Chapter Summaries

The Indigo Conference finals began with Yusheng and Xia You entering to a roaring crowd, while Lance joined the broadcast and praised both Trainers, especially Xia You. The first Pokémon appeared on the field, with both finalists choosing Flying-type opening battlers.

• The finals opened at Indigo Stadium with fireworks, mascots, balloons, and an excited crowd watching from the stands.
• President Charles Goodshow opened the ceremony, and the host introduced Lance as a special commentator.
• Lance praised Yusheng’s skill and revealed that he had met Xia You before and wanted to battle him someday.
• Yusheng and Xia You entered the stadium, and Xia You received far louder cheers than his opponent.
• Xia You wondered how Lance had recognized him, then he and Yusheng sent out their opening Pokémon, both Flying-types.

Xia You’s Charizard defeated Yusheng’s Pidgeot in the opening battle of the Indigo Conference final. Yusheng sent out Rhyhorn, and Xia You switched to Gyarados, leaving both opponents facing off on the field.

• Yusheng and Xia You sent out Pidgeot and Charizard for the final, and Charizard unnerved Pidgeot with its fierce glare before the match began.
• Charizard charged Pidgeot without waiting for Xia You’s command, and the two Pokémon traded attacks in the air.
• Xia You found an opening and ordered Charizard to use Fire Fang, knocking Pidgeot out of the battle.
• Yusheng recalled Pidgeot and sent out Rhyhorn, prompting Xia You to recall Charizard and choose Gyarados.
• Gyarados’s imposing presence agitated Rhyhorn, and the commentator joked that Xia You had pioneered the “gaze intimidation style.”

Xia You’s Gyarados defeated Yusheng’s Rhyhorn after countering its Reckless-powered Take Down and exploiting its Water-type weakness. With the score 2–0, Xia You faced the crowd’s deafening cheers while Yusheng realized how overwhelming his opponent was.

• Yusheng ordered Rhyhorn to use Take Down, but Gyarados met the charge with Hydro Pump and was struck by Rhyhorn’s horn.
• Xia You identified Rhyhorn’s Reckless Ability, and Lance explained how it strengthened recoil moves to the audience.
• Xia You kept Gyarados close to Rhyhorn to prevent it from building speed, then Gyarados weakened it with Water-type attacks.
• When Yusheng tried to recall Rhyhorn, Gyarados blocked the Poké Ball, wrapped around Rhyhorn, and finished it with Crunch.
• The referee awarded Xia You a 2–0 lead as the crowd cheered, while Yusheng felt terrified by the strength of his opponent.

Xia You’s Haunter overwhelmed Yusheng’s Venusaur and extended Xia You’s lead to 3-0, while the battle continued with Jolteon facing Scyther. At the stadium control center, Charles Goodshow reminisced about his youth as a Trainer and claimed Xia You resembled his former self, leaving John incredulous.

• Yusheng sent out Venusaur, and Haunter volunteered to battle it for Xia You.
• Haunter repeatedly thwarted Venusaur’s attacks and defeated it with Night Shade, making the score 3-0 for Xia You.
• Broadcast director John watched ratings break the all-time record as Charles Goodshow arrived at the control center.
• In the fourth round, Yusheng sent out Scyther, which was badly intimidated by Xia You’s Jolteon.
• Charles Goodshow said he had been a famous Kanto Trainer and that Xia You reminded him of his younger self, while John privately doubted the resemblance.

Xia You defeated Yusheng 6-0 in the Indigo Conference final and became the new champion. The chapter ended with the host announcing Xia You’s undefeated run and the crowd celebrating his victory.

• Jolteon defeated Scyther, and Yusheng sent out Sandslash against Xia You’s Blastoise.
• Sandslash trapped Blastoise with Sand Tomb, but Blastoise used Water Gun to soak the sand and escape.
• Blastoise defeated Sandslash, bringing Xia You’s lead to 5-0 as the audience chanted for him to become champion.
• Yusheng sent out Hitmonlee, and Xia You answered with Gardevoir.
• Gardevoir knocked out Hitmonlee with Psychic, and the host announced Xia You as the undefeated Indigo Conference champion.

