Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 287: Hoenn–Kanto Exchange Meeting (Part 8) – Two-in-One

Rio quickly decided which Pokémon to send out.

"Come out, Aerodactyl."

"ROAR!!!"

With a flash of light, Rio sent out Aerodactyl.

By now, Aerodactyl had grown to level 65. Although Rio had been acquiring more and more Pokémon, and his position as League Champion left him with increasingly less time to train them, he had found a solution.

Whenever he didn’t need his Pokémon, he would release them all to go out and battle on their own. Indigo Plateau wasn’t just home to the Champion’s Path—it also had Mt. Silver. The Pokémon inside Mt. Silver were incredibly powerful, with some reaching levels 70 or 80—perfect for training.

Aerodactyl had grown to level 65 by spending its days with Charizard, Greninja, and the others battling in the mountains, then returning to Rio’s Champion Manor at night.

Although there was an eleven-level gap between it and Armaldo, Rio remembered that Aerodactyl knew Giratina’s exclusive move—Phantom Force. With a divine skill like that, it should be able to put up a fight against a level 76 Armaldo.

If it lost, it wouldn’t be embarrassing—he could always send out Charizard and the others. If it won, that would be even better.

"Aerodactyl? Is he looking down on me?"

On the other side, Steven frowned when he saw Rio send out Aerodactyl. Having been in Kanto for a few days, the Hoenn League had already gathered some basic intel on Rio’s Pokémon through casual drinks with Kanto League officials.

Rio’s main team should be Charizard, Annihilape, the chubby Snorlax, Red Gyarados, Greninja, and some artificial Pokémon called Mewtwo—Aerodactyl wasn’t on that list.

Was Rio sending out Aerodactyl because he didn’t think Steven was worth his main team? If so, Steven would make this Kanto Champion regret his arrogance.

"Armaldo, Rock Blast!"

As the battle began, Steven raised his right hand and launched the first attack.

"Arm~"

Armaldo swung its armor-clad arms, which began to glow. Sharp rocks materialized in front of it, shooting toward the airborne Aerodactyl like bone spikes.

"Aerodactyl, tuck your wings, spin, and use Iron Head!" Rio commanded calmly.

"ROAR!!!"

Aerodactyl roared midair, twisting its wings as instructed, spinning rapidly while its bare skull shone with dazzling silver light. It dove straight toward Armaldo.

The sharp rocks struck Aerodactyl’s steel-hardened head with loud thuds. Thanks to the rotational force and Iron Head, Aerodactyl successfully deflected all the rocks.

Impressive—using Iron Head to block them all. As expected of Kanto’s Champion... Steven praised inwardly, then gave his next command:

"Armaldo, dodge to the right!"

"Arm~"

Armaldo swiftly moved to the right. The next second, Aerodactyl crashed into the ground where Armaldo had just been, its steel-hardened head smashing a small crater about a meter wide.

"Armaldo, Metal Claw!" Seizing the opportunity while Aerodactyl was on the ground, Steven shouted.

"Arm~"

Armaldo swung its claws hard, their steel-hardened gleam shining brightly. If it landed, the type advantage would deal double damage.

"Aerodactyl, Phantom Force!" Rio responded calmly.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Aerodactyl—just about to be hit by Armaldo’s Metal Claw—vanished into thin air.

"Arm~"

Armaldo’s claws swung through empty air. It was bewildered.

"How—"

On the battlefield, Steven’s eyes widened in disbelief. He stared at the spot where Aerodactyl had disappeared, blinking several times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.

But just as he finished blinking, Aerodactyl reappeared—not where it had been, but behind Armaldo. It charged forward in flight, wreathed in ghostly energy, and slammed straight into Armaldo, knocking it over.

"That was the Ghost-type move Phantom Force! How can Aerodactyl—?!"

Steven’s eyes widened even further, his face full of disbelief. He felt his understanding of the world crumbling.

Wait—Aerodactyl is Rock/Flying-type, isn’t it? How does it know a Ghost-type move?!

