Recaps

Silver briefly stole the ring while Alun's Skarmory remained confused, but Falkner and Yushu joined forces to eliminate him, and Alun withdrew. In the final battle, Yushu's Staraptor defeated Falkner's Pidgeot and secured the Flying Contest victory.

• Silver used Murkrow's Confuse Ray to disorient Alun's Skarmory, then grabbed the ring and flew toward the hook.
• Falkner and Yushu stopped fighting and sent Staraptor and Pidgeot after Murkrow, knocking away the ring and eliminating Silver.
• Alun recalled his confused Skarmory and accepted third place, leaving Falkner and Yushu as the final contestants.
• Falkner and Yushu launched a fierce battle between Pidgeot and Staraptor, with Pidgeot initially overpowering Staraptor with Brave Bird.
• Staraptor countered with Close Combat and Hurricane, leaving Pidgeot disoriented while Staraptor retrieved the ring and placed it on the hook.
• The host announced Yushu as the Flying Contest winner.

After the Flying Contest, Falkner invited Yushu and Kiko to dinner, but Yushu found the restaurant’s menu unappealing and offered to cook instead. He prepared four dishes in the restaurant kitchen, impressing the chefs and leaving Falkner and Kiko eager to eat.

• Falkner invited Yushu and Kiko to dinner in Violet City after the Flying Contest.
• Yushu declined to order from the menu and asked to cook, while Kiko questioned whether he could do more than throw something together.
• Falkner arranged for Yushu to use the restaurant kitchen, and Kiko joined them to watch.
• Yushu made dry-braised shrimp, shredded pork with green peppers, and sweet-and-sour pork, drawing praise from the watching chefs.
• Yushu finished a plate of mapo tofu as the kitchen staff admired its aroma.

Yushu impressed Falkner and Kiko with his cooking, then explained that battling was only his hobby and that ranching and breeding were his main jobs. He prepared custom meals for their Pokémon and his own, leaving Falkner and Kiko amazed as the Pokémon eagerly devoured them.

• Yushu served Falkner and Kiko four dishes, and they praised the food after finishing every plate.
• Yushu told Falkner and Kiko he planned to visit Azalea Town to find Shuckle for his ranch and clarified that ranching and breeding were his main professions.
• To demonstrate his expertise, Yushu asked what Falkner's and Kiko's Pokémon liked to eat, then prepared tailored meals for Pidgeot, Lisa, and his own Pokémon.
• Pidgeot and Lisa eagerly ate Yushu's cooking, while his Pokémon enjoyed their own dishes.
• Falkner praised Yushu's cooking, and Kiko took a photo of Lisa eating, prompting Lisa to react in dismay.

Yushu and Luxray intervened when Pinsir attacked Heracross on Route 33, then found a much larger battle between the two groups. The Pinsir leader challenged the Heracross leader to a duel under the wild Pokémon’s rules, and the Heracross leader accepted despite being outmatched.

• Yushu rode Luxray into a Berry grove and used Thunderbolt to stop Pinsir from attacking a young Heracross.
• Luxray knocked out the Pinsir leader’s subordinate with Wild Charge, sending the remaining Pinsir fleeing.
• The young Heracross led Yushu to a larger battle, where the Pinsir group had the advantage over the Heracross.
• Yushu used Luxray’s Thunder to separate the groups, intending to recruit Heracross to help at his ranch.
• The Pinsir leader demanded a duel with the Heracross leader, who accepted because refusing would cost its group the territory.

Yushu recruited Heracross from the leader’s swarm by offering work, food, housing, and Honey, then taught the leader a strategy to defeat Pinsir. In the next day’s duel, Heracross used Rock Slide to wear Pinsir down, while Pinsir grew furious and kept charging.

• The Heracross leader hesitated over whether to flee or fight Pinsir, and Yushu offered to help if it let him recruit several members of the swarm to work at his ranch.
• Yushu showed the Heracross Honey, prompting many of them to volunteer to join him, then explained how the leader could use its Guts Ability with a Flame Orb and attack Pinsir with Rock Slide before striking with Megahorn.
• The Heracross leader accepted Yushu’s battle plan, and the two swarms gathered the next morning for their duel.
• Pinsir charged first, but the Heracross leader dodged and struck it with Rock Slide, exploiting its Bug-type weakness.
• The Heracross leader kept retreating and pelting Pinsir with Rock Slide, while the increasingly wounded Pinsir lost its temper and taunted it to fight head-on.

