Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

The moment Rio defeated Bruno, news of it reached the League headquarters. Seeing all six indicator lights for Bruno’s Pokémon extinguished while Rio’s remained lit, every executive understood immediately—the new conference champion had not only swept Ice-type Elite Four Lorelei, but had also swept Fighting-type Elite Four Bruno.

"What kind of terrifying strength is this?" one executive murmured. "Two Elite Fours defeated without a single loss, and in under five minutes each."

"Unbelievable—it’s like a dream."

There had been some skepticism when Lorelei lost, but after she personally confirmed Rio’s overwhelming power, they had no choice but to believe it.

"Wait—no, not a perfect sweep! One of Rio’s lights just went out—Bruno managed to defeat one of his Pokémon!" someone pointed excitedly at the indicator board.

The others looked up—and sure enough, one of Rio’s six Pokémon lights had gone dark.

"Yes—it’s true! Bruno actually took down one of Rio’s Pokémon!"

"As expected of our Fighting-type Elite Four—he didn’t let us down."

"Good—so Rio can still lose. That makes it feel more realistic. It would have been too unbelievable if he’d gone undefeated through all four Elite Fours."

The executives seemed relieved. An Elite Four with no weaknesses would have been difficult to manage. But the person most shocked by this news was Lorelei herself. She stared at the extinguished light, her red lips slightly parted.

"How did Bruno manage that?" she wondered. She couldn’t understand how that muscle-headed training fanatic had taken down even one of Rio’s Pokémon when she herself had been swept without a chance. They were both Elite Four members—their strength was comparable. She hadn’t even seen a glimmer of hope against Rio, whose Sacred Fire had completely overwhelmed her. What gave Bruno the right?

"Unless... Rio swapped in a weaker Pokémon against him? That’s the only way Bruno could have won one." She crossed her arms, nodding to herself. "Yes—that’s definitely it. Bruno got lucky. There’s no other explanation."

At the Viridian Gym, Giovanni also received the update. When he heard Rio had also swept Bruno without a loss, he felt a twinge of unease.

"How is he growing so fast?" Giovanni narrowed his eyes. He’d already been shocked by Rio’s rapid progress during their encounter at Mt. Ember—but this was on a whole new level.

A moment later, his subordinate corrected the report: Rio had actually lost one Pokémon against Bruno. Giovanni’s tension eased significantly, as if a valve had been released.

"Good—one loss. That’s a normal Pokémon battle." Giovanni returned to his usual composure. Losing one Pokémon meant Rio wasn’t as invincible as he’d feared.

"His next opponent will be Agatha—that old hag. She’s a tricky one. If he faces her, he should lose at least two more. By the time he meets Lance, even if he wins, it’ll be a narrow victory."

While the outside world buzzed with speculation, Rio arrived at the third chamber’s door. He pushed it open to reveal a standard battlefield and an elderly white-haired woman leaning on a cane.

"Agatha—the Ghost-type Elite Four, the oldest of the Elite Four, and Professor Oak’s old flame," Rio thought to himself, glancing at the ancient Poké Ball on his belt.

Too bad Gengar is still obsessed with its trainer from a hundred years ago and refuses to grow stronger with me. Otherwise, it would be perfect for this fight. Its friendship had risen enough—just changing its Poké Ball would unlock its first-tier reward and grant immense power. But Gengar refused, and there was nothing Rio could do about it. So he’d have to use someone else.

On the other side, Agatha squinted at Rio. "I’m Agatha, of the Elite Four. I heard you cleared Champion’s Road in a single day. You’re a strong young man—I hope your performance here doesn’t disappoint."

With that, she threw her Poké Ball.

"Arbok—a powerful opponent awaits."

With a flash of light, a Level 66 Arbok appeared.

"Charba~"

Rio raised an eyebrow—he hadn’t expected Agatha to lead with her ace, Arbok. If he remembered correctly, Arbok had a special ability called "Death Masquerade" that let it change its abdominal pattern to alter its type, ability, and even gain stat boosts.

"Charizard—this stage is yours," he decided. No matter how strong Arbok was, it wasn’t stronger than him.

With a flash of light, Rio sent out Charizard. The Key Stone on his chest gleamed, and the Y Mega Stone on Charizard’s tail responded instantly—Charizard began to Mega Evolve.

"Is that... Mega Evolution?" Agatha’s eyes narrowed. Her vast knowledge allowed her to recognize the phenomenon immediately.

"Arbok—Deceptive Pattern! Show it who’s truly stronger!"

"Charba~" Arbok’s abdominal pattern shifted, transforming into a kaleidoscope-like design that could easily ensnare the gaze of anyone who looked.