Chapter Summaries

Lu Chen caught the thief who had taken his Starf Berry sapling and discovered it was a Zorua disguised as Mew. He recovered the sapling and decided to make Zorua compensate him, seeing the Pokémon as a useful translator.

• Lu Chen, Gengar, and Gabite surrounded the thief near the trees and confronted a Pokémon that looked like Mew.
• Lu Chen found his missing Starf Berry sapling planted beneath an ancient tree and realized the supposed Mew was hungry and trying to grow berries.
• The disguised Pokémon attempted to flee, but Lu Chen and his Pokémon blocked its escape.
• Lu Chen suspected the Pokémon was a Zorua or Zoroark, and the impostor revealed himself as a hungry Zorua after Lu Chen offered food.
• Gabite dug up the sapling intact, and Lu Chen grabbed Zorua and planned to demand compensation.

Lu Chen caught Zorua and hired it to translate for his Pokémon, while rewarding Gabite for protecting the Starf Berries and promising to teach it Dragon Dance. At Bill's Lighthouse, Bill and Professor Oak discussed a lonely gigantic Dragonite still searching the sea for companions.

• Delia asked Lu Chen's Pokémon about their favorite flavors and wrote down their preferences, then pleaded with him to go easy on the Starf Berry thief, Zorua.
• Lu Chen offered Zorua safety and food in exchange for three years of interpreting; Zorua agreed and was captured.
• Lu Chen praised Gabite, assigned it to guard the farm permanently, and upgraded its food while promising a surprise that could help it surpass every Garchomp.
• Bill told Professor Oak that Ash and his friends had helped him identify the gigantic Pokémon as a lonely Dragonite, but it had been too wary to catch.
• After the call ended, the gigantic Dragonite wandered alone across the sea, still searching for its companions.

Lu Chen and Professor Oak shared Delia’s meal before watching a gigantic Dragonite defeat a gigantic Tentacruel and flee into the sea, mourning its loneliness. Back at the farm, Lapras’s song reached the Dragonite, which heard something familiar and turned toward Pallet Town to investigate.

• Delia served Lu Chen, Professor Oak, and their Pokémon a feast, then sent Lu Chen home with a special meal for Gabite.
• A television report showed a gigantic Dragonite and a gigantic Tentacruel fighting near Pallet Town, and Professor Oak recognized Dragonite as Bill’s research subject.
• Lu Chen predicted Dragonite would win, and Dragonite defeated Tentacruel before flying away while singing a sorrowful ancient song.
• Lu Chen returned to the farm and fed Gabite, then reflected on the lonely Dragonite as Lapras sang and Gengar reminded everyone they had one another.
• Lapras’s song carried across the sea, and the supergiant Dragonite heard it, recognized something familiar, and turned toward land.

A super-giant Dragonite arrived at Lu Chen’s farm, believing Lapras’s ancient song meant he had found his lost companions, and tried to take Lapras away. Lu Chen’s Pokémon fought back and wounded Dragonite, while Pallet Town awoke to the battle.

• A super-giant Dragonite descended over Lu Chen’s farm, and Lu Chen summoned Zorua to translate its words.
• Zorua told Lu Chen that Dragonite had searched the sea for the voice of his companions and wanted to take Lapras with him, but Lapras refused.
• Dragonite accused Lu Chen of deceiving Lapras and reached for him, so Aerodactyl knocked Dragonite’s claw aside and Lu Chen ordered Aerodactyl, Lapras, and Gengar to fight.
• Aerodactyl wounded Dragonite, Gengar interrupted his Hyper Beam, and Lapras struck him with Ice Beam and Dragon Pulse while the three Pokémon overwhelmed him.
• The battle woke Pallet Town’s residents, and Delia worried about Lu Chen as she saw the fighting near his farm.

Lu Chen and Gouging Fire defeated the gigantic Dragonite threatening Pallet Town, then Lu Chen explained that it was created by the long-vanished Ten Thousand Beasts Empire. Dragonite remained determined to search for its companions, and it was stunned when Lu Chen said he would let it leave.

• The gigantic Dragonite charged at Lu Chen, but Gouging Fire struck it down with Fire of Life.
• Professor Oak collected samples from the incapacitated Dragonite while Delia checked on Pallet Town's residents.
• Dragonite regained consciousness and accepted its defeat, but said it would rather die than be captured.
• Lu Chen told Dragonite that he had traveled from tens of thousands of years in the past and that its kind had been created by the Ten Thousand Beasts Empire.
• Dragonite learned it might be the last surviving product of that technology but vowed to keep searching for companions.
• Lu Chen wished Dragonite well and offered to let it leave, leaving Dragonite astonished.

