Chapter Summaries

After reporting the successful Mount Shirogane mission to Chen, Tetsuya used a Trade Evolution device to evolve Karrablast with Alder’s Shelmet. The chapter ended as the evolution began.

• Tetsuya and his Pokémon relaxed in a private hot spring while they splashed and playfully fought one another.
• Tetsuya called Chen, reported that the mission had gone smoothly, and learned that Lance had gone missing again while undercover.
• Chen told Tetsuya he could keep the Fire-type activation materials, and Tetsuya headed to Miss Joy to use a Trade Evolution device.
• Tetsuya contacted a Breeder assistant for Mr. Alder, recalled Karrablast into its Friend Ball, and placed it on the machine opposite Shelmet’s Poké Ball.
• The device sent electrical pulses between Karrablast and Shelmet’s Poké Balls, and both Pokémon began to evolve.

Tetsuya welcomed Escavalier after its evolution and tested its battling strengths and weaknesses against Gigalith. He left Escavalier resting with his team as a mysterious blue streak appeared in the night sky unnoticed.

• Alder disguised himself during a call with Tetsuya, confirmed the evolution, and took the newly evolved Accelgor out for a walk.
• Tetsuya brought Escavalier back to his room, where his eight other partners greeted it.
• Tetsuya tested Escavalier's attacks against Gigalith and found its offense impressive for an Elite-level Pokémon.
• Gigalith's Rock Slide shattered against Escavalier after it used Iron Defense, while Power Gem showed that Escavalier's defenses were strong but its speed and stamina were limited.
• Tetsuya gave Escavalier an Oran Berry, rewarded Gigalith with a Special Rock, and returned with them to the room.
• Tetsuya fell asleep with his Pokémon as a blue streak crossed the night sky outside.

After completing his mission on Mount Shirogane, Tetsuya traveled to Mt. Mortar, where he met an ancient Ninetales seeking freedom and hoping to find its missing master. The chapter ended with Tetsuya offering to introduce Ninetales to Brock, whose photograph had mistaken him for its master.

• Tetsuya found the high-quality Transparent Chiffon Articuno had left in his room and gave the park director a Never-Melt Ice and one of Articuno’s feathers.
• Miss Joy agreed to deliver the items to the Pokemon Ninjutsu Academy, while a mountain climber learned that Mt. Shirogane was closed above the mountainside for five years.
• Tetsuya left Mount Shirogane and reached foggy Mt. Mortar with Ampharos.
• A woman named Luoke appeared with Ninetales, and Tetsuya recognized her as an illusion created by the two-hundred-year-old Pokemon.
• Ninetales asked Tetsuya to free it so it could search for its missing master, and he questioned it about its illusion ability.
• Ninetales mistook Tetsuya’s photograph of Brock for its master until Tetsuya clarified the mistake and offered to introduce them.

Tetsuya investigated a Ninetales that had spent two hundred years waiting for its former Trainer, who resembled Brock, and summoned Brock to meet it. Brock arrived with his family's powerful Solrock, and Ninetales joyfully tackled him after its illusion vanished.

• Ninetales told Tetsuya and Luoke how it had waited for its master for two hundred years and could not leave the estate.
• Tetsuya explored the ruined estate, examined Ninetales's old Poké Ball, and found that he could not return it to the ball.
• Tetsuya messaged Brock and persuaded him to come by promising that an Elite Four-level Ninetales was waiting for him.
• Brock arrived at the estate, mistook Luoke's illusion for a beautiful woman, and approached her until Solrock disrupted the illusion.
• Ninetales knocked Brock down and licked his face while Tetsuya explained its history.

Tetsuya helped Brock and Ninetales choose a new life together, and Brock joined Tetsuya on his journey toward Blackthorn City. They reached a secluded canyon village where people had gathered to hear Xatu predict the weather.

• Brock refused to take Ninetales at first because his resemblance to its former master might keep it trapped in painful memories, but Ninetales and Kiko insisted they wanted to travel with him.
• Brock recalled Ninetales into its Old-style Poke Ball, confirming it had only refused to return to its former home, and Tetsuya handed the ball to Brock.
• Brock revealed that Pewter Gym had bought the manor and agreed to travel with Tetsuya for a while, bringing Solrock and Aerodactyl along.
• Tetsuya and Brock changed course to visit a village in a canyon after Brock mentioned its Xatu had predicted a flood a hundred years earlier.
• At the canyon, Tetsuya and Brock found villagers gathered on tiered platforms, waiting for Xatu to predict the weather.

Tetsuya and Brock visited a village where Xatu’s daily divinations guided the locals, then learned that a flood was prophesied to arrive in seven or eight years. As they left, Xatu gave the Shrine Maiden an unusual reading of their futures, but she dismissed it as muddled.

