Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 53: The Coveted Red Gyarados—Three-Way Battle

Rio stared at the words "ancient genes" and pondered.

"At some point in time, it seems something happened that caused them to fall from their pedestal, growing weaker and weaker—even becoming synonymous with weakness, unless they evolved into Gyarados. I never expected this Red Gyarados to have awakened its ancient genes. No wonder it’s so powerful."

Just as Rio finished muttering, the clash between Charizard’s and the Red Gyarados’s attacks was nearing its end. Neither had managed to land a hit on the other. Neither was satisfied with the result.

"ROAR!!!" The Red Gyarados roared in fury—how dare a mere Charizard match its ultimate move?

"Roaar~" Charizard flicked its tail, gesturing toward the Y Mega Stone attached to it, signaling Rio to let it Mega Evolve so it could crush the Red Gyarados into the water.

"I hope the League guy can handle that Red Gyarados in the lake. It’s really hurting our livelihoods. Who knows when we’ll be able to fish there again."

Meanwhile, the villager who had led Rio to the Lake of Rage was muttering to himself on his way back to town.

Just then, a caped young man with a resolute expression walked toward him from the opposite direction, followed by a tall Dragonite. Both had stern looks on their faces.

The villager called out to him: "Hey, hey—young man, don’t go any further! There’s a very dangerous Red Gyarados at the Lake of Rage that’s been attacking people. The League is handling it—you should wait until it’s dealt with."

The young man stopped, frowning. "You said the League is handling it?"

"Yes, I even showed him the way. I hope that young fellow teaches that Red Gyarados a good lesson and gives us back our peaceful lake."

"But I’m the investigator the League sent to handle the Lake of Rage incident."

"Huh?"

"You want to Mega Evolve, don’t you, Charizard? Fine—let’s do it. This Red Gyarados needs a good thrashing before we can catch it."

Rio didn’t refuse Charizard’s request. He couldn’t afford to take his time building friendship with this Red Gyarados like he had with Charizard, Munchlax, and Primeape—it didn’t live near the Pokémon House, and he didn’t have unlimited time to work on it. Plus, there were others interested in it. The longer he delayed, the greater the risk of losing it. He had to capture it by force first, then slowly earn its trust later.

Rio touched the Key Stone hanging around his neck with his index and middle fingers. "Mega Evolve, Charizard! Show this Red Gyarados your power!"

"Roaar~" Charizard responded.

The next second, as if a switch had been flipped, the Key Stone around Rio’s neck burst into rainbow light. The Y Mega Stone on Charizard’s tail also began to shine brilliantly. Charizard was enveloped in the light of Mega Evolution.

But at that moment, Rio’s pupils contracted. "Charizard, dodge!"

He hadn’t expected the Red Gyarados to charge a Hyper Beam while Charizard was evolving.

"ROAR!!!" The Red Gyarados roared and unleashed the scorching Hyper Beam from its mouth. Fortunately, Charizard completed its Mega Evolution just as it fired. It flapped its wings hard and shot upward dozens of meters, narrowly avoiding the blast.

"That was close." Rio let out a sigh of relief. He’d have to be more careful during Mega Evolution from now on—even though it only took two seconds, he couldn’t afford to stay complacently in place. Unless it was an official League tournament, where interrupting evolution was prohibited for the sake of spectacle.

At the same time, as Charizard completed its Mega Evolution into Mega Charizard Y, its Drought ability was triggered. The overcast sky suddenly cleared, and blazing sunlight bathed the entire Lake of Rage.

"Roaar~" Charizard looked down at the Red Gyarados and let out an angry roar—that Hyper Beam had startled it too. It glanced back at Rio.

Rio understood and gave the command: "Charizard, Flamethrower!"

Charizard threw its head back, and the next second, a jet of flame far more intense and powerful than before erupted from its mouth.

"ROAR!!!" The Red Gyarados responded fearlessly with another Hyper Beam.

But it miscalculated. Charizard’s Flamethrower not only overwhelmed the Hyper Beam completely, but also struck the Red Gyarados directly. The scorching flames made it cry out in pain, and the surrounding lake water began to boil from the heat.

"Excellent—a few more of those, and I can throw a Poké Ball," Rio muttered from Charizard’s back.

"Hm?" Just then, he spotted something unusual in the corner of his eye—a fishing boat approaching from the distance, accompanied by a Level 40 Pidgeot and a Level 41 Tentacruel.

"That’s..." Rio narrowed his eyes. "Team Rocket." He noticed the Rocket emblem carved on the boat.

The Tentacruel and Pidgeot immediately fired Bubble Beam and Twister at them. Rio had no choice but to have Charizard stop its attack and weave through the sky to dodge the incoming moves.

Moments later, the fishing boat pulled up directly beneath them.

"Kid, get lost! This Red Gyarados belongs to Team Rocket!" a man in a Rocket uniform shouted through a megaphone.

Rio raised an eyebrow. About to have Charizard blast them with Flamethrower, he was suddenly interrupted—another Hyper Beam came from the other side. Charizard sensed the danger first and, without Rio’s command, dodged on its own.

Rio turned to look and saw a Dragonite appearing in the northwest sky.

He frowned—this Dragonite’s level and move proficiencies were very high.

[Pokémon: Dragonite]

[Level: 65 (Time until next level: 78 days)]

[Talent: Elite Four]

[Ability: Multiscale]

[Gender: Male]

[Moves: Thunder Punch (95%), Thunder Wave (96%), Agility (95%), Wing Attack (95%), Outrage (94%), Twister (94%), Safeguard (95%), Dragon Rush (93%), Dragon Dance (92%), Rain Dance (92%), Hyper Beam (89%)]

Then Rio saw a young man in a cape standing on the Dragonite’s back.

"Lance!" Rio immediately recognized him by the iconic cape and the powerful Dragonite.

At that moment, Lance’s gaze wasn’t on Rio or Team Rocket—it was locked onto the Red Gyarados below, his eyes burning with the desire to capture it.