Recaps

Shen Qi learned that Ayaka and several skilled drivers were entering the Winter Race, then investigated the unfamiliar trainee Meng Ai and her Cultivation Pod. The chapter ended with Ayumi asking the Perilla Club for information while Shan Sheng dismissed Meng Ai as an unlikely threat.

• Shen Qi, Ayumi, and Shan Sheng discussed their Winter Race group, which included teammates, Lily, and the champion driver Ayaka.
• Shen Qi discovered that his first-round race would take place at Palmpona and reviewed the drivers assigned to his group.
• Shen Qi and Shan Sheng examined a report showing that Shen Qi's Little Sheep had finished ahead of Ayaka's Rainbow Flying Sword in a regular race.
• Shen Qi explained that Meng Ai's Cultivation Pod had held off Ayaka through skillful tactics, including creating a rare Snowscape.
• Ayumi asked the Perilla Club for information about Meng Ai, while Shan Sheng said she was unlikely to threaten Shen Qi's chance of advancing.

At Palmpona Beach, Shen Qi prepared for the T3 qualifying race while his Pokémon played and trained in the sand. Ayaka arrived and shyly offered him lemon soda, leaving Shen Qi delighted by her gesture.

• Shen Qi let Little Sheep, Chansey, and Dodo enjoy themselves before the qualifying race began.
• Shen Qi recognized Duowu, a fellow racer from the previous Saffron City Regular Race, and joked with him about his Pokémon Exeggutor.
• Duowu and Shen Qi laughed together after Duowu pretended Exeggutor was a fierce three-headed Pokémon.
• Ayaka approached Shen Qi at the beach and offered him a bottle of lemon soda.

Ayaka challenged Shen Qi, Duowu, and Meng Ai with Dueling Wine as she faced her past defeat and pursued a third consecutive T3 championship. After Meng Ai accepted the challenge, the Qualifying Race began, and Shen Qi watched the early Drivers' times.

• Ayaka offered Shen Qi and Duowu lemon soda as Dueling Wine, and both accepted her challenges.
• Ayaka explained that she was confronting her loss to Shen Qi's D-class car, then refused Shen Qi's suggestion of a Car Badge Duel.
• Ayaka offered Meng Ai the remaining bottle and challenged her, and Meng Ai accepted before returning to the Service Bay to hug Venusaur.
• Spectators learned that Ayaka's Rainbow Flying Sword had finished sixth in the Saffron City Regular Race and protested the result.
• Drivers began the ten-kilometer Qualifying Race, and Shen Qi noted that Duowu recorded a time of 8 minutes, 10 seconds.

Shen Qi’s Little Sheep placed fourth in the Qualifying Race, while Meng Ai’s Cultivation Pod finished sixth, revealing how much Meng Ai had improved. In the Preliminary’s opening moments, Shen Qi held back Chansey’s Helping Hand until Little Sheep had fallen behind, then used Alliance Attack to release the stored move and retake two positions.

• Shen Qi drove Little Sheep through the Qualifying Race in 8 minutes, 31 seconds, earning fourth place without using its turbo or Dodo’s Agility.
• Meng Ai’s Cultivation Pod finished in 8 minutes, 33 seconds, and Shen Qi noticed that she had become much stronger since the Saffron City Regular Race.
• Shen Qi prepared Little Sheep for the Preliminary, saving its new tires for the race and lining up fourth among twenty drivers.
• At the start, Shen Qi used Racing Energy to keep Little Sheep’s launch measured while Chansey charged Helping Hand and began Work Up.
• After two cars passed Little Sheep, Shen Qi used Alliance Attack to release the stored Helping Hand, overtaking them and reclaiming his positions.

Shen Qi used Little Sheep’s cornering and [Global Eye] to stay near the leading T2 Drivers while conserving his strongest tactics during the Preliminaries. As the race ended, the Cultivation Pod caught up to the front group, surprising Shen Qi with Meng Ai’s apparent improvement.

• Shen Qi used his opening burst and [Global Eye] to challenge the third-place Driver through the first corners, then studied the Z bends for a possible Levitate Tactics maneuver.
• Shen Qi decided not to use [Compatible Turbo] or Levitate Tactics because advancing in the Preliminaries only required a top-five finish and he wanted to save his trump cards.
• A T3 Driver in the number nine slot drifted through a corner, but a crosswind pushed him off the track and mugwort clogged his car’s intake.
• Shen Qi spotted the Cultivation Pod closing on the leading pack and wondered whether Meng Ai had improved substantially in the past twenty-odd days.
• Duowu crossed the finish line in second, followed by the third-place car, while the Cultivation Pod approached the front group.

