhile, Team Galactic members secretly entered the museum grounds to carry out a mission.

• Xia You, May, and Cheryl ate lunch and learned that Cynthia had defeated Team Galactic members outside their Eterna Building and handed Jupiter over to the police.
• May guessed Xia You had been involved, and Xia You confirmed the raid while explaining what had happened to her and Cheryl.
• Xia You, May, and Cheryl visited a museum and learned about the Space-Time Tower, its connection to Dialga and Palkia, and its role as a giant musical instrument.
• Cynthia recognized Xia You from behind in the museum but lost him when a tour group blocked her, leaving her unsure which corridor he had taken.
• A dozen Team Galactic members entered the museum garden in disguise, and their squad leader said they would carry out their mission while the police searched elsewhere.

Team Galactic stormed the museum and stole the Adamant Orb, trapping Cynthia outside as she pursued Xia You. A red-haired Trainer and other visitors challenged the thieves, but Team Galactic overwhelmed them and left the hall in chaos.

• Team Galactic members broke into the museum, smashed the Adamant Orb's display, and triggered the alarm that sealed the hall.
• Xia You told May and Cheryl that the Adamant Orb could strengthen and control Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, while Cynthia spotted him outside the hall just before the blast doors shut.
• A red-haired boy and his Prinplup confronted Team Galactic, but the squad leader knocked Prinplup aside and tried to attack the boy from behind.
• Other Trainers stepped in to protect the boy, prompting Team Galactic to attack everyone in the hall.
• More visitors joined the resistance, but Team Galactic's Pokémon defeated the Trainers one after another as the battle worsened.

Xia You disguised himself as Cynthia to secretly defeat Team Galactic at the museum, but the real Cynthia arrived just as he escaped, causing the crowd to mistake her for the masked hero. Xia You rejoined May and Cheryl and hurried away before Cynthia could find him.

• Xia You stopped May and Cheryl from joining the fight and explained that he wanted to avoid revealing himself to Team Galactic.
• Xia You disguised himself with the Gengar Mask and Gengar's mist, then sent Milotic into the battle to defeat Team Galactic's members.
• Team Galactic called the masked figure Cynthia, and the crowd cheered for the supposed Champion as Xia You kicked the Adamant Orb away from their captain.
• Cynthia encountered Xia You on the gallery, but Gengar's Smokescreen helped him escape as the crowd saw Cynthia and began cheering for her.
• Xia You returned to May and Cheryl, admitted Cynthia's arrival was a coincidence, and urged them to leave before she found him.

Cheryl and Gardenia resumed their Gym battle, each adapting her strategy after their previous match. After Wobbuffet and Roserade traded victories, Gardenia sent Torterra into a sandstorm to counter Cheryl’s Drifblim, leaving Drifblim trapped and Cheryl unable to recall it.

• Xia You, May, and Cheryl returned to Eterna Gym, where Gardenia welcomed them for the rematch.
• Gardenia opened with Roserade against Cheryl’s Wobbuffet, then used Leech Seed and Giga Drain to wear Wobbuffet down and win.
• Cheryl sent out Drifblim, and Gardenia’s Roserade soon lost, tying the score at one apiece.
• Gardenia brought out Torterra and ordered it to create a Sandstorm that swept Drifblim away from Cheryl’s commands.
• Torterra entered the sandstorm as green energy flashed inside, while Cheryl could neither reach nor recall Drifblim.

Xia You learned from Looker that Jupiter and the Adamant Orb had both been stolen, then pointed him toward a suspected Team Galactic site near Floaroma Town. He returned to watch Gardenia and Cheryl's Gym battle as their final Pokémon fought for the win.

• Xia You took Looker's call, and Looker said Cynthia had asked about the Gengar-masked fighter but he had protected Xia You's identity.
• Xia You explained that he had twice used Cynthia to draw attention away from himself, prompting Looker to joke that Cynthia had good reason to seek him out.
• Looker told Xia You that Jupiter and the Adamant Orb had been stolen after Eterna City's Officer Jenny kept both out of International Police custody.
• Xia You urged Looker to investigate a steelworks near Floaroma Town, and Looker decided to lead a team there himself.
• Xia You returned to the stands as Gardenia and Cheryl's final Pokémon, Leafeon and Hariyama, battled to decide the Gym match.

After earning his Forest Badge, Xia You traveled south with May and Cheryl toward Oreburgh City. They found shelter at Maria’s home, where they met her Gardevoir and Kirlia and learned that Pokémon Hunter J had recently kidnapped her Gardevoir.

