Chapter 147: The Art of Hiding
Rio remembered the promise made by the free-spirited Raikou—that if he burned the feather, it would come to him at great speed no matter where it was.
"Come on, little Charizard—give it a puff."
Rio held the feather up to Charizard’s mouth. Charizard snorted, and a leaf-sized flame from the corner of its mouth ignited the feather. Rio dropped it and watched it burn completely in midair. Arms crossed, he waited on Charizard’s back for Raikou’s arrival.
Ten minutes later, the sky south of Celadon City suddenly churned with storm clouds. Deafening thunder rolled overhead. Wild Pokémon cowered in fear—those with parents ran to them, those without burrowed into bushes.
"That fast? Was it already in Kanto?" Rio muttered.
As he spoke, a saber-toothed tiger-like Pokémon burst from a cliff a hundred meters away. The dark purple thundercloud cape on its back flickered with light. Each flash created a thundercloud beneath its paws, carrying it toward Rio.
"Kid—what do you want?" Raikou’s voice boomed in Rio’s mind.
"Got a big job for you." Rio rubbed his temples. "Keep your voice down."
"A big job? What could possibly require me, Raikou?" Raikou scoffed, sparks of electricity leaking from its fangs.
Rio raised an eyebrow. "I’m planning to step on Ho-Oh and punch Lugia in the face. Is that big enough for you?"
Raikou’s expression froze. After a moment, it spoke in a much quieter voice: "You’re not joking, are you? Kid, that’s suicide. It’s not that I don’t want to help—I’d die too."
Rio smirked. "So you do get scared? I thought from your tone that Ho-Oh and Lugia were nothing to you."
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Raikou’s face. "So... are you serious or not?"
"Of course not. Do I look like I’ve lost my mind? Using you to fight them?" Rio rolled his eyes and explained his real purpose.
"A human evil organization called Team Rocket has targeted the three legendary birds. They’ve already captured Zapdos, and they’re currently lying in wait at Mt. Ember for Moltres. For the sake of world peace, I want to take you along to stop them."
"World peace? Just admit you want to catch Moltres." Raikou scoffed. "I’ve known you long enough—you’re not some world-peace type. If you were such a saint, then who was the guy who had Annihilape, Red Gyarados, and Charizard gang up on me at Raikou Mountain? Hmph—hypocrite. And those three birds aren’t exactly threats to world peace."
"Yeah, yeah—you’re right about everything. I’m just asking if you’ll help or not." Rio dropped the pretense. His goal was Moltres, plain and simple. So what?
Raikou lifted its head proudly: "I’ll help—not for your fake world peace, but to prove that the three beasts are stronger than the three birds."
Rio shrugged. This straightforward guy could think whatever he wanted. The point was to catch Moltres—and if he couldn’t, at least Team Rocket wouldn’t either. One way or another, he’d keep it from them.
"Let’s go—if we waste any more time, Moltres will be kneeling at Team Rocket’s feet."
Rio patted Charizard’s shoulder and flew south toward the Sevii Islands. Raikou followed on its thunderclouds.
"Oh, and Raikou—ditch those noisy thunderclouds. Are you trying to announce our arrival to everyone?"
Sevii Islands, Mt. Ember. Team Rocket base.
It was a beautiful, sunny day. The only Rocket member authorized to wear shorts and a T-shirt during the three-bird capture operation lay on the beach, soaking up the sun.
"Life..." Boss Giovanni murmured with closed eyes. He gestured lazily, and a Jynx approached with a drink and a straw. It blew gently on the drink to cool it, then brought the straw to Giovanni’s mouth.
"Jynx~" Giovanni took a sip and sighed with satisfaction. "Ah—this is the life."
He took a second sip—
"Boss! Bad news! Our Celadon base has been attacked—it’s been completely destroyed!" his secretary, Matori, shouted.
Giovanni’s eyes shot open. "Cough, cough, cough!" He choked and coughed violently. "What did you say?! Say that again!" He glared at Matori.
"Our Celadon base was attacked—everyone’s been arrested and sent to the Celadon police station!" Matori said nervously.
"Who did it?"
"Celadon Gym Leader Erika—she gathered a large group of trainers."
"What about Archer? He was at the Celadon base. His strength should have been enough to handle Erika."
"We don’t know the exact details—but he lost. He’s been sent back to the Celadon police station."
Giovanni frowned, deep in thought. After two or three minutes, he waved his hand.
"Arrange to get him out again. And tell him I’m very disappointed in his performance."
"Understood, Boss." Matori bowed and hurried off.
After she left, Giovanni gazed at the vast sea and muttered to himself: "Team Rocket’s execution is becoming more and more disappointing. I need better talent under my command. That Rio kid... he’d be a good fit. Once I’ve captured the three birds, I’ll make time to visit Lavender Town, retrieve that item, and bring him into Team Rocket. Once Mewtwo is back in my hands, I’ll let him command the three birds."
As Giovanni murmured to himself, two tiny specks appeared from the west.
"This must be Mt. Ember," Rio said, flying on Charizard, comparing the large island ahead to the photo in the Three Birds Capture Plan he’d confiscated. Confirming it matched, he pulled out binoculars and scanned the island. It was calm—no signs of battle.
"Good—Moltres hasn’t been caught yet." He patted Charizard and pointed to a smaller island a few kilometers away.
Raikou kept flying forward. "What are you doing?" Rio called out.
Raikou turned back, annoyed. "Going to the island? Isn’t the little fire bird there?"
Rio frowned: "Moltres hasn’t returned to its nest yet—no need to go over. And the island is crawling with Team Rocket. Why would you go pick a fight with them? They’ve already caught Zapdos."
Raikou snorted: "So what if they caught Zapdos? Real men charge in and fight! Why would I be afraid of them—Team Rocket, Water Rocket, I’ll strike them all down with lightning!"
Rio scoffed. "Courage is great—but sometimes, Raikou, you need to use your brain. Learn from us humans—learn the Art of Hiding. Once you master its essence, you’ll rise to the top and become the leader of the three beasts."
"Sounds amazing—what is the Art of Hiding?" Raikou’s big eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Rio explained seriously: "In simple terms: when the enemy is out in the open and you’re hidden, you stay low. Wait until they show a weakness—then strike when they least expect it. The Art of Hiding is also known as the Way of the Old Coin."
Raikou fell into thought. This description felt strangely familiar—it seemed this was exactly how it had been caught by Rio in the first place.
After a long pause, Raikou looked at Rio with a deadpan expression.
"You’re so sneaky..."