Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

The Sanctuary curator watched the scene and murmured: "It seems Latias really likes Mr. Rio."

"It does seem that way..." The girl named Kanon nodded, her face showing a hint of apology for having doubted Rio earlier.

Ten minutes later, after playing to his heart’s content, Rio was brought back to the ground by Latias.

"I’m really sorry, Mr. Rio, for treating you that way earlier." Kanon apologized.

"No problem—it’s a minor issue. I’d have been suspicious too if I were you." Rio scratched his head and laughed, not wanting to make her feel awkward.

The Sanctuary curator explained: "Our family has carried on our ancestors’ tradition. Every generation, we’ve protected this secret garden for Latios and Latias."

Kanon added: "They’re siblings—Latios is the older brother, and Latias is the younger sister."

Rio nodded—he already knew that. Just then, Latias and Latios came back to him, pushing him toward the pond. They exchanged glances, their eyes glowing blue. Then Latios dove into the water. Latias positioned herself between Rio, the curator, and Kanon, radiating a wave of light. A vision appeared in their minds—Latios swimming through the underwater passages of Altomare, encountering Water-type Pokémon like Qwilfish and Chinchou.

"This is Latios and Latias using mental sharing, letting us experience the underwater world with them." Kanon explained, in case Rio didn’t understand. "It’s a rare ability that only a few Pokémon can use—they can transmit what they see to others."

"They really do like you, Rio." The curator nodded approvingly.

Rio smiled—he could feel it. He knew the "rescue the damsel" approach worked on Pokémon too. Latias’s friendship had already risen to 6 points. Even Latios, thanks to Latias, had 2 points of friendship with him. This was going very well.

Rio reached out and patted Latias’s head.

Ten minutes later, Latios returned. The curator and Kanon continued showing Rio around the garden, explaining many things.

"Latios and Latias brought a power that drove away darkness and evil—a gem called the Soul Dew. And so, peace returned to the island." Kanon pointed at a mural on the ground.

"After that, Latios and Latias began visiting the island where the Soul Dew rests, and no evil monsters ever attacked the island again."

Rio nodded, taking it in—it matched what he’d read in the League records. But as he studied the murals, one caught his attention: a depiction matching the Sun Tower in the Sanctuary’s center.

"Is this the Sun Tower from the Sanctuary?" Rio asked.

"This mural records the power of the Soul Dew and its true使用方法." The curator explained, leading Rio to another pond. In its center lay a blue glowing orb, submerged and shimmering.

"This is the Soul Dew." The curator said. "Our ancestors created a device to draw out the hidden power of the Soul Dew, using Latios and Latias to guard the island..."

He paused and looked seriously at Rio. "Mr. Rio, I hope you won’t tell anyone what you’ve seen today."

"Don’t worry—I won’t. You have my word as Champion." Rio replied with equal seriousness.

"I’m very grateful." The curator said with relief.

After that, Latias pulled Rio to play again, until the sun was about to set.

"Alright, Latias, Latios—I should be going now." Rio said goodbye.

"Mii~" Latias looked reluctant.

"Don’t worry—I won’t leave Altomare right away. I’ll stay another day or two, so I’ll come back to see you." Rio smiled, patting Latias’s head.

With that, Kanon led him out of the garden. On the way out, Rio suddenly asked: "By the way, Kanon—was it you being chased at noon?"

"Chased? I don’t understand what you mean, Mr. Rio." Kanon looked confused.

"Your reaction tells me it must have been Latias." Rio said knowingly.

"Are you saying someone was chasing Latias?" Kanon pressed.

"Yes—two women." Rio explained, briefly recounting the encounter with Latias.

Kanon fell into thought and remained quiet until she saw Rio back to his lodging. Rio watched her retreating figure with a faint smile.

He had deliberately told her about Latias being chased. He knew the thieves had now discovered Latias’s home—because during his bathroom break in the garden, he had checked Gengar’s livestream and seen the thieves’ drones filming Latios and Latias playing in the garden. He figured they would act tonight, so he told Kanon to avoid being blamed later. This way, he could also intervene under the guise of "ridding the city of evil," further deepening his bond with Latios and Latias. His original intent might have been questionable, but the end result would be good.

"Mr. Rio, you sure took a long bathroom break." Serīna, who had been waiting all afternoon, greeted him with a sour expression.

"Cough..." Rio looked at the table full of cold food and smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, sorry—I ran into something and got held up."

"What kind of something?" Serīna pressed, clearly suspicious.

"Sorry, I promised not to say. But I assure you, I wasn’t messing with you—I really did run into something." Rio picked up a cold pastry and took a bite. "Come on, let’s eat together."

