Pokemon: Raised by Legends, Chapter 71-72

Chapter 71 - Ash and Misty

The Pokemon Center lay in ruins after the explosion.

Trainers who had been passing through huddled nearby, clutching their Pokemon, faces pale with relief at having survived.

Ash, covered head to toe in grime, held Pikachu tight and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness, we're safe, Pikachu!"

"Hey, what was the deal with those people just now?!" Misty grumbled.

"If I'm not mistaken, that group is the same Pokemon thieves that have been operating around here lately. They specialize in stealing other people's Pokemon," Officer Jenny said, arriving with a frown.

"But thankfully, all the Pokemon from the Center have been safely transferred to the Pewter City Pokemon Center!" Nurse Joy said, her own relief clear on her face.

She then turned to the gathered Trainers with an apologetic look.

"I'm very sorry, everyone. Due to the sudden incident, the Viridian City Pokemon Center won't be operational for some time. Please check in at a nearby hotel to rest for the night."

There wasn't much anyone could do about it. The Trainers nodded and left one by one with their Pokemon.

"All right, Pikachu, let's get going too!" Ash said, cradling Pikachu as he prepared to leave.

"Hey! Where do you two think you're going?" Misty called out.

"To a hotel to rest, obviously!" Ash looked at her, confused.

Misty crossed her arms with a huff. "Until my bike is fixed... no, until you two pay me back for my bike, I'm sticking with you!"

Ash and Pikachu exchanged an awkward smile.

Still, Misty's strength really was something. She had lugged that bike all the way here from back there by herself.

Ash quickly agreed to let her travel with them.

"Fine, fine, do what you want. But don't worry, Pikachu and I will definitely get you a new bike!"

"Hmph, that's more like it!" Misty said, arms still crossed.

Just then, Officer Jenny seemed to spot something.

"Oh? Trainer, is that you? What are you doing here?"

"I saw an explosion over here, so I came to check it out," Fuyuki answered.

"I see!" Officer Jenny said. She didn't linger, bidding everyone farewell before riding off on her motorcycle to patrol the area in case the thieves tried anything again.

Hearing Fuyuki's voice, Ash, Pikachu, and Misty all turned to look.

The next second, all three froze.

The Pokemon following behind that Trainer was...

"A Pokemon I've never seen before!" Ash quickly pulled out his Pokedex and scanned it, but got a "not registered" result.

That meant this was a Pokemon that hadn't been documented by humans yet!

"What is that Pokemon...?" Misty, who hailed from the Cerulean Gym, was even more astonished. She could sense just how overwhelmingly powerful it was.

"Long time no see, Ash." Seeing those familiar faces, Fuyuki couldn't help but smile.

At the sound of his name, Ash and Pikachu's gazes simultaneously shifted from Entei to the boy beside it.

Ash blinked. "And you are...?"

"Pika pi!!" Pikachu suddenly grew excited. It's you!

It leaped off Ash's shoulder and raced over to Fuyuki and Entei, circling around them with glee before stopping in front and looking up happily.

It was Fuyuki and Entei!

Even now, Pikachu remembered that day clearly.

Back then, it had still been a little Pichu, passing through a mountain with its Kangaskhan mother, when Entei invited them back to its cave. There, they met Fuyuki. They played together for the longest time, and Fuyuki even gave them all sorts of delicious candy!

Pikachu had never imagined it would see its childhood friend again.

Its heart swelled with emotion, eyes glistening with tears of joy at the reunion.

Fuyuki remembered Pikachu, of course. He crouched down and patted its head.

"Long time no see, Pikachu."

"Pika~" Pikachu nuzzled against him affectionately.

"Huh?"

The others watched the scene unfold, baffled.

Misty poked Ash. "Ash, your Pikachu seems to know this Trainer!"

Ash was stunned too. Was his Pikachu about to become someone else's Pokemon?