Xia You defeated Yusheng to win the Indigo Conference and celebrated with his friends in the lounge. After the festivities, he reminded everyone that the closing ceremony still had to take place before the tournament was over.

• Xia You won the final match against Yusheng, who congratulated him but joked that he never wanted to face him again.
• The referee told Xia You to stay near the venue for the award ceremony and closing ceremony.
• Professor Cerise and the others surprised Xia You in the lounge with champagne and celebrated his victory.
• Meisha and Masha planned to leave, but Xia You persuaded them to stay and celebrate with the group.
• Everyone raised a toast, and Ash and Misty bickered over the taste of champagne.
• Ash asked what they would do next, and Xia You said they still had to attend the closing ceremony.

Xia You received the Indigo Conference championship trophy, gold medal, and prize money, then celebrated with his friends. After the others left, he funded a base for Meisha and the Biker Gang, and Sabrina chose to travel with him as he set off for the Orange Islands.

• Xia You received the championship gold medal and trophy from Charles Goodshow as the Indigo Stadium celebrated with fireworks.
• Xia You returned to his room after the closing festivities, recovered from drinking, and replied to congratulatory messages from his friends.
• Chloe left with Professor Cerise, while Ash, Misty, and Brock headed back to Pallet Town for Ash's celebration banquet.
• Xia You gave Meisha two million to establish a base for the Biker Gang and deposited the rest of his prize money.
• Sabrina told Xia You she would pause her Gym Leader work and travel with him, and Xia You chose the Orange Islands as their next destination.

Xia You and Sabrina arrived in Blue Point and prepared for their journey to the Orange Islands, buying outdoor supplies before setting off across the sea with their Pokémon. They left the store burdened with packs, and Xia You brought out Charizard to carry them.

• Xia You and Sabrina discussed traveling to the Orange Islands and agreed to take a sea route from Blue Point rather than detour to Vermilion City.
• Xia You helped Sabrina choose travel clothes and supplies at an outdoor store, and she selected a large four-person tent instead of a sleeping bag.
• Xia You and Sabrina left the store carrying heavy backpacks and supplies.
• Xia You released Charizard to carry the gear and serve as transportation.

Xia You and Sabrina stopped on Knot Island in the Sevii Islands to let Charizard rest and explore the town. At a tavern, they met Lorelei, who recognized Sabrina and identified Xia You as the newly crowned Indigo Conference champion.

• Xia You and Sabrina spotted the Sevii Islands and flew toward Knot Island so Charizard could rest.
• Xia You and Sabrina landed on the beach, collected Big Pearls as souvenirs, and headed into town.
• Xia You left Charizard outside a tavern and ordered local food for himself and Sabrina.
• Lorelei joined them and offered to pay for two servings of Sevii Islands seafood fried rice.
• Sabrina recognized Lorelei, and Lorelei greeted her before asking Xia You if he was the new Indigo Conference champion.

Xia You and Sabrina met Lorelei on a Sevii Island, where she revealed the local legend of Moltres and asked them to help investigate suspected Team Rocket activity. Lorelei offered to take Xia You to Mt. Ember to search for Moltres in return, and the group prepared to track down the strangers.

• Xia You introduced himself to Lorelei, who learned that he and Sabrina had stopped on the island while traveling to the Orange Islands.
• Lorelei revealed that Moltres was said to appear in the Sevii Islands, and explained that she had grown up hearing reports of its activity.
• Xia You tried the island's spicy seafood fried rice, while Sabrina refused to eat more and asked the owner for another dish.
• Lorelei told Xia You and Sabrina that strangers in matching uniforms were active across the islands and might be connected to Team Rocket.
• Xia You agreed to help Lorelei investigate for a few days, and Lorelei offered to guide him to Moltres on Mt. Ember if they captured the Team Rocket members.

Xia You, Sabrina, and Lorelei searched Two Island and Three Island for Team Rocket but found no trace of them. At Lorelei’s home on Four Island, Xia You realized they had not checked the ice cave nearby, and Lorelei began to suspect Team Rocket might be hiding inside.

