Entei's Worries

By the time Yan Yang returned home, night had completely fallen, and the entire sky was shrouded in darkness, like a vast black cloth draped overhead.

Entei stood at the cave entrance, watching Yan Yang with a stern expression that also carried a trace of relief.

Yan Yang knew he had gone a little overboard with his fun this time and had inevitably made Entei worry, so he started acting cute.

This trick had always worked.

Even though his mental age was far from young, he still did not feel embarrassed acting spoiled, as though he never needed to hide himself in front of Entei.

Litleo stared in a daze before catching on and immediately putting what he had learned into practice. He shook his head, swayed his body, and let out several kitten-like cries.

Watching the childish antics of one human and one Pokémon, Entei declared that he did not know either of them.

Still, his expression softened considerably, and it seemed he would not make too much of a fuss over their late return.

After a brief exchange, he learned that they had returned late because they had helped other Pokémon look for something, which put him in an even better mood.

A righteous Pokémon liked doing righteous things. Wasn't the fact that his own child liked them too a kind of inheritance?

Then, as though remembering something, Entei's expression turned worried.

"I'm going out tomorrow. I'll be gone for a while."

Yan Yang sensed that something was off. Entei often went out, sometimes even staying away for several days, but never before had he seemed so preoccupied, as if something major had happened.

"Did something happen, Dad?"

Entei saw Yan Yang's concern clearly, but this time, he did not explain much.

"It's nothing. Don't worry." Entei shook his head.

Yan Yang became increasingly convinced that something serious might happen to Entei this time. Could it be that Ho-Oh had summoned him?

Yan Yang had a favorable impression of Ho-Oh, who had resurrected the Legendary Beasts, but he had yet to meet him and did not know what he should call him when the time came.

"Don't overthink it. Go to sleep." Entei forcibly tucked Yan Yang beneath him, intending to make him get some proper rest.

After all, they had already eaten outside.

Litleo also found a spot nearby and lay down.

This was how they had slept these past few days.

From a distance, it looked like a little lion and a child sleeping beside a large lion, a warm and harmonious sight.

Although Yan Yang still had some doubts, he obediently went to sleep.

At dawn, fresh air gradually filled the surroundings. The remaining snow from winter had mostly melted away. The sunlight had yet to pierce the sky, but the birds outside had already begun to sing.

Entei was already awake. He carefully got up, afraid of waking the two children who were still fast asleep.

Though he had done this countless times, he remained cautious. A child's dreams were the purest and most beautiful things, and he could not ruin their sweet dreams.

After getting up, he saw no signs of Yan Yang or Litleo waking, which made him sigh in relief.

Entei looked at them with both comfort and concern.

The Legendary Beasts had a special means of communication. Just last night, Entei had received a distress message from Raikou.

That fellow seemed to have run into serious trouble. Otherwise, given Raikou's personality, he would not casually ask them for help.

However, for that fellow to send an emergency plea like this, other humans must have interfered.

Ever since the Articuno Incident, Entei had been highly vigilant. It seemed that this time, those humans had set their sights on them.

Thinking of that little device used to control Articuno, Entei still felt a little afraid.

Even Articuno had been unable to remain calm after wearing that thing. How much better could he possibly fare?

He had not feared such things in the past, but now he was no longer alone. He truly feared what Yan Yang would do if something happened to him. That Litleo called Yan Bao had not yet grown up and could not protect him.

Having a weakness truly did not feel good. He was no longer the fearless Volcano Pokémon he had once been, daring to think and daring to charge ahead.

Still, with someone he was willing to protect, even an ordinary life had become wonderful.

Entei stretched slightly, took one last look at the sleeping Yan Yang, and then ran in Raikou's direction.

An hour later, Yan Yang slowly opened his eyes.

Having just woken up, he quickly noticed that Entei had already left.

How should he put it? Yan Yang felt strangely empty inside.

What exactly was Entei going to do?

He had a strong feeling that this time, Entei was going to do something dangerous.

