Pokemon: Raised by Legends, Chapter 61-62

Chapter 61 - The Mewtwo Project

Kanto, Mount Tensei.

Because Fuyuki wanted to stop and watch the wild Pokemon along the roadside, the journey turned into a slow, wandering affair. They walked a bit, paused a bit, and lost a surprising amount of time just traveling.

By the time Fuyuki and Raikou finally returned to Mount Tensei, nearly half a month had passed.

They had only climbed halfway up the mountain when they spotted Entei standing there, brow tightly furrowed, its expression stern and imposing as it looked down at them from above.

Under that gaze, both Fuyuki and Raikou felt a flash of guilt.

Raikou did feel a little guilty at first, but then it thought about it again. Why should it feel bad?

Fuyuki was its child. As a parent, what was wrong with taking its kid out to play?

With that thought, Raikou straightened up, suddenly full of righteous confidence.

“Father!” Fuyuki slid down from Raikou’s sleek fur and trotted over, hugging Entei’s leg and acting cute. “When did you get back?”

If I hadn’t come back, who knows where you and Raikou would’ve run off to, Entei thought.

“Not long ago.”

It carefully examined Fuyuki from head to toe. Only after confirming that he wasn’t injured or sick did it finally relax.

Then it lifted its head to look at Raikou, frowning. “Raikou, you shouldn’t have taken Fuyuki out.”

"I'll do whatever I want. It's none of your business!" Raikou glared back and snorted. "Besides, I was protecting Fuyuki. No one could hurt him!"

The atmosphere between the two Legendary Pokemon grew tense, on the verge of erupting into an argument. Seeing this, Fuyuki quickly climbed up onto Entei’s body.

“I’m the one who asked Second Father to take me to the human world to play!”

“You went to the human world?” Entei’s frown deepened even further.

“Hmph.” Raikou snorted again. “We’ll go wherever we want.”

Entei didn’t respond. Worry churned in its heart.

After all, Fuyuki wasn’t a Pokemon. He was human.

What Entei feared was that after coming into contact with humans, the child might choose to return to their world, to stay among them and leave the mountain behind.

Sensing things going downhill fast, Fuyuki hurriedly spoke up. “Father, I’m hungry. I’m really tired too. I want to sleep!”

Only then did Entei snap back to itself. Without a word, it carried Fuyuki home, fetched a basket of Berries, and set it in front of him.

After eating just enough to fill his stomach, the father and child headed upstairs. Entei lay down on the carpet as usual, offering itself as a fluffy pillow.

Raikou followed them up as well.

Curled against Entei’s chest, Fuyuki blinked at it, subtly signaling that there was no need to worry.

The small exchange between him and Raikou didn’t escape Entei’s notice, but it chose not to intervene. Instead, it turned its gaze to Raikou and spoke through telepathy, careful to keep Fuyuki out of the conversation.

“Something strange has been happening across this land.”

“Pokemon have been disappearing in large numbers. Not long ago, I followed a group of suspicious humans to a mysterious underground base.”

“There, I discovered that they were conducting some kind of evil experiment on Pokemon.”

Raikou’s expression turned serious at once.

“Who’s responsible?”

“They call themselves Team Rocket,” Entei replied. “According to the Pokemon I rescued, those humans are carrying out a wicked experiment known as [cloning].”

“Mm…” Raikou’s brow tightened. It understood exactly what Entei meant.

Normally, human affairs had nothing to do with them.

But this involved countless Pokemon. They couldn’t ignore it.

“I understand,” Raikou said heavily. “This time, when I leave, I’ll protect those Pokemon.”

“Good. I’ll leave it to you.” Entei nodded.

The two fell silent. Entei lowered its head and looked at Fuyuki in its arms. He was already fast asleep.

After a long while, Entei spoke again. “You shouldn’t have taken Fuyuki to the human world.”

Raikou was about to retort that it wasn’t Entei’s concern, but it quickly sensed the worry and unease beneath those words.

“What are you afraid of?” it asked.

“Fuyuki is human, in the end,” Entei said quietly. “If, after meeting humans, he chooses to stay in their world…”

Raikou fell silent.

Its thoughts drifted back to the research institute, to the human called Professor Oak. It remembered the way Fuyuki had looked, reluctant and torn, when Professor Oak had tried to persuade him to stay.

“No matter what, I won’t leave Fuyuki,” Raikou said coldly. “Even if he chooses to remain in the human world, I’ll stay by his side and protect him.”

Entei didn’t reply. It knew it would make the same choice.

