Recaps

After Shen Qi and Meng Ai left Maiden's Gorge, Meng Ai spoke with Sayaka, who was inspired to return to the outside world but chose not to exchange contact information yet. Back home, Shen Qi tried to comfort Lilligant after her Pokémon division loss, but found her focused on consoling a dejected Lopunny.

• Lt. Surge praised Ayaka's race, while Shen Qi stayed beside Meng Ai rather than joining her for photos.
• Meng Ai told Shen Qi they were good friends, and Emolga arrived to photograph Shen Qi before Little Reporter called her back.
• Shen Qi took Meng Ai to Florges's food truck, where she warmed up to Florges and revealed that she was fifteen.
• Shen Qi arranged a call between Meng Ai and Sayaka, who later explained that she was avoiding a friend request so she would not rush her recovery and return to the world.
• After learning Lilligant had failed to advance, Shen Qi tried to comfort her, but Lilligant was consoling Lopunny, who blamed herself for the loss.
• Shen Qi poked Lopunny, causing her to flush and uncurl from her dejected ball.

Shen Qi rested after the Winter Race's preliminary rounds while Lilligant recovered from her own elimination and vowed to beat the Lurantis Sisters someday. On the final's morning, Shen Qi headed to the unusual Yo Yo Yo Wow Area track, where Ayaka's enormous crowd of fans made the venue feel like a concert.

• Lilligant complained to Shen Qi that the Lurantis Sisters had provoked her after advancing to the final, and she vowed to defeat them in the future.
• Shen Qi reviewed the final's qualifiers and admitted that his tiredness, Little Sheep's unstable engine, and limited Driver points made a top-ten finish unlikely.
• Shen Qi fell asleep while discussing the final, and Lilligant used Aromatherapy to soothe his mind as he rested.
• After waking, Shen Qi learned that Sayaka wanted him to encourage Meng Ai and went with Lilligant, Lopunny, Chansey, and Dodo to the Yo Yo Yo Wow Area.
• Lilligant and Lopunny joined the Service Bay as support staff because they had not been registered as Shen Qi's assistants in time.
• Ayaka's fans filled the stands with loud cheers before the Qualifying Race began.

Lisia competed in the Winter Race qualifying round with her sleepy, sluggish, and overfed Pokémon, while Shen Qi claimed he only wanted to finish safely before pushing the Little Sheep to a strong qualifying time. Lizao took the top spot, leaving Shen Qi and the others to face a formidable field in the race.

• Lisia explained that she had come to Kanto to challenge Li Yizi, her rival in singing and dancing, at the Kanto Regional Race.
• Lisia qualified last with a time of 8 minutes, 33 seconds, after rushing to prepare Abra, Slowpoke, and Quagsire.
• Ayaka’s Rainbow Flying Sword clocked 7 minutes, 56 seconds, but Lily’s Flower in Water took first place with 7 minutes, 50 seconds.
• Shen Qi told Yūichirō and Lisia that he only wanted to finish safely, then decided to try for a better result once he entered the Little Sheep.
• Shen Qi qualified in 8 minutes, 18 seconds, beating Lisia by fifteen seconds and drawing her angry complaint.
• Lizao took first place with the Goldthread Orchid, recording a time of 7 minutes, 49 seconds.

The Winter Race final began, and Ayaka’s Rainbow Flying Sword fell from the lead after Lily, Sabrina, and Lt. Surge disrupted her Pokémon’s moves and boosts. As crosswinds battered her car, Cultivation Pod caught up, leaving Ayaka struggling to hold her position.

• Espeon resolved to protect Sabrina from Ghost-types, while Sabrina identified Lily as the rival to watch in the Winter Race final.
• Lily attacked Sabrina’s Goldthread Orchid with Soak, but Lizao’s Slowking reflected the move onto Ayaka’s Rainbow Flying Sword.
• Ayaka’s Scyther became a pure Water-type, and Lily’s Rain Dance overpowered Bellossom’s Sunny Day, dropping Rainbow Flying Sword to fifth place.
• Lt. Surge used Ion Deluge to disrupt Gardevoir’s Calm Mind, and Ayaka fell to seventh place while trying to recover her boosts.
• Cultivation Pod used Snowscape and caught up as White Strait’s crosswinds buffeted Rainbow Flying Sword, forcing Ayaka to fight to maintain her position.

Shen Qi and Ayaka battled for position as the race entered its second lap, while Lisia rallied her Pokémon and climbed from last place. As Shen Qi struggled with fatigue and an aging engine, he used an Analysis Card to learn how skilled drivers followed energy lines.

