Pokemon: Raised by Legends, Chapter 47-48

Chapter 47 - Protecting Fuyuki Is Ho-Oh's Guard's Top Priority!

The sun rose and set over Mount Tensei. Time here was leisurely and drawn-out, so much so that Fuyuki often forgot the very concept of it.

He and Ho-Oh lived a life of rising with the sun and resting with the moon.

Every morning, they would wake up early. Ho-Oh would carry him across the mountains and fields, observing the lives of the Pokemon that called this land home.

By evening, Ho-Oh would carry a Fuyuki, exhausted from a full day of playing and fast asleep, back to the nest, where they would drift off to sleep together in that cave.

This kind of life was something even a Pokemon of Ho-Oh's caliber had never experienced before.

It had never imagined that one day it would personally raise a human child.

If Lugia next door found out about this, it would surely be shocked beyond belief.

The Legendary Beasts and Marshadow returned to Mount Tensei on a day of steady spring rain.

Since it was raining outside, Fuyuki and Ho-Oh had stayed indoors.

Ho-Oh rested with its eyes closed nearby, while Fuyuki lay sprawled against the windowsill, gazing out at Mount Tensei in the rain.

The moment Entei and the others appeared, Fuyuki spotted them instantly.

"Entei's back!"

He rushed downstairs without a second's hesitation. By the time he reached the ground floor, the Legendary Beasts had already walked inside the cave.

"Entei!"

Fuyuki threw himself at Entei, wrapping his arms around its front legs.

Back in this place where his Little One waited, Entei felt every muscle in its body relax involuntarily.

It gently rested its large head on Fuyuki's shoulder, its majestic voice resonating through telepathy: "Mm. I'm home."

During all those days away, even while carrying out its mission, Entei's heart had never stopped worrying about Little One.

It worried he might bump into something or hurt himself. It worried that after being gone for so long, Little One might have cried.

Now, seeing Little One safe and sound, even a little chubbier and taller, Entei felt a massive weight lift from its chest.

This Pokemon of few words lowered its great head, making it easier for its Little One to hug.

"Hmph."

Just then, a snort sounded from the side.

Fuyuki and Entei turned to see Raikou staring at them with a sulky expression.

When it noticed them looking, Raikou immediately turned away, its voice cold: "We should go see Ho-Oh."

"And Raikou too!"

Having finished hugging Entei, Fuyuki ran over to Raikou and wrapped his arms around its leg, expressing how much he'd missed it.

Hearing this, Raikou's expression stiffened for a moment before softening slightly. It lowered its head, looking down at the human child before it.

Fuyuki could feel that it wasn't just Entei. Raikou was good to him too. There was even a sense that it regarded him as its own child to raise.

Seeing that Raikou seemed a bit unhappy, Fuyuki immediately ran over to hug the big tiger, carefully inspecting its fur.

"Did Raikou get hurt this time?"

Little One was worried about it! Raikou shot Entei a provocative glance, showing off, though its voice still carried that aloof edge: "My power far surpasses Entei's. How could anyone possibly hurt me?"

Entei: "..."

"Mm-hm!"

Fuyuki nodded enthusiastically, humoring the somewhat tsundere big tiger.

Then he turned his gaze toward Suicune and Marshadow nearby, greeting them as well.

Seeing that the human child didn't rush to embrace it the way he had with Entei and Raikou, Suicune felt a twinge of disappointment.

But it said nothing, simply offering Fuyuki a gentle nod. Its voice was soft and elegant: "Mm, it's been a while, little Fuyuki."

"Mar-sha~"

Even Marshadow's usually expressionless face showed a faint hint of a smile.

And then, Ho-Oh finally appeared.

It flew down to the first floor, surveying the gathered Pokemon.

Entei and the others immediately grew serious.

"Ho-Oh, thank you for taking care of things while we were away!" Entei expressed its gratitude.

Seeing Entei's demeanor, Ho-Oh narrowed its eyes, its gaze sharpening.

This Entei, the moment it gets back, it wants to claim little Fuyuki for itself? So eager to wash its hands of Ho-Oh already.

Next time, it would scatter a few more feathers, find more chosen ones for these lot to go guide. That way, little Fuyuki would be all its own. Ho-Oh's inner thoughts were somewhat... "evil."

Entei was a bit confused by the look.

Still, Ho-Oh understood in its heart. After all, it was Entei who had brought this human child back to Mount Tensei.

Its gaze swept over the Pokemon before it. Without even needing to ask, it already knew: this latest chosen one had failed the trial once again.

