Fuyuki nodded, then climbed onto Entei and headed toward Cubone and its mother's dwelling together.
The mother and child had been living in a small cave. When Fuyuki arrived, there was indeed no sign of Marowak. Instead, he found a pile of berries inside the cave.
"Cubone, what are these?" Fuyuki blinked, then asked.
"Cu-bone!" Cubone explained that its mother had brought all of these back from outside not long ago.
"So it seems like Marowak left during the night," Fuyuki murmured thoughtfully.
"Did your mom say anything to you?" Fuyuki asked.
Tears glistened in Cubone's eyes as it shook its head: "Cu..."
"Don't worry. Maybe your mom just got stuck somewhere. Let's search the forest for her first!" Fuyuki comforted it.
"Cu..." Cubone wiped the tears from its eyes. Though worried and heartbroken, there was nothing else it could do. It could only place its hope in Fuyuki.
Without another word, Fuyuki rode Entei with Cubone in tow and began scouring the forest.
Along the way, they encountered many Pokemon.
The Nidoking family, Electivire and Magmar, Rhyhorn, Butterfree, Magneton, Oddish, Bellsprout...
They all looked over the moment they saw Fuyuki.
Fuyuki rallied as many of them as he could to help with the search.
Most of the forest Pokemon had received his help at some point. Hearing the situation, they all eagerly pitched in.
The Nidoking family searched through the forest while calling out Marowak's name.
Butterfree flew into the air, using its compound eyes to scan the forest.
Even Electivire and Magmar, the perpetual rivals who were always fighting, began working together.
Yet despite all their searching, they came up empty.
Marowak had seemingly vanished into thin air.
"Could she have been caught by a human trainer?" Fuyuki couldn't help but frown.
That would be a real problem. While Marowak might refuse capture because of Cubone, human trainers typically knocked Pokemon unconscious first, capturing them while they couldn't resist.
"Cu..."
Cubone was on the verge of tears.
Just then, they arrived at Arcanine's territory.
Seeing so many Pokemon gathered together, Arcanine trotted over curiously to see what was happening.
"Woof?"
The sight of Arcanine sparked an idea in Fuyuki's mind.
Everyone knew that Arcanine had a famously keen sense of smell.
That was precisely why they served as police dogs in the human world, working alongside humans.
With that thought, Fuyuki immediately said: "Arcanine, Cubone's mom is missing. Can you use your nose to help find her?"
This Arcanine had a heart of justice. Hearing this, it didn't hesitate for a second before nodding in agreement.
"Woof!"
It first ran up to Cubone, picking up Marowak's scent from its body, then began twitching its nose, carefully searching through the air.
The gathered Pokemon held their breath, waiting for Arcanine's results.
"Woof!"
After a moment, Arcanine suddenly barked. Its gaze locked onto a direction, and it took the lead.
Seeing this, Cubone's eyes lit up.
Fuyuki and Entei hurried after it.
They passed through the forest and entered a stretch of rolling mountains. Following a mountain path, they continued forward, and after passing through a narrow cave, they emerged into a secluded valley.
The mother Cubone had been desperately searching for now lay in the center, eyes shut tight, resting among a pile of bones.
The glow had already faded from her body. The bone she had always gripped tightly lay on the ground beside her, her hands hanging limp and lifeless.
Even as young and naive as Cubone was, it understood what had happened.
Its face twisted with grief as it rushed forward, clutching its mother's remains, and burst into anguished, wailing cries.
"Cu-bone!"
Taking in the scene around him, Fuyuki understood immediately.
Legend had it that somewhere in the world, there existed a burial ground belonging solely to the Marowak.
Every Marowak, before its life reached its end, would travel there alone to quietly await death.
But this Marowak simply couldn't let go of her child. Before leaving, she had used every last bit of her strength to gather a pile of berries and bring them back to the cave.
It was the last thing she could leave for her child.
And this place... was the legendary burial ground of the Marowak.
Every Marowak, as its life neared its end, would come here alone.
Cubone's sorrowful cries echoed through the valley. Not a single Pokemon watching could hold back the ache in their chest.
Fuyuki opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but not knowing how.
Then suddenly, he thought of the Rainbow Feather Ho-Oh had once given him.
It contained Ho-Oh's power. If he used Sacred Fire to burn it into Sacred Ash and applied it to Marowak, perhaps she could open her eyes again!
But when Fuyuki relayed this idea to Entei, it solemnly shook its head.
"It won't work. Ho-Oh's power can only revive the fallen. Marowak's soul has already left her body. Her life has reached its end. Even Sacred Ash would have no effect."
"But..." Fuyuki understood the reasoning, but looking at the scene before him, it hurt so much.
"Cubone." Fuyuki walked over and gently patted Cubone's back. He wanted to comfort it but simply didn't know what to say.
In a situation like this, words were probably useless anyway.
Maybe what Cubone needed was someone to hold it.
He wrapped his arms around Cubone and silently patted its back.
Cubone cried for a long, long time, until it finally passed out from sheer grief.
The rain was still falling.
Fuyuki could no longer tell whether the wetness on Cubone's face was tears or rain.
He lifted Cubone up, then turned to the gathered Pokemon. "Thank you all for today. You should head back first."
The Pokemon gradually dispersed.
Fuyuki carried Cubone back to their Secret Base.
In its unconscious state, Cubone let out sorrowful murmurs in its sleep. Even while passed out, it still hiccupped with quiet sobs from time to time.
Fuyuki was infected by this grief, or perhaps it stirred something within him. His chest felt tight, and he leaned his whole body against Entei.
"Entei, what should we do?" Fuyuki couldn't help but ask. What he really wanted to know was what would happen to this Cubone now that Marowak was gone.
"Mm..." Entei let out a slow sigh before answering: "This is something it can only work through on its own."
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You can read up to chapter 90 and more soon on patreon.com/NiaXD.