Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 330: Are You Sure This Is a Pichu (Two-in-One)

Rio ignored Mewtwo’s comment and continued bonding with the Pichu. Right now, building a good relationship with Mew was the priority. Mew loved to play and hated loneliness — so he’d win it over with fun and companionship.

"Little Pichu, tomorrow’s going to be exciting! Lots of Pokémon will battle with us. If we win, we’ll have the whole city cheering for us. So — are you confident for tomorrow?" After choosing his Pokémon with Queen Irene, Rio took the Mew-disguised Pichu out of the castle hall and into the garden outside.

"Pichu~" — Leave it to me!

Mew called out confidently. It was Mew — bound to the World Tree itself! If it couldn’t win a simple Pokémon battle, it would have wasted all those years.

"Little Pichu, even though we’re only partners for a short time, I think you should meet my other Pokémon too — let’s all have some fun together." Rio changed the subject and reached into his bag.

If Mew hadn’t appeared, he might have done some training with the chosen Pokémon. But now that Mew was his partner, there was no need. One move from it, and few Pokémon could stand against it.

"Come out, everyone — meet our new friend."

A flash of light — Rio released his Pokémon: Charizard, Munchlax, Gengar, Mewtwo, Greninja, and Eevee. Just these six. Aerodactyl, Annihilape, and Red Gyarados hadn’t come this time — they wanted to stay at Mt. Silver and train. Munchlax hadn’t been on the list either, but it had tagged along anyway, knowing Rio was visiting an ancient city and hoping for good food.

"Everyone, this is our new partner — Pichu. Say hello." Rio smiled.

"Roooar~" — Hey there, little one.

Charizard put its hands on its hips, puffed out its chest, and spat a small flame into the air.

"Pichu~" — Hello, big fire-breathing guy.

Mew mimicked Charizard, putting its tiny hands on its hips.

"Munch~" — Mm, hello.

Munchlax waved casually, then looked around — more interested in finding food than making new friends.

"Pichu~" — Looking for food? Hold on.

Mew knew the habits of the Munchlax line. It dashed back into the castle hall and emerged ten seconds later carrying a fruit basket.

"Pichu~" — Here you go.

Mew tossed an apple from the basket to Munchlax.

"Munch~" — From today on, little Pichu, you’re my best friend! By the way, where else is there food? Take me later.

Munchlax’s eyes narrowed into happy slits — won over by a single apple.

"Pichu~" — No problem! I know exactly where the good food is in this castle.

Mew agreed readily, then tossed a banana-like fruit to Charizard and a fiery-red berry to Gengar.

"Gengar~" — Hello there, little Pichu! I’m a Gengar who’s lived for hundreds of years — probably older than your great-grandpa. Just call me Old Ghost.

Gengar caught the berry with psychic power, patted its belly, and cackled.

"Pichu~" — Nice to meet you, Old Ghost!

Mew replied happily, though internally it was thinking: "Hundreds of years? I’m probably older than your great-grandpa!"

While it was thinking that, Greninja gave Pichu a gentlemanly bow.

"Koga~" — Hello, Pichu. I’m Greninja.

"Pichu~" — Hello, Greninja! You’re really handsome!

Mew tossed a fruit to Greninja from the basket.

"Koga~" — Thank you for the compliment.

Greninja caught the fruit.

"Eev~" — Hello, Pichu! I’m Eevee!

Eevee evolved into Jolteon on the spot, hopped over to Pichu, and greeted it enthusiastically — using the classic Pikachu/Pichu greeting: tail-touching.

"Pichu~" — You can evolve on your own?!

Mew was surprised by Eevee’s ability, but still wagged its tail and touched it to Jolteon’s. Crackling sparks flew between them, flashing before Rio and the Pokémon.

After the sparks died down, Mew handed a fruit to Jolteon.

When it came to Mewtwo, however, it just snorted and telepathically replied with six words: "Mewtwo — thanks, but no thanks."

For some reason, this Pichu still made it uncomfortable — a restless urge to beat it up. But if it actually did that, the others would look down on it. So it held back, hoping to get through the day.

Its coldness didn’t go unnoticed by Charizard, Gengar, Munchlax, Greninja, and Eevee. They could all sense Mewtwo’s hostility toward Pichu — none of them had ever experienced that when they first met Mewtwo. They couldn’t understand why Mewtwo was acting that way.

Mew, disguised as Pichu, also felt confused. It had never met a new friend who reacted like this — everyone was usually happy to play with it. But for some reason, this "Mewtwo" felt strangely familiar.

Rio, the only one who knew the truth, stayed silent and watched. Mewtwo’s reaction didn’t surprise him — after all, its greatest hatred was reserved for Mew. Being called "Mew’s clone" was like a thorn stuck deep in its heart. So sensing Mew’s presence from this Pichu and feeling angry was perfectly normal.

"Pichu~" — Hello, Mewtwo. These fruits here are really good.

Mew-disguised Pichu still tossed a fruit toward Mewtwo — but Mewtwo Teleported away, reappearing atop the castle. The fruit hit the ground. Mew looked awkward.

"Gengar~" — Little Pichu, don’t mind it. Mewtwo’s always like that — aloof, acting like everyone owes it something. When I first met it, it treated me the same way, right, Little Charizard?

Gengar quickly opened its big mouth to ease the awkwardness.

"Roooar~" — Yeah, yeah — that’s how Dream Brother is. Always aloof with new Pokémon. Right, little chubby?

