Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 261: The Lily of the Valley Falls Silent (Part 2)

On the battlefield, Rio smiled. Flint looked at him and felt that smile was dripping with mockery—as if to say, You asked me to send out Charizard. Happy with the results now?

"I can’t panic. I represent Sinnoh’s top trainers. I can win—I will win," Flint reassured himself. He recalled Flareon and sent out his next Pokémon. "Come out, Infernape—show them that Sinnoh’s strength is greater than they think!"

With a flash of light, Flint released his strongest Pokémon—Infernape. Its appearance made Rio raise an eyebrow—it was Level 70, the same as Charizard.

The crowd erupted again—though noticeably less enthusiastically than before. Most spectators were still shaken by Charizard’s display of power. They doubted Infernape could beat the Charizard that one-shot Flareon, even if it was Flint’s ace. They thought it might last longer—but they weren’t about to say that out loud.

Just then, something unexpected happened. A Poké Ball on Rio’s belt opened on its own. With a flash of light, Annihilape appeared.

"Annih~" Its expression was twisted with rage—it had obviously been worked up.

Seeing that, Rio knew he needed to give Annihilape an opponent, or it might turn on him. "Is this fate?" He looked at the Infernape across the field. Infernape—also known as ’Big Brother Monkey.’ Annihilape—also ’Big Brother Monkey,’ but one who’s been to hell and back. Now we have two Big Brother Monkeys on the same stage.

"Good work, Charizard—let Annihilape take it from here." Rio recalled Charizard. Though Annihilape was only Level 67, with the divine move Crush Grip and Champion-tier talent, it should have no trouble taking down Infernape—even with a three-level disadvantage.

"Go—that’s your opponent. Let’s see who’s the real monkey king."

"Annih~" With a fierce cry, Annihilape leaped onto the battlefield, locking eyes with Infernape from across the arena.

Is he going easy on me? Flint thought, caught off guard. He felt like Rio was finally showing some mercy. Though a bit annoyed, Flint no longer insisted on facing Rio’s full strength. If all three of his Pokémon went down the same way Flareon did, he’d lose all credibility. A little grace went a long way.

The crowd, seeing Rio recall Charizard and send out Annihilape, reignited their hopes. Chants of "Go, Infernape!" once again filled the stadium.

Ace and the others felt a twinge of disappointment. Earlier that morning, they’d wanted Rio to hold back for the sake of regional harmony. But after witnessing the arrogance of the Sinnoh crowd and Flint, they’d hoped for a thorough thrashing. Now seeing Annihilape—who they thought was much weaker than Charizard—they felt let down.

If you’re going to embarrass them, go all the way!

"Infernape—Flame Wheel!" On the battlefield, the second round began. Flint struck first again.

"Shr~" Infernape roared, engulfing itself in flames and spinning toward Annihilape like a blazing top.

"Annih~" Facing the incoming attack, Annihilape punched itself in the face to build rage, then charged at Infernape with its fist raised. Their attacks met in the center of the field with a thunderous explosion, sending a wave of heat radiating outward.

The outcome wasn’t immediately clear. Everyone watched intently. Two seconds later, the result was decided—Infernape was sent flying backward, slamming hard into the arena wall, leaving a crater.

The crowd’s eyes went wide. This battle was turning out just like the first—Flint’s Pokémon was hit hard in one blow. The only difference was that Infernape was still standing, though clearly injured.

"Infernape—Flare Blitz!" Flint, though shaken, quickly gave another command.

"Shr~" Infernape roared, its flames burning even brighter as its Blaze ability activated. The ground trembled, and the visual effects of Flare Blitz were at their peak. In contrast, Annihilape had no special effects—just pure rage.

Seven or eight seconds later, with a sharp whoosh, Infernape—despite all its flashy effects—was driven into the ground by Annihilape’s fists, pummeled like a disobedient child.

The crowd fell silent. At that moment, the Lily of the Valley Conference arena felt more like a library.