Litleo woke up as well. His stomach was already growling with hunger, and he clamored for food.

Yan Yang prepared breakfast nearby. Pokémon only went through a very short fragile period; after a few days, they could eat normally.

As a carnivorous Pokémon, Litleo definitely could not live on Berries alone. He still needed meat for nourishment.

Fortunately, there were several cans of meat among the things Entei had brought back last time, enough to meet his needs for the moment.

Come to think of it, Yan Yang did not quite understand why Entei had brought canned meat when he himself did not eat meat. Most likely, Brother Wang Yan had prepared it.

There was enough of it too—enough for Yan Bao to eat for a week.

If they ran out, they would have to find a way to go out and hunt. But with Entei around, hunting was not much of a problem.

Fortunately, there were animals other than Pokémon. Otherwise, if he or his own Pokémon had to capture—or even eat—other Pokémon, he probably would not have had the courage to do it. That was indeed hard to accept.

Litleo gnawed on the canned food, his face brimming with a blissful smile.

He was simply the happiest Litleo in the world.

Yan Yang, meanwhile, picked up a Berry and began eating it.

Watching Yan Yang eat Berries nearby, Litleo looked at the half-finished can in front of him. He used his little paw to push it toward Yan Yang and looked at him expectantly.

Yan Yang: "?"

Why was Litleo pushing the can in front of me? Did he want me to eat it?

"This... is this for me?"

Litleo nodded.

Yan Yang was happy about Litleo's gesture, but it seemed he could not fulfill his expectations.

"You eat it yourself. I don't eat meat."

Litleo was a little disappointed, but since Yan Yang would not eat it, he could not waste food.

Litleo wolfed down the rest of the canned food.

After breakfast, Pidgeot's cry came from outside. It was probably here to deliver something.

"Caw caw caw~ Is anyone home?"

Yan Yang wanted to tease Pidgeot, so he said, "No."

Hearing that no one was home, Pidgeot actually believed it and turned to fly away.

But after flying a few meters, it realized something was wrong. If no one was there, where had that voice come from?

So it stormed inside in a huff. "Caw caw caw~ Well, well, Yan Yang, you actually dared to fool me."

Yan Yang looked utterly aggrieved and put on an innocent expression, as though he had not been the one who had just said no one was home.

Litleo was dumbfounded beside them. Hadn't he been grinning happily after successfully fooling Pidgeot just now? Why did he turn pitiful the moment Pidgeot came inside? How could one person have two faces?

Yan Yang patiently instructed him that when traveling outside, one had to assess the situation. Pretending to be innocent, playing the pig to eat the tiger, striking first, disguising oneself, and so on—all of it had to be done according to the circumstances. Only then could one roam freely, and safely retreat unscathed when danger arose.

Litleo did not understand, but it somehow sounded very reasonable.

Pidgeot could not stand it any longer. Did his conscience not hurt, misleading a child like this?

"Caw caw caw~ Believe it or not, I won't deliver your things. I'll take them away with me."

Yan Yang gave up pretending to be innocent and began to flatter it. "Oh my, Pidgeot, you look especially beautiful today. Your feathers are so lustrous; one can tell at a glance that everything will go smoothly today. But when I calculate with my fingers, if you show any sign of breaking your promise today, a great disaster will be upon you..."

"Caw caw caw~ Stop, stop, stop! Shut your mouth. I can't listen to this anymore." Pidgeot did not bother arguing with a little brat. It flew outside, picked up several stones, and carried them in.

"Here, these are some stones I've treasured for a long time. I'm giving them to you."

Pidgeot looked generous on the surface, but inwardly, it was still reluctant to part with them.

Pidgeot had painfully given up these stones. If it could help it, it would never have taken them out to give to anyone else. They were treasures it had collected for many years.

But they had helped it recover its favorite stone and had even sacrificed a large piece of sweet honey, so it ought to be a little more generous.

There were five or six stones, now laid out on the ground as though waiting for someone else to pick them up.

Yan Yang's gaze was drawn to two of the stones.

"This, isn't this..."