Arcanine: "What’s up with this bird?" Moltres felt like its entire bird life had lost its purpose. The treasure it had pursued for over a hundred years had just been devoured right in front of it… by a dumb dog. And that dumb dog even rubbed it in, adding insult to injury. Seeing Moltres emitting a gloomy grayish-white aura, Julian gave it another hard slap across the face. “Pull yourself together. It’s just a treasure, right? With the energy of this volcano, another one will grow back in a few hundred years,” Julian said casually. Originally, Julian had only meant to mock Moltres—after all, a few hundred years? Who could wait that long? But when Moltres heard that, its eyes lit up with hope. A few hundred years wasn’t long at all. One of its naps easily lasted several decades—waiting a few centuries was completely doable. And by then, it’d definitely be even stronger. It would surely be able to claim the treasure once it regrew. Thinking this, Moltres looked at Julian with bright eyes. Not only did it not mind the slap from earlier, it even said gratefully, "Thank you, human." But then it seemed to realize something and quickly asked warily, "You’re not going to come back and steal the treasure again in a few hundred years, are you?" Julian went silent at that. 'A few hundred years?' Hell, he wasn’t even sure if he’d live to be a hundred. 'I mean, I’d love to… but my lifespan says no.' Seeing Julian lost in thought instead of answering, Moltres’ face paled. "D-don’t tell me…" It wailed, on the verge of tears. "Stealing it once wasn’t enough?! You’re really gonna do this to me AGAIN?!" Watching the legendary bird look so pitiful, as if it was about to cry, Julian gave it another solid slap: "Stop crying. I won’t steal from you next time." Moltres: "...Really?" That wronged expression… It really didn’t live up to its reputation as a Legendary Pokémon. Julian nodded. Tapu Lele, meanwhile, thought that if there was any other Moltres in this secret realm, it would’ve replaced this one out long ago. 'So damn embarrassing.' Tapu Lele: "If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. And if you wish to leave this island, you’ll have to defeat me first." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶 "Wait," Julian called out. Tapu Lele: "What, you want to challenge me now?" It looked calm on the outside, but was sweating a little internally. "No. I just want to know—how many humans are left on this island?" Julian asked. Tapu Lele: "Why should I tell you?" 'I’m a Guardian Deity, getting strong-armed once was bad enough. Now you want to keep bossing me around?' Julian smirked, "You wouldn’t want anything… unfortunate to happen to Moltres, would you?" Metagross very cooperatively placed its claw on Moltres's slender neck. And Moltres was even more cooperative, looking at Tapu Lele with pleading eyes. Tapu Lele: ⊙0⊙ 'This human is truly shameless.' Tapu Lele never expected Julian to pull the same trick again. Was threatening it becoming a hobby for him? But if it refused to answer— Watching Metagross’s claw inch closer to Moltres’s neck, Tapu Lele finally relented, “Including you, there are fifteen remaining.” “There were originally twenty-five who arrived, and eleven are already dead.” Julian nodded, then pulled out his phone and flipped through his gallery—stopping at a photo of five people. "Are these five on the island?" The photo showed the five trainers from Celestria. Tapu Lele’s face darkened. It didn’t want to answer. But then— Moltres: "Ack—! It’s piercing! The skin’s gonna break!" Metagross’s claw had already pressed into Moltres’s neck—not enough to pierce the skin, but it had clearly sunk in. Tapu Lele gritted its teeth: “They’re not here!” 'Not here? What a pity.' Julian swiped to another photo—this time of three individuals. “What about these three?” Before Tapu Fini could speak, Moltres shrieked: Moltres: "THEY’RE HERE! Those three bastards—THEY’RE the ones who injured me!" Just thinking about how those three dishonorable Trainers sent over thirty Pokémon to gang up on it… Fortunately, it was strong enough to kill more than a dozen of their Pokémon and drive them away. Though it had still taken a nasty Dragon Claw strike from a Hydreigon that left a wound on its back. That’s why it had retreated to the volcano to heal and nap. "They’re here?" Upon hearing that, Julian’s eyes turned cold. Compared to the five Celestrians, he loathed those three from Babath even more. “Where are they now?” Julian asked. Moltres shook its head—it didn’t know. It had originally planned to go look for them once it recovered. Julian then looked at Tapu Lele—his meaning clear. 'As the island’s guardian, you’d know their location, right?' Tapu Lele’s face was now blacker than charcoal: “Human, don’t push your luck!” Metagross twitched its claw, preparing to press in further. But before it could act, Moltres screamed again. Moltres: 'I KNOW THE DRILL!' Moltres: “AAAH—I’M DYING! I’m gonna die! Just tell him already! If I die, who’s going to help you suppress this volcano?” Tapu Lele looked at Moltres in surprise—it hadn’t expected the bird to know that it was using it to suppress the volcano. Seemed like this bird wasn’t completely useless after all. Moltres had known all along—after all, the duty of its kind was to absorb volcanic magma, reducing the frequency of eruptions, protecting lives, and even preventing eruptions altogether. Seeing how cooperative Moltres was, Metagross couldn’t help but think: 'This bird really knows how to bend and adapt. Not bad.' ... Tapu Lele took several deep breaths, silently reciting a "do not rage" mantra to suppress the fury in its heart. Finally, it pointed toward the base of the volcano and spat out: “They’re down there, already on their way up.” They were probably drawn by the battle between Metagross and Moltres just now. Of course, it was also possible they had come to the volcano to hunt for treasure. But timing was everything. Julian had been planning to find those three—now they were walking right into his hands. After speaking, Tapu Lele quickly flew off. Somehow, its departing figure looked a bit panicked. 'Tch. This guardian deity sure has a fragile mindset.' Julian turned to Moltres and asked, “So, how about teaming up with me?” After all, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' Though he’d forgotten that he and Moltres were technically enemies too. Still, Moltres agreed. Compared to Julian, it hated those three Trainers even more. At least Julian had defeated it one-on-one—those three had shamelessly ganged up on it. 'Revenge is a dish best served within ten days.' Seeing Moltres nod in agreement, Julian tossed it a Max Potion. "Take this. It’ll heal your wounds." An emperor doesn’t send starved soldiers to war. A wounded Moltres might hold him back—and as an ally, it deserved some compensation. Moltres didn’t hesitate and swallowed the whole bottle in one gulp—container and all. A surge of internal flames ignited in its stomach, instantly vaporizing the container and absorbing the potion. Feeling its wounds rapidly healing, Moltres’s eyes lit up with delight: "Good stuff. Got any more?" ***** Upto 30 chapters ahead on patreon :- /ReduxMagister