Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 325: Pokémon World Championships (Two-in-One)

Rio sent them all back to their respective homes, telling them to stay put. Whatever their lives had been like before, they would continue the same way. If he ever needed them, he would contact them.

As for the impact Rayquaza had caused, he would find a way to resolve it once he returned to Indigo Plateau.

After calming the legends down, Rio was left with only Mewtwo, Gengar, and Greninja by his side — oh, and Entei. He had promised to let it see Munchlax.

As for Ho-Oh, Lugia, Raikou, and Suicune, they took their leave one by one, just like Rayquaza. Before departing, they revived the weaker Pokémon that had been caught in the crossfire of the battle.

"Everyone, the matter has been properly resolved. Rayquaza has left the Kanto region."

When Rio returned to Indigo Plateau, he smiled and explained to the gathered officials.

"How did it leave? And why did Rayquaza attack our venue? If Mr. Rio knows, please tell us — not only do we need the truth, but the public is also waiting for the League’s explanation." The officials pressed for answers. They couldn’t simply move on from such a major incident just because Rio said it was "handled."

"Rayquaza was driven away by Ho-Oh and Lugia working together. I’m sure you noticed the rainbow light in the sky during Mewtwo and Rayquaza’s battle — that was Ho-Oh. It intervened and assisted Mewtwo in attacking Rayquaza." Rio explained.

"But I watched through binoculars, and it seemed like Ho-Oh was initially helping Mewtwo against Rayquaza — but before long, it switched sides and started attacking Mewtwo and Gengar." Lance voiced his confusion.

"You’re right. You didn’t see wrong. After the battle went on for a bit, Ho-Oh did switch to Rayquaza’s side." Rio acknowledged Lance’s observation. "That was because Rayquaza had deceived it. But as the battle moved away from Indigo Plateau and was about to leave Kanto, Lugia appeared."

"Lugia?" Someone in the crowd gasped.

"Yes, Lugia." Rio smiled. "Its appearance turned the tide once again. Ho-Oh switched from helping Rayquaza back to helping humanity. With Mewtwo, Gengar, Ho-Oh, Lugia, and my Greninja all working together, we managed to drive Rayquaza back to the Hoenn region."

The crowd nodded in understanding.

"But why did Rayquaza attack the Kanto region in the first place?" Ice-type Elite Four Lorelei asked.

Hearing this question at last, Rio turned his gaze toward the League officials standing in the back. The Elite Four and Secretary Serīna, noticing Rio’s gaze, turned around in confusion. The officials felt a jolt of panic — they thought they had been caught doing something wrong again. But they hadn’t done anything related to Rayquaza.

"Mr. Rio, don’t look at us — we have nothing to do with Hoenn’s guardian Rayquaza!" one official quickly defended himself, with others nodding frantically in agreement.

"Don’t worry — I’m not saying any of you did something to anger Rayquaza. I just want to ask: does anyone know about the Pokémon Association’s attempt to capture Rayquaza about seven or eight years ago?"

At this, some officials’ expressions shifted, as if memories had been stirred. Even Agatha’s wrinkled face seemed to deepen.

"The Pokémon Association tried to capture Rayquaza?" Lance frowned. He hadn’t known about this. He stared intently at the officials — since Rio had brought it up, it must be true.

"I’ve heard something about that." It was Agatha who answered, not the officials. She recalled: "It wasn’t seven or eight years ago — it was more like ten years ago. The Pokémon Association had an initial plan to capture Rayquaza. The Association’s chairman even approached me and asked if I wanted to join the plan. I declined."

Her words made Lance, Lorelei, and Bruno’s eyes widen. Ten years ago, they hadn’t even been Elite Four yet, so they didn’t know about it.

"The Pokémon Association had that much nerve? They were planning to capture Hoenn’s guardian?" Lance was shocked.

"That’s not entirely fair. The Association was forced into it." Agatha shook her head. "As I recall, the reason was that two evil organizations in Hoenn were trying to awaken the ancient legendary Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre — Pokémon on the same level as Ho-Oh and Lugia. Those organizations wanted to control them to rule the world."

"The Association found out and, to prevent that from happening, researched historical records and found one solution: gain control over Rayquaza, the third Hoenn legendary that could suppress Groudon and Kyogre. With Rayquaza, they could prevent the disaster of Groudon and Kyogre’s awakening, and also have a powerful legendary to help humanity in other crises."

"So the Pokémon Association, together with Hoenn’s Devon Corporation, Greater Mauville Holdings, and Sinnoh’s Belari Family, launched the Rayquaza Capture Project."

"The plan was apparently successful — Rayquaza was caught. But something went wrong at the last moment, and it escaped. I assume that’s why Rio brought this up — Rayquaza’s attack today was related to that incident, right?" Agatha finished and looked at Rio.

Everyone else followed her gaze.

"Exactly. That’s why Rayquaza attacked the venue. It mistook the League’s tournament for one organized by the Pokémon Association and came seeking revenge." Rio confirmed.

Lance, Lorelei, and the others fell silent. It was a difficult matter to judge. The Pokémon Association, which stood above all regional Leagues, had tried to capture Rayquaza to protect Hoenn’s people — but the mission ultimately failed, enraging Rayquaza. Its retaliation was understandable.

