Volume 1 Recap
A/N: Greetings! Author here. So I decided to make a volume 1 recap since I realized that volume 1 and future volumes would be way too long so having a recap for each volume could allow new readers to don't get the burden of reading 3k+ words for each 60 chapters. Yes, this would be a core part of each volume, and yes, all volumes would have a max of 60 chapters only unless I added something. Other than that, thanks for reading! Join my discord if you want more future updates from me while I'm on a Hiatus.
Kanto. From being a small nation to becoming an overgrowing economic powerhouse of the region; it has changed a lot in the past 6 years. Cities boomed and living conditions skyrocketed as Kanto continued to progress. But as Kanto continues to modernize, it is slowly losing grip on its culture and traditions. Mega Evolution and Pokemon training, these are two core foundations of Kantonese culture but as time marches forward, these two traditions are being questioned by the masses.
Mega Evolution. It was the staple of many Pokemon battles across Kanto; strong and powerful as it boosts and changes the Pokemon's form but with science slowly realizing that Mega Evolution causes harm to the Pokemon. Many have opposed the use of Mega Evolution and petitioned to create bills and legislation on the Kantonese diet but majority of them failed as Mega Evolution is still popular according to the masses.
Pokemon training. A fun little side-hobby for children, teens and young-adults where they could travel across the nation with their Pokemon to battle and to be stronger. It was a popular Kanto tradition but it was slowly falling to irrelevance for no exact reason. Many theorized because many consider it to be unlawful, some thought because many of the younger generations don't find any interest in being a Pokemon trainer as they were busy on a platform of Pokemon training, the virtual league. There was no absolute answer to why but seeing how this beloved tradition is dying out, many were worried about Kanto's future.
Yoake Katsuragi, a 12 year-old boy from Pallet City, is a prodigy when it comes to Pokemon battles. He recently won the Virtual League and gained the title of 'Virtual Champion'. Many admired him but there was something odd about him. He always wears this black scarf. Nobody knows but to himself knows why he wears this scarf. It was a gift from his first ever friend; he may have forgotten what she looked like but he knows some important details, brown hair and her blue eyes; he was having a hard time remembering her name as it was faint but deep down, he knows that she's out there. They made a promise to one another, he becomes the world champion while she becomes a successful movie star.
Many were wondering if he's joining the actual Pokemon league; at first, he was hesitant. He doubts himself. However, he met Erika, the Grass-type specialist from Celadon City. She told him about a recent discovery about an ancient legend which gave Yoake some curiosity. Later on, he decided to fall asleep, he was reminiscent of his old past but he then got a nightmare from a night that shattered his heart. He woke up from that nightmare and decided that he would become a Pokemon trainer, registering for the league and getting his Pokemon the following morning.
On the next day, he woke up and immediately headed to Professor Oak's laboratory but before leaving, his father told him that his uncle from Hoenn recently sent him a Pokemon as a gift for him becoming the virtual League champion. He then heads to the lab but to his dismay, the Kanto starters are being tested in Kalos for research regarding Mega Evolution. However, he was given an alternative, giving his uncle's gift Pokemon and a Pokemon from his sanctuary. Upon getting his Pokemon, Pokeballs and Pokedex, he went to the sanctuary and caught a Bellsprout, who has a dream of soaring the sky and flying like the pidgeys it sees on the sanctuary.
His gift Pokemon is a small little Ralts. She was weak but she has a basic understanding of her teleportation ability but as time goes by, this little Ralts would become the strongest Gardevoir that the world has ever seen.
Yoake got home and packed his bags as he prepared for his grand adventure throughout Kanto. After that, he was reintroduced to an old companion of his, Leaf. She was his former babysitter, she acted like a mother-figure for him since his actual mother is very busy alongside his father. She may not be perfect but she was the best but at his 10 birthday, everything changed. He saw her break and stole his first Pokemon license, seeing how the person he looked up to the most shattered his dream and broke his heart, he felt betrayed. Without anyone else to be the guide of this vulnerable boy, he becomes a hermit. He may have parents but none cared for him the most. He has a sister on his side but it wasn't enough to fill the void that Leaf created. While being a hermit, he entered the Virtual League and was able to grasp the concept of Pokemon battles at an accelerating rate and 2 years later, he became the Virtual Champion of the League.
Upon seeing Leaf, he was furious and wanted her to be out from his adventure but realizing how this was predetermined by his parents; he has no choice but to accept the fact that the person he hated the most was with him.
