Time slipped by quietly, childhood passing faster than anyone ever expected.
On Mount Tensei, days and nights turned without pause. Spring flowers bloomed across the hills, summer cicadas filled the forest with noise, and before anyone noticed, autumn arrived.
Leaves began to yellow. Fruit ripened on the branches.
And Fuyuki was about to turn two.
Inside the cave, Entei lay with its eyes closed, seemingly resting.
Suddenly, a childish voice rang out from outside.
"Entei, the fruit on the trees grew!"
The legendary beast's eyes opened slowly. Fuyuki came running in, face glowing with excitement.
Seeing him, the stern presence Entei usually carried softened. It lowered its head and licked the child's cheek.
"I know," it said.
"Let's go look together!"
Fuyuki tugged eagerly, unable to wait another second to share the good news.
They had worked hard for this.
Every morning, he and Entei carried the Squirtle Watering Can down to the river in the forest, filled it with clear water, then brought it back to irrigate the land.
Months of effort had finally paid off.
Unable to refuse the child's enthusiasm, Entei stood and followed him out to the orchard.
The Berry pits Fuyuki had buried together with Raikou had long since broken through the soil. Now they had grown into sturdy, healthy fruit trees.
Clusters of Berries hung heavy from the branches, as if blessed by the creator itself. Every one of them looked plump and juicy, impossibly tempting.
Cherry-like Cheri Berries. Strawberry-like Oran Berries. Pear-shaped Sitrus Berries.
"With this many, we'll never need to go searching for Berries again!" Fuyuki said excitedly.
Entei stood beside him and gave a small nod.
Another thought crossed Fuyuki's mind.
Over the past few months, he had been performing magic tricks for the wild Pokemon at the foot of the mountain, or chatting with them in Pokemon language.
That alone had earned him a steady stream of Shock Points.
Later on, once they had seen enough performances and accepted the fact that this human could speak Pokemon language, they stopped being as shocked.
Even so, he had made plenty of friends and built real bonds.
Thinking of that, Fuyuki looked up at Entei. "We can't eat all these Berries anyway. When winter comes and it starts snowing, let's share them with everyone in the forest."
"Alright."
Entei felt genuinely pleased by the child's kindness.
The more he helped other Pokemon, the easier it would be for him to earn Ho-Oh's approval in the future.
Boom!
Rumble!
A low clap of thunder echoed across the sky.
Moments later, fine raindrops began to fall from the dark clouds above.
It was raining.
Entei immediately carried Fuyuki back into the cave, keeping him from getting soaked.
Watching the steady autumn rain outside, Fuyuki asked with anticipation, "Is Raikou back?"
"No. Just a normal autumn shower."
Entei glanced up at the sky and shook its head.
Sometimes, it honestly hoped Raikou would come back a little later. Once that troublemaker returned, it would definitely try to steal the child away.
The Legendary Beasts could faintly sense one another's locations.
Raikou had gone to the neighboring Johto region. As for Suicune, it seemed to have set out from far away and was heading back toward Mount Tensei.
"Oh."
Hearing it wasn't Raikou, Fuyuki sighed like a tiny grown-up.
Entei frowned slightly, instantly alert. "You like Raikou that much?"
"Raikou said it'd bring me a gift next time it comes back!"
Fuyuki's eyes sparkled with expectation.
Mount Tensei was far from human settlements. With Entei and the wild Pokemon around, he was rarely lonely, but sometimes he still got bored.
Entei had brought him the Clefairy Doll. What kind of gift would Raikou bring next?
Hearing that, Entei finally relaxed.
So the little one was just looking forward to the gift.
A gift…
Entei glanced at the Clefairy Doll nearby.
That doll had become the child's favorite toy. He hugged it every night when he slept.
Then next time I go out, I'll bring back a few more dolls, Entei decided.
As the child's favorite parent, it absolutely could not lose to Raikou when it came to gifts.
Fuyuki, meanwhile, had no idea what Entei was thinking.
With rain falling outside and the cave warm and dry, he sat astride Entei's back and opened his system shop.
Over the past few months, with help from Marshadow and Entei, he had practically covered all of Mount Tensei, performing magic tricks for wild Pokemon.
By today, he had saved up a full 6000 Shock Points.
For him now, that was a massive fortune.
But if he used it all on Rare Candy to level Entei up, it wouldn't even be enough for a single level.
Through observation and trial, Fuyuki had discovered something.
In the system shop, leveling from 1 to 2 with Rare Candy cost 2000 Shock Points. From 2 to 3 cost 3000.
Following that pattern, raising a Pokemon from birth all the way to level 100 would require several million Shock Points.
Just thinking about it made his head spin. That kind of number probably required doing something world-changing in front of the entire region.
Forget it.
For now, improving their living space came first.
His eyes locked onto an item he had been eyeing for a long time.
[Secret Power: A mysterious force that can be used to carve into mountains or tree trunks, creating a Secret Base. Cost: 5000 Shock Points.]
Secret Power was a move some Pokemon could learn in the games, a specialty of the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions.
In those regions, players could find hollow trees, grass dens, and walls with small openings.
Using Secret Power, they could turn those spots into Secret Bases and decorate them however they liked.
Tables, chairs, plants, ornaments, dolls, rugs, posters, cushions.
"5000 Shock Points…"
Fuyuki's eyes gleamed. "You better be worth it."
He considered warning Entei first, but then thought better of it. If Entei or the Marshadow watching from the shadows got shocked, that might earn him a few points back.
Entei, keeping a close eye on the child: "?"
For some reason, the little one had just flashed a suspicious smile. Like he was planning a prank.
"Exchange!"
Fuyuki made his choice.
As 5000 Shock Points were deducted, a brilliant white light erupted, filling the entire cave under Entei's watchful gaze.
Within the light, Entei swiftly pulled the child behind it.
But the glow faded after only a few breaths.
When it vanished completely, Entei saw Fuyuki grinning up at it.
Realization struck instantly. The little one had used that strange ability again.
"Don't worry, Entei!"
Fuyuki hugged its foreleg.
"..."
Entei sighed, helpless and indulgent.
Turning its head, it froze.
The once-ordinary cave had been completely transformed.
The uneven stone walls were now smooth and perfectly flat, forming clean rock surfaces. The entire space looked square and orderly, like a house built by humans.
The familiar wooden floor remained, and both of them were still standing atop the soft carpet.
Entei stared, stunned.
"Little One… this is?"
"This is our home!" Fuyuki declared.
The room carved from the cave was even larger than before.
He admired his work with deep satisfaction. Those 5000 Shock Points had been well spent.
Next, he could buy wallpaper, tables, chairs, maybe even a sofa. Soon, it would truly feel like home.
This was his and Entei's home.
No, this was the home of Entei, Marshadow, Raikou, and him.
Far away, thousands of miles from Mount Tensei.
A blue Pokemon ran along a stream, riding the northern wind.
Its sleek body was patterned with white markings. A crest like a blue gemstone adorned its head, and two ribbon-like white tails flowed behind it, swaying gracefully.
Elegant. Mysterious.
This was the final member of Ho-Oh's Guard, the Aurora Pokemon, embodiment of the north wind.
Suicune.
Lately, it had found the movements of its two companions strange.
Since last autumn, Entei had returned to Mount Tensei. After leaving briefly, it had stayed there ever since.
Not long after, Raikou had also gone to Mount Tensei, lingering for several days before leaving.
Something felt off.
It had the distinct sense that the other two were hiding something.
To find out what was happening on Mount Tensei, Suicune decided to return and see for itself why Entei had remained there for so long.
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