Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 282: Hoenn-Kanto Exchange (Part 3) – Two-in-One

"I also heard that during the disaster that struck your Hoenn region, if it hadn’t been for your efforts to protect it, the losses would have been even more devastating. You saved Hoenn from the brink of catastrophe."

"Ah, Mr. Rio, you’re too kind—it was the collective effort of Hoenn’s people. If you had been there, you might have done even better than I did."

"You’re flattering me, Mr. Steven—truly, you’re being too generous."

Though this was the first formal meeting between Rio and Steven, both were emotionally intelligent. Their mutual compliments flowed naturally and smoothly.

After the pleasantries, the two sides introduced the people accompanying them. First, Rio—as the host—introduced the Elite Four and Gym Leaders from his side to Steven. Then Steven introduced his own group. When he introduced Drake, the Dragon-type Elite Four, everyone from the Kanto League instinctively glanced at Lance, who stood just behind Rio. Lance locked eyes with Drake—not with romantic sparks, but with sparks of rivalry.

Steven then introduced the four Gym Leaders and ten young trainers who had come with him. One figure caught Rio’s attention: Sapphire—the girl who had been entrusted with the giant’s ruin photos by Steven’s father back in Hoenn. She was also the female protagonist of the Hoenn arc in the original story.

"Mr. Rio, I’m so happy to see you again! Thank you so much for saving my life last time. I never imagined that when we met again, you’d already become the League Champion," Sapphire said, recognizing Rio and taking the initiative to speak. She still remembered how Rio had descended from the sky with his Charizard to rescue her and Steven’s father from Team Aqua in Petalburg Woods.

"That was my duty. Your performance in Petalburg Woods that day was commendable," Rio said with a smile, praising her.

But inwardly, he sighed deeply. The female protagonist of Hoenn is participating in this exchange. My ten spoiled rich kids don’t stand a chance against her—this is a guaranteed loss.

Then Steven introduced another boy, and Rio’s hopes for his side’s victory sank even further. The boy’s name was Ruby—the male protagonist of the original special manga.

Seriously—a male protagonist and a female protagonist. What are my second-generation heirs supposed to do against them? This is just setting me up for embarrassment. And even if they were truly qualified trainers chosen through proper selection, they’d probably still lose. Never underestimate the power of protagonist plot armor. Unless... I had Red and Blue on my side. Both have protagonist energy—I believe Red and Blue would be stronger.

Unfortunately, my existence replaced Red, making that idea nothing but a fantasy.

After the introductions, Rio welcomed Steven and his group into the League headquarters amid a flurry of camera flashes. As the host, they had prepared a welcome banquet for the Hoenn delegation. The earlier meeting would be broadcast across Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn to generate public interest.

The next day, the Indigo Conference stadium was packed to capacity. Spectators from Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn gathered to watch the trainer exchange, eager to see which region’s trainers were stronger.

"Life is strange," Rio mused, looking down at the arena from the guest booth. "The last time I was here, I was a competitor. Now, I’m the Kanto League Champion sitting in the main seat."

Beside him, Steven nodded in agreement. "Yes—life is very strange. Half a year ago, when the ancient Pokémon awakened in Hoenn, I thought I could turn the tide by awakening the three legendary giants from their ruins to fight Groudon and Kyogre. But when I excitedly unlocked the ancient ruins, I found that someone had already awakened the three giants before me. I fell from heaven to hell in an instant, feeling that I had failed the people of Hoenn. Just when I was at my lowest, Rayquaza appeared—the third ancient legendary—and stopped Groudon and Kyogre. It saved me from despair."

The "someone" who awakened the three legendary giants... he’s talking about me. Hearing Steven mention the three Regis, Rio’s mouth twitched. Feeling guilty, he looked away, pretending not to hear.

Soon, the trainer exchange began. After the host introduced Rio and Steven to the crowd, the contestants were brought up for Pokémon battles.

The format was a 3v3 rotation battle. Whoever won stayed on; the loser was replaced. The side with more trainers remaining at the end would be declared the winner.

