Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 283: Hoenn-Kanto Exchange (Part 4) – Two-in-One

The Kanto spectators found it hard to accept the defeat of Venomoth—their Kanto trainer had been swept two-to-zero. This was a trainer selected by the League, not someone picked off the street. How could the result be like this?

Compared to the Kanto crowd, the Hoenn travelers were ecstatic, shouting: "Hoenn rocks! Hoenn’s the best! Keep it up—sweep them!"

"Congratulations, Rio—you called it right again," Steven said. "For this final match, who do you favor? Still Hoenn?"

On the battlefield, the Kanto trainer had recalled Venomoth and sent out his third Pokémon—Scizor.

"Yes—I still favor the Hoenn trainer’s Swellow," Rio said calmly.

His answer left Steven a bit speechless. He wasn’t sure if Rio had an incredibly sharp eye for talent, or if he just didn’t like his own side.

"Then I’ll favor Scizor," Steven said, once again supporting the opponent’s Pokémon.

"Swellow—use Quick Attack!" Back on the battlefield, the Hoenn trainer struck first.

"Scizor—use Quick Attack too!" the Kanto trainer said, sweating.

Both Pokémon charged at each other at high speed—one flying upward, the other diving down. They clashed violently in midair, neither giving ground. The Kanto crowd began to hope again.

"Swellow—use Peck!" The Hoenn trainer switched tactics when Quick Attack wasn’t gaining an advantage.

"Scizor—use Double Team to dodge!" the Kanto trainer ordered.

Scizor roared, splitting into ten copies across the arena, leaving Swellow unsure which to attack.

"Keep it up—use Metal Claw!" the Kanto trainer followed up.

"Sciz~" All ten Scizor copies charged at Swellow, their right claws glowing white.

"Use Double Team too!" the Hoenn trainer responded calmly.

"Swel~" Swellow also split into ten copies, weaving past the Scizor clones.

"Great work, Swellow—keep that up and use Aerial Ace!" the Hoenn trainer pressed.

"Swel~" The real Swellow quickly turned midair and dove at Scizor.

"Scizor—use Hidden Power to knock it down!" the Kanto trainer ordered quickly.

"Sciz~" The ten Scizor clones vanished, replaced by bright white orbs that fired like machine guns at the diving Swellow. Swellow’s clones were all dispersed.

"Great work, Scizor!" the Kanto trainer cheered. The crowd also roared with excitement.

"Keep it up, Scizor!"

But their joy lasted only two seconds—because after Swellow’s clones were scattered, the Hoenn trainer calmly commanded Quick Attack. Swellow shot forward with unstoppable speed. The Kanto trainer panicked and ordered Metal Claw, but it was too slow—Swellow struck Scizor’s vital spot.

"Sciz~" Scizor collapsed, knocked out.

The match was over. In the first round of the rotation battle, the Kanto League trainer had been swept by a Hoenn trainer without taking down a single Pokémon.

The stadium erupted—chaos. Fans raged, cursing the Kanto trainer for his incompetence. How could three Pokémon fail to take down even one of Hoenn’s? No wonder Champion Rio hadn’t supported him.

The trainer left with his face buried in his hands.

"Your Kanto region’s fans are... quite passionate," Steven said awkwardly, listening to the harsh insults from below.

"It’s the same everywhere," Rio shrugged. Passionate? If this were Hoenn and their trainer got swept, their fans would be just as ruthless. And besides—a few months ago at the Sinnoh Lily of the Valley Conference, after he’d crushed Sinnoh’s Elite Four, their fans had cursed far worse.

"To be honest—I’m curious. Is there some bad blood between you and the trainer who just fought?" Steven asked quietly. He still couldn’t understand why Rio refused to support his own side. At least a little encouragement would help boost morale.

Just then, Rio’s female secretary, Serīna, approached and said that the Kanto and Johto fans were upset by his lack of support, accusing him of boosting the enemy’s morale and dampening their own. They wanted an explanation.

"No explanation—I was just stating the truth. If our trainers are good, I’ll support them. If not, I won’t," Rio said calmly, unconcerned by the backlash. Unless they could dethrone him as Champion, their opinions didn’t matter.

"Look—this time, I think our Kanto trainer will win," Rio said, pointing to the next contestant from his side—one of the only two he’d approved of days earlier. He had sent out a Level 45 Walrein.

"Mr. Steven—who do you think will win?" Rio asked.

"I think Hoenn will win," Steven said, now following Rio’s lead—supporting the opponent whenever Rio supported his own side.

Hearing that their Champion was finally backing them, the Kanto fans regained their confidence and cheered loudly. Even the trainer on the field felt reassured—he’d initially thought Rio was biased toward Hoenn, but now it was clear: the previous trainer was just that bad. Unlike him—the moment he stepped up, Champion Rio believed he could win.

"Press the advantage—let’s finish this! Swellow—Quick Attack!" On the other side of the battlefield, the Hoenn trainer struck first in round two.

"Swel~" Swellow once again showed incredible speed, diving at Walrein.

But it slammed into Walrein’s round belly and was bounced back. The Hoenn trainer’s expression stiffened—he hadn’t expected Walrein to block the attack so easily.

