Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 294: Phione (Two-in-One)

Having tasted the deliciousness of the rice ball, the baby Lugia shamelessly sidled up to Charizard.

Charizard looked at the baby Lugia’s inconsistent behavior and was rather speechless. It couldn’t believe this was the child of the Lugia that had once beaten it, Raikou, and the little chubby Munchlax senseless at Mt. Ember.

Lugia was so majestic, yet its son was so brazen. What a disappointment.

"Roooar~" — Here you go.

But Charizard was kind-hearted after all, and shared some of its food with the baby Lugia. The little one immediately devoured it ravenously.

Rio, who had been clinking glasses with Mewtwo and Gengar, glanced over at the baby Lugia—the same one that had just been cursing Charizard’s snacks as trash, now eating like a starving beast—and almost laughed in exasperation. But he didn’t say anything. Adults were prone to eating their own words, so weren’t kids even more so?

Time passed slowly.

Two hours later, Rio, Mewtwo, Gengar, the little chubby Munchlax, and Charizard were all resting in the side chamber, full and satisfied. The baby Lugia was blowing bubbles in the pool.

Its gaze kept locking onto the liquor bottles.

Ever since it had finished eating snacks with Charizard, it had been staring at those bottles, waiting for Rio to fall asleep so it could sneak a lick and finally taste this thing called "liquor."

And now, the opportunity had finally come.

The baby Lugia quietly climbed out of the pool. It picked up an empty bottle and tipped it into its mouth. A few drops trickled in after a moment.

Its expectant little face immediately scrunched up like a twisted knot.

What the heck is this stuff? It’s so bitter and awful! And these guys were drinking it like it was nectar... The baby Lugia looked at the empty bottle with disgust, unable to comprehend why it had been drooling over this earlier.

A soft snicker came from nearby.

The baby Lugia quickly turned around, staring at Rio and the others. But Rio, Mewtwo, and the rest all had their eyes tightly shut, just as before. The little chubby Munchlax was snoring thunderously.

Did I imagine it? The baby Lugia wondered to itself.

Then it looked at the empty bottle again. Maybe that bottle was just bad. This other one should be fine—otherwise, they wouldn’t have been drinking it so happily...

It tossed the empty bottle aside and picked up a half-empty one next to Mewtwo. It shook it—there was quite a bit left. So it downed it in one go.

Two seconds later: Ptooey! Ptooey!

It spat out the liquor it had just swallowed. Just then, another snicker came from behind. Sensing something was off, it whirled around—only to find Rio and the others still with their eyes closed, no different from before. Rio was even letting out soft snores now.

Just now, Charizard said this stuff makes you lose your mind and do stupid things... Am I already affected by it? The baby Lugia stared at the bottle warily and looked away.

What it didn’t notice was that Rio—who had been letting out soft snores—was actually pinching his own thigh hard to keep from laughing.

That’s right—Rio wasn’t asleep. Neither were Mewtwo or Gengar. The only one truly asleep was probably the little chubby Munchlax, who had claimed he wouldn’t fall asleep but had knocked out instantly.

After finishing their drinks, Rio had whispered a joke to Mewtwo and Gengar: "Do you think the little Lugia will try to steal our liquor?" Everyone agreed it would, so they decided to pretend to sleep and watch the show.

And just as Rio had predicted, the baby Lugia came sneaking over. It grabbed whatever unfinished bottles it could find and tipped them into its mouth.

One bottle tasted terrible, so it tried a second. After the second, it picked up a third. But starting from the third bottle, it seemed to catch a hint of the liquor’s aroma.

What’s this? This one actually tastes better... The baby Lugia stared at the bottle in surprise, then quickly gathered all the discarded bottles Rio and the others had left behind, downing them one after another.

The more it drank, the more excited it got. But as it drank, it still felt something was missing.

Its gaze swept over Rio, Mewtwo, Gengar, and the little chubby Munchlax. Then it remembered something Rio had said while drinking: "Mewtwo, I’ve always been right—liquor is only enjoyable when you drink it with friends."