After all these years together, neither of them could bear to let this child go.

He was their first child, and he would also be their only one.

“Protect Fuyuki. I’m leaving.”

Raikou stood up and spoke to Entei in a flat voice.

From here on, Entei would guard their home, while it went to fulfill its own mission, to protect those vulnerable Pokemon out in the world.

Meanwhile, Viridian City, Viridian Gym.

Inside a room decorated with restrained luxury, a middle-aged man with a close-cropped haircut sat calmly on a leather sofa, one large hand gently stroking the smooth fur of a Persian.

“Matori, what happened?” His voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable authority.

“Boss… Alpha Base was attacked by an unknown intruder. Everything inside was destroyed. The Kanto League has already rushed to the scene.”

“However, please rest assured, Boss. Dr. Fuji evacuated safely with all the research data,” Matori reported.

Giovanni frowned. “Was it Lance?”

That newly appointed League investigator had been interfering with Team Rocket’s operations in more places than he cared to count.

“No. We don’t know,” Matori replied gravely, shaking her head. “The central computer connected to the surveillance system was destroyed immediately.”

“I see.” Giovanni closed his eyes, as if deep in thought. After a long pause, he spoke again.

“The New Island laboratory should be close to completion. Have Dr. Fuji take the data there next.”

A faint smile curved his lips. “Once the [Mewtwo Project] is complete, no one will be able to stop me from ruling this world.”

“Then I’ll congratulate you in advance, Boss,” Matori said.

As Giovanni’s closest aide, she knew exactly what the [Mewtwo Project] entailed.

By combining human DNA with genetic material extracted from Mew’s eyelash fossil, they would create the strongest Pokemon in the world. Mewtwo.

“Still… Boss, what about Alpha Base?” Matori asked.

“Since Dr. Fuji escaped safely with the data, let the investigators waste their time with whatever’s left,” Giovanni replied.

A confident smile spread across his face.

Who would ever imagine that the head of Team Rocket was openly sitting here in Viridian Gym, working for the Kanto League itself?

Chapter 62 - Loving You So, So Much

“Father, did Raikou leave?”

On Mount Tensei, after waking from a long, comfortable sleep, Fuyuki didn’t see Raikou anywhere in the house and immediately asked Entei.

“Mm.” Entei nodded. “It still has a mission to fulfill.”

“Oh.” Fuyuki let out a small, helpless sigh.

Soon enough, his mood lifted, and he happily started telling Entei about everything that had happened during the trip with Raikou.

The runaway Bulbasaur and its Trainer.

The summer camp.

Ash and Serena.

Professor Oak.

Entei listened quietly from the side.

“That human boy named Ash,” Fuyuki said earnestly, “I think he has the potential to become a Rainbow Hero!”

“Mm.” Entei didn’t know Ash, so it didn’t pay much attention.

“I’m serious!” Fuyuki climbed up onto Entei and continued excitedly. “Maybe it won’t be long before Ho-Oh tosses a Rainbow Feather to him. When that happens, he’ll come to Mount Tensei with his Pokemon to take part in the trial!”

“Mm.” Entei still didn’t seem particularly concerned.

Mentioning the Rainbow Feather reminded Fuyuki of something. He clearly remembered that Ho-Oh had given him one when he was little.

He immediately started rummaging around, searching everywhere, but couldn’t find it.

“Huh? Where did the Rainbow Feather Ho-Oh gave me go?”

“If you can’t find it, we can ask Ho-Oh to give you another one later,” Entei said.

Hearing that, Fuyuki suddenly thought of something amusing.

He leaned in close and whispered mischievously, “Father, do you think Ho-Oh tosses feathers around every day? What if one day it throws all its feathers away?”

Entei: “……”

“No. The Rainbow Feather is simply a manifestation of Ho-Oh’s power. It’s not an actual feather from its body.”

Even as it explained, Entei felt the thought itself was a little disrespectful toward Ho-Oh. But then it reconsidered. If it was Fuyuki, even if Ho-Oh found out, it probably wouldn’t be angry.

Ho-Oh might even give him a few more feathers and gently explain, like a loving mother, that the feathers weren't really feathers at all.

“So that’s how it is. I really thought it was Ho-Oh’s actual feather!”

“Oh right, Father, there’s one more thing!” Fuyuki suddenly remembered something else.

“What is it?” Entei asked.

“Professor Oak said that when I turn ten, I can go to him like other human kids and receive a starter Pokemon partner!” Fuyuki’s eyes shone with anticipation.

Hearing this, Entei’s heart tightened.

