Chapter Summaries

Gongping faced Liu Ping for the open Elite Four seat at the Kanto Region Champion Conference and decisively defeated Liu Ping’s Golduck with Swampert. The match continued as Liu Ping prepared to send out his next Pokémon, while the Elites recognized Gongping’s unusually ruthless battle experience.

• Spectators discussed Gongping’s fifteen-match winning streak and his upcoming match against Liu Ping for the open Elite Four seat.
• Liu Ping hoped to win the seat and impress Lorelei, while Gongping entered the arena determined to rise among the Elites.
• Liu Ping sent out Golduck, and Gongping answered with Swampert, surprising the audience with his Water- and Ground-type opponent.
• Gongping’s Swampert blocked Golduck’s Hydro Pump, then used Ice Punch and physical attacks to overwhelm it.
• The referee declared Golduck unable to battle, and Bruno and Lorelei remarked on Gongping’s harsh fighting style and apparent experience in life-or-death battles.

Gongping defeated Liu Ping’s Tentacruel and Blastoise with Swampert, winning the match and earning official recognition as Kanto’s new Sandstorm King. The ceremony ended with a mixed reaction from the audience as some spectators left dissatisfied.

• Liu Ping sent out Tentacruel, but Gongping’s Swampert defeated it with a series of forceful attacks, leaving Tentacruel badly injured.
• Liu Ping appealed after Tentacruel was hurt, but Watanabe ruled that the match could continue because the injury was accidental.
• Liu Ping sent out Blastoise, whose Hydro Cannon blasted Swampert away, but Swampert froze and ruptured Blastoise’s cannon barrels before defeating it with Waterfall.
• The referee declared Gongping the winner, and Gongping gave Liu Ping medicine for Blastoise before the ceremony.
• Gongping received his Sandstorm King cape and ring and posed for a photograph with Lorelei, Agatha, and Bruno as some spectators left early.

Gongping accepted an Elite Four assignment to track down special criminals while preparing for his first exhibition match in Vermilion City. The chapter ended as the luxury cruise ship arrived for his televised battle against Shali, a former regional runner-up and successful Coordinator.

• Lorelei explained that Gongping would represent the Elite Four on exhibition tours, and Watanabe said his first opponent would be Shali in Vermilion City.
• Gongping agreed to take on work tracking special criminals, and the League assigned Bruno to accompany him on a mission against Team Rocket at Mt. Moon.
• The Elite Four discussed Gym assessments, Pokédex updates, and their other League responsibilities.
• Gongping prepared for the exhibition match, and a few days later a luxury cruise ship carrying the event arrived in Vermilion City.
• Vermilion City residents watched the broadcast and debated whether Shali could defeat Gongping.

At a banquet aboard a luxury cruise ship, Gongping was tricked into drinking freshly squeezed Bounsweet juice, and the resulting scandal made him the target of public outrage. Lorelei countered the backlash while Gongping prepared to face Shali in their exhibition match with three dangerous Pokémon.

• Gongping declined to eat Tauros meat and accepted a glass of red juice from a blonde woman he later learned was Shali, his upcoming opponent.
• An attendant told Gongping the juice was made from freshly squeezed Bounsweet, leaving him upset that he had been deceived.
• News outlets published photographs and footage of Gongping drinking the juice, provoking public criticism and calls for Shali to replace him as a Kanto Elite Four member.
• Lorelei identified Shali as the daughter of a major farm owner and used phone calls to redirect online attention away from Gongping.
• Gongping agreed to answer Shali's scheme in the exhibition match and transferred three Pokémon from the League's care to his roster.

Kyohei overwhelmed Shali’s Altaria and Dragonair with Rhyperior, exposing the weakness of her flashy battle style. After Dragonair was knocked unconscious, he urged Shali to treat its burn and gave her a Burn Potion, leaving some viewers impressed by his concern.

• Shali opened the match with Altaria, whose elaborate Ice Beams failed to harm Rhyperior as Kyohei concealed an Ice Punch and knocked Altaria out.
• Shali sent out Dragonair, but Rhyperior used Sunny Day to weaken Surf before countering with Fire Punch and Ice Punch.
• Rhyperior seized Dragonair, inflicted severe internal injuries with its combination of ice and fire, and slammed it into the ground, knocking it unconscious.
• Kyohei warned Shali that Dragonair needed immediate treatment and tossed her a Burn Potion despite their hostility.
• A girl watching the livestream became Kyohei’s fan after seeing his gesture of concern for Dragonair.

