After helping Raikou brush the snow from its fur, Fuyuki suddenly remembered something.
Suicune had seemed to come by earlier, but it had left again.
He peered out of the cave, and sure enough, there was no sign of Suicune outside.
Come to think of it, ever since that last meeting, he had barely seen Suicune at all.
Entei had said Suicune would stay on Mount Tensei until Ho-Oh returned.
But winter was already here. Snow was falling from the sky, and there was still no sign of Ho-Oh.
"What's wrong, Little One?" Entei stepped closer and asked.
"Suicune seemed to come by just now," Fuyuki said.
Entei lifted its head and looked toward the distance. It really could sense the lingering trace Suicune had left behind.
Fuyuki stared at the heavy snow outside.
Snow was everywhere this season. They were hiding out in this warm, comfortable Secret Base, while Suicune was left alone in the cold. That didn't feel quite right.
"How about we invite Suicune to come stay with us for the winter?" he asked, looking up at Entei.
"No need to worry," Raikou said as it walked up from behind. "Suicune isn't an idiot. In weather like this, it'll find shelter on its own."
Entei shot it a sharp look, its voice firm. "The Little One is worried about Suicune."
"I don't care," Raikou said, sprawled across the rug Fuyuki had bought, tiger-like eyes half-lidded as it watched the snowfall outside.
"Enough," Entei said. "You stay here and look after the Little One. I'll go bring Suicune back."
After a brief reminder, Entei left Fuyuki in Raikou's care and ran straight into the swirling snow. Its figure was quickly swallowed by the wind and white.
Raikou snorted, two puffs of breath spilling from its nostrils. With Entei gone, the Secret Base lost its main heat source. Cold wind mixed with snowflakes blew into the cave now and then, and the temperature dropped fast.
"So cold!" Fuyuki shivered.
"Come here." Raikou's tone sounded indifferent, but its actions were the complete opposite.
Fuyuki immediately ran over and burrowed into the thick fur beneath Raikou's belly, flipping open the system shop.
In weather like this, he really needed to buy a door to block the cave entrance and keep the cold air out.
As he browsed, he asked, "Did you run into anything interesting when you went out this time, Raikou?"
"No," Raikou shook its head. Most of its time was spent out in the wild, helping Pokemon that needed it.
Those experiences didn't really count as fun.
"Then did you get hurt?" Fuyuki asked.
Raikou suddenly remembered the first time it had met this child, how the little one had noticed its injury and helped heal it without hesitation.
At that moment, Raikou finally understood why Fuyuki had asked Entei to bring Suicune back.
Because their Little One was born with a kind heart.
Looking down at the adorable child beneath it, Raikou's instincts as a feline Pokemon surged. Before it could stop itself, it wrapped a paw around Fuyuki, pulled him closer, and started a new round of enthusiastic big-cat grooming.
Fuyuki: "?"
Out in the storm, Suicune was searching for a cave to shelter from the snow when it suddenly sensed Entei's presence rapidly approaching.
It stopped and turned around.
"Come with me, Suicune," Entei said through the snow. "Back to our place. The Little One wants you to spend the winter with us."
Suicune froze slightly, staring at Entei through the curtain of falling snow.
"Why?" it asked.
"The Little One is worried you don't have anywhere to go," Entei replied in a deep voice, "and that you might get sick in this blizzard."
Suicune fell silent.
As Legendary Pokemon, their bodies had long since changed. Or rather, from the moment Ho-Oh revived them, they were no longer ordinary Pokemon.
Their existence had reached an entirely different level.
Illness was almost impossible for them.
And yet, what shocked Suicune was that a human child it had met only once would worry about something like that.
Entei turned away. "I don't want the Little One to be disappointed. Come with us."
Suicune was quiet for a moment, then spoke softly. "I understand."
The two Pokemon passed through the raging snowstorm one after the other and returned to Fuyuki's Secret Base.
When Entei arrived, it immediately saw Raikou overstepping its bounds, licking the Little One's cheeks.
Entei frowned at once.
It walked over, gently lifted the child, who was already a little chilly, out of Raikou's embrace, and carried him aside, using its own body heat to warm him.
Raikou's voice boomed like thunder, tinged with anger. "Entei, what are you doing?! I wasn't done grooming him!"
"The Little One is my child," Entei thought coolly. "I'm the only father in his heart."
With a hint of disdain toward Raikou, Entei began grooming the child again, deliberately licking away the scent Raikou had left behind.
"He's my child too!" Raikou shot back.
"I'm the one who brought him back," Entei said, brows knitting.
"You said it yourself," Raikou growled, fury creeping into its voice, "that the Little One isn't just your child. He's my child too!"
Entei simply stared at it, imposing and silent.
"You also said it yourself," Entei replied, "that humans are deceitful and can't be trusted. You said that even if I brought the Little One back, you wouldn't care about him at all."
Raikou bristled, embarrassed and angry. "That was in the past!"
Fuyuki: "..."
Suicune: "..."
Were these two big cats… fighting over custody?
Fuyuki was completely lost.
Even Suicune, usually calm as still water, couldn't hide its shock at the scene.
Were these really the Entei and Raikou it knew?
In a daze, its gaze met the eyes of the human child at the center of the chaos.
"Stop fighting!"
At Fuyuki's shout, both big cats immediately looked at him.
Entei didn't want to put the Little One in a difficult position. It stopped arguing with Raikou and released a wave of heat. In no time, the cave warmed up again.
Raikou snorted and lay back down on the rug.
Suicune watched the scene, unsure whether it should step forward or retreat.
Suddenly, a loud boom echoed from behind.
Suicune spun around and saw a large door had appeared at the cave entrance, sealing off the howling snow outside.
[Suicune was extremely shocked by the door that appeared out of thin air. Shock Points from Suicune +50!]
Raikou and Entei, on the other hand, were completely unfazed. The moment the door appeared, they knew the Little One had used his power again.
Seeing how calm the two of them were, Suicune froze.
"This is…?" it asked hesitantly.
"I made it!" Fuyuki grinned.
"No need to be surprised," Entei said slowly. "You'll get used to it."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
You can read up to chapter 60 and more soon on patreon.com/NiaXD.