Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

As the referee’s flag dropped, Yuya was the first to throw his Poké Ball. With a flash of light, a Level 40 Quasi-Elite Four Breloom appeared before Rio.

"Come out, Aerodactyl." Rio raised an eyebrow at his opponent’s confident tone and tossed out his own Poké Ball.

With a flash of light, Aerodactyl appeared on the battlefield with a roar. After a month and a half of training, Aerodactyl was now Level 38. Though it still lagged behind Breloom in level, Rio was confident victory was well within reach.

The moment Aerodactyl appeared, its ancient, primal presence made Breloom visibly uneasy.

"Oh—Aerodactyl! Contestant Rio has sent out an Aerodactyl—a prehistoric Pokémon revived from a fossil!" the announcer’s voice exclaimed in surprise.

Yuya, across the battlefield, remained calm. "Breloom—Bullet Seed!" he commanded.

"Brel~" Breloom opened its mouth and fired a barrage of seeds toward Aerodactyl like a machine gun.

"Aerodactyl—Agility! Stay close to it!" Rio ordered.

"Wraaah~" Aerodactyl roared, a white sheen flashing across its body. It became incredibly light and nimble, weaving through the seeds with ease as it closed in on Breloom.

"Aerodactyl—Air Cutter!" Rio commanded as the Bullet Seed attack came to an end.

"Wraaah~" Already close to Breloom, Aerodactyl swung its wings, sending razor-sharp wind blades slicing toward it. The proximity made it impossible for Breloom to defend, and it cried out in pain.

"This is exactly what I wanted—you’re right where I need you!" Yuya said excitedly. "Breloom—Headbutt!"

"Brel~" Breloom endured the Air Cutter and launched itself like a rocket at Aerodactyl, only four meters away. Its speed was explosive.

Just as Breloom closed in, Rio raised an eyebrow: "Aerodactyl—Shadow Force!"

"Wraaah~" Aerodactyl roared—and in front of the entire stadium, it vanished into thin air. Breloom’s Headbutt hit nothing but empty space, and it even splashed into the water of the Water-type arena.

Yuya’s eyes went wide as he scanned the battlefield for the vanished Aerodactyl. Two seconds later, Aerodactyl reappeared—just as suddenly as it had vanished—emerging beside Breloom, wreathed in shadowy energy, and slammed into it just as it was climbing back onto the platform.

"Brel~" The newly stabilized Breloom was knocked back into the water—and when it surfaced, it was floating motionless.

The audience erupted in astonishment.

"Incredible! Aerodactyl disappeared, and when it reappeared, it took down Breloom in a single blow!" the announcer gasped.

"How is that possible? What just happened?" Yuya stared at Rio, completely baffled.

There’s nothing impossible about it—Aerodactyl just used Giratina’s signature move, Shadow Force. Rio smiled quietly to himself.

After a month and a half of training, Aerodactyl had unlocked its first-tier friendship reward and received a Move Disk—and got lucky enough to roll Giratina’s signature move. That was exactly why Rio was confident Aerodactyl could handle Breloom—and indeed, the entire match, unless his opponent’s next two Pokémon were Gym Leader-level.

"What move did Aerodactyl just use?" Yuya called out to Rio.

Before Rio could answer, the announcer’s voice came through: "Gym Leader Erika, sitting in the guest box, just commented that Rio’s Aerodactyl likely used Shadow Force. However, that move is usually only usable by Ghost-type Pokémon—seeing it on Aerodactyl gave her quite a shock! It seems the Pokémon world still holds many mysteries waiting to be uncovered."

Rio shrugged at Yuya, letting the announcer’s explanation speak for itself.

Yuya recalled Breloom with a dark expression. He hadn’t expected such a tough opponent in his very first match.

"You’re strong—you took out my Breloom in just three exchanges, or rather, with just two moves. You’ve exceeded my expectations. I thought I’d only need to send out this Pokémon in the fifth round, but I have no choice but to play it early."

Yuya pulled out a Luxury Ball. "Come out, Gardevoir!"

A flash of light revealed one of the most beloved Pokémon in the world—Gardevoir.

"Gardevoir~" Its elegant beauty drew gasps and cheers from the crowd.

"Ah—my wife just appeared!"

"Bullshit—she’s my wife!"

The graceful Gardevoir stood in stark contrast to the featherless Aerodactyl. Rio frowned slightly—not because Aerodactyl was ugly (though it was), but because of Gardevoir’s stats. It was Level 55 with Quasi-Elite Four talent, far surpassing Aerodactyl’s level.

Well, so much for Aerodactyl sweeping all three. Guess I spoke too soon, Rio thought. As expected of an Indigo Conference participant—no pushovers here.

Rio recalled Aerodactyl. "Which Pokémon should I send out? Any of my remaining ones could dominate—hard to choose."

He glanced at the graceful Gardevoir, which had already won over the crowd, and felt a mischievous urge. He wanted to see a Pokémon like that get thrashed—by a beast.

Sorry to everyone who calls Gardevoir their waifu—I just feel like being a little chaotic today.

Rio pulled out the Luxury Ball containing his resident brute. "Come out, Annihilape!"

"Annih~"

Annihilape appeared, its face even more ferocious than Aerodactyl’s. Many of the more aesthetic-minded spectators made faces like old men peering through a dirty phone screen. But then their expressions shifted to shock—because the first thing Annihilape did was punch itself twice in the face, knocking out two of its own teeth.

Even Yuya was stunned by the bizarre display. But he quickly remembered he was in the middle of a battle and gave his command: "Gardevoir—Disarming Voice!"

"Gardevoir~"