After Lu Chen let the gigantic Dragonite leave, he reflected on his ancient past and wondered how his old companions’ lives had ended. The wounded Dragonite’s appearance stirred speculation across the region, while the Pokémon League and Team Rocket watched Lu Chen; more than two months then passed.

• Lu Chen let the gigantic Dragonite go after asking it for a reverse scale, which he planned to use to teach Gabite Dragon Dance, and accepted Professor Oak’s offer to be a third author on a fossil research paper.
• Unable to sleep, Lu Chen told his Pokémon that Dragonite’s search for its companions had made him wonder about his ancient friends, including a queen and Aaron, and said he wanted to learn how their stories had ended.
• Reporters photographed the wounded Dragonite, prompting the public to speculate that Professor Oak had defeated it after it visited Pallet Town.
• Agatha and Lorelei concluded that Lu Chen had wounded Dragonite, and Lorelei proposed monitoring his situation herself.
• Giovanni dismissed a proposed investigation into Dragonite and said Team Rocket would wait for the Ultimate Weapon to be completed.
• More than two months passed after Dragonite’s attack, while Lu Chen tended Starf Berry saplings on his farm in Pallet Town.

Two months later, Lu Chen’s farm thrived as Professor Oak’s paper about living Kabuto brought him unexpected attention from researchers. Ash collected all eight Kanto Badges and headed for Pallet Town, eager to show Lu Chen how much stronger he had become.

• Lu Chen’s Starf Berry saplings flourished, Gabite reached peak Gym Level, and the Aerodactyl he caught in the Grand Canyon received the nickname Scout No. 1.
• Professor Oak published a paper on living Kabuto and Ancient Pokémon ecology, listing Lu Chen as its third author and sparking widespread discussion.
• A researcher at Pokémon League headquarters read Professor Oak’s paper and resolved to visit Kanto to seek living fossil Pokémon specimens for a revival project.
• Ash earned his eighth Kanto Badge at the Viridian Gym, with Misty and Brock celebrating alongside him.
• Ash credited his more serious training partly to Lu Chen’s example and set off for Pallet Town to show him his progress.

Lu Chen told Ash, Misty, Brock, and Gary the story behind Cameran Palace, its queen, the warrior, and the legend of the hero. He revealed how Aura and the Tree of Beginning were involved, then ended the tale with the warrior leaving and the Aura Guardian starting a family.

• Ash returned to Pallet Town with all eight Badges and rushed to Lu Chen’s farm to ask about his promised gift.
• Lu Chen told how a princess and the kingdom’s only warrior climbed a legendary mountain, then returned to defend their home and founded Cameran Palace.
• Lu Chen explained that the queen and warrior later found an Aura Guardian, whose power let him and his Lucario protect their homeland.
• Lu Chen revealed that the Tree of Beginning had answered late because it only noticed Cameran Palace after many years, while the queen and warrior had already saved their people.
• Lu Chen said the warrior left Cameran Palace to grow stronger, while the Aura Guardian married his girlfriend and had a son; Ash and his friends were left stunned by the abrupt ending.

Lu Chen revealed that Ash was an Aura Guardian after the goddess statue responded to him and he awakened his Aura. After Delia dragged Ash home, Lu Chen reflected on Cameran Palace and a clumsy princess from the past.

• Brock guessed that Ash might be connected to the Aura Guardian from Lu Chen’s story, and Lu Chen confirmed it.
• Lu Chen had Gengar bring out the goddess statue and told Ash to pick it up.
• Ash awakened his Aura, sensing the world around him with his eyes closed, and asked Lu Chen to teach him how to use it.
• Lu Chen took back the statue and sent Ash to visit his family, but Delia arrived and dragged Ash away by the ear.
• Misty, Brock, and Gary left, while Lu Chen wondered whether Cameran Palace and the princess he remembered had disappeared into history.

Ash tested his new Aura by navigating and catching balls with his eyes closed, then foolishly asked Pikachu to use Thunderbolt on him and was shocked. After Misty and Brock speculated about Lu Chen’s connection to the ancient era, Ash visited Lu Chen the next morning and challenged him to a battle.

• Ash used Aura to move around the living room and catch balls with his eyes closed.
• Ash asked Pikachu to use Thunderbolt on him, and the blast left him charred and smoking.
• Misty and Brock wondered whether Lu Chen’s story about the ancient era was based on his own memories, while Ash suggested Lu Chen might be an ancient person who had lived until the present.
• Delia kept Lu Chen’s time-traveler secret and thanked Misty and Brock for traveling with Ash.
• Ash brought Delia to Lu Chen’s farm the next morning and challenged Lu Chen to a battle, which Lu Chen accepted.

