Chapter Summaries

Xin Mu began a Gym battle against Diwu Wangquan, using Corviknight and Lucario against her Luxray and Electivire. Corviknight Terastallized into a Grass type, and Lucario gained the upper hand against Luxray with an Aura staff technique before Diwu Wangquan ordered her Pokémon to counterattack.

• Diwu Wangquan sent out Luxray and Electivire, while Xin Mu chose Corviknight and Lucario for the battle.
• Xin Mu Terastallized Corviknight, changing its type to Grass and removing its disadvantage against Electric attacks.
• Diwu Wangquan ordered Luxray to use Thunder Fang on Lucario, and Xin Mu called for Bone Rush.
• Lucario evaded Thunder Fang, transformed its Aura Bone into a three-section staff, and wrapped it around Luxray.
• Diwu Wangquan ordered Luxray to use Spark and Electivire to use Rain Dance.

Luxray and Electivire used rain and thunderclouds to pressure Lucario and Corviknight, but the pair fought from above the clouds and outmaneuvered them. Lucario knocked Luxray out, leaving Electivire alone in the battle.

• Lucario struck Luxray with Bone Rush while Corviknight protected Electivire long enough for it to complete Rain Dance.
• Luxray trapped Lucario and Corviknight with Electroweb as Electivire summoned a thunderstorm, but Corviknight carried Lucario above the clouds.
• Lucario used Aura to locate Luxray and Electivire, bombarding them with Aura Spheres while Corviknight strengthened its defense with Iron Defense.
• Corviknight used Metal Sound to break Electivire's Protect, then carried Electivire into the sky as it used Thunder.
• Lucario secretly dropped from Corviknight and struck Luxray with Bone Rush, knocking it out.

Xin Mu defeated Diwu Wangquan’s Gym and received a Magnet Rise training method, then arranged to have his depleted Tera Orb recharged in Paldea. He learned that Sprigatito had left the Cat House and likely met her Trainer among a new group of students.

• Diwu Wangquan let the battle continue until Electivire’s Thunder failed to overcome Lucario and the other aerial combatant, then gave Xin Mu a Magnet Rise training method as his prize.
• Diwu Wangquan explained that the Fifth Gym had once been known for unconventional rewards and formats, but she had restored its traditional approach.
• Xin Mu left the Gym with a Badge, visited the Pokémon Center, and found Corviknight and Lucario were healthy apart from their spent stamina.
• Xin Mu contacted Mania to ask her to recharge his Tera Orb, since she was near a Pokémon Center in Paldea.
• Meownei asked Mania how Sprigatito was doing, and Mania said Sprigatito had left the Cat House and should have met her Trainer among the new students.

Meownei asked Xin Mu to find out how Sprigatito was getting along with her new Trainer, while Liko met Sprigatito at Quartz Academy. Sprigatito tested Liko, decided to take her under her wing, and later showed her a livestream featuring Meowscarada.

• Meownei asked Xin Mu to ask Sprigatito how she was getting along with her Trainer, and Mania worried about the child assigned to her.
• Xin Mu collected his recharged Tera Orb and left to explore the island, while Quartz Academy prepared to distribute starter Pokémon to its students.
• Liko met Sprigatito, who dodged her touch and disappeared after class, making Liko search the campus until dusk.
• Sprigatito challenged Liko to a battle, but decided Liko was too weak to fight and would instead protect her as a subordinate.
• Liko returned to her dorm with Sprigatito, who later changed the livestream on Liko's phone to a video of Meowscarada pitching a tent.

Liko watched Meowscarada’s livestream with Sprigatito, whose reaction to Litten revealed a possessive streak. The next day, Sprigatito easily defeated Xiao An’s Oshawott in their first practical battle, while Liko remained unsure how to train or understand her Pokémon.

• Liko let Sprigatito watch Meowscarada’s livestream and watched alongside her.
• Meownei set up camp near the Fifth Gym, and Litten helped light the grill while Squirtle explained that he had been chased off after freezing a tide pool full of fish.
• Sprigatito scratched at the desk while glaring at Litten on the livestream, then fell asleep after the broadcast ended.
• Liko wrote in her diary about Sprigatito’s habits without knowing how to get along with her.
• Liko battled Xiao An in class, and Sprigatito’s Leafage knocked out Oshawott in one hit.
• Sprigatito judged Liko’s commands indecisive, while Xiao An offered Liko advice about communicating with Pokémon.

