The next morning, the human and the Pokémon continued forward.
By around noon, they finally passed through Viridian Forest and arrived at an open plain.
With Atlas on its back, Entei gazed into the distance.
At the far end of the grasslands stood a human town.
That was the destination of this journey.
Entei intended to leave once it delivered the little one to that place.
Just then, however, it suddenly heard a sound coming from its back.
“Gurgle—gurgle!”
A series of loud stomach growls echoed out.
Entei fell silent.
Without a word, it carefully placed Atlas down in a safe spot, then turned and dashed back toward the forest.
Watching Entei’s figure disappear from sight, Atlas understood that it had gone to find food for him again.
But once Entei sent him to a human town, they would part ways.
They had spent three days together.
Entei had taken care of him for three days.
For this intelligent, reliable Pokémon who knew how to care for others, Atlas felt genuine reluctance in his heart.
What would happen to him after this?
He had been in this world for less than ten months.
Now that his parents were gone, he was far too young to live independently.
He had no grandparents or relatives either.
When the time came, he would probably be sent to an orphanage.
It was a rather bleak prospect.
“Ah…”
Atlas let out a small sigh.
A faint hissing sound came from the grass.
A slender purple snake Pokémon about one meter long was silently moving toward Atlas’s position.
It was an Ekans.
This was a juvenile Ekans.
Its gaze locked onto the prey ahead while its tongue flicked lightly, sensing both the scent of its target and any surrounding danger.
A perfect opportunity.
The prey had not noticed it, and there was no sign of danger nearby.
Recognizing the excellent timing, Ekans quietly circled behind its target and prepared to strike.
Just as it was about to attack, an enraged roar thundered from not far away.
Entei had just returned with several berries in its mouth when it saw a wild Pokémon attempting to hunt the little one.
Its eyes widened in fury, and its voice boomed like rolling thunder.
“Begone!”
A terrifying pressure burst outward from its body.
Ekans instantly sensed the danger.
Panic surged through it.
It abandoned the hunt without hesitation, turned, and slithered into the grass, disappearing in moments.
When Atlas sensed that something was wrong and turned his head, he only caught sight of Ekans’s retreating tail.
Entei strode forward, placed the berries in front of Atlas, then lifted its head and looked toward the direction where Ekans had fled.
Only then did Atlas realize what had almost happened.
That Ekans had treated him as prey.
The wilderness of the Pokémon world was indeed dangerous.
“It is fine now.”
Entei’s solemn voice echoed within Atlas’s mind.
Entei withdrew its gaze and sat down before him, watching him with a dignified expression.
Atlas slowly let out a breath of relief.
Thankfully, Entei was here.
This was already the second time Entei had saved him.
Without Entei, he likely would have died alongside his parents in that overturned car.
But when he looked at Entei, and beyond it at the town standing across the plain, he knew that the moment of separation was near.
“Ah…”
If only I were a Trainer, he thought.
Then I could capture Entei and stay with it forever.
But that was impossible.
He lowered his head and finished eating the berries, his emotions complicated.
Entei had already stood up and was waiting nearby.
Atlas suddenly reached out his small arms and hugged Entei tightly.
Entei froze slightly at the unexpected gesture.
It looked down at the little one, whose mood clearly seemed subdued, and felt a flicker of surprise.
Was the little one reluctant to part with it as well?
Entei said nothing.
It simply picked up the child by the back of his clothing, placed him on its back, and began running toward the human town.
This time, Entei did not stop to rest.
Carrying Atlas, it soon arrived at the entrance of the settlement.
“We’re here. This is where you belong.”
Entei set Atlas down gently on the street.
It was a small town.
At midday, most residents were inside enjoying their meals.
There was almost no one outside.
Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, Atlas had no idea where he was.
It did not look like Viridian City.
It resembled more a quiet rural town like Pallet Town.
He turned his head, surveying the area.
But when he looked back at Entei, he only saw its back.
At some point, Entei had already turned around.
It seemed ready to leave.
Atlas froze, staring at it without blinking.
Entei walked forward steadily.
On the surface, it appeared calm, yet its mind was in turmoil.
Scenes from the past three days flashed repeatedly through its thoughts.
The adorable way the little one had fed it berries.
The way the little one had curled up peacefully in its embrace while sleeping.
The way the little one had waited in place for its return.
He relied on it so much.
Perhaps he had already come to regard it as family.
Entei had never experienced such a feeling before.
It was unfamiliar and unsettling.
If it left now, would the little one cry?
The child’s parents had died protecting Pokémon.
Now he had no family left.
And all of it had happened for the sake of Pokémon.
A trace of hesitation stirred within Entei’s heart.
Its steps slowed.
It turned its head and looked back.
The little one sat alone on the ground, staring at it without blinking, as though unable to understand why he had been left there.
He looked both pitiful and foolishly innocent.
Entei stood frozen.
Voices seemed to echo in its mind, urging it again and again.
“The little one has no family. Even if he returns to human territory, he has nowhere to go.”
“His parents died protecting Pokémon. As Pokémon, we should take care of their child.”
“If I leave like this, he will surely cry his heart out.”
Entei clenched its teeth.
It closed its eyes.
After a brief but intense struggle, it made its decision.
It opened its eyes once more, turned around, and ran back toward the little one.
With careful gentleness, it picked him up by the back of his clothing and, without looking back again, carried him away from the town.
Atlas could only stare in confusion.
(End of Chapter)