Chapter Summaries

Harley and Jessie earned the top scores in the Saffron Contest’s first round, while May’s Combusken performance placed her seventh among the eight contestants advancing. The chapter ended as Lilian revealed that the second round would begin with Contest Battles and prepared to show the opening matchups.

• Harley’s polished performance set a high bar, but Jessie later scored even higher after her dramatic performance with James’s Cacnea.
• Jessie’s Pin Missile display impressed the audience, and medical staff carried her off after she became stuck on Cacnea’s spikes.
• May performed with Combusken, combining Fire Spin and Sky Uppercut in a fast, cool routine that earned her a place in the next round.
• The Giant Screen showed Jessie and Harley in the top two spots and May in seventh among the eight qualifiers.
• Lilian announced the start of the second-round Contest Battles and moved to reveal the opening matchups.

May defeated Harley in the second round of the Saffron Contest after Squirtle overcame Ariados’s web trap with Ice Beam and follow-up attacks. Jessie then won two matches in succession, joining May in the final round.

• May faced Harley in the first match of the second round and chose her recently caught Squirtle, while Harley sent out Ariados.
• Ariados startled Squirtle with Scary Face, trapped it in Spider Web, and caused May’s appeal points to fall as Harley toyed with it.
• May urged Squirtle to use Ice Beam while the web steadied it, freezing Ariados and the web; Squirtle then broke free and followed up with Bubble and Tackle to knock Ariados out.
• Lilian declared May the winner, and May celebrated with Squirtle while Xia You praised her performance.
• Harley persuaded Jessie to avenge his loss, and Jessie promised to beat May before heading to her match.
• Jessie defeated two opponents in succession and advanced to the final round alongside May.

May and Fairy Jessie Bian fought for the Saffron City Ribbon while James and Meowth tricked Harley into lending them his Pokémon. The lights failed during the final battle, and Team Rocket interrupted the contest with their motto, leaving Jessie demanding to know why they had come onstage.

• May and Jessie began the final match, with May using Squirtle against Jessie's Wobbuffet.
• Meowth decided to steal Harley's Pokémon, and James and Meowth convinced Harley to hand over his Cacturne and Ariados by claiming Jessie needed them for a special battle move.
• May kept Squirtle moving and attacking around Wobbuffet, steadily reducing Jessie's appeal points while losing very few of her own.
• The lights went out in the Contest Hall, and a spotlight revealed James and Meowth jumping onto the stage beside Jessie.
• Jessie instinctively joined James and Meowth in reciting Team Rocket's motto, then demanded to know what they had come up there for.

Team Rocket interrupted the Saffron Contest to steal Pokémon, but Jessie Bian’s departure left May the winner of her first Kanto Ribbon Medal. Xia You and May set out toward the Battle Palace, where a farm visit led to a sudden encounter with two Voltorb and an excited fan of May.

• James revealed that Team Rocket had used the contest as cover for a Pokémon-stealing operation, and Jessie Bian lost the battle when time ran out.
• Team Rocket escaped through a hole in the contest hall ceiling with stolen Pokémon, while Harley blamed May and stormed out.
• Lilian declared May the winner, and Contesta presented her with her first Kanto Ribbon Medal.
• Ash left Saffron City with Max and Brock to travel to the Battle Arena, while Xia You and May planned a route to the Battle Palace and said goodbye to Sabrina.
• On the road, May admired a farm, and Xia You agreed to visit; Gardevoir stopped two Voltorb from striking her with Thunder Shock.
• A girl named Daimi explained that the Voltorb were defending the farm, then recognized May from the Saffron Contest and praised her performance.

Xia You and May visited Daimi’s family Pokémon Egg farm, where Daimi challenged May to prove she could become a Coordinator without traveling. May accepted and Daimi chose Munchlax to face her Vileplume, leaving the battle’s outcome uncertain as Munchlax used Metronome while confused.

• Xia You and May met Daimi and her parents, Karasa and Nozomi, and learned their farm cared for Pokémon Eggs.
• Daimi showed them the eggs, including some abandoned ones raised by her family, and invited them to watch an egg hatch soon.
• Daimi challenged May to convince her parents that she could become an outstanding Coordinator without traveling, and Xia You urged May to accept.
• May released Combusken, Squirtle, and Munchlax for Daimi to choose from, and Daimi selected Munchlax for the battle.
• Daimi sent out Vileplume and ordered Petal Dance, which struck Munchlax and left it confused; Munchlax then used Metronome.

