Chapter 4: Adoption
The next morning, the human and the Pokémon continued onward.
By around noon, they finally crossed Viridian Forest and arrived at an open plain.
With Holt on its back, Entei gazed into the distance. At the far end of the plain stood a human town.
That was the destination of their journey.
Entei planned to leave as soon as it delivered the little one there.
But at that moment, it suddenly heard a sound coming from its back.
Grrr...
Entei: ...
Silently, it placed Holt in a safe spot, then turned around and dashed back toward the forest.
Watching Entei's figure disappear from sight, Holt knew Entei had gone to find food for him again.
But... once Entei brought him to a town where humans lived, they would have to part ways, right?
He had only spent three days with Entei, and Entei had taken care of him for those same three days.
In Holt's heart, he was already rather reluctant to part with this smart, reliable Pokémon that knew how to care for others.
What would happen to him after this?
Strictly speaking, Holt had been in this world for less than ten months. Now that his parents were dead, he was far too young to live on his own.
And he had no maternal grandparents, no paternal grandparents, no relatives at all.
When the time came, he would only be able to live in an orphanage.
What a miserable fate.
Sigh...
Holt could not help but let out a sigh.
Hiss—
From the grass, a slender purple snake-like Pokémon about one meter long silently slithered toward Holt's position.
It was an Ekans.
This was a young Ekans that had not yet fully matured. Its eyes locked onto the prey ahead while its tongue flicked lightly, sensing the prey's scent and any danger nearby.
A perfect chance!
The prey had not noticed its approach, and there was no danger around!
Ekans instantly realized this was an excellent moment to strike. It silently circled behind the prey, just about to attack, when a furious roar suddenly thundered from nearby.
Entei had just returned with several Berries in its mouth when it saw a wild Pokémon preparing to hunt the little one.
Its eyes widened in rage, and its voice crashed down like thunder as it shouted:
"Get away!"
A terrifying pressure swept out from its body.
Ekans instantly sensed the danger. In a panic, it abandoned the hunt at once, turned, and dove into the grass, disappearing in moments.
By the time Holt realized something was wrong and turned around, all he saw was the end of Ekans's tail.
Carrying the Berries, Entei quickly walked over to Holt, placed them in front of him, then lifted its head and looked toward the direction where Ekans had fled.
Only then did Holt realize what had just happened.
That Ekans had apparently mistaken him for prey and was about to hunt him!
The wilderness of the Pokémon world... really was dangerous after all.
"It's alright now."
Entei's solemn voice echoed in Holt's heart.
Entei withdrew its gaze, then sat down in front of Holt, looking at him with a stern expression.
The tension in Holt's heart slowly eased.
Thank goodness Entei was here...
This was already the second time Entei had saved him.
Without Entei, he would probably have died in that overturned car together with his parents.
But looking at the Entei before him, and at the town standing on the plain behind it, Holt knew the moment of parting was close.
Sigh...
If only he were a Trainer, he thought. Then he could catch Entei and stay with it forever.
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
With mixed emotions, he quietly sighed and ate the Berries.
Entei had already risen from the grass and was waiting nearby.
Holt reached out his arms and hugged Entei tightly.
Feeling the little one's movement, Entei froze slightly.
It silently looked at the little one before it, whose mood seemed down, and could not help feeling a little dazed.
Was the little one reluctant to part with it too?
Entei remained silent. It said nothing. It simply picked the little one up by the back of his clothes, tossed him onto its back, then broke into a run toward the human town.
This time, Entei did not stop to rest again. Carrying Holt, it reached the town before long.
"We're here. This is where you belong."
Entei held Holt in its mouth and set him down on the street.
It was a very small town.
It was midday, and most of the townspeople were inside eating lunch. There was almost no one to be seen outside.
Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, Holt had no idea where this place was.
It did not look like Viridian City. If anything, it seemed more like a remote rural town such as Pallet Town.
Holt looked around, taking in the surroundings.
But when he withdrew his gaze and looked back at Entei, all he saw was its back.
At some point, Entei had already turned around, seemingly preparing to leave.
Holt froze in place, staring straight at Entei.
Entei kept walking forward.
Although it appeared calm on the surface, its mind was in complete turmoil.
Scene after scene from the past three days with the little one flashed through its thoughts.
The little one's adorable face as he fed it a Berry.
The way he curled up in its embrace and slept peacefully.
The way he stayed where he was and waited for it to come back...
He relied on it so much.
Perhaps the little one had already come to see it as family.
Entei had never experienced this feeling before.
It was completely unfamiliar to it.
It was about to leave.
Would the little one cry?
His parents had left this world to protect Pokémon.
Now the little one no longer had any family.
And all of this had happened in order to protect Pokémon.
A trace of hesitation appeared in Entei's heart.
Its steps slowed slightly, and then it turned to look behind itself.
The little one was sitting there all alone, staring at it without blinking, as if he could not understand why Entei was leaving him here.
Like this, the little one looked both pitiful and foolishly innocent.
Entei froze.
Voices rose one after another in its mind, constantly warning it.
"The little one has no family anymore. Even if he returns to human territory, he has nowhere to go."
"The little one's parents died protecting Pokémon. Then we Pokémon should take care of their child."
"If I leave just like this, the little one will definitely cry his heart out, won't he?"
Entei gritted its teeth and closed its eyes.
After a brief struggle, it finally made its decision.
It opened its eyes again, turned around, and ran back to the little one. Gently, it picked him up by the back of his clothes and, without looking back, carried him away from the town.
Holt: ?