After qualifying for the next round, Shen Qi explained to Meng Ai that he had let her overtake for strategic reasons, not friendship, but offered to get to know her. Their conversation revealed her unusual innocence and her interest in Faraway Island, leaving Shen Qi wondering how she knew of it and worrying about her trusting nature.

• Shen Qi confirmed that he and Meng Ai had qualified for the second round and reflected on the tougher competition ahead.
• Meng Ai thanked Shen Qi, believing he had let her pass as a friendly gesture, and Shen Qi explained his racing strategy.
• Shen Qi told Meng Ai about a past racing misunderstanding, helping lift her spirits before offering to become friends.
• Meng Ai eagerly accepted and asked whether Island 6 was near Faraway Island, astonishing Shen Qi with her knowledge of the lost island.
• Meng Ai tentatively took out her phone to add Shen Qi as a friend, while he worried that her trusting nature made her vulnerable.

Shen Qi met Meng Ai after the preliminaries and later visited Sayaka at Emerald Gold Manor, where he learned more about her limited mobility. The chapter ended with Sayaka welcoming him and Dodo to dinner and congratulating him on advancing.

• Shen Qi befriended Meng Ai, warned her to be careful around strangers, and defended her from Ayaka's rude fans without escalating the confrontation.
• Meng Ai explained that she walked stiffly because she had spent much of her life recuperating, then left in her Cultivation Pod.
• Shen Qi read messages congratulating him and accepted an invitation from Sayaka, driving to Emerald Gold Manor with Chansey and Dodo.
• At the manor, Chansey toured the kitchen with the pastry chef and Leavanny while the Lurantis sisters tried to get Dodo out of the room with Shen Qi.
• Shen Qi met Sayaka, who explained that she had little contact with outsiders, and she toasted his advancement with tea.

Shen Qi encouraged Sayaka to consider returning to the track, and she said she might try if she found the courage. After escaping the Lurantis sisters’ affectionate teasing, he met Florges and waited for Lilligant to arrive in Saffron City.

• Shen Qi told Sayaka about Meng Ai’s illness and racing, prompting Sayaka to compare their experiences and admit she might return to the track as Lurantis’s assistant.
• The Lurantis sisters told Shen Qi that Sayaka had long refused to consider returning, and he credited Meng Ai’s example and his own charm for changing her mind.
• Shen Qi escaped the Lurantis sisters, changed and washed his orchid-scented clothes, then headed out to meet Lilligant and Lopunny.
• Shen Qi arrived at Florges’s chosen lounge, greeted her, and waited beside the Flower Crown for Lilligant.
• Lilligant stepped out of the Flower Crown as Shen Qi welcomed her with a hug, while Lopunny eagerly awaited her turn.

Shen Qi reassured Lilligant about the Lurantis Sisters and received a Wish Necklace reward, then questioned how Shan Sheng had earned T3 certification after seeing him advance in the Winter Race. Xia Yang explained that Shan Sheng, like him, had likely benefited from a season with weaker competition and good luck.

• Lilligant confronted Shen Qi about the Lurantis Sisters, and Dodo and Chansey confirmed that he had stayed still when they hugged him.
• Shen Qi comforted Lilligant, who learned Ingrain and clung to him during their late-night snack.
• Shen Qi claimed the Wish Necklace, which could spend extra mental power to enhance another game item's effect, and considered using it for racing upgrades or move proficiency.
• Ayaka's Rainbow Flying Sword advanced first at Yūmachi Pier, Ayumi advanced third, and Shan Sheng also advanced in his group.
• Shen Qi messaged Xia Yang to ask how Shan Sheng had reached T3 level, and Xia Yang said both of them had benefited from weak competition and good luck in some seasons.

Shen Qi watched the Winter Race group draws and was relieved to avoid several familiar competitors, but he recognized that a driver registered as Lizao was likely Saffron Gym Leader Sabrina. He ended the chapter considering why Sabrina might have entered the racing event under an alias.

• Shen Qi explained that summer races offered weaker drivers better odds of earning T3 certification, then watched the draw for the Trainer division’s second round.
• Ayaka and Meng Ai were placed in Group Three, while Shan Sheng and his older sister were drawn together in another group.
• Shen Qi’s name appeared in Group Fifteen, which Lilligant judged to be a fairly ordinary group with six T2 Drivers and a few favorable circumstances.
• Shen Qi spotted Lizao’s name on his roster and suspected the driver was Sabrina, based on her alias, car, and connection to Saffron City.
• Shen Qi reasoned that Sabrina’s exceptional battling strength made the racing event a more plausible competition for her than a T3 Pokémon battle tournament.

