"Father, did Raikou leave?"
On Mount Tensei, after waking from a long, comfortable sleep, Fuyuki didn't see Raikou anywhere in the house and immediately asked Entei.
"Mm." Entei nodded. "It still has a mission to fulfill."
"Oh." Fuyuki let out a small, helpless sigh.
Soon enough, his mood lifted, and he happily started telling Entei about everything that had happened during the trip with Raikou.
The runaway Bulbasaur and its Trainer.
The summer camp.
Ash and Serena.
Professor Oak.
Entei listened quietly from the side.
"That human boy named Ash," Fuyuki said earnestly, "I think he has the potential to become a Rainbow Hero!"
"Mm." Entei didn't know Ash, so it didn't pay much attention.
"I'm serious!" Fuyuki climbed up onto Entei and continued excitedly. "Maybe it won't be long before Ho-Oh tosses a Rainbow Feather to him. When that happens, he'll come to Mount Tensei with his Pokemon to take part in the trial!"
"Mm." Entei still didn't seem particularly concerned.
Mentioning the Rainbow Feather reminded Fuyuki of something. He clearly remembered that Ho-Oh had given him one when he was little.
He immediately started rummaging around, searching everywhere, but couldn't find it.
"Huh? Where did the Rainbow Feather Ho-Oh gave me go?"
"If you can't find it, we can ask Ho-Oh to give you another one later," Entei said.
Hearing that, Fuyuki suddenly thought of something amusing.
He leaned in close and whispered mischievously, "Father, do you think Ho-Oh tosses feathers around every day? What if one day it throws all its feathers away?"
Entei: "..."
"No. The Rainbow Feather is simply a manifestation of Ho-Oh's power. It's not an actual feather from its body."
Even as it explained, Entei felt the thought itself was a little disrespectful toward Ho-Oh. But then it reconsidered. If it was Fuyuki, even if Ho-Oh found out, it probably wouldn't be angry.
Ho-Oh might even give him a few more feathers and gently explain, like a loving mother, that the feathers weren't really feathers at all.
"So that's how it is. I really thought it was Ho-Oh's actual feather!"
"Oh right, Father, there's one more thing!" Fuyuki suddenly remembered something else.
"What is it?" Entei asked.
"Professor Oak said that when I turn ten, I can go to him like other human kids and receive a starter Pokemon partner!" Fuyuki's eyes shone with anticipation.
Hearing this, Entei's heart tightened.
"Charmander, Bulbasaur, Squirtle… Father, who do you think I should choose?"
"Charmander can eventually evolve into Charizard. It can fly and take me into the sky!"
And Charizard even has two different Mega Evolutions. Just thinking about it sounded awesome.
"Bulbasaur's final evolution is Venusaur. It might not look that cool, but it's a really strong Pokemon."
"And then there's Squirtle. Its cry sounds super cute!" Fuyuki even imitated it seriously. "Squirtle, Squirtle!"
Entei: "..."
After a moment of silence, it asked cautiously, "Fuyuki, do you like the human world very much?"
"Hm?" Fuyuki thought for a bit before answering. "I wouldn't say I like it that much. Ho-Oh said this world is really, really big, and Mount Tensei is just a tiny part of it, so I want to go see the human world for myself."
"Then do you want to live in the human world in the future?" Entei asked again.
"Of course not!" Fuyuki replied without hesitation. "Mount Tensei is my home!"
At those words, Entei finally let out a long breath of relief.
Seeing its reaction, Fuyuki immediately caught on.
He laughed and said, "Father, were you worried I'd stay in the human world and never come back?"
Entei stayed silent.
Fuyuki hugged it tightly. "Don't worry. I just want to see the outside world. When my journey is over, we'll come home together!"
"Fuyuki…" Entei felt deeply moved.
"And don't you think our backyard is a little too empty?" Fuyuki sighed softly. "If Suicune, Raikou, and Ho-Oh aren't home, it's just you, me, and Marshadow here. There's no one to play with me."
"So when I travel, I'm going to make friends with lots of Pokemon and invite them all to Mount Tensei to live with us!"
Entei froze for a moment, then gently nodded. "Mm."
It knew that the secret realm in the backyard was completely empty now.
The environment there was perfectly suited for Pokemon. Living there long-term would be incredibly beneficial to them.
Even an existence like Ho-Oh would be drawn to it.
If it weren't for staying with Fuyuki, Entei suspected Ho-Oh would have chosen to rest there permanently.
Thinking about the backyard, Fuyuki trotted downstairs, pushed open the wooden door, and entered the ecological park he had spent a fortune to build.
As the door opened, sunlight flooded his vision, revealing a bright, independent world.
Above was a vast, cloudless blue sky. White clouds drifted lazily across it, and a warm sun shone directly overhead.
There were mountains and water, rivers and waterfalls, forests, grasslands, valleys, snow-covered peaks, deserts, beaches, the open sea, and even volcanoes.
Fuyuki rode on Entei's back, racing across the endless grassland, passing through valleys with flowing streams, climbing snow-covered mountains, and finally crossing the scorching volcano to reach the beach by the sea.
It was empty. Far too empty.
Aside from him and Entei, there wasn't a third living being anywhere in this secret realm.
Even Entei couldn't help thinking that maybe they really should invite some Pokemon from outside to live here.
They could keep Fuyuki company and play with him. Maybe then he wouldn't always be thinking about running off to the human world.
Standing in this quiet, lonely world, listening to the distant sound of waves crashing against the shore, an indescribable sense of solitude crept into the heart.
Fuyuki couldn't help thinking about his own incredible life. He grinned and said, "Father, do you remember when you found me?"
"Mm?" Entei was a little puzzled, but it still thought carefully.
Time had long since lost its meaning for Pokemon of its level, but even so, Entei clearly remembered the day it met Fuyuki.
"Almost seven years ago."
Fuyuki felt a surge of emotion and smiled wide. "That's a long time."
Before he knew it, he had already been in this world for seven years.
Seven years ago, the human parents of his previous life had died in that accident. He hadn't even had time to grieve before facing death himself, if not for Entei.
To Fuyuki, the cheat ability and the system didn't matter at all. Entei was the greatest gift the heavens had ever given him.
Thinking of this, Fuyuki stopped and looked at Entei. "Father, can you carry me for a bit longer?"
Though slightly confused, Entei lowered itself and lifted him onto its back, leaving a trail of plum-blossom paw prints across the sand. "Why do you suddenly want me to carry you?"
Fuyuki hugged its neck. "I was just thinking about when I was little, when you carried me through the forest to look for Berries."
At first, Entei didn't quite understand. Then it suddenly realized.
Fuyuki was acting spoiled.
Entei's heart softened completely. In that moment, it felt indescribably grateful for the choice it had made back then, to take this child in.
It even felt that Fuyuki was a gift from the heavens, delivered straight into its life at just the right moment.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=
You can read up to chapter 102 on patreon.com/NiaXD.