Xiao An helped Liko understand Sprigatito’s interests, while Xin Mu and Meownei received tickets for a cruise aboard the once-sunken S.S. Anne. As they prepared for the trip and began training for Magnet Rise, Litten spotted the person who had taken her shelter in the wilderness.

• Xiao An told Liko about Meownei’s livestreams, and Liko added Sprigatito’s admiration for Meownei to her notes.
• Xin Mu and Meownei received two tickets for a luxury cruise aboard the S.S. Anne, which had been salvaged and repaired after sinking.
• Xin Mu confirmed that the cruise would take them to Hoenn for fieldwork and that Meownei would travel with him.
• Xin Mu and Meownei began training Magnet Rise by using Lucario’s Electric-type energy to help Meownei sense electricity.
• Litten saw the person who had taken her cardboard-box shelter in the wilderness.

Litten spotted the scrap-collecting woman from her old apartment complex and briefly recalled the cardboard box she had taken, while Meownei groomed her and stored her flammable fur. In the Backyard, Meownei pushed Squirtle to train with Lucario and challenged him to demonstrate Zen Headbutt, but he evaded the test by returning to punch practice.

• Litten watched a scrap-collecting woman outside, and Meownei recognized her as a former neighbor who had once taken Litten’s cardboard box.
• Meownei advised Litten to forget the woman, then gathered Litten’s shed fur and stored it as tinder.
• Lucario practiced punches charged with electricity while Squirtle complained about sparring against her as a Water-type.
• Squirtle demonstrated how Lucario’s reach let her hold him at a distance, and Meownei told him to attack her arm instead of flailing.
• Meownei challenged Squirtle to show his Zen Headbutt, but he avoided the test and resumed practicing Ice Punch.

Xin Mu and his Pokémon left Regirock to guard the house and met Professor Lü Ming at the port to board the S.S. Anne for a survey of two dormant volcanoes in Hoenn. As they waited for the others, Lü Ming described the ship’s strict security after its previous sinking, and Xin Mu realized the six people listed as missing may have survived.

• Xin Mu left Regirock at home to watch the house and traveled to the port with Litten, Meownei, Squirtle, and Lucario.
• Litten tried mocha from a nearby coffee shop, and Meownei pointed out Snow King behind a pillar when Litten declined a sweeter drink.
• Lü Ming arrived and told Xin Mu that they would survey Mount Chimney and the dormant volcano beneath Sootopolis City, likely returning after the semester began.
• Lü Ming explained that the S.S. Anne was being closely inspected because it had previously sunk during Team Rocket’s illegal activities.
• Lü Ming said six people had gone missing in the previous disaster, and Xin Mu suspected that the incident had actually caused no casualties.

Xin Mu boarded the S.S. Anne with his group and discovered that Litten was seasick, so he took her to Nurse Joy for treatment. While exploring the ship, he came across a vendor making an absurd pitch for a supposedly gold-producing Magikarp and walked away.

• Xin Mu secured the group's luggage aboard the S.S. Anne as Squirtle reminisced about the sea.
• Xin Mu noticed Litten was dizzy and dry heaving, so he put her in her Poké Ball until the ship steadied.
• Xin Mu brought Litten to Nurse Joy, who prescribed medicine, fresh air, fluids, and a life jacket for deck outings.
• Xin Mu had Meownei take Litten back to the cabin while he explored the ship's shops.
• Xin Mu heard a vendor claim his Magikarp could generate riches through breeding and left without listening to the rest of the pitch.

Xin Mu lent Squirtle to Tang Zi for a casual battle, and Squirtle won several matches aboard the ship. After turning down multiple trade offers, Squirtle enjoyed the buffet and spotted a would-be trading partner with an appalling meal.

• Xin Mu explored the ship’s marketplace and banquet hall, where Trainers traded Pokémon and held casual battles.
• Tang Zi asked Xin Mu to lend her a Pokémon so she could battle someone who had mocked her, and Xin Mu loaned her Squirtle.
• Meownei came to watch after putting Litten to sleep, and Squirtle startled when Meownei crept up behind him.
• Squirtle defeated another Squirtle and won several battles, attracting attention from Trainers who wanted to trade for him.
• Squirtle rejected a trade offer himself, then ate at the buffet and judged the would-be trader’s food choices.