• A villager explained that the village had relied on Xatu’s accurate divinations for centuries, and Tetsuya interpreted the Pokemon Flag Language used in its weather forecast.
• Brock asked about major predictions, and the villager told him that only the Shrine Maiden knew the details of an old flood prophecy.
• The Shrine Maiden told Tetsuya and Brock that Xatu had foretold a flood around a century earlier and that it was expected in seven or eight years.
• The Shrine Maiden explained that divination could offer courage but could not change the future, while villagers remained reluctant to leave their ancestral homes.
• After Tetsuya and Brock declined to have their futures read and departed, Xatu described one future as diverse and the other as certain yet diverse, which the Shrine Maiden attributed to its age.

Tetsuya and Brock entered Mt. Mortar's middle layer and were attacked by a large group of wild Pokemon. They defeated the group, with Brock's Golem fighting the leader while Gallade and Escavalier demonstrated their strength.

• Tetsuya chose the middle-layer entrance to avoid wasting time before the event in Blackthorn City, and Brock agreed.
• Tetsuya released Ampharos for light, then led Brock through several turns into a side passage.
• Tetsuya and Brock prepared for battle when they heard a wild Pokemon group approaching, sending out Gallade and Escavalier and Brock's Golem.
• Brock's Golem drew the enemy Golem leader into a battle, while Gallade and Escavalier fought the rest of the group.
• Tetsuya's Gallade and Escavalier quickly defeated their opponents, and Brock found several stones among the fallen Pokemon.

Tetsuya and Brock searched the Underground Cave of Mt. Mortar, where Brock’s uncanny luck with Pokemon Items frustrated Tetsuya. After Blaziken defeated a powerful Onix, they noticed damp air in the tunnel it had opened and went inside to investigate.

• Brock gave Tetsuya an Everstone and two semi-formed Hard Stones he had found among defeated Rock-type Pokemon, then explained why unfinished items were rarely worth nurturing with another Pokemon.
• A group of Diglett led by a Dugtrio attacked the pair, but Golem and Escavalier defeated them; Tetsuya found no Soft Sand while Brock continued to discover items in later battles.
• Tetsuya switched from Ampharos to Blaziken for lighting, and he and Brock estimated they had covered about one-thirtieth of the cave and would reach the exit in three days.
• A huge Onix broke through the rock wall and charged the group despite Blaziken’s aura, so Blaziken stopped it with an Aura Sphere.
• Tetsuya sensed damp air in the passage Onix had opened, and he and Brock entered it to find where it led.

Tetsuya and Brock discovered a new Underground Waterfall fed by Mirror Lake while exploring Mt. Mortar's caves. Elsewhere, Team Rocket researchers led by Doctor Nanbo conducted experiments on Clear Cliff, where Yamato and Kosaburo were assigned to retrieve a Pokemon specimen.

• Brock used an Onix's body position and tracks to determine that the passage headed north, impressing Tetsuya with his keen observations.
• Tetsuya had Gallade use Confusion to lower him and Brock into a pit, and he advised Brock to develop Ninetales's Psychic abilities.
• Tetsuya and Brock followed the sound of rushing water and found a beautiful Underground Waterfall that they believed was connected to Mirror Lake.
• Doctor Nanbo directed Team Rocket researchers through experiments intended to enhance Pokemon and ordered Yamato to bring him Specimen Number Sixteen.
• Yamato and Kosaburo left the laboratory for the Breeding Room while Doctor Nanbo continued overseeing the experiments.

Tetsuya and Brock rested by an underground waterfall, cooked Slowpoke Tail soup, and searched the area for valuables. They found a Prism Scale that could help Feebas evolve into Milotic, then returned to discover their resting spot in disarray.

• Tetsuya and Brock watched Buizel eat Slowpoke Tails, then prepared and shared soup with Blaziken.
• After eating, Tetsuya and Brock searched the waterfall area and found Absorb Bulbs.
• Tetsuya sent Gallade to search underwater, and it retrieved a Shell Bell, a Big Pearl, and a Prism Scale.
• Tetsuya explained that a Prism Scale could make Feebas evolve into Milotic, and Brock said he did not want the scale for himself.
• Tetsuya, Brock, Gallade, and Blaziken returned behind the curtain and found the resting spot in a mess.

Tetsuya and Brock caught a tiny Piplup after it stole their soup, and Tetsuya decided to recruit it as a partner. He offered Piplup a battle against Alolan Vulpix, whose appearance filled Piplup with confidence, though the fight had not yet begun.