• Cheryl defeated Gardenia’s Hariyama and earned a Forest Badge, then Xia You, Cheryl, and May left Eterna City.
• The three chose Oreburgh City as their next destination and headed south, stopping to enjoy Cheryl’s cooking along the way.
• Near the mountains, they found Maria’s flower-surrounded home and were invited inside for the night.
• Xia You introduced his Gardevoir to Maria’s Gardevoir and Kirlia, and the group grew more comfortable together.
• Maria revealed that Pokémon Hunter J had kidnapped her Gardevoir the previous day before other Trainers rescued it, prompting May to ask whether one rescuer had been a boy with a baseball cap and Pikachu.

Xia You reassured Maria that Pokémon Hunter J was unlikely to return for her Gardevoir, while Gardenia ventured to the Old Chateau to investigate reports that its ghosts had vanished. The chapter ended as the mansion doors opened by themselves just as Gardenia reached for them.

• Maria told Xia You and his companions how J had attacked her and abducted Gardevoir before Ash and the others rescued it.
• Xia You reasoned that J probably would not return because the failed capture had cost her time and resources, and Maria felt reassured.
• Gardenia heard from a challenger that the Old Chateau had seemed empty, so she set out at night to investigate it herself.
• Gardenia overcame her fear and entered the Old Chateau yard with Leafeon and Roserade, but the mansion doors creaked open before she touched them.

Gardenia explored the abandoned Mansion, where the Ghost Girl used eerie disturbances and purple mist tentacles to frighten her away. After seeing the ghost and fleeing deeper into the building, Gardenia escaped the pursuit into a Library, while her Pokémon were left behind.

• Gardenia entered the Mansion and searched its rooms while trying to convince herself that its strange noises were harmless.
• The Ghost Girl and Ghost Butler noticed Gardenia exploring and decided to scare her away to keep the Mansion’s secrets hidden.
• The Ghost Girl caused the chandelier and piano to behave unnaturally, but Gardenia’s Leafeon and Roserade disrupted the disturbances.
• Gardenia saw the Ghost Girl, watched her Pokémon get knocked aside, and ran from the ghost as purple tentacles chased her through the Mansion.
• The tentacles separated Gardenia from her Pokémon, then vanished when she burst through a large door into a Library.

Gardenia was attacked by Ghost Girl in the Old Chateau Library and noticed the ghost's attachment to a photograph of Xia You. After waking outside the estate, she learned Xia You had bought the property and sent workers to restore it, leaving her suspecting he was connected to Ghost Girl.

• Gardenia found herself separated from Leafeon and Roserade, released Tangrowth and Sunflora, and discovered photographs of Ghost Girl and Xia You in the Library.
• Ghost Girl returned, overpowered Gardenia's Pokémon, and paused when Gardenia held up Xia You's photograph and claimed they were friends.
• Ghost Girl took the photograph from Gardenia, then struck her with a tentacle, after which Gardenia lost consciousness.
• Gardenia woke outside the Old Chateau with her Pokémon and belongings unharmed, but she could not remember how she had gotten there.
• A construction crew arrived to restore the estate, and a worker told Gardenia that Xia You had bought it and sent them.

Xia You and his companions left Maria’s house and encountered a clever wild Chimchar in the mountains near Oreburgh City. After Froakie defeated it, Chimchar got back up and immediately fled, leaving Xia You’s attempt to catch it unresolved.

• Xia You, May, and Cheryl thanked Maria and set off into the mountains near Oreburgh City.
• The group spotted a wild Chimchar, and Xia You decided he wanted to catch it despite already having Fire-type Pokémon.
• Xia You sent Froakie after Chimchar, which lured Froakie into an ambush among the rocks.
• Froakie dodged Chimchar’s surprise attack and defeated it with Bubble after a short fight.
• Chimchar shakily got back to its feet, then ran away before Xia You could catch it.

Xia You caught Chimchar in a cave, then found and helped the lost young Trainer Marley escape. Marley offered to travel with Xia You and his companions, but he refused because he did not want to look after a child.

• Chimchar tried to flee into a cave, but Xia You and Froakie pursued it until it collapsed from exhaustion.
• After hearing a girl's calls for help, Xia You caught Chimchar with a Poké Ball before leading May and Cheryl deeper into the cave.
• The group found Marley, who had gotten lost while searching for rare Pokémon, and learned she could not use Abra's Teleport to escape because she did not know their location.
• Xia You led Marley and the others safely back to the cave entrance.
• Marley offered to travel with Xia You and his companions, but Xia You refused, saying he did not want to look after a little kid.