When the two crossed the Pallet-Viridian border, they were introduced to a girl. She has white hair and blue eyes, an interesting contrast to Yoake's black hair and red eyes. Her name is Ren Mirai, she recently joined the league alongside Yoake as she was interested in partaking. Seeing his first trainer, he decided to battle her; Yoake noticed that Ren isn't a novice when it comes to battle and was about to win until Yoake made a bold move, dragging Ralts away with a Pokeball. Leaf scolded him about it but he brushed it off. Yoake and Ren became friends/rivals and wished the best of luck to their journey.
As they went to Pewter City for Yoake to get his first gym, they stumbled upon a Spearow; Leaf was startled by it as she was afraid of birds for some reason. Seeing his babysitter freaking out, he decided to catch the Spearow as a means to make distance between the two.
He entered the Pewter City gym and battled Brock, earning him the Boulder Badge in the process. After getting the said badge, he noticed that Leaf was missing; he then got a text from her stating that she has to go somewhere. Curious from what she meant but he was happy nonetheless that she left as soon as possible as he is finally alone. He then met a mysterious figure, all black but with white hair and blue eyes. He battled the doe but when he was about to lose, Ralts immediately evolved to a Kirlia and defeated this mysterious figure.
It was weird how Ralts evolved as early as possible but they digress. On the next morning, they head to Cerulean City to battle Misty and her ferocious Gyarados; it was a close battle but they won. Later that day, he met Ren and the two decided to eat lunch. While eating, Yoake told Ren how he met Leaf and how she made him hate her. After that, the two part ways with Ren going home while Yoake heads to Vermillion City where he would battle a recently imported trainer from Unova, Ellix.
Yoake and Ellix had a short battle as the electric-type specialist was preparing for a party. Yoake won his fourth badge with ease and was expecting the day to have a happy ending until he saw a girl crying at the Pokemon center as her Pokemon was stolen by a mysterious person. He was warned not to find the person but he ignored it and walked up to a trap that would nearly cost his life.
He met the figure and the two battled as he tried to take the girl's Pokemon back, he nearly lost but Kirlia evolved to a Gardevoir. Mesmerized that his Pokemon evolved to its final form within 2 days, he was frozen in shock. He then heard a gunshot, a bullet passed through both Gardevoir and him. The two fell to the ground, nearly dying in the process but he heard a familiar voice at the distance, it was Erika. The man immediately escaped upon hearing the grass-type specialist's voice, he left with the stolen Pokemon on his belt.
Erika, with the help of her Vileplume, saved the recovered injured trainer and Gardevoir. On the next day, the two decided to train as Erika actually made a promise with Leaf that she would keep an eye out on Yoake while she was gone. The grass type specialist noticed Yoake's knowledge about Pokemon battles and so, the two battled. She was curious about Yoake's extensive knowledge so she tested him; he won in the end, something that Erika expects the most. She then gave him the Celadon badge, thinking that Yoake needs better movesets for his Pokemon, Erika remembers the old casino where it stores all of the TMs that Yoake might find use of.
They went to the arcade, found a lever that leads to a basement. Being seduced by curiosity, the two entered the black mouth of the basement stairs and as they venture through the darkness, they found the library that has all of the TMs that Yoake needs. However, they were attacked, it was Sabrina, the Psychic-specialist from Saffron City. There was frustration and anger that was brewing through the flower maiden upon seeing Sabrina and she immediately took advantage of it by remembering the failures that she had 6 years ago. Memories that forever haunted and taunted Erika and even till this day, she can sense the depriving thoughts about it. Sabrina left the two with utter victory to her smile as she knows that her rival stood down to defeat. Yoake comforted her and asked her about it but Erika decided not to answer as she knows that telling it to him would open more problems than comfort. The two left the basement and continued on.
Yoake expressed his desire to get a Nidoking as it was his favorite Pokemon. Since Erika was busy, she told Brock to be his guardian as they went to Fuschia city where Yoake would capture a Nidoking and compete with Janine, the Poison-type specialist in Fuschia city.
As they entered the city, Yoake explained to Brock why he left Nidoking. Nidoran, its first pre-evolved form, was the first Pokemon that protected him and the girl he met many years ago. In fact, it was the first Pokemon that followed his order as he told the Nidoran to fight off the horde of Beedrill for their safety. It was there when Yoake gained a massive fascination towards the Nido species. When they went to the Safari Zone, they met a strange and bizarre Nidoking. It was smarter and quieter than your average Nidoking. It decided to tag along and join them in their journey as it notices how Gardevoir has the same interest as him.
