The Willing Entei

Entei was on his way to where Raikou was.

As he ran at full speed, his feelings were somewhat complicated.

Besides Raikou's increasingly urgent signals, he was also bewildered by the major decision he had made.

He was no longer the unrestrained Entei who loved freedom. Now, he had a deeper bond.

He himself did not know why he had voluntarily entered the ball, and he had not let anyone know yet.

He seemed to have guessed what Yan Yang would do while he was away. Perhaps he would officially catch that Litleo. His intuition had always been fairly accurate.

Entei was not particularly interested in that Litleo, but it was Yan Yang's Pokémon and, in his eyes, family as well. Naturally, Entei paid attention to Litleo's situation and was gradually adapting to the new member's arrival.

Entei treated all ordinary Pokémon equally. They were merely those who needed protecting, and beyond that, there was not much of a deeper relationship. After all, his lifespan was exceedingly long. He had seen generation after generation of Pokémon, and generation after generation of humans. He simply did not have the energy to remember so many.

Over all those long years, there were not many Pokémon or humans whom Entei truly remembered.

And Yan Yang was probably the one he understood most thoroughly, aside from Ho-Oh and the other two Legendary Beasts.

Perhaps from the moment he found him and decided to raise him—or, more precisely, from the first time he called him Dad—Entei had already gained the most indispensable thing in his life. No matter how he deceived himself, that could not be changed.

As long as he saw Yan Yang happy, Entei would be happy; when Yan Yang played too long and forgot to come back, Entei would worry; when Yan Yang fell asleep under his protection, Entei would feel an indescribable peace of mind.

Entei seemed to have completely sunk into this extraordinary familial affection.

Yan Yang had been obedient since childhood. If he made a mistake, telling him once was enough to ensure he would not make it again. Nor would he ask for anything excessive. He was the kind of child who put parents at ease.

Still, even if Yan Yang wanted something especially rare, Entei would do his utmost to find it for him.

Long ago, Entei had truly come to see Yan Yang as his own child.

Though countless thoughts filled Entei's mind, his pace never slowed. He continued racing forward like the wind.

He recalled a dream he had had many years ago: an Entei who regarded a human girl as his own child, an Entei willing to give everything for that girl.

Perhaps that dream had been an omen.

A hint that he, too, would one day give his all for a child.

The scorn he had once felt for that Entei had now turned into wholehearted understanding.

Perhaps this was the finest gift Heaven had given him.

Becoming Yan Yang's Pokémon might not betray the justice and mission he held in his heart.

That was what he had thought yesterday. While Yan Yang was still out playing and had yet to return, Entei made his decision—a decision that would change his life.

He would become Yan Yang's Pokémon, so that whenever Yan Yang encountered hardship or danger, he could leap out to protect him, even if Yan Yang might not need it.

And Entei had selfish motives as well. He knew Yan Yang was struggling over whether to officially catch Litleo, and he also knew Yan Yang would never ask to catch him.

Just say it. As long as you're willing, I'll agree.

After guessing what might happen after Yan Yang left, he made his decision without further hesitation.

Yan Yang's first Pokémon could not be any other Pokémon. It could only be Entei.

He did not want another Pokémon to steal something so meaningful.

Since you're afraid of embarrassing me, then I'll take the initiative myself.

It's just a shame you didn't get to witness it. Will you regret it?

Entei opened a Poké Ball himself and voluntarily entered it.

The capture succeeded. There was not even the slightest struggle that would make the Poké Ball shake a few times.

After staying inside for a while, Entei came back out of the Poké Ball on his own.

With Entei's strength, such a tiny Poké Ball could never hold him. Even if it were locked, if he wished, he could easily destroy it outright. But he would not do that.

If the ball broke, then he would no longer be Yan Yang's Pokémon.

The environment inside the Poké Ball was not very pleasant—far worse than outside.

But as a place to rest, it was adequate.

Entei put his Poké Ball back where it had been, and Yan Yang returned at that very moment...

The memory ended there. Entei stopped thinking and continued on his journey.

Before long, Entei finally arrived at his destination.

From afar, he saw Suicune fighting a group of Pokémon.

Knowing Suicune's strength very well, Entei found it strange. Suicune's power did not seem as strong as usual, as though it had been weakened.

Even if the opposing Pokémon were relatively high-level, they should not have made Suicune struggle like this.

As the leader of the Legendary Beasts—and Entei's elder brother—Suicune was immensely powerful. Though he disliked fighting, if it truly came down to it, neither Entei nor Raikou could defeat him alone.

Even if Suicune were holding back, he should not have been like this. That meant there was likely something nearby placed by humans—a device capable of suppressing Pokémon's strength.

Since raising a human child, Entei had become more composed and level-headed than he used to be, when he had been prone to impulsiveness. Influenced somewhat by his child, he would think more carefully whenever something happened.

The old him would definitely have charged in and started fighting, without wasting time considering anything else.

Entei decided to observe the situation first.

He continued forward for a while, and when he reached a certain threshold, he suddenly discovered that his strength had indeed weakened.

When he took a step back and left that area, the restraining force vanished.

Having determined the range of control, Entei began considering his next move.

Humans might have more strange devices like this. That control ring from before had given Entei quite a scare.

He truly was a little worried about being controlled by humans.

In the past, he might have feared doing something that would harm other Pokémon. Now, he was even more afraid of exposing Yan Yang.

Though the child never spoke of it, Entei knew he carried some little secrets. They might draw the attention of these bad people. Humans had always been interested in people or Pokémon with unusual circumstances or special abilities.

Entei had once destroyed an Experimental Base, so he knew just how cruel some people could be for the sake of certain things.

Yan Yang was still very young. Though he was somewhat mature for his age, he was still a child in the end and lacked the ability to protect himself.

His Pokémon had not yet grown strong enough to protect their trainer.

It seemed he would have to start training that Litleo early. Entei silently made his decision.

He recalled the time he had destroyed that human Experimental Base.

As though he had remembered some utterly inhumane scenes, Entei revealed an expression of sorrow.

Those people had been complete lunatics.

Even wiping them all out would not have been enough to ease his hatred.

One had to be especially cautious when dealing with people like them.

It would be one thing if he fell victim to them himself, but he absolutely could not drag other innocent people and Pokémon into it.

Entei quietly approached the group without making a sound.

For a Pokémon like Entei, who roamed everywhere, concealing his presence was a basic skill. Especially in places inhabited by humans, this skill could be of great use.

That was also why they had visited human society many times yet were rarely discovered by humans.

Unless cameras had been installed everywhere without a single blind spot, it was difficult for humans to track them.

Now, Entei used the skills he excelled at to approach these reckless villains and gather some information before taking further action.

To borrow something Yan Yang had once said by accident: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles."

Of course, Entei also believed that with Suicune's strength, dealing with this group would be easy.

He only needed to handle the aftermath.