Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 310: Phantom’s Overlord (Two-in-One)

The next morning, Rio sent a photo of the second tablet to Fuji. The old man’s eyes lit up when he saw it, and he immediately agreed to help. Without any unnecessary chatter, he hung up and devoted himself to deciphering it.

Meanwhile, inside Snowpoint Temple, Regirock had already been secured inside a glass container and was being slowly transported into the ship by three armored vehicles. At the second stone door, the five researchers were still staring at the tablet, their heads spinning from the effort.

"At this rate, Fuji will probably finish deciphering before they’re even halfway done." Rio muttered, watching the screen.

"Sitting here is getting boring. Let’s take a break."

"Mewtwo, let’s go explore Snowpoint City."

"Alright." Mewtwo responded.

And so, Rio and Mewtwo heartlessly abandoned the tool that was Old Ghost and left Snowpoint Temple for some sightseeing.

In just one minute, they arrived at the snow-covered Snowpoint City. To avoid being recognized, Rio recalled Mewtwo and put on a mask. After all, he was too famous now—he figured that aside from Kanto, the people of Sinnoh knew him best.

So every shop Rio visited, he took a private room. He ordered everything first, and only after the food was served did he release Mewtwo, Charizard, and Greninja to eat together. Luckily, the little chubby Snorlax wasn’t with him this time, so he didn’t have to order everything two or three times over.

After a satisfying meal, Rio packed a takeout portion for Old Ghost and prepared to head back to Snowpoint Temple. But just as he was about to leave, he overheard a few trainers visiting Snowpoint City discussing a trip to Lake Acuity.

The name "Lake Acuity" made Rio raise an eyebrow. He suddenly remembered that besides the legendary giant Regigigas, Snowpoint City had another important attraction—one of Sinnoh’s three great lakes, Lake Acuity. It was said that Uxie, the being of knowledge, lived there. And Cynthia had mentioned before that encountering Uxie was what elevated her Garchomp’s talent from Elite Four to Champion level.

With that thought, Rio put aside his plan to return to the temple. After asking a local for directions to Lake Acuity, he released Charizard and flew toward it.

Before long, following the directions, Rio arrived at the western outskirts of Snowpoint City and saw a vast blue lake. The lake was so large it stretched beyond sight, like the sea. In the distance, he could make out a small island in the center, and on one side of the lake stood a sizable research institute with many people bustling about.

Rio didn’t fly toward the institute—instead, he headed for the island in the middle of the lake. He knew the institute was dedicated to studying the legends of Lake Acuity. If he were an ordinary person, it might be fine, but as the Kanto Champion, showing up there would be problematic. The Sinnoh League officials all thought he had already left. If he entered that institute, he was sure a swarm of Sinnoh officials would appear to keep an eye on him and find any excuse to make him leave.

So Rio landed on the island with Charizard. As he explored, he found a cavern—but two people were guarding the entrance. Rio simply released Mewtwo, used Hypnosis to knock them out, and entered the cavern with his Pokémon.

At the entrance, he spotted a sign written in modern script: "Dangerous Pokémon inside—Do Not Enter."

Rio laughed. This felt like a reverse psychology tactic—"dangerous Pokémon" would only attract ambitious trainers. And besides, how dangerous could it be? Could it possibly be stronger than him?

"Let’s go see if that ’dangerous Pokémon’ is Uxie." Rio smiled as he led Charizard and Mewtwo inside.

But soon, his smile froze. Deep inside the cavern, he saw a Pokémon he never expected to encounter.

It was a luminous, llama-like Pokémon, resting on a platform.

"Ar-Ar-Arceus?!" Rio stammered.

He never expected to enter Lake Acuity and run into the creator god Arceus. Was he dreaming? How could Arceus possibly be here? This was absurd!

Slap. Rio slapped himself. It hurt—a lot. Not a dream.

He stared wide-eyed at the llama-like Pokémon before him. The creature, awakened by the slap, rose up and looked down at him. Its overwhelming presence made Rio tremble slightly. He didn’t think he was in any position to challenge Arceus—that would be a one-hit knockout. After all, even Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina would have to bow before this being. Sending out all his Pokémon would probably still end in a beating.

"What kind of Pokémon is this? I’ve never seen it before. Judging by your reaction, it’s really strong, isn’t it? You didn’t even react this way to Lugia." Mewtwo’s voice echoed in his mind, puzzled by his reaction.

Bro, this isn’t just "strong"—this is the kind of strong that’ll kill you without breaking a sweat... Rio internally screamed, already wanting to retreat. Facing Arceus, he only ever dared dream of catching it—in reality, he didn’t have the courage.

"My apologies, Lord Arceus. I stumbled in here by accident—I didn’t mean to disturb your slumber." Rio signaled Mewtwo to get them out.

But just as he finished speaking, something caught his eye and made him stop.

[Pokémon: Zoroark (Hisuian)

[Level: 60]

[Talent: Champion]

[Friendship: 0]

[Ability 1: Illusion]

[Gender: Female]

[Moves: Shadow Sneak (85%), Curse (85%), Taunt (85%), Knock Off (85%), Spite (85%), Agility (85%), Shadow Ball (85%), Payback (85%), Nasty Plot (85%), Foul Play (85%)...]

[Description: This Pokémon awakened five years ago after sleeping since the Hisui era. Born from resentment, it enjoys using the appearance of its object of hatred to cleanse its inner anger. ]

"Zoroark?!" Rio’s eyes widened.

