Chapter Summaries

Ye Li led Apollo and the disguised Ghost Unit through League checkpoints toward Cinnabar Island’s harbor, but Sato detected Ye Li’s location and triggered a full alarm. Surrounded by League forces, Ye Li stopped Apollo from attacking and used Lorelei’s private channel to offer the League’s Johto biological-weapons research files.

• Ye Li led the disguised Ghost Unit past three League checkpoints using forged identities and the correct password.
• As the group approached the harbor, Sato noticed that Ye Li’s tracker was off route, confirmed the deception, and raised the highest-level alarm.
• League troops and searchlights surrounded Ye Li’s group at the harbor, blocking their escape.
• Apollo prepared to fight through the encirclement, but Ye Li stopped him, recognizing that the League was waiting for them to attack first.
• Ye Li contacted the highest authority at headquarters through Lorelei’s private channel and offered the League’s Johto biological-weapons research files.

Ye Li escaped the Pokémon League with Lorelei’s help and returned to Team Rocket, where Giovanni approved his plan to attack Fuchsia City and Vermilion City. While Team Rocket prepared to invade, Ye Li intended to use the chaos to recruit Koga and build an independent force of his own.

• Lorelei ordered the Pokémon League troops to halt their assault, allowing Ye Li and Apollo’s team to escape aboard their submarine.
• Lance learned of Ye Li’s escape and Lorelei’s intervention, deepening the rift within the Pokémon League.
• Ye Li received a hero’s welcome at Team Rocket Headquarters, reunited with a stronger Umbreon, and learned that Moltres’s rampage had severely disrupted Kanto’s climate.
• Giovanni asked Ye Li for his next strategic move, and Ye Li proposed a lightning raid on Fuchsia City and Vermilion City.
• Giovanni approved the invasion plan and assigned Apollo to lead it within three days.
• Ye Li planned to use the invasion to win over Koga and cultivate an independent force amid the underworld turmoil.

Ye Li decoded an ancient chart that revealed a ritual for summoning Lugia in the Orange Islands, then persuaded Giovanni to send a Team Rocket expedition to retrieve three Sacred Treasures. After learning the Pokémon League had been involved in brutal experiments, Lance ordered his own fleet to the Orange Islands to confront Team Rocket.

• Ye Li and his researchers decoded the stone-tablet rubbing and found a chart pointing to Fire Island, Lightning Island, Ice Island, and Shamouti Island.
• Ye Li concealed Lugia’s role and told Giovanni that three Sacred Treasures were needed to harness the Legendary Birds’ powers.
• Giovanni gave Ye Li command of a high-priority expedition and ordered him to retrieve the treasures within a month.
• Lance received evidence confirming the Pokémon League’s Pokémon-weapon experiments and reconsidered his view of the League and Team Rocket.
• Lance ordered the Pokémon League’s First Ace Fleet and Dragon Tamer forces to assemble and sail for the Orange Islands.

Team Rocket reached Fire Island to claim the Fire Orb, but its guardian demanded they prove their sincerity by retrieving it from Moltres’s Sacred Fire. Umbreon braved the flames unharmed and brought the orb back to Ye Li.

• Ye Li led Team Rocket’s fleet safely through the Orange Islands to Fire Island.
• Apollo’s landing party met the island’s guardian, who blocked their path to the volcano.
• Ye Li presented a beacon imbued with Zapdos’s divinity and claimed the group were emissaries chosen by the gods.
• The guardian challenged them to retrieve the Fire Orb from the Sacred Fire with bare hands.
• Umbreon entered the flames unharmed, took the Red Orb, and returned it to Ye Li.

Ye Li obtained the Fire Orb on Fire Island, then led Team Rocket toward Lightning Island as the Pokémon League fleet caught up with them. Rather than fight Lance’s superior force, Ye Li persuaded Apollo to flee through the treacherous Dragon’s Maw.

• Umbreon crossed Moltres’s Sacred Fire and returned the Fire Orb to Ye Li, prompting the old guardian to offer it to him and warn him to protect the world’s balance.
• Apollo took Umbreon’s feat as proof that Ye Li was chosen by the gods, and Team Rocket’s expedition fleet left Fire Island for Lightning Island.
• Ye Li’s fleet detected Lance and the Pokémon League’s warships approaching, and Lance demanded that Team Rocket surrender the Fire Orb and submit to arrest.
• Apollo ordered his ships to prepare for battle, but Ye Li stopped him and argued that fighting the League would ruin their expedition.
• Ye Li proposed escaping through the dangerous waters of Dragon’s Maw, and Apollo trusted him and ordered the fleet to enter them.

