Having experienced the thrilling scene during the day and successfully persuaded an Elite Four member, Riku stayed on Citrus Island for a while. After dinner, he returned to his island.
Lorelei had grown quite curious about Riku. So, upon learning he planned to head to the Berry Forest, she followed him.
Riku had no objections—he felt there was nothing to hide anyway.
Just after finishing the dinner cooked by Farfetch'd, the three legendary birds and Groudon—who were resting comfortably in the Berry Forest—noticed Riku bringing someone along. They immediately got up and ran away.
It wasn't that the person Riku brought would definitely recognize them as the three legendary birds and the Lord of the Land.
The issue was that most Pokémon Trainers carried a Pokédex. If those Pokémon weren't recorded in the Pokédex, it would raise suspicion and likely expose their true identities.
Following Riku inside, Lorelei glanced around but didn't see the four Pokémon Riku often mentioned.
This wasn't her first time entering the Berry Forest. However, Lorelei wasn't particularly interested in berries—and the fact that she still hadn't seen the four Pokémon only made her more curious.
"Gaa gaa—"
Farfetch'd was very happy to see Riku and hopped toward him with its stalk.
"Are they all full?" Riku smiled dotingly as he stroked Farfetch'd's head.
"Gaa—" Farfetch'd replied. "Master, the big brothers are all full. They said they went out for a walk and to catch some fish for breakfast tomorrow."
Riku turned to Lorelei. "Looks like you won't be seeing those guys again. Don't even mention you—sometimes even I can't find them."
Lorelei asked suspiciously, "Then why don't you just capture them? Letting them roam freely in the Berry Forest isn't good in the long run.
What if someone steps onto your island and captures them? You'll have no one to cry to then."
You think I don't want to?
The problem is—I can't capture them!
"I thought about capturing them before, but you know I'm an unregistered resident," Riku said, sounding helpless.
"May gave me the Poké Balls. Over time, I just stopped thinking about it."
He didn't reveal the full truth—he found it a bit embarrassing.
"Is that so?" Lorelei pondered for a moment.
"You told me before that your three Flying-type Pokémon are all birds—and one is yellow, one red, and one blue, right?"
Riku nodded. "That's right. What's the problem?"
Lorelei frowned slightly. "I mean… could your three Flying-types be the legendary birds?"
"Impossible!" Riku denied immediately. "Miss Lorelei, don't joke like that. My three dumb birds are not only small but also fat. No matter how you look at them, they don't deserve the word legendary."
"At first, I actually had the same doubts as you. But since I saw the three legendary birds' totem on Citrus Island, I can say—aside from the color and the fact they can fly—they really don't look alike at all. There are plenty of Flying-types with those colors. If you don't believe me, I'll bring them to the small wooden house next time for you to see."
After shrinking, the three legendary birds' sizes had changed considerably. Otherwise, Riku—who had seen the totem—would have recognized them long ago.
As for Groudon, it had transformed from the Lord of the Land into a Red Shrimp. That change was even more drastic than the birds'.
Perhaps… this was the power of a tier 1 legendary Pokémon.
Seeing Riku's straightforward answer, Lorelei also felt that she might've been overthinking it.
After she returned, Farfetch'd excitedly led Riku to see its masterpiece—a thatched shed.
Though it was merely built from dry grass and dead branches, to Riku, it felt like a work of art.
Farfetch'd was especially proud because it was the most successful and best-looking nest it had ever made.
After all, it had four legendary Pokémon constantly watching it nearby. Thinking about sharing space with them, Farfetch'd's creativity and building skills had reached a terrifying new level.
"Roar—"
Not long after, sensing Lorelei's departure, the three legendary birds and Groudon returned to the Berry Forest.
Each was holding several large fish. Riku glanced at Groudon and narrowed his eyes.
"Why did you go too, you lazy thing? Normally, you don't even bother moving unless it's time to eat, right?"
Groudon shook the two big fish in its hands, as if trying to dry them.
"Master, didn't you always say I was a shut-in? So now I'm exercising for you to see. Why are you complaining whether I exercise or not?"
Riku scoffed. "Don't try to fool me.
You guys haven't been training according to my requirements lately—I know it all."
"Forget it, you're just like that anyway."
"Lorelei wanted to come over and see you guys just now. Why don't you come with me to the small wooden house now, so she won't keep thinking about you? She even said the three dumb birds were our Orange Archipelago's legendary birds just now."
The three legendary birds were startled by Riku's words.
They hadn't planned on meeting Lorelei in the first place, and now they certainly wouldn't agree.
Groudon also understood that if the three birds were exposed, it wouldn't fare any better.
So it quickly said, "Forget it, we just went fishing and are exhausted. Besides, Master, we don't have any good feelings toward humans."
"I had a friend I grew up with. I called it Stinky Fish… and it… it was killed by humans!"
As Groudon spoke, it suddenly lowered its head.
Riku thought Groudon was reminiscing about its friend and felt a bit emotional, thinking it was about to cry.
What he didn't know was that a smirk had already formed at the corner of Groudon's mouth. It was secretly laughing.
Just as Riku was about to comfort Groudon and tell it to move forward,
his phone suddenly rang.
It was a call from May.
"Riku, are you asleep? Drake and the others found Bruno—that Fighting-type Champion. Leave the island now. Bruno is on Meowth Island!"
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter