Recaps

Jasmine visited Kaim and Cynthia, sharing dinner and discussing Pokémon, battling, and Steel types. After Cynthia escorted Jasmine to her hotel, Kaim nearly collapsed at home, while Cynthia sensed something strange on the moonless walk back and an unseen figure watched a black shadow across the sea.

• Kaim cooked dinner for Jasmine, and she spoke with Cynthia about their home, their relationship, and the previous Sinnoh League.
• Jasmine asked Cynthia how to become stronger, and Cynthia advised her to love and work closely with her Pokémon.
• The group ate Kaim’s meal, then Kaim asked Jasmine to share her knowledge of Steel types, and they talked late into the evening.
• Cynthia escorted Jasmine back to her hotel, where Jasmine thanked her and promised to battle Kaim someday.
• After everyone returned home, Kaim suddenly became dizzy and nearly fell, worrying Lucario and Blaziken.
• Cynthia sensed something unusual while walking home under a new moon, as a lone human watched a black shadow across the sea.

Kaim spent the day puzzled as his Pokémon showered him with unusual affection, while he and Professor Sycamore discussed ancient writing found in Hoenn’s Sealed Chamber. After Cynthia hinted that she knew why the Pokémon had been so affectionate, Kaim realized he did not know what special day it was.

• Cynthia woke before Kaim, saw a morning television report, and told the Pokémon something before taking them into the garden.
• Little Black and Cynthia’s Zweilous licked and nuzzled Kaim while he hung laundry, leaving him puzzled by their sudden affection.
• Kaim showed Professor Sycamore materials about Hoenn’s Sealed Chamber and discussed its ancient braille-like writing and its possible connection to Regigigas.
• Kaim trained Kirimoyama with Blaziken and demonstrated how to use new moves effectively, while more of his Pokémon sought his attention.
• Kaim told Cynthia about the Pokémon’s affectionate behavior, and she explained that her Pokémon had passed along what she had heard on television before asking him what day it was.

Cynthia and Kaim celebrated Kissing Day, and Kaim surprised her with a passionate kiss that deepened her awareness of her love for him. Later, Cynthia met Hikari in Torichō City, heard about her Battle Tower victory with Jun, and took her shopping, where they met Serena from the Kalos Region.

• Cynthia explained Kissing Day to Kaim, kissed him, and told him that she and the Pokémon loved him.
• Kaim kissed Cynthia passionately before leaving to take a bath, and Cynthia happily reflected on how much she loved him.
• Cynthia met Hikari in Torichō City and discussed the nightmare case, Cresselia’s Lunar Wing, and Hikari’s Battle Tower match with Jun and Tobias.
• Cynthia took Hikari shopping at Finger and helped her choose a more mature outfit.
• Serena offered Hikari a hat that completed her outfit, introduced herself, and recognized Cynthia and Hikari.

Cynthia, Hikari, and Serena spent the day shopping before encountering Serena’s old friend Haruka and the Unova Trainer Touko. After Touko challenged Cynthia to a battle, Cynthia agreed, and they prepared to face off.

• Serena and Hikari befriended each other while shopping with Cynthia, and the two girls chose a spring outfit for Cynthia.
• Cynthia told Serena and Hikari that Kaim was her important student and assistant, and Serena saw a photo of him.
• The group found Haruka battling Touko, and Serena reunited with Haruka after Touko won.
• Touko explained that she was traveling and training to defeat Iris in the next League, then challenged Cynthia to a battle.
• Cynthia accepted Touko’s challenge and agreed to a one-on-one battle as Hikari, Serena, and Haruka prepared to watch.

Touko challenged Cynthia to a serious battle, but Cynthia’s Roserade defeated Emboar by exploiting its poison and carefully controlling the fight. Afterward, Cynthia and the others gathered at a café, where she spoke about Kaim and shared photographs from her past travels.

• Touko sent out Emboar to battle Cynthia’s Roserade, and the Pokémon traded attacks as Roserade poisoned Emboar.
• Cynthia used Venom Drench, Rain Dance, and Roserade’s evasive moves to weaken Emboar before defeating it with Dazzling Gleam.
• Cynthia and Touko congratulated each other after the battle, and Touko asked to challenge Cynthia again.
• At a café in the Torichō Department Store, Haruka and the others discussed the upcoming competition and learned that Kaim was Cynthia’s student, assistant, and boyfriend.
• Cynthia showed the group photographs from her travels, including encounters with Latias, Latios, and Celebi.

Cynthia and Hikari shared photos and stories with Touko, Serena, and Haruka, who discussed their ambitions before parting ways. When Cynthia returned home, she found Kaim unusually exhausted and sleeping poorly, leaving her worried beneath a starless sky.