Ye Li led Team Rocket through the dangerous Dragon's Maw while Lance pursued, unaware that the League fleet was entering unfamiliar waters. The chapter left Lance's fleet scattered and under attack by the Maw's wild Pokémon.

• Lance ordered the Pokémon League fleet to pursue Team Rocket into the Dragon's Maw.
• Team Rocket navigated the fog and submerged reefs with ease while the League fleet lost its bearings and an escort ship struck a reef.
• Ye Li used his detailed nautical chart to guide the fleet safely and told Apollo to lure wild Pokémon toward their pursuers.
• Gyarados and Tentacruel attacked the Pokémon League fleet, breaking its formation and leaving it in disarray.

Ye Li’s fleet nearly escaped the Pokémon League, but Lance’s Dragonite crippled the flagship Tyrant and carried Lance aboard. Lance confronted the emerging Team Rocket commander as his champion’s aura pressed down on the deck.

• Ye Li ordered the Tyrant to run its engines at full power and leave the Dragon’s Maw after the fleet pulled beyond a safe distance from the Pokémon League’s main force.
• Lance’s Dragonite fired a Hyper Beam through the fog and destroyed the Tyrant’s main engine, slowing the flagship dramatically.
• Lance pursued the damaged Tyrant alone, dodging the escort ships’ weapons as he closed in on Team Rocket’s leader.
• Apollo sent out his Crobat and Houndoom, but Dragonite defeated both with Dragon Rush and sent them crashing onto the deck.
• Lance landed on the Tyrant with Dragonite and fixed his gaze on the figure emerging from the command room.

Ye Li tried to mislead Champion Lance by claiming Team Rocket's members were victims of secret Pokémon League experiments, then used Umbreon's Confuse Ray to create an opening. Ye Li, Apollo, and the others retreated into the Command Room, where the emergency shield protected them for the moment.

• Ye Li faced Lance on the damaged flagship deck while Apollo and the other elite members stood behind him.
• Ye Li blamed Team Rocket for secret experiments involving Legendary Pokémon and claimed he and the others had been forced to participate.
• Lance recalled intelligence from Lorelei and began to suspect the experiments were more extensive than he had known.
• Umbreon attacked Lance with Confuse Ray, but Dragonite blocked the beam with its wings.
• Ye Li used the distraction to retreat with Umbreon, Apollo, and the others into the Command Room.
• The alloy door shut and the emergency defense system raised a shield around the bridge area.

Lance withdrew to defend coastal cities after Team Rocket’s diversion forced the League fleet to retreat, leaving Ye Li and his crew temporarily safe. While the damaged fleet headed to a supply island for repairs, Ye Li discovered the Fire Orb resonating with something nearby and suspected the island was Lightning Island.

• The League fleet’s deputy commander reported that Team Rocket units were attacking coastal cities, and Lance ordered a retreat to defend them.
• Dragonite carried Lance away as the Pokémon League fleet withdrew, ending the immediate crisis for Ye Li and Team Rocket.
• Apollo celebrated their escape, but Ye Li warned that the flagship was badly damaged and needed emergency repairs.
• Ye Li chose a nearby uninhabited island listed as a Team Rocket supply point, and Apollo ordered the fleet to sail there.
• Ye Li found that the Fire Orb resonated with something on the island and suspected their supposed repair stop was Lightning Island.

Ye Li led Apollo and four elite Team Rocket members to Thunder Island, where the Fire Orb guided them to an ancient altar guarded by a powerful Electivire. After discovering the guardian’s movements were restricted by something it protected, Ye Li used the squad to create an opening for Umbreon to approach the Thunder Orb.

• Ye Li organized a reconnaissance mission and led Apollo and four elite Team Rocket members by submersible to Thunder Island.
• The Fire Orb guided Ye Li’s squad through the island to an ancient altar, where they found the Thunder Orb guarded by a massive Electivire.
• Apollo sent Houndoom and Crobat to fight Electivire, but the guardian overwhelmed them with its powerful electric attacks.
• Ye Li noticed Electivire stayed within a limited area and avoided a corner behind the altar, then ordered the squad to distract it using the canyon terrain.
• The squad lured Electivire toward the altar’s blind spot, and Umbreon silently slipped toward the Thunder Orb.

