Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Charizard roared, flapping its wings as it carried Rio toward the Aerodactyl that was about to attack Latias. Dragon Claw materialized. The Aerodactyl was preparing to use Hyper Beam on Latias—but before it could, Charizard’s Dragon Claw smacked it across the face. With a whoosh, the Aerodactyl was sent crashing into the canal, its Hyper Beam discharging into the water and creating a thick cloud of steam.

"Mii~" Latias was immediately convinced that coming to Rio for help had been the right choice. Her friendship toward Rio rose by another two points.

"Let’s go, Latias." Rio smiled, riding Charizard with Latias toward the Sanctuary.

"Kabu~" But they hadn’t traveled far when a Kabutops appeared, running across the rooftops with remarkable speed. Rio watched it for a moment—this Kabutops was no weaker than the Aerodactyl, sitting at level 76, one level higher.

"Charizard, give it a Dragon Claw too." Rio smiled.

"Roooar~" Charizard roared. When Kabutops closed in, preparing to use Slash, Charizard’s Dragon Claw intercepted it—and with a single swing, sent it crashing into the canal just like the Aerodactyl.

"With me around, no one’s going to hurt Latias. I’m telling you—no one can do that." Rio said smugly. Latias’s friendship rose again.

"Mii~" Feeling protected, Latias nuzzled affectionately against Rio’s head.

"Of course, of course." Rio laughed heartily.

Meanwhile, inside the Sanctuary, the silver-haired woman was watching everything through the Sun Tower’s device, using the Soul Dew and Latios’s power. She saw Rio riding Charizard with Latias, heading straight for the Sanctuary.

"As expected of the Kanto Champion—certainly not to be underestimated." The silver-haired woman said coldly. "But that’s all you are. With the Soul Dew’s power, I could take over the world."

She began manipulating the controls inside the sphere. Latios cried out in pain as the device drained its energy. With the combined power of Latios and the Soul Dew, a massive waterspout—over twenty meters tall—rose outside Altomare, racing toward Rio and Latias.

"Charizard, Sacred Fire." Rio frowned.

"Roooar~" Golden flames swirled around Charizard’s mouth. The flames met the raging waterspout, and the intense heat evaporated it into hot steam. The once-fearsome waterspout vanished without a trace.

"How is this possible?!" The silver-haired woman inside the Sanctuary gasped in terror. She never imagined that a waterspout created by the Soul Dew and Latios could be evaporated by a single Charizard—what kind of flame power could achieve that?

"Wait—what’s happening?" At that moment, the waterspout’s dissipation caused negative feedback on the Sun Tower. The device the silver-haired woman was controlling shattered, sending sparks flying everywhere. Latios cried out even more painfully than before. The silver-haired woman tried to escape, but the device had locked her in.

"Oh no—the device is out of control!" The Sanctuary curator, still bound by Ariados’s String Shot, cried out in terror. "Stop it! If this doesn’t stop, Latios will die!"

"It’s not that I don’t want to stop—I can’t control it anymore!" The silver-haired woman, trapped in the control room, screamed in panic.

"Roooar~"

"Mii~"

Just then, Rio rode Charizard with Latias into the Sanctuary. "Mr. Rio, stop that device! If we don’t, Latios will die!" The curator shouted.

"Don’t worry—leave it to me." Rio said confidently. A flash of light—Mewtwo appeared.

"Latias, get back—let Mewtwo save Latios!" Latias had already rushed to her brother’s side, trying to free him, but the device’s out-of-control power was too much for her. Hearing Rio’s call, she reluctantly retreated, looking at him with pleading eyes.

"Don’t worry—leave it to Mewtwo. This is nothing for it." Rio said calmly. "Mewtwo, it’s all yours."

Mewtwo received the command, raised its right hand, and its eyes gleamed silver. The next moment, an immense psychic force erupted from its body. Under this pressure, the rampaging Sun Tower device was immediately restrained, stabilizing as the electrical surges were suppressed. Latios’s cries grew quieter.

About a minute later, the device stopped entirely. Latios was freed from the sphere.

"Mii~" Latias rushed over to nuzzle her brother’s face.

"Lati~" Latios slowly opened his eyes, looked at his sister, then at Rio with gratitude. His friendship toward Rio rose by two points.

"Don’t bother running—you’ll be enjoying some League hospitality." Rio nodded to Latios, then turned his attention to the two thieves trying to flee.

"Espeon, Psychic!"

"Ariados, Poison Thread!"

Both women commanded their Pokémon to attack. "Mewtwo." Rio said coldly. Mewtwo raised its right hand again—Espeon and Ariados were lifted into the air by a powerful psychic force, slammed into the wall, and knocked out before they could even unleash their moves.

The two sisters were utterly stunned. They couldn’t believe the Champion was this powerful—his Pokémon could casually defeat theirs with a single move. And they had dared to think they could beat him.

