[Though you are an infant, you used your own weak strength to save a Cubone who nearly choked to death on a Berry pit. Shock points from Marowak +10!]
[The Little One is really smart. Just as expected of my Little One! Shock points from Entei +5!]
[This human infant… is actually taking the initiative to help Pokemon? Shock points from Marshadow +10!]
As dusk fell, Fuyuki checked the notifications that had just popped up the moment he returned to the cave.
Lying atop Entei's soft fur, he sucked on tender fruit flesh and juice with his not-yet-grown baby teeth, staring at the messages in surprise.
So… this counts too?
No, it was probably because he stepped in himself and shocked Entei and that Marowak.
But one thing puzzled him.
Where did Marshadow's Shock Points come from?
Hadn't it already left?
Thinking of how Marshadow in the anime always hid in Ash's shadow, watching and testing him, Fuyuki's eyes widened.
Don't tell me Marshadow never actually left and has been secretly watching him from the shadows this whole time?
Realizing that, Fuyuki immediately looked down at his own shadow.
But night had already fallen. The cave was dim, shadows everywhere.
"..."
Forget it. If Marshadow wants to watch, let it watch.
This unexpected windfall, added to the 35 Shock Points he had saved before, brought his total straight to 60.
Nice!
Fuyuki happily flipped through the shop, drooling over the dazzling array of food inside.
Meanwhile, deep in the mountains, beneath a Berry tree heavy with fruit.
Cool moonlight bathed the ground. Even at night, the Marowak and Cubone mother and child hadn't rested.
Watching her child knock Berries down from the tree with his bone club, Marowak felt nothing but relief.
What had happened during the day was still vivid in her mind. Her child was still lively and safe beside her.
All of it was thanks to that Pokemon and the human infant it was raising.
Gratitude filled her heart, but she didn't know how to repay them.
Then she remembered that those two had also been searching for food in the forest days ago. They must be preparing for winter as well.
So, to thank them, Marowak led Cubone to a tree laden with fruit.
They planned to pick some Berries and bring them over as a gift.
The next morning, when the first rays of sunlight shone into the cave, Fuyuki woke early.
But with winter approaching, the temperature was still low before the sun fully rose.
Outside, the world was wrapped in a thick layer of frost.
The clothes on Fuyuki's body were still what he'd been wearing when the accident happened. They offered no protection against the cold. If he left Entei's side, he'd probably be crying with a runny nose in no time.
He burrowed deeper into Entei's embrace.
Seeing that the Little One didn't want to get up, Entei remained lying there as well, occasionally licking its fur.
Its gaze, however, was fixed on the cave entrance, where it sensed a familiar presence.
By ten in the morning, the temperature finally began to warm.
Only then did Fuyuki slowly cling to Entei and head outside.
The moment they emerged, Fuyuki spotted a pile of Berries at the cave entrance.
Huh? Where did these come from?
Entei seemed to have expected this.
Its dignified voice echoed in Fuyuki's mind.
"The two Pokemon you helped yesterday brought these this morning to thank you."
Marowak and Cubone!
Fuyuki immediately realized who it was.
He hurriedly looked around and, sure enough, spotted Cubone peeking over from a distance.
"Ah-goo!"
Getting thanked for doing something good would make anyone happy. Fuyuki broke into a wide grin and waved his little hand toward Cubone.
"Ka-ka!"
Cubone waved his bone club back, then happily turned and ran off.
"?"
Why did he leave?
But looking at the pile of Berries, Fuyuki quickly figured it out.
Cubone must have seen that the gift had been delivered and finally felt at ease.
Fuyuki couldn't help laughing.
That Pokemon was really cute.
Entei didn't stay outside for long. After letting Fuyuki soak up the sun for a bit, it brought him back into the cave.
Time passed. The weather grew colder and colder, until one ordinary day, heavy snow blanketed Mount Tensei.
Snow fell in sheets, icy winds howled, and the entire mountain was covered in white.
Winter had arrived.
In this season, even the liveliest forests fell silent.
Pokemon across the land hid away in their warm nests, huddling with companions and family, gazing at the falling snow through caves and tree hollows.
A human infant's body couldn't endure such cold. Because of that, Entei and Fuyuki went out as little as possible.
They stayed in the cave while icy winds raged and snow fell outside.
Inside, the Sacred Fire burning on Entei's body was like a furnace, casting an orange glow that sealed the cold outside and filled the cave with warmth.
Perhaps because of the season, or because he was growing, Fuyuki spent most of each winter day asleep in Entei's warm embrace.
Watching the Little One sleep so peacefully, Entei's expression softened.
It had been nearly three months since it decided to take the Little One in. Over those months together, it had long since grown used to this presence at its side.
Listening to the soft sound of the infant's breathing and watching the snow outside, warmth rose in Entei's heart.
It turned its head toward the back of the cave.
There lay the Berries it and the Little One had gathered together in the forest. With those, the child would safely make it through the winter.
The firelight flickered, driving away the cold and illuminating everything around them.
Within the shadow of the sleeping Fuyuki, Marshadow silently emerged.
Lowering his head, he quietly watched the human infant sleeping while hugging Entei.