"Crawdaunt—this battle is yours!"

"Go, Golduck!"

The battle began. Crawdaunt’s trainer was from Hoenn; Golduck’s trainer was from Kanto/Johto. When Crawdaunt appeared, the stadium was mostly quiet, with only a few cheers. But when Golduck appeared, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause.

Watching this, Rio felt like a boomerang he’d thrown had come back to hit him. He had seen too many matches where the home crowd’s blind confidence ended in stunned silence—and he’d experienced it himself more than once. The more confident the crowd, the more likely they were to end up speechless.

He still remembered how he’d turned the Sinnoh Lily of the Valley Conference into a library. Now, he had a feeling that today, the Kanto League would become the library.

"Both Champions—who do you think will win this match? Are you confident in your side’s trainer?" the host suddenly asked.

"Not confident. I think Crawdaunt will win," Rio said bluntly, siding with Hoenn.

In his view, though Crawdaunt and Golduck were both Level 41, Crawdaunt’s move proficiency was noticeably higher. That not only showed Crawdaunt’s strength but also indicated that the trainer had put in regular effort with their Pokémon.

"Craw... Crawdaunt?" The host blinked in disbelief. She’d only asked the question as a routine prompt, expecting the two Champions to support their respective regions for some banter or a wager to boost viewership. After all, who would support their opponent’s side?

But to her surprise, the Kanto Champion had openly supported the opposing region’s trainer. Boss, you’re not exactly playing by the rules here.

Steven, hearing Rio’s response, also looked surprised. He hadn’t expected the Kanto Champion to favor his Hoenn trainer. Shouldn’t Rio support his own side? Had he misspoken?

"Mr. Rio—you didn’t make a mistake, did you? Golduck is the trainer from the Kanto League," the host tentatively reminded him.

"Yes, I support Crawdaunt," Rio confirmed.

Steven studied Rio with a strange expression for a long moment. Is this some kind of strategy? Maybe he actually thinks his own trainer is guaranteed to win, so he’s supporting my side to avoid making Hoenn look bad?

"Mr. Steven—who do you think will win?" the host then asked Steven.

"I think Golduck will win," Steven said, looking at Rio.

Since Rio had supported his side, Steven would support Rio’s side out of courtesy—not wanting to seem like he was taking advantage. Besides, he was confident in his own trainers; they’d win regardless of his support.

"You’re supporting Golduck, Mr. Steven?" the host asked.

"Yes."

The host was momentarily speechless. These two Champions are better at creating entertainment than I am. Neither supported their own trainers—only the opponent’s side.

On the other side, Rio shot Steven a helpless look. I genuinely think Crawdaunt has a better chance of winning—it’s not about being polite.

Down on the battlefield, the battle between Crawdaunt and Golduck had already begun.

"Golduck—use Fury Swipes!" the Kanto trainer commanded.

"Gol~"

"Crawdaunt—use Crabhammer!" the Hoenn trainer countered.

"Craw~"

The two Pokémon met in the center, trading claw and fist strikes. At first, they seemed evenly matched, but soon it was clear that Crawdaunt was gaining momentum while Golduck began to falter.

"Golduck—fall back and use Hydro Pump!" The Kanto trainer changed tactics.

"Gol~" Golduck leaped back, tilted its head, and unleashed a powerful water jet.

"Crawdaunt—dodge and use Crabhammer!" the Hoenn trainer called out.

"Craw~" Crawdaunt leaped nimbly, dodging the Hydro Pump, and swung its fist at Golduck.

"Such a basic strategy—useless. Golduck—use Psychic!" The Kanto trainer, irritated by Rio’s earlier comment, was determined to prove himself. He’d heard the host’s question broadcast through the stadium—and he knew Rio had doubted him. He would show Rio that even though he’d bought his spot, he still had real skill.

"Gol~" Golduck raised its hands and used Psychic on Crawdaunt as commanded. The move hit, and Crawdaunt was lifted into the air before being slammed into the lake.