Gongping’s Tyranitar overwhelmed Shali’s Pokémon after her Ninetales and Venusaur fell, revealing the Sandstorm King’s devastating battle style. Lorelei watched Tyranitar’s performance and anticipated that Team Rocket would suffer heavily during the upcoming mission at Mt. Moon.

• Shali kept Ninetales in against Gongping’s Rhyperior, which defeated it with a brutal assault despite Gongping offering her the chance to switch.
• Shali sent out Venusaur, and Gongping recalled Rhyperior before declaring he would fight at full strength.
• Gongping sent out Tyranitar, whose Sandstorm Ability transformed the field and frightened Venusaur.
• Tyranitar used Dragon Dance to whip sand-laden air currents into Venusaur, injuring it and then defeating it with a second attack.
• Lorelei recognized Tyranitar’s potential in group battles and anticipated that Team Rocket would suffer a major loss at Mt. Moon.

After defeating Shali, Gongping trained his Pokémon in his Dream World before joining Bruno for the League’s crackdown on Team Rocket at Mt. Moon. Bruno left Gongping in charge, but Gongping suspected the mission would be more difficult than the intelligence suggested.

• Gongping’s victory over Shali made him a rising star, while Lorelei exposed Shali’s scandals and damaged her reputation.
• Gongping recorded details of the battle and trained with his Pokémon in his Dream World, where Tyranitar fought simulated opponents.
• Gongping added Shali to the training simulations and recognized that Tyranitar still needed to improve its Dragon Dance control.
• Gongping began a training session against a simulation of the strongest trainer he had encountered, hoping to force out the trainer’s final Pokémon.
• The League launched a crackdown on Team Rocket’s thirteen bases at Mt. Moon, where Team Rocket had worked with Silph Co.
• Bruno arrived at the command post, handed the mission to Gongping, and went to sleep; Gongping studied the intelligence and sensed the operation would not be easy.

Gongping led a League team to raid Team Rocket’s Mt. Moon bases, but the sites yielded little useful evidence and the League’s public victory appeared to be a cover for failure. Suspecting the six investigators assigned to him, he confronted them, only for one of them to unleash a Gengar’s Quick Attack.

• Gongping questioned why Team Rocket had built so many bases at Mt. Moon and persuaded Bruno to let him lead a team to investigate them.
• Gongping used Tyranitar’s Sandstorm to carry his team to Base Nine, where they subdued the staff and freed captive Pokémon, but found only mundane research.
• Gongping’s team found Base Eight was a warehouse and learned Bases Six and Seven had yielded similarly unhelpful results.
• The League publicized the destruction of thirteen bases as a major victory, while Gongping noticed the reports came from a media company under Silph Co.
• Gongping accused the six investigators of catching Pokémon at Mt. Moon and trapped them in a ring of sand, prompting one to attack him with a Gengar’s Quick Attack.

Gongping ambushed six Team Rocket operatives at Mt. Moon, using a coordinated sandstorm and a series of traps to overwhelm them. He nearly killed their green-haired leader, but reinforcements teleported her away, and Team Rocket vowed to remember him.

• Gongping recorded the Team Rocket operatives attacking him, then used Tyranitar and hidden Pokémon to trap them in a sandstorm.
• The operatives released their Pokémon and tried to escape, but Gongping’s concealed forces defeated their weather countermeasures and destroyed their surveillance machines.
• Gongping rose into the air and commanded eight Pokémon to use Earthquake, triggering eruptions that swallowed many Pokémon and two Team Rocket Trainers.
• Reporters and Bruno watched the destruction at Mt. Moon, while Gongping’s Pokémon returned to their Poké Balls after the battle ended.
• The surviving green-haired woman called Gongping a demon; after he hesitated when she reminded him of Mei, Team Rocket reinforcements teleported her away.

Kyohei’s brutal defeat of Team Rocket drew public criticism and prompted the League to assign him a Kanto-Johto King Tournament match against Will. He then visited his Pallet Town breeding grounds, where he reunited with Nidoking and prepared to care for his seventy-eight Pokémon.

• Kyohei told reporters that Team Rocket had escalated their confrontation, while Sister Sally criticized the League online and Kyohei’s harsh public image spread.
• Watabe and other League officials assigned Kyohei to represent Kanto against Johto’s Psychic-type King, Will, in a tournament match in a week.
• Kyohei entered his Pallet Town breeding grounds, where League staff cared for his seventy-eight Pokémon.
• Nidoking rushed to embrace Kyohei, who reassured him and said he would spend the day massaging all his Pokémon.

