Recaps

Cynthia fought Shelly and Courtney in the street, then faced their public insinuations about Xia You while trying to keep the crowd safe. At the Celestic Town History Museum, Cyrus’s visit preceded a Team Galactic raid for the Lustrous Orb, but Team Rocket stole it amid the battle.

• Cynthia’s Garchomp and Lucario battled Shelly’s Walrein and Courtney’s Ninetales until the crowd forced the fight to stop, and Shelly and Courtney left after implying Cynthia wanted to get into Xia You’s bed.
• Cheryl followed the furious Cynthia back to the museum, where Cynthia asked when Xia You would arrive; Ash, Dawn, and Brock then appeared, and Dawn said they had parted ways with him after the Croagunk Festival.
• Cynthia and Cheryl showed Ash’s group around the museum, where they met Cyrus, whom Professor Carolina introduced as Celestic Town’s wealthy entrepreneur and philanthropist.
• Cyrus confirmed that the Lustrous Orb was in the museum, and Team Galactic attacked while Cynthia, Cheryl, Ash, Dawn, and Brock fought to protect it without damaging the exhibits.
• The disguised Team Rocket Trio seized the Lustrous Orb while both sides were distracted by the battle.

After Team Galactic stole the Lustrous Orb, Cynthia blamed herself and decided to track down Shelly and Courtney, whom she held responsible for her bad day. Cheryl revealed that Xia You’s other women included the Ecruteak Five, prompting Cynthia to take Cheryl’s phone and set off for Johto to find them.

• Team Rocket stole the Lustrous Orb during the museum commotion, but Team Galactic ultimately escaped with it after Cynthia was delayed by their rear guard.
• Ash and his companions left the museum, and Cynthia returned to the bench, angry that she had failed to protect the Orb and worried about rumors spreading online.
• Cynthia asked Cheryl for leads on Shelly and Courtney, then questioned her about Xia You’s other women when Cheryl said she did not know them.
• Cheryl told Cynthia about the Ecruteak Five in Johto, hoping the distance would discourage her, but Cynthia decided to travel to Ecruteak City.
• Cynthia took Cheryl’s phone to prevent her from warning anyone, and Cheryl agreed to go with her after Cynthia asked whether she wanted to meet Xia You’s other women.

Xia You and May traveled to Fullmoon Island to wait for a chance to encounter Cresselia. After Xia You rescued two people whose motorboat was caught in the island’s dangerous currents, he recognized the woman he had helped as Caitlin.

• Xia You and May flew Charizard to Fullmoon Island and found Cresselia’s shrine on its rocky summit.
• They set up camp, practiced Pokémon battles together, and waited as the sun began to set.
• May spotted a motorboat approaching the island, and Xia You saw that its occupants were being tossed by an undercurrent.
• Xia You used Charizard and a climbing rope to pull the motorboat safely through the currents to the underground dock.
• Xia You helped a blond woman ashore and recognized her as Caitlin.

Xia You met Caitlin on Fullmoon Island after helping her boat, and the two discovered they were both seeking Cresselia. After Caitlin joined Xia You and May at their camp, they waited for the Legendary Pokémon without success, but Xia You suspected that the right conditions for her appearance had not yet been met.

• Xia You helped Caitlin’s boat reach shore, met her, and learned she had come to Fullmoon Island hoping to encounter Cresselia.
• Xia You invited Caitlin to join him and May at their campsite, where May learned Caitlin was a Unova Elite Four member and a Sinnoh Battle Frontier Castle owner.
• Xia You, May, and Caitlin shared dinner and watched the moonlit island for signs of Cresselia, but nothing appeared.
• Caitlin grew disappointed that Cresselia had not shown up, and Xia You suggested that the conditions for her appearance might not yet have been met.

Xia You proposed that Cresselia was already near Fullmoon Island and could be lured out with powerful psychic energy or recreated nightmares. Caitlin and Xia You prepared their Pokémon to try Musharna’s nightmare ability, but Cresselia had not appeared by the chapter’s end.

• Caitlin agreed with Xia You’s theory that Cresselia waited nearby for Darkrai to appear, and she sent out Gothitelle to release psychic energy into the sky.
• When Gothitelle and Musharna’s psychic attacks failed to attract Cresselia, Xia You suggested using Musharna to create nightmares like Darkrai did.
• Xia You asked May to gather her Pokémon and told Caitlin to keep Gothitelle and Musharna ready in case Cresselia appeared.
• Xia You released Umbreon, Snowman Snorlax, Frogadier, Chimchar, Lucario, and his talking Gengar, astonishing Caitlin.
• May returned with her Pokémon, bringing their total to ten as the group prepared to try Musharna’s nightmare energy.