• Ayaka used Haze to erase stat boosts, but Shen Qi’s Little Sheep flew across two corners and accepted a ten-meter penalty to reach fifth place.
• Lisia woke Abra, Slowpoke, and Quagsire and used their moves to climb from 19th to 12th place by the end of the first lap.
• Lisia heard that Shen Qi was sixth and blocking Ayaka, then angrily realized he had not been taking it easy.
• Shen Qi held off Ayaka before she overtook him by following energy lines, a racing technique he could not yet sense or anticipate.
• Shen Qi used an Analysis Card to study surrounding energy and try to defend his seventh-place position despite his fatigue and the Little Sheep’s failing engine.

Shen Qi pushed through mental exhaustion and a failing engine to bring the Little Sheep across the finish line, but a penalty dropped him from ninth to tenth. After recovering, he saw Lily had won and wondered why Ayaka and the Rainbow Flying Sword had performed so poorly.

• Shen Qi used the Love Savings Bank to replace his depleted mental power and helped the Little Sheep climb to ninth place.
• The Little Sheep's engine blew, but Shen Qi used Magnet Rise to ease its strain and crossed the finish line in ninth.
• Shen Qi passed out in the Service Bay and later learned a violation penalty had moved him back to tenth.
• Shen Qi attended the group photo and checked the standings, which showed Lily in first, Lizao in second, and the Cultivation Pod in sixth.
• Shen Qi noticed Ayaka had finished outside the top five and questioned why the Rainbow Flying Sword had performed so badly.

After the Winter Race, Shen Qi rested, learned that the Little Sheep’s engine had been badly damaged, and went to meet his friends for dinner. The chapter left him arriving at the guesthouse and greeting A Ding’s family and Lao Fu.

• Ayaka finished eighth in the Winter Race, while Shen Qi placed tenth and exhausted himself reaching the finish.
• Chansey massaged Shen Qi until he fell asleep, and his phone was later found burned out after Dodo powered it during the race.
• Shen Qi visited the artisans, who explained that one Little Sheep cylinder was destroyed and another damaged, leaving the vehicle with about half its power.
• Shen Qi drove the repaired Little Sheep to the guesthouse where A Ding, Yūichirō, and their Furfrou were waiting.
• Raticate and Pidgey arrived with Lao Fu.

Shen Qi and the others gathered for a barbecue with Lao Fu, who explained his lifelong work teaching new Trainers and his dream of racing. Lizao revealed a Cloth Doll and drew Shen Qi into a private conversation, where she admitted she had tested him after suspecting he knew she was Sabrina.

• Shen Qi helped Lao Fu after the elderly driver’s back injury had forced him to stop during the race, and Lao Fu returned to finish last to the crowd’s applause.
• The group prepared a barbecue, and Lao Fu told Yūichirō that he had pursued racing after spending his life teaching Pokémon Trainers the basics.
• Shen Qi recognized Lao Fu as the Pokémon Catching Tutor and learned about his three children and their careers.
• Lisia reassured Shen Qi that her family was supporting her racing and travel expenses, including buying her cars and homes.
• Lizao showed Yūichirō a Cloth Doll, and Shen Qi realized she was Sabrina, then followed her upstairs when she asked him to fetch fruit.
• Sabrina told Shen Qi that Wobbuffet had greeted him at Pokémon Park because she had suspected he knew her identity and wanted to test his reaction.

Sabrina warned Shen Qi that Meng Ai and her Pokémon and race car seemed connected to Team Rocket, though she had no proof. Afterward, Espeon proudly explained how she had faced her fear of Ghost types during the race, and the gathering ended with the guests parting ways.

• Sabrina told Shen Qi that she had once worked undercover in Team Rocket and cautioned him about Meng Ai’s possible connection to the group.
• Shen Qi learned that Espeon had endured Ghost-type moves during the race to support Sabrina, who Espeon believed was also afraid of Ghost types.
• Wobbuffet revealed that Sabrina’s apparent fear at Pokémon Park had been an act and that Espeon had not fully overcome her own fear.
• The guests said their goodbyes, and Yūichirō promised Shen Qi that he would become a great Pokémon Trainer.
• A Ding drove Lao Fu back to the hotel while his wife drove away with Yūichirō.

After the Winter Race, Shen Qi prepared to travel to Hoenn with his Pokémon and Florges, while reflecting on his growth and the friends he had made. On the way down from Emerald Gold Manor, he encountered Ayaka practicing alone and began talking with her about the race and her burdens.