• Cynthia showed the girls photos of Kaim, including one featuring N, and Touko explained that her cousin Tōya was searching for him.
• The girls discussed battle training, contests, and Kaim’s research into Regi-type Pokémon, while teasing Cynthia about her feelings for him.
• As the sun set, Touko, Serena, Haruka, and Hikari shared their goals and agreed to keep in touch before going their separate ways.
• Cynthia and Hikari went out for sushi, then Cynthia returned home around ten at night.
• Cynthia found Kaim slumped on the sofa, pale and weak, and learned that he had been sleeping lightly despite his exhaustion.
• Cynthia worried that Kaim’s condition was abnormal and looked up at a dark, starless sky.

Kaim's worsening insomnia left him feverish and exhausted, so Cynthia cared for him and tried making egg porridge by following a recipe. After she brought the food toward him, Kaim found himself in a dark, unfamiliar place facing a silent green light.

• Kaim dropped his cup, and Cynthia put him to bed while Lucario and the other Pokémon helped her with the housework.
• Cynthia checked Kaim's temperature, stayed beside him until he fell asleep, and wondered whether dreams or an internal cause explained his insomnia.
• Cynthia decided to make Kaim gentle food and prepared egg porridge by following a recipe, with Lucario quietly correcting her mistakes.
• Kaim awoke in a pitch-black place, saw a dark green glow, and asked who was there and where he was, but received no answer.

After Kaim woke from a strange dream and recovered from exhaustion, Cynthia investigated a decades-old nightmare incident in Mio City and suspected a new threat connected to Cresselia. Kaim woke again feeling better, and he and Cynthia decided to order dinner while he rested.

• Kaim woke with Cynthia beside him, ate the egg porridge she had made, and thanked her before she left him to rest.
• Kaim told Cynthia that he remembered a dark dream and a voice, prompting her to worry it might be connected to Hikari's earlier nightmare case.
• Cynthia researched dreams and found a record of people trapped in nightmares at the Dockside Inn in Mio City's harbor more than fifty years earlier.
• Cynthia considered whether the nightmare's cause had grown stronger than Cresselia and wondered if its counterpart might be associated with a new moon.
• Kaim woke in the evening feeling better, and Cynthia insisted he rest while they ordered dinner; Little Black chose a pizza combo on the tablet.

After recovering from his illness, Kaim and Cynthia investigated the mystery of Newmoon Island while sensing an ominous atmosphere spreading across the region. The chapter ended with them reaffirming their love and promising to return to each other, as Garchomp kept watch over the sleeping Kaim.

• Kaim and Cynthia discovered that Newmoon Island had no public records, and Cynthia suspected something there was being kept secret.
• Kaim recovered and sparred with Blaziken, while Cynthia prepared for the danger she sensed approaching.
• Kaim noticed an unsettling atmosphere throughout Myo City, but the gym trainers reported no incidents or evidence of harm.
• Kaim told Cynthia he had asked Sonia to investigate possible Regi ruins in the Galar Region.
• Cynthia admitted she feared Kaim's illness and the ominous atmosphere were connected, and Kaim promised he would return to her.
• Kaim and Cynthia fell asleep together while Garchomp watched over them.

Kaim and Cynthia investigated a growing ominous presence around Myo City, but it intensified until people across the city began falling asleep. Kaim organized emergency shelter and supplies while Cynthia contacted Hikari for help, and the chapter ended with Kaim calling the Pokémon League.

• Kaim and Cynthia agreed to investigate the strange presence affecting only Myo City, with Kaim searching the city and Cynthia looking elsewhere.
• At the Gym, Kaim heard that the presence was unsettling residents and Pokémon, then noticed the abandoned inn by the pier seemed connected to the danger.
• The presence suddenly swept across the city, and the Gym’s manager told Kaim that many people had collapsed and could not be awakened.
• Kaim ordered the sleeping and weakening people moved to the Gym’s underground battlefield, then asked Cynthia to coordinate with the Police and bring Hikari from Hard Mountain.
• As more citizens fell asleep, Kaim arranged shelters, medical supplies, and emergency support while continuing to manage the response.
• The manager urged Kaim to rest, but Kaim planned to report the crisis to the League before taking a break.

Hikari told Cynthia she would reach Mio City around noon the next day, while Kaim returned home briefly before heading back to the Gym to help care for the sleeping people. Cynthia comforted him and helped him recover some energy, and he left with Staraptor to continue working.