Lu Chen used Zorua’s transformation into Gouging Fire to defeat Ash’s Bulbasaur in a battle at the farm. Ash recalled Bulbasaur and sent out Squirtle for the next match.

• Aerodactyl watched from a tree while Team Rocket spotted it and fled into the thicket.
• Lu Chen chose Zorua to battle Ash’s unevolved Bulbasaur, and Professor Oak explained that Zorua could transform.
• Zorua dodged Bulbasaur’s Vine Whip and transformed into Gouging Fire.
• Gouging Fire dodged Bulbasaur’s Seed Bomb and Solar Beam, then defeated it with Dragon Claw.
• Brock declared Zorua the winner, and Ash sent out Squirtle for the next battle.

Ash’s Squirtle and Charizard battled Lu Chen’s Pokémon, but both were overwhelmed by their opponents’ strength. After Charizard was badly injured, Lu Chen urged Ash to take it to the Pokémon Center, then reflected on how he had gotten involved.

• Lu Chen’s Zorua transformed into Venusaur and defeated Ash’s Squirtle with its superior stats.
• Ash sent out Charizard, which ignored his commands and blasted him with Flamethrower; sparks from the fire set the Starf Berry orchard’s fence alight.
• Gabite rushed in to confront Charizard over the burning fence, and Lu Chen agreed to let them battle.
• Charizard’s Flamethrower clashed with Gabite’s Dragon Pulse, but Gabite knocked Charizard into a crater with Dragon Claw.
• Gabite pinned Charizard beneath Rock Slide, and Ash burned his hands moving the rocks before recalling Charizard.
• Lu Chen sternly told Ash to take Charizard to the Pokémon Center, then sat down and sighed over getting involved.

Lu Chen learned that an archaeology team was excavating super-ancient ruins near town and joined them as a Trainer, hoping their discoveries might reveal more about the ancient war he had witnessed. Meanwhile, Aaron traveled toward Kanto after sensing the presence of another Aura Guardian, and Gary headed to challenge the Viridian Gym.

• Professor Oak told Lu Chen that Gary had collected eight Badges and gone to challenge the Viridian Gym, whose Leader was Giovanni.
• Aboard a ship bound for Kanto, Aaron asked Lucario about Aura fluctuations and concluded that another Aura Guardian had appeared.
• Lu Chen went to town for supplies and heard from the supermarket owner that archaeologists were studying nearby super-ancient ruins.
• Lu Chen found the archaeology team's recruitment notice at the Viridian Hotel and showed Wang Yi his Gym Level Trainer Card.
• Wang Yi hired Lu Chen to protect the team and offered to show him their recent excavation finds.

Lu Chen joined Wang Yi’s archaeological team and found that the super-ancient ruins they were excavating looked familiar. He and Gengar realized the site was likely one of Lu Chen’s former homes, leaving him to face the strange prospect of excavating his own house.

• Hokuto challenged Lu Chen when he called the unearthed artifacts ordinary furniture, then apologized after Wang Yi explained her enthusiasm for the super-ancient civilization.
• Lu Chen agreed to protect the archaeological team and brought out Gengar, whose unusual markings caught Hokuto’s attention.
• Gengar’s presence frightened away an Ekans and other wild Pokémon along the team’s route to the ruins.
• At the excavation pit, Lu Chen and Gengar recognized the layout as a likely former temporary base and home of Lu Chen’s from the super-ancient era.

Lu Chen secretly collapsed his old home to keep the archaeologists from turning it into a tourist attraction, but the earthquake exposed a larger, unfamiliar super-ancient ruin beneath it. The archaeologists celebrated the discovery, while Lu Chen wondered what lay inside.

• Hokuto explained that the household objects from Lu Chen's old home were valuable historical artifacts, and Lu Chen worried the site would become a tourist attraction.
• At midnight, Gengar used Hypnosis to put the night watch staff to sleep, and Lu Chen returned to his old home with Aerodactyl.
• Lu Chen ordered Aerodactyl to use Earthquake, collapsing the house and revealing the ruins of a grander building beneath it.
• The earthquake woke some archaeologists, and Lu Chen pretended to have just come from his tent as the team discovered the newly exposed ruins.
• Hokuto and the archaeologists celebrated the larger, more intact super-ancient ruin, while Lu Chen wondered what it contained.