Later on, they were attacked by a group of bikers; Yoake escaped as Brock fought the grunts. Janine showed up and quickly helped Brock fighting the grunts. Ren also showed up for 'some reason' and three tried to find Yoake, only for Ren to find a mysterious Gardevoir floating through the sky. It was all black, it was like nothing they have ever seen before. It stared at Ren with its red glowing eyes and when she tried to fight it, it immediately defeated her by having an overpowering ability. As soon as she loses the fight, the Gardevoir teleports away. Janine and Brock found the white trainer being traumatized from the thing she saw; Janine was alerted that a boy and a Gardevoir was on her gym's entrance and they quickly realized that the boy that they were referring to is Yoake.
They head to the gym and find that Yoake and Gardevoir are in the guest room, being taken care of by the gym caretaker. They noticed that Gardevoir was waking up, and Ren immediately walked up to her.
"Do you know what happened?" And to their surprise, Gardevoir talked and replied to her like any normal person having a conversation. This shocked everyone as nobody has ever heard a Pokemon knowing how to communicate by using the human language. She can talk and is fluent with her Kantonese. Yoake woke up later and was also shocked to hear Gardevoir talk. He was surprised for sure but he was relieved as he would finally understand what Gardevoir is talking about and have proper communication when battling. However, as delighting this news is, Janine was alerted that someone is on their front door and when they were brought up to Janine's presence, it was none other than Leaf and Yoake was furious to see his former babysitter return.
It was a mixed feeling for her to randomly show up but there was a reason why. She showed a recently published article about the mysterious Gardevoir and it was immediately taken down for classified reasons. Gardevoir realized that it was she who caused the fuss in Fuschia city but since she can't recall what happened, she has nothing to say about it. Leaf then told them what it was, it was called 'Battle-Bond' and many were curious about it.
They made a call with Professor Oakido where he could explain the little known things about Battle-Bond, he was also shocked to hear Gardevoir talk as well but he assumed that Battle-Bond gave her a human-feature, being able to talk, think and probably act like a human. There was little to known data about Battle-Bond since it was just a myth but seeing it happened recently, many were speculating if it's like Mega Evolution. They decided to test it out by having Yoake and Gardevoir battling Janine. The specialist agreed and the two fought. It was clear in that battle that Janine was winning but Yoake felt an inner-tantrum and nearly abused the power of battle bond which the poison-type specialist took notice of. Janine called for a forfeit as she knows that if this was continued, Yoake would destroy the gym, and Leaf wasn't happy about it.
Leaf stormed out from the gym as she realized how Yoake was not yet mentally ready for this powerful ability and to make it worse, he has a massive sense of pride and ego. He may know a lot of things about Pokemon battles but time and time again reality hits him back. Leaf decided to reveal to Yoake the truth. He was never meant to win. He has violated way too many rules during his battle with Brock, Misty and Ellix; Erika wasn't even trying yet they allowed him to get their badges since they know how risky it is to lose Yoake. In order to prove himself, he decided to battle Leaf with a little wager, if he wins, Leaf would finally leave his life, if she wins, he would stop Pokemon training as a whole; even though Leaf has no interest in battling the boy she raised, she accepted his challenge. She then tore his entire team into shreds with her single Clefable.
As soon as Clefable defeated the embrace Pokemon, Yoake immediately passed out, synchronously fainting alongside his Gardevoir. Leaf ran towards Yoake and caught him before falling to the ground. She told Brock to carry him to the beds he slept on earlier as she called his parents to alert them about this. Not surprisingly, very infuriating, they were too busy and cared less about the boy. She bantered out after ending their call as she was furious at how detached Yoake and Yugure's parents are. She then decided to ask Brock when was the last time he ate since it was getting late; he then told him that the last thing he ate was at 7 in the morning. Yoake hasn't eaten anything for the entire day and adding the fact that Battle Bond probably drained his remaining energy, he was weak and numb.
She then head to the groceries, bought the needed ingredients and cook Yoake's favorite meal, Chicken Soup. It was Leaf's biggest novelty and it was too grand that Yoake prefers this compared to his mother's version of the soup - even if everything else was a delight from her side. Once Yoake wakes up, the two decide to eat and reconcile as they poked fun at their past. And from this day forward, it was the babysitter's turn to take care of the boy.
