Chapter Summaries

Serena received Saki’s permission to travel and joined Dawn and Xiaoyun on their way to Lumiose City. In a flower field, Shaymin and Victini discovered a weakened Floette carrying a black flower; after Floette drove off a Beedrill swarm with Light of Ruin, Xiaoyun recognized it as an Eternal Flower Floette.

• Serena told Saki she wanted to travel and find a dream of her own, and Saki agreed to let her go.
• Serena said goodbye to Saki and temporarily joined Dawn and Xiaoyun as they headed toward Lumiose City to get her a Starter Pokémon.
• The group stopped in a flower field, where Shaymin and Victini followed a strange scent and found a weakened Floette holding a black flower.
• Shaymin purified the strange aura and healed Floette, but a Beedrill swarm attacked them in its nectar-gathering area.
• Floette used Petal Dance and then Light of Ruin to defeat the Beedrill, collapsing from exhaustion afterward.
• Xiaoyun, Dawn, and Serena reached Shaymin and Floette, and Xiaoyun identified Floette as one in its Eternal Flower Form.

Xiaoyun and his companions reached Santalune Forest, where they met Gym Leader Viola and joined her search for a rare Fancy Pattern Vivillon. As they investigated the forest’s unusual silence, they found signs of a battle and an injured Spewpa, which Shaymin healed.

• Shaymin discovered an Eternal Flower Floette, which quietly followed the group after Xiaoyun offered it Pokéblocks.
• Xiaoyun, Dawn, and Serena reached Santalune Forest, where Rotom explained that Vivillon patterns varied according to their birthplace’s climate and environment.
• Viola introduced herself as a photographer, then panicked when she learned Xiaoyun was a Gym inspector before he reassured her that he was there to evaluate Gym strength.
• Viola invited the group to search for a rare Fancy Pattern Vivillon, and they agreed to explore the forest with her.
• Viola and Xiaoyun noticed that the forest had grown unusually quiet, and Viola found signs of a battle in a secluded clearing.
• Serena found an injured Spewpa, and Shaymin healed it while Floette watched from hiding.

Xiaoyun, Viola, Dawn, and Serena rescued Spewpa from hunters, and the freed Pokémon evolved, including Serena’s rare Fancy Pattern Vivillon. The next day, Xiaoyun and Dawn challenged Viola to a Double Battle at the Santalune Gym, and Xiaoyun sent out Eevee.

• Viola and the others found hunters keeping Vivillon and Spewpa in cages, and Xiaoyun attacked them with Bisharp and Tyrunt.
• Dawn and Serena freed the Spewpa while Viola’s Vivillon protected the group from the hunters’ Golem using Explosion.
• Bisharp knocked out the hunters, and Viola called Officer Jenny to arrest them.
• The freed Spewpa evolved into Vivillon, and Serena caught the Fancy Pattern Vivillon that had been with her.
• The group visited the Santalune Café, then Xiaoyun and Dawn challenged Viola to a Double Battle at the Gym the next day.
• Xiaoyun sent out Eevee as the Gym battle began.

Xiaoyun and Dawn defeated Viola in a Double Battle, and Xiaoyun passed the Santalune Gym’s inspection. After learning Ash had gone on to Laverre City, Serena imagined partnering with him and decided to challenge Viola’s Gym.

• Viola sent out Masquerain and Vivillon against Xiaoyun’s Eevee and Dawn’s Samurott.
• Eevee disrupted Viola’s Pokémon while Samurott broke through their Blizzard and knocked them both out.
• Xiaoyun judged Viola’s Gym to have passed its inspection.
• Serena learned Ash had probably gone to Laverre City and declined Viola’s initial offer to battle.
• After imagining herself battling alongside Ash, Serena changed her mind and asked Viola for a Gym challenge.

Serena challenged Viola at Santalune Gym, winning the first round with Froakie before Viola’s Vivillon defeated it. Serena’s own Vivillon struggled against Viola’s, but Rotom’s advice helped Serena regain her resolve as the battle continued.

• Serena used Froakie to defeat Viola’s Surskit after slowing it with Bubble and paralyzing it with Lick.
• Viola sent out her Vivillon, which quickly knocked out Froakie with Psybeam and Energy Ball.
• Serena sent out her Fancy Pattern Vivillon, but Viola’s Vivillon gained the advantage with Gust, Psybeam, and Energy Ball.
• Serena apologized to her Vivillon, then took heart from Rotom’s advice and commanded it to use Gust.

Serena battled Viola, lost, but earned the Bug Badge and a Cut TM after impressing the Gym Leader with her fierce counterattack. The group returned to Lumiose City, where Serena chose Fennekin as her starter at Professor Sycamore’s lab, and Sycamore recommended that she challenge Santalune Gym.

