Chrysalis

Leaf remains at the Sakai Ranch, supporting Mr. Sakai while pushing forward with her ambitious project to rewrite wild pokemon conditioning. She seeks advice from Bill, who cautions her that selectively removing aggression toward humans without wiping a pokemon's entire personality is incredibly complex, but promises to connect her with someone who might help. Later, Blue and his new journeymates arrive to visit. Blue shares details of the Vermilion gym's grueling war-simulation scenarios, and tells Leaf that while he finally understands the logic of Red's utilitarian choice to let Aiko die, he still feels he cannot trust Red on a journey. Leaf urges Blue to at least reach out and confirm their friendship, which he agrees to consider.

Later, Red visits the ranch to help Leaf test her sakki theory on maimed pokemon. Red privately asks if she blames him for Aiko's death. Leaf answers honestly that she does not judge him and their friendship is secure, bringing Red immense relief. Laura, Red's mother, arrives and reveals that she has been fired and sued by her news station—a silencing tactic orchestrated by the Silph Corporation. She shares what her masked informant uncovered: Silph is fighting a shadow war and likely killed the Mount Moon Renegade to protect their secrets. Laura entrusts an encrypted laptop containing the informant's files to Leaf, tasking her with discovering the informant's identity. That evening, Leaf maps the data to trace the earliest thefts to Fuchsia City, and receives an email from Bill's contact: a socially isolated Unovan boy named Natural who treats pokemon like siblings and wants to help with her project.