• Xia You asked why Lorelei had not tried to catch Moltres, and Lorelei explained that Fire-type Pokémon did not suit her Ice-type specialty.
• Xia You, Sabrina, and Lorelei searched Two Island, including Cape Brink, but found no sign of Team Rocket.
• The group searched Three Island, where Xia You let his Pokémon eat wild berries before they headed to Lorelei’s home on Four Island.
• Xia You noticed a cave near Lorelei’s home and learned that it led into an icy area where Lorelei trained her Pokémon.
• Xia You pointed out that they had not searched the cave for Team Rocket, and Lorelei realized it could be a hiding place.

Lorelei led Xia You and Sabrina into Icefall Cave to investigate the unusual decline in its Pokémon population. As they descended toward the underground current, they found only a few wild Pokémon and suspected something had happened deeper in the cave.

• Xia You secretly let Zapdos and Articuno out in his room, then recalled them before Lorelei noticed anything unusual.
• Lorelei, Xia You, and Sabrina entered Icefall Cave the next morning, carefully making their way down its icy passages.
• Lorelei explained that the cave extended hundreds of meters underground and connected to an underground current leading to the sea.
• The group encountered only a few wild Pokémon, and Lorelei said the cave had once been home to many more.
• As the passages grew colder and branched into a maze, Lorelei, Xia You, and Sabrina hurried onward to investigate what had happened below.

Xia You, Lorelei, and Sabrina found Team Rocket poaching Pokémon in Icefall Cave and defeated the thieves. Xia You and Sabrina pressured a captured member into agreeing to reveal what Team Rocket was doing in the Sevii Islands and where its Secret Base was hidden.

• Xia You, Lorelei, and Sabrina discovered Team Rocket members capturing unconscious Pokémon beside an icy lake.
• Lorelei attacked a Team Rocket member, and the group’s Pokémon defeated the Rockets’ Golbat and Weezing while Sabrina restrained the fleeing members.
• Xia You freed the captured Pokémon, and they fled after waking.
• Lorelei failed to get information from a captured Rocket, so Xia You asked Sabrina to turn the man’s companions into dolls and threatened to do the same to him.
• The Team Rocket member gave in and agreed to talk.

After learning that Lambda led Team Rocket’s small operation on the Sevii Islands, Xia You and Lorelei found Never-Melt Ice in Icefall Cave and headed to the hidden warehouse on Five Island. They prepared to capture the members there, and Xia You put on a mask before they acted.

• A captured Team Rocket member told Lorelei that the group had no Secret Base on the islands and that Lambda led their operation from a concealed warehouse on Five Island.
• Xia You found a piece of Never-Melt Ice in Icefall Cave and kept it, considering it for Articuno.
• Lorelei handed the captured Team Rocket members over to a local police officer and arranged for backup near Five Island.
• Xia You, Lorelei, and Sabrina traveled to Five Island and located Team Rocket’s camouflaged warehouse in the forest.
• Xia You suggested taking down the warehouse guards from the outside inward, and he put on a Gengar mask before they moved in.

Xia You, Lorelei, Sabrina, and their Pokémon forced their way into a Team Rocket warehouse after their infiltration was detected. They found poached Pokémon and defeated guards, but Lambda had escaped, leaving them searching the control office for clues.

• Xia You used Haunter to put the perimeter guards and their Pokémon to sleep, and Haunter revealed that he had lived for two thousand years.
• An infrared camera detected Xia You and Lorelei, sealing the warehouse behind steel barriers, while Lambda taunted them over a speaker.
• Xia You suspected the warehouse had an escape passage, and Haunter entered through a wall to disrupt Team Rocket inside.
• Haunter destroyed the keypad, allowing Sabrina and Gardevoir to open the warehouse door with their psychic powers.
• Xia You and Lorelei found unconscious Team Rocket members and cages holding poached Pokémon, then searched for the missing Lambda.
• Xia You kicked open the last office door, where screens and a microphone showed that Lambda had been speaking to them moments earlier.

Xia You and his companions captured Lambda after chasing him through the warehouse’s secret passage, then discovered a hidden piece of Onix Metal at Onix’s Grave. The metal could help an Onix evolve into Steelix, though its source remained unknown.