May and Munchlax defeated Daimi in a battle, and Xia You and May persuaded Daimi to leave home and travel. The chapter ended with Daimi giving May an Eevee Egg as thanks.

• Munchlax endured Vileplume's attacks, then struck it down with Focus Punch and defeated it after May ordered Solar Beam.
• Xia You encouraged Daimi to travel, and May revealed that he was the Indigo Conference Champion.
• Xia You demonstrated Gardevoir's strength, and May shared her Coordinator experiences until Daimi decided to set out on a journey.
• Xia You, May, and Daimi's family watched a Vulpix hatch at the farm.
• Daimi gave May an Eevee Egg to thank her and Xia You for encouraging her to travel.

May accepted Daimi’s mysterious egg and prepared to enter the Guiluba Pokémon Contest, while Xia You helped her Combusken train with his Eevee. Xia You’s coaching helped Combusken turn the sparring match into a draw, leaving Eevee protesting his Trainer’s interference.

• May accepted the egg from Daimi, then she and Xia You left the farm and reached Guiluba Town, where they learned the Pokémon Contest would be held the next day.
• May registered for the contest and planned to use Squirtle for the performance round and Combusken for the battle round.
• Xia You offered his Pokémon as sparring partners, and Combusken chose Eevee after finding the others intimidating.
• May rehearsed with Squirtle while Combusken and Eevee battled; Xia You called out guidance that helped Combusken land a Double Kick and Ember.
• Combusken and Eevee fought to a draw, and Eevee protested to Xia You for helping Combusken.

May competed in the Guiluba Pokémon Contest, where her Squirtle impressed the audience and her Combusken defeated Ogata’s Venusaur in the final. May won another Ribbon Medal, while Ogata’s family came to support his dream after his performance moved the crowd.

• Xia You and May finished training Combusken and Squirtle, then took them to the Pokémon Center to recover.
• May performed with Squirtle in the first judging round, impressing the audience with a dazzling Ice Beam and bubble display.
• Ogata transformed his appearance and performed with Butterfree, but his wife and son interrupted him until May helped him explain his dream and earn their support.
• May and Ogata advanced through the second judging round and each won their match to reach the final.
• May directed Combusken to defeat Ogata’s Venusaur with Sky Uppercut, winning the Guiluba Contest and another Ribbon Medal.

After May won her second Kanto Ribbon Medal, she and Xia You sailed to Metal Island to challenge the Battle Palace. Frontier Brain Yujin proposed an outdoor three-on-three battle across a vast stretch of the island’s forest, and a referee robot was introduced to monitor the match.

• May defeated Ogata in the Guiluba Pokémon Contest and earned her second Kanto Ribbon Medal.
• Xia You and May boarded a passenger ship from Guiluba Town and traveled toward Metal Island, spotting a shape that appeared to be Lugia along the way.
• After reaching Metal Island, Xia You and May were attacked by territorial wild Pokémon until Scizor and Dragonite escorted them through the forest.
• Xia You met Frontier Brain Yujin at the Battle Palace, and Yujin proposed that they battle outdoors.
• Yujin led Xia You and May to a mountaintop and declared the forest between the coastline and a river to be the arena for their three-on-three elimination battle.
• Yujin revealed a hovering referee robot that would track the Pokémon across the enormous battlefield.

Xia You challenged Yujin to a three-on-three survival battle across the Battle Palace forest, sending out Scizor, Metagross, and Dragonite against Yujin’s Shiftry, Claydol, and Venusaur. The battle left Scizor and Dragonite apparently victorious, while Metagross and Claydol were still fighting when a swarm of territorial Beedrill attacked them both.

• Xia You proposed that all three Pokémon on each side battle freely across the forest, with the last Pokémon standing deciding the match, and Yujin accepted.
• Yujin sent out Shiftry, Claydol, and Venusaur, while Xia You sent out Scizor, Metagross, and Dragonite.
• The six Pokémon scattered across the battlefield, and May and Yujin watched while Xia You left the Pokémon to fight without commands.
• Scizor battled Venusaur, Metagross fought Claydol, and Dragonite drove Shiftry toward the forest as the fights moved away from the mountaintop.
• A powerful clash between Scizor’s X-Scissor and Venusaur’s Solar Beam lit up the forest, and the battle soon fell silent, suggesting Venusaur had lost.
• Beedrill swarmed Metagross and Claydol during their ongoing fight, forcing both Pokémon to flee through the forest.

