Chapter Summaries

Tetsuya and Cynthia entered Bellsprout Tower to investigate the sealed Evil Spirit after its dark aura withdrew. They uncovered a hidden passage and found an enormous Gengar in the underground hall.

• The Miss Joys restored Tetsuya and Cynthia's Pokémon, and the pair teleported to Sutian.
• Sutian told them that the monks believed Tetsuya was the Fated Person who could deal with the sealed Evil Spirit.
• Tetsuya and Cynthia entered Bellsprout Tower, where they saw through a Gengar's illusion of an elderly monk.
• Cynthia spotted a concealed patch of flooring, and Tetsuya lifted it to reveal a passage underground.
• The pair followed the passage through dense Ghost Type Energy and encountered an enormous Gengar in an underground hall.

Tetsuya and Cynthia joined the monks battling Giant Gengar in Bellsprout Tower, and their Mega-Evolved Pokémon struck the Ghost-type hard. A muffled crash led Tetsuya to suspect that the tower was connected to Dark Rayquaza’s seal, leaving the battle underway as he and Cynthia considered its role.

• Tetsuya and Cynthia arrived to find monks weakened by Giant Gengar’s draining of their souls and life force, and the monks recognized Tetsuya from the abbot’s prophecy.
• Tetsuya sent out Blaziken while Cynthia sent out Garchomp, but both trainers chose different Pokémon for Mega Evolution because their main partners had already Mega Evolved against Dark Rayquaza.
• Tetsuya Mega Evolved Pidgeot and Cynthia Mega Evolved Lucario, whose Bone Rush shattered Giant Gengar’s black aura and wounded it.
• Tetsuya heard a muffled crash and asked Cynthia about it, but she had heard nothing.
• Tetsuya suspected Bellsprout Tower was connected to Dark Rayquaza’s seal, and Cynthia suggested it might have served as a transfer station that used Gengar to convert energy from dead Pokémon.

Tetsuya and Cynthia struggled to stop Giant Gengar without triggering the danger linked to destroying it. Tetsuya proposed sealing Gengar in the Qi Stone and using Spiritomb as a transfer station, leaving Cynthia to consider the plan.

• Tetsuya warned Cynthia that destroying Giant Gengar could free Dark Rayquaza and cause a catastrophe.
• Tetsuya sent Pidgeot to support Mega Lucario, whose boosted speed let it overwhelm Giant Gengar.
• Blaziken and Gallade intercepted Giant Gengar’s Dark Pulse aimed at Mega Pidgeot, and Cynthia’s Garchomp joined the fight.
• Tetsuya found the Qi Stone in his Spatial Backpack and proposed sealing Gengar inside it with Spiritomb acting as a transfer station.
• Cynthia questioned the plan, then understood that Spiritomb’s role could delay Gengar’s growth for hundreds or thousands of years.

Tetsuya and Cynthia prepared to seal the weakened Giant Gengar by bringing Spiritomb into the fight and continuing to drain Gengar’s strength. The battle intensified as Garchomp launched a continuous Draco Meteor barrage, while Tetsuya guided the keystone over the battlefield.

• Cynthia judged Tetsuya’s proposed use of Spiritomb as a temporary fix that could reinforce the Imprison for centuries or longer.
• Tetsuya used Aura with Blaziken’s help to release Spiritomb from the keystone, then Blaziken struck it into submission.
• Cynthia summoned her stronger Spiritomb, causing the released Spiritomb to shrink into a trembling ball.
• Tetsuya floated the keystone above Giant Gengar and told Cynthia to keep draining its energy and stamina.
• Cynthia ordered Garchomp to continuously fire Draco Meteor, and Tetsuya used hypnosis to make the monks open the space above the hall.

Tetsuya and Mega Lucario used Aura to expose Giant Gengar after Garchomp’s Draco Meteor barrage, but the seal forced Tetsuya to experience Gengar’s memories and threatened to overwhelm him. As Giant Gengar crept toward the keystone, Tetsuya learned that a blue-glowing human had captured it and transformed its body.

• Garchomp struck Giant Gengar with a series of Draco Meteors, leaving it weakened and struggling to recover.
• Tetsuya, Mega Lucario, and Blaziken joined their Aura to reveal Giant Gengar through the smoke.
• Giant Gengar’s sealed emotions flooded Tetsuya’s mind, and Cynthia’s Safeguard could not stop his eyes from turning red and then black.
• Cynthia sensed Giant Gengar slowly moving toward the keystone while she worried Tetsuya would lose himself before the seal was complete.
• Tetsuya experienced Giant Gengar’s memories: it grew up as an outcast, defeated Giant Bellsprout, and was captured by a blue-glowing human who transformed its body and forced it to endure the wails of dead Pokemon’s souls.