"Ho-Oh, the chosen one did not meet our requirements. The Rainbow Feather on his person has already lost its luster," Suicune stepped forward to report.

"I am already aware."

Ho-Oh let out an inward sigh.

How many times now?

How many chosen ones had failed the trial at this point?

Over the past hundred years, it had bestowed feathers upon who knows how many humans. It had lost count even of the number itself.

Not a single one of them had passed.

Ho-Oh's heart was weary beyond measure.

As expected, outsiders couldn't be relied upon. Rather than this approach, it was far more dependable to raise a human from scratch into a Rainbow Hero themselves.

Ho-Oh's hopeful gaze fell upon Fuyuki.

Meanwhile, Fuyuki was pulling Entei and the others toward the backyard.

"Entei, Marshadow, Raikou, Suicune, come look!"

The group of Pokemon were somewhat bewildered, but as they passed through the room and beyond that ordinary wooden door, the scene before their eyes underwent a complete transformation.

A hidden realm brimming with natural energy, complete with grasslands, forests, flowers, lakes, and snowfields, slowly unveiled itself before them.

When Entei and the others took in the sight, their pupils contracted sharply.

"Little One, what is this...?" Entei asked in a deep voice.

"This is a place I created for all of us to play together and live together!" Fuyuki declared, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

This astonishing power genuinely shocked Entei and the others to their core.

This power was truly extraordinary!

"Fuyuki is a child blessed by the power of nature," Ho-Oh's voice resonated within the minds of the gathered Pokemon.

Entei and the others all froze for a moment.

"The natural energy in this place is so abundant that even I find myself involuntarily drawn to it."

"If Pokemon were to stay here for extended periods, it would be greatly beneficial for any of them."

Ho-Oh's voice continued.

Natural energy helped Pokemon grow and become stronger.

Having traversed the world for so many years, Ho-Oh had visited countless places.

To put it in human terms, this was the kind of place where exceptionally powerful individual Pokemon could be born. Alpha Pokemon, or perhaps Totem Pokemon.

But more than any of that, what truly moved Ho-Oh's heart was this:

Fuyuki had created this place for them. So that they could live together, rest together.

Ho-Oh was deeply touched.

"Entei, Suicune, Raikou, Marshadow," it spoke softly.

All four Pokemon turned to look.

Ho-Oh continued: "Should I depart from this place hereafter, I entrust Fuyuki to your care. No matter what, you must protect him. He is our hope, the Rainbow Hero bestowed upon us by the heavens."

Chapter 48 - Entei Shoots Straight to Lv87!

Ho-Oh, Suicune, and Raikou did not stay at Mount Tensei for long.

None of them were the type to laze around sleeping in magma all day like Groudon. As members of Ho-Oh's Guard, they each still had their own missions to fulfill.

And so, the day after their return, the Pokemon prepared to leave Mount Tensei once more.

"Ho-Oh, you're all leaving?" Fuyuki felt a pang of reluctance.

Ho-Oh nodded gently, its entire body radiating a rainbow-like brilliance.

"There is no need to worry. Entei will remain here to look after you on our behalf."

Raikou shot Entei an irritated look: "It's agreed then. Next time, it's my turn to stay at Mount Tensei and watch the kid."

Entei: "...Fine."

Raikou: "Hmph."

Suicune opened its mouth as if wanting to say something, but in the end said nothing at all. It simply gazed tenderly at the human child.

Marshadow, on the other hand, didn't need to leave. It would stay at Mount Tensei alongside Entei until Ho-Oh selected the next Rainbow Hero.

Only then would it depart Mount Tensei to go guide them.

Ho-Oh paid no mind to its subordinates' chatter and continued speaking to Fuyuki:

"When I return next time, I shall take you to the human world again."

If it brought little Fuyuki to the human world a few more times, he could gather even more energy.

And then, Fuyuki might be able to conjure those miraculous candies once more.

"Then I'll wait right here for Ho-Oh to come back!" Fuyuki said obediently.

Ho-Oh gave him a gentle nod, then spread its wings and flew away, leaving behind nothing but a beautiful rainbow hanging in the clear sky.

Seeing Ho-Oh depart, Suicune and Raikou also prepared to leave.

"Bye, Raikou! Bye, Suicune!" Fuyuki waved goodbye to the two Pokemon.

Suicune gave him a warm, gentle nod.

Though Raikou was annoyed that Entei got to stay behind and look after Little One this time, it was Ho-Oh's decision. There was nothing it could do about it. It could only bid Fuyuki a proper farewell before turning away alongside Suicune, the two heading off in different directions.

