Confession, Raikou Arrives First

Entei had his own reasons for healing that Houndoom.

He had always admired those Pokémon that were willing to give everything to protect their trainers.

Especially now that he was Yan Yang's Pokémon, this sense of admiration had grown even stronger, accompanied by a hint of empathy.

Having overheard some information earlier, he knew that the one called Qing Mu did not intend to abandon it, so Entei took the opportunity while punishing that group to use his sacred fire to heal the Houndoom.

It was truly an extremely loyal Pokémon, it was just a pity it had chosen the wrong master.

Even if Qing Mu still had a shred of conscience, it wouldn't change Entei's opinion of him; fundamentally, he was still a villain who would stop at nothing.

But he wasn't thinking about that right now; he was busy figuring out how to explain to his big, foolish brother Raikou that he had a child.

Raikou didn't know who Yan Yang was, and when Suicune had mentioned it, he had found it all rather baffling.

However, looking at it now, this human or Pokémon named Yan Yang clearly had a deep connection with Entei.

And Suicune knew about this, too.

So you both have little secrets now, and you didn't even tell me.

Raikou felt like he was being left out.

He was a bit angry now, the kind of angry that wouldn't dissipate until he was given a clear explanation.

Entei looked at Raikou's expression and felt a bit helpless; this guy was still the same as he had always been.

Nevertheless, he gave a concise and clear explanation of the situation.

Of course, Entei did not mention that he had become a Pokémon with a trainer; he would save that for the next time he met Ho-Oh.

Entei planned to confess to his benefactor first; if Ho-Oh didn't object, that would be for the best, but if he didn't agree, Entei was prepared to take Yan Yang and leave.

There were still two years until their next meeting with Ho-Oh, so there was no rush.

Raikou listened, stunned, never expecting that after all these years, his little brother would have a kid.

He actually had a kid!

It was a pity it was a human child; humans were so annoying, and they weren't cute at all once they grew up.

But since it was still a child, Raikou didn't mind.

He hadn't reached the point where he hated even human children.

Cubs and the like naturally had no malicious intent; they were simple and quite adorable.

Raikou had never played with a human child before, and now he was already a little impatient.

"You have a fun little cub and didn't tell me sooner? Take me to see it, you didn't even let it meet its Second Uncle, how could you?" Raikou's four legs were restless, eager to set off first.

The other two legendary beasts were quite surprised; this guy was actually looking forward to it—was he still the same big tiger that loathed humans?

But this could be considered a good thing; they wouldn't have to be on guard against him anymore.

He wondered if Yan Yang would be scared when he saw him.

Raikou looked fierce and didn't seem like the kind of Pokémon that children would like.

Entei gave him the location, and Raikou zoomed off in a flash.

As the fastest of the three, Raikou's running speed was ridiculously fast.

Entei hurried to chase after him; this guy just left without saying a word.

What if he scared Yan Yang?

Entei was also a bit worried that Raikou might carry Yan Yang off; this guy was only fierce toward those humans, but when he wasn't being fierce, his personality was like a child's—he loved to play.

Entei was worried that Raikou wouldn't know his own strength and might break the child while playing.

Suicune ran alongside Entei, and with the boost of Tailwind, their speed increased significantly; they should be able to catch up to Raikou soon.

Taking advantage of the time while Raikou was ahead, Suicune whispered to Entei.

"Have you been captured?"

Entei: "!"

Entei almost tripped while running when he heard this.

How did Suicune know?

"W-where did you get that idea? How is that possible?" Entei's voice was a bit tense, but he quickly adjusted, though it was already too late.

Having lived together as brothers, Suicune knew Entei quite well; just from those reactions, Suicune knew Entei was lying.

In other words, he was truly no longer a free spirit.

The reason Suicune knew was because he had seen a similar scene before.

A person had tried to capture a Meowth, but his Poké Ball had bounced off just like Entei's, and he later learned that the Meowth was already a Pokémon with a trainer.

A Pokémon that already belonged to someone else would not be accepted by another Poké Ball and would cause a rebound.

Entei's situation was exactly the same as that time.

As for which talented individual had captured his stubborn little brother, there was no need to guess—it was certainly Yan Yang, who held his heart.

Furthermore, given Entei's personality, he might not have even let the other party know that he was the one who took the initiative.

If you enjoy this book, please remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.

"I truly didn't expect you to be willing to sacrifice so much for that child," Suicune said calmly, his tone revealing no hidden meaning.

Entei knew he had been exposed and remained silent.

"Have you really thought this through?"

Entei nodded.

Suicune understood.

"Then you must protect him well." Suicune was not a narrow-minded Pokémon; since his younger brother was willing, he would support the decision.

Entei knew Suicune wouldn't object, which only made him feel worse.

He couldn't help but feel like he had betrayed the oath the three brothers had made to live and die together.

"Don't take it to heart. Even if you are no longer a wild Pokémon, the three of us will always be brothers," Suicune said, sensing what was on Entei's mind and offering a bit of comfort.

"Thank you for your understanding, brother."

"When do you plan to confess this to Lord Ho-Oh?"

"I'll bring it up the next time we meet."

And just like that, the two Pokémon had a new secret, kept behind Raikou's back.

Meanwhile, inside Entei's cave.

It took a long time for Yan Yang to recover from the reality that Entei was now his first Pokémon.

Was Entei, truly, genuinely his now?

Yan Yang felt like crying.

He never expected that Entei already trusted him this much, or that he would be willing to pay such a price.

Although Yan Yang had fantasized about catching Entei, he never actually thought he would be willing.

Am I really worth this much to you?

Yan Yang began to doubt himself.

He didn't quite know how to face Entei anymore.

Yan Yang was inherently an introverted and insecure person.

Since coming to the Pokémon world, his personality had been changing little by little, but ultimately, he was still influenced by the person he was in his past life.

He felt that he wasn't worthy of being Entei's trainer at all.

Litleo noticed that his trainer was acting a bit strange and began to bite his pant leg, tugging at him.

Yan Yang snapped back to reality.

"Sorry, Yan Bao, I made you worry."

Seeing that Yan Yang was okay, Litleo relaxed significantly and happily wagged his tail, even though he wasn't a canine-type Pokémon.

Yan Yang took out another Poké Ball and pulled himself together: "The last one didn't count; let's do it again."

Litleo looked expectant.

"Yan Bao, are you willing to be my Pokémon?"

Litleo nodded.

Yan Yang threw the Poké Ball.

There were no accidents this time.

The Poké Ball wobbled twice and then let out a "ding," signaling a successful capture.

Yan Yang carefully picked up the Poké Ball and, imitating the animations, struck a pose.

"I caught Litleo!"

Alright, chuunibyou moment over, Yan Yang released Litleo, who still seemed a bit dizzy—perhaps he wasn't used to being inside the ball for the first time.

Yan Yang felt a new connection between the two of them.

It was a subtle feeling, but very comfortable; was this what a bond felt like?

Yan Yang pondered for a while before going back to playing with Litleo. After all, there really wasn't anything else to do, and isn't that just what kids do?

He wondered when Entei would be back, and if he did return, how should he face him?

Should he pretend he didn't know?

Forget it, he would deal with it when Entei returned.

He didn't know how much time had passed when the sound of footsteps reached him—the footsteps of a four-legged creature.

Was Entei back so soon? It was already so dark outside; only Entei would come here, right?

Although Yan Yang was a bit puzzled, he quickly went out of the cave to greet him.

However, what stood before him was not the familiar Entei, but a large yellow tiger, staring at him with bright, piercing eyes.

Yan Yang: "?"