Tetsuya tried to seal Giant Gengar in the Qi Stone, but an explosion from the battle at Burial Tower made it resist again. Cynthia discovered hidden sealing points and adjusted the energy flow, allowing Giant Gengar to be sealed as Tetsuya struggled.

• Tetsuya dismissed his suspicion and used Psychic power and aura to force Giant Gengar toward the Qi Stone.
• Giant Gengar briefly regained clarity, confirmed its duty was to trap the darkness, and heard Tetsuya explain that a new guardian had to replace it.
• An explosion from the outside battle disrupted the sealing, and Giant Gengar renewed its resistance while Cynthia watched for a way to help.
• Cynthia identified the monks' sealing points and discovered four more hidden points by tracing the energy flows with Aura Sphere.
• Cynthia adjusted the energy lines, and the monks' golden light helped suppress Giant Gengar until it vanished into the Qi Stone.

Tetsuya and Cynthia used the monks’ power to seal Spiritomb and reinforce the failing seal on Dark Rayquaza. Their ritual caused Bellsprout Tower to shine and revealed Burial Tower, where Dark Rayquaza remained trapped as the Johto Region shook.

• Cynthia directed the monks to use their power at twelve locations to restrain Spiritomb.
• The monks enclosed Spiritomb in a sphere of golden light while Dark Rayquaza battered the weakened seal.
• Tetsuya and Cynthia bound the sphere with Psychic power, Aura Power, and Aura Sphere to strengthen the seal.
• Sutian and Falkner watched Bellsprout Tower blaze with white light and send a beam into the sky.
• The beam revealed the battered Burial Tower, where the white Pokémon escaped and chains kept Dark Rayquaza from fleeing.
• Dark Rayquaza roared as the entire Johto Region trembled.

After the tremors, Tetsuya emerged from Bellsprout Tower with Cynthia and the monks, having resolved the emergency but exhausted himself in the process. As he recovered in the hospital, he reunited with Iruma Mie, the prosecutor he had met after the Team Rocket operation.

• Sutian reassured Violet City's residents that the tremors were harmless aftershocks.
• Tetsuya emerged from Bellsprout Tower and confirmed that the crisis was resolved.
• Tetsuya collapsed from exhaustion, and Cynthia caught him before he hit the ground.
• Tetsuya woke in the hospital, where Blaziken, Asuka, and Yuriko checked on him.
• Miss Joy said Tetsuya was recovering well, though he needed further observation.
• Iruma Mie greeted Tetsuya, who recognized her from the operation against Team Rocket in Viridian Forest.

After recovering from his coma, Tetsuya was questioned about the underground incident and learned that Burial Tower had disappeared, with the Dark Rayquaza still a major concern. He then examined the Odd Keystone as a possible way to help Dreepy satisfy a Drakloak habit.

• Iruma Mie finished recording Tetsuya's account and praised his actions during the incident.
• Yuriko teased Tetsuya about marrying and suggested Cynthia as a match.
• Professor Oak told Tetsuya that Burial Tower had disappeared and asked whether Lugia could explain what happened.
• Tetsuya said Lugia had not responded, and Professor Oak warned that the Alliance High Command feared the Dark Rayquaza's hostility toward humans.
• After Professor Oak left, Tetsuya brought out the Odd Keystone and asked Dreepy whether it might work as a substitute for the Dreepy a Drakloak carries on its head.

The chapter explained how Drakloak and Dreepy mutually benefited from their bond, and how Dragapult grew stronger by tempering its will. After costly theories stalled the Professors’ research, Tetsuya found a possible solution in the Qi Stone from Sea Mauville: Spiritomb formed from resentment could temper the Dragapult line’s will.

• Professor Oak described the Drakloak-Dreepy bond as mutual use, with Dreepy needing protection and Drakloak seeking strength.
• Professor Rowan’s research linked Dragapult’s strength and body transparency to willpower, leading him to suggest that Dreepy might help Drakloak strengthen its will.
• Professors considered using remains of powerful Dragon Type Pokémon or life force and soul force to temper Drakloak’s will, but the costs and difficulties stalled their research.
• Tetsuya worried that raising Gible and Dreepy would be prohibitively expensive without the income from developing and selling the Bug Catching Net.
• After Tetsuya obtained the Qi Stone from Sea Mauville, Professors confirmed through research and simulated data that Spiritomb formed from resentment could temper the Dragapult line’s will.