In the blink of an eye, the once-lively Mount Tensei was left with only Fuyuki, Entei, and Marshadow.

The sudden quiet took some getting used to.

"Let's go home," Entei said.

"Mm."

Fuyuki followed Entei back inside.

Marshadow, as always, slipped into the shadows.

Fuyuki hadn't forgotten the task at hand.

While Entei lay resting nearby, he opened the system shop, selected Rare Candy, and locked the target onto Entei.

Exchange!

Clatter clatter clatter!

The next moment, accompanied by a cascade of rattling sounds, candy after candy wrapped in blue foil appeared out of thin air, tumbling onto the carpet and forming a small mountain of sweets.

His 2.7 million Shock Points were instantly drained, leaving barely 30,000 remaining.

Gazing at the sudden spectacle before it, Entei froze.

"Little One, what is this?"

"Entei, eat up!" Fuyuki picked up a candy, peeled off the wrapper, and held it out to Entei.

Entei opened its mouth and cooperatively ate the candy.

At first, it assumed this was just ordinary food that Little One had conjured up to share.

But the instant the candy touched its tongue, Entei's entire being froze in place.

An incomparable sensation surged through its body. Its energy, muscles, bones, everything was transforming at an utterly unbelievable speed.

It... was getting stronger!

After a long moment, Entei finally finished digesting the Rare Candy. It opened its golden-red eyes wide and stared at the human child in astonishment.

"Little One, this is..."

"When Ho-Oh took me to the human world before, while those humans were watching me, special energy gathered around me. And then I was able to conjure these candies!" Fuyuki had long since prepared his explanation.

"I see."

Realization dawned on Entei. It looked at the pile of candies before it and immediately grasped their significance.

Something this precious... how could it possibly keep them all for itself?

Fuyuki naturally read Entei's thoughts. He shook his head: "These are all for you. Raikou, Suicune, Ho-Oh, and Marshadow... next time I gather more energy, I'll conjure candies for them too!"

In truth, Fuyuki had previously tried exchanging a Rare Candy for a regular Pokemon and then giving it to Ho-Oh.

The result was that the system, in order to prevent him from exploiting this kind of bug, caused that Rare Candy to lose its effect entirely.

This meant that Rare Candies exchanged for Entei couldn't be used on other Pokemon. Even if they were, there would be no effect whatsoever.

"Little One..."

Was it the first one Little One had thought of?

Entei was deeply moved. This time, it didn't refuse.

Entei ate the candies one by one.

Its body and the energy within began transforming at an utterly incredible pace.

Its golden-red eyes grew ever more commanding. A blazing divine aura radiated from its entire being, and a terrifying pressure emanated outward, as though one were standing before a mountain itself.

The color of Entei's fur grew ever more pure, burning like living flame.

When Entei consumed the very last Rare Candy, its entire body had undergone a complete metamorphosis.

The pressure it exuded was in no way inferior to Ho-Oh's.

Fuyuki checked the Rare Candy price. If he were to exchange again, it would now cost 88,000 Shock Points per candy.

This meant that Entei's current overall strength, if measured by in-game levels, had probably reached Lv87.

Several levels higher than even Ho-Oh!

With this, they had nothing to fear even against the strongest humans in the world.

Once Entei, Suicune, Raikou, Marshadow, and Ho-Oh were all maxed out, he could single-handedly take on all of Team Rocket.

Invincible!

"Entei, when I grow up, I want to go out on adventures with all of you!" Fuyuki blurted out.

Entei paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded: "When that time comes, I'll be right there with you."

Though that Raikou would definitely try to fight it for Little One's company.

With that thought, Entei couldn't help but ask: "Little One, when the time comes, if Raikou or Suicune also wants to travel with you, who would you choose?"

Hearing this, Fuyuki blanked for a moment.

After a pause, he couldn't help but ask: "Can't we all go together?"

Entei shook its head: "There are many weak Pokemon in this world that need us to protect them. Only by splitting up can the three of us make the most of our individual strength."

Fuyuki understood. What Entei was saying was that if all three of them traveled with him, it would be a waste of manpower.

But... choosing just one?

Was this his very own "pick your starter" moment?

Other trainers: Lv5 Charmander, Lv5 Squirtle, Lv5 Bulbasaur.

Him: Lv100 Entei, Lv100 Suicune, Lv100 Raikou.

"..."

The mental image was too beautiful. Fuyuki simply couldn't fathom it.

But as for Entei's question, his heart had long since known the answer.

"I want to go with Entei!"