• Serena guided Vivillon through a Gust-powered charge, but Viola’s Vivillon defeated it with Struggle Bug’s close-range burst.
• Viola awarded Serena the Bug Badge and a Cut TM, praising her battle performance despite her loss.
• Xiaoyun, Dawn, and Serena returned to Lumiose City, visited the Furfrou Café, and later took a taxi to Professor Sycamore’s lab.
• Xiaoyun introduced Serena to Professor Sycamore, who showed her the starter Pokémon available at his lab.
• Serena chose Fennekin, explaining that she had already befriended a Froakie that followed her home for her soufflé.
• Professor Sycamore gave Serena Fennekin and a Pokédex and recommended that she challenge Santalune Gym.

Professor Sycamore’s first attempt at Mega Evolving Garchomp ended with Garchomp losing control, while Dawn’s Altaria calmed it with Sing. After exploring Lumiose City, Xiaoyun, Dawn, and Serena encountered Team Rocket attacking Ash and his friends, with Pikachu trapped in their robot.

• Serena showed Professor Sycamore the Beetle Badge she had earned after rescuing an injured Vivillon, then chose her starter Pokémon.
• Professor Sycamore Mega Evolved Garchomp, which lost control and attacked the observation area; Xiaoyun’s Bisharp fought it until Dawn’s Altaria used Sing to calm it.
• Professor Sycamore concluded that his bond with Garchomp needed work after the Pokémon returned to normal and collapsed from exhaustion.
• James revealed that he had stolen Mega Evolution research data and proposed using it to make Meowth Mega Evolve so Team Rocket could catch Pikachu.
• Xiaoyun, Dawn, and Serena explored Lumiose City and got new hairstyles at Friseur Furfrou.
• An explosion led the group to Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie facing Team Rocket’s cat-shaped robot, where Pikachu was trapped in a cage.

Ash and his friends rescued Pikachu from Team Rocket with Serena's help, and Ash revealed that he remembered Serena from Professor Oak's summer camp. The group was introduced, but Team Rocket emerged from the wreckage and announced an apparent Mega Evolution for Meowth.

• Ash, Clemont, and Serena fought the Meowth-shaped robot, and Ash's Pokémon broke Pikachu's cage so Pikachu could destroy the robot with Thunderbolt.
• Serena told Ash she knew him from Professor Oak's summer camp, and Ash first claimed he did not remember her before admitting he had been joking.
• Ash introduced Serena to Clemont and Bonnie, while Bonnie teased Clemont about her interest in Ash.
• Jessie, James, and Meowth climbed out of the wreckage and declared that Meowth would Mega Evolve, surprising everyone.
• Clemont explained that fully evolved Pokémon were the only known Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution.

James’s makeshift Mega Evolution device triggered a powerful Bond Phenomenon in Meowth, but Dedenne chewed through the cables and ended the transformation. After Team Rocket blasted off, Dawn said goodbye to Serena at the Sycamore Pokémon Lab, where Serena resolved to continue traveling with Ash before confessing her feelings.

• Jessie and James activated their modified computer, and Meowth transformed through the Bond Phenomenon, gaining strength and learning Pay Day.
• Bond Meowth fought Pikachu evenly, then faced Pikachu and Xiaoyun’s Infernape before overwhelming their combined attacks with a Metal Storm.
• Meowth reverted to normal when Dedenne chewed through James’s data cables, and Bonnie carried Dedenne away.
• Ash and Xiaoyun defeated Team Rocket with Pikachu’s Thunderbolt and Infernape’s Fire Blast, sending the trio blasting off as Meyer watched.
• At the Sycamore Pokémon Lab, Dawn said goodbye to Serena, who decided to finish her journey with Ash before possibly confessing her feelings.

Xiaoyun and Dawn took shelter from the rain in an abandoned house, where strange disturbances and a swordless scabbard led them to a diary about a young man and his sword, Blue-Gray. The diary ended with the wounded soldier wondering whether he and Blue-Gray would make it home, leaving the sword’s fate unclear.

• Rotom directed Xiaoyun and Dawn to a derelict house, where the door shut behind them and Xiaoyun spotted a strange reflection in a mirror shard.
• Dawn cleaned a study with Altaria’s Defog and found a diary beside an empty scabbard, while Rotom detected recent energy fluctuations.
• Xiaoyun found a fallen candlestick and a suit of armor holding another empty scabbard, and Infernape saw a swordlike shadow in a mirror.
• Xiaoyun joined Dawn as she read the diary, which described how a young man found, named, and bonded with the ancient sword Blue-Gray.
• The diary recounted the young man’s wartime service with Blue-Gray and ended with him wounded on a battlefield, asking whether they would return home safely.