• Hikari told Cynthia she had reached Yusuga City and planned to arrive in Mio City around noon the next day.
• Kaim returned home with Staraptor and said he would shower, eat, and go back to the Gym because they needed help watching over the sleeping people.
• Cynthia decided to let Kaim rest and praised him as she stroked his head.
• Kaim rested with his head in Cynthia's lap while she comforted him, and Staraptor and Little Black joined them.
• After about an hour at home, Kaim thanked Cynthia, kissed her, and flew back toward Mio City with Staraptor.
• Cynthia began researching on her tablet after Kaim left.

Kaim, Cynthia, and Hikari traveled to Fullmoon Island after the Lunar Wing awakened only a few of the people trapped in Myo City’s nightmares. They found Cresselia weakened and learned that a black Pokémon’s growing power had disrupted the balance; as they prepared to take Cresselia to the city to recover, Kaim spotted something on the beach.

• Kaim welcomed Hikari and explained that the citywide nightmare was too widespread for her Lunar Wing to resolve alone.
• Hikari used the Lunar Wing at Myo Gym, waking only a dozen or so sleepers, and Kaim arranged for the group to travel to Fullmoon Island.
• Kaim, Cynthia, and Hikari found Cresselia on the island, where she attacked Hikari before accepting her after Hikari reached out to her.
• Hikari read Cresselia’s memories and learned that a black Pokémon’s power had increased through a human sympathizer, breaking its balance with Cresselia.
• Kaim gave the weakened Cresselia medicine, and the group decided to take her to Maiou City to recover.
• As Cynthia and Hikari led Cresselia toward the boat, Kaim stopped on the beach and stared gravely at something in the distance.

Kaim learned that Darkrai’s power was trapping Mio City in nightmares and planned to help Hikari and Cresselia oppose it. At the Dockside Inn, he found a fifty-year-old membership card and met a mysterious man who hinted that following connections would guide him into the deep dream.

• Hikari told Kaim that Cresselia’s memories identified the nightmare Pokémon as Darkrai, whose power had overwhelmed Cresselia.
• Hikari said she would link with Cresselia and spread her power through the city, but worried they might not be strong enough to overcome Darkrai.
• Kaim proposed entering the nightmares as a last-resort option, then asked Hikari to rest and went to check the Gym.
• Kaim investigated the Dockside Inn and found a membership card from fifty years earlier that carried Darkrai’s lingering power.
• A mysterious man who claimed to be the inn’s owner appeared and spoke of diving into a deep dream to confront its master.
• Kaim left after the man advised him to follow connections, which he said would guide him.

Kaim realized the sleeping residents could not wake until someone reached the depths of Darkrai’s nightmare, and he planned to enter it using a membership card steeped in Darkrai’s power. He told Cynthia and Garchomp he might not wake again, then insisted that he alone could reach the nightmare’s bottom and had to go.

• Hikari and Cresselia spread Cresselia’s power through Myo City, dispelling the residents’ nightmares but leaving them asleep.
• Hikari and Cresselia trained to maintain their power, while Kaim took on duties coordinating with public agencies.
• Kaim examined a membership card from an inn by the docks and told Garchomp that its Darkrai-tainted power might trap him in a nightmare.
• Kaim asked Garchomp to look after Cynthia if he failed to wake, and Garchomp punched him in anger.
• Kaim explained to Cynthia that the sleeping residents might die unless someone pulled them from the depths of Darkrai’s nightmare.
• Kaim said he could reach the bottom of the nightmare, believed he was the only one besides Darkrai’s partner who could, and refused Cynthia’s offer to go with him.

Kaim entered Darkrai’s nightmare to confront Darkrai and his partner, while Cynthia promised to bring him back and began searching for a way into the dream world. The chapter left Kaim facing Cyrus at the nightmare’s bottom as Cynthia and Hikari prepared to help the sleeping victims and find a way to reach him.

• Cynthia accepted that Kaim had to enter the nightmare, kissed him goodbye, and promised to bring him home.
• Kaim jumped into the nightmare through a black opening in his peaceful harbor dream, descended to its deepest point, and met Darkrai and Cyrus.
• Cyrus recalled his childhood love of machines and his wish to create a world without conflict or imperfection.
• Cynthia explained Kaim’s situation to Hikari, and they agreed to help the sleeping people while Cynthia worked to bring Kaim back.
• Cynthia and Hikari discussed how Cresselia could interfere with dreams but could not reach the nightmare’s bottom, then Cynthia went to sleep determined to rescue Kaim.

Kaim confronted Cyrus in the depths of Darkrai’s nightmare and persuaded him to talk about why he rejected his heart. While Kaim remained asleep, Cynthia discovered a possible way to reach him by using Giratina’s power to connect the dream world and the nightmare world.

