Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Lance was instantly reminded of the nightmare at the Lake of Rage. Two Metronome uses had shattered his dream of catching the Red Gyarados. The first had crippled his ace Dragonite—if not for Multiscale, it might have been a one-hit knockout. The second would have killed him on the spot if Dragonite hadn’t shielded him.

Now, this was the third time that chubby little menace was using Metronome in front of him.

"Kingdra—Wave Crash! Stop it!" Lance shouted.

He knew Metronome was a luck-based move, but when used by this nightmare-inducing Munchlax, he couldn’t afford to take it lightly. If he did, the result would be like last time—caught off guard, with no time to regret it.

"King~" Kingdra, wreathed in water, charged at Munchlax with full force. But just before impact, Munchlax had already entered its divine state. Its eyes glowed, and dazzling electricity erupted from its fists like a thunder god.

"Zeraora’s Plasma Fists?" Rio’s mind raced through legendary moves, and this one seemed the closest match.

Munchlax slammed its fists into the ground. The floor shattered, and two arcs of lightning shot toward the charging Kingdra. Two seconds later, with a pained cry, Lance’s first Pokémon fell.

Lance stood speechless, his face a mask of defeat. One-shot again.

"What move was that?" he finally muttered. He knew better than to underestimate Munchlax’s Metronome—it always delivered surprises. But why did it keep one-shotting his ace Pokémon?

"Elite Four Lance—time to send out your second Pokémon," Rio said with a smile. No time to be stunned—I have a Champion’s throne waiting.

"Fine—let’s see if that luck holds. I refuse to believe you won’t roll something useless eventually," Lance muttered grimly, recalling Kingdra and sending out his second Pokémon.

"Come out, Aerodactyl."

With a flash of light, Aerodactyl appeared. Compared to their last encounter, it had gained six levels—from 58 to 64.

"Aerodactyl—Hyper Beam!" Lance struck first.

"Aerodactyl~" Aerodactyl began charging energy in its mouth.

On the other side, Munchlax had already started waving its paws under Rio’s command. The next moment, six blue orbs materialized around Munchlax’s body, frantically gathering energy.

"Th-this isn’t..." Lance’s eyes widened.

After the Lake of Rage incident, he’d researched extensively. He’d discovered that Munchlax’s first Metronome roll had been Groudon’s signature move—Precipice Blades. That had led him to learn about Kyogre as well. Its signature move, Origin Pulse, looked very similar to what he was seeing now.

"No—this can’t be. Why does it always roll legendary moves?!" Lance’s pupils trembled, unable to accept what he was seeing.

But reality didn’t care—Aerodactyl’s Hyper Beam clashed with Munchlax’s Origin Pulse midair. The deafening impact and shockwave forced Lance to shield his face. When he lowered his arms, Aerodactyl was down.

"As a Dragon Tamer, I’ve been defeated twice in a row—both times by a single hit." Lance stared at Munchlax in near horror. He finally understood why Rio opened every battle with Metronome. With luck like this, anyone would.

But why? Why did his Munchlax have this kind of luck? If it kept rolling legendary moves, what was the point of even fighting? He might as well just forfeit.

Then Lance’s face lit up—Rio had recalled Munchlax and was reaching for a new Poké Ball.

"Good work, Munchlax—rest now." Rio tossed it an Energy Cube and released his next Pokémon—Charizard.

"Elite Four Lance—I’ve seen your strength. Now let Charizard fight you properly." Rio smiled as the Key Stone on his chest glowed, triggering Charizard’s Mega Evolution.

Two Metronome rolls took out my aces, and you call that ’seeing my strength’? Lance felt the words were backward—Rio was saying all the right things, but somehow it all felt like mockery.

Still, at least without that unpredictable Munchlax, he’d have a fighting chance. Back at the Lake of Rage, his Dragonite had dominated Rio’s Charizard.

"Come out, Dragonite—time to meet an old friend."

Lance sent out his ace—Dragonite. Compared to a year ago, it had grown significantly, rising from Level 66 to 70.

"Dragonite—Stone Edge!" Lance struck first.

"Dragonite~" Dragonite spread its wings and rose into the air, sharp rocks materializing around its body.

"Charizard—Sacred Fire!" Rio’s command followed.

"Roaar~" Charizard also spread its wings and rose, unleashing a torrent of scorching purple flames. The Rock-type Stone Edge—which dealt four times the damage to Charizard—clashed with Sacred Fire midair.