Chapter 368: Questioning Kanto
Kyogre’s Origin Pulse was no match for Fusion Flare—Kyogre was sent flying by the attack. Like a sun in the night sky, it lit up the area, visible even to the people of Lacunosa Town several kilometers away.
They had already been awakened from their sleep by the commotion at the Giant Chasm, and now they were utterly stunned by what they saw. Many brought out binoculars to watch. Those who were knowledgeable enough to recognize the legendary Pokémon ganging up on Kyurem were left completely dumbfounded. The first thing they did was report it to the Unova League.
At that time, Unova’s Champion was still Alder. When he received the news, he was completely baffled—especially after seeing the photos sent to him. His understanding of reality was shaken.
Sinnoh’s Time God Dialga, Hoenn’s ancient Pokémon Kyogre, the Ideal Dragon Zekrom, and the Truth Dragon Reshiram—along with a black Charizard, a Mewtwo, and a Gengar.
"Wait—black Charizard, Mewtwo, and Gengar? Aren’t those the Kanto Champion’s Pokémon?" Alder immediately thought of an incident from a year ago. The Kanto Champion had gone to Sinnoh to dismantle the Hunter Organization. The news had spread far and wide, and Alder had come to recognize that Champion and his Pokémon: black Charizard, Mewtwo, and Gengar.
"Don’t tell me that Kanto Champion has come to our Unova region, and this entire situation is his doing—leading his three Pokémon and four other legendaries to gang up on Kyurem?" Alder’s mind raced with a terrifying thought.
"Quick—contact the Kanto League. Ask them what’s going on! Do they want war with Unova? With the world? If they don’t want war, have that Rio stop his actions immediately!" Alder ordered his subordinates.
Above the Giant Chasm, after Kyogre was sent flying by Fusion Flare from the fused White Kyurem, Kyurem’s confidence soared.
"Kyurem~!" — Bastards! You enjoyed beating me up, didn’t you? Well now the tables have turned!
"Kyurem~!" — I’m going to pay each of you back for every hit—especially you, Dialga! You had fun beating me, didn’t you? You’re going to have a great time too!
White Kyurem blazed with flames, its presence now completely different from before. Dialga’s expression tightened—it could sense the change in power. It knew that Kyurem was the equivalent of Sinnoh’s Giratina, and with this fusion, its strength was like Giratina in Origin Forme. If Dialga tried to trade blows, it would be in serious trouble—unless it too could enter Origin Forme. But its Adamant Orb was far away in Sinnoh.
Mewtwo and Charizard also felt the surge in Kyurem’s power after absorbing Reshiram. They turned to look at Rio.
"Roooar~"
"Can we Mega Evolve now?" Mewtwo’s voice echoed in Rio’s mind.
Earlier, during the beatdown, Mega Evolution had been off-limits by mutual agreement. But now that Kyurem had absorbed Reshiram, they couldn’t keep up without evolving. Rio smiled at their question.
"Mega Evolve, Charizard, Mewtwo." Rio revealed the Key Stone on his chest, silently apologizing to Kyurem.
After all, when Black Rayquaza had fought seven-on-one, none of its opponents had entered Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion. Kyurem’s situation was different—it was facing Mewtwo and Charizard, both capable of Mega Evolution. Even with Mewtwo’s evolution, it might not be able to beat Kyurem—but Mega Charizard, at level 98 against level 95, would be a different story. Even Mega Rayquaza might struggle against it.
So, Kyurem, I have to apologize. You’re fighting seven-on-one too, but unlike Black Rayquaza, luck isn’t on your side.
Mewtwo, receiving Rio’s permission, erupted in evolution light, transforming into the Fighting-type powerhouse—Mewtwo X. Charizard roared and evolved into its Y Form, boosting its Fire-type moves to their peak.
"Roooar~" — Don’t get too excited, Kyurem! You’re not the only one who can evolve! Let’s see whose flames are stronger!
"Roooar~" — Stay back, everyone—let me handle this!
Mega Charizard Y roared, golden flames swirling around its mouth, causing the surrounding temperature to spike. Mewtwo X stepped aside, respecting Charizard’s wish. Dialga, having witnessed Mega Charizard’s power before, also moved aside.
"Truly unbelievable—who would have thought that one day I, the Time God, would have to make way for a Charizard?" Dialga muttered to itself.
"Kyogre~" — Are you sure about this, Charizard? Its power is nothing like before—I’m living proof! Kyogre, who had never seen Mega Charizard’s power, was skeptical.
"Zekrom~" — Be careful, Charizard. Having absorbed Reshiram, Kyurem’s flames now carry both ice and fire extremes. If you can’t match it, you’ll take heavy damage. Zekrom also warned.
Charizard scoffed at their warnings, its fighting spirit soaring as it faced White Kyurem. White Kyurem was equally dismissive.
"Kyurem~!" — Little Charizard—you’ll pay for your arrogance! I am Kyurem—the strongest dragon in the world!
