"Marshadow, after I leave, I'll have to ask you to take care of Little One for me."
After putting Little One to sleep, Entei found Marshadow in the shadows and said to it.
"I understand," Marshadow nodded.
After observing this human cub throughout the winter, it was no longer as resistant to it as it had been at first.
Moreover, this human cub would even share its milk with it!
Seeing Marshadow agree, Entei breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, it repeated a few more instructions, still feeling a bit uneasy.
Marshadow's lips twitched.
How come it hadn't realized the Entei was so talkative before?
"I'll be back immediately after I drive away those evil people," the Entei said finally.
"Understood," Marshadow replied, a hint of helplessness in its voice.
The Entei turned around, walked to Fuyuki's side, lowered its large, fluffy head, and affectionately nuzzled Fuyuki's cheek. Then, reluctantly, it stood up, giving Fuyuki one last look.
Then, the Entei left the cave, its fiery red figure quickly disappearing into the forest.
After it left, only Marshadow and Fuyuki remained in the cave.
Marshadow sighed softly, then slipped into Fuyuki's shadow, silently guarding him.
After an unknown amount of time, the sky outside gradually darkened, and large patches of fiery clouds appeared on the distant horizon, their crimson light shining into the cave.
Raikou slowly entered the cave from outside, its gaze fixed on the wicked human cub lying on the bed of fallen leaves, two puffs of breath escaping its nostrils.
"Hmm..." As soon as Fuyuki opened his eyes, he saw a lithe figure appear not far away.
He initially thought it was Entei and instinctively called out, "Entei~"
But the figure, backlit by the light, did not come to his side as usual. It remained standing at a distance, its faintly glowing eyes fixed on him.
Fuyuki was stunned. He rubbed his eyes, then looked more closely and realized that the figure was not Entei, but another of the three legendary Pokémon, Raikou.
Entei was gone...
A wave of disappointment washed over Fuyuki.
Just then, a cold voice suddenly resounded in his mind.
"I'm not Entei, I won't treat you like that."
With that, Raikou walked to the other side of the cave, keeping a distance from Fuyuki. He lay down, closed his eyes, seemingly to rest.
Fuyuki: "..." S
eeing Raikou's indifference, Fuyuki felt a pang of resentment.
He didn't seem to have offended Raikou, did he?
If it were Entei, he would have rushed over and lay down beside him, warming him with his furry body.
Sigh, whatever!
He's not a child; he can take care of himself.
"Grumble!"
His stomach was rumbling.
Fuyuki stood up, staggered to the basket of tree fruits Entei had picked for him that day, and reached in to take one out.
A few months ago, because he was too young and his baby teeth hadn't grown in, Entei would always use his sacred fire to roast the tree fruits until they were very soft, making them easier for him to eat.
Now, with Entei gone, the tree fruits in the basket felt especially cold.
The fruits were icy cold, and eating them left a chill in his stomach.
Springtime was unpredictable, with the temperature fluctuating between warm and cold. Without Entei, the entire cave was permeated with a chill.
Fuyuki had intended to continue sleeping, but was quickly awakened by the cold.
There was no bed, no blanket, and no Entei to warm him.
So cold…
Night had fallen, and the bright moonlight shone into the cave through the entrance.
By the dim moonlight, Raikou slowly opened his tightly closed eyes and looked at the shivering human cub.
This matter was none of his concern.
Raikou didn't want to get involved, but his promise to Entei to protect this human cub resurfaced in his mind.
Never mind, I've already promised Entei.
Just as Fuyuki was hesitating about whether to spend some Shock Points to buy a blanket from the shop, he suddenly felt a dark figure approach him.
That was… Raikou?!
Fuyuki was slightly startled, but Raikou was already lying down beside him, like a tiger with its cubs—he was the cub, and Raikou was the tiger.
"Don't think too much. I'm just afraid you'll freeze to death, and I won't be able to explain it to Entei," Raikou's cold voice rang out again.
Fuyuki: "…"
For some reason, Fuyuki felt a strange sense of dread towards Raikou.
Unlike Entei, Raikou didn't seem easy to get along with, not at all approachable.
He didn't dare to be as unrestrained as he had been in Entei's arms, riding on him whenever he wanted, burying his face in the fur whenever he wanted. He could only barely manage to draw warmth from Raikou's short, smooth fur.
After a short while, Fuyuki felt that he wasn't as cold as before.
Now he could finally sleep! He slowly breathed a sigh of relief, adjusted his position slightly, and was just about to get a good night's sleep when he suddenly heard a muffled groan from Raikou beside him.
Fuyuki immediately opened his eyes, looking at Raikou.
"Raikou?"
Raikou kept its eyes closed, seemingly not hearing him, offering no response.
But Fuyuki keenly detected a very faint scent of blood in the air.
It was coming from Raikou's forelimb!
And the spot where he had just been resting his head was precisely Raikou's forelimb.
Fuyuki immediately climbed up, howling in Pokémon, "You're injured!"
Raikou opened its eyes, its tone still stiff and cold: "This is none of your business."
It had returned to Mount Tensei precisely to heal its injuries.
Unlike those Pokémon raised by humans, who are taken to professional Pokémon centers for treatment when injured, wild Pokémon like Fuyuki could only find a safe place to heal themselves.
On this outing, it encountered a group of powerful individuals. Their goal seemed to be capture it; they coordinated their attacks from all sides, attempting to subdue it.
At that time, Raikou summoned heavenly lightning to punish those with malicious intentions, but it was also injured and could no longer roam freely.
Therefore, Raikou returned to Mount Tensei, intending to wait for its injuries to heal.
In Raikou's view, this matter had nothing to do with the human cub.
However, as it finished speaking, the human cub got up.
Then, without knowing what the cub did, the next second, Raikou saw a strange bottle in the cub's hand.
[Healing Potion: Basic spray-type healing potion, capable of healing part of a Pokémon's injuries and restoring its stamina. Exchange fee: 50 Shock Points.] Fuyuki took the healing potion and sprayed it on Raikou's injured forelimb.
Then, a miraculous scene unfolded.
Under the effect of the spray-on medicine, the injuries on Raikou's forelimbs began to heal at a visible speed.
The throbbing pain in his leg gradually disappeared, and Raikou stared wide-eyed, a look of shock and disbelief on his face.
This human cub... was actually healing him?!
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You can read up to chapter 38 and more soon on [email protected]/PokeficLord.