Wang Yan and Entei

Winter was about to end, and spring was quietly approaching.

Tender green buds had already begun to emerge from the bare branches, heralding the revival of life.

The snow on the ground was gradually melting, leaving behind pools of clear water. Occasionally, hardy plants could be seen poking their heads out of the melted snowwater.

The air was filled with the scent of earth and new life, a refreshing blend.

Now and then, the gentle babble of distant streams thawing out could be heard. The sunlight was warm and soft, lending a touch of warmth and tranquility to the early spring scenery.

The hibernating Pokémon were also about to awaken. Most Pokémon had already begun growing active again—those flying in the sky, swimming in the water, and running across the ground were everywhere, bringing even more vitality to the forest.

Yan Yang excitedly ran out of the cave. Looking at the changes outside, he was in an exceptionally good mood.

The three months of winter had truly been far too long. During that time, he had barely gone out to exercise at all. He had stayed home all day, eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating. He could clearly feel that he had put on quite a bit of weight.

It was time to lose some weight. Yan Yang took a deep breath, then immediately started running.

Even though he was barefoot the whole time, it was no problem.

Entei emerged from the cave entrance, stretched lazily, and shook out his body. He watched Yan Yang run off right under his nose until he disappeared from sight.

Entei had no intention of chasing after him. Aside from taking Yan Yang out two or three times during the winter, they had basically stayed in the cave the entire time. Yan Yang must have been stifled badly. Now that winter was nearly over, Entei would let him go out and blow off some steam by himself.

The forest had been peaceful lately, with no real dangers. He could safely let Yan Yang wander around alone. With Entei always by his side, Little Sun seemed unable to fully relax.

And even if something unexpected happened, Little Sun should be able to handle it well in his current state. Most of the Pokémon nearby knew him too, so if he ran into trouble, he could call someone over to help. There was no need to worry too much.

So, since he had the time, Entei decided to head over to the humans' side and look around. He could pick up some supplies for the child while he was at it. Even now, Yan Yang was still barefoot like him.

Entei acted as soon as the thought occurred to him. He immediately got up and vanished from where he stood.

Before long, he arrived at a human settlement. Entei found a high spot to hide himself and silently observed the actions of the people he could see.

Some were buying and selling goods, some were performing street acts, and some were holding Pokémon battles. The streets were packed with people, and the place was incredibly lively.

Entei himself could not stand being surrounded by so many people, but it certainly was lively. Little Sun would probably like this sort of atmosphere.

In the square, a familiar Trainer caught his attention.

He was an energetic-looking young man wearing a baseball cap and casual clothes. At that moment, he was commanding his Charizard in battle against another human's Ludicolo.

"Charizard, Wing Attack!"

"Use Protect, then look for an opening to use Surf."

"Heat Wave!"

"Surf!"

The battle continued for a while, and in the end, Charizard finished it with a beautiful strike. The spectators erupted into enthusiastic applause.

After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, the two sides went their separate ways.

Entei quietly followed the man. After all, they could be considered acquaintances.

His name seemed to be Wang Yan. Entei's memories were a little hazy. He had been the previous generation's candidate Brave of the Rainbow. It seemed to have been eight years ago. Because he met the requirements, Ho-Oh had given him a feather, and he had begun following Ho-Oh's trail.

But he had been too young back then and had failed the earlier trials of the Legendary Beasts. As a result, he never even got the chance to learn where Ho-Oh resided, much less battle Ho-Oh. After that, they had gone their separate ways.

A Trainer who failed the trials was not yet qualified to meet Ho-Oh.

Still, Entei had a favorable impression of him. Charmeleon's unyielding will back then had moved him somewhat. Now that it had evolved into Charizard, its strength must have advanced by leaps and bounds. That much could be seen from the battle just now.

When they reached an uninhabited spot, Wang Yan suddenly turned around and came face-to-face with Entei, who had been following behind him.

"Long time no see, Entei!" Wang Yan was somewhat surprised. He had noticed someone following him a while ago, so he had deliberately come somewhere empty to see who it was. He had not expected it to be Entei.

Entei nodded. He had not made much effort to conceal his presence just now.

After some brief small talk, Wang Yan began discussing his experiences and the past. He said he had grown much stronger, and that if he had the chance in the future, he would definitely challenge Entei and the others again.

Charizard was also itching for a fight beside him, ready to have a proper battle with Entei. After all, it had once been thoroughly defeated by him.

But Entei had not come to fight him. He still had something important to do.

"Is there something you need from me?" Wang Yan asked when he saw that Entei did not seem to intend to battle.

Unlike Yan Yang, Wang Yan could not understand Pokémon language, so it took him quite some time to understand what Entei was saying.

"You want to learn about this city, and you also want to buy some things?"

Entei nodded.

Wang Yan was a little surprised. Observing the human world was indeed one of the Legendary Beasts' responsibilities, but why would Entei need to buy things? Did Entei even need to buy anything?

Still, he agreed. It was better not to speculate too much about the thoughts of a Legendary Pokémon.

But after hearing what Entei wanted, he could not help but think more about it.

Children's clothes, shoes, and food. Entei even asked what children liked to play with. Good grief, what did Entei need those things for? Was there some humanoid Pokémon that needed them?

Entei did not explain further. He remained especially cautious regarding Yan Yang. It was best not to let other humans know, lest it bring about a whole mess of trouble.

Naturally, Wang Yan would not refuse Entei's request. The things Entei wanted were not expensive—not even as costly as one day's food for Wang Yan's Pokémon. Wang Yan was not poor either, and he could easily afford them.

If he could earn Entei's goodwill with just those things, it was an absolute bargain.

As for what Entei wanted them for, that was not his concern.

Meanwhile, Yan Yang was still weaving through the forest.

He found a Big Tree that looked both thick and sturdy and immediately began climbing. His movements were nimble, and he quickly reached the fork in the branches, where he stood and looked around.

Not far away, long vines hung from the trees, with several Mankey swinging back and forth on them.

An idea struck him. He took a deep breath and leaped forward, firmly grabbing a vine. With a powerful kick, his whole body swung out along with it. Then he seized the next vine, repeating the process like a spirit of the mountains.

Pidgey and Bopo, who had been silently watching from the side, were both stunned. Seeing someone swing even faster than them, the hot-tempered Mankey became competitive one after another. They chased after Yan Yang ahead of them, seemingly determined to settle the matter with him on the vines.

Seeing the Mankey catching up behind him, Yan Yang sped up. When there were no more vines ahead, he spun 360 degrees and landed steadily on the ground.

Thus, this contest that had begun from who knew where came to an end.

The Mankey were somewhat dejected. A whole group of monkeys had actually lost to a single human at swinging on vines. It was simply too embarrassing.

Yan Yang gently comforted the disappointed Mankey, saying that he had started first, and that the vines he had already swung on were moving and difficult to grab, along with a few other reasons. At last, he managed to cheer the Mankey up.

After resting briefly, Yan Yang began running through the forest again, sometimes leaping over streams and sometimes dodging low shrubs.

The wind howled past his ears, bringing a cool, liberating feeling. Some Pokémon began running alongside him as well, chasing and playing around. The forest was filled with laughter and joy, and everyone got along harmoniously.

Perhaps that was the charm of the Pokémon world.

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