Friends... I need friends to drink with. The baby Lugia muttered to itself.

After scanning Rio and the others a few more times, it turned and left. It flapped its wings and dove into the pool.

Once it was gone, Rio slowly opened his squinting eyes.

"What’s this? Stopped drinking halfway?" Rio raised an eyebrow.

Mewtwo was equally confused. It had been sneaking peeks and saw the little Lugia looking like it was having a great time—why did it suddenly stop?

"I’ll go check." Gengar’s voice echoed in Rio and Mewtwo’s minds as it sank into the ground.

A few minutes later, Gengar returned.

"The little one seems to be calling for friends." Gengar said.

"Calling friends?" Rio was puzzled.

"Yes. The bottom of this pool connects to the open sea. The little Lugia just swam out and started calling out underwater." Gengar explained.

Rio nodded. He assumed the baby Lugia had seen them all drinking together in a circle and decided to imitate them by calling some friends to join.

"I wonder what kind of friends it’ll bring." Rio muttered.

Given Lugia’s status, other Water-type Pokémon would probably be too afraid to approach.

"They’re here—the little Lugia is back." Gengar’s voice rang out just as Rio finished muttering.

Rio quickly flopped back down and pretended to sleep, leaving a tiny slit in his eyes.

Moments later, the baby Lugia’s figure appeared in his blurry vision. Behind it followed a Pokémon with a sea-blue body, a round head, a small frame, and a red crystal on its chest.

Rio’s eyes widened—then he quickly shut them.

Isn’t this the "Refugee of the Sea"—no, wait—the "Prince of the Sea," Manaphy’s child—Phione?

This Pokémon was no small fry either. Its mother, Manaphy, was a Mythical Pokémon that could ride on Kyogre’s head. You could think of Manaphy as a holy maiden of the sea, holding supreme status, respected by countless Pokémon—including Kyogre and Lugia.

As Manaphy’s child, Phione was certainly qualified to be friends with the baby Lugia.

Rio’s gaze examined Phione, and the level information appeared.

[Pokémon: Phione]

[Level: 30 (2344 days until next level)

[Talent: Champion]

[Friendship: 0]

[Ability 1: Hydration]

[Gender: —]

[Moves: Bubble (34%), Water Sport (34%), Charm (34%), Acid Armor (34%), Whirlpool (34%), Water Pulse (34%), Rain Dance (34%), Take Heart (34%), Aqua Ring (34%), Bubble Beam (34%)...]

[Description: A Pokémon that brings good fortune. As the child of the Prince of the Sea, Manaphy, it is respected by many Water-type Pokémon. ]

At that moment, Phione was also sizing up these booze-soaked creatures before it.

"Phione~" — Baby Lugia, who are they?

Phione covered its nose and called out.

"Lugia~" — They’re a bunch of jerks who broke into my home and wouldn’t let me drink!

The baby Lugia said indignantly.

"Lugia~" — Luckily, I’m smart. After they fell asleep, I came up to check if there was any liquor left in the bottles.

"Phione~" — Liquor? Is that the tasty stuff you were telling me about?

Phione asked, still covering its nose.

"Lugia~" — Yeah, yeah! It’s super tasty! Here, Phione, have a bottle!

The baby Lugia found a bottle with some liquor left and pushed it toward Phione’s mouth. Phione sniffed it and immediately made a pained face.

"Phione~" — What is this stuff? It smells awful!

"Lugia~" — It smells bad, but it tastes great! I was just like you at first, but after a few drinks, I started thinking it was the best thing in the world.

The baby Lugia shoved the bottle into Phione’s mouth. Phione took one tiny sip—and immediately spat it out.

"Phione~" — Yuck! It’s terrible!

Phione shook its head frantically in refusal.

"Lugia~" — Trust me! If you drink a little more, it’ll taste good. I swear on my honor—I was just like you at first, and then I started liking it!