Xin Mu and the others enjoyed the S.S. Anne’s tropical voyage, where a joke about ice cream and shipboard morgues alarmed nearby children. They eventually arrived near Fallarbor Town, with Mt. Chimney’s volcanic ash hanging over the land.

• Litten adjusted to the ship’s rocking and tentatively touched the pool water while Squirtle floated nearby as a lifeguard.
• Meownei and the others enjoyed ice cream sundaes as Lü Ming reminisced about a simple sugar ice pop.
• Wei Heng claimed that cruise ships handed out ice cream when a passenger died, and Cui Shiya scolded him for frightening the children.
• Tang Zi explained that her family’s cruise ship had a morgue, then described how a serious disaster could overwhelm its capacity.
• Xin Mu and the others reached the northwestern Hoenn Region and saw Fallarbor Town beneath haze from Mt. Chimney’s volcanic ash.

Xin Mu reunited with Ash in Fallarbor Town and agreed to battle him, sending Litten against Ash’s Treecko. Litten’s precise Ember impressed Brock, and she appeared to activate Blaze while still nearly unharmed.

• Xin Mu and his companions arrived in Fallarbor Town, where Lü Ming left to visit Professor Cozmo and the others settled at the Pokémon Center.
• Ash and his friends encountered Xin Mu, and Ash quickly challenged him to a rematch.
• Meownei declined to battle Ash’s Pikachu and suggested that Litten get some practice instead.
• Ash chose Treecko, and Xin Mu sent out Litten for their one-on-one battle.
• Treecko’s Quick Attack and Bullet Seed met Litten’s Ember, while Brock noted how precisely she controlled her flames.
• Litten’s flames blazed across her body, and Meownei suspected she had activated Blaze despite being nearly at full health.

Litten activated Blaze at full health during her battle with Ash’s Treecko, then used stronger Ember attacks and a small Fire Spin to win. Afterward, Meownei asked Litten how she had activated Blaze, but Litten did not understand the question.

• Litten’s Blaze-powered Ember burned through Treecko’s Bullet Seed and badly hurt Treecko.
• Ash told Treecko to continue fighting, and Treecko charged at Litten with Quick Attack and Pound.
• Litten gathered the battlefield’s lingering flames into a small Fire Spin, and Treecko collapsed unconscious after charging through it.
• Ash accepted the loss and took Treecko to Nurse Joy, while Pikachu tried to tell him that Meownei’s words had made Litten stronger.
• Ash wondered whether Treecko could activate Overgrow, while Meownei asked Litten how she had activated Blaze.
• Litten looked confused because she did not understand what Meownei meant by Blaze.

Meownei helped Litten learn to activate Blaze at will and encouraged her to stop conserving energy now that she was healthy. At the Pokémon Center training grounds, Litten watched Coordinators practice flashy Contest techniques and showed interest in them.

• Litten recalled her excitement from her first battle and successfully activated Blaze several times while Meownei watched.
• Meownei asked Squirtle to learn to activate Torrent, but Squirtle made excuses and revealed that he would rather avoid training.
• Meownei asked Litten about conserving resources, and Litten said she had replenished her energy.
• Meownei took Litten to the training grounds and explained how Coordinators used moves to impress judges in Pokémon Contests.
• Litten watched the Coordinators practice and became fascinated by their flashy techniques.

Lü Ming changed the group’s travel plans after supplies and transportation were mistakenly sent to Lavaridge Town, and they set out on foot after May won her first Pokémon Contest Ribbon. The group reached plains near Mount Chimney and expected to arrive at their destination the next day.

• Lü Ming told the group that their equipment and transportation had been sent to Lavaridge Town, so he planned for them to walk there after the Pokémon Contest.
• Lü Ming agreed to let May’s Pokémon watch the Contest before departure and allowed Brock, Ash’s group, and others to travel with them if they could keep pace.
• May won her first Contest Ribbon, while Litten watched the Contest battles and decided judging seemed more appealing than competing.
• Brock helped the larger traveling group with outdoor cooking, and Wei Heng impressed him with a story about helping twenty-seven female freshmen carry their luggage.
• Lü Ming checked their route across the plains and estimated they would arrive the following day as the group passed many Numel.

