Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 59: My Name Is Goh

Lance crawled out from under Dragonite, staggering to his feet.

Rio raised an eyebrow. This guy wasn’t just born with a silver spoon—he’s clearly loved by his Pokémon too. In that explosion, Dragonite used its own body to protect him completely.

"Kid—I’ve memorized your face," Lance said, his usual arrogant composure now replaced by a murderous glare. "I will make you pay for today’s humiliation."

Rio laughed at the threat. If you’re going to talk like that, then I might as well finish you off now.

He raised his hand to command Primeape—

"Wraaah~"

Before he could speak, Aerodactyl appeared beside Lance.

Rio lowered his hand reluctantly. Munchlax and Charizard were both incapacitated. Primeape could still fight, but it couldn’t fly. Once Aerodactyl carried Lance high enough, they’d be sitting ducks.

"Want revenge? Then do it now! Why wait?" Rio switched to a taunting tone. "Loser! Once a loser, always a loser!"

"Wraaah~" Aerodactyl let out an enraged roar before Lance could respond—but Lance held it back.

"Kid!" Lance’s voice dripped with killing intent. "If you’ve got the guts, tell me your name."

"Sure thing." Rio scratched his ear lazily. "My name is Yukio Goh—you can call me Goh. I’m from Vermilion City, Kanto. Feel free to come find me whenever you want revenge."

"Go—I admit you’re strong, but your victory today was pure luck!" Lance said, recalling Dragonite into its Poké Ball. "Next time we meet, you won’t have such fortune. So—wait for me."

With that, Lance sneered, climbed onto Aerodactyl’s back, and flew off.

"Go on, go on—Goh from Vermilion City is waiting for you," Rio called out with a grin as Lance grew smaller in the distance.

He pulled out a Full Restore worth 4,000 League coins and fed it to Charizard. A minute later, Charizard recovered from its near-fatal state, its wounds visibly healing.

"How are you feeling, Charizard?" Rio asked, watching its expression closely while checking its stats.

This was Charizard’s first defeat since Rio had caught it—and a one-hit knockout at that. He wasn’t sure if it would affect its morale. If it did, he’d be devastated.

"Roaar~" Charizard shook its head firmly, showing no sign of discouragement.

At that moment, its level stat updated:

[Level: 40 (Unbowed Spirit – Strong desire to grow stronger; move proficiency and leveling speed doubled. Time until next level: 204 days.)]

Rio’s eyes lit up. This loss actually gave it a better buff!

"Great, Charizard—that’s the spirit! Today’s loss means nothing. They just had higher levels. If you were the same level, victory would be yours!"

"Roaar~" Charizard nodded confidently, agreeing wholeheartedly. It immediately stood up and started practicing moves, eager to grow stronger.

Rio blinked in surprise. It’s that eager to train already?

"Easy, easy—save the training for after we leave Mahogany," he said.

"Roaar~"

A day later.

At the Blackthorn City Pokémon Market, Rio quickly walked out holding a Luxury Ball delivered by Silph Co. He then went to the nearby Pokémon Center and swapped Primeape’s Poké Ball for the Luxury Ball.

Once everything was done, Rio let out a breath of relief.

Blackthorn City was the territory of the Dragon Tamer Clan—Lance’s hometown. The Gym Leader here was his cousin, Clair. If Primeape went berserk here, it would be a disaster. Lance was likely staying here, so Rio had arrived last night but chose to camp outside the city.

"I can’t stay here long—I need to leave for Blaze Island as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, deep inside the Dragon’s Den in Blackthorn City.

Clair, the Blackthorn Gym Leader, rode a Gyarados to the depths of the cavern—the ancestral grounds of the Dragon Tamer Clan.

"Brother, you called for me," Clair said upon reaching the sacred site. She spotted Lance, and immediately noticed the injured Dragonite and Gyarados in the Dragon’s Lake behind him. Both bore prominent red scars; Dragonite’s scales had all fallen off—a truly pitiful sight.

"Brother—what happened to your Gyarados and Dragonite?!" she gasped, covering her mouth.

Lance frowned. Seeing his expression, Clair fell silent, knowing he didn’t want to discuss it.

Lance said: "Help me with something. Go to Vermilion City in Kanto and investigate a person named Yukio Goh—also called Goh. If he exists, find out everything about him and report back to me."

"Understood, Brother," Clair nodded. Then she tentatively asked: "Is this the person who did this to your Pokémon...?"

She stopped mid-sentence when she met Lance’s cold glare. Clair gave an awkward smile and zipped her lips.

After leaving, she muttered angrily: "Damn that Goh—he hurt my brother’s Pokémon this badly! Just wait—I’ll make you pay!"

At that very moment—

In Vermilion City, Kanto.

A six-year-old boy sneezed loudly.

Deep in a forest.

Rio had Charizard stop to rest. He pulled out the Red Gyarados’s Poké Ball—the first time he’d held it since the capture.

Once he reached Blaze Island, he’d need the Red Gyarados to help him dive deep into the ocean to retrieve the Silver Wing. So he needed to build some rapport with it now. If it refused to listen when the time came, he’d be in trouble.

With a flash of light, the Red Gyarados was released.

"ROAR!!!" It let out a deafening roar, sending weaker wild Pokémon fleeing in terror.

Rio looked up calmly, wiped the spit off his face, and smiled: "Gyarados, hello—I’m..."

The Red Gyarados glared down at him—and began charging a Hyper Beam.

"NMD!" Rio quickly recalled it.

"You—you attack me with Hyper Beam before I even finish introducing myself?!" His calm expression had completely turned to irritation.

He took a deep breath and told himself not to get angry. Anger wasn’t productive. Even the most aggressive Pokémon could be won over with love and care. That stubborn Charmander was now loyal and devoted to him—so there had to be a way.

And if Lance could make the Red Gyarados obey, so could he!

With another flash, Rio released it again. He smiled and tried once more: "Gyarados, hello—"

"ROAR!!!"

Recalled.

Released.

"Hello, Gyar—"

"ROAR!!!"

Recalled.

Released.

"Hello—"

"ROAR!!!"

Recalled.

Released.

"..."

"ROAR!!!"

After repeating this nearly a hundred times—

"Gyarados, you win. I give up."