The three Legendary Pokémon all wore the same expression—pure joy.
Entei had been about to blast Nathan away with a fireball, but unexpectedly, Nathan claimed he could find Ho-Oh's feather!
You have to understand—Ho-Oh was a lifesaver to all three of them.
They dreamed of meeting Ho-Oh again.
"Nathan, did you just say you can get Ho-Oh's feather?"
Raikou stared seriously at Nathan.
Thinking about it, Nathan figured that searching in the system store did count as him finding it, right?
"That's right. I can get Ho-Oh's feather. But it seems like someone here really wants me to leave. I'd better go before I get roasted."
Nathan grinned as he spoke.
His cheeky tone made Entei want to scorch him right on the spot.
"Who said you could leave!?"
Entei immediately stopped him.
"Kid, where exactly do you think you're getting Ho-Oh's feather from? And giving that precious thing to this little guy is a total waste!"
Entei's voice was practically roaring—it made Nathan's ears ring.
"So, can we sit down and talk properly now?"
Nathan chuckled.
The three Legendary Pokémon realized they'd just been played.
But since Nathan claimed he could find Ho-Oh's feather, they were interested in hearing him out.
"Talk. Right now. No need to sit."
Raikou was clearly getting impatient too.
"Standing might not be tiring to you but it is to me, Okay? Come on, sit. Let's talk properly."
Nathan dismounted from Flygon and sat down on a clean rock.
…
Once comfortably seated, Nathan slowly began speaking:
"But before we talk about Ho-Oh's feather, there's something else I need to discuss."
Entei's temper flared immediately. His mouth opened, ready to torch Nathan again, but Suicune quickly stepped in and calmed him down.
"What is it?"
Suicune asked.
"I need one of you to accompany me to the World Tournament."
This time, Nathan didn't beat around the bush.
Suicune slowly let go of Entei's paw. Entei immediately started going berserk again.
"Hey, hey! When we get back, I'll give you a Ho-Oh feather. Even if I don't have that, I'll find something of equivalent value!"
Nathan quickly backed up a few steps.
He wasn't kidding—these were Legendary Pokémon. One attack and he'd be toast.
"So you're not certain you can get a Ho-Oh feather?"
Suicune caught the key point.
"Right. I found one before but didn't have the money to buy it. If one of you comes with me to the tournament, I'll have the funds."
When dealing with Legendary Pokémon, it's okay to joke around a bit, but it's best to be honest.
Lying to a Legendary Pokémon wasn't just dangerous—it could be fatal.
Raikou and the others were speechless.
You could buy Ho-Oh's feathers?
With human currency?
If that were true, they probably would've collected thousands by now.
"Nathan, I'm starting to think you're tricking us into going to the tournament."
Suicune narrowed its eyes.
"Me? Trick you? I'm a gentleman! Gentleman only talk in terms of deals!"
Nathan immediately retorted.
It sounded weak to a human, but to Pokémon? It still worked.
"But are you really sure you can buy Ho-Oh's feather with money?"
Raikou still looked skeptical.
"Why don't you trust me?"
Nathan summoned Pangoro and Frosmoth and took out two rare items: a Wishing Star Fragment and a Golden Lucky Egg.
"What do you think of these?"
As Legendary Pokémon, they were well aware of the value of these items.
They had lived for ages, after all.
"These are indeed rare, but compared to Ho-Oh's feather… they're still lacking."
Entei said disdainfully.
"Well, obviously! I'm not rich! With what I have, I can only afford things like these!"
Nathan rolled his eyes at Entei.
If he had the money, Volcarona would already be a Legendary-tier Pokémon.
He wouldn't need to negotiate this much.
But after seeing the items, the three Legendary Pokémon were mostly convinced.
After all, Nathan had never lied to them.
Pokémon tend to think simply—except for a few like Gengar.
That old Gengar was a sly fox in Pokémon form.
"I showed you those to prove that if I can buy those, then I can definitely buy Ho-Oh's feather."
Nathan said confidently.
"Wait a minute. Let us talk it over first."
Raikou said before the three Pokémon walked off to discuss among themselves.
From a distance, Nathan could see them deep in conversation—occasionally even arguing.
About half an hour later, they returned.
"Nathan, just now you said if any one of us goes with you, you'll give one Ho-Oh feather, right?"
Raikou asked seriously.
Seeing Raikou so serious, Nathan was thrilled—was this a successful negotiation?
But his joy didn't last three seconds before Entei chimed in:
"Then how about this—we all go with you. That way, you'll need to give us three Ho-Oh feathers."
Entei grinned cunningly.
Nathan was stunned.
He never imagined that these three mighty Legendary Pokémon could be so... sneaky.
And seeing a tiger-faced Pokémon grin slyly? That was just wrong.
"You've gotta be kidding me…"
Nathan groaned.
Buying even one Ho-Oh feather relied entirely on the system store.
Who knew when the next one would appear?
Demanding three feathers was just plain cruel.
"I mean, one of you coming along would've been enough..."
Nathan was nearly in tears.
How did he end up being the one scammed by Pokémon?
Earlier, the three had believed he could actually get the feather, so they had just been arguing over who would go.
That explained the earlier squabble Nathan had witnessed from afar.
But when they couldn't reach a decision, they came up with this new "everyone goes" idea.
"Alright then, you tell us—which of us should go with you?"
All three Pokémon said in unison, smiling warmly.
But Nathan wasn't fooled—he could see a distant elite-level Pokémon pass by in the sky and faint from fear, crashing down.
Being "loved" by three Legendary Pokémon was exhausting.
And their suppressed aura still made his body feel heavy.
Looking around, Nathan realized no matter who he picked, he was screwed.
"Give me two days. I'll think about it."
Nathan quickly turned, hopped on Flygon, and flew away from the Wandering Mountains.
The three Legendary Pokémon didn't stop him.
Their best-case scenario was getting three Ho-Oh feathers, but even if Nathan only delivered one, they'd still accept.
"Do you think we scared him off? What if he doesn't come back?"
Suicune murmured.
"Impossible. He dares talk back to us like that—we're the ones who should be scared of him."
Entei grumbled.
…
After Nathan left the Wandering Mountains, he contacted Kelly immediately.
Let Kelly contact the higher-ups. The legendary Pokémon have been persuaded, three of them.
But 10 billion is not enough.
Kelly told his superiors the shocking news.
Nathan was quickly given a reply from above.
(End of Chapter)