Chapter 170: Heading to Hoenn
The moment they met, Raikou pressed for answers to its lingering questions.
"Nothing major—just a little detour to catch a Pokémon," Rio said.
"A little detour? Who did you catch?" Raikou asked, puzzled. "Moltres had Lord Lugia protecting it—you shouldn’t have been able to catch it. And even if you did, you wouldn’t have been able to escape Lord Lugia’s pursuit."
Rio smiled. "Who said I had to catch Moltres? The three birds aren’t just Moltres and Zapdos—don’t forget about the third one."
With a flash of light, Rio released Articuno.
"Fuu~" Articuno flapped its wings, locking eyes with Raikou.
"Raikou really is under your command."
"You actually caught Articuno."
Both their voices echoed in Rio’s mind at the same time.
"Is that really so surprising? Shouldn’t it be expected by now?" Rio crossed his arms, enjoying a brief moment of showing off.
Articuno and Raikou exchanged glances, then turned their heads away awkwardly. Neither knew what to say to the other—they only acknowledged each other’s existence, occasionally sneering privately. Articuno would sometimes mutter, "The three beasts? What a joke—they’re nothing compared to the three birds." And Raikou would retort, "The three birds? Useless feathered things—no match for Ho-Oh’s guardians."
Now that the targets of their mockery stood before them, it was a bit awkward.
"Raikou—shouldn’t you give me another one of your hairs? Our bet isn’t settled yet—you wouldn’t stay by my side forever, would you?" Rio finally broke the awkward silence.
Raikou’s dark purple thundercloud cape released a strand of fur.
"A bet? What bet?" Articuno asked, confused by the arrangement between Raikou and Rio.
Rio briefly explained the bet between Greninja and Raikou. When Articuno heard that Raikou would have to obey Rio’s commands if Greninja could withstand a single full-powered blow, its mind immediately recalled Greninja’s performance in their battle. Then it laughed—at Raikou’s foolishness.
Withstand one blow and you obey? You’re an idiot, Articuno thought. That Greninja could fight me head-on—there’s no way it couldn’t handle one hit from you. You’re not Lord Ho-Oh. This is just you saving face after being caught.
Unlike Articuno, which accepted defeat when beaten fair and square—winner takes all—Raikou was making excuses.
But then Articuno learned the bet’s timeframe: six months, with only two months left—and that Greninja had been a Froakie when the bet was made. It was stunned. That meant Greninja had gone from a Froakie to a Pokémon capable of driving a Water Shuriken into its neck in just four months. Such terrifying growth made Articuno reconsider its view of Rio. Maybe it should suck up, flatter, and become his top general. Otherwise, other legendaries might join the team and steal its spotlight—and its chance to rival Lord Lugia and Lord Ho-Oh.
[Articuno’s friendship increased.]
[Friendship: -10 (from -20 to -10)]
Rio was caught off guard by the system notification—both surprised and pleased. A simple explanation of Raikou’s bet had raised Articuno’s friendship by ten points. Raikou had only gone up by two points over four months. The gap in friendship growth between legendaries was huge.
"Don’t worry—I don’t crave freedom. Since you caught me, I’ll stay content in my Poké Ball. Fight when you need me to," Articuno’s voice echoed in Rio’s mind, sounding sincere and cooperative.
The sudden warmth caught Rio off guard. Every stubborn Pokémon he’d met had been difficult at first, requiring immense effort to earn their trust. Not Articuno—caught in the morning, and already gaining friendship by night. Just that morning, it had been ready to kill him. The contrast was jarring.
But the system notification didn’t lie. Since it really had gone up, and Articuno had said those words, Rio would train it well—making it the first legendary Pokémon to unlock a friendship reward and seeing what the system could offer.
Seven days later, Rio set off again on Charizard—this time heading to the Hoenn region. Mr. Fuji had already arranged things with the Devon Corporation. All Rio had to do was bring the amber fossil, and they would revive the Pokémon inside.
"Hoenn’s legendaries—aside from the three Hoenn gods, there are the three Regis, Latios, and Latias," Rio muttered on Charizard’s back during the journey. "Hopefully this trip will turn up some clues. I’m not asking to catch them—just a little hope would be nice."