Pokemon: Raised by Legends, Chapter 53-54

Chapter 53 - The Road Ahead

The bond between Fuyuki and Entei began with adoption. Back then, Entei had taken him in, brought him back to Mount Tensei, and raised him there. Naturally, they were the closest of all.

Raikou, Suicune, Marshadow, and Ho-Oh were different. Their relationships formed over time, quietly and naturally, growing closer day by day.

In the eyes of every one of them, Fuyuki was an infant.

As the years passed, they even began to see themselves as his father or mother.

After all, this human child was someone they had watched grow, from a tiny little bundle into the boy he was now.

Winter settled over Mount Tensei, blanketing the mountains in pure white snow.

With nothing to do and boredom setting in, Fuyuki bought a television from the system shop. He curled up at home with Entei and the others, watching TV together.

Sacred Fire blazed in the fireplace, filling the room with warmth.

He directed Marshadow to help lift the television onto the stand, connect the system-made signal receiver, plug it in, and turn it on.

The static vanished, replaced by vivid images.

“Professor Oak’s Summer Camp is now open for registration! Here, you’ll follow Professor Oak into forests, river valleys, and grasslands to observe wild Pokemon up close!”

“You’ll have a full seven days to interact and spend time with gentle, adorable wild Pokemon. During those seven days, you’ll spend one wonderful night after another beneath the stars, together with Professor Oak and Pokemon!”

“If you want to join the camp and observe wild Pokemon up close, pick up your phone and dial the number at the bottom of the screen to sign up!”

A gentle female voice introduced the program.

As she spoke, images of outdoor camping appeared on the screen, along with Professor Oak smiling as he introduced Pokemon to wide-eyed children.

“Huh? The first ad is Professor Oak?” Fuyuki was a little surprised, but he didn’t dwell on it.

From what he knew, Professor Oak held events like this all the time. Come to think of it, Ash and Serena had met at one of his summer camps.

Leaning back against Entei’s warm body, Fuyuki pressed the remote and changed channels. Professor Oak’s face appeared again.

“Welcome, everyone, to Professor Oak’s Pokemon Lecture! Today’s featured Pokemon is Pikachu!”

Fuyuki: “……”

Professor Oak really was famous.

After watching for a bit, Fuyuki switched channels again.

This time, another familiar face appeared.

The Kalos Champion, Diantha.

It seemed to be a movie program, and she was the lead actress.

Fuyuki watched with interest. The Pokemon beside him, bored themselves, ended up staring at the screen along with him.

“Does Fuyuki like human things that much?” Suicune asked gently.

“Hm? It’s not that,” Fuyuki said. “It’s just that staying on Mount Tensei all the time with nothing to do gets really boring. It feels too lonely.”

“Mm…” Raikou thought for a moment, then spoke. “When the Little One grows a bit older, I’ll take him outside to play. Let him see the world beyond.”

That way, their Little One wouldn’t be bored.

“If anyone does that, it should be me,” Entei said in a low voice.

Fuyuki: “……”

Suicune looked helpless. After a moment, it turned back to Fuyuki. “Once this winter ends, you’ll be seven years old, right?”

Fuyuki nodded eagerly. “That’s right!”

“Then what do you want to do when you grow up?” Suicune asked.

Fuyuki had decided this long ago.

“I’ve seen human kids leave home to travel when they turn ten. When I’m ten, I want to do the same. I want to see the world and all the different places out there!”

His eyes shone with anticipation. Then he looked at Entei.

"And that way, Father won't have to stay on Mount Tensei all the time. I can go out with it and help protect weak Pokemon!"

“Excellent,” Ho-Oh said approvingly. Truly worthy of the Rainbow Hero it had raised from childhood.

Entei nodded its massive head lightly, clearly looking forward to that day.

But when the Little One chose Entei, Raikou felt a flash of displeasure.

“The Little One should act together with me,” it said.

Entei frowned. “That responsibility should be mine.”

“If that’s the case,” Suicune added calmly, “I could take Fuyuki with me as well.”