Charizard understood Gengar’s cue and patted its belly with a laugh, joining in.

"Munch~" — Yeah, Mewtwo’s super aloof. When I tried to share food with it before, it wouldn’t take it either. Mmm — this is so good! Pichu, where did you get these fruits? They’re delicious!

Munchlax, seeing there were still fruits left, grabbed the whole basket and tipped everything into its mouth.

"Koga~" — That’s right, little Pichu. It’s not your fault — it’s just Mewtwo’s personality. Compared to it, I’m practically the cheerful type.

Greninja joined the reassurance.

"Eev~" — Exactly! It’s Mewtwo’s problem! Don’t take it to heart, little Pichu. If it won’t eat the fruit, give it to Munchlax — it loves it!

And so, five of Rio’s six Pokémon gathered around Mew-disguised Pichu, leaving Mewtwo alone on the castle roof, refusing to come down and play. The more it watched that Pichu, the more it wanted to fight it — an urge it couldn’t control, though it didn’t understand why.

"Good thing it’s only Rio’s Pokémon for these two days. Once this festival is over, it’ll be gone." Mewtwo comforted itself. Out of sight, out of mind — just get through these two days.

What it didn’t realize was that its aloofness only made Mew more curious about it. Even while playing with Charizard and the others, Mew kept glancing at Mewtwo, wondering what it was doing.

Of course, Rio noticed all of this. But he still hadn’t figured out how to handle the relationship between Mewtwo and Mew. He was determined to capture Mew — that’s why he had released Charizard and the others to bond with it. And he wasn’t giving up on Mewtwo either — this was his Dream Brother who had unlocked X and Y forms.

So he had to find a way to resolve the brewing conflict. Mew held no grudge against Mewtwo — it was Mewtwo who held the grudge against Mew. Bringing Mew into the team meant overcoming Mewtwo’s prejudice and hatred toward Mew. But how to do that was currently a puzzle.

"Ugh, headache, headache. One step at a time — first, I need to win Mew over." Rio sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Time passed. The next day arrived.

The Aura Guardian Festival venue was alive with drums and fireworks.

"Welcome Her Majesty the Queen, ruler of Rota — Queen Irene — to deliver her address!" The host announced.

Queen Irene appeared on the throne above the arena, holding a Mime Jr.

"Welcome, everyone, to Rota." Queen Irene held her scepter and addressed the audience.

"Today is a day to remember, for on this day four hundred years ago, Sir Aaron sacrificed himself to end the crisis."

"Let us pay our respects to Sir Aaron."

She placed her right hand over her heart in a gesture of remembrance. The entire audience followed suit. After three seconds, Queen Irene opened her eyes and continued:

"I’m sure you all know who the participants are today — and I’m sure you’re all looking forward to it."

As soon as she said that, chants erupted from the venue:

"Rio! Rio! Rio!"

His name echoed across the arena and throughout the city. Everyone knew that the Kanto Champion would be participating in the festival today — without his own Pokémon, relying purely on his commanding skills.

"Since you’ve already shouted his name, I won’t waste words. Now — the Pokémon battles honoring Aaron, the Hero of Aura — officially begin!" Queen Irene raised both hands, signaling the start.

As her voice fell, cheers erupted again. The two gates at either end of the arena opened automatically. From one emerged a contestant — a man in his thirties. From the other came Rio, with Pichu on his shoulder.

To boost the opening excitement, Queen Irene had arranged Rio as the first match. To fit the festival’s theme, Rio wore a hero’s outfit.

"Go, little Pichu! Today, let the world see your strength!" Rio declared boldly, pointing forward.

The festival’s battle rules differed from other tournaments — it was 1v1, and contestants could send out their Pokémon and start battling immediately without waiting for a referee’s command.

"Pichu~"

At Rio’s command, Mew-disguised Pichu leaped off his shoulder. After a day together, Mew had gained a preliminary impression of Rio — he was a decent human, spoke well, and his Pokémon (except that cold Mewtwo) were all very kind to it. Mew’s friendship had already increased by three points.

"Come out, Breloom!" The opponent sent out his Pokémon — a level 33 Breloom.

"Breloom, Seed Bomb!"

The Breloom’s trainer gave the first command.

"Brel~"

Breloom opened its mouth and spat out hard-shelled seeds.

Rio, calm as ever, simply commanded: "Thunderbolt."

"Pichu~"

A dazzling light burst from Pichu’s body. The electricity shattered the seeds and struck Breloom, who cried out in pain. Three seconds later, it fell — defeated by a single Thunderbolt from a Pichu.

The crowd, which had been roaring, fell silent.

"Wait — I thought they said he was using one of our Rota Pokémon?! Why does it feel like he’s using his own?!"

The spectators were dumbfounded. Breloom had resistance to Electric-type moves and still got one-shot — what did that mean?

Up on the throne, Queen Irene was equally stunned. Was that Pichu really one of her castle’s Pokémon? How could it be so strong? One-shotting a Breloom? That was absurd.

Even the Breloom trainer froze. How long had he been on stage? Ten seconds? Less than ten seconds, and he was already done?

"Excellent work, Pichu!" Rio didn’t care about the audience’s shock. All he wanted was to compliment Mew — to make it feel acknowledged.

"Pichu~" — Of course! There aren’t many in this world who can beat me!

Victorious, Mew hopped back onto Rio’s shoulder in two or three bounds and raised its tiny arms, showing off its strength to the crowd.