"Aerodactyl, Rock Slide!"

Before Steven could recover from his shock, Rio issued another command.

"ROAR!!!"

Aerodactyl roared, and massive rocks on the battlefield began to shake and tumble toward Armaldo.

"Armaldo, Fury Cutter!" Steven called out urgently.

"Arm~"

Armaldo swung both claws, slicing through Aerodactyl’s Rock Slide, reducing the boulders to rubble one by one. The shattered fragments scattered like petals in the wind—what was supposed to be a Champion-level battle looked more like a Contest performance.

The audience burst into applause. This was the tense, evenly matched battle they had come to see!

"Armaldo, Stealth Rock!"

As Armaldo finished shattering Rock Slide, Steven quickly gave another command.

"Arm~"

The scattered fragments hovering in the air suddenly shot toward Aerodactyl like bullets.

"Aerodactyl, Phantom Force!" Rio commanded decisively.

"ROAR!!!"

Facing the hail of debris, Aerodactyl roared and vanished once more.

"Armaldo, keep Stealth Rock going—circle around yourself!" Steven ordered coldly.

The remaining fragments swirled around Armaldo in a defensive ring. Two seconds later, Aerodactyl reappeared behind Armaldo—but the moment it did, Stealth Rock struck it hard. Shards pelted Aerodactyl’s body, drawing cries of pain.

At this point, Rio’s calm expression faded. He realized he had underestimated Steven. As expected of Hoenn’s Champion—every move was linked like a game of chess, thinking three steps ahead. By using Aerodactyl’s Rock Slide, Steven had created the perfect setup for Stealth Rock.

But Rio was no pushover either. If you can use my attack against me, I can do the same.

"Aerodactyl, Rock Polish!" Rio called out loudly.

On the battlefield, Aerodactyl let out a low growl. Following Rio’s command, it began consciously resisting Armaldo’s Stealth Rock. The areas where the rocks struck started to glow faintly, and the parts of its body that increased air resistance were gradually smoothed down under the barrage.

After about seven or eight seconds, Aerodactyl began moving more fluidly through the Stealth Rock assault, dodging the fragments with increasing ease.

Steven immediately understood Rio’s intention—he was using Stealth Rock to polish Aerodactyl’s body, making it faster.

"Armaldo, stop Stealth Rock! Use Swords Dance!"

Steven decisively halted the attack that was only helping his opponent grow stronger, and instead focused on boosting his own Pokémon.

The floating debris fell to the ground, and sword-shaped illusions appeared around Armaldo, energizing it.

"Aerodactyl, Wing Attack!" Rio commanded next.

Aerodactyl spread its wings and dove toward Armaldo below. Its speed was now vastly superior to before—fast as lightning. It closed the distance in the blink of an eye.

Steven’s counter-command—Metal Claw—had just been given, and Armaldo had only just raised its claws to block when Aerodactyl slammed into it with its wings. The force sent Armaldo staggering back several steps.

Aerodactyl followed up with two more Wing Attacks, dealing further damage.

On the fourth Wing Attack, Steven’s counter-strategy finally activated.

"Armaldo, Swagger!"

"Arm~"

Just as Aerodactyl was about to strike again, Armaldo let out a roar—and Aerodactyl’s dive wavered. Confusion crept onto its face, and its charge became less ferocious, allowing Armaldo to dodge.

Not good—it’s confused... Rio’s eyes narrowed.

"Aerodactyl, Phantom Force!"

He urgently commanded Aerodactyl to enter the Distortion World and briefly disappear. But the confused Aerodactyl instead used Fire Fang and charged at Armaldo.

This is bad... Rio thought, realizing the trouble. He could only watch as Steven ordered Metal Claw.

Two seconds later, Fire Fang and Metal Claw clashed. Under that single blow, Aerodactyl fell—knocked out.

Yes, Aerodactyl had lost.