On the following day, the three head back to Celadon City. Nidoking and Gardevoir decided to train early in the morning so that they could relax for the entire day and after that, they were talking about a book that they recently found. Both are fast readers and they have already finished it, they just need to buy the next volume of the said book.
Meanwhile, Leaf decided to give Yoake her spare Kubfu, a rare Pokemon that she got during her Galar visit 2 years ago. Since she already has an Urshifu - an evolved form of Kubfu - she gave the extra to Yoake since it was pretty fitting for Yoake because both of them like to train in the entire day but Yoake taps out pretty easily.
After eating their lunch, Gardevoir decided to head out and find the next volume of the book she's reading. Yoake and Leaf tagged along to ensure that she wasn't fussed by the crowd in Celadon City. It took a while but she managed to find the book she was looking for but to her dismay someone was reading it and it was none other than Sabrina, the Psychic-type specialist from Saffron City.
She then insulted Gardevoir since she recently found out that she gained human-features from Battle Bond. She decided to test how humande Gardevoir was letting her feel the emotion of depravity; and to her surprise, it worked. Gardevoir kneeled down on the ground with utter pain in her thoughts after being insulted by one of the most powerful specialists in all of Kanto. She left the sobbing Pokemon in the bookstore as she walked outside and saw both Leaf and Yoake rushing in to aid Gardevoir. Yoake was furious to hear Sabrina insulting Gardevoir and he swore that he would fight her tomorrow. Sabrina smirked and accepted his challenge.
The two went inside of the bookstore and saw Gardevoir weeping on the floor; they comforted her and assured her that she is as human as her trainer is. They decided that Gardevoir should have a name of her own; since Yoake was bad at giving nicknames, he let Gardevoir choose her own name and she went for "Claudine" , the feminine version of Claudius, the former emperor of the fictional empire named 'Roman Empire' from the book she was reading.
Later that night, an unknown explosion occurred on the Kanto-Johto border and for many, they thought it was a border threat but they soon realized this would create a ripple on the grand-geopolitics of the Pokemon world later on. Saffron, the capital of Kanto, panicked as they didn't know what to do after receiving news about the explosion. Hudson, the current Prime Minister, called Goldenrod - Capital of Johto - to ask about it. They later learned that this explosion was a failed experiment to mimic the greatest invention of all time, the Pokemon Healing Machine.
Karen, the current Pokemon champion of the Indigo League was called for this special meeting. She told them that this explosion released a lot of artificial Galar particles which means that a new form of battling mechanic has entered Kanto's parameters, Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing. She gave them documents about how Dynamaxing works, all thanks to Leaf's visitation of Galar. It was decided that both would review this new form of battle and from their decision, it would decide the fate of Mega Evolution.
Leaf was told that they have to head to Professor Oakido lab as Karen wants to hear more about Dynamaxing, recently discovered Battle Bond from Yoake and Claudine, and getting their Kanto starters as they were done being tested in Kalos. Seeing how important this is, she alerted both trainer and his Pokemon and headed back to Pallet City.
They went to Professor Oakido's lab and waited for Ren as she was also invited to get her starter and be observed by Karen. The professor revealed the 3 fully evolved forms of the Kanto starters and let the two pick on who'll be joining their team. Since both cannot decide who'll get to pick first, the two decided to battle it out. Leaf interrupted the two as she doesn't want the two to battle at the Pokemon sanctuary, and Yoake decided that Ren should pick first. She then takes Blastoise while Yoake has no choice but to take Charizard as he already has a grass-type on his team.
After getting their starters, the two decided to battle with Claudine using Battle-Bond while Ren Mega-evolved Gengar. However, Rotom noticed that Ren was emitting something similar to Battle-Bond but it was interrupted as soon as Ren activated her Mega Stone. Claudine was holding on to a slither as Battle Bond was activated very late in the battle. He won but Yoake saw how Ren was getting better overtime, she was countering his every move and managing to create a signature move between her and Gengar that completely caught Claudine off-guard, even Karen was surprised. The champion saw potential with Ren and was willing to wait for the day where they would battle someday.
Before heading to Saffron City, Yoake and Karen have a small chat and learn that Karen knows Trevor, Yoake's father, and was even a close friend of his during his childhood.
