Chapter 186: Completing the Bet
Under the night sky on the outskirts of Lavender Town, Rio walked to a tree, lay down, and took out Raikou’s feather. After lighting it with a lighter, he gazed quietly at the moon.
He didn’t know how long he’d been waiting when thunder rumbled in the sky. Half a minute later, Raikou’s voice echoed in his mind:
"Rio—there’s still half a month until the bet’s deadline. Are you calling me now because you think Greninja can already complete the bet? Or do you think it can’t, and you’re ready to admit defeat and set me free?"
Rio turned to see Raikou emerging from the treeline. "Neither. I’m just going to be busy with a tournament soon, and I didn’t want to forget about our bet, so I called you early," Rio said, sitting up from under the tree.
The Indigo Plateau Conference was in two weeks, and there would be crowds everywhere—he wouldn’t have time to find a secluded spot to settle the bet during the event.
"The Indigo Conference? So you’re calling me early because you want me to fight for you?" Raikou walked up to him.
Rio frowned: "Raikou—do you ever think you’re a bit narcissistic?"
Raikou looked down at him: "Am I wrong? With me on your team, wouldn’t winning any regional tournament be a sure thing?"
It would be, but I’m not exactly short on legendaries right now... Rio reached for his belt. Just as he was about to toss a Poké Ball, Raikou’s voice continued:
"Oh, right—you also caught Articuno. You could use it to win, too. But it’s not as strong as me, and it doesn’t have my reputation."
That made Rio put the Poké Ball back and reach for three others instead.
He tossed the first—a flash of light revealed a Pokémon made entirely of stone.
"Charr~"
Raikou: o_O
He tossed the second—a Pokémon forged entirely of metal appeared.
"Jee... jee..."
Raikou: o_o
He tossed the third—a Pokémon of solid ice, radiating freezing cold, emerged.
"Gah-chee—!"
Raikou: (⊙_⊙)
"You... you caught all three of them?" Raikou’s voice was clearly shaken.
"So—do you still think following me is beneath you?" Rio shrugged.
Raikou didn’t respond, but its face was full of shock. It couldn’t believe that in the six months since it was caught, Rio had not only captured Articuno but also all three Regis—not just one, but all of them.
Rio tossed a fourth Poké Ball. Articuno appeared and immediately began to rant:
"Raikou—what kind of nonsense is that?! I’m not as strong as you? I don’t have your reputation?! Put your title of ’legendary beast’ on the line—I’ll put my title of ’legendary bird’ on the line—and we’ll settle it right now!"
Raikou turned and stared at Articuno. "Are you sure?"
Articuno’s expression froze. It suddenly remembered that Raikou had a type advantage over it. A real fight to the death would end with Articuno on the ground.
"Enough with the side talk—today’s purpose is to settle the bet between Raikou and Greninja," Rio interjected, stepping in to save Articuno from embarrassment. He released several more Poké Balls, summoning Greninja, Charizard, Munchlax, and the others. They had all witnessed the bet being made back then, and now they would all witness its conclusion.
Moments later, Raikou and Greninja stood on opposite sides of the field. But before the battle began, Rio sidled up to Raikou and whispered:
"Raikou—if you want to become the leader of the three legendary beasts, think carefully about how much force you use."
It wasn’t that he lacked confidence in Greninja—it was that he lacked confidence in himself. Greninja had trained for another month and a half, reaching Level 58—boosted to 62 with Battle Bond, and with Geomancy, it could fight Pokémon around Level 70. It should be able to withstand Raikou’s full-power attack.
The real problem was the shared pain from Battle Bond. Greninja could handle it—he, a mere human, wasn’t so sure. It wouldn’t kill him, but why suffer needlessly?
"Don’t forget how Greninja performed at Mt. Ember. Now another month and a half has passed—how much stronger do you think it is? Can it withstand your full attack? The old saying goes: ’When you’re a Pokémon, leave some room—you’ll be glad you did.’"
Raikou listened to Rio’s rambling, glanced at Greninja, who was raring to go, and then at the assembled legendary witnesses.
"I understand—I’ll hold back," Raikou’s voice echoed in Rio’s mind. "But I don’t get it—if you’re so confident in Greninja, why are you so worried about me using full power? It’s like you’re the one stepping onto the battlefield."
I’m not on the battlefield, but I might as well be, Rio thought with a wry smile. "You’ll find out soon enough."
With that, Rio stepped to the center and acted as referee. He wouldn’t guide Greninja’s defense—he would simply be the tool that enabled its Battle Bond evolution.
"The bet begins now."
Rio’s hand swung down.
Raikou opened its mouth, gathering energy for a Zap Cannon. Greninja formed hand seals, using Rio’s power to trigger Battle Bond—a pillar of water engulfed its body as it simultaneously activated Geomancy. Life force from the earth flowed into Greninja, and its body began to glow with a pale golden light.
When Raikou’s Zap Cannon fired, Greninja’s buffs were fully stacked. It threw a Water Shuriken—the two moves clashed a meter in front of Greninja. They held for one second before the Water Shuriken dispersed, and the Zap Cannon struck Greninja’s crossed arms.
"Gren~" The double-damage from the Electric-type attack made Greninja cry out in pain.
On the sidelines, Rio felt the shared pain surge from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His scalp tingled, his body trembled, and he gasped sharply. The violent reaction drew the attention of every Pokémon around him—they all looked like he was about to collapse.
Even Raikou was startled. "Are you okay?!"
Raikou leaped over to Rio’s side.
"I’m fine—I just feel amazing. Absolutely amazing." Rio’s hair stood on end, and sweat poured down his face. "Really, I’m fine. I’m totally fine. You’re fine too, right, Greninja?"
Raikou looked at Rio with a strange expression, then at Greninja—battered but still standing tall. It suddenly felt like it understood why Rio had been so talkative earlier.