Xia You defeated Yujin at the Battle Palace and earned the Spirits Badge after Metagross and Claydol knocked each other out. He and May flew to Vanilla Island, where May became eager to enter the next day’s orienteering competition.

• Dragonite and Scizor drove off the Beedrill swarm, and Metagross and Claydol resumed their battle.
• Metagross and Claydol collided with Hyper Beams and both were knocked out, giving Xia You the Battle Palace victory.
• Yujin awarded Xia You the Spirits Badge, and Xia You and May left Metal Island on Dragonite after learning the next ship would not arrive for three days.
• Xia You and May landed on Vanilla Island at Zaoyu Town and learned about the next morning’s Off-Road Competition and its prizes.
• May asked Xia You to enter the competition, saying she had a chance to beat him at orienteering.

Xia You promised Anabel to conceal that she was a Faller from the parallel-world Anabel, then joined May in the Pokémon Orienteering Race on Vanilla Island. The race began, and Xia You and May chose the same route, with May keeping close behind him as they moved toward the lead.

• Anabel told Xia You that she had crossed through an Ultra Wormhole from another world and asked him to hide her identity from the Battle Tower's Anabel; Xia You agreed.
• Xia You returned to May, and they continued looking forward to competing in the next day's Pokémon Orienteering Race.
• Nurse Joy explained the race rules, gave contestants maps and compasses, and warned them not to use other tools or ride Pokémon.
• Xia You and May released Eevee and Squirtle and started the race among the crowd.
• At the first forks, Xia You chose the rightmost route he had planned, and May followed him to compete on the same path.
• Xia You and Eevee overtook contestants ahead while May and Squirtle stayed close behind him.

Xia You and May completed the Vanilla Island Pokémon Orienteering Race together, with Xia You helping May when she grew tired. They broke the course record, won the competition, and left with a photograph that deepened May’s feelings for Xia You.

• Xia You and May stamped their maps at Moon Rock, Rainbow Falls, the Kingler cape, and the three-hundred-year-old tree as they raced along their route.
• When May’s stamina began to fade, Xia You slowed down to stay beside her and helped her through difficult parts of the course.
• Xia You and May crossed the rope suspension bridge, collected the final stamp, and returned to the Pokémon Center together.
• Xia You caught May when she tried to let him finish first, and they crossed the finish line side by side in a record three hours and twenty-four minutes.
• Xia You and May received medals and fruit, then posed with Eevee and Squirtle for a photograph that May treasured as her feelings for Xia You grew.

After winning the Off-Road Competition, Xia You and May stayed on Vanilla Island for the Tamamo Pokémon Contest, where May advanced to the finals with the highest first-round score. She and Harley faced off in the final, and the chapter ended as their battle began, with Xia You hoping his training would help Munchlax counter Octillery’s Sleep move.

• Xia You, May, and their Pokémon shared the special fruit prizes before returning to Tamamo Town for the next day’s Pokémon Contest.
• Harley spotted May and Xia You outside the Contest Hall, avoided confronting them, and resolved to make May suffer a humiliating defeat.
• Xia You lent Eevee to May for training, and May prepared Munchlax for the contest while holding her Egg.
• May used Squirtle in the first round and earned the highest score, while Harley impressed the crowd with Ariados.
• May and Harley both won their way through the second round and reached the finals, where May chose Munchlax and Harley sent out Octillery.
• Xia You recalled secretly training Munchlax to resist Sleep as the final battle began.

May and Munchlax faced Harley’s powerful Octillery in the Tamamo Contest final, turning the match around with a lucky Metronome attack and Xia You’s countermeasure for Rest. May won when Munchlax carried the sleeping Octillery out of bounds, and Harley suspected Xia You had helped her.

• Harley’s Octillery overwhelmed Munchlax with Octazooka and stopped its Solar Beam with Sludge Bombs.
• May had Munchlax use Metronome, which called down a powerful Electric-type attack and brought Octillery to an even footing.
• Harley ordered Octillery to use Rest, while May’s attacks failed to move it as it anchored itself with its tentacles.
• Munchlax remembered its training with Xia You, carried the sleeping Octillery to the arena boundary, and threw it out of bounds.
• Lilian declared May the winner, and Harley spotted Xia You in the stands and suspected he had guided Munchlax’s strategy.

