Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 41: Cynthia’s Misunderstanding

"Golem, Rock Throw!"

Hearing Cynthia’s familiar clear voice, Rio turned his head.

He saw Gabite charging toward a Level 26 Golem, its claws wreathed in azure dragon-shaped imprints. Moving like a flowing dragon, it weaved between the falling rocks and reached the Golem in an instant.

The azure dragon claw swung forward.

Whoosh—

Golem was sent flying. Two seconds later, its Rocket trainer was clutching the fallen Pokémon and wailing in despair: "No—my Golem!"

Around him lay several other defeated Pokémon, all belonging to Team Rocket.

The victorious Cynthia stood over them, looking down. "With me around, you bunch of losers think you can take over Lavender Town? Dream on!"

With that, she and Gabite pressed forward, searching for more Rockets wreaking havoc in the town.

But after just a few steps, her eyes widened.

Rio? With Team Rocket?

Her eyes widened further. Seeing Rio—dressed in a Team Rocket uniform—standing among a group of Rockets, she staggered back as if struck by lightning.

"Rio—you’re with Team Rocket?!" Her finger trembled as she pointed at him, as if deeply betrayed.

Rio: (¬_¬)

With a deadpan expression, he calmly said: "Hey, it’s not what you—"

Cynthia cut him off with a wave: "Save it! I’m so disappointed in you!"

Rio: (｀⌒´)

Suppressing his irritation, he tried again: "Actually, I’m—"

"I’m telling Grandpa Fuji! You’ve been a Rocket spy all along!" she interrupted again.

Rio: (╬▔皿▔)

He turned to Sabrina: "Let’s do this. This girl needs a lesson to calm down."

Sabrina covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh. A Poké Ball on her belt opened automatically. With a flash of red light, an Alakazam appeared opposite Gabite.

Meanwhile, Cynthia saw Rio exchange a word with the long-haired beauty, who then smiled coyly. Her eyes reddened, and she gritted her teeth.

"Damn you—you two! Shameless! A pair of dogs!"

"Gabite, Sandstorm! Crush them!"

"Gah~" Sensing its trainer’s fury, Gabite roared and slammed its tail hard into the ground.

Dust rose instantly, spreading across the entire town. It swirled upward and quickly formed a Sandstorm. Many Lavender Town trainers and Rocket members nearby shielded their eyes.

Sabrina was completely unaffected—her psychic power kept the sand at bay within a one-meter radius. Oh, wait—Rio was also unaffected, having stepped into her psychic barrier.

"She likes you, doesn’t she? That reaction is clearly a misunderstanding," Sabrina remarked.

"No helping it—I’m just too outstanding. It’s only natural that she likes me," Rio said.

Sabrina turned to look at the young man who had casually stepped into her psychic field. "You’ve got some nerve."

"Men who are bad are the ones women love."

Sabrina frowned. "Believe me, I can throw you out right now."

"I believe you. But before you do, you might want to focus on this battle—unless you want your Alakazam to get knocked out before our fight."

Sabrina snapped her head back. Gabite had vanished from its spot, leaving only a hole behind—it had used Dig.

"Alakazam, use Psychic to fly up." Sabrina communicated telepathically with Alakazam.

"Ala~" Alakazam’s eyes glowed, and it shot into the air. The next moment, Gabite burst out of the ground with claws extended, right where Alakazam had been standing.

"Gabite, Dragon Rage!" Cynthia quickly gave a new command.

Gabite pulled its claws back and roared at the sky. A dragon-headed beam shot from its mouth, speeding toward Alakazam.

"Alakazam, Teleport! Disable!" Sabrina sent two commands in rapid succession.

Alakazam vanished just as Dragon Rage was about to hit, reappearing behind Gabite with its Destiny Spoons aimed at it.

"Ala~" Two white beams shot from the spoons. Cynthia ordered Slash, but Disable had already been set—Gabite was a beat too slow and was frozen in place.

Sabrina’s lips curled upward. She stopped telepathic communication and spoke aloud: "Finish it, Alakazam—Psycho Cut, Psychic!"

"Ala~" Alakazam’s eyes glowed again. Two white blades shot from its spoons and slashed at Gabite, followed by a wave of overwhelming psychic force that lifted Gabite into the air, twisted its body, and slammed it hard into the ground.

The Sandstorm ceased instantly and quickly dissipated. Gabite lay defeated.

"Gabite!" Cynthia ran to her fallen partner, then shot Rio an even angrier glare.

"You bastard! Traitor! Scum! One day, Team Rocket will get what’s coming to them!"

Rio’s deadpan expression returned.

Gabite’s defeat also shook the surrounding Lavender Town trainers. They had thought that with Cynthia leading them, they could drive out Team Rocket. But Alakazam’s power was terrifying.

And their own Gym Leader was apparently a Rocket member!

"Gym Leader, I misjudged you! I thought you really stopped Team Rocket last time—but it was all an act! You’re a Rocket spy!"

"Dirty spy! You took my money!"

"Refund!!!"

With more and more people mindlessly hurling insults, Rio had had enough. He looked at Sabrina, who was clearly enjoying the show.

"Beautiful, when exactly did your Future Sight say our battle would be? Give me a timeline."

Sabrina smiled at him. "Go ahead. It’s now. Right after that girl’s defeat—that’s when our battle begins."

Rio pulled out a Poké Ball. With a flash of light, he released Munchlax and stepped out from the Rocket ranks.

This startled his Gym trainees—they thought their insults had enraged him and that he was about to take them on himself.

Thud. One trainee dropped to his knees. "Gym Leader, I was wrong! Please don’t take my Kingler away—my dad gave it to me when I was a kid! I can’t live without it! You can sell the ones Corleone caught—he has more!"

"The hell are you talking about? I only have one more Pokémon than you." Thud. Another trainee knelt. "Gym Leader, please let me join Team Rocket too!"

Rio’s mouth twitched. Just how many idiots did I recruit for this Gym?

He looked at Cynthia, wanting to explain. But before he could speak—

Cynthia: "You bastard! You’ll burn in hell!"

Alright. No point explaining. Actions speak louder than words.

"Munchlax, Metronome!"