Yan Yang and Wang Yan

Wang Yan rode Charizard down from the sky.

From above, he had seen Entei arrive in his backyard. He was a little curious—Entei had come looking for him again so soon. And there was a child beside him, wearing the shoes Wang Yan had bought for Entei before. That was probably why Entei had bought all those things back then.

After a brief greeting, Entei wanted to get straight to the point. However, the language barrier made the conversation less than smooth.

Yan Yang could not bear to watch any longer. He could speak human language, so he prepared to act as their interpreter.

"Dad needs your help with something."

The words instantly surprised both sides.

Entei thought, Hm? Little Sun can speak human language? After all, Yan Yang had grown up with them and learned only Pokémon language. He had never had the chance to learn human language.

Wang Yan thought, Well, damn. They really are the relationship I thought they were.

Still, the conversation could continue. With Yan Yang serving as the bridge between them, the discussion soon flowed smoothly.

"There is a group of Pokémon Hunters from Kalos in the forest near where we live. We are preparing to deal with them. But we will need human assistance afterward, so we came to ask for your help."

After learning what Entei wanted, Wang Yan said he understood and that he would help.

Entei nodded in thanks, then took Charizard to the woods outside. He left Yan Yang behind, apparently wanting him to get to know Wang Yan better.

Yan Yang was a little nervous. This was the first time since coming to this world that he had been alone with someone else. On top of that, he had always been shy and not very good at speaking in front of strangers. He simply stood there blankly, muttering inwardly, Why did they leave me here alone? This is so awkward.

Entei naturally had his own reasons. He wanted Yan Yang to interact more with humans and build a good relationship with Wang Yan, so that Yan Yang would have someone to rely on when he returned to human society in the future.

Besides, Entei had never expected Yan Yang to be able to speak human language. It was only natural for him to have a proper conversation with Wang Yan.

Wang Yan roughly understood Entei's intentions. Pokémon were not that hard to read, so he led Yan Yang inside.

As the front door opened, a spacious, brightly lit living room came into Yan Yang's view. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows and spilled across the soft carpet.

The entire room was decorated in warm cream tones, accented by brighter colors. Photographs hung on the walls—some of Pokémon, some of people. In the center was a large group photo, with people and Pokémon gathered happily together. It looked incredibly warm.

A comfortable set of Pikachu-patterned sofas stood in the middle of the living room. Beside them was a round table holding several small Poké Ball-shaped ornaments, along with a few books about Pokémon.

A small gaming area had been set up in one corner, with a computer and various Pokémon-themed figures and posters hanging beside it. The most eye-catching ones were Charizard's and Arcanine's... It was obvious that the owner of this home truly loved Pokémon.

The design reminded Yan Yang of the Secret Base settings from Pokémon games. It really did look quite similar.

Wang Yan invited Yan Yang to sit down, poured him a glass of juice, and sat facing him.

"So? This place looks pretty nice, doesn't it?"

Yan Yang nervously gripped his cup, unsure what to say. With Entei gone, he felt somewhat insecure. Even though the person across from him looked completely harmless, he was still nervous.

"Don't be afraid. Your big brother here isn't a bad guy." Wang Yan did his best to put on a friendly expression. He knew this child was probably meeting other people for the first time, so it was normal for him to feel at a loss. He would be fine after a while.

Yan Yang knew he should not stay silent. He took a few soft breaths before speaking. "I-I didn't mean that."

Seeing that Yan Yang was willing to talk to him, Wang Yan began communicating with him step by step. Before long, Yan Yang was able to speak to him quite naturally.

After a pleasant conversation, both of them came to understand each other a little better.

Wang Yan gained a rough understanding of Yan Yang's experiences and also understood Entei's intentions.

Yan Yang also learned a little about Wang Yan. He was an outstanding Pokémon Trainer, and both his parents were businesspeople whose main business involved Pokémon-related products. He had an older sister who worked at the police station. The Growlithe from before was the child of an Arcanine at the station; it had come to their home because it had taken a liking to his sister. There were other things as well... Overall, it was a wealthy and happy family.

Pokémon Trainers were never poor. After all, how could anyone raise Pokémon without money? Prices here were not as outrageous as in other novels, either—only about two or three times the normal prices of items in the games.

After receiving Ho-Oh's feather, Wang Yan had sworn to become a powerful Trainer.

Failing the Legendary Beasts' trial afterward had discouraged him for a time, but he quickly recovered. He continued working hard with his Pokémon and eventually became a somewhat well-known Trainer, reaching the top eight in the previous Johto League Tournament.

Now, he was preparing for the next League Tournament. He wanted to join the League and make something of himself.

His decision to accept Entei's request this time also carried a small selfish motive. He wanted to use this opportunity to take another step toward his goal.

Having dreams really was admirable. Yan Yang himself had not yet considered what he wanted to do when he grew up.

Why think about so much? I can worry about growing up when I'm grown up. Right now, I should think about other things.

"Can I look around?"

"Of course."

With the owner's permission, Yan Yang began wandering around the living room. He then picked up a newspaper from the table and started reading it.

Wang Yan was surprised that the child could actually understand what was written. Had Entei taught him?

This was starting to get interesting.

After reading the newspaper for quite a while, Yan Yang noticed something was off. This place was a little different from the Pokémon anime world he knew.

This should have been Goldenrod City. Many famous buildings were indeed present, and the Gym was indeed a Normal-type Gym. However, the Gym Leader was not the familiar person he knew, but someone he had never seen before.

Places such as Cherrygrove City, which originally did not have Gyms, had Gyms here as well. There also seemed to be other cities that had not originally existed, and the Elite Four and League Champion were not people he recognized either...

It seemed the Pokémon world he had crossed into was not the one from the games or anime, but some parallel world—just like how Ash had crossed into a parallel world in Alola.

Fortunately, it was not completely different. Aside from the people, most of the settings were still similar.

For example, the Pokémon legends were roughly the same. The Burned Tower in Ecruteak City, the legends of Ho-Oh and Lugia, the Legendary Beasts, and so on were all much like what he knew.

But that probably meant he would not meet anyone familiar. He had originally wanted to see whether he might have a chance to meet Ash and the others, but now it seemed difficult. He could only see whether Pokémon like Celebi might give him a chance to find the anime world.

It seemed he would have to be more careful in the future. He could not keep using the anime as a reference.

After reading for a while longer, Entei's voice came from outside. Entei had already given Charizard a thorough lesson and was now calling for Yan Yang to return.

After thanking Wang Yan, Yan Yang ran outside to fetch Hawlucha, then rode Entei home.

Wang Yan watched them leave. Beside him, Charizard looked excited. He could feel that his strength had truly improved a great deal. Was this the power of a Legendary Pokémon?

Wang Yan stroked Charizard's neck, uncertain what he was contemplating.

Entei had quietly told him that, five years from now, he would send Yan Yang into the human world. At that time, he hoped Wang Yan would continue looking after him. Was this an opportunity?

Yan Yang, protected by Legendary Pokémon, was surely destined for a wonderful future.

Wang Yan found himself looking forward to it. What interesting things would happen when a child raised by Legendary Pokémon returned to human society?