Electivire unleashed a devastating lightning attack after sensing Umbreon near the Thunder Orb, but Ye Li used a Zapdos-infused Beacon to make Electivire stop. Electivire then challenged Ye Li to solve an ancient rune puzzle before it would let him take the orb.

• Electivire sensed Umbreon approaching the Thunder Orb and unleashed lightning across the canyon, severely injuring Umbreon and endangering the Team Rocket members.
• Ye Li activated the Zapdos-infused Beacon, whose divine aura caused Electivire to halt its attack and submit to its instincts.
• Ye Li claimed that he and his companions were agents chosen by the gods to gather the Divine Orbs and prevent disaster.
• Electivire remained wary and pointed Ye Li toward an ancient rune-covered wall, demanding that he solve its puzzle to prove his worthiness.
• Ye Li recognized the runes from the Seafoam Islands ruins and felt confident that he could solve the puzzle.

Ye Li solved the ancient rune puzzle, claimed the Thunder Orb, and escaped into the island’s passages as Lance and Bruno arrived to confront Team Rocket. He planned to lead the pursuing trainers to Electivire’s lair and use the clash to cover his escape.

• Ye Li identified the runes that opened a hidden passage, and Electivire accepted his group’s right to reach the Altar.
• Ye Li took the Thunder Orb, causing it to resonate with the Fire Orb he already carried.
• Lance arrived with Dragonite alongside Bruno and Machamp after tracking Team Rocket’s energy emissions.
• Ye Li ordered Apollo and Lambda to engage the two Elite trainers while he fled with Umbreon through the hidden passage.
• Ye Li headed toward Electivire’s lair, intending to draw Lance and Bruno into a battle with the island guardian.

Ye Li escaped into Lightning Island’s underground maze and led Lance toward Electivire’s lair while Apollo and Lambda used Berserk Serum to hold off Bruno. As Lance tracked Ye Li into the caves, Umbreon stopped at an unmapped fork where an unfamiliar electrical fluctuation emerged from the darkness.

• Lance and Bruno arrived to confront Apollo and Lambda, so Ye Li and Umbreon fled through the hidden doorway into Lightning Island’s tunnels.
• Ye Li followed the underground map toward Electivire’s lair and left faint Dark Pulse traces to lure his pursuers toward a trap.
• Apollo and Lambda injected Berserk Serum into Crobat and Muk, then Crobat used Supersonic to disrupt tracking through the cave system.
• Apollo entered the tunnels after Ye Li, while Lance detected Ye Li’s Dark-type energy and followed him with Dragonite.
• Umbreon stopped at an unmapped fork where Ye Li sensed an unusual fluctuation of electrical energy.

Ye Li found Lightning Island’s energy core and tried to take it, triggering Electivire’s fury and a confrontation with Champion Lance. He used Zapdos’s Beacon to stop Dragonite’s Hyper Beam and called on Lance to help him prevent the island from collapsing.

• Ye Li followed Umbreon into an unmapped passage and discovered a crystal cavern containing the island’s energy core.
• Ye Li took the raw Thunder Stone ore, a high-quality Electric Stone, and a Leaf Stone, causing the island to shake and Electivire to roar in anger.
• Lance and Dragonite broke into the cavern, and Dragonite fired a Hyper Beam at Ye Li.
• Ye Li pressed Zapdos’s Beacon against the Thunder Stone ore, creating a surge of sacred lightning that blocked Dragonite’s attack.
• Ye Li urged Lance to help hold off the danger while he tried to keep the island from losing its energy core.

Ye Li risked merging the dark energy within Umbreon with the lightning energy of a raw Thunder Stone while Lance watched. Umbreon’s power broke through its bottleneck, reaching a level rivaling an Elite-level Pokémon.