White Kyurem gathered flames in its mouth—silver-white flames radiating intense cold. This was its divine move, gained after fusing with Reshiram: Ice Burn.
The freezing silver-white flames met Charizard’s scorching golden Sacred Fire two seconds later. On the left, White Kyurem; on the right, Mega Charizard Y. The two forces clashed, creating two extreme weather conditions. On one side, the ground froze solid; on the other, trees withered from the heat.
Kyogre and Zekrom were stunned—they hadn’t realized that the Charizard which had beaten them up earlier hadn’t even been using its full power.
"Is this really the power a Charizard can possess?" Cobalion, watching from below, was equally awestruck. Never in its wildest dreams had it imagined a non-legendary Pokémon matching the strongest dragon, Kyurem—and even appearing to have the upper hand.
The golden flames began to push forward after just two seconds of stalemate. The frozen ground began to thaw, melting in the wake of the advancing flames. White Kyurem’s expression tightened.
"How is this possible?!" White Kyurem panicked, intensifying its Ice Burn. The golden flame’s advance stalled—but only for a moment. Charizard responded by pouring more power into its Sacred Fire. The golden flames surged forward again, overwhelming the silver-white Ice Burn like a defeated army. Moments later, the flames struck White Kyurem, slamming it into a stone pillar.
One move—White Kyurem had lost.
"Roooar~" — Kyurem—you’ve disappointed me, little Charizard. I didn’t see you making me pay for anything.
Charizard roared in victory. White Kyurem rose from the rubble, staring at Charizard in silence, still in shock.
"Dialga~" — Enough talk! Beat it! Charizard and Mewtwo take the lead!
Dialga’s roar broke the silence. Charizard and Mewtwo charged at Kyurem, with Dialga, Kyogre, and Zekrom following close behind in a two-three formation. Charizard and Mewtwo would strike first, and the others would follow up.
Meanwhile, in the Kanto region—due to the time difference—Serīna had just been at work for an hour when she received a call from the Unova League. They demanded to know why their Champion, Rio, was causing chaos in Unova by ganging up on their legendary Pokémon, Kyurem.
Their tone was aggressive and accusatory, leaving Serīna utterly confused.
Why? Mr. Rio was currently in Unova, leading Charizard, Mewtwo, Gengar, Sinnoh’s Time God Dialga, Hoenn’s ancient Pokémon Kyogre, and Unova’s own Zekrom and Reshiram to gang up on Kyurem? If that were true, then who was the Mr. Rio who had greeted her at her desk just half an hour ago? A ghost?
"You’re all insane! I’m telling you, Mr. Rio hasn’t left Kanto—he’s been here the whole time, handling paperwork in the office behind me!" Serīna shot back angrily.
But the Unova officials didn’t believe her. They had photos and told her to look for herself. She saw the images of the legendary battle—and indeed, Rio’s Charizard, Mewtwo, and Gengar were there.
Confused, Serīna went to Rio’s office and relayed the situation to Zoroark, who was disguised as Rio. Zoroark immediately understood—Rio was causing trouble in Unova again, and now it had to clean up the mess.
"That must be someone impersonating me," Zoroark-as-Rio said. "Charizard, Mewtwo, and Gengar have been with me the whole time—how could they be in Unova?"
With that, Zoroark reached into its bag and, using illusion-generated Poké Balls, "released" Charizard, Gengar, and Mewtwo right there in the office.
"I knew it! Those idiots are brainless! Mr. Rio is right here—how could his Pokémon be elsewhere? Who said only Mr. Rio can have a Charizard, Mewtwo, and Gengar?" Serīna fumed.
She returned to her desk and demanded a video call with the Unova officials to show them exactly where Rio’s Pokémon were. Moments later, the Unova officials—including Champion Alder—saw Zoroark-as-Rio, with Charizard, Mewtwo, and Gengar standing behind him. They were completely stunned.
If Rio and his Pokémon were in Kanto, then who were the Pokémon at Lacunosa Town?
Serīna then remembered something and added: "You fools! Don’t you remember what happened in Sinnoh a week ago? Someone used Mr. Rio’s appearance and his Pokémon’s appearance to gang up on Sinnoh’s three gods. They’re doing it again—using Mr. Rio’s image to attack your region’s legends."
Hearing this, Alder and the Unova officials recalled the incident from a week ago. Sinnoh had also experienced an attack on its legendary Pokémon—featuring Mewtwo, Charizard, and Gengar, with Rio’s figure present. But it had been confirmed that Rio wasn’t involved, because he was at the Kanto Champion’s estate the whole time.
"Our apologies—we misunderstood." Alder hung up and contacted the Sinnoh League.
When the Sinnoh officials learned that Dialga had appeared in Unova, they were equally confused. They recalled the Hoenn incident from a few days earlier and shared their theory with Alder: this was likely the work of their region’s villainous Team Galactic, or remnants of the Hunter Organization. Sinnoh was already planning to capture Team Galactic and asked Unova to share any new information so they could resolve the crisis together.