Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 126: Blue

Erika shot the trainee a glare. Wasn’t that an obvious question? Couldn’t they read the room? She’d planned to record the battle as a showcase for Celadon’s trainers—but the reality was a different story. Putting aside whether the battle was exciting or intense, the fact that that foul-mouthed Gengar had made her tremble with rage was reason enough to never let the footage see the light of day. If it got out, her reputation as Celadon Gym Leader and a noble heiress would be ruined.

"Delete it—all of it. Not a single frame can be seen by anyone." Erika took the camera and deleted the footage herself. Then she took the Gym challenge record book from the trainee and copied Daisy’s wording with a few tweaks:

[In this battle, Gym Leader Erika sent out two ace Pokémon—Victreebel and Tangrowth—in a thrilling, back-and-forth battle against challenger Rio’s Gengar, narrowly losing. Gym Leader Erika believes this young trainer has great potential—the makings of a League Champion—and hopes the Gym will continue to hone its skills, contributing a powerful asset to the development of the Kanto League. ]

She gave Rio the highest possible score: S-rank. "Done." Erika clapped her hands.

But then a thought struck her—intelligence suggested that Saffron’s Psychic Gym, Cinnabar’s Fire Gym, Vermilion’s Electric Gym, Fuchsia’s Poison Gym, and Viridian’s Gym had all fallen under Team Rocket’s control. If Rio challenged those Gyms, he’d be walking into a trap.

"No—I need to use my connections to recommend him for direct entry into the Indigo League conference," Erika mused. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. If she succeeded, Rio would owe her a favor—and be grateful to her.

Meanwhile, above Celadon City.

Rio flew on Charizard’s back, with Eevee and Froakie riding along, while Gengar floated beside them. Watching Froakie and Eevee cuddle, Gengar sighed: "Sigh—two short-lived souls with only half a year left."

One human and three Pokémon all turned to look at Gengar—including Charizard.

"Roaar~" — Keep talking—say more.

"Froakie~" — Yeah, yeah—not everyone can spend a hundred years in a Poké Ball and not die.

"Eevee~" — I wish I could live longer too...

"Your talent for stabbing people right in the heart is something I can’t compete with," Rio said with a mock salute.

"What? Old Ghost was just stating facts," Gengar said, confused.

One human and three Pokémon rolled their eyes at Gengar and went back to their own business—flying, flirting, or contemplating the future.

"For the next six months, my focus has to be on Froakie and Eevee," Rio thought, glancing at them. Froakie had to withstand Raikou’s attack in six months, while Eevee genuinely had only that long to live. He couldn’t train Eevee directly, but he had to raise its friendship to see if the system could fix its genetic disorder.

"Actually—I need to make time to visit Silph Co.," Rio suddenly thought of a new approach. As the world’s top item manufacturer, Silph Co. undoubtedly had deep expertise in Pokémon biology. They could study Eevee’s condition—not necessarily to cure it, but at least to reduce its suffering over the next six months. If they succeeded, Eevee, Froakie, and even Gengar would surely grow more attached to him.

With that in mind, Rio messaged President Takuma, explaining Eevee’s situation and his request. Within ten seconds, Takuma called back, clearly shocked that an Eevee capable of freely evolving into Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon could exist—he asked if Rio was joking.

"It’s true, Grandpa Takuma. Do I really strike you as someone who jokes about this kind of thing?" Rio laughed over the phone. "And don’t forget—I already have a flying Red Gyarados. Having an Eevee that can freely evolve shouldn’t be that surprising. But if you don’t believe me, I can always find someone else to help."

"Wait, wait—I believe you! You absolutely must bring that Eevee to Silph Co. for study—we’ll develop a treatment plan. I’ll pay you!" Takuma panicked at the thought of another company getting their hands on such a unique specimen.

Hearing that money was involved, Rio smiled—but still asked: "Your research won’t hurt it, will it?"

"Absolutely not—if any researcher so much as lays a harmful finger on it, I’ll fire them on the spot!" Takuma’s chest-thumping was audible through the phone—followed by a coughing fit from hitting himself too hard.

Rio’s mouth twitched. He ended the call before the old man accidentally gave himself a heart attack. They agreed to meet in Saffron City the day after tomorrow.

"Eevee~" The moment the call ended, Eevee looked up at Rio and cried out.

"It’s asking what you were just talking about—it heard its name," Gengar translated on cue.

"I was contacting a very skilled old man to see if he can find a way to ease your pain." Rio gently stroked Eevee’s head. "Little Eevee—trust me. I’ll make things better for you."

[Eevee’s friendship increased.]

[Friendship: -14 (from -20 to -14)]

"Eevee~"

"It says thank you."

"You’re welcome."

Two hours later, Rio returned from Celadon City to Lavender Town. As he flew over the Lavender Gym—still under reconstruction—he spotted two people engaged in a Pokémon battle, with several trainees watching from the sidelines.

The moment Rio appeared, a trainee rushed up to him. "Gym Leader—someone’s here to challenge the Gym!"

"Challenge the Gym?" Rio raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t heard that word in a while—the last time was when Cynthia first came to Lavender Town. He wondered who was bold enough to cause trouble at his Gym today.

"Isn’t Cynthia around?" Rio asked. If she were here, she’d probably enjoy putting this challenger in his place—even though she wasn’t officially a Gym trainee.

"She took Garchomp into the forest for training today," the trainee explained.

Rio didn’t waste any more time—he walked toward the battlefield. The moment he arrived, he saw a Blastoise defeat a Venusaur despite the type disadvantage. A brown-haired young man, wearing a green short-sleeved jacket with a blue-and-white pendant around his neck, swept his gaze arrogantly across the crowd.

"Your Lavender Gym really doesn’t live up to its reputation. People say your trainers are strong—that even Team Rocket has been captured here. But today, all I see is trash. Four people in a row, and none of them could even take down my Blastoise. Disappointing—utterly disappointing. Your Gym Leader is clearly just a figurehead who doesn’t even dare to show himself—not worthy of my full strength. I’m done—I’m leaving."

Blue? Rio’s eyebrows lifted. He recalled the character from the original story—the one known as the "five-minute Champion."

Rio studied him more closely. Handsome, arrogant, radiating an aura of "I’m the best—anyone who fights me should kneel." That was definitely him—the man who held the Champion title for only five minutes before being dethroned by Red.