• Tetsuya and Brock used Blaziken and Gallade to find and restrain the small thief, revealing it was a Piplup.
• Brock wondered how a Sinnoh Starter Pokemon had ended up in the cave, and Tetsuya suggested the water source connected to a habitat for Sinnoh Water-type Pokemon.
• Tetsuya spoke with Piplup about stealing the soup and considered how Empoleon could fit into his team.
• Piplup tried to sneak away but bumped into Blaziken, and Tetsuya decided its personality made it worth catching.
• Tetsuya offered Piplup a choice between battling one of his Pokemon or becoming his partner if it lost.
• Tetsuya sent out Alolan Vulpix as Piplup's opponent, and Piplup eagerly accepted the seemingly manageable challenge.

Tetsuya tested Piplup’s strength in a battle against Alolan Vulpix, discovering its inherited Agility and Aqua Ring and its impressive potential. After Piplup was defeated by a falling stone, Tetsuya caught it and checked its status.

• Brock refereed as Tetsuya’s Alolan Vulpix battled Piplup, using Disarming Voice and Icy Wind to suppress and reposition it.
• Piplup used Agility to evade Icy Wind, then combined Water Sport with its inherited Aqua Ring to deflect Ice Shard and recover stamina.
• When Piplup charged, Alolan Vulpix used Extrasensory to trip it and Swift to wear it down.
• Piplup continued fighting through Alolan Vulpix’s Powder Snow and Ice Shard until a falling stone knocked it unconscious.
• Tetsuya caught Piplup with a Great Ball and learned that it had Torrent, inherited Agility and Aqua Ring, and Quasi-Elite Four potential.

Tetsuya defeated and recruited Piplup, then helped it recover and pack its collected treasures before the group prepared to continue through Mt. Mortar. Piplup gave Tetsuya a red scale that Zero identified as a Red Gyarados Scale, and it explained that it had taken the trophy from Buizel after the scale came down the waterfall.

• Tetsuya judged Piplup's aptitude to be among the best at Quasi-Elite Four Level and discussed the high cost of finding a quality Water Stone to evolve it.
• Gallade healed Piplup with Life Dew, and Tetsuya stopped Alolan Vulpix from mooching off the treatment before Piplup woke up at the mention of food.
• Tetsuya introduced Piplup to Alolan Vulpix and Blaziken, then asked whether Piplup had anything it wanted to bring or anyone it wanted to say goodbye to.
• Piplup returned with its collected treasures, including water plants, stones, and red Magikarp scales, and gave Tetsuya one scale as a present.
• Tetsuya used Zero to identify the scale as a Red Gyarados Scale, and Piplup explained that it had snatched it from Buizel after it came down the waterfall.

Tetsuya and Brock suspected Team Rocket had hidden a research facility near Clear Cliff and agreed to pass their clues to Lance. As they continued through Underground Cave, they heard that the local Pokémon had grown unusually irritable and chose to investigate deeper.

• Tetsuya reasoned that Team Rocket's research was likely concealed at Clear Cliff and decided to leave the investigation to Lance.
• Tetsuya told Brock about the red scale and agreed that he and Brock would contact Lance and the League once they were out.
• Piplup sampled Gallade's bitter coffee, disliked it, then enjoyed a Thousand Fragrance Berry and later a less bitter cup of coffee.
• Tetsuya, Brock, and their Pokémon continued through Underground Cave, where Blaziken's presence reduced the number of Pokémon attacks.
• Tetsuya and Brock met Leimu, who said the cave's Pokémon had become more irritable and that he was returning to recover his injured partners.
• After Leimu left, Tetsuya and Brock decided to investigate deeper and cautiously make contact with the violent Pokémon.

Tetsuya and Brock fought their way through increasingly irritable underground Pokemon, but found no evidence of Team Rocket or another outside interference. They suspected a powerful Pokemon was directing the attacks and continued deeper into the cave to find it.

• Brock's Golem fought the Sandshrew group as Tetsuya's Gallade stopped a Sandslash from attacking him, and Tetsuya reassured Gallade before the group finished the battle.
• Tetsuya and Brock found no unusual emotional readings or other traces suggesting Team Rocket had caused the wild Pokemon's aggression.
• The pair continued deeper underground, where attacks grew more frequent and the Pokemon grew stronger.
• Tetsuya and Brock deployed their Pokemon to battle seven Quasi-Elite Four Pokemon and dozens of others in a large cavern.
• Tetsuya and Brock speculated that a powerful Pokemon was commanding the hostile groups and continued searching for the unknown presence.

After defeating the cave’s Wild Pokémon, Tetsuya and Brock healed their team and faced a powerful, unknown Bear Pokémon guarding its young. Tetsuya suspected it was a regional Pangoro variant, and Blaziken opened the battle with Fire Spin after the Bear Pokémon split its Flamethrower aside.