Gongping announced that he would assess the Cerulean Gym, putting Cerulean City and the four Gym Leaders under pressure. Misty decided to return to defend the Gym, while Ash joined her to see Gongping battle.

• Gongping and Agatha arranged for the Cerulean Gym to face an Elite Four assessment, and Agatha enlisted Lorelei to help publicize it.
• The Kanto Region League announced that Gongping would assess the Cerulean Gym the next day, prompting Cerulean City's officials to seek help from League leaders.
• Gongping posted online criticizing the Gym's high challenger pass rate, and Lorelei's repost drew attention to his message and to the mysterious fourth Gym Leader, Misty.
• Misty's sisters admitted they did not know how to battle, so Misty resolved to return to Cerulean City and face Gongping herself.
• Ash chose to accompany Misty because he wanted to see the Sandstorm King battle, while Brock considered how to address the Pewter Gym's poor assessment results.

Misty faced Sandstorm King Gongping in the Cerulean Gym's public assessment battle, which could determine the gym's future. Gongping's Alolan Sandslash exploited the water arena and defeated Starmie, leaving Misty in a precarious position.

• The Pokémon League's assessment provisions required the Cerulean Gym to name one official Gym Leader, submit its Pokémon for evaluation, and undergo a battle overseen by Gongping.
• Misty refused to learn Gongping's planned Pokémon and entered the arena as the Cerulean Gym's challenger, while her sisters expressed confidence in her.
• Misty sent out Starmie, and Gongping revealed that his Sandslash was an Alolan Ice- and Steel-type form.
• Gongping's Sandslash used Ice Ball to freeze the battlefield, gaining room to move and steadily increasing the attack's power.
• Sandslash struck Starmie with a powerful Ice Ball, freezing and blasting it away, and Starmie was declared unable to battle.

Kasumi battled Gongping’s Sandslash with Staryu and, encouraged by Ash, mounted a fierce counterattack that left both Pokémon unconscious. After Gongping treated them, Kasumi prepared to send out her third Pokémon, but something unexpected happened.

• Kasumi sent out Staryu, but Sandslash used Defense Curl and Ice Ball to overwhelm Staryu’s Double Team, Swift, and Water Gun.
• Ash urged Kasumi not to give up, and she had Staryu combine Double Team, Water Gun, and Rapid Spin to trap Sandslash in a powerful vortex.
• Gongping ordered Sandslash to use Metal Burst, breaking the vortex, but Staryu forced Sandslash down with a final spinning attack, and both Pokémon crashed into the ice unconscious.
• Gongping carried Staryu and Sandslash from the arena and gave them basic treatment, while Lorelei remarked on his strength.
• Kasumi prepared to use her third Pokémon, but something unexpected happened.

Misty's assessment match against Gongping ended with Scizor defeating Dewgong, but Misty had shown enough skill to support Cerulean Gym through its demotion crisis. The chapter left Gongping's full strength uncertain as his upcoming six-on-six King Tournament battle against Will drew attention.

• Misty's Psyduck appeared unexpectedly, and Gongping sent out Scizor to face her third Pokémon.
• Misty had Dewgong use Surf to melt the ice and restrict Scizor, but Scizor overwhelmed it with Bullet Punch and won the assessment match.
• Gongping told Misty to await the results and seek treatment for her Pokémon, while Ash and Brock accompanied her to the Pokémon Center.
• The assessment footage was posted online, and the Pokémon League announced Gongping's upcoming six-on-six King Tournament battle against Will.
• Karen asked Will what he had learned from the match, and Will said he could not judge Gongping's true strength until they fought.

After Gongping and Agatha revoked the qualifications of most Kanto Gyms, Gongping defended the decision online and then met with Lorelei to discuss opening a new-style Pokémon Center in Yinhua City. The center’s ecological rehoming service aimed to prevent abandoned Pokémon from being harmed, and Gongping noticed that nearby New Island was marked as a danger zone.

• Gongping and Agatha finalized their Gym assessments, stripping most Kanto Gyms of their qualifications and invalidating the Badges they had issued.
• Gongping posted the Gym assessment results and his own past Gym scores online, arguing that Trainers who relied on the disqualified Gyms were unfit for the Indigo League.
• Lorelei gave Gongping documents for the opening of a new-style Pokémon Center in Yinhua City and explained its Pokémon rehoming service.
• Lorelei described how a Trainer from Sinnoh sold rare baby Dragon-type Pokémon to a Fuchsia City restaurant, where they were cooked and eaten before authorities could intervene.
• Lorelei asked Gongping to attend the opening ceremony to deter protesters, and he noticed that nearby New Island was marked as a danger zone.