They immediately went to Saffron city but Leaf decided to stay in Pallet City as she had a talk with Karen and Professor Oakido as they were trying to find Ren and Blue. Ren tagged along with Yoake as she wants to help her rival by giving advice as she has already defeated Sabrina.
Claudine was shocked to see how Saffron City was so crowded, it was after all, it is the Iron City that pumps the mighty Kanto Machine. They ate their lunch first and headed to Sabrina's gym afterwards. Yoake and Claudine prepared themselves as they know how tough Sabrina is and as soon as they entered, they immediately fought her. It was a rigged battle but Sabrina got the upper hand as she was mind-probing Yoake's thoughts and gave him detrimental issues that would later on be problematic. She defeated him with ease and handed Yoake his first ever loss in his gym battle. As soon as he was defeated, he and Claudine passed out as Sabrina's Alakazam made them faint.
Yoake woke up in a foreign room, he looked around and tried to find where Claudine was. He noticed that they were kidnapped by Sabrina but they couldn't tell where they were brought to. Then a tall elegant woman entered and escorted him to the commander of Team Rocket, it was the mysterious man he met a few days ago. He was furious to see the man again but before any frustration occured, they waited for Claudine to show up as the man wanted to reveal something important to the two.
As soon as Claudine was in the room, the man immediately told them the truth about Yoake's father. His father's real name is Takeshi, a famous inventor and was even the former founder of Team Rocket, formerly named Team BIOS as it was meant to find a cure and help Pokemon. However, he was too naive to realize that his partner, Giovanni, had been planning to overthrow him and take full control of the team. Giovanni was greedy for power and money, he barely cared less about Pokemon and Takeshi's true intention as he hides it by creating a facade; and when he finally took control of the Team, he immediately used it as a means to gain absolute power. Creating a mockery of Takeshi's title by pretending the company to save Pokemon but hidden beneath the surface, they were abusing and torturing Pokemon as a means to gain more money.
There was anger and confusion that was brewing through Yoake's thought soup. He couldn't comprehend what he just heard but he was trying his best to feel pity at his father. But there is one thing that lingers the black trainer's mind, he has a missing twin. As they continued to talk, Leaf barged in and immediately saved Yoake and Claudine, they escaped with her Dragonite and headed back to Celadon City but a random Castform attacked them and it made them fall to a nearby rooftop; Leaf and Claudine were fine but Yoake broke his arm. Leaf relieves the pain by making a sling for his broken arm, and after that, they head back to ensure Yoake's full recovery.
As they returned, Misty told them about an event that was going to be held on Porta Vista on Saturday. Yoake, Ren and all of the specialists are invited as they are considered as vips. They agreed and took some rest as Yoake recovered from his broken arm.
Saturday has arrived and Misty showed up to Erika's door once more and asked them, they all said yes and started to prepare. Leaf suggested that Yoake should have a summer attire since his current clothes would only fit for a temperate climate, since summer is coming, he should change. Yoake agreed and the two went to the Celadon Department store. With Leaf's suggestion, they managed to find a perfect fit for Yoake's summer attire.
Afterwards, they went back to Erika's gym with the three specialists and all of them headed to Porta Visa on a train. When they got there, they were escorted to the room for the specialist, as they were introduced to their room, they saw Sabrina and Janine sitting on one of the couches. There was clear frustration between the specialists and it was a good thing that they sat on sofas that are paralleled to one another. Ren entered the room as well as she was also invited but seeing how one side is full, she decided to sit alongside Sabrina and Janine; looking down as she felt anxiety being radiated from Sabrina's presence.
They were told that they are going to wear sporty-like uniforms as they were told that Kanto is trying to mimic the Galar's league. It was a red flag for many specialists but since the wound event of 6 years ago is still fresh from the Kantonese mind, there's nothing they could do. Yoake and Ren wore their new uniform while being handed by one dynamaxing band, Ren decided that Yoake should have it instead of hers as she is going to use her Mega stone.
After that, an announcement was held that Kanto is embracing Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing as they see it as an opportunity to bring back Pokemon training's popularity and a possibility of replacing Mega Evolution as a whole. The two then went to the field and were confronted by Sabrina and Janine as they were about to reveal Dynamaxing to the crowd through a battle. They battled with Yoake using his recently evolved Urshifu, Ren with her Gengar, Janine with her Beedrill and Sabrina with her Hatarrene. Yoake has never seen Hattarene, it was a foreign Pokemon just like Urshifu but he continued on with the fight.