"Will Rayquaza come back again?" Serīna asked a crucial question.

"It might." Rio thought for a moment, then pulled out a Luxury Ball. A flash of light — Entei appeared.

Everyone in the room’s expressions shifted instantly. They stared in disbelief at Rio, waiting for an explanation.

"Entei was sent by Ho-Oh to follow me. If Rayquaza attacks again, I can notify Ho-Oh immediately through Entei." Rio smiled, making it up on the spot.

No one questioned it, because Entei didn’t refute Rio’s words. Instead, they looked at him with envy. Every cloud had a silver lining — Rayquaza’s attack had actually given Rio command over the legendary Entei. Any trainer in the world would be jealous.

Amid their envious stares, Rio changed the subject: "Now that you all know the truth, have a proper discussion with the Association and come up with a solution — and an explanation for the public."

"Also, the tournament will be suspended for one day. Once we’ve confirmed there’s no damage to the public and the venue has been repaired, we’ll resume."

"Understood." Serīna, as Rio’s secretary, responded immediately — it was her job.

And so, the Rayquaza incident was explained away. The Rio Tournament resumed after a one-day suspension. At first, the public was still very concerned about the Rayquaza attack. But as time passed and the tournament reached its climax, their attention shifted. The Rayquaza incident became just a passing curiosity. What they really cared about was which Pokémon from the Hunter Organization the winners would choose.

After a month-long tournament, the top winner was crowned: Blue.

Yes, he had participated in the Rio Tournament as well. Though he was the right age for the Junior Division, he had signed up for the Senior Division — and with his strength, he dominated the competition. None of the Senior Division participants could defeat him. Only in the finals did his opponent — a young man from Kalos — manage to take down one of his Pokémon. No one else had beaten any of his team.

Just as he had during the Hoenn–Kanto exchange meeting, he once again became the most celebrated young trainer in Kanto.

As the Senior Division champion of the Rio Tournament, Blue earned the right to choose two Pokémon. He selected a Hydreigon from Unova and a sleek, powerful Ceruledge.

The Junior Division champion was a young man from Kalos named Calem. He also had two choices, but they couldn’t be fully evolved Pokémon. He chose a Gible from Sinnoh and a rare Crystal Onix.

The Pokémon selections were broadcast live — and the audience seemed even more interested in watching the trainers’ choices than the battles themselves. Viewership was actually higher than during the fights.

After watching for a while, Rio lost interest — partly because his curiosity had faded, but also because a new job was waiting for him.

The day after the Rio Tournament concluded, Serīna received an invitation — the Galar region’s League had invited Rio to participate in the Pokémon World Championships.

The championships had four tiers:

Normal Class — Anyone could sign up online. Trainers from all over the world could participate, with the top 1,000 advancing.

Super Class — From the top 1,000, the top 100 would be selected.

Hyper Class — As a regional Champion, Rio could skip straight to this tier. From the top 100, the top 8 would advance.

Master Class — The top 8 would be granted the title of the "Eight Masters," representing the eight strongest trainers in the world. They would then compete to determine who was the strongest Champion of all.

Currently, the title of the strongest Champion belonged to a man from Galar named Leon, who was said to have never lost a single battle since his debut.

"Mr. Rio, will you participate?" Serīna asked after receiving the invitation.

"I’ll join. I don’t want to be stuck in Indigo Plateau doing paperwork all day. Getting out and traveling sounds much more interesting." Rio answered after a few minutes of thought.

Hearing that he only wanted to participate to escape office work, Serīna rolled her eyes.

"Don’t you want to know which other Champions are participating in this year’s tournament?" Serīna asked.

"Nope." Rio shrugged. "No matter who it is, the victor will still be me."

Seeing his arrogance, Serīna couldn’t help but poke back: "Hmph. Don’t get too cocky. I heard Galar’s Champion Leon has never lost a single battle, even against other Champions. Don’t let your overconfidence get you beaten."

"Sorry, but I’m undefeated too. I can say with confidence that Leon will lose to me — because I’m the strongest." Rio shrugged again.

"Keep being arrogant. Others will study your battles." Serīna said.

"Let them study. I’m not afraid." Rio laughed. He had his system — what was there to fear?

Just then, a call came into the office. Serīna answered, and a moment later, she gave Rio news that made his eyes light up.

The researchers studying the meteorite containing Deoxys reported that the meteorite was glowing — the lifeform inside was likely about to emerge.

Hearing this, Rio didn’t hesitate. He rushed out of the secretary’s office and flew with Charizard to the research institute dedicated to the Deoxys meteorite.

This was Deoxys — a Pokémon that had once fought Rayquaza to a standstill. Not Mega Rayquaza, but still — it was incredibly powerful. When he’d watched the original series, he’d been amazed by Deoxys’s power.

Meanwhile, in an underground laboratory on one of the Sevii Islands in the Kanto region...

A meteorite identical to the one in Rio’s possession was also glowing. The scientists and Team Rocket members in white coats were excited.

"Notify Boss Giovanni in Unova — tell him the Deoxys meteorite is showing signs of awakening!" Apollo, one of Team Rocket’s Four Generals, said excitedly.

"Yes, sir!"

After he spoke, an executive turned and left to deliver the message.