Fortunately, Pikachu had only gone over to greet an old friend.

Fuyuki looked up at Ash.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu announced, gesturing back at Ash. This is my Trainer!

Fuyuki: "..."

Did Ash actually have memory problems? He really didn't recognize him?

"Uh... do we know each other?" Ash asked, catching Fuyuki's odd look.

"Fuyuki. I'm Fuyuki." Fuyuki said flatly. "Three years ago. Professor Oak's summer camp."

That jogged Ash's memory instantly.

"Fuyuki! What are you doing in Viridian City?!"

"Same as you. I got my starter Pokemon from Professor Oak, and now I'm traveling." Fuyuki smiled, glad that Ash had finally recognized him.

"But... where's Raikou? I don't see Raikou." Ash remembered that Raikou had always been glued to Fuyuki's side.

"Raikou had some things to take care of, so it's away. This is Entei. Just like Raikou, it's also my father," Fuyuki explained.

"Entei..." Ash murmured the name, then his eyes went wide. "Also your father?"

Misty beside him was even more shocked.

"A Pokemon is a human's father? How is that even possible?!"

"Right? I couldn't believe it either when I first heard!" Ash grinned.

His eyes lit up when he noticed the two Poke Balls at Fuyuki's waist.

"Fuyuki, you're a full-fledged Trainer now, right? How about it? Want to have a Pokemon battle with my Pikachu?"

Fuyuki hesitated. He had caught two Pokemon, sure, but everything had happened so fast that he hadn't had time to learn what moves Squirtle and Gastly even knew. He couldn't command them in a proper battle yet.

He shook his head. "Next time. When we run into each other again, we'll have a proper battle then."

Chapter 72 - Sacred Ash with Rice

With nowhere else to go, Fuyuki tagged along with Ash and Misty to a nearby hotel for the night.

The next morning, Ash and Misty prepared to leave Viridian City and head for Pewter City to challenge the Gym and collect Badges.

Before they parted, Ash and Pikachu looked at Fuyuki and Entei.

"Fuyuki, you really won't come with us to Pewter City?"

Fuyuki shook his head. "I can't, Ash. I still have some things to take care of here. I'll leave once I'm done."

He needed to visit the cemetery and pay his respects to his human parents from this life.

"All right then." Ash looked a little disappointed. Thinking back to last night's reunion, he scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry about not recognizing you right away. It was too dark..."

"Don't worry about it, Ash. Just remember me from now on." Fuyuki smiled.

"I won't forget this time!" Ash nodded earnestly.

Misty, who had been listening, cut in.

"Hey, Fuyuki, you're not thinking of going straight to the Viridian Gym, are you?"

"The Viridian Gym?" Ash blinked. Before Fuyuki could answer, he jumped in first.

Misty nodded and explained. "There's a Gym right here in Viridian City. The Gym Leader is Giovanni. He's extremely powerful, easily one of the strongest in all of Kanto."

"More importantly, the Viridian Gym's difficulty is way too high for a rookie Trainer without a single Badge."

"So most Trainers wait until they've collected all seven other Badges before challenging it. Some skip it entirely and go to different Gyms instead."

After all, Kanto had more than just eight Gyms. As long as you collected eight Badges total, you could enter the Indigo League Conference. Skipping Viridian and challenging other Gyms was perfectly fine.

"Oh, I see!" Ash said, then made up his mind. "In that case, I'll come back and challenge the Viridian Gym after I've got my other seven Badges!"

Misty glanced at Fuyuki.

Fuyuki hadn't been planning on it. He had only come to Viridian City to pay his respects and then move on.

But... the Viridian Gym. Giovanni's territory.

If he showed up as a rookie Trainer without a single Badge and then sent out a max-level Entei to crush Giovanni, wouldn't that net him a massive haul of Shock Points?

"Thanks for the heads-up, Misty." Fuyuki gave her a polite nod. "By the way, how do you know so much about it?"

