Chapter Summaries

After Ash and Misty were eliminated from the Whirl Islands Cup, Xia You advanced to the semifinals and prepared to face Azhe. Meanwhile, Jessie pushed Team Rocket to keep plotting to steal High Priestess Maya’s scepter, and Xia You’s semifinal began with Blastoise facing Azhe’s Quagsire.

• Ash and Misty accepted their losses and stayed with Erika and the others to watch Xia You compete for the Cup Tournament title.
• Xia You realized Team Rocket was missing, while Jessie, James, and Meowth hid in the arena and planned to steal the scepter despite tightened security.
• The semifinal pairings were announced: Gaomei would face a female Pokémon Trainer, and Xia You would face Azhe.
• Xia You and his companions studied Azhe’s battle videos, identifying his Pokémon’s strengths and weaknesses while Azhe and Gaomei lost sleep worrying about their matches.
• Xia You arrived at the arena and began his semifinal against Azhe, who sent out Quagsire to face Blastoise.

Xia You defeated Azhe’s Quagsire in the semifinals’ first battle, then faced Azhe’s Feraligatr with Blastoise. After enduring Feraligatr’s relentless assault, Blastoise exploited a cracked stone pillar to turn the battle around and knock Feraligatr unconscious.

• Xia You’s Blastoise outmatched Quagsire at close range and defeated it after their Aqua Tail clash.
• Xia You spotted Erika, Misty, Ash, and Brock cheering from the stands as Azhe prepared his second Pokémon.
• Azhe sent out Feraligatr, which attacked Blastoise relentlessly and forced it to focus on defense.
• Xia You noticed the stone pillar had cracked and ordered Blastoise to stomp, causing Feraligatr to fall into the water.
• Blastoise struck Feraligatr as it struggled to return to the pillar, then knocked it unconscious with a Tackle.

After Blastoise secured Xia You’s place in the finals, its injuries and exhaustion made Xia You prepare to use his Red Gyarados against Gaomei. The chapter ended with Xia You meeting Gaomei in the waiting room, uneasy about the coming match.

• Blastoise defeated Xia You’s opponents and advanced him to the finals, but its accumulated injuries left it too exhausted to battle again soon.
• At the Pokémon Center, Xia You and his companions watched Gaomei win her match decisively, confirming that she would face him in the final.
• Misty asked Xia You to avenge her loss to Gaomei, while Ash and Misty bickered over their earlier tournament battles.
• Nurse Joy returned Blastoise’s Poké Ball and advised Xia You to let it rest, so Xia You resigned himself to using Red Gyarados.
• Xia You met Gaomei in the waiting room before the final, and she cheerfully reminded him that they would settle their rivalry in the arena.

Xia You faced Gaomei in the Whirl Islands Cup finals, where their three-Pokémon battle began with Blastoise against Chinchou. As Chinchou used its Electric-type advantage, Blastoise lunged toward it through a dangerous field of electricity.

• Xia You asked Gaomei not to hold him responsible for anything unexpected during their battle, but she misunderstood his warning.
• High Priestess Maya blessed the finalists, and Xia You worried that using Suicune would make him famous across Johto.
• Xia You sent out Blastoise while Gaomei opened with Chinchou, her Electric-type Pokémon that had defeated Misty.
• Blastoise's water cannons overwhelmed Chinchou's water attack, so Gaomei ordered Chinchou to gather lightning.
• Blastoise dove into the water to evade Chinchou's bolt, which shattered its stone pillar, and then swam toward Chinchou to attack.
• Chinchou surrounded itself with electricity as Blastoise leaped from the water toward it, putting Blastoise at risk of a severe shock.

Xia You recalled his paralyzed Blastoise and sent out a massive Red Gyarados, stunning the crowd with its roar and appearance. Gaomei’s Chinchou trembled under its intimidating presence, leaving her struggling to make it respond.

• Blastoise struck Chinchou but took heavy damage from its electricity and was paralyzed, so Xia You recalled it before Chinchou could use Thunder Shock.
• Xia You sent out his Red Gyarados for its first public appearance, and its size and roar stunned the spectators and announcer.
• The announcer and crowd questioned why Xia You’s Gyarados was red and so enormous, while Xia You silently understood its unusual power.
• Gaomei felt overwhelmed by Red Gyarados, and her Chinchou trembled in fear despite her repeated commands.