Caitlin used Musharna and Gengar to draw Cresselia to the moonstone altar, then challenged it to a battle. After Gothitelle and Metagross were pushed back, Caitlin recalled Metagross and prepared to send out her third Pokémon.

• Caitlin had Musharna put Xia You and May's Pokémon to sleep, while Gengar transformed into a brainwave amplifier and transmitted their nightmares.
• Gengar's signal brought Cresselia down to the moonstone altar without a Lunar Wing, and Caitlin challenged it with Gothitelle.
• Cresselia and Gothitelle battled, and Cresselia eventually knocked Gothitelle down before Caitlin recalled it.
• Caitlin sent out Metagross, and Xia You recognized that she was testing which of her Pokémon could perform best against Cresselia.
• Cresselia struck Metagross into a rock, prompting Caitlin to recall it and take out her third Poké Ball.

Caitlin battled Cresselia with a rotating team, wearing the Legendary Pokémon down before repeatedly trying to catch her with Great Balls. After Xia You protected Caitlin from an attack and she revealed her psychic power, he caught the escaping Cresselia and handed the Great Ball to Caitlin, whose affection for him had begun to grow.

• Caitlin sent out Sigilyph, and it fought Cresselia until both Pokémon were exhausted.
• Caitlin switched in Gothitelle and then Metagross, using their recovered strength and defensive advantages to wear Cresselia down while repeatedly throwing Great Balls.
• Cresselia unleashed a powerful shock wave, and Xia You stepped in front of May and Caitlin while Gengar blocked the blast.
• Caitlin felt her heart flutter as Xia You checked on her, then used a Psychic type Power Shield to stop Cresselia from attacking her.
• Cresselia escaped toward the sky, but Xia You threw a Great Ball that caught her and handed it to Caitlin.

After Xia You caught Cresselia, he gave it to Caitlin, who grew deeply attracted to him and invited him to visit her Battle Chateau after the Lily of the Valley Conference. Xia You accepted, while May began to suspect Caitlin had fallen for him at first sight.

• Xia You handed Caitlin the Great Ball containing Cresselia, and Caitlin thanked him and quietly developed stronger feelings for him.
• Xia You, May, and Caitlin rebuilt their campsite and discussed how Caitlin would stop Darkrai from troubling the area.
• Caitlin said she planned to search for Darkrai near Canalave City, but Xia You declined to return there with her and May.
• Caitlin learned that Xia You had defeated Brandon at Kanto's Battle Frontier and invited him to visit Sinnoh's Battle Frontier and her Battle Chateau after the Conference.
• Xia You agreed to seek Caitlin out at the Battle Chateau, and May wondered whether Caitlin had fallen for him despite their having met only that day.

Cynthia and Cheryl visited Ecruteak City to investigate Xia You’s connection to the Ecruteak Five, then asked to meet them. After hearing that the visitor had come because of Xia You, Xiaojuan and her sisters agreed to meet Cynthia at their home after their performances.

• Caitlin returned to her boat with Cresselia and wondered whether she and Xia You had caught the Pokémon together.
• Cynthia and Cheryl arrived in Ecruteak City, learned of the Ecruteak Five’s fame, and watched their performance.
• Cynthia asked Cheryl to confirm that the Five Sisters were connected to Xia You, then decided to meet them.
• Cynthia gave a theater employee her business card and said she had come because of Xia You and had a score to settle with him.
• The employee told Xiaojuan and her sisters about Cynthia’s message, and Xiaojuan arranged for them to meet Cynthia at their home after work.

Cynthia and Cheryl visited Xiaojuan, Xiaotao, and Xiaoyu to discuss Cynthia’s dispute with Xia You. After Cynthia revealed that Cheryl was also Xia You’s woman, Xiaoyu challenged her to a battle, and Cynthia agreed to return the next day.

• Cynthia’s manager arranged a meeting with Xiaojuan at the Ecruteak Five’s home for nine that evening.
• Cynthia and Cheryl spent the day exploring the city before going to meet Xiaojuan, Xiaotao, and Xiaoyu.
• Cynthia said she had scores to settle with Xia You, then revealed that Cheryl was also his woman.
• Xiaoyu reacted angrily and left the reception room, demanding that Cynthia beat her before discussing anything else.
• Xiaojuan proposed that Cynthia battle Xiaoyu the next day, and Cynthia accepted before leaving with Cheryl.

Cynthia battled Xiaoyu at the Five Sisters’ home and easily defeated her Umbreon, prompting Xiaoyu to reveal the Great Ball Xia You had left in her care. The chapter ended with Cynthia recognizing that the Pokémon Xiaoyu summoned was the Legendary Raikou.

