Chapter 182: Aerodactyl
Rio shrugged nonchalantly. A Pokémon that attacks its trainer? Please—he’d experienced that on his very first day in this world. His entire journey as a trainer had been a series of being attacked by his own Pokémon. He wasn’t about to be scared off by that.
No problem, no problem...
The lab door opened, and Rio walked in. A grayish Pokémon locked in a cage came into view.
[Pokémon: Aerodactyl]
[Level: 30 (Time until next level: 889 days.)]
[Talent: Champion]
[Friendship: 0]
[Ability 1: Unnerve]
[Gender: Male]
[Moves: Wing Attack (30%), Bite (30%), Supersonic (30%), Scary Face (30%), Ancient Power (30%), Agility (30%), Air Cutter (30%)]
[Description: This is an ancient Pokémon revived from amber. It was once the king of the skies. It loves freedom.]
"Champion talent?" Rio’s eyes narrowed. Jackpot. Grandpa Fuji—you’re so generous that I’d be ashamed not to take care of you in your old age.
First, the two Mega Stones for Charizard. Then, the lockbox that could lead to Mewtwo. And now, a Champion-talent Aerodactyl. Any one of these would have others fighting over them.
"Wraaah!!!" Aerodactyl screeched at Rio, its vicious expression suggesting it would bite him the moment it was freed.
With a flash of light, Rio released Charizard.
"Roaar~" Charizard let out a deafening roar that shook the room. After that, Aerodactyl’s expression instantly softened.
(oωo)
"See? Is it still being aggressive?" Rio turned to Kuroda and Iron. The two exchanged glances. Kuroda gave Charizard a thumbs-up and said, "Impressive." Iron was momentarily speechless, then also raised a thumb toward Charizard.
Charizard stood proudly, hands on its hips.
"Go ahead and release Aerodactyl—I’ll catch it in a Poké Ball," Rio said.
Iron pressed a button on a remote, and the cage opened. Aerodactyl stepped out. Rio patted its bald head. Aerodactyl twitched instinctively, as if it wanted to bite him—but a single glance from Charizard made it behave immediately. It let Rio pet it however he wanted.
After about five minutes of petting, the creature had completely lost its aggression toward him. Only then did Rio pull out a Poké Ball and catch it. Aerodactyl didn’t resist.
"Mr. Iron, Secretary Kuroda—thank you for helping me get Aerodactyl," Rio said after the capture.
"It’s our duty."
"And if anyone should be thanking, it’s us. If you hadn’t saved President Devon, our company would be in serious trouble—probably ending up like Greater Mauville Holdings," Iron and Kuroda said in turn.
Greater Mauville Holdings? Rio raised an eyebrow. He’d almost forgotten—Rayquaza wanted him to destroy Devon, Greater Mauville, the Pokémon Association, and the Belari Family.
"Ending up like Greater Mauville Holdings? What happened to that company? I’ve heard of it even in Kanto—people said it was on par with Silph Co.," Rio said, feigning ignorance.
"You didn’t know?" Kuroda waved his hand with a smile. "That company went bankrupt a year ago."
"Bankrupt? A year ago?" Rio feigned surprise.
"Yeah—ever since the Devon Corporation successfully commercialized infinite energy, Greater Mauville Holdings, which dealt in conventional energy, started to decline." Kuroda’s smile widened as he spoke. "Then their New Mauville project was shut down because it would have harmed the surrounding Pokémon habitats. That dealt a fatal blow, and they declared bankruptcy shortly after."
Rio raised an eyebrow, already scheming. Ten minutes later, Kuroda saw him out of the Devon Corporation.
Since Greater Mauville Holdings is already bankrupt, maybe I can use it to fool Rayquaza for now. It probably doesn’t even know the company is defunct—otherwise, it wouldn’t have told me to go after it.
Rio muttered, checking his phone for the old Greater Mauville Holdings headquarters—Sea Mauville. He climbed onto Charizard and flew off.
About four hours later, he arrived at the company’s former site—Sea Mauville, an enormous offshore energy extraction platform. Half of it had already sunk into the sea. The platform was in a shallow area with two nearby beaches, where many anglers were fishing.
Rio patted Charizard’s back, had it descend to the water, and released the Red Gyarados.
"Gyarados—scare off those fishermen, but don’t hurt anyone," Rio said, pointing at the beach. The Red Gyarados nodded, slipped into the water, and swam toward the shore.
Rio then released Munchlax and Aerodactyl onto the Sea Mauville platform. "Munchlax—take Aerodactyl and explore the platform. See if there’s anything good to pick up. Bring it back, and I’ll treat you to something nice later."
"Ka~"
"Wraaah!!!"
Munchlax led Aerodactyl deeper into the platform. Meanwhile, on the distant beach, the Red Gyarados had begun its performance—using basic attacks to terrorize the fishermen, sending them running in panic. A few tried to fight back with their Pokémon, but the Red Gyarados took them out in a single hit.
Rio watched from afar with binoculars. Once the fishermen were gone and the area was clear, he could have his Pokémon destroy the platform further—and use it as proof for Rayquaza.