Gongping attended the opening of a new-model Pokémon Center in Yinhua City, where he met Giovanni and discussed Pokémon care and training. After learning that a “strongest trainer” was holding a competition on New Island, Gongping suspected the events of the Mewtwo movie were beginning, and Giovanni asked if he would participate.

• Gongping visited the new-model Pokémon Center and learned that its expanded grounds would let it foster abandoned Pokémon for longer.
• Nurse Joy told Gongping that abandoned Pokémon had been arriving injured, and he described plans for a blacklist that could revoke offending trainers’ eligibility.
• Giovanni arrived for the opening ceremony, introduced himself to Gongping, and explained that the Viridian Gym was temporarily closed for repairs.
• Gongping asked Giovanni about The Secrets of the Earth, then stayed in Yinhua City because its weather and growing crowds made him uneasy.
• Giovanni told Gongping that a competition for the title of strongest trainer was being held on New Island, prompting Gongping to suspect Mewtwo’s story was unfolding.
• Giovanni asked Gongping whether he would join the New Island competition.

Gongping challenged Giovanni to a battle, and their Lucario and Nidoking fought in a fierce contest that revealed Giovanni’s strength. After Lucario defeated Nidoking, a pillar of light erupted over New Island as Mewtwo unleashed its full power in response to Mew’s appearance.

• Gongping asked Giovanni to battle, intending to keep Team Rocket from interfering with Mewtwo on New Island.
• Giovanni sent out his battle-hardened Nidoking, and Gongping answered with Lucario, whose constant Calm Mind training impressed Giovanni.
• Nidoking attacked with Double Team and three elemental moves, but Lucario used Confusion to control and redirect the attacks before the two Pokémon clashed at close range.
• Nidoking fractured its arm and badly burned Lucario, but Lucario ensnared Nidoking’s mind with Psychic and defeated it after Nidoking’s final Flamethrower.
• A pillar of light rose over New Island, where Mewtwo unleashed its full power after Mew appeared.

Gongping kept Giovanni occupied at the new Pokémon Center while Team Rocket mobilized against New Island, then recognized Rosa and chased after her. Seeing her brought back the promise they had made to travel together, and the chapter ended as she finally turned toward him.

• Giovanni showed Gongping the Pokémon Center’s costly golden medicine, which quickly healed Nidoking’s severe injuries.
• Niko recognized Gongping, got his autograph, and used Confusion to fling her brother away after he teased her.
• Gongping spotted Rosa leaving the Pokémon Center and rushed after her, calling her name.
• Gongping remembered how he and Rosa had promised to travel together and conquer the world.
• Rosa stopped and turned toward Gongping, giving him hope that she remembered their promise.

Gongping met Mew, who confirmed Rosa had traveled to Kanto and gave him three rare Salac Berries before disappearing. After wrapping up his trip and exchanging contact information with Giovanni, Gongping prepared for his upcoming match with Will and joined the online argument about it.

• Mew revealed itself after mimicking Rosa, ate Gongping’s biscuits, and left him three Salac Berries in return.
• Giovanni explained the berries’ rarity and use, and he and Gongping exchanged contact information as their trip to Yinhua City ended.
• Gongping told Lorelei that he had befriended Giovanni, and Lorelei warned him not to underestimate Will ahead of their match.
• Trainers from Kanto and Johto argued online about the upcoming match, and Gongping corrected a poster who had mistaken Will for Karen.
• The twin-tailed girl questioned her older brother after he admitted he had not known whether Will was a man or a woman.

Gongping prepared his team for his exhibition match against Johto’s Psychic-type King Will, then helped open the Regional Conference with the sacred flame ceremony. After Team Rocket disrupted the ceremony, Gongping drove them off and exchanged a greeting with Will, who looked forward to their battle.

• Gongping watched his Pokémon train and used the ancient Pokémon’s control over moisture and nutrients to stop their clash.
• Gongping arrived at the Regional Conference venue to host the sacred flame ceremony with President Charles Goodshow.
• Ash tried to stop the flame bearer, and Gongping realized the bearer was Jessie in disguise as Team Rocket revealed itself.
• Gongping sent out Tyranitar and used Sandstorm to smash Team Rocket’s robot and drive the trio away.
• Will shaped the sacred flame into a Moltres with telekinesis, then greeted Gongping from the stands and anticipated their battle.