"So embarrassing, so bird-damaging!"
"Master, I don't want to be a bird anymore!"
"Don't stop me, I'm going to die!!"
At 8 AM, Articuno spread its wings and flew high, instantly disappearing into the blue sky.
"What's wrong with Snowy?" Riku stared blankly at Articuno's shrieks and wails as it flew into the sky, taking a moment before turning to look at Zapdos and Moltres.
"This..." The two birds hesitated.
To make the act convincing, they couldn't respond too quickly or too obviously.
After all, this was a truly embarrassing matter for Articuno—something difficult to even talk about.
"What's wrong?" Riku became a bit anxious.
"Hurry up and tell me, why is Snowy suddenly like this?"
"Gaa gaa..." Zapdos put on an embarrassed expression. "Master... Snowy must have eaten something wrong and has diarrhea."
"It splashed onto its beautiful feathers, so it... it went crazy like this."
"Goo goo..." Moltres chimed in from the side. "Ignore it. It's not like it's going to die. At most, it'll just swim in the lake for a few days and nights."
"Master, let's start today's training."
Glaring at Moltres, Riku said angrily, "Flammy, how can you talk like that?"
"Snowy is your old brother. You know how much it loves Hygiene."
"Usually, if it gets a bit of vegetable juice on itself while eating, Snowy goes crazy. Let alone..."
"You guys only came back so late yesterday. You must have been eating random things outside. Say no more."
"You guys go after it immediately and persuade Snowy to control itself. Don't freeze all the fish and shrimp in the lake!"
It worked!
Zapdos and Moltres immediately exchanged a look.
They knew what kind of person Riku was.
If it were anything else, training would still have to be done today.
But regarding Snowy's Hygiene obsession—especially in this situation—Riku would definitely soften and let them follow Snowy to avoid any accidents.
There was no other way.
Who asked their master to be such a kind and benevolent person?
Taking advantage of Riku's kindness towards Pokémon, Zapdos and Moltres still felt a bit embarrassed. They asked again, and after receiving Riku's firm reply, they flew in the direction Articuno had left.
"Sigh..."
"I wonder if something will happen to Snowy."
"With its Hygiene obsession, it must be very upset right now."
Riku was a bit worried and puzzled.
"Master, don't worry,"
Groudon, half-lying on the ground and leaning against the large rock outside the small wooden house, said with a nonchalant expression.
"It's so fragile, it deserves to die."
"Don't worry, you still have me."
"What good are you?!" Riku turned his head and scolded.
"Although the three dumb birds are useless, at least they can fend for themselves and catch fish and shrimp for me every day. What about you?"
"It's one thing to not be able to find food, but you're also incredibly lazy."
"Staying at home every day like a shut-in. When I get old, are you going to freeload off me?"
"Me, a shut-in?" Groudon pointed at its nose in astonishment.
"Master, do you think I want to stay home all the time?"
"If I could fly like the three dumb birds, I'd fly out of the world!"
Riku was speechless. "Fly out of the world? I think you should learn to jump first."
"When you can jump high enough to pick berries, then you can think about flying."
"Roar roar roar..." Groudon was furious but helpless.
Don't look at how easygoing Riku usually was; the more easygoing a person was, the more exaggerated their temper would be when they lost it.
If it erupted, wouldn't Groudon get hung up and beaten?
Looking towards the direction the three birds flew away, Riku always felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.
---
"They're here?"
Articuno waited at the agreed-upon place. Seeing Zapdos and Moltres follow closely behind after a short while, its expression was a bit unpleasant.
The excuse it had come up with today was the most embarrassing moment of its life.
"Zappy, you still go on lookout today!"
Snowy, who had always been the third, spoke up for the first time, annoyed.
"Find the lone Elite Four member as soon as possible, report back, and we'll go over there together!"
Zappy nodded. "Okay!"
Talking about serious matters, the three silly birds changed their usual behavior and suddenly became serious birds.
Zapdos quickly left. The aura of the Elite Four was already powerful, and as a legendary Pokémon, it discovered their whereabouts after a short while.
When it found a group of people on an uninhabited island seemingly discussing something, a bad feeling suddenly arose in Zapdos's heart.
Before, they had only discovered two Champion-level Pokémon Trainers.
Now, all four Elite Four members had actually arrived.
Especially the purple-haired man with the cloak behind him. Even though the distance was a bit far, Zapdos could still sense the strong Dragon-type aura emanating from him.
This mission was a bit difficult.
Carefully monitoring, after fifteen minutes, the Elite Four finally separated.
Thinking that female Pokémon Trainers should be easier to deal with, Zapdos followed the younger female Trainer among the Elite Four.
This was none other than Lorelei, whom Riku had encountered before.
In the world of Pokémon, there was no such thing as gentlemanly conduct.
Moreover, these Trainers were clearly eyeing the Orange Archipelago, so Zapdos didn't feel anything was wrong.
Soon, Lorelei stopped, seemingly to rest.
Zapdos pondered slightly, felt the time was right, and quickly returned to the agreed-upon place.
The three legendary birds quickly agreed to make Lorelei their first target this time.
"Should we just kill this female Trainer?"
Lorelei was still resting, but Zapdos had already returned quickly with Moltres and Articuno.
"Forget it," Zapdos shook its head.
"The Elite Four are no ordinary humans. Killing one will cause a huge uproar. Will we still be able to live such a comfortable life then?"
"Then let's cripple all of this female Champion's Pokémon!" Articuno was angry and turned to look at Moltres.
"Moltres, you're the main force this time."
"I can sense a strong Ice-type aura from this female Champion. You're her type advantage!"
"No problem!" Moltres agreed, then immediately looked up without saying anything.
"Flame Vortex!"
Suddenly, a deep red flame erupted from its beak. Lorelei, who was resting, shuddered. Before she could react, she was already surrounded by a sea of fire.
"Who is it!"
Lorelei suddenly looked up.
When she saw the three legendary birds flying in the sky, the eyes under her glasses gradually widened.
The three legendary birds had actually gathered, and it seemed they were determined to deal with her.
Could she...
Could she withstand it?
---Support with power stones