• Kaim told Cyrus that Darkrai had called him into the nightmare, then sat down and asked why Cyrus had begun denying his heart.
• Cyrus agreed to talk about the ugliness and imperfections of the heart while Darkrai watched them.
• Cynthia searched for a way to enter the nightmare as Kaim remained asleep, and Hikari urged her to rest.
• Cynthia discussed Giratina and the Distortion World with Hikari, then realized Giratina might connect the dream world to Darkrai’s nightmare.
• Cynthia told Hikari she would borrow Giratina’s power to reach the nightmare world and bring Kaim back.

Cynthia and Hikari searched Route 214 for the ancient Spring of the Dead, hoping to find Giratina and bring Kaim back. Little Black led them to a hidden mountain spring, where they entered a cave with distorted space and began searching for Giratina.

• Cynthia showed Hikari an old map of the Emerald Region that marked a Spring of the Dead near Route 214, and they decided to search for it the next day.
• Cynthia and Hikari searched Route 214 for hours, but after sunset the atmosphere changed and Little Black led them into a hidden forest path.
• Little Black guided them to a misty mountain and a crater spring with ruins, where Cynthia sensed Giratina was watching them.
• Hikari summoned Bibarel, and they used Rock Climb to descend to a cave entrance and entered the dark, mist-filled cave.
• Cynthia and Hikari read a pillar inscription about passing three pillars and exceeding thirty, then found that the cave’s passages led to different chambers and concluded that space was distorted.
• Hikari admitted she was scared but said she trusted Cynthia and her Pokémon, and the two continued searching for Giratina.

Cynthia and Hikari found Giratina in Turnback Cave and gained her help in reaching Kaim, who was trapped in the nightmare world. With Giratina and Cresselia, they opened a gate into the nightmare, and Cynthia, Hikari, and their Pokémon entered to find him.

• Cynthia and Hikari found the first and third numbered pillars, inferred that the numbers tracked their progress, and continued through the cave.
• After passing the third pillar, Cynthia and Hikari encountered Giratina, and Cynthia asked her to help reach Kaim; Giratina gave Cynthia a Platinum Nugget and agreed.
• The next morning, Giratina and Cresselia helped Cynthia, Hikari, and their Pokémon enter Hikari’s dream of Twinleaf Town.
• Giratina struggled to open a path into the nightmare world until Cynthia’s desire to protect Kaim resonated with Giratina, strengthening their connection and transforming Giratina into her Origin Forme.
• Giratina opened a gate into the nightmare world, and Little Black and Blaziken rushed through ahead of Cynthia, Hikari, Cresselia, and Giratina.

Kaim absorbed the nightmare power trapping Myo City’s residents while he tried to understand and stop Cyrus, trusting Cynthia to bring him home. After days of resisting the nightmares and fighting beside Little Black and Blaziken, Kaim was cornered until Cynthia arrived with Cresselia and Giratina to confront Cyrus.

• Cyrus showed Kaim how Rotom’s disappearance and his observations of human malice led him to reject hearts and seek a perfect, heartless world.
• Kaim refused Cyrus’s offer to join him and gathered the nightmare power into himself, freeing the trapped residents from its hold while risking that he would never wake.
• Kaim stayed conscious for several days as Cyrus continued releasing nightmare power, then Darkrai attacked him when Cyrus decided to use force.
• Little Black and Blaziken defended Kaim and battled Darkrai, but Darkrai immobilized them and left them near defeat.
• Kaim shielded Little Black and Blaziken from Darkrai’s next attack until Cresselia protected them and Giratina struck Darkrai, bringing Cynthia face-to-face with Cyrus.

Cynthia, Hikari, Kaim, and their Pokémon defeated Darkrai in its empowered Nightmare Realm, but Giratina’s attack stirred memories of someone who had once given it a similar command. With Darkrai down, Cyrus began explaining his belief that human malice had corrupted the world.

• Cynthia and Hikari confronted Cyrus, then joined Kaim in attacking Darkrai while Cresselia suppressed the Nightmare Realm.
• Giratina, Cresselia, Kuroki, and Little Black worked together to weaken Darkrai, and Giratina escaped its wide-ranging Dark Hole to strike it.
• Giratina’s attack triggered memories of someone from its past who had once told it to break through, but Giratina dismissed the connection.
• Kaim used Baton Pass to send Blaziken in for a Close Combat, and Giratina and Cresselia followed with attacks that finally brought Darkrai down.
• Cyrus admitted he had failed again and recounted the creation of the world before claiming that human malice spread harm among people, Pokémon, and the world.