It was a close battle but Claudine suddenly interrupted and joined the fight after Urshifu faints to the ground; it was there where Battle-Bond was shown to the public. This caught Sabrina and Janine off-guard and seeing how Yoake was more prepared as he removed the sling from his broken arm as he was actually fully recovered just so he could bait them thinking that he was vulnerable. Claudine draws out her sword and parries the G-max Hatterene's massive tail-like hair. The crowd cheered as they saw such a small Pokemon being able to hold-off this giant and even managed to defeat it. Impressed by this, Sabrina gave him the badge that Yoake has been itching for, the Marsh Badge.
With this victory, Yoake was ready to take on the 7th and final specialist as the 8th gym was a battle between him and Ren - and the winner would compete in the Indigo League All Star Championship. However, as they were heading back to the train station, Leaf was shot near her chest by a random grunt. It immediately ran away as it tries to flee but Ren and Yoake immediately chases it while the specialists carries Leaf to the hospital. The two trainers managed caught the gunner but he has a pill that onced chewed, he would immediately die. Ren noticed that the man has a big red R on his chest - it couldn't be. Ren has never felt fear before but the news of the person that she was eager to hide from has finally returned.
Afterwards, the two and Claudine head to the hospital where Leaf was being recovered. Yoake stayed with his babysitter all-night long while the rest left. He was hoping that Leaf's surgery would be a sucess as he doesn't want to lose his former babysitter. Leaf was his mother-figure, his only parent in life, he could care less about his biological parents because they were never there in his life but Leaf, she has always been with him ever since they met 6 years ago. She was his guardian and nobody else could ever replace that title.
Meanwhile, after leaving the hospital, Ren immediately alerts both Sabrina and Janine the shocking news, Giovanni is back.
On the following day, Erika heads back to the hospital and there is exciting news waiting for her. Leaf was alive and doing well. It felt like the heavens gifted the surgery as Leaf was about to die but with some miracle, she was alive. With assurance that Leaf is going to be alright, Yoake alongside Ren, heads to Cinnabar Island so that both could get their 7th gym badge.
They board on a boat that heads to Cinnabar Island and while they were safely cruising, Ren couldn't help herself but her mind was too flustered about Giovanni's return. This was for the first time, Ren was powerless as the monster of her past is coming back with its ferocious teeth once more. Earlier on, Ren had a private talk with Leaf where she finally reveals the truth to the legendary trainer. Leaf felt pity on the girl as she knows that she was dragged to this because of one thing, her blood.
As they continue to cruise the sea, a heavy rain popped out of nowhere and the once calm waves started to rigid as if something was intervening the weather in the area. Everyone one board panicked but the fugitive who caused this finally appeared, it was Zapdos. Seeing the legendary bird for the first time, Yoake immediately took his chance of capturing it. Ren thought that was suicidal because no one is stupid enough to contest the legendary but Yoake persists. With Claudine, Yoake fought the legendary bird even if the rough seas were against them. They managed to catch it at the cost of Ren punching Yoake for the first time.
They finally docked at Cinnabar Island and the first thing they did was eat some lunch and have fun for a brief moment as Claudine saw an arcade store nearby. This was the moment when Yoake and Ren's friendship was at its peak to the point Claudine thought that the two would be a perfect match, romantically. Yoake got Ren an Azumarill plush from a claw machine and Ren cherished this moment. It's as if an older sibling gave something to the younger one, it was a heart melting moment for the two.
They then went to the cinnabar gym so that they could finally get their 7th badge and to their surprise, it was filled with Team Magma grunts. They thought that the gym was being attacked but Maxie, the leader of Team Magma, showed up and introduced himself to the two. He then revealed that he is the current Fire-type specialist. Ren was the first one to get her badge while Maxie explains to Yoake about how he got to be the specialist. After explaining, they head back to the gym so that Yoake could fight Maxie's daughter, Amber. It was a tough battle but this battle made Battle-Bond a run for its money as Amber's Mega Blaziken was used so proficiently that it nearly caused their defeat but Claudine charges on with a victory.
Afterwards, they board a boat that is heading them back to Pallet City and it is at this moment, Ren has decided to finally confess to Yoake. It took a lot of effort and courage but she wants to get rid of the burden from her chest.