After winning the Tamamo Contest, May traveled with Xia You back to Kanto, where they met Lorelei before setting out toward Fuchsia City. In a strangely silent forest, they encountered Ranger Hinata, who let them proceed after Xia You showed his International Police identification.

• May thanked Xia You for teaching Munchlax Fling after she won the Tamamo Contest, and they left for Kanto.
• Xia You and May met Lorelei at a Pokémon Center, where she recalled defeating Drake, then went their separate ways the next morning.
• Xia You and May entered a quiet forest on their way to Fuchsia City and were stopped by Hinata, a Pokémon Ranger, who said the area was closed because of a serious incident.
• Xia You showed Hinata his International Police Special Investigator identification, and she agreed to take him and May deeper into the forest.
• Hinata introduced herself and explained that the Ranger Pokémon League had sent her to handle the incident, while Xia You introduced himself and May.

Xia You and May accompanied Pokémon Ranger Hinata into a forest where enormous thorny vines had appeared after a Celebi sighting. They met Hinata’s partner Fūgetsu and learned that Celebi was the likely cause, but its whereabouts remained unknown.

• Hinata used her Capture Styler to recruit nearby Linoone, which cut a passage through the thorny vines with Slash.
• Hinata explained that the vines had appeared overnight, disrupted the forest, and were linked to Celebi being harmed.
• Hinata said the Rangers had searched the forest without finding Celebi and feared it might have left.
• Fūgetsu arrived and introduced himself as Hinata’s partner, while his Minun stood on his shoulder.
• Fūgetsu recognized Xia You as the tournament winner in three regions, and Xia You told Hinata that being a Pokémon Trainer was his real job.

Xia You persuaded Fūgetsu to let him search for Celebi alone, then used Fūgetsu’s Capture Styler to transfer his own Celebi into the forest. His Celebi drew out the injured wild Celebi, which May helped treat, and the group began caring for it.

• Xia You concluded that the ash might have come with Celebi through time and proposed luring it out, but Hinata and Fūgetsu doubted the plan.
• Xia You offered to search using his own method on the condition that Hinata and Fūgetsu leave the forest and lend him a Capture Styler; Fūgetsu agreed, and Hinata went with him to the perimeter.
• After the Rangers had left, Xia You called Erika and used Fūgetsu’s Capture Styler to transfer his GS Ball into the forest.
• Xia You released his Celebi, which spread green light through the forest, cleared away the vines and thorns, and summoned the injured Celebi.
• May helped Xia You clean and bandage the wild Celebi’s minor wounds, and it accepted their care and instant noodles.

Xia You treated a wounded wild Celebi in the forest, but Hinata and Fūgetsu returned early and Celebi flew away. He and May continued to Fuchsia City, where they checked May’s egg and then arrived at the Battle Pike to challenge Lucy.

• Hinata persuaded Fūgetsu to return to the forest after they saw Celebi’s green light, and they found Xia You and May with the recovering Pokémon.
• Xia You recalled his Celebi and let the wild Celebi fly away when Hinata and Fūgetsu emerged from hiding; the two apologized, and Xia You left with May.
• Xia You and May reached Fuchsia City, where Nurse Joy examined May’s egg and said it would likely hatch within a couple of days.
• The next morning, Xia You and May arrived at the Battle Pike, where three women teased Xia You before Lucy came out to greet them.
• Lucy recognized Xia You and said she had heard about him from Greta and expected him to arrive later.

Xia You and May entered the Battle Pike, where Xia You faced Lucy in a two-Pokémon Frontier Battle. Their Milotic began an evenly matched fight, but Xia You’s creative tactics gave him the advantage as the battle continued.

• Lucy’s delinquent followers recognized Xia You as the Indigo Conference Champion and crowded around him until Lucy ordered them to back off.
• Xia You and May followed Lucy into the Battle Pike, where a referee announced that each trainer could use two Pokémon and needed two wins to prevail.
• Lucy and Xia You both sent out Milotic, then their Pokémon opened with matching Hydro Pumps that collided in midair.
• Lucy ordered Twister, and Xia You had his Milotic answer with the same move; the tornadoes merged into a waterspout that obscured the battlefield.
• Xia You’s Milotic rode the waterspout down and struck Lucy’s Milotic with Iron Tail, then repeatedly countered her attacks and disrupted her offensive.