Yushu helped the Heracross leader defeat the Pinsir leader, then took the entire tribe of twenty-five Heracross to his ranch. He arrived in Azalea Town and visited Azalea Gym to speak with Bugsy, who said the Gym was closed to challengers.

• The Heracross leader activated Guts and defeated the Pinsir leader with a series of powerful Megahorn attacks, winning the orchard territory for his tribe.
• Yushu agreed to take the Heracross tribe, and all twenty-five members—including their leader—chose to join him for the promise of Honey.
• Aili released the Pokémon sent by Yushu and discovered that he had sent her a whole tribe of Heracross, while Shuren guessed that Yushu had robbed one.
• Yushu rode Luxray to Azalea Town, where he encountered Slowpoke throughout the streets and followed the locals’ custom of giving them way.
• Yushu visited Azalea Gym and told Bugsy he wanted to talk, not challenge the Gym.

Yushu asked Bugsy to sell him Shuckle for his Sinnoh ranch, but Bugsy required him to prove his character in a battle. Yushu defeated Bugsy’s Beedrill with Mudkip, who evolved into Marshtomp, while the Shuckle deal remained undecided.

• Yushu told Bugsy he wanted Shuckle for gathering Berries and making juice at his ranch, and Bugsy insisted on judging his character through a battle.
• Bugsy sent out his Beedrill, and Yushu chose Mudkip to face it.
• Beedrill trapped Mudkip with specially trained String Shot and struck it with Pin Missile, but Yushu ordered Mudkip to use Supersonic and counter with Water Gun.
• Yushu had Mudkip finish Beedrill with Ancient Power, winning the first round of Bugsy’s test.
• Mudkip evolved into Marshtomp, and Yushu congratulated his newly evolved Pokémon.

Yushu’s newly evolved Marshtomp struggled against Bugsy’s web-controlling Ariados, so Yushu switched to Combusken, which defeated Ariados with its speed and firepower. Bugsy then sent out his much stronger Scyther, and Combusken was left dodging its increasingly powerful attacks.

• Bugsy’s Ariados trapped Marshtomp in a tough web and struck it with attacks from multiple directions.
• Yushu recalled Marshtomp and sent out his Shiny Combusken, explaining that Cynthia had given it to him.
• Combusken burned through Ariados’s web, then knocked Ariados out with a boosted Blaze Kick.
• Bugsy sent out his late-Elite Scyther, which cut through Combusken’s Flame Charge and pressed its attack.
• Scyther deflected Combusken’s Flamethrower with Swords Dance and attacked with a stronger Fury Cutter while Combusken dodged using Speed Boost.

Yushu defeated Bugsy’s Scyther by exploiting a blind spot in Swords Dance, then toured Bugsy’s indoor Bug-type ecological park and sampled Shuckle-brewed Berry Juice. The chapter left Yushu considering how he could use the juice to develop a new line of Pokéblocks.

• Yushu had Combusken use Fire Spin as armor and Flame Charge to clash with Scyther, while Bugsy countered with Swords Dance.
• Yushu spotted a blind spot above Scyther during Swords Dance and had Combusken strike it with Blaze Kick, then follow up to defeat Scyther.
• Bugsy led Yushu through his Gym’s ecological park, where he explained his admiration for Bug-type Pokémon and introduced him to the Shuckle.
• A Shuckle reached out to Yushu, and Bugsy noted that it seemed to trust him.
• Bugsy prepared diluted Shuckle-brewed Berry Juice for Yushu to taste, and Yushu considered using it to develop a new Pokéblock product line.

Yushu used Bugsy’s Shuckle-brewed Berry Juice to make delicious Pokéblocks, then negotiated to take twenty Shuckle from Bugsy. He traded Bugsy a natural Metal Coat, and began selecting the Shuckle as Bugsy watched them leave with mixed feelings.