Lü Ming joined Xin Mu and the others on the cable car to Mt. Chimney despite his fear of heights, where they encountered Team Rocket and the cabin broke down. Xin Mu released Corviknight to carry the stranded cabin to the summit.

• Lü Ming reluctantly boarded the cable car with his eyes closed after Wei Heng offered to carry him aboard.
• Meownei recognized Meowth in disguise, while Jessie and James pretended to be sightseeing guides and tried to approach Pikachu.
• The cable car shook to a halt, and Jessie accidentally broke its communicator.
• Tang Zi recognized James and mentioned his wealthy family and fiancée, prompting James to panic and Team Rocket to recite their base code.
• Xin Mu explained that he feared flying rather than heights, then released Corviknight, who lifted the cable car cabin off the cable.

Corviknight brought the stranded cable car passengers safely down the mountain, while Team Rocket fled to avoid James's fiancée. As Lü Ming remained unconscious, Dr. Cozmo ran into the group pursued by Team Magma, and Ash recognized the danger.

• Corviknight struggled to carry the cable car but safely lowered everyone to the ground.
• James dragged Jessie and Meowth away, refusing to risk being taken home to marry his fiancée.
• Tang Zi checked Lü Ming and found his condition stable, so the group let him recover instead of taking him up by air.
• Dr. Cozmo ran down the mountain with meteorites as Team Magma chased him, after Team Aqua and Team Magma's battle damaged the cable car station.
• Ash recognized Team Magma as villains, and Meownei prepared to face their attacking Pokémon.

Xin Mu and his companions rescued Professor Cozmo and the meteorite from Team Magma, while Meownei incapacitated the attackers with Hyper Beam. Team Magma canceled its operation and withdrew from Mt. Chimney, and Lü Ming woke up at the cable car station at the foot of the mountain.

• Meownei asked whether he could attack, and Xin Mu told him to use the method he knew best.
• Meownei blasted Team Magma’s members with Hyper Beam, knocking them unconscious, and Corviknight caught Professor Cozmo as the shock wave sent him flying.
• Cozmo explained that Team Magma had tried to steal his meteorite, while Xin Mu told him that Professor Lü had not yet woken up.
• Team Magma defeated Team Aqua at Mt. Chimney and prepared to use the meteorite to reactivate the volcano, but an ambush and a lost squad led its captain to cancel the operation and withdraw.
• Xin Mu and his companions took the meteorite to the foot of the mountain and contacted the Hoenn League for support.
• Lü Ming woke up at the cable car station and learned from Cozmo that they were back at the foot of the mountain.

After the Mt. Chimney incident, Xin Mu’s group reached Lavaridge Town while Lü Ming stayed behind to camp on the summit. Ash went to challenge the Gym but helped Flannery repair its battlefield first, while Xin Mu and the Pokémon settled into a resort’s hot springs and sand baths.

• Mura discussed the Mt. Chimney incident with a Hoenn League investigator, and the League took Fire Squad Seven away for questioning.
• Lü Ming refused to ride the cable car and stayed on Mt. Chimney with Cozmo while Xin Mu’s group headed to Lavaridge Town.
• Brock and the others accompanied Ash to the Lavaridge Gym, where Ash helped Flannery repair the damaged battlefield before his Gym challenge.
• Xin Mu’s group checked into a resort hotel and used its hot springs and sand baths.
• Squirtle soaked in the hot spring while Lucario dug a sand pit for Corviknight and Litten warmed sand for herself.

Xin Mu and his group observed Pokémon on Mount Chimney, where Litten discovered a mass of concentrated magma energy that triggered a Magmar's evolution into Magmortar. They suspected the energy was connected to a device set up by Team Magma.

• Flannery gave Xin Mu extraction equipment, a mineral analyzer, and Friend Balls before warning him that Mount Chimney's magma was still active.
• Xin Mu's group climbed Mount Chimney and met Lü Ming, who showed them Slugma migrating near the crater and Magmar resting in the magma.
• Litten found a glittering mass of concentrated magma energy buried in the ground, and Meownei led Xin Mu and Lü Ming away as Magmar approached it.
• A Magmar won a fight over the energy, swallowed it, and evolved into Magmortar.
• Lü Ming explained that the energy could be used to make a Magma Booster, while Cozmo suggested Team Magma's device might be involved.