• Lance held back his attack and ordered Dragonite to stand by as Ye Li prepared to act.
• Ye Li used his mental link with Umbreon to guide its Dark-type energy into the raw Thunder Stone’s Electric-type energy.
• Umbreon endured a violent clash of energies while Lance watched and Apollo arrived, but Ye Li ordered Apollo to stay back.
• Inspired by Charge Beam, Ye Li tried to make Umbreon’s darkness and lightning energies transform into and amplify each other.
• Umbreon unleashed a blackish-purple pillar of darkness and lightning that blasted through the crystal cavern’s ceiling.
• Umbreon broke through its bottleneck and reached power rivaling an Elite-level Pokémon.

Ye Li's Umbreon absorbed the Thunder Stone Ore's energy and emerged transformed, then faced Electivire in the canyon. Umbreon matched Electivire's strength and disrupted its electrical energy with a Dark-infused Charge Beam, turning the battle in its favor.

• Umbreon rose with a powerful new aura after absorbing the Thunder Stone Ore's energy.
• Ye Li gave the depleted stone to Lance and returned to the canyon with Umbreon.
• Electivire abandoned its fight with Bruno's Machamp and charged at Ye Li, sensing that he had taken its power source.
• Ye Li ordered Umbreon to engage, and Umbreon stopped Electivire's charge head-on.
• Umbreon struck Electivire with a Dark-infused Charge Beam, disrupting its electrical energy and shifting the battle.

Ye Li and Umbreon defeated Electivire in the canyon, proving their strength to Lance and Bruno. Ye Li then turned to the Elite Four members and proposed a discussion about leaving the island.

• Umbreon used Shadow Claw to wound Electivire while Ye Li directed it to exploit its speed and attack from blind spots.
• Electivire unleashed powerful Electric-type attacks, but Umbreon narrowly dodged them.
• Ye Li had Umbreon block Electivire's Giga Impact with Protect, leaving Electivire unable to move.
• Umbreon struck Electivire with a mutated Dark Pulse, draining its vitality and defeating it.
• Ye Li addressed Lance and Bruno and suggested they discuss how to leave the island.

Ye Li used the Legendary Bird orbs to secure a ceasefire with Lance and returned to Team Rocket's repaired flagship. The orbs pointed toward Ice Island, while the Pokémon League responded to Lance's report by sending Agatha to the Orange Islands.

• Ye Li threatened to detonate the Thunder Orb and Fire Orb unless Lance and Bruno agreed to a ceasefire, and Lance accepted the terms.
• Ye Li returned to the flagship, praised Apollo for his bravery, and strengthened Apollo's loyalty to him.
• The Fire Orb, Thunder Orb, and Frost Orb resonated together and pointed toward Ice Island.
• Ye Li sensed a closer mental connection with Umbreon after it absorbed power from the raw Thunder Stone.
• Lance reported Ye Li and Umbreon's strength to League Headquarters, and the League decided to send Agatha to support Lance and Bruno.

Ye Li led Team Rocket’s fleet toward Ice Island while building an intelligence network against Koga. In the blizzard, a giant Lapras carrying Drake blocked their path, revealing that the expedition would face a formidable opponent.

• Ye Li ordered his contact in Vermilion City to investigate Koga’s underground businesses, payments, and secret connections.
• Team Rocket’s fleet entered a severe blizzard filled with dangerous ice floes as it sailed toward Ice Island.
• After a lookout reported a moving iceberg, Ye Li ordered the fleet to slow down, activate its detection equipment, and ready the Ghost Unit.
• Thirty Flash Crobat deployed as the apparent iceberg approached and revealed itself to be an enormous Lapras.
• Ye Li recognized the man riding Lapras as Drake, the Orange League’s chief Trainer and Orange Islands’ Winner’s Cup champion.

Drake confronted Team Rocket’s fleet in the Far Northern Sea, believing it had caused the Legendary Birds’ energy disturbance. Ye Li’s forces drove Drake away, but Drake declared the fleet the Orange League’s highest-priority wanted targets.

• Drake tracked the Legendary Birds’ abnormal energy to Team Rocket’s fleet and demanded that its crew surrender and hand over what they had taken.
• Apollo sent Houndoom and Crobat to fight Drake’s Dragonite, but Dragonite quickly overwhelmed them.
• Ye Li deployed thirty Crobat from the Ghost Unit, whose coordinated attacks kept Dragonite occupied.
• Ye Li ordered the flagship’s main energy cannon to charge and target a point above Drake as a warning.
• Drake recognized the danger and withdrew into the blizzard, warning that the Orange League would pursue Team Rocket as a top-priority target.