Gaomei's Gyarados faced Xia You's Red Gyarados after Chinchou was too frightened to battle. Red Gyarados brutally overpowered its opponent, then obeyed Xia You's command to stop, while Maya watched them thoughtfully.

• Gaomei recalled her unresponsive Chinchou and sent out her own Gyarados to face Red Gyarados.
• Gaomei's Gyarados recoiled at Red Gyarados's presence but recovered enough to follow her order to dive underwater.
• Xia You sent Red Gyarados underwater, where it rammed Gaomei's Gyarados through stone pillars and pinned it against the arena wall.
• Red Gyarados bit off its opponent's scales and tore into its neck, drawing blood and alarming the audience and High Priestess Maya.
• Xia You snapped his fingers, and Red Gyarados released Gaomei's Gyarados and returned obediently to his side.
• Maya watched Xia You and Red Gyarados thoughtfully as the match ended.

Gaomei sent Poliwrath against Xia You’s Red Gyarados, hoping to stall until Chinchou recovered, but her attacks and Hypnosis had no effect. The spectators debated why Red Gyarados resisted Hypnosis, and Erika suggested it was simply an unusual Pokémon.

• The referee declared Gaomei’s battered Gyarados unable to battle, and Gaomei chose not to send Chinchou back out.
• Gaomei sent Poliwrath into battle while Xia You kept Red Gyarados on the field.
• Poliwrath used Water Gun from a stone pillar, but Red Gyarados ignored the attack and shattered the pillar.
• Poliwrath leaped to another pillar and used Hypnosis, but Red Gyarados remained unaffected.
• Ash asked why Hypnosis failed, and Brock speculated that Gyarados’s anger counteracted it.
• Erika noted that Hypnosis could affect ordinary Gyarados and suggested Xia You’s Red Gyarados was unusually different.

Gaomei’s exhausted Poliwrath was cornered by Xia You’s Red Gyarados, which destroyed the arena’s stone pillars one by one. Poliwrath’s final Double-Edge ended with Red Gyarados biting and spitting it out unconscious, leaving the spectators shaken.

• Gaomei kept Poliwrath attacking with Water Gun, but Red Gyarados ignored the damage and demolished the pillars Poliwrath used to escape.
• Red Gyarados destroyed every pillar on Poliwrath’s side, leaving the exhausted Pokémon trapped on the last one.
• Gaomei refused to surrender and ordered Poliwrath to use Double-Edge against Red Gyarados.
• Red Gyarados caught Poliwrath in its mouth, making the spectators fear it had eaten the Pokémon.
• Red Gyarados spat Poliwrath out whole but bloodied and unconscious, and the crowd calmed down.

Gaomei sent Chinchou against Xia You’s Red Gyarados, hoping Electric-type moves could overcome its size and strength. Chinchou’s Electro Ball struck the Red Gyarados, leaving the result of the attack unresolved.

• After Poliwrath was defeated, Gaomei sent Chinchou out for her final battle and urged it not to meet the Red Gyarados’s gaze.
• Chinchou used piles of rubble to evade the Red Gyarados and landed a weak electric attack that made it pause.
• Misty watched anxiously, torn between cheering for Xia You and worrying about Chinchou.
• Chinchou gathered its strength and hurled an Electro Ball at the pursuing Red Gyarados, striking it with a brilliant flash.

Xia You used Red Gyarados’s Twister to trap Gaomei’s Chinchou in a massive whirlpool, then defeated it with a bite despite its final Discharge. The Whirl Islands Cup ended with Xia You crowned champion.

• Gaomei saw Electro Ball damage Red Gyarados and believed Chinchou could exploit its Electric-type weakness.
• Red Gyarados obeyed Xia You and created a huge whirlpool with Twister, pulling Chinchou toward it.
• Gaomei ordered Chinchou to use Discharge, but Red Gyarados bit down and swallowed it.
• Chinchou stopped struggling, and Xia You had Red Gyarados spit it back into the water.
• The host announced Xia You as the Whirl Islands Cup champion.

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.