• Yushu made Pokéblocks with Bugsy’s Berry Juice concentrate, and Vespiquen, Shuckle, and Scyther eagerly ate them.
• Yushu explained that Shuckle-brewed Berry Juice improved Pokéblocks and made them easier to prepare.
• Yushu asked to take twenty Shuckle, and Bugsy hesitated because they were rare and difficult to raise.
• Yushu showed Bugsy a natural Metal Coat, which Bugsy wanted for evolving his Scyther into Scizor.
• Bugsy agreed to trade the Metal Coat for the Shuckle, and Yushu began choosing the adults to take.

Yushu traded his Bug-type Pokéblock recipe to Bugsy for a Spinarak breeding notebook and bought twenty young Spinarak, hoping to produce tough silk for ranch-made goods. Back at Freewill Ranch, Shuren and Aili received the new Pokémon alongside the twenty Shuckle, leaving Shuren to consider expanding the orchard to feed them all.

• Yushu negotiated with Bugsy, exchanging his Bug-type Pokéblock recipe for Bugsy’s Spinarak-raising notes and silk diet formula.
• Yushu learned about Bugsy’s costly advanced silk formula, then agreed to buy twenty newly hatched Spinarak for five thousand Alliance Currency each.
• In Solaceon Town, Aili complained when twenty Shuckle arrived at the ranch through the transporter.
• Aili and Shuren watched another batch of twenty Spinarak appear, and Shuren decided the orchard needed to expand to feed the growing ranch population.

Bugsy used the Metal Coat Yushu gave him to evolve Scyther into a remarkably fast Scizor, then thanked Yushu for the trade. Meanwhile, Yushu talked Aili into keeping the forty Pokémon he had sent to the ranch by listing how they could help, and promised her a Pokéblock recipe.

• Bugsy placed the Metal Coat against Scyther and sent it through the trade machine to trigger its evolution.
• Scyther emerged as a Scizor, and it demonstrated that its speed and agility had improved rather than diminished.
• Bugsy thanked Yushu for the Metal Coat, but refused to give him more Shuckle in return.
• Aili called Yushu and angrily complained that he had sent forty Pokémon for her to care for.
• Yushu explained how Pelipper, Wingull, Heracross, and Shuckle could help at the ranch, persuading Aili to keep looking after them.
• Yushu promised to send Aili a Pokéblock recipe and told her to follow it strictly for Spinarak’s diet.

Yushu agreed to attend the ranch gathering at Moomoo Farm and decided to visit Kurt in Azalea Town to commission handmade Poké Balls. As Bugsy brought him to Kurt’s home, they were stopped by Kurt’s granddaughter, Maizie.

• Aili told Yushu that Mayor Zongping had invited his ranch to a gathering at Moomoo Farm, and Yushu agreed to attend and buy more Miltank.
• Yushu told Bugsy he would remain in Johto, accepted Bugsy’s offer of a guest room, and asked him to take him to Kurt’s home.
• Bugsy agreed to take Yushu to Kurt after Yushu agreed to settle their dispute over the Metal Coat.
• Bugsy told Yushu the story of Slowpoke Well and explained that Kurt’s family had guarded it for generations.
• Yushu and Bugsy reached Kurt’s home, where Yushu saw Apricorn trees and learned that Kurt lived with his granddaughter, Maizie.
• Maizie appeared and asked Yushu and Bugsy whether they had an appointment to see her grandfather.

Yushu visited Mr. Kurt with Bugsy and won the master Poké Ball smith’s approval, earning permission to take Apricorn Fruits for several Poké Balls. As Yushu picked a black Apricorn, a gigantic Slowbro appeared, startling Maizie.

• Bugsy introduced Yushu to Maizie, who led them to Mr. Kurt’s workshop.
• Yushu introduced himself as Professor Rowan’s student and asked Mr. Kurt to make him Poké Balls.
• Mr. Kurt offered to make the Poké Balls for free and sent Maizie to let Yushu pick Apricorn Fruits.
• Yushu chose to take Apricorn Fruits of every kind, while Bugsy was allowed only one and picked a green one.
• A huge Slowbro approached as Yushu reached for a black Apricorn, and Maizie exclaimed at its size.

Yushu, Bugsy, and Maizie confronted Cassidy and Butch, who were using a Slowbro machine to capture Slowpoke and sell their tails. When Cassidy and Butch refused to stop, Yushu and Bugsy prepared to battle them.

