[As a mere infant, you used your weak strength to save Cubone, who nearly choked to death on a berry pit. Shock points from Marowak +10!]
[The little one is truly clever, worthy of being my little one! Shock points from Entei +5!]
[This human infant… is actually taking the initiative to help Pokémon? Shock points from Marshadow +10!]
As dusk fell, the first thing Atlas did after returning to the cave was to check the notifications that had popped up on the panel.
Lying against Entei’s fluffy body, sucking on the soft pulp and juice of a berry with his not yet fully developed baby teeth, Atlas stared at those messages in surprise.
This… could actually earn him shock points?
No, it should be that his action had shocked Entei and that Marowak.
Still, what he did not understand was where Marshadow’s shock points had come from.
Had it not already left?
Recalling how in the anime Marshadow had hidden within Ash’s shadow, observing and testing him, Atlas’s eyes widened instantly.
Could it be that Marshadow had never truly left, and was instead secretly hiding in the shadows, spying on him?
Realizing this, Atlas immediately looked toward his own shadow.
But it was already nighttime.
The cave was dim, and shadows were everywhere.
“….”
Forget it.
If Marshadow wanted to watch, then let it watch.
With this unexpected windfall added to the thirty five shock points he had saved earlier, Atlas’s balance jumped straight to sixty.
Delightful!
Scrolling through the shop and looking at the dazzling array of food items inside, Atlas practically drooled.
…
At the same time, in the forest beneath a large tree heavy with berries.
Cold moonlight spread across the earth.
Though it was already night, Marowak and Cubone had not yet gone to rest.
Watching her child knock berries down from the tree with its bone club, Marowak felt immense relief.
The events of the day still lingered vividly in her mind.
Her child was still lively and energetic by her side.
And all of this was thanks to that Pokémon and the human infant it was raising.
Marowak felt deeply grateful and wanted to do something for them, but did not know how.
Then she remembered that in the past few days, the two of them had also been searching for food in the forest.
They must be preparing for winter as well.
So, to express her thanks, Marowak brought Cubone to a large tree laden with berries.
They planned to pick some berries and deliver them as a gift of gratitude.
The next morning, when the first rays of sunlight shone into the cave, Atlas woke up early.
With winter approaching and the sun not yet fully risen, the morning air was still bitterly cold.
Outside, the world was covered in a thick layer of frost.
The clothes Atlas wore were still the same ones from the accident.
They were not warm enough to withstand the chill.
If he left Entei’s side, he would probably be shivering and sniffling within minutes.
Atlas burrowed deeper into Entei’s embrace.
Seeing that the little one did not want to get up, Entei simply lay there as well, occasionally licking its fur.
However, its gaze drifted toward the cave entrance.
There, it sensed a familiar presence.
By ten in the morning, the temperature had gradually warmed.
Only then did Atlas slowly cling to Entei as they went outside.
The moment they stepped out, Atlas saw a pile of berries at the cave entrance.
Huh?
Where did these berries come from?
Entei seemed to have anticipated this.
Its dignified voice sounded within Atlas’s mind.
“The two Pokémon you helped yesterday brought these this morning as thanks.”
Marowak and Cubone.
Atlas reacted immediately.
He quickly looked around and, sure enough, spotted Cubone in the distance, secretly peeking in their direction.
“Wuwa!”
Receiving a gift in return for doing a good deed would make anyone happy.
Atlas grinned and waved his small hand toward Cubone.
“Cuba!”
Cubone waved its bone club back enthusiastically, then happily turned and ran off.
“Huh?”
Why did it run away?
But looking at the pile of berries on the ground, Atlas quickly thought of a possibility.
Cubone must have waited until it saw that their gift had been successfully delivered before leaving with peace of mind.
Atlas could not help but laugh.
That Pokémon was truly adorable.
Entei did not linger outside for long.
After letting Atlas bask in the sunlight for a while, it brought him back into the cave.
Time passed slowly.
Finally, on an ordinary day, heavy snow blanketed Mount Tensei.
Snowflakes swirled in the wind as icy gusts howled.
The entire mountain was dressed in silver.
Winter had arrived.
…
In this season, even the usually lively forest fell silent.
The Pokémon living on this land retreated into their warm and cozy nests, huddling with their companions and family, gazing at the falling snow through cave mouths and hollow trees.
A human infant’s body simply could not withstand such cold.
For that reason, Entei and Atlas rarely went outside.
They stayed inside the cave while cold winds raged and thick snow drifted down beyond the entrance.
Within the cave, the sacred fire on Entei’s body burned like a furnace, radiating an orange glow that pushed back the chill and filled the cave with warmth.
Perhaps it was the season, or perhaps he was growing, but during this cold winter, Atlas spent most of each day curled up in Entei’s warm embrace, sleeping soundly.
Watching the little one sleep so peacefully, Entei’s expression softened.
Nearly three months had passed since it had decided to raise him.
Over those months of day and night together, it had long grown accustomed to having this small presence by its side.
Looking at the heavy snow outside and listening to the soft sounds of the infant’s breathing in its arms, a warmth rose in Entei’s heart.
It turned its head toward the depths of the cave.
There, stored carefully, were the berries they had gathered together.
With them, the little one would safely make it through the winter.
The firelight flickered on Entei’s body, illuminating everything around them and driving away the cold.