Cynthia confronted Cyrus over his plan to erase minds, then was separated from Kaim as the nightmare world collapsed. She woke inside Kaim’s dream, where Steven explained why Darkrai had chosen Kaim and guided her toward the dream’s exit.

• Cyrus argued that minds made the world imperfect, but Hikari and Cynthia defended the value of hearts and their bonds.
• Cyrus left through a black opening, and the shrinking nightmare world began to collapse.
• Cresselia lifted Cynthia and the others out, but Kaim remained behind because nightmare power held him; Cynthia clasped his hand as he was swallowed.
• Cynthia woke on a beach in Nanjō City and followed a figure resembling Steven through the empty town.
• Steven revealed that Cynthia was inside Kaim’s dream and said her arrival had helped Kaim escape the nightmare into ordinary sleep.
• Steven explained that Kaim’s deep sleep and generous heart let him accept nightmares, and that Ishana, Steven, and Cynthia had shaped the qualities that led Darkrai to choose him.

Cynthia returned from the nightmare world while Darkrai explained how Kaim’s kindness had moved him, and Kaim awoke to reunite with her and his Pokémon. As Myo City recovered from the mass sleep, Kaim helped manage the aftermath and was then made to face his Pokémon’s anger for entering the nightmare alone.

• Darkrai told Cynthia that Kaim had answered his call to understand him, and Cynthia promised to pass along Darkrai’s gratitude and warning.
• Cynthia gave Darkrai her name and left through the lighthouse, while Darkrai returned from Kaim’s dream to his nightmare world.
• Cynthia’s voice guided Kaim out of a strange underwater-like place, and he woke to embrace her and reunite with his Pokémon and Hikari.
• Kaim and Cynthia helped restore Myo City after the mass sleep, and the city’s functions returned to near normal with no casualties.
• Ishana spoke with Cynthia about the recovery and Kaim’s leadership, while Kaim’s Pokémon tossed him around for worrying them by entering the nightmare alone.

After Kaim returned from the Nightmare World, he apologized to Cynthia and the Pokémon for leaving without telling them, and the household settled back into its familiar routine. Cynthia reflected on how deeply she depended on him and asked what inspired his sacrifices, then asked him to cover his ears.

• Cynthia spoke with Ishana and Minato, then joined Hikari and the Pokémon as they confronted Kaim for diving into danger without telling them.
• Cynthia asked Kaim to consider the feelings of those he left behind, and he promised not to disappear without consulting them again.
• Kaim went shopping and prepared a lavish meal for Hikari, Cynthia, and their Pokémon before Hikari set off on another journey.
• After Hikari left, Cynthia held Kaim in her lap and admitted that the days without him had left her anxious and exhausted.
• Kaim explained that he acted for the people and Pokémon close to him, whom he considered his world, and Cynthia asked him to cover his ears.

Cynthia and Kaim reaffirmed their relationship, and three weeks later Kaim prepared to host his childhood friend Steven during Steven's Sinnoh business trip. Kaim met Steven and Hulutai in Jubilife City, where Steven arrived after being delayed.

• Cynthia covered Kaim's ears while making a promise she could not share, then asked him to stay by her side forever, and they kissed.
• Three weeks after the Darkrai incident, Kaim resumed writing and learned from Steven that he planned to visit Devon's Jubilife City branch and stay in Sinnoh.
• Kaim told Cynthia that Steven was coming, and they discussed arranging a Champion battle at Jian and introducing Steven to Hulutai.
• Kaim approved paperwork for Jian's joint training with the Veilstone Gym and left early to meet Steven and Hulutai in Jubilife City.
• Steven arrived in a suit and apologized to Kaim and Hulutai for being late.

Kaim spent the evening drinking with Steven and Heita, who quickly bonded over their shared love of stones and teased Kaim about his friendship with Steven and relationship with Cynthia. Cynthia later told Kaim that a new Pokémon League event was taking shape, while their phone call revealed how much Kaim had grown and how much he wanted to see her.

• Steven and Heita bonded over their shared interests in stones while Kaim drank ginger ale and joined their conversation.
• Steven and Heita teased Kaim about his close friendship with Steven, his relationship with Cynthia, and his expressive side.
• Kaim explained that Cynthia was attending a Pokémon League meeting about a planned event whose details had not yet been decided.
• Cynthia told Kaim that the event was progressing smoothly but kept its nature secret until the official announcement.
• Kaim reflected that his past mistakes and detours had helped him grow, and Cynthia teased him for wanting to see her.