Tetsuya considered using the Spiritomb sealed in the Qi Stone to train Dreepy’s willpower, but decided Dreepy was still too young. While recovering in the hospital, he messaged Cynthia and learned she would soon be discharged.

• Tetsuya reflected on raising the sealed Spiritomb to Quasi-Champion Level and worried about the danger it could pose to Dreepy.
• Tetsuya examined the Qi Stone and noted that Cynthia’s Aura Sphere had made the Gengar inside more emotionally stable.
• Dreepy eagerly wanted to begin willpower training after seeing the Qi Stone, but Tetsuya put it away and told Dreepy to wait until it was older.
• Blaziken shifted to make Dreepy more comfortable, while Tetsuya’s other Pokemon looked after the younger members of the team.
• Tetsuya messaged Cynthia about her recovery, and she replied that Miss Joy expected to discharge her soon.

Several days after the crisis, Tetsuya walked through Violet City with Professor Rowan, Professor Carolina, and Cynthia, reflecting on his recovery and future travels. Professor Rowan praised his achievements and urged him to keep growing as a Trainer, then asked him to visit Sinnoh and help with something.

• Tetsuya left the Pokemon Center and saw Violet City's residents returning to their normal, lively routines.
• Professor Rowan asked Tetsuya how it felt to be regarded as a hero, and Tetsuya said he planned to travel through more regions without catching new Pokemon.
• Professor Rowan admitted he had opposed sending Tetsuya to Hoenn for the Gym Qualification Tournament, but recognized that Tetsuya's achievements had proved him wrong.
• Professor Rowan discussed Tetsuya's future prospects, and Tetsuya joked that he might challenge Cynthia for the title of regional Champion.
• Tetsuya reassured Professor Rowan that he would keep traveling and not let the Acting Gym Leader position distract him from training.
• Professor Rowan asked Tetsuya to visit the Sinnoh Region first and help him with something.

Tetsuya accepted Professor Rowan’s invitation but planned to travel through Hoenn first, and Cynthia decided to join him despite Professor Carolina’s objections. After Tetsuya teased Cynthia about whether she liked him, she sent Garchomp after him, leaving the two of them in pursuit.

• Tetsuya accepted Professor Rowan’s invitation while saying he wanted to explore Hoenn and ask the awakened Sea God about Shadow Lugia.
• Cynthia said she wanted to travel with Tetsuya, but Professor Carolina insisted she return to Sinnoh to organize newly discovered Ancient Ruins.
• Cynthia told Tetsuya she would talk to Professor Carolina and join the trip, while the two professors continued to argue.
• Tetsuya asked Cynthia if she liked him, and she replied that she wanted someone stronger than herself before blushing at his response.
• Cynthia ordered Garchomp to cut down Tetsuya, but he vanished as Garchomp attacked, and she chased after him using Aura Sphere traces.

Cynthia and Tetsuya walked through Violet City after helping calm the unrest at Bellsprout Tower, then visited the quiet Violet City Gym. The chapter left them sharing a warm moment as Cynthia thanked Tetsuya for his praise.

• Cynthia explained that she had hurried to prevent Professor Rowan and her grandparents from arguing again.
• Tetsuya offered food to a young Taillow, and Cynthia petted it before it thanked them and flew away.
• Cynthia and Tetsuya reached Violet City Gym and found its members cleaning up after the unrest at Bellsprout Tower.
• Tetsuya reflected that Violet City's residents would soon show their gratitude for his and Cynthia's help.
• Cynthia praised Tetsuya, and he returned the compliment, prompting her to thank him.

Cynthia joined Tetsuya on a trip to the Whirl Islands to consult the Old Shrine Maiden about the strange events unfolding. As they arrived, a hidden Team Rocket agent reported their presence, while Tetsuya and Cynthia discussed the League’s apparent bait for the Dark Organizations and Giovanni’s unexplained silence.

• Cynthia told Professor Carolina she planned to visit the Whirl Islands with Tetsuya, leaving her grandmother exasperated.
• Tetsuya and Cynthia flew to the Whirl Islands on Pidgeot and headed to meet the Old Shrine Maiden.
• A disguised Team Rocket agent reported that Tetsuya Tamaki and Cynthia had arrived, then vanished into the crowd.
• Tetsuya and Cynthia discussed the League’s distribution of Elite Four members and Champions, and wondered how Giovanni would respond.
• The door to the Old Shrine Maiden’s room opened just as Tetsuya raised his hand to knock.