• Yushu, Bugsy, and Maizie spotted a giant Slowbro machine marked with Team Rocket’s R, towing a cage packed with Slowpoke.
• Maizie blocked the machine, and Cassidy and Butch emerged to introduce themselves with an awkward Team Rocket pose.
• Cassidy and Butch admitted they had tricked Azalea Town’s residents into loading the Slowpoke and planned to sell their tails.
• Yushu asked about Team Rocket’s finances, and Butch revealed headquarters was spending heavily on a secret laboratory project.
• Cassidy threatened the group, so Yushu sent out Marshtomp and Bugsy sent out Scizor while Cassidy and Butch released Houndour and Hitmontop.

Yushu and Bugsy defeated Cassidy and Butch’s Pokémon, but the pair retreated into their armored Slowbro machine, whose powerful fire attack drove Scizor back. The battle remained unresolved as Yushu and Bugsy faced the machine’s unexpected defenses.

• Yushu’s Marshtomp blocked Houndour’s Flamethrower while Bugsy’s Scizor defeated Butch’s Hitmontop and Raticate.
• Houndour burned Marshtomp, but Marshtomp charged a Water Pulse and slammed it into the ground, flooding Houndour and knocking it out.
• Cassidy and Butch retreated into the Slowbro machine after their Pokémon fell, and Scizor’s X-Scissor barely scratched its armor.
• Bugsy sent Scizor to break the cage and rescue the Slowpoke, but the machine breathed fire and forced Scizor to retreat.

Yushu, Bugsy, and Maizie defeated Cassidy and Butch after the Slowpoke used Rain Dance to weaken their overheated machine. Afterward, Yushu caught a Slowpoke that had wandered over to him.

• Yushu sent out Miltank and planned to use its Rollout against the Slowbro machine while Marshtomp prepared Rain Dance.
• Dozens of caged Slowpoke used Rain Dance together, weakening the machine's flames and cooling its overheated metal.
• Miltank smashed through the machine with Rollout, and Cassidy and Butch fled before Bugsy and Yushu blasted them into the sky.
• Scizor broke open the cages, and Maizie led the Slowpoke out.
• Yushu caught the Slowpoke that had come to stare at him, adding a mascot and a Pokédex entry.

Yushu, Bugsy, and Maizie returned the rescued Slowpoke to Azalea Town, where grateful villagers praised them before they went back to Mr. Kurt’s house. Mr. Kurt forged a Friend Ball for Bugsy and presented Yushu with a complete set of seven specially made Poké Balls, leaving Bugsy envious.

• Yushu, Bugsy, and Maizie brought the Slowpoke back to town, and the villagers thanked and praised them for stopping Team Rocket.
• The three returned to Mr. Kurt’s house, where Maizie explained what had happened and Mr. Kurt praised Yushu and Bugsy.
• Yushu cooked a meal for Maizie, Bugsy, and Mr. Kurt, and they eagerly ate all the dishes.
• Mr. Kurt forged a Friend Ball for Bugsy and showed Yushu how he crafted Poké Balls by hand.
• Mr. Kurt gave Yushu a set of seven specially made Poké Balls, while Bugsy compared it with his single ball and felt envious.

Yushu abandoned his trip to Goldenrod City after Uxie promised that the Ruins of Alph held something connected to Arceus. On the way, he stopped to fish, met Gold, and revealed Uxie to the startled Trainer.

• Uxie reappeared on Yushu’s way to Goldenrod City and persuaded him to visit the Ruins of Alph by hinting that they held something related to Arceus.
• Yushu changed course for the ruins, then stopped beside a stream during the midday heat and brought out Slowpoke to fish with him.
• Slowpoke’s tail attracted several Pokémon to the stream, while Yushu caught nothing.
• Gold introduced himself to Yushu, chatted with him about fishing, and asked whether he was in Johto to challenge the Silver Conference.
• Uxie appeared beside Gold, who was amazed to discover that Uxie was a Legendary Pokémon and wondered if he would ever see a dead one.

Yushu agreed to explore the Ruins of Alph with Gold, but first challenged him to a battle. Combusken defeated Gold’s Sunflora, and Gold sent out Aipom as the fight continued.

• Gold asked Yushu to travel with him, and Yushu agreed to take him to the Ruins of Alph.
• Yushu asked Gold to battle before they left, and Gold accepted.
• Gold sent out Sunflora, which used Growth to strengthen its attacks against Yushu’s Combusken.
• Combusken dodged Sunflora’s Petal Dance with its boosted speed and knocked it out with Blaze Kick.
• Gold sent out Aipom to continue the battle.