The baby Lugia kept pressing the drink on Phione. Rio, still lying there pretending to sleep, almost burst out laughing.

He never thought he’d live to see a scene like this—the child of Lugia and the child of Manaphy, two nobles of the sea, one pressuring the other to drink while the other desperately refused.

In the end, Phione couldn’t withstand the baby Lugia’s persistence and took a few more sips. As the mild intoxication set in, it too began to develop a slight interest in the liquor.

Gradually, the side chamber gained two little alcoholics. They clinked their bottles together, drinking the leftovers from Rio, Mewtwo, and Gengar.

Since they were still young and small, the two little ones finished off what the adults had left and promptly collapsed—dead drunk, snoring away.

Rio couldn’t help but laugh. He exchanged glances with Mewtwo and Gengar, and they all shook their heads.

I wonder what Lugia would think if it came back now—would it kill me for corrupting its son? Rio mused inwardly.

But it wasn’t his fault—the little one had insisted on drinking. And it had even dragged Manaphy’s child, Phione, into it.

The next day, Rio woke up to find two big eyes staring right at him. It startled him.

"What are you two doing?" Rio backed away, clutching his pounding heart.

"Do you have any more liquor? I want to drink." The baby Lugia blinked its big eyes.

"Me too! The baby Lugia said you brought it." Phione chimed in beside it.

"Kids aren’t allowed to drink." Rio refused sternly.

"Don’t lie—I’m not a kid!" The baby Lugia shook its head frantically. "I’m all grown up! None of the Water-type Pokémon out there can beat me!"

They can’t beat you because your mom is the Sea Guardian... Rio sneered inwardly.

"Me too! The Water-type Pokémon in the ocean don’t dare to fight me." Phione echoed.

That’s because your mom is the Prince of the Sea, Manaphy... Rio sneered again.

"Like I said—kids aren’t allowed to drink." Rio refused again.

"Please! Please, please, please!" The baby Lugia looked at him with desperate eyes.

"Please!" Phione did the same.

Rio was about to refuse again, but as he looked at their earnest, pleading faces, a sudden idea struck him.

"You really want to drink?" Rio raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! We really want to!" The baby Lugia nodded frantically.

"Me too!" Phione nodded just as frantically.

"Only my Pokémon get to drink with me. Are you willing to become my Pokémon?" Rio asked.

The baby Lugia and Phione’s eager expressions froze. Hesitation crept in.

"We can only drink if we become your Pokémon? Aren’t you afraid my mom will beat you up? I’m telling you—if I become your Pokémon, my mom will definitely come for you. Do you really have the guts for that?" The baby Lugia studied Rio for a long moment before finally speaking.

"Yes, I do."

Rio shrugged. A year ago, he definitely wouldn’t have had the guts. But now? Lugia, bring it on—I’m not scared.

"And what about Phione? If Manaphy finds out, it’ll rally a huge army of Water-type Pokémon to attack you. Do you have the guts for that?" The baby Lugia pressed.

"I’m not afraid." Rio shrugged again, looking completely fearless. If Manaphy showed up, even better—he could capture it too.

"Really?" The baby Lugia looked at Rio skeptically. "My mom’s rage is terrifying. There’s no one in the entire ocean who can withstand it."

"That’s nothing to me." Rio puffed out his chest. "Whether it’s your mother Lugia or Phione’s mother Manaphy—if I take a single step back in front of them, my name isn’t Rio."

"Fine. I’ll become your Pokémon." The baby Lugia agreed.

Phione’s eyes widened in shock. The two little ones communicated telepathically.

"Baby Lugia, are you crazy?! Your mom will kill you!"

"So what? If my mom comes back, I’ll just say this human forced me to become his Pokémon, and she’ll rescue me. Before that happens, let’s just get the liquor first. It’s not like this clueless human could actually beat my mom, right?"

Phione’s eyes widened. Suddenly, what the baby Lugia said made a lot of sense.