Suicune usually traveled the world alone, carrying out its duties.

Yet when it imagined traveling with Fuyuki by its side, the idea didn’t seem bad at all.

Because of that, the thought of Fuyuki journeying like a human Trainer appealed to it too.

“Ma-sha…” Marshadow watched silently.

It didn’t care how the others argued. When the time came, it could just slip into Fuyuki’s shadow.

Watching the Legendary Beasts argue over this, Ho-Oh felt a headache coming on.

It made the decision at once. “Fuyuki is my Rainbow Hero. Over the years, I’ve been the one to bring him into the human world. It is only right that I travel with him.”

“Ho-Oh…”

The Legendary Beasts froze.

Then all of them turned to Fuyuki, clearly wanting to know who he wished to travel with.

Fuyuki: “……”

That really was a hard choice.

“I’m not ten yet. Let’s talk about it when I grow up!”

There were still three years to go, after all.

Seeing this, the Legendary Beasts and Ho-Oh knew the Little One was dodging the question again.

They looked helpless, but didn’t press him.

They would wait until he grew up.

“Still, do you want to become a Trainer someday?” Suicune asked.

Among the Legendary Beasts, Raikou roamed desolate wilderness far from humans. Entei stayed close to weak Pokemon. Suicune, traveling the world to purify polluted waters, was far more familiar with humans than the other two.

At the question, Raikou, Entei, and Ho-Oh all looked over.

“A Trainer…” Fuyuki fell into thought.

What path would he take in the future? He had never really considered it before.

“Trainers are bridges between humans and Pokemon,” Ho-Oh said softly, explaining. “They travel with Pokemon and walk every corner of this world together.”

“Then I want to be a Trainer!” Fuyuki said.

But compared to challenging Gyms, entering League tournaments, or becoming the strongest, what he truly liked was something else.

Catching Pokemon he loved, and living together with them on Mount Tensei.

Chapter 54 - Summer Camp

Winter faded into spring. The snow that had blanketed Mount Tensei for months finally melted away, the air warming as the days slowly grew hot.

That year, Fuyuki turned seven.

After saying their goodbyes, Ho-Oh and Suicune left Mount Tensei.

Before departing, Ho-Oh took Fuyuki into the human world one more time, helping him earn a batch of Shock Points.

Fuyuki used them to raise Raikou’s level all the way to Lv100.

The result left Raikou both stunned and deeply moved.

Emotions churning, it turned to Entei and said, “You stayed behind all through last autumn and winter. Now it’s my turn to stay and take care of the Little One.”

Entei: “……”

It glanced at the child beside it. Despite the reluctance in its heart, Entei knew Raikou was right.

“Then I’ll leave the Little One to you,” it said.

“Hmph.” Raikou hooked a paw around Fuyuki and pulled him over. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

Used to Raikou’s attitude, Entei ignored the jab and looked at Fuyuki instead. “Don’t run around. Stay on Mount Tensei and wait for me to come back, understand?”

Fuyuki nodded again and again. “Mm!”

Entei glanced at Raikou one last time. “Take good care of the Little One.”

With that, it turned and left. Mount Tensei was soon left with only Fuyuki, Raikou, and Marshadow.

Raikou finally let out a long breath. That annoying guy was gone at last.

It brought Fuyuki home, lay down beside him, and acted as a living cushion.

With the others gone, the house felt instantly empty.

Fuyuki petted Raikou for a while, then watched some TV. But programming in this era was always the same, either Professor Oak’s Pokemon lectures or news from various regions.

To someone who already knew Pokemon well and understood much of the story ahead, none of it felt fresh. After a short while, boredom crept in.

He turned off the TV and lay flat on the carpet, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“So bored…”

“Then I’ll take you outside to play?” Raikou said, rising to its feet.

“But I’ve already explored all of Mount Tensei,” Fuyuki replied.

He had lived here for seven years, often riding Entei around. He knew exactly which Pokemon lived in which areas.