• Xiaojuan and Xiaotao questioned Xiaoyu’s decision to challenge Cynthia, but Xiaoyu insisted she would settle things by battling her.
• Cynthia and Cheryl returned to the Five Sisters’ home, where Cynthia faced Xiaoyu on the courtyard battle court.
• Cynthia sent out Garchomp, while Xiaoyu chose her Umbreon, and Garchomp quickly defeated it.
• Xiaoyu took out a lightning-engraved Great Ball despite Xiaojuan and Xiaotao’s warnings, then released the Pokémon inside.
• Cynthia recognized the Pokémon as Raikou and realized Xiaoyu had been keeping the Legendary Pokémon in her hands all along.

Xiaoyu challenged Cynthia with Raikou, but Cynthia’s Garchomp Mega Evolved and forced Raikou out of the Battle Arena. Xiaoyu refused to concede and proposed changing the rules of the match.

• Cynthia realized Xiaoyu’s Raikou had likely been given to her by Xia You, while Xiaoyu trusted the Legendary Pokémon to overcome Cynthia’s type advantage.
• Raikou initially outmaneuvered Garchomp, but Cynthia activated Mega Evolution and transformed Garchomp into Mega Garchomp.
• Mega Garchomp’s strength and Cynthia’s command let it fight Raikou to a standstill and gradually push it back.
• Mega Garchomp struck Raikou beyond the Battle Arena’s boundary, but Xiaoyu refused to admit defeat.
• Xiaoyu acknowledged that she could not beat Cynthia one-on-one and proposed changing the rules of the match.

Xiaoyu proposed a three-on-three battle, and Xiaojuan and Xiaotao revealed that they possessed Entei and Suicune alongside Xiaoyu’s Raikou. Cynthia faced all three Legendary Beasts with Mega Garchomp, Spiritomb, and Milotic, suffered a crushing defeat, and left on respectful terms with Xiaoyu.

• Xiaoyu asked Xiaojuan and Xiaotao to join her in a three-on-three battle against Cynthia, and they agreed to reveal their Legendary Pokémon.
• Xiaojuan and Xiaotao released Entei and Suicune, confirming Cynthia’s suspicion that the sisters held all three Legendary Beasts and asking her to keep the secret.
• Cynthia agreed to protect their secret, then sent out Spiritomb and Milotic to fight alongside Mega Garchomp.
• Entei, Raikou, and Suicune coordinated their attacks and quickly defeated Cynthia’s three Pokémon, leaving her no chance to direct a meaningful counterattack.
• Cynthia recalled her defeated Pokémon and prepared to leave, but Xiaoyu stopped her, praised her strength, and shook her hand.

After making peace with Xiaojuan, Xiaotao, and Xiaoyu, Cynthia learned that Erika might know more about Xia You’s past and his attackers. She and Cheryl left Johto for Kanto, bound for Celadon Gym to seek Erika.

• Xiaojuan served tea while Cynthia explained that she had brought Cheryl to meet Xia You’s other partners and to ask about the women who had attacked her in Celestic Town.
• Xiaojuan told Cynthia that Erika, the Celadon Gym Leader and a former traveling companion of Xia You, might know the answers, then invited Cynthia and Cheryl to stay for lunch.
• Cynthia and Cheryl spoke privately and decided to travel to Kanto to find Erika, while Xiaomei and Sakura questioned Cynthia about her relationship with Xia You.
• Xiaojuan, Xiaotao, and Xiaoyu shared lunch with Cynthia and Cheryl, and Xiaoyu asked Cheryl to tell Xia You not to bring them any more new sisters.
• Cynthia and Cheryl collected their luggage and headed to the airport to fly to Kanto and visit Celadon Gym.

Xia You and May arrived in Mutton Town during its annual Phione season and learned about the local custom of seeking good luck by spotting the rare Pokémon. Xia You proposed searching the nearby waters for Manaphy, and the two set out by rented motorboat.

• Xia You and May disembarked in Mutton Town and learned that Phione sightings drew visitors to the town each year.
• May bought Phione souvenirs, and a stall owner claimed that seeing Phione brought good luck and helped Coordinators win contests.
• Xia You explained that the good-luck story was likely advertising meant to attract tourists.
• Xia You suggested that May try to catch Manaphy, reasoning that Manaphy might visit the waters where Phione gathered to breed.
• Xia You and May mailed their purchases, stored their luggage at the Pokémon Center, and rented a motorboat to search the nearby waters.

Xia You and May searched underwater for Phione, and the Blessing of the Sea guided Xia You to a hidden basin where they found a group of Phione and Manaphy. May approached the Pokémon to befriend them while Xia You watched over her.