Xia You, May, and Cheryl brought Marley to Oreburgh City, unaware that she had originally been heading there before changing course for Eterna City. Marley cheerfully parted ways with them, and Xia You went to challenge the Oreburgh Gym, where he learned that Roark was working at the Oreburgh Mine.

• Xia You agreed to take Marley to Oreburgh City, though he did not want her to join the group permanently.
• Marley revealed that she had left Oreburgh City two days earlier for Eterna City and had entered the cave where she met them.
• Marley led Xia You, May, and Cheryl to the Oreburgh Gym, then cheerfully said goodbye and headed into the city.
• Xia You entered the Gym to challenge Roark and learned from the attendant that Roark had gone to the Oreburgh Mine until the next morning.
• The attendant explained that Roark also worked as a miner and mine safety supervisor, and told Xia You where to find him.

May entered the Oreburgh Pokémon Contest while Xia You and Cheryl visited the Oreburgh Mine Museum, where they took a photo together. At the contest, May advanced with a strong performance but faced Nando as a likely rival for the title.

• May learned registration for the Oreburgh Pokémon Contest was open, signed up, and went to practice while Xia You and Cheryl visited the museum.
• Xia You and Cheryl toured the Oreburgh Mine Museum and accepted a couple’s offer to take their photo together.
• Bea messaged Xia You that she was training in Galar and asked him to contact her if he met a powerful Fighting-type Trainer.
• Xia You and Cheryl watched May perform at the contest, where she earned the highest score and advanced to the second round.
• Nando performed with Budew and earned a score nearly equal to May’s; the pairings placed them in opposite halves of the bracket, and Xia You encouraged Cheryl to trust May.

May defeated Nando in the Oreburgh Contest final and won a Ribbon Medal, while Xia You and his companions visited the Oreburgh Mine after missing Roark at the Gym. Professor Cerise later confirmed that the Old Chateau research materials had reached him, and the chapter ended with Xia You, May, and Cheryl arriving at the Gym early and finding Roark.

• May and Nando sent out Wartortle and Kricketune for the Oreburgh Contest final, and May won by depleting Nando’s Appeal Points with time remaining.
• Yas announced May as the winner, and Contesta presented her with the Oreburgh Contest Ribbon Medal.
• Xia You, May, and Cheryl went to the Oreburgh Gym, learned Roark had returned to the Oreburgh Mine, and toured the mine instead.
• Professor Cerise told Xia You that the Old Chateau research materials had arrived and that he had passed them to Professor Magnolia.
• Xia You told Professor Cerise how he had obtained the materials, then joked that Gengar would face any karmic consequences for turning souls into ghosts.
• Xia You, May, and Cheryl returned to the Oreburgh Gym early the next morning and found Roark there.

Xia You challenged Roark at the Oreburgh Gym and used the battle to give Riolu its first Gym match. Riolu gained the upper hand against Geodude, and the chapter ended with it charging into Geodude’s Seismic Toss head-on.

• Roark apologized to Xia You for missing his previous visits, then led him, Cheryl, and May to the Gym battlefield with Yansheng.
• Yansheng announced a three-Pokémon Gym match, and Roark opened with Geodude while Xia You sent out Riolu.
• Riolu evaded Geodude’s Rollout by climbing the rocks, then struck it with Vacuum Wave.
• Riolu dodged Geodude’s Hidden Power with Quick Attack and landed a super-effective Rock Smash, leaving Geodude badly battered.
• Xia You stopped directing the battle so Riolu could make its own decisions, and Riolu charged straight at Geodude as it used Seismic Toss.

Xia You let Riolu battle Roark’s Onix without commands, intending to test its ability to adapt. Cornered by Onix, Riolu used Aura to sense Xia You’s trust and encouragement, then turned the fight around and defeated Onix, leaving Roark puzzled by its sudden improvement.

• Riolu defeated Geodude with Force Palm, and Roark sent out Onix as his next Pokémon.
• Roark used Onix’s Stone Edge, jaws, and tail to keep Riolu at a distance and put it under pressure while Xia You remained silent.
• Trapped by Onix’s attacks, Riolu calmed itself and spread its Aura across the field, sensing the emotions of the people and Pokémon around it.
• Riolu sensed Xia You’s trust and encouragement, then used Quick Attack to leap over Onix and land on its back.
• Riolu struck Onix with its Fighting-type moves until Onix was defeated, and Roark asked Xia You why Riolu’s battle judgment had suddenly improved.

Xia You defeated Roark in the Oreburgh Gym battle after Riolu and Froakie won without receiving commands; Froakie learned Substitute during the fight and evolved into Frogadier. After accepting the Coal Badge, Xia You left Oreburgh with May and Cheryl, who revealed that Alamos Town and its Space-Time Tower were nearby.

