Chapter 8: Marshadow
However, Holt didn't care what Entei thought. He was the type of person who would always return kindness.
Moreover, these Shock Points were earned from Entei, so he felt he should share the MooMoo Milk with it.
So, Holt climbed up to Entei's large head, frowning, and raised the MooMoo Milk, trying to shove it into Entei's mouth.
"Ee-ee-ya-ya!" (Drink it!)
Entei: ...
Although it couldn't understand Holt's words, Entei clearly felt that if it refused, the little one would surely be upset.
This was the little one's intention... Entei felt a warm, unfamiliar sensation rise in its heart.
Its efforts hadn't been in vain. Holt had already begun to see it as family.
As a "father," Entei felt both happiness and contentment.
After filling his stomach, Holt soon began to feel drowsy.
Most infants spend most of their time sleeping, apart from eating, during their early years, Entei thought.
This meant they were growing.
Holt instinctively curled up in Entei's warm embrace and quickly fell asleep.
Entei frowned slightly as it could clearly sense that Holt seemed to be growing a bit tired.
"Is it because of using [Power]?" Entei thought.
In this world, using any kind of power came with a cost.
When Pokémon used their moves, they consumed energy, and even Ho-Oh was no exception.
Holt, being so young, likely hadn't fully mastered his own power. After using it, he had immediately fallen into a deep sleep.
This was not ideal.
Though the MooMoo Milk was delicious, for the sake of Holt's health, Entei decided that it would prevent him from using his abilities too often.
However, the truth was that Holt was simply full and a little tired.
Entei didn't know about this.
It looked down at Holt, who was resting on its front limbs, then extended its tongue to give him a gentle "licking."
Suddenly, Entei paused mid-action.
It abruptly raised its head and looked toward the shadow in the corner of the cave.
A small and delicate figure had appeared in that spot without a sound.
It was a humanoid Pokémon, its body seemingly made of gray mist, with a helmet-like structure around its face. On the helmet, two small curved horns sprouted at the top.
It appeared quietly, its orange-red eyes gazing steadily at Entei and the little one in its arms.
"Marshadow," Entei spoke with authority, "What brings you here?"
Marshadow's gaze was eerie. Its voice sounded strangely childlike, yet devoid of any vitality.
"You brought a human to Mt. Tengan. He has no aura of Ho-Oh, nor is he the Rainbow Hero chosen by Ho-Oh."
Marshadow's gaze shifted slowly from the human child to Entei.
"Entei, this is not proper."
Entei fell silent for a moment and replied, "I will report this matter to Ho-Oh."
Upon hearing this, Marshadow stopped speaking.
It had come here because it sensed an unfamiliar aura on Mt. Tengan. It originally intended to investigate, but instead, it had found a human child.
Marshadow glanced at the little one, then slowly sank into the shadows.
Humans... how detestable.
Marshadow returned to the world of shadows, its eyes closing as images from the past of humans participating in the Rainbow Hero trials flashed in its mind.
Desires, greed, dark intentions...
Every human, every Rainbow Hero, was like this.
Marshadow had seen too much. It no longer held any expectations for humans.
*
Holt had slept for a very long time.
By the time he woke up, it was evening.
Entei, like a statue, lay beside him. Seeing him awake, the majestic big cat immediately looked toward him.
Holt rubbed his eyes and noticed that it was already dusk outside. The sun was about to set, and the soft yellow light bathed the mountain peak.
Noticing that Holt was looking outside, Entei asked telepathically, "Would you like to go outside and take a look?"
"Ee-ya?" Can we?
Holt quickly turned his head to look at Entei.
Entei slowly got up, then gently grabbed Holt's clothes with its teeth and placed him on its back. It then moved its sturdy legs, slowly walking out of the cave.
Outside the cave was a peaceful and serene scene.
Above them was a sky painted with orange and yellow sunset hues, the soft glow enveloping the mountains. Many Pokémon were casually wandering through the forest, enjoying the evening.
Rhydon, Charizard, Weezing, Nidoqueen, Nidoqueen...
In Ho-Oh's domain, these different species and elemental Pokémon coexisted peacefully and harmoniously.
This place was far from human civilization—only Pokémon roamed here.
"Wow!" How magnificent!
Seeing this scene, Holt couldn't help but exclaim.
The Pokémon world was amazing!
However, the excitement in his heart was quickly blown away by a cold wind.
It's so cold!
"Achoo!" Holt couldn't help but sneeze.
Entei immediately took Holt back into the cave.
It activated the power within its body, releasing a blazing warmth. In no time, the entire cave became as warm as a lit fireplace.
Holt let out a long sigh of relief.
Indeed, in the cold seasons, it's great to have a Fire-type Pokémon around!
But soon after, Holt remembered something very important.
It was already late autumn, and before long, winter would arrive.
When that time came, the temperature would drop drastically, and heavy snow would fall. The entire mountain range of Mt. Tengan would probably turn into a snowy land.
With Entei around, Holt wasn't too worried about freezing to death.
What he was concerned about was the source of food.
In winter, food would be scarce. Even the Berries growing everywhere might not be as easy to find as they were now.
As a Legendary Pokémon, Entei and the others didn't need to eat regularly. But Holt's Shock Points were still limited, and they wouldn't be enough to sustain them throughout the winter.
With that in mind, Holt turned to Entei, trying to communicate his concerns.
"Ee-ee-ya-ya!"
Entei looked at him, seemingly unable to understand what he was saying.
Holt felt a bit discouraged.
Sigh... he was still too young!
If he were ten years old, he wouldn't have to rely on Entei like this.
With his cheat system, if Entei cooperated, they could head to a human town, challenge some rookie Trainers, and after a battle, they could easily earn hundreds or even thousands of Shock Points.