• Xia You and May left the crowded surface search and dove underwater with their Pokémon to look for Phione.
• After searching without success, Xia You sensed a presence guiding him and realized the Blessing of the Sea was leading him toward Phione.
• Xia You rode Milotic with May to a glowing underwater basin, where he sensed several Phione nearby.
• Xia You found a school of fish surrounding Phione and Manaphy, then signaled May to approach them alone.
• May entered the school with Wartortle and cautiously reached out to touch the Phione and Manaphy as they swam toward her.

May befriended and caught Manaphy with Xia You’s help, while Xia You arranged a cyclone to keep other Trainers away. Afterward, a photo from Xiaoyu revealed Cynthia and Cheryl at the Five Sisters’ home in Ecruteak City, leaving Xia You furious and confused.

• Xia You guided May to the hidden Sea of Origin, where she bonded with a Manaphy while Frogadier searched for a nearby island.
• Xia You brought May and Manaphy ashore, then had Gengar and Milotic create a cyclone around the island to deter other Trainers.
• Manaphy used Rain Dance to add dark clouds and rain, while Xia You gave May three hours to catch it before resorting to a battle.
• May challenged Manaphy after befriending it, defeated it, and caught it.
• Xia You received a photo from Xiaoyu showing Cynthia and Cheryl at the Five Sisters’ home, then angrily accused Cynthia of targeting his friends.

Cynthia and Cheryl tried to meet Erika at the Celadon Gym, but first discovered her perfume shop and flower-arranging classes. Erika finally received them and recognized Cynthia as the Sinnoh Champion, leaving their reason for visiting unresolved.

• Xia You and May left Akebi Town for Snowpoint City, while May worried about her growing closeness to Lisia and Xia You fretted over Cynthia's unexplained visit to his home turf.
• Cynthia and Cheryl searched for Erika, followed her to her perfume shop, and learned that Erika blended its perfumes and taught flower arranging.
• After buying perfume and missing Erika at the shop, Cynthia and Cheryl went to the Celadon Gym and asked to see her about Xia You.
• Erika's students mistook Cynthia and Cheryl for rivals and speculated that they had come to confront Erika, but Erika dismissed them and finished her class.
• Erika met Cynthia and Cheryl in the Reception Room and began to recognize Cynthia as the Sinnoh Champion.

Cynthia and Cheryl visited Erika at the Celadon Gym to ask about Shelly and Courtney, but Erika knew nothing and directed them to Sabrina, Xia You’s first woman. After leaving, Cynthia and Cheryl headed for Saffron City, with Cynthia determined to confront Xia You if Sabrina could not help.

• Cynthia questioned Erika about Xia You, Shelly, and Courtney, while Erika confirmed she was Xia You’s lover and learned that Cheryl was another of his women.
• Cynthia revealed that Xiaojuan, Xiaotao, and Xiaoyu were also Xia You’s women, and Erika said she did not wish to interfere in his affairs.
• Erika told Cynthia that Sabrina, the Saffron Gym Leader, might know something about Shelly and Courtney.
• After Cynthia and Cheryl left the Celadon Gym, Erika realized the three sisters had sent them to expose their relationship with Xia You and decided to use the visit to address her own tension with Sabrina.
• Cynthia and Cheryl agreed to travel to Saffron City, and Cynthia vowed to confront Xia You if Sabrina could not provide answers.

Xia You and May met reporter Yuka, who brought them to watch the twin Trainers Isaki and Ibu defend their Double Battle winning streak. Xia You challenged both brothers alone with Chimchar and Frogadier, and the battle left the twins struggling to respond as the onlookers and Yuka realized he was a formidable opponent.

• Xia You and May entered a rural town, where reporter Yuka approached them and explained that Isaki and Ibu had built a twenty-nine-battle winning streak.
• Yuka led Xia You and May to the twins' battle, where Isaki and Ibu won their thirtieth consecutive match with Typhlosion and Feraligatr.
• Xia You volunteered to battle both twins alone, and Isaki and Ibu accepted while Yuka's crew began filming.
• Xia You sent out Chimchar and Frogadier against the twins' evolved Pokémon, prompting the crowd to doubt his chances.
• Xia You directed Chimchar and Frogadier to evade the opening attacks and press the twins, disrupting their coordination and counterattack.
• Isaki and Ibu realized Xia You had anticipated their moves and defenses, while Yuka recognized the battle as valuable material for her report.