"Hahaha!" The Kanto trainer beamed, looking ready to celebrate early. But his joy was short-lived—Crawdaunt burst out of the water behind Golduck and landed the Crabhammer it had been holding back, hitting Golduck square on the jaw and sending it flying. Fortunately, Golduck wasn’t knocked out.

"Golduck—use Fury Swipes!" the Kanto trainer ordered as Golduck got back up.

"Gol~" Golduck charged at Crawdaunt.

"Crawdaunt—wait for the right moment and grab it!" the Hoenn trainer shouted.

"Craw~" Crawdaunt’s eyes gleamed. It caught Golduck’s clawed hands with lightning speed. Golduck struggled, but it couldn’t match Crawdaunt’s strength.

"Good—use Vice Grip now!" The Hoenn trainer pressed the advantage. Crawdaunt spun Golduck around like a hula hoop, easily controlling it. The Kanto trainer tried to issue a counter-command, but with Golduck spinning, it couldn’t attack. He could only watch as the Hoenn trainer executed a flawless maneuver—Crawdaunt flung Golduck into the air and finished it off with Bubble Beam.

The first match ended. The Hoenn trainer won. The stadium fell into a wave of lamentation—Kanto and Johto spectators sighed in disappointment, with only a few Hoenn travelers cheering excitedly.

"As expected of you, Rio—you were right. Our Hoenn trainer won," Steven said with a smile from the guest booth.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt something was off. It sounded strange—it was his side’s trainer, yet he was congratulating Rio. Shouldn’t it have been Rio congratulating him?

"Not bad—I’ve just got a sharp eye for talent," Rio said, graciously accepting the congratulations as if the loss wasn’t his own.

Steven’s expression grew even more curious. "So—who do you think will win the next match?" he asked proactively.

The Kanto trainer had already sent out his second Pokémon—a Level 40 Venomoth (Bug/Poison). The Hoenn trainer recalled Crawdaunt and sent out a Level 39 Swellow.

"I think Swellow will win," Rio said, still supporting Hoenn.

Steven and the host were both left dumbfounded. They really wanted to ask Rio if he’d forgotten which region he was representing. He was the Kanto League Champion—not Hoenn’s. Why did he keep supporting the opposing side?

If he’d done it earlier out of confidence that his own side would win—and to avoid embarrassing his opponent—that would have been understandable. But now, everyone had seen Kanto get thrashed. Why was he still supporting Hoenn? That was just boosting the enemy’s morale at the expense of his own region.

"Then I’ll support Venomoth," Steven said. Since Rio insisted on backing Hoenn, Steven would politely back Kanto. Either way, win or lose, he wouldn’t be embarrassed.

"Venomoth—Stun Spore!" The Kanto trainer, now even more frustrated, struck first, determined to prove himself.

"Venom~" Venomoth spread its wings, releasing yellow powder toward Swellow.

"Dodge it—use Peck!" The Hoenn trainer responded with the classic "dodge" strategy. Swellow weaved through the powder midair and closed in, landing a Peck on Venomoth.

"Venomoth—use Disable!" The Kanto trainer responded quickly.

"Venom~" Venomoth’s eyes glowed, using Disable to prevent Swellow from using Peck again. But Swellow had plenty of other Flying-type moves at its disposal.

"Swellow—use Aerial Ace!" the Hoenn trainer commanded.

"Swel~" Swellow spun 360 degrees in midair and delivered a powerful strike, nearly knocking Venomoth into the water.

"Venomoth—Supersonic!" The Kanto trainer called out anxiously.

"Swellow—Quick Attack!" The Hoenn trainer replied calmly.

Both Pokémon used their moves simultaneously—but Swellow was lightning-fast, easily dodging the Supersonic rings and landing a decisive blow on Venomoth. In just three moves, Venomoth was defeated.

The stadium fell into a brief silence. The Kanto spectators looked as if they’d suffered a crushing defeat.