Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

"You mean that spoiled brat Saurion? Did Yukio Goh offend him too?" Lance seemed amused by the thought. He knew Saurion—the rich heir had tried to show off in front of him once and got put in his place.

"Yes—that same brat." Clair glanced around and lowered her voice. "I heard Yukio Goh slept with his goddess. He’s furious and came here looking for revenge."

Lance stopped walking, turning in surprise with a glint in his eye—the glint of gossip.

"Interesting. Tell me more. Who’s this goddess? Anyone who could be called Yukio Goh’s ’goddess’ must be someone noteworthy."

Clair checked their surroundings again and lowered her voice further: "I had someone look into it. Apparently, she’s a very capable Pokémon Ranger. During a mission, she supposedly used her charms to get close to Yukio Goh—but he already knew her identity all along, and at the end of the mission, he exposed her right in front of Saurion."

"Saurion must have been furious," Lance chuckled.

"Furious doesn’t even cover it—he nearly passed out. I also heard that when Yukio Goh revealed it, he mentioned even the mole on her neck in front of everyone."

"Impressive—this Yukio Goh really has no fear of making enemies. From what you’re saying, Saurion and the Ranger organization must both hate him. He slept with her and then told Saurion about it—how could she ever face him again?"

Lance suddenly felt much better, as if his pain was being shared. At least I only had a Dragon-type Pokémon stolen from me—Saurion lost his goddess.

"By the way—see if you can get in touch with Saurion and the Ranger organization. Share information and see who can find Yukio Goh first."

A few minutes later, Clair and Lance walked into the restaurant. The television was broadcasting the Indigo Conference.

"Incredible—contestant Rio’s Charizard has just achieved something never seen before in Indigo Conference history: taking down three Pokémon with just one move!" the announcer’s voice rang out.

Taking down three Pokémon in a row at the Indigo Conference? With just one move? Lance looked up at the screen in surprise. A close-up of Charizard appeared—and his expression froze.

That Charizard looks a lot like Yukio Goh’s...

Could Yukio Goh be Rio? Or am I mistaken—just another shiny?

Clair’s surprised voice came from beside him: "Brother—did I hear that right? This guy named Rio actually commanded a Charizard to take down three Pokémon with one move? Is it rigged? Or are this year’s competitors just that weak?"

Lance didn’t respond—his eyes were locked on the screen, waiting for the camera to switch to the trainer. Two seconds later, the close-up shifted to Rio.

Lance’s mind went blank. It wasn’t until Clair nudged him several times that he snapped out of it.

"Brother, what’s wrong?" Clair asked, confused.

"Let’s go—to the Indigo Plateau," Lance said through gritted teeth.

"The Indigo Plateau? What about food?"

"Food? I’m already full—full of rage. I just want to destroy that bastard Rio."

Seeing Lance’s reaction, Clair immediately understood. "Is this Rio the—"

"Yes—Yukio Goh is that man on TV," Lance growled, tossing out a Poké Ball and taking off on Dragonite without another word.

Meanwhile, in Ecruteak City, Johto, Pokémon Ranger Aria Thornwick, her stomach growling with hunger, walked into a restaurant. After ordering, she contacted her Ranger organization on her communicator and reported the completion of her mission.

"Oh, and that thing I asked you to look into—any leads?" she asked at the end.

"Nothing. The only person in Vermilion City with that name is a seven-year-old boy," the voice on the other end said. "You should stay away for a while—the organization is still discussing your case."

"I understand—thank you." Aria hung up, her eyes turning cold.

"Yukio Goh—just wait until I find you. You’ll regret it," she muttered.

Ever since the Raikou Mountain mission, her reputation had been ruined. The entire Ranger organization now believed she had compromised herself for the mission. No matter how much she tried to explain, no one believed her—and she couldn’t even show her face at headquarters.

And then there was that fool Saurion. No matter how many times she explained, he refused to believe her, constantly going on about how he’d never even held her hand while Yukio Goh knew about a mole on her neck. What had started as a small rumor had spread everywhere—all because of him.

Her communicator buzzed. She glanced at it—Saurion was calling. She hung up. It buzzed again. She hung up again. After five or six repetitions, she finally answered, abandoning all pretense of composure:

"Saurion—are you insane?! I’ve told you, nothing happened between me and Yukio Goh! If you keep harassing me, I’ll kill you, I swear!"

But the voice on the other end made her pause.

"Aria—I think I found Yukio Goh. See if this is him."

Her communicator vibrated with an image—two photos: one of a black Charizard mid-battle, and another of a young man standing on the battlefield.

"I don’t know what Yukio Goh looks like, but I remember his black Charizard clearly. Is that him?" Saurion asked.

"Where did you get these photos?" Aria asked, her voice trembling with barely contained emotion.

"The Indigo Conference—he’s one of the contestants."

Without a moment’s hesitation, Aria shot out of the restaurant.