Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 118: Froakie, You Are a One-in-a-Million Genius

Froakie nodded, not hiding its feelings about Rio’s question.

"Is it because I didn’t help you kill those hunters?" Rio asked.

He could only think of one reason for Froakie’s friendship to drop.

"Froakie~" Froakie nodded again.

"It’s not that I didn’t want to—it’s that I wanted to maximize the outcome." Rio explained seriously.

"Besides you, there are others who want the hunter organization destroyed—like that woman with the killer figure. Do you remember her?" Rio gestured, hoping to jog Froakie’s memory.

"Froakie~" Froakie nodded again.

Rio continued with satisfaction: "That woman’s organization has a grudge against the hunters too. They have more people and resources—they can extract secrets from those hunters. So I handed them over to her. Do you understand?"

Froakie lowered its head, deep in thought. This question seemed a bit beyond its intellectual grasp—but its friendship still rose by two points, from -10 back to -8. Rio’s thoughtful explanation had made it feel respected.

After a long pause, Rio’s talk-no-jutsu struck again: "What do you think about that bet I made?"

"Froakie~" Froakie looked up.

"I mean—do you have confidence that you can withstand Raikou’s full-power attack in six months?"

"Froakie~" Froakie shook its head vigorously, like a rattle.

Rio raised an eyebrow, ready to dismantle its hesitation with more talk, when Gengar’s voice echoed in his mind: "It said, ’Do you want it dead?’"

Rio turned and saw Gengar hovering above him, having brought some Pokémon snacks with its psychic power.

"Little Munchlax’s eating habits are terrifying—I grabbed some now so it wouldn’t go crazy and steal mine," Gengar explained, using its power to place a Berry pie in front of Froakie.

Froakie took the pie and looked at Gengar. "Froakie~"

"No need to thank me—you’ve only got six months to live anyway. Might as well eat well while you can." Gengar patted its large belly.

Froakie’s face fell. Its appetite vanished, and its friendship toward Rio dropped from -8 back to -10.

Rio rolled his eyes, shooting Gengar a resentful glare. Your mouth is poisonous, isn’t it? If you can’t say anything helpful, just keep it shut.

"Froakie, don’t listen to that nonsense. Believe me—you can definitely do it," Rio said directly. "Do you know why I insisted on buying you from the black market?"

"Froakie~" Froakie looked at Rio.

"It wants to know why." Gengar—the ever-present commentator—translated on cue.

I could read that from its expression without a translation, Rio thought, rolling his eyes slightly. Then he looked seriously at Froakie:

"The reason is simple—I saw your potential. You’re a genius—a super genius among Pokémon, one in a million among Froakies. With just a little effort, you can withstand Raikou’s full-power attack in six months."

Froakie’s expression flickered with surprise and disbelief.

"Kid, you’re making that up, right? I’ve been around for over a hundred years—how could I not tell it’s a genius? Looks like an ordinary Froakie to me—just a different color," Gengar’s voice chimed in.

Rio’s internal expression: (╬▔皿▔)凸

Did you live your hundred years in a dog’s stomach? Are you just here to undermine me? Didn’t your old trainer Gus teach you what emotional intelligence is?

Rio took a deep breath and continued: "Don’t listen to its nonsense. If I say you’re a genius, then you are. And why? You should be able to tell from the Pokémon I have—I only train geniuses."

He turned to Gengar, who looked about to interrupt again, and quickly asked: "Are you a genius?"

"Of course I am! A Champion from a hundred years ago—if I’m not a genius, who is?" Gengar said smugly.

"See? Even it is a genius. That should prove that I only train geniuses—and when I say you’re a super genius among Pokémon, one in a million among Froakies, then you are! You just never had the right training before. Now that you have me, you’ll undergo a transformation."

Rio paused, swallowing as he gathered his next lines.

Gengar frowned, feeling that Rio’s words sounded a bit off.

After a two-second pause, Rio lowered his voice and spoke to Froakie:

"Do you want to wield flames that burn everything, like Charizard? Do you want fists powerful enough to make Raikou afraid, like Primeape? Do you want the luck to roll divine moves, like Munchlax? Do you want the ability to spam ultimate attacks, like the Red Gyarados?"

"Trust me, support me, follow me—and you’ll have all of that. Then you can take that power and destroy the hunter organization, avenging your family."

His voice was hypnotic. Froakie listened, growing more and more excited, lost in the vision Rio painted.

Gengar’s voice cut through: "You’re starting to sound like those cult leaders Gus and I ran into a hundred years ago—brainwashing people with sweet talk."

Rio’s expression froze. He whipped out the ancient Poké Ball, recalled Gengar, and twisted the switch as tight as it would go.

He turned back to Froakie, relieved to see it still immersed in the fantasy he’d painted. It took nearly five minutes for Froakie to snap out of it.

"Froakie~" When it came back to reality, its eyes were filled with determination as it nodded at Rio.

Rio smiled, about to speak, when Gengar’s voice echoed in his mind again: "It says it believes you."

"Sigh—youngsters these days. So inexperienced. A few words and they’re brainwashed."

Rio’s mouth twitched as he looked at the ancient Poké Ball in his hand. He seriously considered switching Gengar to a modern Poké Ball—provided the hundred-year-old ghost was willing.

BOOM!

Suddenly, the sound of fighting erupted from inside. Rio hurried in with Froakie.

The scene inside: Primeape was going "Pu-cha, pu-cha" as it beat the Red Gyarados. Munchlax was eating like a madman, terrified of missing out. Charizard flew low as Rio entered and let out a series of cries.

Rio understood none of it. He reluctantly released Gengar again.

"Little Charizard says Munchlax stole Primeape’s food, so Primeape got mad and was about to punch Munchlax—but Red Gyarados shoved its tail in, and things escalated from there," Gengar explained.

Rio was silent for a long moment. Finally, he uttered five words:

"All of them are geniuses."