• Shen Qi planned to leave the Little Sheep in Fuchsia City and drive to Hoenn with Lilligant in the Flower Crown and Florges in the food truck.
• Lilligant visited Maractus, while Shen Qi visited Sayaka, who had decided to begin rehabilitation training and pursue a role supporting Pokémon on the track.
• Shen Qi reflected on his gains from the Winter Race and drove past White Cape in the Little Sheep.
• Shen Qi recognized Ayaka and the Rainbow Flying Sword parked beside the road, then stopped to speak with her.
• Ayaka told Shen Qi that she envied how cheerfully he competed and how naturally he made friends.

Shen Qi comforted Ayaka as she explained the Pokémon and car troubles behind her seventh-place finish, while she resolved to let Bellossom go. On New Year’s Eve, Shen Qi’s group set out for Fallarbor Town with Florges, and he secretly prepared supplies for a celebration in Fuchsia City.

• Shen Qi reassured Ayaka that the pressure and criticism she faced were not her fault, and she thanked Gardevoir and Ninetales for supporting her.
• Ayaka explained that a damaged rear wing had made the Rainbow Flying Sword unstable, and she revealed that Scyther had been lent to her by a university teacher.
• Ayaka admitted she had not earned Bellossom’s trust and promised to revoke her authorization to keep Bellossom in a Poké Ball.
• Florges offered to pay for the trip to Fallarbor Town, and Shen Qi accepted after learning she had saved a little over a hundred thousand b.
• Shen Qi traveled from Saffron City toward Fuchsia City with Dodo and Chansey, hiding New Year’s Eve supplies in the Little Sheep as the Pokémon tried to inspect them.

Shen Qi and his Pokémon celebrated New Year's Eve at a seaside campsite, exchanging gifts and watching fireworks. As the year turned, Shen Qi saw friends' social media posts and called out Little Reporter for passing off an old photo as a New Year's Eve scene.

• Shen Qi surprised Lilligant, Lopunny, and the others by driving to a campsite near Fuchsia City for New Year's Eve.
• Shen Qi discovered that Florges, Lilligant, Lopunny, Chansey, and Dodo had prepared presents, and everyone exchanged gifts.
• Shen Qi gave Dodo liquor, Chansey a steamer pot, and Lilligant a custom Grass-type steering wheel cover; Lilligant gave Shen Qi perfume she had made herself.
• After eating snacks and preparing food together, Shen Qi and the others watched fireworks over the sea as midnight approached.
• Shen Qi saw Maractus, Doduo, and Imite celebrating together in a social media photo, then spotted Little Reporter's post and recognized its image as an old photo from the Preliminaries.

Shen Qi left the Little Sheep at the Fuchsia Gym and accidentally delivered Koga’s clothes-and-accessories present to Janine before giving her the Winter Race gift box he had intended for her. Koga appeared to tease Janine about relaxing, then vanished, leaving his Crobat tied up and gagged.

• Shen Qi asked Janine to look after the damaged Little Sheep while he traveled to Hoenn, and she agreed.
• Shen Qi gave Janine a bag containing a pink top, a miniskirt, tights, and accessories, prompting her to mistake it for his present and threaten him with a kunai.
• Janine found Koga’s letter beneath the clothes, which told her to relax and enjoy dressing up like an ordinary girl.
• Florges returned the Winter Race gift box Shen Qi had meant to give Janine, and Shen Qi gave it to her instead.
• Koga appeared at the Gym, teased Janine about learning to relax, and escaped through a window while his Crobat remained tied up and gagged.

Shen Qi and his Pokémon began their long voyage from Fuchsia City to the Hoenn Region, enduring a chaotic departure and a rough overnight crossing. They finally arrived in Lilycove City, where Shen Qi prepared to continue inland toward Fallarbor Town.

• Shen Qi watched the Sea Rapidash and the luxury cruise ship Saint Bloom depart, and resolved to earn enough to take his Pokémon aboard the Saint Bloom someday.
• Two Seel jumped onto the deck to beg for food, but Chansey mistook them for sick Pokémon and knocked one unconscious before reviving it with an egg; their Dewgong mother then led them back to sea.
• Shen Qi and his Pokémon suffered through the ship's swaying voyage, while Chansey remained energetic and practiced her horse stance at the stern.
• Shen Qi considered the available routes from Lilycove City and Slateport City and was relieved he had chosen the shorter voyage to Lilycove City.
• After more than thirty hours at sea, Shen Qi and his Pokémon arrived at Lilycove City's harbor.

Shen Qi traveled from Lilycove City toward Fallarbor Town, discovered that Mt. Pyre had been moved out to sea, and stopped to explore Fortree City’s treehouse district. The chapter ended as a server explained how the Secret Base Guild helped preserve the city’s treehouse culture.

