Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

At the Rock Stadium, Rio stepped onto the battlefield as the first contestant of the day. His appearance was met with a deafening roar from the crowd. Yesterday’s three-Pokémon sweep with Charizard had convinced many that he was one of the tournament’s top contenders, and they were eager to see if he could replicate his spectacular performance today.

Rio soaked in the cheers. Then the announcer’s voice rang out:

"Before the match begins, we have some exciting news to share with our live audience and viewers at home—the Dragon-type Elite Four of Kanto and Johto, Lance, is here with us today in the commentary booth! I’m thrilled, and I’m sure you all are too!"

Rio’s expression froze. Lance? He’s not here to mess with me, is he? A bad feeling crept up on him.

Lance’s face appeared on the big screen. "Hello, everyone—I’m Lance, the Dragon-type Elite Four."

The crowd erupted in cheers. As one of the Elite Four, Lance commanded immense respect across Kanto and Johto—after all, since no one had ever beaten all four Elite Four members in a row to claim the Champion title, the Elite Four were viewed as the strongest trainers in both regions.

Lance continued: "The reason I’m here today as a guest commentator is because yesterday, I saw a shiny Charizard on television—one that achieved something unprecedented in Indigo Conference history: a three-Pokémon sweep using just a single move."

"That reminded me of a trainer I encountered at the Lake of Rage about eight or nine months ago. He looked a lot like contestant Rio—and he also had a shiny Charizard of similar strength. We had a fierce battle that went down to the wire."

"However, that trainer went by the name Yukio Goh. I’ve been looking for him for a very long time—if contestant Rio happens to know him, I’d be extremely grateful for any information. I’d really love to find him."

On the big screen, Lance’s tone noticeably hardened when he said "a very long time," followed by a smile that Rio found deeply unsettling. Rio was now certain: Lance was here to cause trouble for him.

"Unbelievable—someone actually fought the Dragon-type Elite Four Lance to a standstill! And he looks like contestant Rio and also has a shiny Charizard? Dare I guess—could that person be a distant cousin of Rio’s?" the announcer speculated.

"Who knows? I guess it depends on what contestant Rio has to say," Lance replied with a shrug.

From the stands, Lance’s gaze locked onto Rio on the battlefield below. Surprised? Didn’t see this coming, did you, Mr. Yukio Goh? Lance thought with glee. Good luck trying to compete in this tournament peacefully with me here. We’ve got a score to settle—the Red Gyarados you stole, and the damage you did to my Dragonite. You got lucky last time—this time, your luck runs out.

The announcer continued: "In that case, Rio—you’ll have plenty to discuss with our Dragon-type Elite Four after this match! But without further ado—let’s have both contestants send out their Pokémon!"

Rio and his opponent threw their Poké Balls at the same time. Rio sent out Charizard again, while his opponent released a Golem.

This time, Charizard couldn’t secure a one-hit KO—Golem’s typing provided resistance—but two Flamethrowers did the job. However, Rio’s mind was elsewhere, fixed on the commentary booth above. He was deep in thought, trying to figure out Lance’s angle.

His intuition told him Lance wouldn’t confront him openly in front of the crowd—that would be bad for his image. Instead, he’d likely sabotage Rio’s participation from the shadows, then take his revenge. Otherwise, why show up as a guest just to drop that "Lake of Rage" hint—a clear reminder that Lance had been waiting all this time to settle the score?

"I hope Aria Thornwick doesn’t show up too," Rio muttered to himself. "She was involved in that Raikou mission, so she’s got to be a big deal in the Ranger organization. If she and Lance team up against me, that’s a headache I don’t need."

He took comfort in the fact that he wasn’t afraid of open confrontation—with his current lineup, ten Lances wouldn’t be a problem. What he feared were dirty tricks—using his Elite Four status to spread rumors, like pinning a Team Rocket connection on him, to get him disqualified. Underhanded tactics were the worst.

A few minutes later, the match ended. Charizard swept again, clean and decisive, sending the crowd into a frenzy. As Rio left the battlefield, he glanced back at the commentary booth and decided maybe he should try talking things out with Lance.

After all, no grudge was irreconcilable—it wasn’t like they were mortal enemies. At the very least, he could ask Lance to hold off until after the tournament.

What should I do? Rio muttered as he walked off the stage, brainstorming ways to ease the tension with Lance.

As he walked, he nearly bumped into someone—a woman of generous proportions. At first, he didn’t register who it was—until she spoke, her voice cold as ice:

"Long time no see, Mr. Yukio Goh—or should I say, Mr. Rio?"

Rio froze. Standing before him was Aria Thornwick, with her dangerously attractive looks. For a split second, he wanted to slap himself—for setting that very flag just moments ago.

Then he felt another piercing glare. He turned to see Saurion, the Goldenrod Department Store heir. The look in Saurion’s eyes could only be described as murderous.

"Yukio Goh—do you remember me?" Saurion said, his teeth grinding audibly as he fought to contain his fury.

Rio cleared his throat. If we weren’t in public, he’d probably try to fight me right here.

"Is there something I can help you with? Who’s Yukio Goh? I don’t know him," Rio said, playing dumb—he hadn’t come up with a plan yet.

"Don’t know him?" Aria’s gaze was sharp as a blade. "Let me remind you—about six months ago at Raikou Mountain, a man who looked exactly like you infiltrated a Pokémon hunter group, backstabbed the hunters, backstabbed me, and captured Raikou. He then spread a rumor that we’d spent a night together. Because of that lie, a certain fool named Saurion has been hunting for revenge ever since. And thanks to that rumor, I’ve been the subject of endless ridicule in the Ranger organization."

