Chapter Summaries

Xiaoyun trained Grotle and Buizel to use Counter Shield while Dawn practiced a coordinated Contest performance with Buneary and Swablu. Three days later, the Hearthome Contest began, with Dawn and the other contestants ready backstage and Xiaoyun, Ash, and Brock cheering from the stands.

• Xiaoyun taught Grotle and Buizel how to create protective rings with Mega Drain and Water Gun, then corrected their technique as they practiced.
• Dawn rehearsed an ice-and-feather performance with Buneary and Swablu, but Swablu's Tailwind scattered the feathers and caused Buneary to fall.
• Dawn comforted Swablu and encouraged her with Piplup's story of improving before his first competition, and Swablu agreed to try again.
• Three days later, Dawn and Zoey waited in their gowns at the Hearthome Contest while Kenny, Jessie, Nando, and other contestants arrived.
• Xiaoyun brought out his cheering kit, gave supplies to Ash and Brock, and Ash joined him in cheering as the contest host Marian introduced the judges and a special guest.

Dawn performed in the Hearthome Contest, shaping Swablu’s cotton and Buneary’s Ice Beam into a cloud of ice before completing a white angel wing with Feather Dance. The chapter ended with her finished display before the judges had announced its score.

• Fantina explained that the Hearthome Contest judges would score contestants strictly on elegance, technique, and coordination between their two Pokémon.
• Nando earned 39 points for his musical performance with Kricketune and Roserade, while Kenny, Zoey, and Jessie also performed.
• Marian called Dawn to the stage, and Dawn sent out Buneary and Swablu.
• Dawn had Swablu create cotton and Buneary freeze it into ice, then used Dizzy Punch to shape the ice into a cloud.
• Dawn had Swablu use Tailwind and Feather Dance to assemble a white angel wing above Buneary.

Dawn advanced through the Pokémon Contest’s preliminary and first battle rounds, then faced Jessie in the second round. Jessie’s Seviper and Dustox trapped Buneary and Pachirisu in Haze and attacked them, leaving Dawn struggling to respond.

• Dawn earned 39.1 points for her performance with Swablu and Buneary, narrowly surpassing Nando’s score, and advanced to the second round with Nando, Kenny, Jessie, and Zoey.
• Dawn defeated her first-round opponent with Buneary and Pachirisu, while Nando and Zoey also won their matches.
• Jessie defeated Kenny, whose Prinplup and Buizel lost to Seviper and Dustox, and Kenny left the waiting room in embarrassment.
• Dawn faced Jessie in the second round while Nando and Zoey were matched against each other.
• Jessie’s Seviper and Dustox used Haze to obscure the battlefield, then attacked Buneary and Pachirisu with Poison Sting, leaving Dawn unable to see or find a counter.

Dawn defeated Jessie to advance to the Hearthome Contest finals, where she faced Nando. The final match began with both trainers choosing new Pokémon, and Nando countered Dawn’s opening attacks as he prepared to strike back.

• Dawn used Buneary’s Bounce to dodge Jessie’s attacks, then Pachirisu’s Sweet Kiss and Discharge and Buneary’s Hidden Power defeated Seviper and Dustox.
• Dawn advanced to the finals, while Jessie lamented losing her chance to win a second Ribbon.
• Nando defeated Zoey with Roserade and Kricketune, earning his place in the final against Dawn.
• Dawn sent out Buneary and Piplup, while Nando chose Anorith and Sunflora.
• Dawn ordered Bubble Beam at Anorith and Hidden Power at Sunflora, but Nando’s Pokémon intercepted both attacks.

Dawn lost Buneary to Nando's carefully coordinated attack, but then used Piplup's Bubble Beam to push Anorith into Sunflora's Solar Beam and even the battle. With two minutes remaining, Piplup and Sunflora faced off alone, and Nando ordered Sunflora to use Grass Whistle.

• Nando's Sunflora struck Buneary with Solar Beam while Anorith kept it occupied, knocking Buneary out and leaving Dawn with only Piplup.
• Dawn encouraged Piplup to drive the injured Anorith back with Peck, then used Bubble Beam to push it into Sunflora's Solar Beam.
• Nando could not stop Sunflora's already-fired Solar Beam, and Anorith was knocked out, leaving a one-on-one battle.
• Nando's Sunflora attacked with Bullet Seed, but Piplup intercepted the seeds with Bubble Beam.
• Nando ordered Sunflora to use Grass Whistle.

Dawn overcame Nando’s Grass Whistle strategy and won the Hearthome Contest tournament, earning the Hearthome Ribbon. Fantina praised Dawn’s blend of battling and performance, and agreed to remain at her Gym the next day so Dawn’s companion could challenge her.

• Nando used Grass Whistle to lull Piplup toward sleep, but Dawn ordered Piplup to peck himself awake.
• Dawn sent Piplup into an Aqua Jet attack, then finished Sunflora with Peck, defeating Nando and winning the tournament.
• Fantina presented Dawn with the Hearthome Ribbon and praised her for combining strong battling with Contest performance.
• Dawn asked whether Fantina would be at the Gym the next day for her companion’s challenge, and Fantina agreed to stay.

After Dawn won her second Contest Ribbon at Hearthome, she and Xiaoyun called their mothers from the lobby. Their calls ended with Johanna teasing Dawn about her relationship with Xiaoyun and Lina playfully scolding her son for neglecting home before praising Dawn and sharing embarrassing stories about Johanna.

• Dawn called Johanna, who praised her Hearthome Contest performance while reminding her to keep practicing and stay modest.
• Johanna asked about Dawn and Xiaoyun's relationship, and Dawn insisted they were only good friends.
• Xiaoyun called Lina, who joked that he had gone missing because he had not contacted home in nearly a month.
• Lina scolded Xiaoyun for suggesting he would call again later, then asked to see Dawn and stopped him from interrupting Dawn's call with Johanna.
• Dawn greeted Lina, who praised her contest performance and recounted Johanna's embarrassing youthful mistakes.
• Xiaoyun walked Dawn to her room, and they wished each other good night.

Xiaoyun and Ash arrived at Hearthome Gym before it opened, then Xiaoyun began his three-on-three Gym battle against Fantina. Fantina’s Mismagius attacked Grotle with Will-O-Wisp, leaving the battle in progress.

• Xiaoyun, Ash, and their friends waited outside Hearthome Gym until Fantina opened it at nine.
• Brock described the demanding hours he had worked as Pewter Gym’s Leader before handing the position to Forrest.
• Xiaoyun challenged Fantina first, and the referee announced that each side could use three Pokémon.
• Fantina sent out Mismagius, while Xiaoyun chose Grotle and had it block Night Shade before using Amnesia to raise its Special Defense.
• Fantina ordered Mismagius to use Will-O-Wisp, sending eight blue flames at Grotle from different angles.

Xiaoyun used Grotle’s modified Counter Shield and careful commands to defeat Fantina’s Mismagius. As Fantina sent out Gengar, Xiaoyun switched Grotle for Buizel to face the faster opponent.

• Fantina had Mismagius attack Grotle with Will-O-Wisp, but Grotle scattered the flames with its modified Mega Drain Counter Shield.
• Xiaoyun had Grotle counter Mismagius’s Razor Leaf and Shadow Ball, then close its eyes to avoid Hypnosis.
• Xiaoyun guided Grotle to bind Mismagius with Mega Drain while it charged a Shadow Ball, then finished it with Energy Ball.
• Fantina recalled Mismagius and sent out Gengar as her second Pokémon.
• Xiaoyun recalled Grotle and sent out Buizel, and Fantina ordered Gengar to use Thunderbolt.

Xiaoyun’s Buizel defeated Fantina’s Gengar with a Water Gun Counter Shield and an icy Aqua Jet. Fantina sent out her last Pokémon, Dusknoir, which trapped Buizel with Mean Look and established Trick Room, leaving Xiaoyun facing a difficult battle.

• Fantina opened with Gengar’s Thunderbolt, but Buizel blocked it with Sonic Boom before Gengar struck Buizel from the shadows with Shadow Punch.
• Buizel stopped Gengar’s Will-O-Wisp with a Water Gun Counter Shield, then knocked Gengar aside with the swirling water.
• Xiaoyun had Buizel combine Ice Punch with Aqua Jet, overpowering Gengar’s Thunder Punch and knocking Gengar out.
• Fantina recalled Gengar and sent out her final Pokémon, Dusknoir.
• Dusknoir used Mean Look to prevent Buizel from being switched out, then surrounded the battlefield with Trick Room.

Xiaoyun turned the battle around by sending Grotle against Fantina’s Dusknoir, exploiting Trick Room to make Grotle the faster Pokémon. After Dusknoir used Pain Split and Shadow Punch to regain the advantage, Grotle bit through Shadow Punch and trapped Dusknoir with Mega Drain, leaving Xiaoyun poised to finish the battle.

• Dusknoir used Trick Room and defeated Xiaoyun’s Buizel with Thunder Punch.
• Xiaoyun sent out Grotle, whose slower Speed let it attack first under Trick Room and damage Dusknoir twice with Energy Ball.
• Fantina had Dusknoir use Pain Split to recover its strength by draining Grotle’s stamina, then attacked with Shadow Punch as Trick Room ended.
• Xiaoyun ordered Grotle to bite Dusknoir’s Shadow Punch, and Grotle dispelled the energy around the fist with its bite.
• Grotle bound Dusknoir with Mega Drain, and Xiaoyun ordered it to finish Dusknoir with High Horsepower.

Xiaoyun defeated Fantina and earned the Relic Badge, while Ash began his own Gym battle against her. Ash lost Ambipom to Drifloon, then defeated Drifloon with Armaldo before Fantina’s Haunter began weakening Armaldo with Curse and Will-O-Wisp.

• Xiaoyun defeated Fantina’s Dusknoir with Grotle’s High Horsepower, winning the Hearthome Gym battle.
• Fantina praised Xiaoyun’s battling and gave him the Relic Badge, and Ash immediately challenged her.
• Xiaoyun joined Dawn, Zoey, and Brock in the spectator seats, where Dawn playfully rated his performance ninety-nine points.
• Ash sent out Ambipom against Fantina’s Drifloon, but its Normal-type Double Hit failed and Drifloon defeated it with Psybeam and Dark Pulse.
• Ash sent out Armaldo, which defeated Drifloon with Rock Blast and X-Scissor.
• Fantina sent out Haunter, which used Curse and Will-O-Wisp to drain and hinder Armaldo.

Ash defeated Fantina in a Gym battle and received the Relic Badge. Fantina told Ash, Xiaoyun, Dawn, and Brock about Hearthome City’s upcoming Double Battle Tournament, and they decided to enter.

• Haunter knocked out Armaldo with damage from Curse and Will-O-Wisp, but Pikachu defeated Haunter with a High-Voltage Thunder Shock.
• Fantina sent out Spiritomb, and Pikachu battled it with speed, dodging, and repeated attacks before knocking it out with High-Voltage Thunder Shock.
• The referee declared Ash the winner, and Fantina gave him the Relic Badge.
• Xiaoyun told Fantina that he planned to challenge the Veilstone Gym next, and Fantina explained that its new Gym Leader was a girl she had not met.
• Fantina introduced Hearthome City’s annual Double Battle Tournament, and Xiaoyun, Dawn, and Brock agreed to enter.

Ash, Zoey, Brock, and Xiaoyun signed up for Hearthome City’s Double Battle tournament, where they ran into Barry and Paul. Barry revealed he had stayed in the city to train and earn Fantina’s Relic Badge, then grew angry when Kenny was mentioned.

• Ash, Zoey, and Brock decided to enter the tournament, and the group went to register alongside many other Trainers and Coordinators.
• Barry crashed into Ash, demanded a fine, and was recognized by Xiaoyun as his childhood friend.
• Xiaoyun asked why Barry was still in Hearthome City, and Barry claimed he had been training for the tournament while hiding that he had waited for Fantina and recently earned the Relic Badge.
• Paul arrived to register for the tournament, briefly answered Xiaoyun, and ignored Ash.
• Barry told Xiaoyun that he was angry with Kenny, prompting Xiaoyun to ask what Kenny had done.

Xiaoyun, Dawn, Barry, and Zoey attended the opening of Hearthome City's Double Battle Competition, where the lavish prizes drew the contestants' attention. The rules were announced, and the 256 contestants were divided into four sections, with the four section winners advancing to determine the champions.

• Barry told Xiaoyun and Dawn that Kenny had seen him but walked away without greeting him, and Xiaoyun suspected Kenny had meant to avoid him instead.
• Three days later, Xiaoyun, Dawn, Barry, and Zoey watched the competition open in Hearthome City's packed stadium, where Rhonda served as commentator.
• Rhonda revealed the prizes: deluxe collector's edition Pokémon Stickers, two Soothe Bells, and a high-quality Spell Tag donated by Fantina.
• Barry claimed he was not interested in the prizes, but Xiaoyun teased him about relying on his Pokémon's strength, and Barry reluctantly agreed to play along.
• Rhonda explained that the 256 contestants would form 128 teams across four sections, whose winners would advance to the semifinals and compete for the championship.

Contestants were randomly paired for the Hearthome Double Battle Competition, and Xiaoyun was matched with Dawn. After the other teams formed, the competition began, leaving Xiaoyun and Dawn ready to battle with Swablu and Mismagius.

• Rhonda announced that contestants had been randomly assigned partners, and they searched the field using their number cards.
• Xiaoyun and Dawn discovered they had consecutive numbers, A52 and A51, and happily became partners.
• Zoey found that Conway was her partner, while Brock was paired with Holly and Barry with Kenny.
• Ash was paired with Paul; Ash eagerly discussed teamwork, but Paul told him to stop and said they would battle separately.
• The Hearthome Double Battle Competition began with elimination matches by section, and Xiaoyun and Dawn sent out Swablu and Mismagius when their pair was called.

Xiaoyun and Dawn faced two mocking opponents in a Double Battle, but Mismagius’s Hypnosis made them believe they were confronting Rayquaza and left their Pokémon too frightened to fight. After Xiaoyun and Dawn knocked out Machamp and Exploud, they won the match, though Dawn felt she had barely participated.

• The two opponents mocked Xiaoyun and Dawn’s unprepared Swablu and Mismagius, then sent out Machamp and Exploud.
• Xiaoyun stopped Dawn from acting and told Mismagius to use Hypnosis.
• Mismagius made the opponents and their Pokémon see a towering Shiny Rayquaza, frightening them into collapsing and abandoning their attacks.
• Xiaoyun and Dawn ordered Mismagius to use Psychic and Swablu to use Dragon Breath, knocking out Machamp and Exploud.
• The referee declared Xiaoyun and Dawn the winners, and Dawn complained that the battle had ended before she could participate much.

Xiaoyun and Dawn won their second tournament battle after Conway deduced that Mismagius’s Hypnosis had made their first opponents too frightened to fight back. Their coordinated victories carried them to the final match before the top four, where they faced Brock and Holly.

• Conway explained that Mismagius had used Hypnosis to make Xiaoyun and Dawn’s first opponents see something terrifying, and Zoey agreed with his analysis.
• Xiaoyun and Dawn defeated Fenglin and Fanfan after Grotle endured Houndoom’s attacks and used Rock Climb to weaken Graveler’s Rollout, allowing Piplup to finish it with Aqua Jet.
• Xiaoyun and Dawn continued winning with strong teamwork, winning back the crowd’s support as the tournament progressed.
• On the third day, Xiaoyun reached his final match before the top four and faced Brock and Holly.

Xiaoyun and Dawn battled Brock and Holly, working together to knock out Holly’s Wingull and leave Brock alone with Sudowoodo. Brock refused to give up and ordered Sudowoodo to use its strongest Double-Edge against Buizel.

• Brock and Holly sent out Sudowoodo and Wingull, while Xiaoyun and Dawn sent out Buizel and Buneary.
• Xiaoyun targeted Wingull with Buizel’s Aqua Jet, but Brock used Sudowoodo’s Stone Edge to protect it; Buneary’s Ice Beam froze half of Sudowoodo.
• Brock ordered Sudowoodo to attack Buneary as Holly sent Wingull after Buizel, but Buizel’s Counter Shield stopped Wingull’s Aerial Ace.
• Dawn had Buneary dodge Sudowoodo with Bounce and knock Wingull out with Jump Kick, eliminating Holly from the battle.
• Brock praised Xiaoyun and Dawn’s teamwork, then ordered Sudowoodo to use its strongest Double-Edge on Buizel.

Xiaoyun and Dawn defeated Brock’s team when Buizel’s new Vortex Water Jet overwhelmed Sudowoodo. The four semifinal teams were announced and the draw set Xiaoyun and Dawn against Zoey and Conway, while Barry and Kenny would face Ash and Paul; the first match began as both teams sent out their Pokémon.

• Xiaoyun ordered Buizel to combine Water Pulse and Aqua Jet into Vortex Water Jet, which pushed back Brock’s Sudowoodo.
• Buizel blasted Sudowoodo out of the battlefield, and the referee declared Xiaoyun and Dawn the winners.
• Brock congratulated Xiaoyun and Dawn, while Xiaoyun remarked that Brock’s Steelix might have changed the outcome.
• Rhonda announced the four advancing teams: Xiaoyun and Dawn, Zoey and Conway, Barry and Kenny, and Ash and Paul.
• The draw paired Xiaoyun and Dawn against Zoey and Conway, and Barry and Kenny against Ash and Paul.
• Zoey and Conway faced Xiaoyun and Dawn, and the opening Pokémon sent out were Glameow and Slowking.