Raikou didn't answer.
It stepped forward slowly and lowered its head, looking at the patch of ground the human infant had just been working on.
Then it raised one powerful forepaw high into the air.
"Raikou!"
With a low roar, pale light flared around its paw. The instant it struck the ground, a deep pit opened beneath it.
This was… a Ground-type move. Dig!
"All right."
The light faded from its paw as Raikou turned its gaze back to the child.
"Thanks!" Fuyuki said sweetly.
He picked up a Sitrus Berry seed, carefully placed it into the hole Raikou had dug, then struggled to push the loose soil back in.
"Raikou, more!" One tree clearly wasn't enough.
Raikou walked forward in silence and used Dig again.
Fuyuki toddled along behind it, happily planting Berry seeds one by one.
His strength, however, was limited. After filling in two holes, he was completely worn out.
By the end, even covering the holes was entirely left to Raikou.
Without complaint, the legendary beast dug several more pits. After burying the last Berry seed, it finally stopped and asked, "What's next?"
A bright smile spread across Fuyuki's face. "Water them!"
Raikou: "..."
That… was a problem.
If Suicune were here, this would be easy. But it was Raikou, an Electric-type Pokemon. Water-type moves weren't its specialty.
Still, that wasn't entirely true.
Raikou suddenly recalled a move it had mastered long ago.
Rain Dance.
The next moment, a strange power gathered around it. Under Raikou's control, the energy rose into the air, forming thick clouds above the small orchard.
Soon after, fine rain began to fall, soaking the soil below.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Fuyuki clapped enthusiastically, praising it without hesitation.
This Raikou was really impressive, able to use Dig and even Rain Dance!
Raikou felt a wave of satisfaction.
Of course it was impressive.
Even so, none of that showed on its face. It still looked aloof and distant.
Fuyuki stared eagerly at the ground ahead.
Maybe before long, the Berry sprouts would break through the soil and grow into a thriving orchard.
When that happened, they'd never run out of Berries again!
He glanced at Raikou.
The big cat had done great, and the whole planting process had clearly surprised it too. His Shock Points had climbed from 35 back up to 60.
That deserved a reward.
Moomoo Milk!
At noon, Fuyuki splurged 15 Shock Points in the shop and bought three bottles of Moomoo Milk.
One for himself, one for Raikou, and one for Marshadow.
The child and the two Pokemon sat together on the soft carpet, happily enjoying the milk.
Raikou was quite pleased with the gift.
It took a tentative lick and immediately felt a familiar sensation.
This taste…
Raikou glanced at Fuyuki and asked casually, "You like this?"
"Yeah, it's tasty!" Fuyuki nodded.
Compared to constantly eating Berries, sweet milk like this suited his baby body much better, and it tasted great.
With that answer, Raikou said nothing more.
Its thoughts drifted back to an earlier memory.
Back then, while roaming through steep mountains, it had once saved a Pokemon in danger.
That Pokemon was a Miltank. To thank it, Miltank had tried to give it some of its milk as a gift.
Raikou had refused, but the flavor stayed with it.
"If I ever run into a Miltank again, maybe I could bring it to live on Mount Tensei," Raikou thought.
That way, the Little One could drink this sweet milk every day.
The instant the thought surfaced, Raikou froze.
Why would it think something like that?
Humans were cunning and untrustworthy. How could it trust this human child so easily, even think about bringing back more milk for him?
Yet a sentence echoed in its mind.
[The Little One is different!]
At that moment, two tiny Raikous with wings appeared in its heart.
One was pure white, a halo above its head and pristine wings on its back.
The other was pitch black, red horns jutting from its head and dark wings like a crow's.
Devil Raikou said, "You absolutely can't trust humans! It healed you, gave you milk, all of it has an ulterior motive!"
Angel Raikou replied, "But the Little One is just an infant. He doesn't know anything yet. He lives with Pokemon every day, his heart is kind, and he gets along so well with Pokemon. Even the Pokemon on Mount Tensei like him!"
Devil Raikou snapped back, "It's fake! All fake! This is just how evil humans pretend, gaining your trust so they can hurt you later!"
Angel Raikou answered calmly, "Is it really all fake? The Little One shared his candy with other Pokemon, and used his own effort to turn this cave into a home. That means he already sees Entei and Marshadow, sees us, as family. He even sees himself as one of us."
Devil Raikou wanted to argue again, but Raikou shook its head sharply, forcing the chaotic thoughts out of its mind.
It looked at the human infant with complicated eyes.
Thinking back on the days they'd spent together, Raikou finally made a decision.
Ever since Entei brought this child to Mount Tensei, he hadn't had any contact with humans at all.
In his understanding of the world, maybe he already saw himself as the same kind of being as Entei and Marshadow.
If that was the case, then why not raise this human infant as if he were a Pokemon?
That way, he'd come to see himself as one of them, standing on the side of Pokemon.
The Little One would no longer be just a human, but a human raised by Pokemon!
Devil Raikou was completely defeated.
Deep down, there was something Raikou had never wanted to admit.
Even though it distrusted humans and believed them all to be deceitful, part of its heart still longed to build trust with them.
Suddenly, it felt a gaze on itself.
Raikou turned its head sharply and saw Marshadow standing nearby, staring straight at it.
Marshadow: stare—
It felt as if every thought had been seen through, and Raikou immediately flushed with embarrassment.
That guy… why was it still so obsessed with lurking in the shadows and spying on others?!
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You can read up to chapter 42 and more soon on patreon.com/NiaXD.