Raikou Takes Over

Fire Emperor stopped in his tracks.

Dongshu now spotted Raikou not far away as well.

Raikou's gaze swept over him with a hint of scrutiny and wariness, then shifted to Fire Emperor.

Fire Emperor, carrying the basket of Berries in his mouth, didn't speak to Raikou. Instead, he lifted his paw and walked into the cave on his own, setting the basket on the ground.

Raikou stood at the cave entrance, looking in. His eyes were like lightning, and the cave was small enough for him to take in the whole scene at a glance.

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A nest made of piled leaves, a basket of Berries...

Raikou's brow furrowed deeply. He finally spoke.

"So you really did take this one in!"

"Little One, get down first and play by yourself for a bit." Fire Emperor lowered himself, letting Dongshu slide off his back, then turned to face Raikou. His gentle tone gained a touch of authority.

"This has nothing to do with you. You've always had deep misunderstandings about humans. Little One isn't the kind of human you talk about. No... he's already learned the language of Pokémon and lives like a Pokémon. He's not human—he's the same as us, a [Pokémon]."

"What? You even taught him the Pokémon language?"

Raikou was taken aback. He looked in disbelief at the human child over there. How could a human possibly learn the language of Pokémon?

[Raikou is extremely shocked that you've mastered the Pokémon language. He believes humans can never learn it, just as humans can never truly understand Pokémon.]

[Shock Points from Raikou +50!]

Dongshu watched the two big cats communicating silently through telepathy.

At first, he was curious—what were Fire Emperor and Raikou talking about?

But soon, he saw the notification flash across the panel and suddenly understood.

So Fire Emperor was telling Raikou about him learning the Pokémon language!

Just then, Raikou looked over at him.

Dongshu gave him a friendly grin.

Raikou felt his breath catch. He quickly averted his gaze and looked back at Fire Emperor.

"Fire Emperor, have you forgotten the mission we carry?!"

"I haven't forgotten!" Fire Emperor denied.

Raikou's voice was low, seeming to hold the fury of a thunderstorm:

"Oh? Then do you know what's happening outside? Lately, I've been roaming this land, and I've seen those wretched humans hurting Pokémon again!"

Hearing this, Fire Emperor's eyes sharpened. Pokémon Hunters again?

The duties of the Legendary Beasts differed.

Suicune's role was to purify the world's polluted waters, riding the northern wind across the land, seeking places with clear, flowing streams.

Raikou was solitary, distrustful of humans, and usually wandered far from civilization, appearing during thunderstorms or when Electric-type Pokémon were in danger.

And the duty Fire Emperor bore was to use his Sacred Fire to burn away all evil in the world, rescuing Pokémon from the clutches of the wicked.

Faced with Raikou's accusations and doubts, Fire Emperor had initially been furious. But the moment he heard that evil had resurfaced, the anger in his heart died out.

Raikou stared coldly at Fire Emperor before him: "And you—you stay here, hiding in a cave with that treacherous, wicked human child, living in comfort!"

Fire Emperor's mind was utterly calm.

"Where are those people?" he asked.

"Silver Mountain," Raikou replied coldly.

Fire Emperor took a deep breath.

Though his heart was full of reluctance, He knew he had to leave.

Before leaving, he had to settle Little One first.

Fire Emperor looked at Raikou and pleaded, "I can't leave Little One here alone. Raikou, while I'm gone, I hope you can take care of him for a while, until I return."

What?!

Raikou was both shocked and enraged. Take care of a human child?

What a joke!

"Impossible! Absolutely not!"

"You brought this one back from outside. I already warned you, but you wouldn't listen. No matter what you say, I won't look after him!"

Raikou flat-out refused twice.

"Little One's parents died protecting Pokémon. We have a duty to take care of their child. Besides, if we don't, he'll die!" Fire Emperor looked at Raikou and promised, "I swear, once I drive those evil people out, I'll come back immediately."

Raikou fell silent.

In his memory, this was the first time Fire Emperor had ever begged him so humbly.

Raikou gazed at this companion.

"Was it worth it?" it asked.

To go this far for a human.

"Little One is different." Fire Emperor shook his head.

"Hmm..." Raikou closed his eyes, a low rumble sounding from his throat, like a helpless sigh. After a moment, he opened them again and spoke:

"I'll only protect his safety. The rest has nothing to do with me."

"Thank you." Fire Emperor offered his thanks to Raikou. For the other matters, he planned to ask Marshadow for help.

Seeing this, Raikou turned and left. His agile, powerful form vanished from Fire Emperor's sight in a few bounds.

Fire Emperor breathed a sigh of relief. He turned back into the cave and saw Little One sitting on a pile of fallen leaves, staring at him with eager eyes.

Fire Emperor walked over, lying down behind Dongshu as usual, and began to lick his fur.

"Fire... Emperor?" Dongshu's voice sounded very young.

"Mm." Fire Emperor replied with telepathy, then continued, "That was Raikou."

"Raikou?"

"I have to leave Heavenly Green Mountain. There's a very important matter waiting for me in the outside world." Fire Emperor nodded, looking down at his Little One. "For now, Raikou will take care of you in my place."

Fire Emperor was leaving?

Dongshu's eyes went wide instantly.

He had lived with Fire Emperor for nearly five months. All this time, Fire Emperor had taken care of him—taking him for walks, playing with him, sleeping with him at night.

Now, hearing that Fire Emperor was going away, a surge of intense unease and deep reluctance welled up in Dongshu's heart.

Then Fire Emperor saw his Little One's eyes redden.

"Don't go!" Dongshu instinctively didn't want to be separated from Fire Emperor.

Fire Emperor let out a helpless sigh. He pressed his large head against Dongshu and spoke in a low, soothing tone:

"I'm not leaving forever. I'm just going out to do something. I'll be back soon. Be good, Little One."

Dongshu hugged Fire Emperor's big head and asked in a muffled voice, "How long?"

He knew he couldn't stop it—the Legendary Beasts all had their own missions.

"Soon," Fire Emperor promised. "As soon as I'm done, I'll come back to you right away."