Serīna frowned at him, then huffed and took the food away. "Don’t eat that—I’ll have them heat it up."

Rio watched her leave and smiled. He didn’t put down the burger he was holding, instead pulling out his phone to check Gengar’s feed. The thieves were moving across the rooftops under the night sky, not far from the garden, with Ariados and Espeon following.

"Just as I thought—they’re making their move." Rio muttered, taking a bite of his burger. He didn’t rush to rescue Latios and Latias just yet.

Moments later, the feed showed the thieves entering the garden. "Not a bad place—worthy of Latios and Latias’s home. Maybe we should set up our villa here." The blonde woman said.

Latios and Latias appeared before them, roaring for them to leave. The silver-haired woman laughed: "Looks like the residents don’t want to move."

"Then we’ll just keep them as pets." The blonde woman said. Latios and Latias vanished.

"They disappeared?" The blonde woman was surprised.

"They can do more than just transform, it seems." The silver-haired woman noted.

"That makes finding them a bit tricky." The blonde woman said, but she and her partner pulled out high-tech glasses.

"There." The blonde woman pointed. "Espeon, Swift."

At her command, Espeon struck the invisible Latias, breaking its camouflage. Latios tried to help, but the silver-haired woman’s Ariados hit it with Night Shade, also breaking its invisibility. The blonde woman then threw a device that trapped Latios. Their attention turned to Latias, but Latias dived into the pond and escaped.

"Pity—she got away." The blonde woman sighed.

"One catch is enough." The silver-haired woman patted her partner’s shoulder, then retrieved the Soul Dew from the pond. She brought it to the mural Rio had noticed earlier and scanned it with a computer.

"Centuries ago, the old man used the Soul Dew to protect this island forever—meaning the device that uses its power was built by humans. So these murals should record how to use it." The silver-haired woman explained as she scanned.

A translation appeared on the screen. The silver-haired woman read: "When one with ill intent uses the Soul Dew, their heart will be tainted, and they will lose the Dew—and the island with it."

The silver-haired woman paused—the description fit them perfectly.

"Don’t worry—it’s just a scare tactic. We’ve run into this before—big warnings, but nothing serious." The blonde woman dismissed it.

"Fair point." The silver-haired woman nodded, fiddling with the Soul Dew. "Let’s test its power, then."

She had Ariados carry the trapped Latios as they left. Rio closed his phone just as Serīna returned with reheated food. As he ate, he glanced out the window, expecting Latias to come to him for help.

And as expected, about ten minutes later, Latias burst into his room, startling Serīna.

"Th-this is... Latias?" Serīna, as the Champion’s secretary, recognized it and gasped.

"Latias, what’s wrong?" Rio asked.

"Mr. Rio, you don’t seem surprised to see Latias." Serīna noticed his calmness.

"That’s because I met Latias this afternoon." Rio explained.

"No wonder." Serīna nodded.

"Latias, what’s happened?" Rio pressed again.

"Mii~" Latias cried out, its eyes glowing blue. A vision appeared in Rio and Serīna’s minds—Latios’s current plight. Latios had been taken to the Sun Tower, placed inside a sphere by the blonde woman’s Ariados. The curator and Kanon had rushed in to save him, but the silver-haired woman’s Ariados bound them with String Shot.

The silver-haired woman placed the Soul Dew at the other end of the Sun Tower, opposite Latios, and climbed into another sphere.

"Witness the power of the Soul Dew!" She declared, manipulating the controls. Ancient fossil relics in the Sanctuary began to glow, and the light coalesced into a revived Aerodactyl and Kabutops.

"You two—bring Latias to me." The silver-haired woman ordered. The two fossils left the Sanctuary.

At that moment, Latios could no longer maintain the mental connection, and Latias collapsed. Outside, commotion arose.

"Mr. Rio, look outside!" Serīna walked to the balcony and pointed in surprise. Rio joined her and saw barriers rising across the streets. Even their balcony was being sealed off, trapping them inside. A flash of light—Rio released Charizard.

"Charizard, Dragon Claw!" Rio commanded. Charizard roared, and the barrier shattered instantly.

"Latias—come with me. I’ll help you save your brother." Rio declared boldly. "Serīna, wait here for us."

"Mii~" Latias nodded excitedly—this was exactly why she had come.

But as they left the hotel, an Aerodactyl appeared overhead. Rio scanned it—it was level 75, five levels higher than Latias, and had Champion-tier talent. Latias would be overwhelmed if she faced it alone.

So... "Charizard, give that Aerodactyl a claw and show it who the true sky lord is." Rio said calmly.