"My Walrein’s defense is top-tier," the Kanto trainer declared, raising his hand. "Use Ice Beam!"

"Wal~" A cold sphere formed in front of Walrein’s snout and fired two seconds later.

"Dodge it!" the Hoenn trainer commanded.

Swellow dodged the main blast, but the edge of the Ice Beam grazed its wing, freezing a small portion.

"Swellow—use Peck!" the Hoenn trainer countered.

"Swel~ Swel~" Swellow climbed high and dove again.

"Dive underwater!" the Kanto trainer said calmly. Walrein plunged into the nearby water—since this was a Water-type battlefield.

With Walrein submerged, Swellow lost its target. The Hoenn trainer gritted his teeth—this opponent was tougher than the last.

Seeing his opponent flustered, the Kanto trainer smirked. "Walrein—Ice Beam!"

"Wal~" Walrein surfaced behind Swellow and fired Ice Beam. The attack sent Swellow flying off the battlefield, knocking it out.

The crowd erupted in thunderous applause. Kanto fans clapped like mad, finally releasing the frustration of the earlier sweep.

"He was right—it actually won," Steven said, glancing at Rio. He hadn’t expected Rio’s predictions to be so accurate.

"Next round—I still favor my Kanto trainer," Rio said calmly, meeting Steven’s gaze.

On the battlefield, the Hoenn trainer wiped his sweat, recalled Swellow, and sent out his previously recalled Crawdaunt.

"Walrein—use Body Slam!" This time, the Kanto trainer struck first.

"Crawdaunt—use Bubble Beam!" the Hoenn trainer countered.

Walrein leaped into the air and crashed down on Crawdaunt, while Crawdaunt fired bubbles like bullets. But it was clear to everyone that the bubbles barely tickled Walrein’s belly.

BOOM— Walrein pinned Crawdaunt from the platform into the water, sending up a huge wave. When the water settled, Crawdaunt was unconscious beneath Walrein.

"YESSSS!" The Kanto crowd cheered again.

But their joy was short-lived—the broadcast soon carried Rio’s next prediction: "Next, I favor the Hoenn trainer’s Sceptile."

The crowd was baffled. They’d barely started celebrating, and now their Champion was backing the opponent again. Even the Kanto trainer felt irritated—he’d just performed well, and Rio was already doubting him.

"Walrein—use Ice Beam!" The Kanto trainer glared at the newly sent-out Sceptile and struck first.

"Dodge it—use Leaf Blade!" the Hoenn trainer shouted.

"Scep~" Sceptile leaped nimbly, easily dodging the Ice Beam. Its leaf-like arm-blades glowed as it slashed at Walrein.

"Dive underwater!" the Kanto trainer repeated his earlier tactic.

Sceptile’s attack hit nothing but air. The Hoenn trainer watched Walrein disappear into the water and frowned.

"Too bad for you—this is a Water-type field, giving my Walrein a big advantage," the Kanto trainer said smugly. "Walrein—Ice Beam!"

"Wal~" Walrein surfaced behind Sceptile and landed a direct hit—the double-damage from Ice-type against Grass-type dealt serious harm.

Walrein submerged again, looking for openings. Sceptile stayed on the platform, staying alert. After a few seconds of stalemate, the Hoenn trainer found a way to break it.

"Sceptile—use Leaf Blade on the water!" he shouted.

"Scep~" Sceptile leaped into the air and, to everyone’s confusion, plunged its leaf-blades into the water.

BOOM— The strike sent a shockwave through the pool, creating a surge that forced Walrein out of hiding.

"Walrein—finish it with Ice Beam!" the Kanto trainer called out.

Walrein fired from midair—but Sceptile dodged, and the Ice Beam hit the water instead. The entire pool began to freeze over at a visible rate.

The Kanto trainer’s face changed—it was too late to take it back.

"Your strategy’s been broken," the Hoenn trainer said smugly. "Sceptile—use Quick Attack!"

"Scep~" Sceptile shot forward like a blur, sliding across the ice and slamming into Walrein’s belly—dealing massive damage and sending it crashing into the wall.

"Great work, Sceptile!" the Hoenn trainer cheered.

"You think that’s it? Walrein—Mimic!" the Kanto trainer shot back.

"Wal~" Walrein copied Sceptile’s Quick Attack and slammed into it, sending Sceptile flying.

"Get up, Sceptile—close combat! Use Leaf Blade!" the Hoenn trainer ordered.

"Close combat? Fine—Walrein, use Body Slam!" the Kanto trainer countered.

"Dodge it—Sceptile, use Bullet Seed!"

What followed was a back-and-forth exchange. After six rounds, Sceptile emerged victorious.

The stadium fell silent—then erupted in applause. This was the kind of thrilling battle the crowd had been waiting for.

Now, everyone understood: their Champion simply told the truth, without bias. He didn’t favor Hoenn or Kanto—he just called it as he saw it. If he thought a trainer was stronger, he said so.

And as the matches continued, this proved more and more true. Rio’s predictions became almost prophetic—whoever he said would win, did. His accuracy was nearly 100%, with only one wrong call. Even so, his track record was terrifying.