The moment the result was announced, the Hoenn spectators erupted in cheers, flashing smug expressions at the Kanto fans around them. The Kanto spectators, in turn, let out sighs of disappointment. They hadn’t expected this thrilling match to end with their own Champion losing.

"You did well, Aerodactyl."

Rio recalled Aerodactyl. Although he hadn’t won, he didn’t feel discouraged either. Instead, he smiled at the Poké Ball in his hand. Because after that battle, he was certain—if it came down to pure commanding skill, he was no worse than Steven. If the level gap had been within eight levels, Aerodactyl likely would have won.

But there were no "what-ifs." A loss was a loss. Now, it was time to show his true strength.

On the other side, Steven let out a sigh of relief.

"As expected of Kanto’s Champion—truly a troublesome opponent. I almost lost."

He felt he owed Rio an apology. He had initially thought Rio was looking down on him by sending out Aerodactyl against Armaldo. Now, clearly, that wasn’t the case. This Aerodactyl was definitely one of Rio’s main Pokémon—otherwise, it couldn’t have been this strong.

Had anyone ever seen an Aerodactyl that could use Phantom Force? If this wasn’t a main team member, then the so-called "main team" would be practically invincible.

"Come out, Greninja—let the people witness your extraordinary power!"

Rio sent out his second Pokémon.

"Koga~"

A flash of light—Greninja took the stage. It had now reached level 70. And the moment it appeared, it immediately underwent Bond Evolution with Rio.

A towering pillar of water erupted on the battlefield.

"What is this?"

Seeing Greninja’s form shift within the water column, Steven quickly reacted.

"Armaldo, Rock Blast!"

"Arm~"

The remaining sharp rocks from the previous battle floated in the air and shot toward the evolving Greninja.

Halfway through, Greninja’s Bond Evolution completed—its level rising from 70 to 74. Though still two levels below Armaldo, its movements were lightning-fast, even faster than Aerodactyl had been, weaving through the barrage of rocks.

"So fast!"

Steven was stunned—its speed was almost too fast for his eyes to track. But then something even more astonishing happened.

Greninja suddenly vanished from within the Rock Blast assault. Completely disappeared. And when Steven frantically searched for it, Greninja appeared like a phantom behind Armaldo.

Before Steven could shout a warning for Armaldo to turn around, Greninja unleashed a Water Pulse. Under the massive torrent, Armaldo was blasted into the wall and fell to the ground.

The battle had lasted less than ten seconds from start to finish.

The arena fell silent for a few seconds—then the Kanto spectators erupted in wild cheers. The Hoenn spectators, meanwhile, began to mirror the sorrow the Kanto fans had just felt, though they silently assured themselves that Steven would turn things around in the next round.

On the battlefield, Steven stared at the fallen Armaldo, still replaying in his mind how Greninja had suddenly vanished and reappeared behind Armaldo.

"Was that Shadow Sneak? If it was Shadow Sneak, that would make sense..."

Steven looked across the stage at Rio. Another question lingered in his mind: after Greninja appeared, Rio had given no further commands—yet Greninja had fought on its own.

"Could this form of Greninja allow Rio to share consciousness with it?" Steven speculated inwardly.

"Mr. Steven, it’s time to send out your second Pokémon," the referee urged.

"You did well, Armaldo."

Steven recalled Armaldo and sent out his second Pokémon.

"Come out, Skarmory—Hoenn’s glory needs your strength."

A flash of light—another level 76 Pokémon appeared: Skarmory.

"Skarmory, huh?"

Rio frowned slightly when he saw Skarmory. This Pokémon was somewhat of a counter to Greninja. Its ability was Sturdy, which prevented it from being knocked out by a single, one-hit-KO move. Rio had been planning to have Greninja use Xerneas’s exclusive move—Geomancy—to finish the battle quickly and give the audience a true display of overwhelming power. Now, that plan would have to be put on hold.

"Skarmory, Metal Sound!"

Steven gave the first command. Under his order, Skarmory let out a grating, metallic screech that echoed across the entire arena—a sound so annoying it made Rio want to punch someone.