On the seventh day after Entei's departure, Fuyuki began to miss it.
Perhaps it was because Entei had saved him, or perhaps because Entei's companionship had allowed him to safely weather that cold winter, that Fuyuki harbored a special feeling for this Pokémon.
After that incident, he had no family left in this world; only Entei would treat him and protect him without reservation.
So much time spent together had made Fuyuki accustomed to having this warm, fluffy big cat by his side.
Now, seeing that Entei hadn't returned, Fuyuki couldn't help but worry.
Although Entei was a legendary Pokémon, it wasn't invincible to some powerful trainers.
Judging from Raikou's near capture by Team Rocket, if Entei also attracted Team Rocket's attention, it would likely face the same fate as Raikou.
Thinking of these things, Fuyuki lost all interest in performing magic tricks for the wild Pokémon to earn more Shock Points.
Every day, besides eating and sleeping, he would sit atop Mount Tensei, gazing into the distance, awaiting the return of Entei.
Raikou and Marshadow witnessed all of this.
The two Pokémon exchanged glances. Although they had never experienced anything like it before, they could both tell that this human child missed Entei.
Raikou remained silent for a long time, then telepathically said, "It'll be alright."
"Sigh!" Fuyuki sighed with a worried expression, like a little adult.
The sun was already setting, and the magnificent sunset, rarely seen in a big city like Modern City, was commonplace here on Mount Tensei.
Fuyuki couldn't help but yawn; he was getting sleepy.
"Let's go back!" Raikou stepped forward, clumsily picked up Fuyuki's clothes, placed him on its back, then turned and walked towards the cave.
Raikou walked slowly, the little one wrapped its tiny arms around its neck, its cheek pressed tightly against its fur. Above, vast expanses of fiery clouds hung in the sky, and below stretched an endless, twilight forest. Time seemed to slow, incredibly slow.
Raikou's heart, however, was filled with immense contentment.
In the past, Mount Tensei was merely a place to meet Lord Ho-Oh, holding no special significance for it.
If Lord Ho-Oh wasn't there, or if the Rainbow Heroes didn't need their guidance, it would almost never return.
But now, everything was different.
Raikou even felt a strong urge to stay on Mount Tensei, to remain there forever, raising this human cub.
It had made its decision: to raise this human cub as a Pokémon.
This was their Pokémon's child.
Not long after returning to the cave, Fuyuki fell into a deep sleep.
Raikou stayed by his side, watching him sleep peacefully.
So, when Entei returned from outside, this was the scene that greeted it: Its little one was sleeping on a very soft blanket, and beside the blanket, a glowing mushroom had appeared out of nowhere. Raikou lay beside the little one, silently guarding it.
Upon seeing this, Entei froze in place.
Its gaze swept across the wooden floor beneath its feet, finally settling on Raikou.
"What happened?" Entei asked.
"This human cub's ability," Raikou replied in a deep voice, "He made this place his home, using his power to transform this cave into this state."
I see, Entei understood. It walked to Fuyuki, placed the toy it had been carrying in its mouth beside him, sniffed the little one's scent, and licked its face.
Only after confirming that the little one was safe and sound did Entei finally feel relieved.
It seemed that Raikou and Marshadow had taken good care of it during this time.
Entei turned its gaze to Raikou, a hint of gratitude in its eyes.
"Thank you for taking care of the little one all this time," it said.
Raikou understood; Entei wanted it to step down.
But it didn't answer, only staring at Entei with its tiger eyes.
Entei: "...Aren't you leaving?"
Raikou: "I promised this human cub I would take good care of him."
Upon hearing this, Entei froze, a bright look of surprise appearing in its golden-red pupils.
?????
A series of question marks appeared on Entei's majestic head.
What had happened while it was gone?
Who was it that said humans were all treacherous and untrustworthy, and that even if you brought him back, I wouldn't care?
The two legendary Pokémon stared at each other, bewildered.
"Little One is my adopted child," Entei said solemnly.
Raikou didn't deny it, only saying, "Entei, you're right, this human cub is different."
"He's not just your child, he's a child raised by us Pokémon. I've made my decision, so—this is no longer just a matter for one Pokémon."
Raikou has gone mad!
Entei was completely shocked. What?
From Raikou's words, it seemed to be trying to take the child away from it?
"Little One is the child I brought back, he's my child!" Entei solemnly reminded Raikou of this fact.
"Oh? Since he's your child, why did he tell me 'Raikou is the best'?"
Raikou narrowed its eyes: "These past few days I've spent every day with him, and to him, I've become the most important Pokémon by his side."
What?! Entei was shocked. Why would Little One say such a thing to Raikou?
"Entei, I've said it before, this isn't just about you anymore," Raikou said in a deep voice.
"Not only me, but also Suicune, and sooner or later, Ho-Oh will also know of his existence." Entei fell silent.
However, what silenced him wasn't Raikou's statement that Ho-Oh and Suicune would know of the little guy's existence, but rather that the little guy had actually told Raikou, "Raikou is the best."
The two legendary Pokémon, enough to cause a sensation in the outside world, were now caught in an extremely strange atmosphere.
Until a soft, sweet voice broke the silence.
"Entei?" The two Pokémon immediately looked down in the direction of the voice.
Fuyuki rubbed his eyes, climbed off the carpet, and immediately saw Entei not far away.
"Entei!" His eyes lit up instantly; the joy of a long-awaited reunion made Fuyuki immediately run forward and hug Entei.
"Little one..." Entei bent down, placing its large head next to Fuyuki so he could hug it. "I'm back."
With that, it pushed the plush toy it had brought back next to Fuyuki.
Fuyuki looked down and saw a pink and cute Pikachu plush toy sitting quietly on the floor.
"This is..." Fuyuki paused, stunned. Wasn't this the Pikachu plush toy from the game?
Its purpose was to be thrown during battle to attract the attention of wild Pokémon, allowing them to escape.
"This is a toy I brought back for you from outside," Entei said.
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You can read up to chapter 38 and more soon on [email protected]/PokeficLord.