Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 337: Lorelei, You Are the Mother (Two-in-One)

Looking at this unusually domineering Mr. Rio, Serīna was deeply puzzled. He could be assertive sometimes, but never like this — it was uncomfortable.

Just then, the Rio before her suddenly put his feet down, stood up, and grabbed her head, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"Woman, look into my eyes. I said all four — now, immediately, do it." The Rio before her said authoritatively.

Serīna’s face turned crimson instantly. Staring at Mr. Rio, who was so close to her — almost nose to nose — for the first time, she was completely stunned. It wasn’t until the Rio before her tapped her on the head that she snapped out of it. Blushing, she hurried out of the Champion’s office and closed the door.

Once outside, she leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

How exciting... What’s gotten into Mr. Rio today? She patted her chest to calm down. But I like it.

Humming happily, she went off to work.

Inside the office, Zoroark dropped its illusion and smugly said to Rio: "See? I did great, didn’t I? I was practically indistinguishable from you. Look at that girl’s reaction — she completely thought I was you."

"Ha..." Rio’s mouth twitched. He suddenly realized that choosing Zoroark to impersonate him might have been the dumbest decision ever. This creature was going to ruin the sophisticated, elegant, and cultured image he had painstakingly built.

"Let me ask you — which eye of yours have you ever seen me grab someone by the neck and pull them close like that? And ’woman, look into my eyes, I said all four’? I swear, Zoroark, from today on, you’re banned from watching Pokémon Hollywood movies. You think you’re acting out some ’Boss Falls in Love with Me’ drama?"

Rio was genuinely angry. Since Zoroark couldn’t show itself in public, he’d kept it at home, where it often watched TV. He’d thought it was harmless — maybe it would learn some acting. But now he saw how wrong he was. What kind of acting was this? If Zoroark ever took over for him, he couldn’t imagine what kind of mess he’d come back to.

"What’s wrong with being a boss? You’re just jealous! I acted so well that your secretary was completely drawn in!" Zoroark dismissed his criticism.

"That’s because she already had feelings for me — not because you acted well. It’s because I was already great." Rio said confidently.

"Hmph — it’s all my great acting." Zoroark snorted, full of defiance.

Rio rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Fine. Let’s wait and see if anyone questions it. As long as someone does, you’ll follow my instructions from now on."

In his view, Kanto had plenty of smart people. Not everyone was like Serīna — a lovesick fool who lost all judgment at the slightest provocation just because it came from his face.

Meanwhile, Serīna returned to her desk and assigned the four Kanto Elite Four members their tasks as Zoroark had ordered. Their first reaction was shock — they thought some major disaster had occurred. Why else would all four be deployed?

But when they learned it was just an issue with Unown at a ruin that had sealed off a town, they thought Rio was overreacting. In their view, one Elite Four member was more than enough. So they decided among themselves that Lorelei, the Ice-type Elite Four, would go first. If she couldn’t handle it, the other three would follow.

Serīna tried to insist they follow Rio’s orders — all four should go — but she was ignored.

And so, Ice-type Elite Four Lorelei arrived at the crystallized Green Town. Her appearance gave the locals hope.

Inside the deepest part of Green Town, in a castle, a sweet little girl sat beside the legendary Entei. A TV was playing — showing a reporter interviewing Lorelei.

The reporter asked how long it would take Lorelei to resolve the incident. Lorelei replied: one day. One day to restore the town’s beauty.

But the little girl, looking at Lorelei’s mature aura, blurted out: "Daddy, I want a mommy. She looks like my mommy!"

Her words made Entei rise. It nodded seriously. "Molly, anything you wish for, I will make happen immediately."

With that, Entei rushed out of the castle. Minutes later, it appeared before Lorelei, who had just finished her interview and was about to enter the town.

"Entei!" Lorelei’s eyes widened. She never expected the cause of this incident to be one of the legendary beasts — Entei.

Did Mr. Rio foresee this? That’s why he wanted all four of us to come? She recalled Serīna’s task assignment yesterday, where Rio had requested all four. They had thought Rio was overthinking — now it seemed he had foresight. Truly worthy of their Champion.

But what shocked her more was Entei’s words: "Mommy! You are Mommy!"

Lorelei’s pupils contracted, and her gaze began to blur. Fortunately, her Jynx, already out, called out to her, snapping her out of the trance.

"Mommy? You’re calling me Mommy?" Lorelei looked at Entei as if it had grown another head. She couldn’t believe a legendary beast was calling her "Mommy" — was the world insane? She might have a great figure, better than many mothers, but she was still a maiden!

"Entei, don’t talk nonsense! I’m nobody’s mother!" Lorelei shouted.

