Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 104: Gaining Recognition

Dead silence.

Aside from Hunter C’s screams, everyone else was completely stunned. None of them had expected Hunter H to actually swing the knife without hesitation and sever Hunter C’s right hand.

"H—you..." Hunter A pointed at Rio, his finger trembling.

He couldn’t believe it. When he’d brought H in earlier, he’d thought the guy was weak and timid. But he’d only stepped out to pick up Hunter J, and when he returned, H had C pinned under his foot and had just chopped off C’s hand without a second thought—right in front of him.

"What about me? I keep my word. If I had lost, I’d have chopped off my own hand immediately. But since he lost, he doesn’t get to run either. He should have thought twice before agreeing to the bet." Rio flicked his wrist, sending the bloodied kitchen knife clattering to the ground.

Then he swept his gaze across the other hunters. "Anyone else want to battle me?"

The hunters all lowered their heads, too afraid to speak.

"Since no one does, I’m leaving." Rio lifted his foot off Hunter C and strode away confidently.

As he passed the female hunter with the striking figure, their eyes met—and she instinctively stepped back, clearly intimidated by his actions.

Just then, Hunter A spoke up: "H—have you considered how important this operation is? If C can’t participate, who’s going to fill his role?" His voice was barely suppressing his anger.

Rio turned back and said flatly: "Simple—I’ll fill it. A waste of space like him makes no difference whether he’s here or not."

"Of course, if you disagree, you can tell me to leave right now—I’ll go without a word."

Rio and Hunter A stared at each other through their masks. Hunter A looked at Rio for a long moment, but ultimately said nothing.

"Since you’re staying silent, I’ll take that as you still need me. When the day comes to catch Raikou, I’ll prove myself with results—and you’ll be satisfied." Rio smirked and turned away again.

This is what strength gives you—the confidence to act however you want.

"Primeape, Haunter—let’s go."

"Pu-cha~"

Primeape, now calm, dropped the Scizor—which it had reduced to a pulp—and followed Rio alongside Haunter, striding away with swagger. The other hunters watched them leave, not daring to say a word. Only after Rio and his two Pokémon were gone did they finally breathe again and start talking.

"H is ruthless. Good thing I didn’t take that bet."

"C—why did you have to provoke him?"

"Yeah, I could tell from the first moment I saw H that he wasn’t someone to mess with. Smart move keeping my mouth shut."

"D—you’re full of it! You were one of the first to taunt H!"

"Cough, cough—C, say something! Why aren’t you screaming anymore?"

"Damn—C’s lost too much blood and passed out! Someone bandage him, quick, or he’ll die!"

Back in his room, Rio patted Primeape’s head: "Good work earlier, Primeape."

"Pu-cha."

He recalled Primeape, then tossed out Froakie’s Poké Ball. With a flash of light, Froakie appeared.

Good news—this time, Froakie didn’t immediately launch a Water Pulse at his face. Instead, it just stared at him silently.

"What, did my badass performance downstairs win you over?" Rio snorted.

Then he paused—he noticed Froakie’s friendship had jumped from -25 to -5, a gain of twenty points. Clearly, his earlier actions had made a strong impression.

Nice—Hunter C’s hand wasn’t chopped for nothing. Rio thought.

"If you trust me, I’ll make sure all those people get what they deserve—in just a few days," Rio said again.

"Froakie~" Froakie finally responded.

Rio looked at Haunter—and his pupils contracted again. Haunter’s friendship, which had never budged, had also changed, from -30 to -28.

Did my actions against the Pokémon hunters move it too? Rio was both surprised and pleased.

"It says it trusts you," Haunter translated on its own this time, without Rio needing to ask.

"Good—then I’ll give you another promise. If you accept me as your trainer from now on, I’ll give you the power to destroy the Pokémon hunter organization."

Rio extended his fist. Froakie looked at him, then hopped forward and pressed its tiny paw against his fist.

Rio smiled.

Five hours later, night had fallen.

Rio, now in fresh clothes, walked into the villa’s dining hall. Aside from Hunter C, all the other hunters were gathered around the table, chatting while eating—their conversation centered on the striking Hunter J. But the moment they saw Rio, they fell silent and turned to look at him.

"What are you all staring at me for? Keep eating, keep chatting." Rio grabbed a plate and served himself.

They resumed their chatter.

A short while later, Rio sat down with a plate of grilled Slowpoke Tail and a glass of Moomoo Milk. After he sat down, Hunter A spoke:

"Everyone—I just received word that Hunter I may have been arrested. So I’ve decided: we’re moving out tonight. We’ll begin the Raikou capture operation."