The mountain held no secrets from him anymore. He probably knew it even better than Ho-Oh and the others.

“Hmm…” Raikou fell silent, realizing that was true.

Then Fuyuki’s eyes lit up.

“How about we go somewhere else?” He rolled over to face Raikou.

Raikou paused. “Somewhere else?”

Fuyuki nodded. “I want to see Pokemon that live in other places, like Trainers who travel!”

Raikou almost said Entei wouldn’t agree, but then dismissed the thought. Why worry about that? If the Little One wanted to go out, then it would take him and show him the world.

“No problem,” it said without hesitation.

“Yes!” Fuyuki cheered.

He changed into fresh clothes, then bought a piece of Pokemon-world black tech from the system shop, something every Trainer had, a Space Backpack. He packed it with food, water, and daily supplies.

Raikou couldn’t fly like Ho-Oh, and they might not return anytime soon, so preparation mattered.

“All right, let’s go!”

Fuyuki locked the doors and windows, then climbed onto Raikou’s back.

“Hold tight,” Raikou said. Once he was secure, its powerful body surged forward.

“Ma-sha?!”

From the shadows, Marshadow watched the whole thing. After a brief pause, it slipped straight into Fuyuki’s shadow.

At the same time, in Kalos, at Lumiose City Airport.

Grace was giving her daughter a serious lecture.

“When you arrive in Pallet Town, the first thing you do is visit Professor Oak, understood?”

“I know, Mom!” Serena’s face glowed with excitement. She could hardly wait to attend Professor Oak’s summer camp.

“And don’t run around on the way. Don’t eat food from strangers. If you run into trouble, find Officer Jenny right away. When you reach Professor Oak, call me immediately!”

An announcement echoed through the airport, informing passengers that the flight to Kanto was about to depart.

“Got it, Mom! Don’t worry!” Serena called as she ran toward the gate.

Grace sighed helplessly. That child…

Serena boarded the plane smoothly. Sitting by the window, she gazed out at the scenery with eager eyes.

Professor Oak. She was about to meet Professor Oak.

And she had heard that Pallet Town had many Pokemon Kalos didn’t.

Just thinking about it made her heart race.

Kanto, Pallet Town, Professor Oak’s Laboratory.

Now seven years old, Ash looked at Professor Oak and asked impatiently, “Professor Oak, when are we leaving for the summer camp?”

“Wait a little longer,” Professor Oak said with a smile after checking the time. “We still have one guest who hasn’t arrived yet. That child should be on the way by now.”

“On the way?” Ash looked confused.

Professor Oak nodded. “She’s coming from very far away, all the way from Kalos. Once she arrives, we’ll head into the wilderness and begin the camp.”

“Awesome!” Ash didn’t care about Kalos at all. He pumped his fist excitedly. “I get to see Pokemon in the wild!”

Professor Oak chuckled. Ash really hadn’t changed.

On the third day after leaving Mount Tensei, Fuyuki and Raikou arrived at a forest teeming with Pokemon.

From the edge of the woods, a human city could be seen standing in the distance.

Raikou frowned slightly when it spotted it.

Originally, it had planned to take Fuyuki deep into the remote reaches of Mt. Silver.

But Fuyuki’s pitiful pleading had worn it down. In the end, it gave up and brought him here instead.

Now, Raikou followed behind, watching the Little One dash toward the ordinary Pokemon ahead, excitement written all over his face.

"Psyduck, Mankey, Poliwag! There are so many Pokemon we don't have on Mount Tensei! Raikou... Father, come look!" Fuyuki shouted over his shoulder.

Raikou walked forward slowly, but before it could get close, the Little One suddenly froze, eyes shining.

“That Pokemon is… Bulbasaur!”

From the grass ahead emerged a frog-like Pokemon with a large seed on its back.

One of Kanto’s grass-type starters, Bulbasaur.

Fuyuki was just about to step closer for a better look when Raikou moved in front of him, body tense, eyes locked on what lay ahead.