"A Pokemon I've never seen before!"
The other children in the camp were completely drawn to Raikou as well.
They crowded closer, but its imposing appearance and cold expression made them keep their distance, only daring to stare from afar.
"Professor Oak, what kind of Pokemon is that?" a boy asked, unable to hold back.
"It's Raikou," Professor Oak explained. "An extremely rare Legendary Pokemon. As far as I know, there may only be one Raikou in the entire world."
Even as he said it, he felt a surge of emotion.
To think he would actually see Raikou here today.
"Whoa!" The children's faces filled with awe. One girl turned to Fuyuki and couldn't help asking, "Um, are you Raikou's Trainer?"
At that, Professor Oak immediately perked up and listened closely.
At first glance, the boy really did look like Raikou's Trainer, but… Oak felt it was more likely that Raikou had been left by the child's parents to protect him.
"A Trainer?" Fuyuki glanced at Raikou, then smiled and shook his head.
"I know, I know!" Ash and Serena chimed in excitedly from the side. "Raikou is Fuyuki's second dad!"
When he first heard it, he had been shocked too.
"Second dad?" The children stared, dumbfounded.
Professor Oak froze again.
Second… dad?
What did that mean?
Was this Raikou not in a Trainer-Pokemon relationship with the boy, but something closer to family?
And why second father? Did that mean there was a first father? A third?
"That's right!" Fuyuki said cheerfully as he climbed onto Raikou's back. "Father and I have been playing outside for a while now. We just happened to run into Ash and Serena today."
"But how can a Pokemon be a human's dad?" a very young girl asked, utterly confused.
Once she said it, the others realized the problem too.
"Yeah!"
"My mom said we were all picked up from the trash by our parents!"
"That's not true, I was born from my mom's belly!"
Professor Oak: "..."
"All right, all right," Professor Oak said quickly. "It's getting late, and lunch is already prepared at the camp. Let's eat first, then we'll go observe Pokemon together, okay?"
Hearing their favorite professor speak, the children obediently nodded and headed to the small tables set up in the camp.
Only after the crowd dispersed did Professor Oak finally let out a breath.
He turned back to Fuyuki and Raikou and invited them politely.
"Fuyuki, Raikou, if you don't mind, would you like to join us for lunch?"
"Thank you for the invitation, Professor Oak," Fuyuki replied politely.
Raikou frowned slightly. It really disliked humans. In its eyes, aside from the Little One, humans were all sly and untrustworthy.
But seeing the Little One's eager expression, it chose to give in, following behind like a helpless old parent.
"Not a problem at all," Professor Oak said with a smile. "Ash, Serena, you two come as well."
"Okay!"
"I want to sit with Fuyuki!" Ash said immediately.
"I… I do too," Serena added softly. She didn't know anyone here, and the people she felt closest to were Ash and Fuyuki.
"That's fine. Gary, you should come too," Professor Oak said, looking at his grandson.
Gary glanced at Ash, chin raised. "There's no way I'm sitting with Ash."
And then he sat down to Fuyuki's right, leaving Ash and Serena separated by Fuyuki and Raikou.
Fuyuki: "..."
Lunch at the camp was sandwiches and mushroom soup, along with special treats made just for Pokemon.
Fuyuki placed some in front of Raikou, eyes shining. "Father, can you stay and play here with me a little longer? Please?"
[Fuyuki used Cuteness on Raikou. It's super effective!]
Raikou let out a quiet sigh, then nodded. "Mm."
"Then let's eat first. Try some human food!" Fuyuki chuckled and pushed the treats Professor Oak had prepared closer.
The others nearby all watched their interaction.
Serena felt that Fuyuki's bond with Raikou was really wonderful.
Ash, meanwhile, was full of longing.
"When I grow up, I'm going to become a Trainer too!"
Gary said nothing, maintaining his proud silence.
Professor Oak smiled as he watched the scene. Seeing Raikou eat the treats, he asked,
"Fuyuki, where did you come from?"
Fuyuki didn't want to answer that directly. Mount Tensei was a sacred place to them, and too many people knowing about it would disturb their lives.
So he shook his head and answered vaguely, "We live in the mountains."
"The mountains?" Professor Oak hadn't expected that.
"But… Father told me it found me in Viridian Forest," Fuyuki added. Entei had told him that before.
Professor Oak was actually a really good person, and Fuyuki saw no reason to hide anything from him.
"Really?" he said, stunned. "Raikou really is your dad?"
"Of course," Fuyuki nodded.
A child raised by Pokemon? That sounded impossible.
…But maybe not entirely.
Professor Oak thought it over carefully.
He remembered that in some Pokemon groups, certain Pokemon had habits of raising young. When they encountered human infants or young from other species, they would care for them like a mother and raise them to adulthood.
The most famous example was Kangaskhan.
There had even been a report in a research journal about a Kangaskhan that adopted a human child and raised him for years before humans discovered the truth.
But still… a Legendary Pokemon like Raikou adopting a child?
The idea left Professor Oak both shocked and amazed.
If this were true, it would cause a massive sensation in academic circles.
After all, recorded information about the ecology of Legendary Pokemon was incredibly scarce.
"That really is astonishing," Professor Oak said with feeling.
Looking at Fuyuki and Raikou, and thinking as a researcher who specialized in the relationship between Pokemon and humans, he felt that perhaps their bond went beyond partners or friends.
In that moment, he suddenly recalled his own youth, when he had once traveled through time together with Celebi.
There were still countless unknowns in this world, waiting for them to explore.
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You can read up to chapter 98 on patreon.com/NiaXD.