Just then, a roaring wave sounded from outside. The Pokémon sensed something wrong first. Mewtwo put the two women to sleep with Hypnosis, then Teleported Rio outside the Sanctuary. Rio saw the water in Altomare’s canals rapidly receding, rushing toward the sea—where it had formed a massive tsunami over thirty meters high. If it struck Altomare, the entire city would be submerged, and most of its residents would drown in their sleep.

"Oh no—this is the consequence of the Soul Dew being used by someone with ill intent! It’s been corrupted, and it will destroy the entire island!" The curator ran out and was terrified at the sight of the towering tsunami.

"No need to panic—I’ve got this." Rio said coolly, then simply uttered: "Mewtwo."

Mewtwo glanced at him, then flew toward the raging tsunami. Its body glowed white as it Mega Evolved into Y Form. Then, with a roar, it unleashed Psychic—an immeasurable psychic wave spreading from its body, enveloping the oncoming tsunami. The wall of water froze in place, then slowly receded under the psychic pressure, flowing back into Altomare’s canals in a calm, gentle current.

"Incredible—this is the power of Mewtwo? Unbelievably strong." The curator murmured. He had seen Rio’s battles on TV—how he crushed Sinnoh’s Elite Four, how he defeated Steven in the Hoenn–Kanto exchange. But he never imagined Rio’s Pokémon could command the power of nature itself—pushing back a tsunami that could have swallowed an island.

"Like I said—with me around, no need to panic." Rio smiled.

"Mii~"

"Lati~"

Latias and Latios flew to Rio, nuzzling his face affectionately. If Mewtwo hadn’t intervened, they would have had to stop the tsunami themselves—at the cost of their own lives.

Rio reached out and stroked their faces. After a moment, he spoke: "Latias, Latios—would you be willing to become my Pokémon?"

The two Eon Pokémon froze. The curator, who had been looking on kindly, and Kanon, who had been quietly crying, also froze. They all looked at Rio in disbelief—had everything he done been just to capture Latios and Latias?

"Wait—don’t misunderstand. I’m not capturing you to take you traveling or to fight." Rio noticed their friendship drop and quickly explained. "Mii~" "Lati~" Latias and Latios looked at him, confused.

Rio explained: "Think of it as protection. I would capture you, but I wouldn’t take you away—I’d leave you here. I’m sure others know of your existence and will try to target you. To prevent that, I want to capture you in Poké Balls, then release you—while also making it known that you’re my Pokémon. I believe my reputation will discourage anyone from trying anything. Attacking you would mean making an enemy of me—and of the Kanto League. Anyone who dares will end up like Team Rocket."

Hearing this explanation, Latias and Latios’s friendship returned to its previous level. The curator and Kanon also understood. Rio’s actions, they realized, were truly meant to protect Latias and Latios, using his influence to provide them a safe environment. They believed that once outside organizations learned of this, they would think twice before targeting the Eon duo.

"So—what do you think? Do you agree? If not, then forget I said anything." Rio added. In negotiations, it was important not to push too hard—explain, then step back, making it clear you’re not desperate.

And it worked. Latias and Latios exchanged glances, clearly intrigued.

"Latias, Latios—I think you should agree. Mr. Rio’s reasoning is sound. It would save you a lot of trouble." The curator spoke up.

"Yes, Grandfather is right." Kanon agreed.

Hearing their endorsement, Latias and Latios lowered their heads before Rio—the signal of acceptance. Rio pulled out two Luxury Balls. Two flashes of light—Latias and Latios were drawn in. After three shakes, the capture was successful.

Rio smiled. Then, two more flashes—Latias and Latios were released. Rio stroked their heads. "If you ever want to see me, you can come to Indigo Plateau in Kanto. I work there, and you’ll find me there."

"Mii~" "Lati~" Latias and Latios nodded.

Just then, Mewtwo returned to his side. "Let’s go back into the Sanctuary. Have Officer Jenny take the two thieves to prison, and put the Soul Dew back where it belongs." Rio said.

Moments later, they re-entered the Sanctuary. The two sisters were still under hypnosis. The curator retrieved the Soul Dew from the Sun Tower and, along with Kanon, returned it to the garden.

Rio waited with Latias and Latios for Officer Jenny’s arrival, pondering his next move. With Latios and Latias now captured, there was no reason to stay in Altomare. He didn’t want to return to Indigo Plateau just yet—so he considered visiting another region, letting Zoroark return with Serīna instead. Zoroark’s impersonation had been going well enough.

"Should I visit Kalos? Or maybe Paldea?" Rio muttered.

Kalos had powerful legendaries—Zygarde, Xerneas, Yveltal—and plenty of Mega Stones. He could also look for Gengar’s Mega Stone. Paldea was less familiar, but he was curious about it, especially about Terastalization and the past and future Paradox Pokémon—like the Paradox forms of the legendary beasts: Walking Wake, Raging Bolt, and Gouging Fire.

"But never mind—I’ll go to Kalos first. I can look for Gengar’s Mega Stone there."

In the end, Rio decided to head to Kalos first—the allure of Gengar’s Mega Evolution was worth the trip.