Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Above Mt. Ember, Rio watched as Munchlax transformed into a moon-like sphere, its beam locked in a stalemate with Beedrill. He narrowed his eyes.

"Giovanni has truly raised that Beedrill too well."

Under his gaze, Beedrill used Struggle Bug to neutralize most of the Shadow Light beam. Though the beam eventually broke through, the damage to Beedrill was not fatal.

"Such a spectacle and power—yes, it definitely rolled another divine move. One I don’t even recognize," Giovanni muttered atop Mt. Ember, watching Munchlax exit its divine state, his eyes narrowed.

"This Munchlax is truly extraordinary—it managed to hurt my Beedrill with Metronome. But as Sabrina said, using Metronome takes a heavy toll on it. I wonder how many more times it can do that—three? Four? I need to find a way to take it out of the fight. If it keeps using Metronome alongside Raikou, it’ll be extremely bad for Beedrill."

"Zapdos is also in a precarious position, being double-teamed by Moltres and that Charizard. Even with some Flying-type support, it can’t hold out against a Charizard that wields Sacred Fire and Moltres. I need a way to break the deadlock and turn the tide."

Giovanni’s mind raced. He exchanged a glance with his subordinate Athena, then commanded: "Beedrill—Poison Jab!"

"Bzzz!" Beedrill buzzed and shot toward Munchlax at incredible speed.

Rio countered: "Gengar—Psychic! Set up a speed-reduction interference zone! Raikou—Thunder! Protect Munchlax! Munchlax—Metronome!"

"Gengar~"

"ROAR!!!"

"Ka~"

The three Pokémon followed Rio’s commands. But the battle took an unexpected turn. Just as Beedrill was about to enter the zone Rio had set up, it suddenly executed a U-turn—toward the battle between Zapdos and Moltres.

Mega Charizard Y was busy using Sacred Fire to take down the Rockets’ Flying-types, while Zapdos and Moltres were locked in combat. At the same time, an Alakazam Teleported to the exact spot Beedrill had just vacated.

"NO—Charizard, dodge!" Rio shouted. But his warning reached Charizard too late.

Beedrill’s poisoned arm pierced through Charizard’s vital spot. Charizard let out a pained roar, purple flames gathering in its mouth as it prepared to retaliate—but Beedrill was too agile. And it wasn’t done—it spun around and targeted Moltres, striking the legendary bird in the gap between its clash with Zapdos.

The entire sequence took less than four seconds. Both Charizard and Moltres were severely wounded and poisoned.

At the same time, Munchlax’s Metronome completed. In its divine state, electricity crackled from its fingertips, forming a lightning prison that trapped the Teleported Alakazam. Alakazam lasted barely two seconds before collapsing.

"Damn it." Rio’s face turned cold. He was completely dissatisfied with this result. In this exchange, Giovanni had played him like a fiddle. He’d used just one Alakazam to set up devastating blows on both Charizard and Moltres—and wasted one of Munchlax’s Metronome uses.

"Split tactics won’t work. With Beedrill’s speed, it can keep repeating that strategy. His advantage is speed and single-target power—none of my Pokémon can beat Beedrill one-on-one. My advantage is that I have more high-level fighters. In a numbers game, he can’t face me head-on."

Rio’s mind raced. He turned to Gengar: "Gengar—join Charizard’s fight. Ignore Beedrill for now—take down Zapdos first."

"Got it." Gengar carried Rio and Munchlax toward Charizard’s battlefield with Psychic.

Rio was about to issue new commands when Beedrill shot toward him. Trying to repeat the same trick? Rio narrowed his eyes and continued: "Gengar—Psychic! Set up a speed-reduction interference zone! Raikou—Zap Cannon—get ready! Charizard—keep an eye on Beedrill and charge Sacred Fire!"

This time, he was wiser—he didn’t rush Munchlax into using Metronome. Moltres had also learned, staying alert for Beedrill while engaging Zapdos.

As expected, Beedrill tried the same tactic—turning back just before entering Gengar’s speed-reduction zone.

Rio tracked Beedrill’s movements. But what he didn’t expect—another Alakazam atop Mt. Ember Teleported away. The next instant, he felt a chill at his neck. He spun around—two Psycho Cut blades were aimed at him, held by the Alakazam.

Giovanni’s voice rang out from below: "Rio—I hope you understand that Team Rocket stops at nothing to win. But I truly don’t want to have to use that against you."

"So I’m giving you two options. First: join Team Rocket. I guarantee you a position second only to mine—and if you pledge true loyalty, I promise the three legendary birds will be yours to command. Second: leave here. Don’t interfere with Team Rocket’s capture plan. I’ll pretend you were never here."

Rio’s eyes narrowed. "What if I choose neither?"

Giovanni replied calmly: "If you choose neither, the Psycho Cut will have to pass through your skull. I sincerely hope you’ll consider the first option."

"Is that so?" Rio raised an eyebrow. "I think there’s a fourth option."

"A fourth?" Giovanni frowned.

Behind him, Athena’s startled voice rang out: "Boss—watch out—"

Giovanni felt a chill at his own neck. He stiffened and turned—Greninja, wreathed in flowing water and glowing gold, pressed a Water Shuriken against his throat.

"Gren~" Greninja glared coldly.

At the same time, Annihilape leaped in front of him, holding a bloodied Marowak bone. "Annih~" It roared at Giovanni, looking ready to crack his skull open.

"ROAR!!!" The Red Gyarados, having just sent a Kingler flying with its tail, aimed a Hyper Beam directly at him.

"There’s your fourth option—a life for a life. How about it?" Rio’s voice came from above.

Looking at Greninja, Annihilape, and the Red Gyarados, Giovanni laughed—softly at first, then heartily. Finally, he looked up at Rio: "Rio—you’re impressive. Truly impressive. I’ve never seen a young man as capable as—"

He stopped mid-sentence. His eyes widened as he stared at the sea.

The waves had turned violent. Multiple water spouts rose from the ocean, crackling with lightning. At the center of the whirlpools, a massive, snow-white Pokémon with wing-like arms emerged.

"PHI-AAAH!!!" Its cry echoed across the island. Seconds later, torrential rain poured from the sky, drenching Rio, Giovanni, and every Rocket member in an instant.