• Blaziken’s victory sent the remaining Wild Pokémon fleeing, and Serperior used Grassy Terrain to help restore the team’s stamina.
• Tetsuya and Brock collected unformed Pokémon Items from the defeated Pokémon and divided the materials between them.
• Tetsuya treated Piplup, Escavalier, and Gallade for their injuries while a powerful roar came from the cave’s depths.
• A muscular black, white, and gray Bear Pokémon emerged, and Tetsuya and Brock realized they had no information about its species.
• The Bear Pokémon adopted a Fighting Type stance, then chopped through Blaziken’s Flamethrower and split the flames apart.
• Tetsuya ordered Blaziken to use Fire Spin as the battle began.

Tetsuya and Blaziken battled a powerful, unidentified bear Pokémon in a cave, uncovering its Fighting- and Dark-type attributes while trading heavy blows. Blaziken struck the bear down with Flame Charge, but the wounded Pokémon launched one final charge, leaving Tetsuya calling for Protect.

• The bear Pokémon evaded Blaziken’s Flamethrower and charged in, so Tetsuya ordered Swords Dance and Low Kick.
• Blaziken and the bear Pokémon collided; Blaziken injured its right leg, while the bear struggled to recover from Low Kick.
• Tetsuya tested the bear with Aura Sphere, and its use of Detect suggested it was vulnerable to Fighting-type moves; Blaziken then struck it with Brave Bird, but Iron Defense reduced the damage.
• The bear hit Blaziken into a rock wall, but Blaziken used its boosted Speed to outmaneuver it and slam it into the wall with Flame Charge.
• The scarred bear lunged at Blaziken with a glowing attack, and Tetsuya urgently ordered Protect.

Tetsuya and Blaziken defeated and captured an unidentified Fighting- and Dark-type Pokémon after a brutal battle in the cave. As Tetsuya checked whether the Pokémon was recorded in the Pokédex, Nobuhiko appeared at the cave entrance.

• The Unknown Pokemon ignored Blaziken's Protect and fought it in a prolonged close-range battle, with neither side gaining a clear advantage.
• Tetsuya had Blaziken activate Blaze State and unleash Blast Burn, while the Unknown Pokemon countered with a powerful red-black attack.
• Blaziken's flames overwhelmed the Unknown Pokemon, and Tetsuya's team helped Blaziken recover after it confirmed its opponent was no longer a threat.
• Tetsuya scanned the captured Pokémon with his Pokédex, which identified it as an unrecorded Fighting- and Dark-type Pokémon.
• Tetsuya and Brock turned toward the cave entrance and recognized the person emerging from the darkness as Nobuhiko.

Tetsuya and Brock met Nobuhiko in Mt. Mortar after Blaziken’s battle, and Nobuhiko led them to his secluded training ground. There, they witnessed a spectacular moonlit Magikarp Leaping Dragon Gate beneath the Heaven-Piercing Waterfall.

• Nobuhiko arrived after sensing the battle and realized that Tetsuya’s Blaziken had reached Elite Four Level.
• Tetsuya told Nobuhiko and Brock about the powerful Unknown Pokemon, and Nobuhiko suggested asking Professor Oak to identify it.
• Nobuhiko invited Tetsuya and Brock to see his training ground, while Machamp handled Nobuhiko’s playful antics with Piplup.
• Nobuhiko led Tetsuya and Brock through the caves to the Heaven-Piercing Waterfall, where they admired the hidden pool and its view of the stars.
• Under the full moon, countless Magikarp surged up the waterfall, and Brock called the sight Magikarp Leaping Dragon Gate.

Tetsuya, Brock, and Nobuhiko watched Magikarp attempt to climb a waterfall during Leaping Dragon Gate, and five eventually evolved into Gyarados. The next morning, Tetsuya flew above the waterfall with Piplup and Alolan Vulpix to explore the river at its source.

• Tetsuya recorded the gathered Magikarp and spotted a Shiny Golden Magikarp, which Brock considered catching after Leaping Dragon Gate ended.
• The Magikarp repeatedly charged the waterfall, and Brock explained that Gyarados who evolved by crossing the Dragon Gate were stronger than those who evolved normally.
• Five Magikarp reached the top and evolved into Gyarados under the moonlight; Brock then approached the Golden Magikarp, which appeared to be courting an ordinary female Magikarp.
• Tetsuya fell asleep beside Piplup, and Piplup relaxed in his arms before they woke the next morning.
• Tetsuya took Piplup and Alolan Vulpix on Pidgeot to explore above the waterfall, then asked Piplup to inspect the riverbed.