She was his missing twin sibling. She was stolen by a random woman when they were borned and was abandoned as soon as the woman realized that she just took the wrong baby. Instead of just giving it back to the hospital, she decided to let the baby die in one of the alleyways. She was then found by a few grunts of Team Rocket and was adopted by their leader, Giovanni. She has the ability to use Battle-bond but she is desperately trying to avoid using it because if Yoake found out, it would cause massive problems down the line.
But during her confession, a blinding light caused an illusion at Yoake's point of view and instead of seeing Ren, he was seeing the commander from Team Rocket. Those white hair and blue eyes being mystified by the shadows, it was all too clear. He walked backwards and instead of embracing his sibling, he was walking away. And as this commotion continued, an explosion occurred.
The two were separated from the explosion and as Yoake tries to find Ren, he only sees the burnt Azumarill plush floating through the abyssal seas. With the anger, confusion and mixed feelings, the boy's hatred was growing ever so slightly as he was only blaming one thing, Team Rocket. The commander nearly killed him, one of his grunts nearly killed Leaf and now, they want to kill him and Ren. He had enough. Claudine finally found him and she brought him back to shore. And as they head back to shore, Yoake felt something was wrong and he immediately told his Pokemon to quickly head back to their house.
They went home as soon as possible and to their horror, they saw his sister, mother and father's corpses bleeding on the ground. He couldn't tell if it was recent but there was a clear sign of an attack. However, his father was barely alive and told him about the truth before slowly dying from the sins of his past. He told him Ren is his actual twin sister, she was the real Yugure Katsuragi but was separated from them. Before passing away, he told them about a phone that would allow him to call his grandpa and all of the answers they needed about Battle-Bond would be finally answered.
Thinking that Team Rocket caused all of this and after being handed out by an envelope stating that he should go to the 8th gym. He didn't waste any time and headed to the gym. With all of the anger, hatred and frustration being boiled through Yoake's line of thought, there was only one motive in mind, killing the commander as a form of retaliation. And as he entered the gym, to his shock, he was only seeing Ren but was it really Ren in his perception. Ren was wearing an all-black, a shocking similarity towards the commander. This made him more furious, Ren tried to bargain but Yoake was ignoring her as he knows that Ren died during that explosion and in front of him is the commander of Team Rocket.
His anger was too strong to the point that Battle-bond was affected by this, it even affected Claudine. A shared anger between the two was formed and it was catastrophically deadly. Ren tried so hard to defend herself but Yoake was way too in for revenge. And in her desperate moment, Ren has finally used Battle-Bond.
The two Katsuragi's fight as the TV in front of them continues to broadcast about their father's death. Once brothers and sisters fighting and helping one another leads to this grieving moment. They were a family that was once Unite but was torn apart by a man who is too greedy for power. This was Giovanni's plan, to make Yoake angry to the point he would kill Ren, and from his anger, he would be a pawn for Giovanni's grand scheme to take over the world.
And in the end, Ren lost the battle. She saw regret in Yoake's eyes but his angered look was hiding it. As Claudine's sword was ready to swing towards her, she was interrupted as a pink slime stopped her, it was a Ditto. The two turned around and saw Leaf, desperately trying to find peace between the two. Yoake's anger slowly diminished as he was hugged by Leaf and Ren joined in as she was also part of their family. Erika walks in and sees the most beautiful thing she has ever seen, Three orphans but acts as a family.
A month has passed and Yoake has joined the Indigo Champion League, he fought through thick and thin. Just like Ren, he was trying to avoid using Battle-Bond as the frustration he had a month ago was still there. He managed to find an alternative but it was clear that this wasn't as proficient compared to Battle Bond. He won all 3 battles and was eager to finally battle Karen.
Karen, on the other hand, was in a tough spot ever since Takeshi died. She doesn't know what to do anymore as she knows that she has to make a choice. As much as she cares for her friend, she wants to regain Mega Evolution's popularity and the League getting its place back on the grand scheme of things. And that decision was tested when Claudine was weak on their final battle, she could've told her Greninja to defeat the weak Embrace Pokemon and lets her policies occur but she decided not to and from that decision, the world has to suffer in the long run at the cost of finally killing the monster of the past.
In the end however, Leaf wasn't even sure if Karen's decision was even right as Yoake was still vulnerable to Giovanni but all she hoped was that her friend from Johto would clear the path for Yoake's journey.
For the meantime, the world was shocked to hear Kanto banning Mega Evolution and from that small decision from the world champion, the consequences would linger later on.