Entei, seeing its hypnosis interrupted, turned cold. Scorching purple flames gathered in its mouth.

"Jynx, Ice Beam!" Lorelei quickly commanded.

"Jynx~"

Jynx gathered a freezing Ice Beam. Two seconds later, the purple flames and blue beam clashed midair. The blue beam froze the front of the flames briefly — then the purple flames shattered the ice and engulfed the beam, sending Jynx flying.

"Jynx!" Lorelei cried out, reaching for her strongest Pokémon — Lapras.

But Entei’s voice echoed in her mind again: "Mommy! You are Mommy!"

Lorelei’s eyes went blank again. Without Jynx to save her, she collapsed forward. Entei caught her before she hit the ground, then carried her away before the public’s eyes.

This scene was broadcast live across Johto and Kanto — and reached Rio’s office. Watching Lorelei get abducted, he raised an eyebrow.

In the original story, it was Ash’s mother who got abducted by the Entei created by Unown. Without Ash or his mother, Lorelei had been taken instead. Apparently, someone has to play the mother role.

"This Lorelei is useless — got captured just like that." Zoroark, standing beside Rio, watched the TV and complained. "And I told them all four should go yesterday — but only Lorelei showed up today."

Knock knock knock. The door knocked, and Serīna’s voice came from outside. Rio and Zoroark exchanged glances. Zoroark transformed into Rio, while the real Rio became a potted plant as before.

"Come in." Zoroark called out.

Serīna entered, flustered: "Mr. Rio, bad news! Ice-type Elite Four Lorelei has been captured by Entei! There’s more than just Unown in Green Town — there’s also the legendary Entei!"

"I know. I saw it on TV." Zoroark said with displeasure. "Didn’t I tell you all four should go? Why did only Lorelei go? Now she’s been taken to be a mother."

"I told them, but they all thought Lorelei alone was enough. No one expected she’d get captured the moment she arrived." Serīna explained.

"Fine, fine. Now the other three must go together and resolve this. I don’t want them going one by one and getting captured as fathers too." Zoroark said in annoyance.

"Understood." Serīna nodded and turned to leave — but Zoroark grabbed her by the neck again and forced eye contact.

"Woman, look into my eyes and tell me — this time, you’ll execute my orders perfectly." Zoroark reenacted yesterday’s boss scene.

The real Rio couldn’t bear to watch, nearly rolling his eyes to the ceiling. But Serīna fell for it again — blushing under Rio’s face.

"Mr. Rio, don’t worry — I’ll execute your orders perfectly this time." She said shyly, then carefully left. Outside, she leaned against the wall, breathing hard and fanning herself, her face flushed with lingering excitement.

Inside the office, Rio sighed deeply. His reputation was doomed to be ruined by Zoroark. He just hoped Serīna wouldn’t become obsessed and insist on marrying him because of Zoroark’s teasing.

He had his eyes on being the Sinnoh Champion’s man — yes, the Sinnoh Champion’s man (wink). But that was besides the point.

Time to get serious. Rio watched the ongoing coverage of the Green Town incident. Originally, it might not have gotten much attention — but now that Lorelei had been abducted to be a "mother," public interest was exploding across Johto and Kanto. He couldn’t ignore it. Even though the other three Elite Four were on their way, he needed a backup plan in case something else went wrong. And he also wanted to capture the Unown.

"Zoroark, I’m leaving soon. You’ll take over here for a while." Rio said.

"You’re not staying to watch me impersonate you anymore?" Zoroark said, surprised. "Convinced by my brilliant acting?"

"Ha..." Rio rolled his eyes. "Don’t get ahead of yourself. I won’t be here, but I’ll have another Pokémon watch over you. If anyone questions your identity, I’ll know immediately."

He reached into his belt and released Greninja.

"Greninja, I have a task for you. You probably already know what it is from inside the Luxury Ball." Rio said.

"Koga~" Greninja pointed at Zoroark, then patted its chest confidently.

Rio nodded, satisfied. Greninja was reliable — stronger than Zoroark, smart, hard to fool, and loyal. It was his second Pokémon after Gengar to unlock the third friendship level — far more trusted than Zoroark, who hadn’t even reached level one.

"Zoroark, pay attention. While I’m gone, Greninja will oversee your impersonation. No tricks." Rio said.

"Hmph — I don’t need tricks. I’ll be an even better Champion than you! Just go already!" Zoroark scoffed.

Rio said no more and pulled out another Poké Ball — releasing Mewtwo.

"Mewtwo, we’re going to Johto."

Mewtwo glanced at him, placed a hand on Rio’s shoulder — and they vanished from the office, leaving Greninja and Zoroark staring at each other.