Xia You defeated Shun and his twin brother in a Double Battle, and Chimchar and Frogadier evolved into Monferno and Greninja. Meanwhile, Cynthia and Cheryl reached Saffron Gym to meet Sabrina, whose reaction turned tense when Cynthia mentioned Xia You.

• Xia You used Chimchar and Frogadier to exploit Typhlosion and Feraligatr's weaknesses, defeating the twins and ending their winning streak.
• Chimchar and Frogadier evolved into Monferno and Greninja, and Yuka filmed their evolutions while Xia You declined her offer of publicity.
• The twins accepted their loss and left, while Xia You and May went to eat before continuing toward Snowpoint City.
• Cynthia and Cheryl arrived at Saffron Gym and watched Sabrina's Alakazam defeat a challenger and send him tumbling into his Beedrill.
• Cynthia told Sabrina that she and Cheryl had come about Xia You, and Sabrina's expression and the Gym's atmosphere changed sharply.

Cynthia confronted Sabrina to learn where Shelly and Courtney were, but their conversation turned hostile when Sabrina mistook Cynthia’s revelations about Xia You’s other women as provocation. Sabrina captured Cheryl by turning her into a rag doll and challenged Cynthia to fight; the chapter ended with Sabrina summoning Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres against her.

• Cynthia asked Sabrina about Shelly and Courtney, but Sabrina refused to share what she knew because she considered them Xia You’s subordinates.
• Cynthia revealed that Xia You had other women, including Erika, and Sabrina attacked her with psychic power.
• Sabrina turned Cheryl into a rag doll and held her captive, then agreed to spare her if Cynthia fought.
• Cynthia identified herself as the Sinnoh Champion and accepted Sabrina’s challenge, while Sabrina set the battle at six Pokémon against three.
• Sabrina released Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres, leaving Cynthia to consider whether to fight or flee.

Cynthia fought Sabrina and her three Legendary Birds at the Saffron Gym, using Mega Garchomp to try to overcome their numbers. After several of Cynthia’s Pokémon fell, she was left with only Mega Garchomp and Spiritomb, and defeat seemed inevitable.

• Cynthia sent out her full team and Mega Evolved Garchomp before Sabrina’s three Legendary Birds attacked.
• Cynthia’s Pokémon fought in a chaotic nine-Pokémon battle, with Mega Garchomp leading the assault while the others tried to restrain the birds.
• Roserade fell first, and Zapdos then defeated Milotic after Milotic endured Thunder Shock and Recover.
• Lucario and Spiritomb helped Mega Garchomp hold off the birds, but Articuno froze Togekiss and Moltres burned Lucario.
• Cynthia realized that only Mega Garchomp and Spiritomb remained and feared Sabrina would turn her into a doll like Cheryl.

Cynthia survived Sabrina’s attack after Xia You called and calmed Sabrina, who restored Cheryl and accepted Cynthia as one of her sisters. The chapter ended with Cynthia stunned when Sabrina called her her older sister.

• Sabrina’s father rushed in and tried to stop her from attacking Cynthia, but Sabrina nearly turned him into a doll before Xia You’s call made her leave with the Legendary Birds.
• Sabrina’s father warned Cynthia not to get too involved with Sabrina, but Cynthia refused to leave without rescuing Cheryl and followed Sabrina.
• Erika told Xia You that Cynthia had gone to Sabrina, so Xia You called Sabrina and apologized for his relationships with other women.
• Sabrina admitted she was angry that Xia You had kept his other relationships from her, but she agreed to let Cynthia and Cheryl go.
• Cynthia entered Sabrina’s room, and Sabrina restored Cheryl to normal before telling Cynthia that Xia You had explained everything.
• Sabrina accepted Cynthia as one of Xia You’s women and said she would call her older sister, leaving Cynthia shocked.

Cynthia and Cheryl were drawn into Sabrina’s plan for a family meeting with Erika and the Ecruteak Sisters, while Xia You and May reached Snowpoint City for his final Gym challenge. Monferno struggled on Candice’s Ice Field, but Xia You told it to melt the ice and create footing.

• Sabrina decided Cynthia and Cheryl would join her, Erika, and the Ecruteak Sisters for a family meeting, then set out with them to find Erika and travel to Ecruteak City.
• Xia You and May arrived in Snowpoint City and went to the Gym, where they learned Candice was teaching at a nearby Pokémon Trainer school.
• Candice returned to the Gym, welcomed Xia You and May, and led Xia You to the Battle Field for a four-Pokémon-per-side match.
• Candice sent out Sneasel while Xia You chose his newly evolved Monferno, and Candice assumed he had selected it to exploit the type matchup.
• Sneasel used its skill on the ice to knock Monferno down and keep it off balance, so Xia You told Monferno to melt the surface and make its own footing.