That’s when he realized what was off. Of course—why would the creator god Arceus be hiding in a tiny lake like this? What status does Arceus have, and what status does Lake Acuity have? This godforsaken place isn’t worthy of holding Arceus’s slumber!

Now seeing it was the Phantom’s Overlord Zoroark, everything made sense. The image before him was just a bluff—a borrowed illusion. But he hadn’t expected this Zoroark to be a surviving Pokémon from the Hisui era, centuries ago. And according to the description, it "enjoys using the appearance of its object of hatred to cleanse its inner anger"—so it had a grudge against Arceus? Wasn’t it afraid of Arceus coming after it?

Just then, the Zoroark, still disguised as Arceus, spoke: "Foolish human, why do you not kneel before me?"

"Kneel? You should be kneeling to me—and kowtowing a few times while you’re at it!" Rio’s demeanor did a complete 180, shedding all his earlier fear.

If you were actually Arceus, I’d kneel before you without a second thought. But you’re just a Zoroark—so sorry, not even a slight bend in my knees, or I’d be disrespecting Mewtwo, Charizard, and Greninja!

Rio’s dramatic shift left Mewtwo baffled—just seconds ago, he’d been terrified and signaling to run, and now he was acting like he owned the place.

On the other side, the Arceus-disguised Zoroark was also stunned by Rio’s sudden change.

"Human, do you wish to die? How dare you speak to me like that?" Zoroark, still in Arceus’s form, summoned a golden glow at its forehead, preparing to use Judgment.

"Mewtwo, don’t waste words on it—hit it with Psychic and show it who’s the boss here." Rio scoffed.

Mewtwo raised its right hand and unleashed a powerful psychic force. The previously imposing Arceus was sent flying, slamming hard against the wall. A flash of light—and the Arceus form vanished, revealing a Pokémon with a snow-white body and pink accents, resembling an upright fox.

Mewtwo and Charizard’s eyes widened in shock—they now realized the previous form wasn’t its true body.

"You saw through me, human." Zoroark’s voice echoed in Rio’s mind—now that it was in its true form, its telepathic voice sounded more like a cute girl.

"Of course—I saw through you right away. I was just playing along." Rio smiled, covering up his earlier cowardice with an excuse.

"The creator god Arceus wouldn’t be sleeping on a tiny island like this. It’s the being that created everything—this place is beneath it."

"I see." Zoroark wiped the blood from its mouth, caused by Mewtwo’s Psychic. "Next time, I’ll change the environment too."

"There won’t be a next time, Zoroark. Since you’ve appeared before me, you’re coming with me—I’d love to be your trainer." Rio smiled.

This Zoroark was perfect for someone as free-spirited as him. In the future, when he needed someone to hold down the League in his absence, Zoroark could take his form and sit in for him. Plus, at level 60, it was already strong enough that few Pokémon could defeat it.

"Catch me? You’re not worthy! I’m determined to defeat Arceus!" Zoroark thrust its snow-white hands into the ground, unleashing a powerful wave of dark energy that surged toward Rio.

But just as the dark shockwave was about to reach them, Mewtwo simply flicked its right hand, and the dark energy was shattered by brute psychic force. The remaining psychic power surged toward Zoroark. However, just before it hit, Zoroark vanished—it had sunk into the shadow beneath it and disappeared.

The next second, Rio’s mind echoed with Zoroark’s voice. He spun around in shock—Zoroark had used Shadow Sneak to appear behind him, its sharp claws aimed at his head.

Swoosh!

Just as the claws were about to make contact, Zoroark was sent flying again—this time by a stronger Psychic from Mewtwo. The impact slammed it into the wall, and it struggled to stand.

"Now do you think I’m worthy—you, who’s determined to defeat Arceus?" Rio smiled as he walked forward, pulling out a Luxury Ball. Ever since becoming Champion, Luxury Balls were as common as regular Poké Balls for him—the League supplied as many as he wanted.

Zoroark, lying on the ground, glared at the mocking human. It tried to rise, but the pain made it difficult, and Mewtwo kept it pinned with psychic pressure.

"You’re not worthy!" Zoroark could only grit out its defiance from the ground.

"That’s not up to you." Rio smiled and tossed the Luxury Ball.

A flash of light—Zoroark was drawn in. But the ball shook for two seconds before Zoroark burst back out.

"You’re not worthy!" It repeated its defiance.

Rio simply looked at Mewtwo. Mewtwo understood and struck Zoroark with a psychic blast, weakening it further until it was on the verge of fainting.

Rio tossed the Luxury Ball again. Zoroark was drawn in—and this time, after three shakes, it was successfully captured.

Rio smiled with satisfaction. This trip had been worth it—even if he didn’t meet Uxie. A Phantom’s Overlord, and a Hisuian one at that, with Champion talent—such a Pokémon would cause a frenzy anywhere. Capturing it, in his view, was as good as catching a legendary.

A flash of light—Rio released Zoroark and fed it an Energy Root. Before long, the near-death Zoroark gradually recovered.

But no sooner had it recovered than its rebellious spirit kicked in—it immediately tried to attack Rio.

Rio was speechless. After having Mewtwo block the attack, he said helplessly: "Alright, tell me—why were you pretending to be Arceus? Do you have some grudge against it?"