Shen Qi learned that frightening stories about Sabrina were widespread and decided to avoid a confrontation with her during the race. He then traveled with Little Reporter and their Pokémon to Pokémon Park, where the next race was about to take place.

• Shen Qi learned that Sabrina’s Gym used psychic illusions to test Trainers, but rumors about her parents and her threats to a reporter left him wary.
• Shen Qi told Chansey and Dodo to let Sabrina’s Goldthread Orchid pass during the race so they could focus on advancing and earning ten points.
• Little Reporter joined Shen Qi on the drive to the racecourse, and he praised Emolga for earning an Aerial Photography Certificate.
• Shen Qi learned that the upcoming racecourse was Pokémon Park, a former Team Rocket property now operated by the Pokémon Paradise Organization.
• Shen Qi, Little Reporter, and the Pokémon arrived at Pokémon Park and admired the enormous Pikachu models at its entrance.

Shen Qi entered Pokémon Park with Little Reporter, who quickly left to take photos while Emolga handled the filming equipment. As the Qualifying Race approached, Shen Qi met Yūichirō and his parents, A Ding and Akiko, a traveling family from Kalos competing in the Winter Race.

• Shen Qi and Little Reporter entered Pokémon Park, where Little Reporter decided to take selfies instead of interviewing drivers and left Emolga to film.
• Shen Qi checked the Qualifying Race opponents, including the T2 Driver Lizao, and exchanged encouragement with Lilligant before her race at Yūmachi Pier.
• Yūichirō visited Shen Qi's Service Bay and explained that he had come from Kalos with his parents as part of his father's support team.
• Akiko and A Ding introduced themselves to Shen Qi, recognized Little Sheep, and praised his progress in the Preliminaries.
• A Ding explained that he had taken his family on a three-year driving trip to help Yūichirō learn about the world before elementary school.

Shen Qi used Little Sheep’s enhanced vision and racing abilities to set a fast qualifying time in the Winter Race, briefly taking first place. After resting in the Service Bay, he saw that A Ding had also posted a strong result.

• Emolga photographed A Ding’s family and Furfrou, then explained to Shen Qi why she wanted to write about their travels and races.
• Shen Qi learned that A Ding would start after him in the Qualifying Race in Tuberose, a Class B car from the Kalos Region’s Parfum Palace Group.
• Shen Qi started Little Sheep with several boosts and used Wish Necklace to expand Global Eye’s view of the track.
• Shen Qi guided Little Sheep through the opening corner at high speed, and its average qualifying time of eight minutes and sixteen seconds put it provisionally in first place.
• Shen Qi rested while Dodo checked Little Sheep, then saw that A Ding’s Tuberose had posted an average time of eight minutes and thirty seconds.

Shen Qi finished qualifying in sixth and prepared to make up ground in the Main Race by secretly storing Chansey’s Helping Hand. His opening burst let Little Sheep overtake several cars, but Sabrina intercepted its airborne pass with Sunny Day, sending it back to eighth place.

• Lizao drove Goldthread Orchid to an average qualifying time of 8 minutes and 12 seconds, pushing Little Sheep down to sixth and leaving Shen Qi outside the advancing positions.
• Shen Qi had Chansey package Helping Hand before the start, relying on his move-transfer technique to evade the race’s restrictions.
• After the lights went out, Shen Qi used Helping Hand to launch Little Sheep past the T3 driver ahead, then had Dodo lift the car over a T2 driver blocking its path.
• Lizao used a brilliant Sunny Day to blind Shen Qi and Dodo as Little Sheep flew overhead, forcing Shen Qi to land directly below and dropping him to eighth.
• Shen Qi recognized that Lizao was likely Sabrina and that she had used Sunny Day solely to disrupt his pass.

Shen Qi navigated Little Sheep through the muddy course, escaped a crash and passed A Ding’s Tuberose and Sabrina’s Goldthread Orchid to reach fourth place. As he approached the No-Fly Slope, his enhanced Global Eye revealed a towering Groudon ahead.

• Shen Qi enlarged Little Sheep’s trapped rear tire to escape a muddy pit, while a crash ahead forced two cars off course.
• Shen Qi passed A Ding’s startled Tuberose after an enormous Hippowdon model frightened its driver.
• Shen Qi overtook Sabrina’s slow-moving Goldthread Orchid and moved into fourth place.
• Shen Qi boosted Global Eye with the Wish Necklace and spotted Groudon standing ahead on the No-Fly Slope.

Shen Qi and Dodo struggled through Pokémon Paradise’s obstacles, then used Little Sheep’s boosts and Goldthread Orchid’s slipstream to close in during the race. Sabrina countered with Power Swap, draining Chansey’s Work Up boosts and letting Goldthread Orchid pull away again.

