In the forest.
"Just drop me off here. I'll head back on my own tonight... I might not even come back, so you don't need to pick me up."
Baimu swung down from Raikou's back, set Mawile on the ground, and spoke casually.
Raikou: "..."
I never said I was coming to pick you up.
Raikou had no desire to respond and give him an opening for another unreasonable request. Letting him ride on its back that morning was already something it regretted.
After all, it had never let anyone ride on its back before.
It hadn't expected to break that rule for Baimu, a human brat it had known for less than a week.
"Roar!"
Raikou growled. Its massive body sprang high with astonishing agility, clearing several meters in a single bound. A few more leaps, and it vanished into the forest.
"That guy... What if he's not a tiger, but a kangaroo?"
Baimu couldn't understand why Raikou had chosen to travel by hopping.
Mawile looked around at the utterly unfamiliar surroundings and tugged at his trouser leg. "Chi-do?"
"About three more kilometers that way."
Baimu pointed west. From where he stood, he could just make out the hazy outlines of human buildings.
According to Steven, most of Meteor Village's residents these days were elderly people or young children. There were some younger adults, but not many... Would bringing a Fairy-type Pokémon there be taken as a provocation?
But today was Mawile's turn. What else could he do?
It probably wouldn't be a problem.
Unless the Draconids were completely unreasonable, they were unlikely to treat him as an enemy. At worst, he could bring out Hydreigon.
Baimu approached Meteor Village in a thoroughly relaxed frame of mind.
Then—
"Halt! Who goes there?"
A short figure wearing a rather abstract