"He also said his name was Yukio Goh and dared anyone to find him in Vermilion City. But after extensive searches, there’s no one by that name there—only a seven-year-old boy. So I’m wondering—could it be that the person I’m looking for actually goes by Rio, from Lavender Town, Kanto?"

"I think there’s been a mistake—I’ve never been to Raikou Mountain," Rio said, shaking his head emphatically. "Genetically speaking, there could be someone out there who looks just like me. Some bastard probably used my face to ruin your reputation—but it wasn’t me. I have no memory of any of this."

"That’s all well and good—but this ’Yukio Goh’ also had a shiny Charizard just like yours, a Red Gyarados, and a Primeape with the same terrifying strength as your Annihilape. That’s a lot of coincidences, don’t you think?" Aria stared him down. "That can’t be written off as mere chance."

"Uh..." Rio coughed. Think, brain, think!

Just then, a swarm of reporters descended on him, drawn by his victory and pushing Saurion and Aria aside. Rio swore he’d never been happier to see the press. He eagerly answered every question they threw at him—and when they ran out, he even started new topics on his own.

He dragged the interview out for nearly half an hour. By the time the reporters finally left, Rio’s brain had cooked up a psychological tactic that suited his predicament perfectly.

So when they were alone again, he suddenly dropped the act and admitted everything.

"You’re right—I am Yukio Goh. I’m the person you’re looking for."

The abrupt confession caught both Aria and Saurion completely off guard. They’d expected him to keep denying it.

"I’m sorry. What I said at Raikou Mountain was wrong and it caused you a lot of harm. I truly am sorry," Rio said, bowing sincerely to Aria.

Then he turned to Saurion: "You’ve got it wrong about Aria. Nothing happened between us—I swear. I really hope you two end up together someday."

Saurion and Aria exchanged bewildered looks, thrown off by Rio’s sudden change in attitude. Saurion’s pent-up rage, which had been building for months, was temporarily deflated by Rio’s mention of "your wedding."

"You..." Aria studied Rio warily, wondering if he’d lost his mind.

"Let’s find a café and talk—this place is too public," Rio said seriously.

Saurion and Aria exchanged another glance before following him to a quiet café.

"Spit it out—what game are you playing? An apology won’t make up for what you’ve done," Aria said coldly. "The damage you’ve caused can’t be fixed with a few words."

"I know—what I did can’t be undone by an apology. But right now, I’m in a situation where I need your help. In fact, I can only rely on you two," Rio said.

"Rely on us?" Aria frowned. This sounded like it was going to be something strange.

Rio didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked the waiter for paper and pen, then wrote: "Let’s keep quiet for now—just nod or shake your heads."

Aria and Saurion stared at him, confused.

"Fine—we won’t talk," Saurion said.

Rio and Aria both glared at him. Saurion froze, not sure whether to nod or shake his head, scratching his head awkwardly.

Rio ignored him and wrote another line: "Do you know about the three legendary birds?"

They nodded.

"Do you know Articuno?"

They nodded again, now staring intently at the pen.

Rio wrote: "I have Articuno’s feather—it can summon Articuno."

Their eyes widened. He continued: "I’d like you to keep it safe for me."

Now their mouths fell open. Aria grabbed the pen and wrote: "Why? Why us?"

Rio took it back and wrote: "I can’t tell you the reason yet. But you’re the only ones I can turn to."

He then pointed to his first line: "Nod or shake?"

Aria and Saurion exchanged glances. One nodded, the other shook. Aria shot Saurion a look—and then both nodded.

Rio nodded in satisfaction, wrote "Follow me," and stood up. Aria and Saurion, now looking serious, followed in silence. Rio said nothing, and they said nothing—their instincts told them someone was watching.

A few minutes later, Rio led them to his accommodation. He had them wait outside for a moment, then emerged with a box. On top of the box was a note that read: "Articuno’s feather is inside. Leave now—I’ll come find you."

Aria and Saurion read it, exchanged a glance, and left without a word. Rio watched them go, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

Soon, Gengar’s voice echoed in his mind: "Rio—what was that all about? I didn’t understand a thing."

Rio turned and walked back into his room. "Old ghost—there’s a psychological principle called the Benjamin Franklin Effect."

"It means that when you get someone who doesn’t like you to do you a favor, you can actually make them like you more."

Gengar fell silent for a moment, then made a random guess: "They’ll end up liking you?"

"Exactly—they’ll start to like you. The more they disliked you before, the more likely they are to feel positively toward you after helping you. It’s not guaranteed, but it holds true for most people."

"Why is that?" Gengar was baffled.

"Because everyone has an internal moral scale. If you help someone you hate and still harbor intense hatred for them, you’ll start to hate yourself for being so foolish, and that creates emotional distress. To avoid that distress, your subconscious will begin to invent reasons to justify helping them—like ’actually, they’re not so bad,’ or ’maybe they were forced into that situation.’"

"As long as the person wants to feel balanced and at peace with themselves, they’ll find reasons to justify their actions—and many of those reasons will end up being compliments about me, leading to genuine fondness. Especially if I express strong gratitude afterward, it reinforces that positive feeling—they’ll see me as sincere and good at judging character."

Rio explained calmly. Gengar still seemed confused.

Rio tried again: "Think of it from the other side—imagine you’re a perpetrator who kills many people and Pokémon. Deep down, you know it’s wrong, so guilt and remorse flood in. To keep those feelings from overwhelming you, you start searching for reasons why they ’deserved’ it—like telling yourself they were all bad people."

"And if someone then tells you those people also killed others, you’re even more willing to believe it. You won’t bother verifying whether that person is telling the truth—you’ll just believe whatever makes you feel better. Does that make more sense?"