• Shen Qi rested in Lilycove City, checked his travel plans, and learned that the city’s TV station was still under construction.
• Shen Qi drove Raincoat along Route 121 while Lilligant drove Flower Crown, and they discovered that Mt. Pyre had been moved out to sea over five years earlier.
• Shen Qi and the Pokémon reached Fortree City and admired its preserved forests and treehouses.
• Shen Qi and the Pokémon ate lunch at a treehouse restaurant, where a server explained that the Secret Base Guild had supported the construction of Fortree City’s treehouses.

Shen Qi and his Pokémon spent the night in Fortree City before setting out toward Fallarbor Town, where he hoped to find clues about Florges. After learning that both Mt. Pyre and Mt. Chimney had mysteriously relocated, they took a mountain road west and ran into a rough stretch of road.

• Shen Qi decided to spend the night in Fortree City, and Lilligant and the others looked forward to staying in a treehouse.
• The next morning, Shen Qi praised a Taillow and a Skarmory, then found Lopunny reading a romance manga about Roserade and Gallade.
• Shen Qi asked a treehouse inn clerk about Mt. Pyre, and the clerk said it had disappeared toward the sea during an earthquake.
• The clerk told Shen Qi that Mt. Chimney had also vanished and reappeared near a small town at sea, though Lavaridge Town's hot springs remained usable.
• Shen Qi and his Pokémon left Fortree City by a mountain road through Petalburg Woods, where their food truck sank into a pit and they pushed it free.

Shen Qi followed Zigzagoon into Petalburg Woods to rescue its injured Trainer, but the girl mistook him for a threat when Chansey tried to treat her and Kingdra attacked. After Shen Qi earned enough trust to carry her out, he lifted her and used Dodo’s Magnet Rise to make the journey safer.

• Zigzagoon found Shen Qi and rushed him to help its injured Trainer deep in the woods.
• Lilligant warned Shen Qi of a wild Sneasel, which fled after seeing his team.
• Shen Qi found the girl with a fractured leg beside a mountain pool, where Kingdra blocked Chansey from treating her.
• The girl initially distrusted Shen Qi, but agreed to let him carry her to the road with Kingdra watching over them.
• Shen Qi carried the girl and asked Dodo to use Magnet Rise to reduce the strain and jolting on her injured leg.

Azumi woke in a hospital after being rescued from Petalburg Woods and found her older sister, Mayumi, at her bedside. The sisters reunited and talked as they began to recover from the ordeal.

• Azumi woke in a hospital ward with a neck brace and realized she had suffered a serious cervical injury.
• Azumi noticed a woman sleeping in the other bed and recognized her as her older sister, Mayumi.
• Mayumi rushed to Azumi and nearly struck her before breaking down in tears.
• Azumi comforted Mayumi, and the sisters talked until their emotions settled.

Azumi recovered from a mountainside collapse in Petalburg Woods and thanked Shen Qi for rescuing her. Shen Qi told Mayumi and Azumi about Florges’s search for a way to help the Flabébé evolve, and Azumi suggested contacting Professor Cozmo Takao for help.

• Azumi told Mayumi that a mountainside collapse had injured her and Altaria and Delcatty, and she recalled a frightening attack-like sensation before she passed out.
• Azumi and Mayumi visited Shen Qi to thank him for rescuing her, and Shen Qi welcomed them into the apartment Mayumi had arranged for him.
• Azumi explained that she had been conducting field research when the mountainside collapsed, while Shen Qi learned that she was expected to recover over the next two months.
• Shen Qi described Florges’s search for clues about why the Flabébé in Melemele Meadow could not evolve, and Mayumi and Azumi heard how he had come to Hoenn to help.
• Azumi proposed that Shen Qi contact Professor Cozmo Takao, a noted meteorite researcher, and Mayumi cautioned her to address him by his title.

Shen Qi searched Fallarbor Town’s meteorite exhibits for something that might resonate with Florges’s Crystal Petals, while Mayumi guided him through the museum. After two days of searching, Florges found no match, so Shen Qi planned to visit the Fossil Exhibition Hall next.

• Mayumi guided Shen Qi and Florges to the Meteorite Exhibition Hall because Professor Cozmo was away on an expedition and Azumi was injured.
• Mayumi introduced her Whimsicott, which Shen Qi mistook for a Wooloo, and explained that crowds made her uncomfortable.
• Shen Qi and Mayumi saw Li Yizi’s meteorite-damaged Gray Star on display and learned how a falling meteorite had nearly struck her during a race.
• Shen Qi spent two days searching the Meteorite Exhibition Hall with Florges, but she sensed no meteorite connected to the Crystal Petals.
• Shen Qi told Florges they would visit the neighboring Fossil Exhibition Hall next and reassured her not to feel bad about the unsuccessful search.