• Shen Qi tried to use Magnet Rise on the Groudon obstacle, but a powerful Gravity field forced Little Sheep back onto the track and it barely escaped down the slope.
• Shen Qi spotted Autumn Leaves and Sootopolis Shadow catching up as Little Sheep approached the rocking Inflatable Trampoline ramp.
• Shen Qi combined the Wish Necklace and Compatible Turbo, and Dodo controlled a spinning jump so Little Sheep landed safely near Goldthread Orchid.
• Shen Qi drafted behind Goldthread Orchid, then used Chansey’s Helping Hand and Little Sheep’s boosts to accelerate toward an overtake.
• Sabrina used Power Swap to remove Chansey’s Work Up boosts, and Goldthread Orchid surged ahead.

Shen Qi fought through the second preliminary race and qualified in second place after a close battle for fifth. Afterward, he met the other qualifiers and learned about Lisia’s hopes of becoming an idol.

• Sabrina used Power Swap to erase Chansey’s accumulated boost, forcing Chansey to build it up again as the chasing drivers caught up.
• Shen Qi used Protect to trick Tuberose into slowing down, then kept Little Sheep in fifth through the No-Fly Slope.
• The organizers announced that three cars had crashed at the inflatable trampoline, but Shen Qi urged Chansey to burst forward and cross the finish line in second behind Lizao.
• Lao Fu introduced himself, and Shen Qi introduced himself to A Ding and his family.
• Lisia told Shen Qi she wanted to become an idol, and he recognized her song Appeal☆Love, moving her to tears.

Shen Qi and Lilligant recovered from the exhausting Winter Race, where Lilligant narrowly advanced to the next round and the Little Sheep needed extensive repairs. The exhausted group went to sleep, leaving Chansey and Florges to run their night-market stall.

• Lizao joined the onstage photo with Wobbuffet, Kadabra, and Swoobat, while Lisia's Abra used Teleport and was brought back by Lizao's Kadabra.
• Lilligant drove the Flower Crown to fifth place and advanced after a crash between the second- and third-place racers; Cacturne used Spiky Shield to protect himself and Mengge advanced in second.
• Shen Qi sent the damaged Little Sheep for repairs and new tires, then used O-Power to bargain the bill down by about 2,000 b.
• Shen Qi, Lilligant, and Lopunny, exhausted by the races, went to sleep early after deciding they had no energy to plan.
• Chansey massaged Shen Qi, then went with Florges to run their night-market stall.

Shen Qi prepared for the third-round race at Maiden's Gorge after learning that he would face Ayaka and Lt. Surge. He studied Ayaka’s new compression-ignition engine technology as snow fell on race day.

• Shen Qi replaced his destroyed phone, accepted friend requests from the drivers and Yūichirō, and looked forward to meeting them after the Winter Race.
• Shen Qi learned that the third-round draw put him in Ayaka’s group at Maiden’s Gorge, alongside Lt. Surge.
• Shan Sheng told Shen Qi that he had recruited Duowu for the Perilla Racing Team and discussed Ayaka’s pressure to keep winning.
• Shan Sheng sent Shen Qi information about Ayaka’s plan to use a new compression-ignition engine in the third round.
• Snow continued falling on race day, though the forecast predicted it would stop overnight.

Shen Qi watched his Pokémon play in the snow and received Sayaka’s praise for Meng Ai, whose recovery inspired Sayaka. He traveled to Maiden’s Gorge for the next race and approached Meng Ai’s Cultivation Pod, where she lowered the window to meet him.

• Chansey, Dodo, and Lopunny played in the snow until Shen Qi told them not to use moves in the park.
• Sayaka messaged Shen Qi that Meng Ai was amazing and an angel after watching her race and recognizing her recovery from years of unconsciousness.
• Shen Qi learned that Ayaka had spent the day preparing her Rainbow Flying Sword while other racers rested.
• Shen Qi traveled by ferry to Maiden’s Gorge with his Pokémon and decided to tell Meng Ai that Sayaka admired her.
• Meng Ai noticed Shen Qi outside the Cultivation Pod and lowered the window.

After Meng Ai told Shen Qi she wanted to withdraw because of hostile fans, he contacted Sayaka, whose support helped Meng Ai reconsider. At the Winter Race venue, Shen Qi watched Ayaka set a remarkable qualifying time, while Meng Ai prepared to continue competing.