• Riolu defeated Roark’s Onix, and Xia You let the exhausted Riolu rest before sending out Froakie against Rampardos.
• Froakie dodged Rampardos’s attacks, then used Substitute to survive Head Smash and countered with Water Pulse, knocking Rampardos out.
• Yansheng declared Xia You the winner, and Froakie evolved into a Shiny Frogadier as Xia You celebrated.
• Roark awarded Xia You the Coal Badge and asked why he had not given his Pokémon commands; Xia You said he wanted them to learn through battle.
• Xia You, May, and Cheryl left Oreburgh and traveled toward Mt. Coronet on their way to Hearthome City.
• Cheryl recognized their location and told Xia You and May that Alamos Town, home of the Space-Time Tower, was nearby.

Xia You, May, and Cheryl encountered Ash’s group and accepted Iris’s balloon ride to Alamos Town, where they learned about a Pokémon Contest and saw the Space-Time Tower. A sudden gust shook the balloon, and everyone recovered, though Cheryl accidentally grabbed Xia You in an awkward place while trying to steady herself.

• Xia You and his companions met Ash, Brock, and Dawn after they landed from a hot-air balloon, and Cheryl evaded Brock’s advances.
• Ash explained that he and his friends had gotten lost after reading their map backward, while Dawn noticed May’s new pink Pokétch.
• Iris offered Xia You’s group a ride to Alamos Town, and they boarded her balloon with Ash’s group.
• Iris told them that Alamos Town would host a Pokémon Contest, prompting May and Dawn to grow quiet as they considered competing against each other.
• Iris played a grass whistle for the group and described Alamos Town and the Space-Time Tower as the balloon approached.
• A strong gust shook the balloon, and Cheryl grabbed Xia You while trying to get back to her feet; after the wind passed, Iris asked whether everyone was all right.

Iris guided Xia You and the others around Alamos Town, where Ash, Dawn, and May fought a trio of Trainers before the street battles ended in draws. At the Pokémon Garden, a Gallade summoned Iris away, and the group followed to see what had happened.

• After a strange shaking in Iris's hot-air balloon, she apologized and offered to show Xia You's group around Alamos Town.
• Iris led the group through town, and Xia You persuaded her to accept their offer of lunch as thanks.
• Ash, Dawn, and May battled three visiting Trainers with Pikachu, Piplup, and Wartortle, but the battles stopped when a tour group passed and ended as draws.
• Iris guided the group to the Pokémon Garden and explained that Godi had designed it to represent harmony between humans, nature, and Pokémon.
• A Gallade hurried up to Iris and beckoned her to follow, so Xia You and the others went after them.

Xia You and his companions found evidence of strange space-time distortions in a dried-up pool, where Albert blamed the damage on the Mythical Pokémon Darkrai. After Albert accidentally attacked Tonio and Iris declared her love for him, another powerful fluctuation swept through the area, and Xia You summoned Gengar to investigate.

• Gallade led Iris, Xia You, and the others to a dried pool with stone pillars warped by a strange force, and Albert claimed Darkrai had caused the damage.
• Albert explained that Darkrai was a Dark-type Mythical Pokémon said to live in the garden and give people nightmares.
• Albert ordered Lickilicky to fire Hyper Beam at a rustling bush, accidentally blasting Tonio, who emerged with his laptop and began examining the damaged pillars.
• Iris rejected Albert's claim that she was his future wife, then embraced Tonio and declared that she loved him, leaving Brock to collapse from heartbreak.
• A powerful, invisible fluctuation swept through the area, and Xia You summoned Gengar from his shadow as Tonio and the others searched for its source.

Xia You and the others encountered Darkrai, whose attack struck Ash with Dark Void and left him unconscious. They brought Ash to the Pokémon Center, where he rested while May and Dawn registered for the local Pokémon Contest.

• Gengar flew off after understanding Xia You’s unspoken instruction, while Albert suspected Xia You was hiding something.
• Darkrai appeared in the garden and warned everyone to stay away before Albert ordered Lickilicky to attack it with Hyper Beam.
• Darkrai dodged the attack and countered with Dark Void; Lickilicky evaded the move, but it hit Ash and put him into a deep sleep.
• Darkrai fled, and another shadow pursued it as Xia You explained that Ash had been struck by Darkrai’s signature move and would wake after resting or receiving strong stimulation.
• Brock carried Ash to the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy examined him and May and Dawn registered for the Pokémon Contest before leaving to talk privately.