Lu Chen led the archaeological team into the ruins, where they identified the site as the Pokémopolis Empire and found a tablet describing a world-splitting conflict. After Lu Chen translated it fluently, Hokuto noticed Gengar’s sacred markings and began to suspect Lu Chen’s true connection to the civilization; the team then discovered something else.

• Lu Chen led the team into the enormous ruins, where they saw giant statues of super-gigantic Pokémon.
• Wang Yi identified an inscription as writing from the Pokémopolis Empire, while Lu Chen suspected it had inherited the Ten Thousand Beasts Empire’s legacy.
• Hokuto began translating the tablet, but Lu Chen recited the full passage about a conflict, a gate to another world, and a power that calmed everything.
• Hokuto recognized Gengar’s markings as sacred symbols reserved for deities and privately questioned Lu Chen’s background.
• A team member called everyone over after finding something new.

Lu Chen and Hokuto discovered artifacts in the ruins, but the black dumbbell released an enormous Gengar and the golden spoon awakened a giant Alakazam. As the ancient Pokémon’s battle spread beyond the ruins and threatened the world, Hokuto urged Lu Chen to find the power said to stop them.

• Hokuto questioned Lu Chen about his fluent reading of the Pokémopolis Language and Gengar’s sacred markings.
• The ruins shook, and the black dumbbell opened a vortex that swallowed the archaeological team, including Wang Yi.
• The dumbbell transformed into an enormous Ancient Gengar, while the golden spoon became a colossal Alakazam.
• Ancient Gengar and Alakazam fought, tearing apart the ruins as their battle’s energy became visible across the surrounding region.
• Hokuto recalled the tablet’s prophecy about two world-destroying powers and begged Lu Chen to find the power that could stop them.

With the tablet buried and her companions missing, Hokuto feared the Ancient Pokémon would destroy the world, but Lu Chen dismissed the inscription as exaggeration and revealed his Gengar’s immense power. The chapter ended with Lu Chen ordering Gengar to use Hypnosis on the two Ancient Pokémon.

• Hokuto panicked over her missing companions, the buried tablet, and the possibility that the world would be destroyed.
• Lu Chen suggested the inscription’s historian had exaggerated and said the Ancient Pokémon were only around average Champion strength.
• Lu Chen told Gengar to handle the fighting Ancient Pokémon, and Gengar grew larger than both of them combined.
• Hokuto wondered whether Lu Chen’s Gengar was the true original behind the Ancient Pokémon imitations.
• Lu Chen ordered Gengar to use Hypnosis.

Lu Chen’s Gengar overwhelmed the Ancient Gengar and Ancient Alakazam in a battle visible across Kanto, while Hokuto guessed at Lu Chen’s connection to the super-ancient era. As Lu Chen began trapping the two Pokémon in another dimension, Hokuto warned him that the archaeological team was still inside Gengar.

• Lu Chen ordered Gengar to use Hypnosis, but the Ancient Gengar and Ancient Alakazam woke themselves by striking their own heads and faces.
• The Ancient Pokémon teamed up against Lu Chen’s Gengar, which sent them crashing into the mountains with a single Shadow Ball.
• Hokuto questioned Lu Chen about his knowledge of the super-ancient era and his powerful Gengar, then guessed that he was a researcher from another region.
• The giant Pokémon battle shook the area and drew the attention of Professor Oak, Delia, Ash, Misty, Brock, and people across Kanto.
• Lu Chen’s Gengar opened a fissure to another dimension and began pulling the Ancient Pokémon inside, but Hokuto warned that the archaeological team remained inside Gengar.

Lu Chen and Gengar rescued the archaeological team and defeated the Ancient Gengar and Ancient Alakazam, sealing them back into the black dumbbell and golden spoon. After leaving the ruins, Lu Chen doubled back to retrieve the great bell and headed home to Pallet Town with Gengar.

• Lu Chen's Gengar pulled the unconscious archaeological team from the Ancient Gengar's alternate space, then defeated both Ancient Pokémon and returned them to their artifact forms.
• Hokuto thanked Gengar and fed it, while Lu Chen picked up the black dumbbell and golden spoon and explained their connection to ancient Pokémon technology.
• The archaeological team woke up and credited the inscription's world-saving power with rescuing them, while Hokuto invited Lu Chen to join the team.
• Lu Chen declined to join but told Hokuto she could seek him out in Pallet Town if she found unusual super-ancient ruins.
• Lu Chen quietly returned to the Pokémopolis Ruins, had Gengar swallow the great bell, and left for Pallet Town.