Dawn and Xiaoyun discovered that the diary’s Blue-Gray was a Shiny Doublade and fought it as it attacked them. After Gengar helped Dawn reach the lonely Pokémon, Blue-Gray chose to join her, leaving the old Poké Ball and its memories behind.

• Dawn and Xiaoyun identified the hovering sword as a Shiny Doublade, and Xiaoyun recognized the scratch on its scabbard as belonging to Blue-Gray.
• Blue-Gray attacked Xiaoyun and Dawn, but Infernape and Gengar fought it off.
• Dawn took over the battle and Gengar defeated Blue-Gray with a combination of Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse.
• Dawn and Gengar urged Blue-Gray to move beyond its grief for its former Trainer.
• Blue-Gray brought Dawn an old Poké Ball and allowed her to catch it.

After catching Doublade, Dawn and Xiaoyun left the abandoned courtyard and met Penelope, who challenged Xiaoyun and said she would take him with her if she won. Dawn stepped in to battle Penelope instead, and the chapter ended as Sylveon attacked Doublade with Swift.

• Dawn caught Doublade, and Xiaoyun praised its loyalty and potential as her partner.
• That night, Doublade and the diary revealed images of its past as Blue-Gray, its lifelong bond with an old soldier, and its evolution into Doublade after his death.
• The next morning, Dawn and Xiaoyun left the courtyard, then released their Pokémon at a riverside campsite a few days later.
• Penelope appeared with Sylveon, challenged Xiaoyun, and said she would take him with her if she won.
• Dawn objected and chose Doublade to battle Penelope, while Piplup joined Shaymin and Victini to watch.
• Penelope sent Sylveon to use Swift against Doublade.

Dawn lost a battle to Penelope’s Sylveon after Doublade broke through Attract and won with a powerful strike, then she and Xiaoyun visited Penelope’s kindergarten. Their Pokémon met the children, and a playful battle began with Doublade and Eevee; Tyrunt and Piplup were next.

• Dawn battled Penelope’s Sylveon, and Doublade overcame Attract to defeat it with a powerful spectral blade attack.
• Penelope revealed she was a kindergarten teacher and invited Dawn and Xiaoyun to meet her students; they accepted and brought out several Pokémon.
• Xiaoyun suggested letting the children try commanding Pokémon in friendly battles, and Eevee, Tyrunt, Piplup, and Doublade agreed to participate.
• Lily commanded Eevee against Randy’s Doublade, while Doublade carefully dodged and restrained its attacks so the children could battle safely.
• Dawn and Xiaoyun praised Doublade’s rapport with Randy, and Tyrunt versus Piplup was set to follow.

Xiaoyun and Dawn watched Piplup and Tyrunt entertain the children before setting out again, where they encountered the injured ninja Sanpei. After learning that Sanpei’s friend Barry had been captured by a powerful Malamar, Xiaoyun agreed to help rescue him and healed Sanpei’s battered Frogadier for the journey into the valley.

• Piplup and Tyrunt staged a battle that turned serious when Tyrunt used Draco Meteor, but Piplup endured the attack with Iron Head and won the children’s admiration.
• Xiaoyun and Dawn left Penelope and the children the next day and soon found Sanpei unconscious on the road.
• Shaymin healed Sanpei, who explained that a wild Malamar had trapped his friend Barry while he escaped to seek help.
• Xiaoyun recognized Barry from Sanpei’s description and agreed to lead the rescue, despite Sanpei warning that Malamar had quickly defeated his Frogadier.
• At the valley entrance, Xiaoyun had Shaymin heal Sanpei’s injured Frogadier before they proceeded to face Malamar.

Xiaoyun and his companions followed an Inkay toward Malamar’s hideout, where they encountered a hypnotized Barry and fought his Pokémon. Shaymin and Floette knocked Barry unconscious, leaving the group to continue toward Malamar.

• Shaymin healed Sanpei, while Malamar watched the group from its cave and ordered Barry to deal with the intruders.
• Xiaoyun and his companions found a Shiny Froakie escaping several Inkay, and Xiaoyun defeated the Inkay before forcing one to lead them to Malamar.
• The Shiny Froakie secretly followed the group, while hypnotized Barry blocked their way and attacked with Empoleon, Floatzel, and Golisopod.
• Xiaoyun and Dawn battled Barry’s Pokémon, with Deino and Tyrunt defeating Floatzel and badly injuring Empoleon as Dawn fought Golisopod.
• Shaymin and Floette struck Barry from behind, knocking him unconscious before he could continue the battle.