Misty suddenly looked flustered. "Oh, it's nothing! I just heard about it from someone, that's all!"

Fuyuki smiled and didn't press further. He wasn't about to blow her cover as the daughter of the Cerulean Gym.

He gave Ash a nod, then turned with Entei. "See you around, Ash."

Ash's journey continued onward. Ahead of him lay the deep, sunless depths of Viridian Forest!

Meanwhile, at the ruins of the Viridian City Pokemon Center.

Nurse Joy sat at one of the few undamaged desks, talking to her sister in Pewter City over the computer.

"All the Pokemon from the Viridian City Center have been safely recovered!" Pewter City's Nurse Joy reported.

"Thank you so much, sis! Those two and their Pikachu are on their way to Pewter City right now." Viridian's Nurse Joy paused, worry flickering across her face. "But Viridian Forest is in the way..."

Viridian Forest was a paradise for Bug-type Pokemon. Countless wild Pokemon lived there, including some rare and unusual species, but where there was opportunity, there was also danger. Plenty of extremely powerful Pokemon lurked within.

Nurse Joy couldn't help but worry.

Officer Jenny, standing nearby, smiled reassuringly. "They'll be fine. Viridian Forest is nothing those kids can't handle."

Nurse Joy recalled the brave way Ash and Pikachu had fought the night before, and her expression softened.

"You're right. They'll be just fine!"

Viridian City's cemetery lay on the eastern edge of the city.

It was a place where the departed rested, and also home to the occasional Ghost-type Pokemon.

Following the directions Professor Oak had given him, Fuyuki quickly found his parents' graves.

He crouched down and placed a bouquet of flowers before the headstone.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home. You don't have to worry. I'm okay. I met some truly wonderful Pokemon. They took me in and raised me as their own child."

"So please rest easy. I'll live a good life. I'm going to become a Trainer and travel the world with my Pokemon."

Entei stood guard nearby, silent.

After a long moment, Fuyuki rose to his feet and said to Entei, "All right, Father. Let's go."

"Are we going to challenge the Viridian Gym?" Entei asked.

Fuyuki nodded. "The Gym challenge isn't the goal. I want to earn energy from the Gym Leader. That way, I can create more resources to train Squirtle and Gastly. So Father, I'll be counting on you!"

Besides, he was technically a Trainer now, but he had no income and no source of revenue.

Fortunately, he had his cheat ability to rely on.

"Mm." Entei had no objections. Helping Fuyuki gather more energy was an important task in its own right.

Just as Ho-Oh had once taken Fuyuki into the human world.

"But first, there's one more thing we need to do." Fuyuki slipped off his backpack and pulled out the Rainbow Feathers Ho-Oh had given him. "Father, help me turn these into Sacred Ash!"

As a Pokemon that no new Trainer had wanted, Squirtle's size and constitution lagged behind a normal Squirtle's in nearly every way.

So Fuyuki planned to use Sacred Ash to make up for those innate deficiencies.

For easy carrying, he spent 50 Shock Points on a large glass jar.

"Stand back, Fuyuki!" Entei said firmly.

Fuyuki quickly stepped away.

Entei used psychic power to lift the pile of Rainbow Feathers into the air above the glass jar, then released golden-red flames from its body.

That was Ho-Oh's signature move: Sacred Fire.

Under Sacred Fire's blaze, the rainbow-glowing feathers slowly burned to ash, every last bit drifting down into the glass jar until it was filled to the brim.

"Done!"

Fuyuki excitedly tucked away the leftover feathers and picked up the jar.

In truth, Sacred Ash was also available in his system shop. A legendary item brimming with life force, capable of reviving the fallen and healing any wound. A single portion cost a whopping 500,000 Shock Points.

But now... he had a practically unlimited supply.

Ho-Oh was far too good to him. Every time Fuyuki thought about it, he was deeply moved.

Love you, Ho-Oh!