Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 262: Fixed Match?

A silence like death gripped the stadium, which held tens of thousands of spectators. The announcer stood frozen, microphone in hand, staring in disbelief at Annihilape—one fierce cry, one punch.

Is this what a Champion looks like? The Champion from Kanto?

One Charizard had taken down Flint’s Flareon in a single blow. Now an Annihilape was pinning Flint’s ace, Infernape, to the ground. The gap in strength was like a father disciplining his child.

In the VIP section, the Sinnoh League executives wore grim expressions. This is one of our region’s four strongest trainers—could you at least save us some face?

Though deeply embarrassed, their frustration wasn’t directed at Rio—it was at Flint, who stood frozen on the battlefield. They could all see that Rio had initially intended to go easy. It was Flint who had provoked him into sending out his ace and going all out.

Well—congratulations. You got your wish. Are you happy now? The whole world is going to laugh at Sinnoh. Bad news travels fast. By tomorrow, this mismatch will be the talk of every region. When our executives travel abroad, they’ll be mocked relentlessly. Damn you, Flint—just wait and see how you’re going to clean up this mess.

In the contestants’ area, Volkner—Sinnoh’s strongest Gym Leader—watched as Infernape was pummeled into the ground. He was equally stunned. "So... this is the gap between a region’s strongest trainer and an Elite Four member?"

If this wasn’t a fixed match, then even if I went up against this Kanto Champion, I’d probably get thrashed just as badly.

"Flint... you were too arrogant." As Flint’s close friend, Volkner now worried about the fallout. If Flint couldn’t salvage some dignity with his last Pokémon—at least take down one of Rio’s—he’d be drowned in criticism by the Sinnoh public.

"It’s over—I’m finished. Is the gap really this wide? I’m a Sinnoh Elite Four..."

On the battlefield, Flint’s confidence was shattered. He couldn’t accept that his strongest Pokémon had been utterly dominated by a non-ace opponent. He hesitated to send out his third Pokémon—if Infernape had fared this badly, the third would be no different.

Then he heard murmurs from the crowd:

"Is this a fixed match—are they insulting us Sinnoh fans?"

"Have our League executives gone mad just to please the Kanto Champion?"

"Let’s wait—if the last one ends the same way, we’ll tear them apart. This is a disgrace to Sinnoh—rigging a match to prop up a Kanto Champion."

Hearing those words, Flint wished he could just disappear. His already-battered spirit crumbled further. If only this were a rigged match. But it was real. He could feel the Sinnoh executives practically wanting to kill him now.

"Mr. Flint—you need to recall your Infernape and send out your third Pokémon. If you wait any longer, Infernape will go from fainting to dead," Rio said calmly.

Snapping out of his spiral, Flint saw that Infernape was nearly beaten to death. He quickly recalled it.

"Annih~" Annihilape snarled at him.

Flint shuddered—it looked ready to leap off the battlefield and attack him directly.

"Mr. Flint—send out your third Pokémon now. My Annihilape still has rage to burn, or it might just come after you," Rio said with a smirk.

Flint looked at Rio, then at the Poké Ball on his belt. With a silent apology, he released his third Pokémon—a Level 67 Magmortar.

The result was the same as the first two matches: a textbook domination. Annihilape’s fists were devastating—one punch heavily wounded Magmortar, a second knocked it out cold, a third shattered Flint’s spirit, a fourth made the Sinnoh crowd scream "fixed match," a fifth made the Sinnoh executives curse Flint to hell, a sixth made Cynthia sigh...

Actually, there was no sixth punch. After the fifth, Annihilape’s rage subsided.

"Good work, Annihilape." With a flash of light, Rio recalled Annihilape and quickly made his exit—he could feel the Sinnoh crowd’s resentment radiating toward him.

But what Rio didn’t know was that for every resentful Sinnoh fan, there were many in Kanto and Johto who were cheering him on. The exhibition match was broadcast in both regions, and it restored public confidence in the League—confidence that had been shaken by Team Rocket’s recent prison break. The Kanto and Johto Leagues immediately capitalized on the momentum, with executives grinning from ear to ear.

They’d been wondering how to rally public support—and then Sinnoh handed them the perfect opportunity. What was meant to be a friendly exhibition had turned into a one-man showcase for their Champion, elevating their region’s prestige worldwide.

Flint—you are our savior. We honestly don’t know what to say. Our Champion was ready to go easy on you, but you insisted on being humiliated.

Back in Kanto and Johto, the Elite Four also heard the news. Knowing that Rio had crushed Flint with overwhelming force, they all wore satisfied smiles.

See? We’re not weak. Rio is just on another level. Look at how badly Sinnoh’s Fire-type Elite Four got wrecked.

If only the other three Sinnoh Elite Four had stepped up too—then the whole world would understand the pressure we’re under.

Lance, sitting in the Dragon Clan’s ancestral hall, watched the video of a dazed Flint with pure delight. After watching, he stood up, humming a tune, ready to share the clip with the elders. They’d doubted him and the other Kanto Elite Four when they lost to Rio—thinking they’d slacked off or regressed. Now, with this video, they’d see that Sinnoh’s Elite Four fared no better—maybe even worse.