• Xia You led Lorelei and Sabrina through the warehouse’s secret passage after Haunter checked it and found a destroyed spike trap along the way.
• Lorelei spotted Lambda fleeing into the forest, and Gardevoir, Haunter, and Dewgong defeated his Pokémon and cut off his escape.
• Sabrina used her psychic powers to pull Lambda and his speedboat back from the water, and Xia You knocked him unconscious.
• Xia You and his companions lost track of the passage’s exit, found another route back toward the warehouse, and came upon Onix’s Grave.
• Xia You cleared weeds around the gravestone and found a hidden metallic rock beneath a small pile of stones.
• Lorelei identified the rock as Onix Metal, a rare mineral used to help an Onix evolve into Steelix.

Xia You, Sabrina, and Lorelei climbed Mt. Ember to search for Moltres, finding signs that the supposedly extinct volcano had grown unusually hot. They passed through a hidden cave and emerged high above One Island, with the search for Moltres still ahead.

• Xia You and Sabrina returned to One Island with Lorelei and climbed Mt. Ember, where sulfurous air and hot rocks made them question whether the volcano was truly extinct.
• Lorelei led them to Mt. Ember Hot Spring, but the water was boiling too fiercely for them to rest; she suspected a recent earthquake at sea had caused the change.
• Lorelei guided Xia You and Sabrina to a hidden cave she believed led toward Moltres’s roost.
• Sabrina used her psychic powers to move a huge boulder blocking the cave entrance, and the three passed through the cool, mossy passage.
• Xia You, Sabrina, and Lorelei emerged from the cave onto a cliff overlooking One Island, Two Island, and Three Island.

Xia You found Moltres resting in a hidden mountain valley and arranged for Lorelei to leave before revealing Zapdos and Articuno. The three Legendary birds faced off as Xia You prepared to capture Moltres.

• Xia You, Lorelei, and Sabrina found Moltres resting on a rock in a secluded valley.
• Lorelei teased Xia You about their mountain climb before Moltres woke at the sound of their voices.
• Sabrina asked Lorelei to take her down the mountain, allowing Xia You to stay behind alone.
• After Lorelei had gone, Xia You released Zapdos and Articuno, drawing Moltres’s attention.
• Zapdos and Articuno flew into the valley to confront Moltres, while Xia You ordered Zapdos to attack and Articuno to keep Moltres occupied.

As Xia You’s battle to capture Moltres shook Mt. Ember and triggered a volcanic eruption, Lorelei and Sabrina watched from the slopes. Xia You escaped unharmed with Sabrina on Charizard, leaving Lorelei behind as magma flowed down the mountain.

• Lorelei and Sabrina descended Mt. Ember in silence as a powerful storm gathered around its summit.
• Lorelei saw lightning, snow, flames, and birdlike cries within the clouds and wondered what Pokémon Xia You was battling.
• A violent tremor erupted Mt. Ember’s dormant crater, sending magma down the mountain and making Lorelei fear for Xia You’s safety.
• Sabrina calmly assured Lorelei that Xia You would survive, and Lorelei spotted him approaching unharmed on Charizard.
• Xia You carried Sabrina away on Charizard and urged Lorelei to hurry down, leaving her behind.

After catching Moltres and confirming that the Mt. Ember eruption had caused no injuries, Xia You said goodbye to Lorelei and left the Sevii Islands with Sabrina. He planned to travel to the Orange Islands and challenge the Elite Four after the Silver Conference.

• Lorelei returned to the tavern and learned that Xia You had caught Moltres and that the eruption had destroyed forest but caused no injuries.
• Lorelei jokingly accused Xia You of causing trouble and abandoning her, then asked him to challenge her; Xia You said he would wait until after the Silver Conference.
• Xia You and Sabrina told Lorelei they were leaving for the Orange Islands and exchanged farewells with her.
• Xia You and Sabrina flew south on Charizard as Xia You reflected on catching Moltres, capturing a Team Rocket executive, and gaining Never-Melt Ice and Onix metal.