Raikou, Entei, and Suicune
It was a quiet day in the rocky canyon. Too quiet. The warm humid air made local Pokemon more inclined to hide from the sun and wait for the cooler darkness. The river was running low and calm, its voice barely a whisper. Every now and then, a pebble moved out of place, causing a crumble which was as unnerving as the breaking of glass in this silent air. During the summer, afternoons like this could carry on seemingly forever.
Then a roar crashed through the silence, powerful enough that it seemed to split the heavens. Some of the hiding Pokemon freaked out; others woke up, wondering where the thunderstorm was. The way it rattles bones and set off rockslides made many think it was a multitude of thunder bolts instead of a single roar. However, there was just one source, and it darted down the canyon wall, raced across the river without making a ripple, and zigzagged up the other wall to a hidden vantage point.
Back on the other side of the canyon, a human ran up to the ledge excitedly. The hunter looked around, then realized his quarry was gone. Crestfallen, he cursed quietly and searched around for clues. Raikou chuckled to himself. Some humans were such fun to tease.
A strong howl then echoed through the canyon. It caused more panic and confusion, for it had the quality of a winter's gale, out of place under the summer sun. However, Raikou and his hunter knew the significance of it. It was Suicune, calling for him. Raikou bounded out of the canyon and followed it east.
She was waiting on a ridge overlooking the canyon. Since her vibrant blue coat stood out from the yellow and tan rocks around them, she had picked a spot where she could observe anyone approaching her. "You need to come with me," she said.
He nodded, then flicked his jagged tail. "We'd better talk on the go. There's a hunter around here looking for me."
"Ugh, teasing them again?" She got up and ran to the south, so he followed her. "Someday, you're going to get into a lot of trouble doing that."
"Aw come on" he pleaded playfully. "They have it coming to them."
"It's better just to keep two steps ahead. And you boys make me worry so much when you mess with them."
"Fine. What's the problem?"
"It's Entei. You'd better come see for yourself."
The two siblings raced along the rocky land, eventually coming to a grassland area. Raikou had to restrain himself to keep pace with his sister. While it wasn't something he would complain or gloat to them about, he knew he was faster than them. Still, he admired the way Suicune ran. There was something fluid to her steps; she made a simple run into a beautiful thing. Maybe it was something to do with her association with water. Although, Raikou hoped it was something else that gave her that grace. If he could learn that kind of grace, maybe he could run even faster.
As the rocky desert area vanished into the horizon, Suicune stopped near a tall boulder. Their brother was there, lying half in the rock's shadow. At first, it looked terrible. Entei's long brown fur was never burned by fire, but now was dusty, knotty, and, at his paws, muddy. The protective pads of his paws were cracked and sore-looking. While his mane of smoke normally held together well, it looked thin with undefined edges. And as they approached, he didn't stir. But the warmth of his body and the steady movement of his chest showed that he was deeply asleep.
"What's he been running from?" Raikou asked.
"I don't know," Suicune replied. "I hadn't seen him in months, so I started looking for him last week. I only found him like this an hour ago, and then I found you almost immediately. Of course, your loudness is hard to miss."
"I talked to him sometime last winter. And I've seen him running around on occasion, but he hasn't stopped to talk. I wonder if he stopped at all."
"I know he likes to run, but if he hasn't stopped, that isn't good. We should wait for him to wake up and make him talk."
"Good plan. Besides, this isn't the best place to crash out." He hopped onto the boulder and looked around. While the immensely tall grasses would hide them, it would also hide anyone approaching them. That is, if the Pokemon or person knew how to be stealthy around a grassland.
It was several hours before Entei stirred. He looked between the two of them for a minute before asking, "Am I in trouble?"
"That depends," Raikou said.
"You're a mess," Suicune said. "We had to clean you up and straighten your fur. What happened to you?"
He brought his head up, but remained lying on his stomach. "I've been running around, that's all. I didn't think I was that messy."
"Your paws were caked in mud and your smoke still looks feeble," their sister insisted. "And the way your pads are, you need to spend a few days letting them heal back up. If you start to bleed at your paws, you could get really sick."
"I'll be fine. Actually, I need to get back to running."
"Where are you trying to go?" Raikou asked. "And how long have you been running?"
Entei looked down at his paws; the mud was gone now and some of the knots had been removed. "Just around... it's been a while."
"How many months?"
"What's going on?" Suicune said, pawing the ground and narrowing her eyes at him.
"I don't know!" he snapped, snarling a bit. "I've got all this pent up energy inside and it builds up to where I feel like my heart is going to burst. I try burning it off by running, but it stays there, pushing me until I collapse. Once I wake back up, I have to start running again. It's driving me bonkers."
Suicune lowered her head, looking ashamed. "That sounds terrible, Entei."
"I didn't want to worry you guys. I know it's wearing me down, but if I hold still, I feel even worse." He closed his eyes and gasped quietly.
"Could it be connected to that volcano you normally hang around?" Raikou asked. "Because I went there the other day and got caught in an earthquake. That messed me up for a few hours."
"Isn't that the one people say he was born from?" Suicune asked. "How could that mistake affect him?"
"It does seem unstable when I pass by there," Entei said. He got up; although shaky for a moment, he managed to control himself. "Would you two come over there with me?"
"Sure," Suicune said, and the three of them took off to the northwest.