Within the shadow of the sleeping Atlas, Marshadow’s small figure silently emerged.
It lowered its head and quietly watched the human infant who was sleeping while clutching Entei.
Life on Mount Tensei was dull and lonely.
Ever since Entei had brought this human infant back, Marshadow felt as though it had found a certain kind of amusement.
Though it often claimed that humans were the most detestable and untrustworthy beings, it still could not help but hide in Atlas’s shadow, secretly observing everything.
…
Over three months, it had watched the human infant climb to the mountain peak with Entei to watch the sun, watched them sleep together, watched him babble at Entei.
Marshadow felt something inside itself quietly changing.
[Entei, this is against the rules.]
Seeing Marshadow before it now, Entei’s mind recalled those words from when it had first brought the little one back.
“…”
After a moment of silence, Entei asked slowly, “Has Lord Ho-Oh returned?”
Marshadow shifted its attention away from Atlas and shook its head.
“I have not sensed Lord Ho-Oh’s aura. It is likely very far from us and from Mount Tensei.”
“Mm.”
Entei was not surprised.
Lord Ho-Oh had always been like this.
Neither Pokémon spoke again.
They quietly watched Atlas sleeping.
After a long time, Marshadow suddenly said, “He has grown.”
Compared to when they first met, the human infant had grown taller.
Entei paused slightly and looked at him.
Being together nearly twenty four hours a day, it had not noticed the change clearly.
“Humans will grow up one day,” Entei said in a low voice.
“Do you intend to raise him like this forever?” Marshadow asked.
Entei’s voice was calm, as if stating something ordinary.
“He has no family left in the human world. If he is willing, I will remain by his side.”
Marshadow suddenly looked up at Entei.
“But Entei, there are great differences between humans and Pokémon.”
“Human infants need to keep learning. Speech, walking, understanding. We are Pokémon. Neither you nor I can teach him human language.”
These were things it had observed from the Rainbow Hero candidates in the past.
Entei fell silent.
It knew clearly that Marshadow was right.
Humans were humans.
Pokémon were Pokémon.
Humans could not live like Pokémon forever.
They belonged to humanity, to cities.
After raising the little one for so long, if it were to send him back to a human town now…
Even a selfless and upright Pokémon like Entei felt a selfish thought rise within.
The little one relied on it so much and treated it like a father.
If he were sent away, he would surely cry loudly.
Entei gazed at his face in silence for a long time, then made a decision.
“In that case, I will teach him to speak.”
Not human language, but the language of Pokémon.
“Right now, the little one is my child, a child raised by Pokémon.”
Marshadow was slightly stunned.
At that moment, the human infant’s eyelids fluttered, as if he were about to wake.
Seeing this, Marshadow silently sank back into the shadows.
Seeing Entei’s fluffy face before him, he yawned in reassurance.
What time was it?
He glanced outside and saw that it was still snowing heavily.
After sleeping, he felt completely refreshed.
Sitting beside Entei, he stared at the snow with boredom.
If he were an ordinary baby, he might feel nothing about this.
But with the soul of an adult, Atlas sighed helplessly.
A child’s life was really boring.
“Little one.”
Entei’s voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
“Uwa?” Atlas turned to look at it.
“Starting today, I will teach you to speak. To speak our Pokémon language.”
Atlas’s eyes widened.
What?
Entei was going to teach him Pokémon language?
But he was human.
Although he was now one year and one month old, and his developing vocal cords could manage simple words like dad, mom, yes, want, no…
Pokémon language was something else entirely.
“Do you want to learn?” Entei asked gently.
After a brief moment of shock, Atlas quickly understood.
If he learned Pokémon language, would he not be able to understand wild Pokémon directly in the future?
Aside from lacking healing ability, would that not be a simplified version of the power of Viridian?
Realizing this, Atlas nodded eagerly.
“Very good.”
This time Entei did not use telepathy.
Instead, it let out a roar that sounded somewhat like a lion and somewhat like a tiger.
“En tei!”
“En… tei?” Atlas repeated.
“Entei,” came the telepathic explanation.
“That is my name.”
“En… tei?” Atlas tried to mimic the sound in Pokémon speech.
Entei nodded, then spoke again.
“Fa ther!”
Atlas blinked.
It sounded almost the same.
He looked into Entei’s eyes and quickly realized.
No, it was not the same.
The gaze and tone were completely different.
“This means father,” Entei said slowly.
“Fa ther. Father. I am your father. You are my child.”
Atlas fell silent.
As expected, Entei truly regarded him as its own child.
As an adult in mind, he simply could not call a Pokémon father.
He pretended not to understand.
“Fa ter?”
“Fa ther,” Entei corrected.
“Fa her!” Atlas imitated again.
Still wrong.
Is it too difficult?
Entei wondered, but it did not mind.
Instead, it began teaching other simple phrases.
Want.
Do not want.
Hungry.
Toilet.
Drink water.
Berry.
Sleep.
It turned out that environment played a decisive role in language learning.
In just two weeks, under Entei’s steady instruction, Atlas was already able to discern meanings from the tone and emotions in its roars.
He even had a feeling that if he stayed in this environment long enough, one day he would be able to converse with Entei without telepathy, just like humans did.
So this was Pokémon language.
In the games, N could understand Pokémon speech.
Had he learned it in this way?
If he mastered this language, could he communicate with other wild Pokémon as well?
(End of Chapter)