• Meng Ai told Shen Qi she wanted to withdraw because she felt nobody expected anything from her and she could not endure the abuse.
• Shen Qi warned Meng Ai about the consequences of withdrawing and reassured her that he believed in her, then contacted Sayaka for advice.
• Sayaka called Shen Qi and asked to speak with Meng Ai without revealing her identity, helping Meng Ai feel better about continuing.
• Shen Qi and Meng Ai disembarked at the venue, where he spotted Florges selling snacks and learned that Lilligant had finished qualifying with Lopunny in a time of eight minutes, thirty-nine seconds.
• Shen Qi checked the live leaderboard and saw Ayaka post a seven-minute, fifty-three-second qualifying time in the Rainbow Flying Sword.

Shen Qi pushed Little Sheep beyond its limits in qualifying, earning third on the grid despite risking engine damage. As the final race was about to begin, he received an unexpected message from Meng Ai and asked Dodo to check it.

• Shen Qi used full-slick tires and an overloaded launch to race Little Sheep through the snowy qualifying course, briefly causing engine knock.
• Little Sheep completed qualifying with an average lap time of 8 minutes and 9 seconds, placing third on the grid.
• Shen Qi checked Little Sheep and found its engine strained but intact, while Adaptive Tire retained 61% durability.
• Shen Qi rested during the adjustment period, then prepared for the final as spectators cheered Ayaka and mocked Cultivation Pod.
• Shen Qi received a message from Meng Ai just before the race and asked Dodo to read it.

Shen Qi used Dodo’s Trace to copy Snow Cloak for the snowy race, but Lt. Surge’s Ion Deluge disrupted buffs and powered Autumn Leaves into the lead. Shen Qi adapted by recalling and redeploying Chansey, then passed Ayaka as Meng Ai’s Cultivation Pod also handled the disruption; Haze stripped away buffs as the leading pack rounded the first turn.

• Shen Qi had Dodo use Trace until it copied Snow Cloak from one of Meng Ai’s Pokémon.
• At the start, Ion Deluge disrupted Chansey’s Work Up and Agility, while Lt. Surge’s electrically powered supercharger propelled Autumn Leaves into first place.
• Shen Qi realized Ion Deluge was converting Normal-type moves into Electric-type ones, recalled Chansey, and sent her back out so Work Up could function.
• Shen Qi used a burst of speed to pass Ayaka’s Rainbow Flying Sword, while Meng Ai’s Cultivation Pod adapted to the Electric-type energy.
• Meng Ai’s Pokémon used Haze to dispel buffs, and the leading group rounded the first turn with Lt. Surge first, Shen Qi second, Meng Ai third, and Ayaka fourth.

Shen Qi and Meng Ai used snowy-weather joint defense to delay Ayaka’s Rainbow Flying Sword during the Winter Race, but Ayaka eventually broke through. Lt. Surge then unexpectedly blocked her too, leaving her in sixth place as the race continued.

• Ayaka used Sunny Day to counter the Cultivation Pod’s Snowscape, restoring the Rainbow Flying Sword’s performance and pressuring Meng Ai.
• Shen Qi sent the Little Sheep alongside the Cultivation Pod to block the Rainbow Flying Sword, using their shared legal blocking attempts to slow Ayaka.
• Autumn Leaves entered lap two ahead of the Little Sheep, the Cultivation Pod, and the Rainbow Flying Sword, while Ayaka continued attacking.
• The Rainbow Flying Sword evaded the Cultivation Pod’s defense, but the Little Sheep dropped back to mount another joint defense.
• After the Little Sheep and Cultivation Pod exhausted their blocking allowance, Ayaka broke through, only for Lt. Surge’s Autumn Leaves to block her and leave her in sixth place.

Shen Qi and his teammates advanced to the Winter Race finals after Lt. Surge and Ayaka battled for first place at the finish. Ayaka won by a tiny margin, while the chapter left her isolated by her fans’ behavior and Meng Ai encouraged by her hard-earned qualification.

• The Rainbow Flying Sword used its lightened chassis, Sunny Day, and Chlorophyll to surge past Shen Qi, while Lt. Surge used Ion Deluge and Gastro Acid to hinder Ayaka.
• Autumn Leaves and the Rainbow Flying Sword crossed the finish line almost neck and neck, and a replay confirmed Ayaka had won by a narrow lead.
• The T2 Driver, Little Sheep, and the Cultivation Pod finished third, fourth, and fifth, advancing to the Winter Race finals.
• Shen Qi praised Meng Ai for advancing fifth and recognized how strongly her Pokémon’s Snowscape had resisted Ayaka’s Sunny Day.
• Ayaka went onstage alone for the qualifiers’ group photo as her fans blamed the other drivers, leaving her isolated.