Yushu’s Combusken fell to Gold’s Aipom, but Kirlia defeated Aipom with its enhanced psychic powers. Gold sent out his starter Quilava, and its fast, close-range Flame Charge collided with Kirlia’s Psychic, leaving both Pokémon staggering back.

• Gold’s Aipom used Fake Out, Double Team, Swift, and Dig to overwhelm Yushu’s Combusken and knock it out.
• Yushu sent out Kirlia, which dodged Aipom’s Fake Out with Teleport and turned its Swift attack back with Psychic.
• Kirlia used Teleport to evade Aipom’s Brick Break and defeated it with Psyshock.
• Gold sent out his starter Quilava, Exbo, and used Fire Spin to restrict Kirlia’s movement.
• Quilava dodged Kirlia’s Psychic with Dig, then charged from underground with Flame Charge as Kirlia countered with Psychic, and the clash sent both staggering back.

Yushu and Gold defeated the challenge on the mountain trail and followed Uxie into a hidden cavern, where they discovered a group of ancient Pokémon. The chapter ended as an Omanyte and a stronger Omastar emerged from their shells.

• Yushu used a hidden Future Sight to defeat Gold's Quilava, then agreed that Gold was strong enough to team up with him.
• Yushu and Gold followed Uxie's directions to an ordinary-looking hill, and Uxie teleported them into a dark cavern beneath it.
• Yushu and Gold used Luxray and Sunflora to light the cavern and spotted enormous shells scattered by underground pools.
• Gold approached a shell, which moved and revealed an Omanyte; Yushu identified it with the Eye of Detection.
• A larger shell opened to reveal an Omastar, whose aura showed it was much stronger than the Omanyte.

Yushu and Gold were attacked by a hungry crowd of Omanyte and Omastar in an underground cavern. Yushu made Pokéblocks to calm them, and the Pokémon stopped fighting and lined up for food.

• Omanyte and Omastar awakened and charged at Yushu and Gold, forcing Luxray, Sunflora, and Quilava to fight them back.
• Uxie explained that the Pokémon were hungry and attacking because they mistook Yushu and Gold for food.
• Yushu prepared Pokéblocks while Gold held off the advancing Pokémon, and Uxie secretly sampled one.
• Yushu threw Pokéblocks to the Omanyte and Omastar, which eagerly ate them and stopped attacking.
• Yushu demanded that the Pokémon line up for food, and they formed an orderly queue.

Yushu and Gold solved the Ho-Oh stone puzzle in the Sinjoh Ruins and entered an ancient altar dedicated to Arceus. Uxie awakened the runes, revealing a swarm of Unown circling through the cavern.

• Yushu fed the Omanyte and Omastar Pokéblocks, and the fossil Pokémon let him and Gold pass.
• Yushu recognized the scattered stone pieces as a Ho-Oh puzzle, but Gold, Aipom, and Yushu could not move them by force.
• Yushu had Kirlia use psychic power to arrange the pieces, opening the ancient stone door.
• Yushu and Gold entered the altar chamber and discovered it was a temple built to worship Arceus.
• Uxie used its power to illuminate the runes, which detached from the walls and revealed themselves as Unown.

Yushu and Gold witnessed Arceus create the Pokémon world, then the Unown blessed Yushu and evolved Kirlia into Gardevoir. The chapter ended with Gardevoir’s new form and abilities revealed.

• The twenty-eight Unown transported Yushu, Gold, Kirlia, and Uxie into a vision of the void, where they witnessed Arceus hatch and create Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina.
• Arceus established time, space, and the Distortion World, then created Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf to govern knowledge, emotion, and willpower.
• Arceus shaped the world, and after it fell asleep, Mew appeared and Pokémon species spread before ancient fossil Pokémon dominated the world.
• The Unown gathered above Yushu and shone a warm beam on him, leaving a faint cross-shaped mark on his right hand that Uxie recognized as Lord Arceus’s blessing mark.
• The Unown’s light then enveloped Kirlia, evolving it into Gardevoir and revealing its Psychic/Fairy typing, Telepathy ability, and Mid Gym Stage level.