Past the canyon and over more rocky terrain, they came to Entei's usual running grounds, a place called Red Mountain. To get there from the middle of the grasslands would take at least a week for most Pokemon, just a matter of minutes for them. Their fire brother led them up the volcano, although he was clearly struggling from his body being overstrained. Raikou made a mental note that if Entei refused to rest after this, he'd paralyze him or something to make sure that he stayed still.
Oddly enough, the volcano seemed strained as well. There was a bulge near the top that seemed to have grown more since Raikou had last been by here. The ground felt warm, even as they climbed above the tree line. At the snowy peak, the three beasts stopped to examine the surroundings.
"See, I think this place is getting ready to blow up," Raikou stated. "And you feel like your heart is going to blow up, kind of. So they might be connected."
"But I have nothing to do with this volcano," Entei argued. "I just live here."
Suicune sniffed at the snow by her paws, then shuddered. "Guys, I don't feel so good myself. And the earthquakes around here would be bad on both of you. I don't think we should have come here."
"What's the matter with you?" Entei asked, concerned.
"I don't know; I feel like I'm under a lot of pressure somehow. And I really want to get away from here. Maybe we're getting sick."
"Well there's water trapped inside this volcano too, isn't there?" Raikou asked. "And it would be trying to find a weak point to escape from, just like the lava that's building up."
"But she only comes here to visit me," Entei argued.
"You're empathizing with your elements, that's what I mean. I know I get all wound up as a thunderstorm is building, and it doesn't get any better until the storm passes or breaks apart. So this volcano will probably affect both of you until it explodes."
"You think my home is the problem?"
Suicune glanced off to the east. "There was this one time when I found a horribly dirty pond, choked with algae scum. I felt horrible and slimy, not to mention that my lungs seemed to weaken. I felt better when I purified that pond. So maybe it is the volcano."
Entei paced around them thinking, although the build up of energy must have been antagonizing him. "But then what can I do about the volcano?"
"You could always make it erupt," Raikou pointed out.
"What?" Suicune asked, shocked. "Why would you suggest doing such a thing? Lots of Pokemon and humans could die if Red Mountain erupts. The local environment would burn to ashes, rocks and ashes would fall everywhere, so if they did survive, they would be out of a home... I bet you just want to make something blow up."
"Actually, it would be pretty cool to see an actual volcanic eruption," Entei said.
"Argh," Suicune grumbled, putting her paw over her eyes. "Don't you boys even care?"
"Well look at it this way," Raikou said. "Red Mountain's going to blow its top eventually, whether it's helped along or not. If we leave it be, Entei's going to be forced to keep running himself ragged until he gets hurt badly. And all the pressure will keep building, leading up to a bigger explosion. On the other hand, we can jump-start it now and get a somewhat smaller explosion. I mean, it's still going to be massive and awesome, but not as devastating."
"I guess that's true," she admitted. "Still, maybe we ought to ask one of the elder ones for advice."
Entei snorted. "One of them? I'm getting a little sick of them calling us kids and shuffling us to the side. I can handle the volcano, and all of us would be able to run off and escape in time."
"We could, but still..." her voice trailed off.
"Right then." He turned around in the snow to face down the mountain. After taking a deep breath, he roared with a ferocity that echoed around the rocky fields below. His roar was like a wildfire exposed to new fuel or fresh air so it could burn forth with new strength. Some of the snow slipped and nearly started an avalanche.
But although they all tensed to run, there was no sign of an eruption.
Entei sagged down into the snow. "Maybe we are getting sick and weak."
"Or maybe we should help you," Raikou suggested.
"Well I can see where my encouraging the steam trapped in the rocks would help," Suicune thought aloud. "But I don't see how you, being connected to lightning, would help in the circumstances."
"Erm, static?" he said weakly.
"Or maybe the sheer volume of his roar will destabilize the rocks," Entei said, pulling himself back up. "He drowns us both out."
"So are you with us?" Raikou asked their sister.
"I guess," she replied. She started, followed quickly by Entei, then followed a few seconds later by Raikou. Suicune never did like roaring, so she always howled. Thus she was the last one going as well.
The mountain finally trembled. As the three of them raced down the slope, the lava and steam finally found a weak point caused by the three. Red Mountain erupted into a bulbous cloud of ash, rock, gas, soot, and lava.
What trees had been around Red Mountain were now blackened, stripped of leaves and branches. Any other plants had been scorched and knocked to the ground. And the volcano wasn't through yet, as lava would likely pour from the collapsed volcano for weeks to come.
"I hope we did the right thing," Suicune said, guiltily looking over a gray sooty pond.
"I'm sure it'll work out," Raikou reassured her. He turned to his brother. "How are you feeling now?"
"Exhausted, but a lot calmer," Entei replied. He lifted his paw and sniffed at it. "But my legs are so sore now. Do you know of any spa around that would give me a paw massage?"
Despite being against setting off the volcano, Suicune laughed. Raikou and Entei soon joined in.
...
Emerald entry: Raikou embodies the speed of lightning. Its roars send shock waves shuddering through the air and ground as if lightning bolts were crashing down.
Entei Leaf Green entry: Volcanoes erupt when it barks. Unable to restrain its extreme power, it races headlong around the land.
R/S entry: Suicune embodies the compassion of a pure spring of water. It runs across the land with gracefulness. This Pokemon has the power to purify dirty water.
Written for the Japanese release of Heart Gold and Soul Silver. If you put all of Entei's Pokedex entries together, you get a really dangerous mix of volcanoes exploding, making new Enteis who make more volcanoes explode…