Entei didn't speak further. It simply licked the little Pokémon's cheek gently, then looked up at the gentle autumn rain outside.
Three hundred years is enough time for many things to change. It was no longer the naive and innocent Pokémon it once was.
In these three hundred years, it had encountered many things and met many people.
Therefore, Entei knew very well that its little one was very different from ordinary children.
The little one always refused to call it "Dad."
The little one seemed to understand many things.
The little one occasionally acted like a little adult.
All of this indicated that its little Pokémon was not an ordinary human cub.
But so what?
The time they spent together was real, and the little Pokémon's "love" for it was not fake.
In any case, it was still its little one, its child.
It would protect this child for life, no… forever.
At this moment, many thoughts raced through Entei's mind.
Human life ultimately has an end, and as a father, it would never let its little one leave.
When Ho-Oh returns, it will plead with him to grant its little one eternal life, just as it did with Raikou and Suicune.
No matter the price, Entei would do it willingly.
In the afternoon, the rain stopped.
The air was filled with the damp scent of earth and grass, and a magnificent rainbow hung in the sky.
At first glance, Fuyuki thought their photographer, Ho-Oh, had returned, but upon closer inspection, it regretfully realized it was just an ordinary rainbow.
The ground was damp; going outside would leave your feet covered in mud.
Fuyuki didn't want to get covered in mud, but it also wanted to go outside and pick all the fruits that had already grown.
That way, by the day after tomorrow, the trees would be laden with fruit again.
Seeing this, Entei had no choice but to have Fuyuki ride on its back to the orchard to pick all the fruit from the trees, put it in baskets, and store it in the warehouse that Fuyuki had dug out.
Looking at the mountain of fruit piled high in their secret base, Fuyuki grinned, a bright smile spreading across its face.
This way, they wouldn't have to worry about going hungry this winter!
Meanwhile, at the foot of Mount Tensei.
An elegant, graceful blue figure stepped onto this land.
It looked up at the summit of Mount Tensei, which disappeared into the clouds, its brows furrowing slightly.
Entei was there.
Suicune spread its limbs and galloped upwards along the mountain path, its ribbon-like tail swaying gently.
Suicune moved forward while observing its surroundings.
Mount Tensei… unchanged.
At least, it was still the same when it last returned.
What on earth could be keeping Entei here, preventing it from venturing out?
The surrounding scenery rushed past as Suicune, the embodiment of the North Wind, moved with incredible speed.
Before long, it reached the mountainside.
There was still some distance to the summit.
But it could sense that Entei was here, and not only that, Marshadow was here too.
No, not just those two… Suicune frowned slightly; it could vaguely sense an aura other than Entei and Marshadow's.
That aura was extremely weak…
Suicune had only ever felt this kind of sensation from Pokémon that had just hatched from their eggs.
At that moment, an unbelievable guess suddenly popped into Suicune's mind.
Could it be that Entei, Marshadow, and Raikou were secretly raising a Pokémon chick in Mount Tensei?
But that shouldn't be the case! Neither Entei's nor Raikou's personality seemed like that of a Pokémon capable of such a thing.
Not to mention Marshadow.
I've arrived.
Thinking, Suicune suddenly stopped.
It looked up at the cave ahead.
Suicune remembered this place; long ago, when guiding the Rainbow Warriors through trials, they would also rest here.
However, compared to the cave it remembered, it seemed quite different.
Beside the cave, a grove full of fruit had grown out of nowhere.
The fruit trees were neatly arranged, seemingly planted by humans.
Continuing forward, Suicune's gaze passed through the cave entrance and into the interior.
The cave, which had once had uneven rock walls, had now transformed into a square room, much like a human dwelling.
What surprised Suicune even more was that the cave floor was covered with a layer of natural-looking wooden flooring.
"This is?!" An incredulous expression appeared on Suicune's face.
Just then, a familiar figure emerged from the cave.
Suicune looked up and saw that Entei had emerged from within, gazing up at it from afar.
"Entei..." Suicune was about to speak to Entei through telepathy when, out of the corner of its eye, it noticed a human cub it had never seen before following behind Entei!
Suicune's pupils constricted sharply.
The human cub also noticed its arrival at that moment, freezing in place upon seeing it.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Suicune turned its gaze back to Entei.
Its voice sounded as gentle and melodious as flowing water.
"Entei, what has happened here?"
"As you can see, I have adopted this cub." Entei's voice was majestic. "Let me introduce you, Suicune. This is Fuyuki, my child."
Adopted...a child... Suicune's pupils trembled violently.
How could this be? Why would Entei, a Pokémon, bring a human child back to Mt. Tensei and treat him like its own?
More importantly, it seems to have forgotten its mission…
Suicune's tone grew serious.
"Entei, we need an explanation," it said.
"Little One's parents died protecting us Pokémon. In the human world, he has no family, so I brought him back to Mt. Tensei and decided to raise him." Entei explained succinctly: "Marshadow and Raikou already know about this."
Suicune: "…" So it was the only one unaware?
Suicune had no right to interfere with Entei's actions, nor did it want to.
It simply said softly, "Entei, you've stayed at Mt. Tensei for too long. You and I both have our own missions; we don't have time to care for a human child."
Entei remained silent, unable to answer Suicune's words.
Because it had already made its choice; between fulfilling its mission and caring for Little One, it chose the latter.
"If Lord Ho-Oh blames me, I will bear the responsibility alone," Entei said solemnly.
"Lord Ho-Oh will return soon," Suicune said.
Of the three legendary beasts, it was closer to Ho-Oh, and therefore knew far more about Ho-Oh's movements than Entei and Raikou.
The two beasts weren't speaking behind Fuyuki's back, and Fuyuki couldn't help but tug at a tuft of Entei's fur.
Ho-Oh is coming back?
No, given Ho-Oh's personality, it shouldn't blame Entei, right? It should… right?
Fuyuki looked at Entei beside him with considerable worry. At that moment, many thoughts surged through his mind.
Soon, one thought took hold.
—If all else fails, should we run away?
First, run all over the world, shock everyone, earn enough Shock Points, then directly exchange them for 100 Rare Candies to instantly level up Entei to level 100. That way, we won't have to fear Ho-Oh anymore.
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50 power stones for extra chapter
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You can read up to chapter 52and more soon on [email protected]/PokeficLord.