Shen Qi continued searching Fallarbor Town for clues to Florges's Crystal Petals, taking her and the other Pokémon through the fossil exhibition hall and planning a visit to the Stone Forest District. After finding no answers in the museums, he set out with Florges to bargain-hunt for anything the Crystal Petals might detect.

• Shen Qi took Florges, Lilligant, and Dodo to the fossil exhibition hall while Chansey and Lopunny went mountain training.
• Shen Qi showed the Pokémon fossils of ancient species, whose inability to be revived upset them.
• Lilligant chose a Regular Race at Faraway Lake and went to practice with Dodo, while Shen Qi and Florges continued touring.
• Shen Qi and Florges finished visiting the exhibition halls without finding a clue, and Florges asked where he would take her next.
• Shen Qi chose the Stone Forest District, hoping Florges's Crystal Petals would sense a valuable find among the stalls.
• After messaging Mayumi and tidying the kitchen, Shen Qi and Florges left for the Stone Forest District.

Shen Qi explored the Stone Forest District with Florges and Dodo, using [O-Power] to expose a vendor’s false claims about a pink crystal. He left without buying anything and continued browsing among clearly identified fossils and meteorite-related items.

• Shen Qi examined the district’s stalls, where vendors sold raw ores and stones whose value depended on their quality.
• A stallholder claimed a pink crystal came from Diancie and could restore health, but Shen Qi used [O-Power] to identify it as raw ore unrelated to Diancie.
• Shen Qi’s strategy cards revealed the crystal was a worthless Life Orb ore offcut, and he warned the vendor before walking away.
• Florges admitted she had feared Shen Qi would buy the scam, while Dodo remained accustomed to his Trainer’s bargaining practice.
• Shen Qi saw genuine fossils and meteorite-related goods deeper in the district, but their prices and clear identification made them poor prospects for a bargain.

Shen Qi searched the Stone Forest District with Florges for something connected to meteorites and special Pokémon Evolutions, then helped Florges sell desserts at the Faraway Lake Regular Race. After Lilligant won a small prize, Shen Qi learned the older Fossil Maniac Brother had gone missing in Meteor Falls, and his younger brother prepared to lead a search.

• Shen Qi met the younger Fossil Maniac Brother, discussed fossils, and learned that his older brother had gone to Meteor Falls before the Regular Race.
• Shen Qi, Chansey, and Florges sold out of desserts at the race venue, leaving Shen Qi unable to watch Lilligant and Lopunny compete.
• Shen Qi arrived as the awards ceremony began and saw that Lilligant had won 10,000b.
• The younger Fossil Maniac Brother told Shen Qi that his older brother had missed the race and stopped sending photos from Meteor Falls.
• The younger Fossil Maniac Brother planned to search the mountains with his companions, while Lilligant and Lopunny joined Shen Qi after the race.

Shen Qi investigated a strange meteorite mural in Meteor Falls and learned its inscription used ancient Hoenn ceremonial runes. He sought help translating it at the Fossil Exhibition Hall, where a researcher confirmed the writing was ritualistic but could not read it.

• Shen Qi noticed a Meteor Falls mural depicting a meteorite breaking apart and asked Azumi whether such an event had ever been recorded.
• Azumi said no known meteorite had been shattered before impact, and Shen Qi asked the Fossil Maniac's younger brother for a clearer photo of the carving.
• Dodo identified the inscription as ancient Hoenn writing, leading Shen Qi to suspect a connection to the Draconids and their meteorite prophecies.
• Shen Qi went to the Fossil Exhibition Hall and asked a researcher to translate the inscription, claiming it resembled writing left by a missing friend.
• The researcher said the characters were special runes used in sacrificial rites and ceremonial records, not ordinary ancient writing.

Shen Qi recognized an ancient inscription as a warning about the Millennium Meteorite and suspected that Zinnia, a Lorekeeper from the Draconids, had written it. He told Lisia the prophecy, but when she asked why he believed it, he suddenly blamed Dodo.

• After Lisia translated the inscription as “I will resolve the thousand-year episode,” Shen Qi connected it to the meteorite crisis in Episode Delta.
• Shen Qi reasoned that Zinnia must have written the inscription, despite the absence of the Draconids in this world.
• Lisia repeatedly messaged Shen Qi, then called him when he stopped replying, and he apologized for leaving her waiting.
• Shen Qi asked Lisia whether a meteorite would soon threaten Hoenn and told her the inscription prophesied a Lorekeeper would stop one.
• When Lisia asked why she had never heard of the prophecy, Shen Qi said it was Dodo.