“Charmander, Bulbasaur, Squirtle… Father, who do you think I should choose?”

“Charmander can eventually evolve into Charizard. It can fly and take me into the sky!”

And Charizard even has two different Mega Evolutions. Just thinking about it sounded awesome.

“Bulbasaur’s final evolution is Venusaur. It might not look that cool, but it’s a really strong Pokemon.”

“And then there’s Squirtle. Its cry sounds super cute!” Fuyuki even imitated it seriously. “Squirtle, Squirtle!”

Entei: “……”

After a moment of silence, it asked cautiously, “Fuyuki, do you like the human world very much?”

“Hm?” Fuyuki thought for a bit before answering. “I wouldn’t say I like it that much. Ho-Oh said this world is really, really big, and Mount Tensei is just a tiny part of it, so I want to go see the human world for myself.”

“Then do you want to live in the human world in the future?” Entei asked again.

“Of course not!” Fuyuki replied without hesitation. “Mount Tensei is my home!”

At those words, Entei finally let out a long breath of relief.

Seeing its reaction, Fuyuki immediately caught on.

He laughed and said, “Father, were you worried I’d stay in the human world and never come back?”

Entei stayed silent.

Fuyuki hugged it tightly. “Don’t worry. I just want to see the outside world. When my journey is over, we’ll come home together!”

“Fuyuki…” Entei felt deeply moved.

“And don’t you think our backyard is a little too empty?” Fuyuki sighed softly. “If Suicune, Raikou, and Ho-Oh aren’t home, it’s just you, me, and Marshadow here. There’s no one to play with me.”

“So when I travel, I’m going to make friends with lots of Pokemon and invite them all to Mount Tensei to live with us!”

Entei froze for a moment, then gently nodded. “Mm.”

It knew that the secret realm in the backyard was completely empty now.

The environment there was perfectly suited for Pokemon. Living there long-term would be incredibly beneficial to them.

Even an existence like Ho-Oh would be drawn to it.

If it weren’t for staying with Fuyuki, Entei suspected Ho-Oh would have chosen to rest there permanently.

Thinking about the backyard, Fuyuki trotted downstairs, pushed open the wooden door, and entered the ecological park he had spent a fortune to build.

As the door opened, sunlight flooded his vision, revealing a bright, independent world.

Above was a vast, cloudless blue sky. White clouds drifted lazily across it, and a warm sun shone directly overhead.

There were mountains and water, rivers and waterfalls, forests, grasslands, valleys, snow-covered peaks, deserts, beaches, the open sea, and even volcanoes.

Fuyuki rode on Entei’s back, racing across the endless grassland, passing through valleys with flowing streams, climbing snow-covered mountains, and finally crossing the scorching volcano to reach the beach by the sea.

It was empty. Far too empty.

Aside from him and Entei, there wasn’t a third living being anywhere in this secret realm.

Even Entei couldn’t help thinking that maybe they really should invite some Pokemon from outside to live here.

They could keep Fuyuki company and play with him. Maybe then he wouldn’t always be thinking about running off to the human world.

Standing in this quiet, lonely world, listening to the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore, an indescribable sense of solitude crept into the heart.

Fuyuki couldn’t help thinking about his own incredible life. He grinned and said, “Father, do you remember when you found me?”

“Mm?” Entei was a little puzzled, but it still thought carefully.

Time had long since lost its meaning for Pokemon of its level, but even so, Entei clearly remembered the day it met Fuyuki.

“Almost seven years ago.”

Fuyuki felt a surge of emotion and smiled wide. “That’s a long time.”

Before he knew it, he had already been in this world for seven years.

Seven years ago, the human parents of his previous life had died in that accident. He hadn’t even had time to grieve before facing death himself, if not for Entei.

To Fuyuki, the cheat ability and the system didn’t matter at all. Entei was the greatest gift the heavens had ever given him.

Thinking of this, Fuyuki stopped and looked at Entei. “Father, can you carry me for a bit longer?”

Though slightly confused, Entei lowered itself and lifted him onto its back, leaving a trail of plum-blossom paw prints across the sand. “Why do you suddenly want me to carry you?”

Fuyuki hugged its neck. “I was just thinking about when I was little, when you carried me through the forest to look for Berries.”

At first, Entei didn’t quite understand. Then it suddenly realized.

Fuyuki was acting spoiled.

Entei’s heart softened completely. In that moment, it felt indescribably grateful for the choice it had made back then, to take this child in.

It even felt that Fuyuki was a gift from the heavens, delivered straight into its life at just the right moment.