Tetsuya and Cynthia visited the Old Shrine Maiden to learn about the black Legendary Pokémon, and she revealed it was a Dark Lugia created tens of thousands of years ago. She knew little about how Dark Pokémon were made, leaving Tetsuya with few answers as he and Cynthia continued along the beach.

• The Old Shrine Maiden recognized Cynthia's exceptional Aura Sphere mastery and explained that the Sea Spirit Scepter and the Sea God's power had once helped Tetsuya discover his abilities.
• Tetsuya told the Old Shrine Maiden that two Legendary Pokémon had fought, then asked whether a pitch-black Lugia existed.
• The Old Shrine Maiden initially denied knowing about a black Lugia, but she panicked when Tetsuya said he had seen one and admitted it was a Dark Pokemon.
• The Old Shrine Maiden said the Dark Lugia had once been a powerful member of the Lugia race whose body changed after an accident and human schemes tens of thousands of years ago.
• The Old Shrine Maiden could not explain how Dark Pokemon were created, and Tetsuya left with Cynthia after learning little more.
• On the beach, Tetsuya told Cynthia that Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire and Celebi had helped restore a Dark Entei, but that method likely would not work on Dark Rayquaza or Dark Lugia.

Tetsuya took Cynthia to meet Little Lugia, who warmed to her after sensing her Aura Sphere. Their peaceful visit ended when the League reported Team Rocket had launched an operation targeting Viridian City, where Giovanni was being monitored.

• Tetsuya worried that Cipher might leave the Orre Region and recalled his suspicion that Pyrus's Dark Balls were based on Cipher's research.
• Tetsuya brought Cynthia to a remote island, where Little Lugia greeted him by blasting him with Water Jet.
• Tetsuya introduced Cynthia to Little Lugia, which grew affectionate toward her after sensing her Aura Sphere.
• Tetsuya and Cynthia received a League alert that Team Rocket had made its move against Viridian City.
• Tetsuya and Cynthia realized the League's forces were scattered and might not stop Team Rocket from helping Giovanni escape.

Apollo led Team Rocket’s assault on Viridian City, where Giovanni emerged after the city fell and promised to reimburse the members’ expenses. As League reinforcements approached, an elderly woman’s voice revealed that someone had been monitoring Giovanni, and he prepared for an encounter.

• Apollo ordered Team Rocket squads to attack targets, intercept League Trainers, and seal Viridian City’s communications.
• Team Rocket overwhelmed Viridian City’s defenders in under six hours and gathered its residents under guard.
• Apollo reported the victory to Giovanni, who emerged from Viridian Gym and promised to reimburse half the operation’s costs.
• Matori worried that Giovanni’s promise would drain Team Rocket’s dwindling reserves, but he silenced her.
• Giovanni asked armored Mewtwo how soon League support would arrive, then threw several Poke Balls when Mewtwo warned him of danger.
• An elderly woman’s voice praised Giovanni’s vigilance, and the gathered Team Rocket members took battle stances.

Giovanni and Team Rocket were ambushed in Viridian City by Agatha and the League, and the battle between Giovanni and the Champion began. Giovanni’s Rhyperior launched a boulder at Agatha, who ordered Machamp to catch and throw it back.

• Agatha revealed herself and mocked Giovanni’s subordinates for failing to detect her presence.
• Agatha ordered League personnel to surround Team Rocket and prevent Giovanni’s escape.
• Giovanni sent Matori and the other Executives to reduce losses while he stayed to face Agatha.
• Agatha and Giovanni sent out their Pokémon, and Giovanni recognized her Arbok’s Death Makeup Technique.
• Agatha’s Arbok struck Giovanni’s Dugtrio, then Giovanni’s Rhyperior hurled a boulder toward Agatha.
• Agatha ordered Machamp to catch the boulder and throw it back.

Bruno and Agatha confronted Giovanni and Team Rocket, but Giovanni's armored Mewtwo stopped Bruno's Machamp and threw it into an empty building. Meanwhile, the Alliance exposed Ishihira as an undercover agent, and the battle spread between him and the Matilda Matrix Members.

• Bruno arrived beside Agatha and demanded Giovanni surrender, then ordered Machamp to attack.
• Giovanni ordered Mewtwo to stop Machamp, and Mewtwo halted its charge before knocking it into a vacant building.
• Agatha explained that Mewtwo's armor suppressed its power while allowing Giovanni to control the Artificial Legendary Pokemon.
• Athena and Matori identified Ishihira as a mole, and he revealed Blaziken to fight the Matilda Matrix Members.
• Lance recognized Ishihira as the Alliance agent Kofuji Daichin and criticized Pyrus for failing to investigate him.