"Bulba! Bulba!"
The moment Bulbasaur burst out of the bushes, it slammed straight into an overwhelming presence.
A massive figure stood in its path, radiating terrifying pressure.
Bulbasaur froze on the spot, its body going stiff as a weak cry slipped from its mouth.
"Bulba…"
At the same time, a panicked shout rang out from the bushes behind it.
"Bulbasaur, come back, now!"
A girl who looked about ten hurried out of the undergrowth.
When she saw Bulbasaur had stopped, her eyes lit up.
"Thank goodness! Bulba—"
Her words cut off abruptly.
Something felt wrong.
She slowly lifted her head and looked up at the towering shadow in front of her.
A huge, unfamiliar Pokemon stood there, its face fierce, two massive fangs jutting from its jaws, eyes locked on her with clear wariness.
She had no idea what kind of Pokemon it was, but she could feel it.
This thing was hostile.
"Aaaahhh—!"
A scream echoed through the forest as she stumbled back and fell hard into the grass.
"Bulba! Bulba!"
Seeing the girl fall, Bulbasaur grit its teeth. Fear clawed at its chest, but it still forced itself forward, planting itself in front of its Trainer.
"Bulbasaur…"
The girl froze, staring at its small back.
Her chest tightened. She was moved, but at the same time, she braced herself for the worst.
She shut her eyes, waiting for the attack.
Nothing happened.
Seconds passed.
Then a strange sound came from the looming Pokemon.
"Rrrow? Rrrow?" (Hey, are you two okay?)
The girl cautiously opened her eyes.
The next thing she saw nearly made her brain short-circuit.
A human head popped up from on top of the Pokemon's head.
"Huh?!"
Her eyes went wide.
Wait… was this Pokemon like Bulbasaur, one that had a Trainer?
Then she heard the boy speak again.
"Rrrow? Rrrow?"
Why was he talking like a Pokemon?
Seeing that the girl and Bulbasaur posed no threat, Raikou finally eased its gaze.
Noticing Fuyuki clambering up and making rrrow sounds again, it couldn't help but remind him, "They're humans. They can't understand Pokemon speech."
Fuyuki, who had been rrrowing nonstop, went silent.
…Right.
He had been living with Pokemon for so long that copying Entei's cries had become second nature. Running into humans again, he'd instinctively spoken the same way.
Scratching his head in embarrassment, he opened his mouth, trying to switch back to human language.
The moment he did, everything felt wrong.
How did humans talk again?
His teeth, tongue, and lips fought each other for a bit before he finally forced the words out.
"Are… you… guys… o-okay?"
The girl's eyes went round.
Bulbasaur looked just as stunned.
Because it had clearly heard this human speaking Pokemon language just a moment ago.
"Bulba…"
Seeing Bulbasaur, Fuyuki felt an immediate sense of warmth. He looked down at it and spoke in Pokemon language, smiling.
"Bulbasaur, don't be scared. We're not bad guys. This is Raikou. It's my Second Father. We're just playing around here."
"Bulba!"
Bulbasaur's eyes widened even more.
Mom! This human really was speaking Pokemon!
Still a little dazed, the girl finally managed to piece things together. This Trainer and his Pokemon didn't seem to mean any harm. They were just passing through.
But still…
He was amazing.
So young, and already partnered with a Pokemon this strong.
"H-Hi, I'm Aoi, from Viridian City!" she said quickly. "Sorry about that earlier. I thought… I thought this Pokemon was wild."
Her cheeks were red, clearly remembering her earlier panic.
"It's… it's okay!" Fuyuki smiled and introduced himself. "I'm… Fuyuki! N-nice to meet you!"
"Huh? Are you stuttering?" Aoi asked without thinking. Then she clapped a hand over her mouth and bowed. "S-sorry! I didn't mean it like that!"
"N-no, it's just that I haven't spoken human language in a long time," he said. "I'm a bit rusty."
As he kept talking, it started to come more naturally.
Aoi, on the other hand, looked completely lost.
"Human language?"
Wait…
She thought back to those strange rrrow sounds earlier, an unbelievable idea forming in her mind.
Could this Trainer speak Pokemon?
"I can actually speak Pokemon too," Fuyuki said with a grin. "I've been living with Pokemon all these years. If there's anything you want to say to Bulbasaur, I can help translate!"
Her eyes widened in shock.
It was real.
At the same time, messages began flashing across Fuyuki's system panel.
[Aoi is shocked that you've already partnered with such a powerful Pokemon at such a young age. Shock Points +30!]
[Aoi is extremely shocked that you can speak Pokemon language. Shock Points +100!]
She really was stunned.
"Little One, we should go," Raikou said. It had never liked humans other than the Little One, and they'd lingered here long enough.
"Father, let's play a bit longer!" Fuyuki said, clinging to its ear and whining smoothly. "I've never talked to humans this close before!"
Raikou fell silent.
After a moment, it gave in and stopped moving.
Fuyuki leaned over and planted a loud kiss on its head, leaving it slightly dizzy.
Then he turned back to Aoi.
"Is this Bulbasaur your Pokemon? I thought it was wild at first…"
Aoi finally snapped out of it and nodded quickly.
"Yeah! It's my starter Pokemon. We had a fight earlier, so Bulbasaur ran away from home…"
"Bulba! Bulba!"
The moment that came up, Bulbasaur puffed up angrily. A fight? It was clearly because its Trainer fell in love with every Pokemon she saw!
Now that it knew Fuyuki could understand it, Bulbasaur couldn't hold back anymore.
"Bulba! Bulba!" (Aoi is the worst! She said I was her favorite, but ever since we started traveling, she falls for every Pokemon she sees! She's a big liar!)
Fuyuki went quiet.
"Huh? Is Bulbasaur talking to you?" Aoi asked, curiosity bubbling up now that the shock had faded. "Can you tell me what it's saying?"
"…It says you're a big liar," Fuyuki replied honestly. "You said it was your favorite, but you love every Pokemon you see."
"What?!" Aoi's eyes flew open. "That's not true! I just made the same mistake every Trainer makes! Bulbasaur is still my favorite Pokemon!"
"Bulba! Bulba!"
Bulbasaur was so mad it laughed. It immediately urged Fuyuki to listen properly.
These words were unforgivable.
Scumbag Trainer!
Fuyuki said nothing.
Images of Entei and the others arguing over who got to take him traveling flashed through his mind, and he suddenly felt awkward.
So it wasn't just him.
Watching the scene, Raikou felt an odd sense of familiarity.
Their Little One was kind of the same.
No… not exactly. In the Little One's heart, Entei was always first. The rest of them had to line up behind.
Raikou's resentment flared.
Damn it, why hadn't it been the first one to pick up the Little One back then?
Fuyuki had a bad feeling about staying any longer. He waved hurriedly.
"Uh… you guys keep arguing. We've got somewhere to be, so we'll get going!"
Raikou didn't hesitate. The moment the words left Fuyuki's mouth, it bolted off, carrying the Little One away from the trouble.
Only after reaching the far side of the forest did Raikou finally slow to a stop.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=
You can read up to chapter 95 and more soon on patreon.com/NiaXD.