Xiaoyun and his friends confronted Madame X and Malamar after freeing Barry from hypnosis, while Sceptile revealed it had defeated the base’s Pokémon on its own. Malamar fled but was forced to fight Sceptile, whose growing strength Xiaoyun identified as the effect of Contrary.

• Dawn defeated Golisopod with Doublade’s Sacred Sword, and Shaymin used Aromatherapy to revive Barry.
• Madame X appeared with Malamar and tried to hypnotize the group, but Floette’s Misty Terrain blocked the attack.
• Barry found his injured Pokémon, and Shaymin healed them while Madame X called for her army.
• Inky told Malamar that a green lizard had defeated its troops, and Sceptile emerged after fighting through the base with Frogadier.
• Madame X was revealed to be Officer Jenny when Malamar released its control over her and tried to escape.
• Sceptile intercepted Malamar and clashed with its Superpower, while Xiaoyun realized Malamar’s Contrary Ability was increasing its Attack.

Xiaoyun defeated Malamar, helped Officer Jenny resolve the hypnosis incident, and caught the Shiny Froakie after winning its challenge. He then joined Barry and the others at the Battle Chateau, where they learned about its Trainer ranks and battle system.

• Sceptile defeated Malamar with Light of the Corona, and Officer Jenny explained how the hypnosis crystal had amplified its Hypnosis.
• Officer Jenny detained Malamar and the crystal, while Froakie challenged Xiaoyun to a battle for the chance to join him.
• Eevee defeated Froakie, and Xiaoyun caught the Shiny Pokémon, which had the Protean ability and Elite Stage strength.
• Barry invited Xiaoyun and the others to the nearby Battle Chateau, where a maid welcomed Viscounts Sanpei and Barry.
• Butler Karen explained that the Battle Chateau's noble titles ranked Trainers and determined who could battle one another.

Barry won ten consecutive battles at the Battle Chateau and was promoted to Earl, while Xiaoyun earned the Baron rank with his Shiny Froakie and won nine battles in a row. Sanpei agreed to face Xiaoyun in a promotion match, and their battle began with Frogadier using Double Team.

• Barry defeated Wayne's Avalugg with Hitmonlee and was promoted to Earl after his tenth consecutive Viscount-rank victory.
• Xiaoyun beat Karu's Froakie with his Shiny Froakie and earned a white cloak as a Baron.
• Xiaoyun swept through more Baron-ranked opponents until he had nine consecutive wins, but no one else would challenge him.
• Sanpei offered to face Xiaoyun in a promotion match, which could advance Xiaoyun directly to Viscount if he won.
• Xiaoyun kept his tired Froakie in the battle against Sanpei's Frogadier, which opened with Double Team; Xiaoyun ordered Smokescreen.

Xiaoyun and Dawn rapidly climbed the Battle Chateau ranks, reaching marquis while Barry remained an earl. Ash and his companions arrived at the chateau, where they learned about the ranking system and met Gym Leader Viola.

• Xiaoyun’s Froakie defeated Sanpei’s Frogadier by using Protean to become a Ghost type and avoid Iai Slash.
• Xiaoyun and Dawn battled repeatedly at the Battle Chateau, advancing through the ranks while Barry tried to keep pace.
• After the chateau ran short of earl-ranked opponents, Master Luo used Rotom to spread a challenge that drew more trainers to the venue.
• Dawn defeated a trainer’s Noivern with Samurott’s Blue Aurora Slash and was promoted to marquis; Xiaoyun also reached marquis, while Barry remained an earl.
• Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and Baron Nico arrived at the Battle Chateau, and Ash decided he wanted to rank up too.
• Viola appeared and asked whether Ash planned to join the Battle Chateau.

At the Battle Chateau, Xiaoyun battled duchess Ayaka after she challenged him in defense of Kalos's reputation. He defeated her Mega Absol with Serperior's special Z-Move, earned promotion to duke, and left Barry determined to obtain Mega Evolution despite lacking a Pokémon capable of it.

• Viola called Grant down from a high window, and Xiaoyun proposed battling him for his Gym evaluation, but Ayaka stepped in as his opponent.
• Ayaka sent out Absol against Xiaoyun's Serperior, whose Contrary ability let it strengthen its Leaf Storm attacks.
• Ayaka Mega Evolved Absol, which interrupted Serperior's attacks and wounded it with Night Slash and Razor Wind.
• Xiaoyun used Serperior's special Z-Move, Jade Shadow Thousand Serpent Strangulation Formation, to trap and exhaust Mega Absol until Ayaka surrendered.
• The Battle Chateau declared Xiaoyun the winner and promoted him from marquis to duke.
• Barry decided he wanted Mega Evolution, then realized he had no Pokémon capable of Mega Evolving.