Life on Mount Tensei was dull and lonely. Ever since Entei brought this human infant back, Marshadow seemed to have found some amusement.
Though it always claimed humans were detestable and untrustworthy, it still couldn't help hiding in Fuyuki's shadow, secretly observing everything.
Over these three months, it watched the infant go to the mountain peak with Entei to see the sun, watched him sleep beside Entei, watched him babble at the Legendary Pokemon. Something inside Marshadow began to change without it even noticing.
[Entei, this goes against the rules.]
Seeing Marshadow before it, Entei's mind recalled the words Marshadow had spoken the day it brought the Little One back to Mount Tensei.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Entei slowly asked, "Has Lord Ho-Oh not returned yet?"
Marshadow shifted its gaze away from Fuyuki and shook its head.
"I haven't sensed Lord Ho-Oh's presence. It's likely very far from Mount Tensei right now."
"I see…" Entei nodded, unsurprised. That was just how Ho-Oh was.
Neither Pokemon spoke again. Both quietly watched the sleeping child.
After a long while, Marshadow suddenly said, "He's grown."
Compared to their first meeting, the human infant was a bit taller now.
Entei paused, looking at the Little One. It was with him nearly every moment of every day, so the change hadn't been obvious.
"Humans always grow up," Entei said in a low voice.
"Do you plan to keep raising him like this?" Marshadow asked.
Entei's tone was calm, as if stating something perfectly ordinary. "He has no family left in the human world. If he's willing, I will stay by his side."
Marshadow suddenly looked up at it. "But Entei, there's a vast difference between humans and Pokemon."
"Human infants need to learn constantly. Speaking, walking, understanding… We are Pokemon. Neither you nor I can teach him human language."
These were things Marshadow had learned from observing Rainbow Heroes who came for trials in the past.
Entei fell silent.
It knew Marshadow was right.
Humans were humans. Pokemon were Pokemon.
Humans couldn't live like Pokemon forever. They belonged with other humans, in cities.
It had raised the Little One for so long. If it were to send him back to a human settlement now…
Even Entei, just and dignified as it was, felt selfishness stir at the thought.
The Little One relied on it completely, treated it like a father. If he were sent away, he would surely cry his heart out.
Entei gazed at the child's face, silent for a long time, until it made its decision.
"Then I'll teach him to speak."
Not human language, but the language of Pokemon.
"For now, the Little One is my child, a child raised by Pokemon."
Marshadow froze.
At that moment, the infant's eyelids fluttered, as if he were about to wake.
Seeing this, Marshadow quietly sank back into the shadows.
The next second, Fuyuki slowly opened his eyes. Staring at Entei's fluffy face, he yawned contentedly.
What time was it?
He turned to look outside the cave and saw that snow was still falling.
After sleeping, he felt wide awake. Sitting beside Entei, he stared at the snow, bored.
If he were an ordinary baby, this probably wouldn't bother him.
But with the soul of an adult, Fuyuki sighed helplessly.
A baby's life really is boring…
"Little One." Entei's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Hm?" Fuyuki turned to look at it.
"Starting today, I'll teach you how to speak, how to speak the language of Pokemon," Entei said slowly.
Fuyuki's eyes widened.
What? Entei was going to teach him Pokemon speech?
But he was human.
Sure, he was already a year and one month old, and his vocal cords were developed enough to say simple words like papa, mama, mm, want, no.
But… learning Pokemon language was a bit shocking.
"Do you want to learn?" Entei looked at its child with gentle eyes.
After the initial shock, Fuyuki quickly realized something.
If he learned Pokemon language, wouldn't he be able to directly understand wild Pokemon in the future?
Aside from not being able to heal, wouldn't this be a nerfed version of Viridian Power?
Realizing that, Fuyuki nodded vigorously.
"Good." Entei continued, looking at the Little One. This time, it didn't use telepathy, but let out a sound like a mix between a lion and a tiger.
"Roar."
"Roa…r?" Fuyuki repeated.
"Entei," Entei said through telepathy. "That is my name."
"En…tei?" Fuyuki tried to imitate it in Pokemon speech.
Entei nodded, then said again, "Roar."
Fuyuki stared at it.
It sounded exactly the same.
But watching Entei's eyes, he quickly realized it wasn't.
The gaze and emotion behind the sound were different.
"This means 'father,'" Entei said slowly, looking at the confused Little One. "Roar. Father. I am your father. You are my child."
Fuyuki fell silent.
So Entei really was raising him as its own child.
As an adult, there was no way Fuyuki could bring himself to call a Pokemon father.
He pretended not to understand. "Rawr?"
"Roar," Entei corrected him.
"Rawr!" Fuyuki tried again.
Still wrong.
"Is it too hard?" Entei thought, but didn't dwell on it. Instead, it moved on to other simple words.
Like want, don't want, hungry, poop, drink water, Berry, sleep.
It turned out that environment played a decisive role in language learning.
In just two weeks, under Entei's constant guidance, Fuyuki could already understand meaning from the tone and emotions in its sounds.
He even felt that if he stayed in this environment long enough, one day he could talk with Entei like humans did, without relying on telepathy.
So this was Pokemon language?
In the games, was N able to understand Pokemon the same way?
And if he used this language, could he communicate with other wild Pokemon too?