Acknowledgment and Tears

Yan Yang was still deep in thought when Entei and Raikou returned.

Abandoning his train of thought, Yan Yang stepped forward to inspect them carefully. It seemed that neither Pokémon had any wounds.

Had they not fought fiercely enough, or did they heal incredibly quickly?

Yan Yang's little head was hard at work thinking.

Still, it was good that they were both fine.

Raikou stepped forward to greet him.

Yan Yang had just been about to respond when he suddenly remembered that this guy had made his Yan Bao so sad. He seemed to have said earlier that he would ignore him for a while.

So Yan Yang did not respond to Raikou.

Raikou: "?"

What was going on?

Why was Little Sun suddenly ignoring him? He even looked a little angry.

Had he done something wrong?

Raikou suddenly wilted a little. The well-behaved child was ignoring him—what was he supposed to do?

Entei ignored his suddenly dejected second brother and instead turned his gaze toward the somewhat awkward-looking Yan Yang.

"What's wrong? Why are you ignoring your Second Uncle?"

Yan Yang shook his head. "It won't be for long. It's just a small punishment."

A little man in Raikou's heart screamed wildly: What did I do wrong? Why are you punishing me?

Knowing the reason, Suicune quietly told Raikou what had happened.

Raikou: "..."

Alright, so that was what happened.

Raikou left the cave, planning to find Yan Yang later once he was less angry.

He really had not done it on purpose.

Entei also felt that Raikou had brought it upon himself. He had taken someone away without explaining anything; any Pokémon who did not know what was going on would have been worried sick.

Yan Yang secretly observed Entei and checked his information, only to find that nothing seemed to have changed.

Could it be because he was a Legendary Pokémon, so nothing had changed?

Entei's information had in fact changed, but Yan Yang did not notice it.

"Entei (Father)

Gender: None, strongly inclined toward male

Type: Fire

Level: 90

Abilities: Inner Focus, Pressure

Item: None

Moves: ...

Status: Very good

Evaluation: Still the same. Hard to evaluate."

(Perhaps you, the reader, have already noticed what changed, but Yan Yang did not.)

Yan Yang wanted to discuss something with Entei.

But Suicune was still nearby, so Yan Yang found it difficult to speak.

Seeing that Yan Yang looked like he had something to say, Entei, who understood him very well, said something to Suicune before taking Yan Yang outside.

Leaving Suicune and Litleo staring at each other inside the cave.

Behind a tree some distance away outside.

"Dad, did you..." Yan Yang took out a Poké Ball—the very one that had been identified as already having an owner when he had captured Yan Bao before. "...go in by yourself?"

Entei nodded. His calm demeanor made it seem as though he had long known Yan Yang would come to ask him.

"But, but..."

"There's no but," Entei interrupted Yan Yang. "You are my child. I will protect you by any means necessary. Becoming your Pokémon—I think that is the best way."

Entei's tone was solemn, as though he did not care in the slightest that a human had captured him, a Legendary Pokémon.

So he had given up so much just to stay by his side and protect him.

Although he had already known, hearing Entei say it so formally this time still shook him deeply.

Why were his eyes always filled with tears? Because Entei's love for him ran so deep.

If you think this book is good, please remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not lose it next time.

At the request of our many readers, we are now introducing an ad-free feature for VIP members.

Click to view.

Although Yan Yang had been withdrawn in the past, he was still a very sentimental person.

When it came to those who truly loved him, he would be moved as well.

Even if Pokémon were not human, what difference did that make?

Yan Yang buried his face in the fur at the front of Entei's body and sobbed softly.

This time, Entei did not lecture him about how men were not allowed to cry, because his own eyes had grown a little moist as well.

This seemed to be the most outrageous yet guiltless decision he had made in recent years.

His Little Sun would be protected by him.

In the distance, Raikou was watching them.

When they came out, Raikou had carefully hidden himself, intending to eavesdrop on what they were going to say.

He did manage to overhear them, but Raikou was not particularly happy about it.

He had not expected his younger brother to do this—to become a puppet inside a human's Poké Ball.

At least, Raikou had always believed that captured Pokémon were merely puppets of humans.

If anyone wanted to capture him or his brothers, Raikou would definitely give that person a thorough beating.

But if that person was Little Sun, perhaps it would not be unacceptable.

Still, Raikou could not do it, and Suicune probably could not either. Though they both liked Yan Yang, they would not agree to become his Pokémon.

However, if Yan Yang ever ran into trouble, Suicune and he would never spare any effort in coming to help.

Perhaps Entei had gone mad, but why did Raikou not feel like criticizing him at all? Instead, he sincerely wished them well.

Raikou shook his head, unwilling to think about it any further.

At that moment, Suicune came outside as well and immediately spotted the peeping Raikou.

"It's not very proper for an elder to eavesdrop," Suicune said lazily.

"Did you know something about this?" Raikou's tone was certain. It did not sound like a question so much as a statement.

"I did. What about it?"

"And you didn't stop them? That's our younger brother, and he was just captured like that." Raikou was somewhat resentful of Suicune's inaction. If he had known earlier, he definitely would have objected.

"What is there to stop? Do you think they can be stopped with the relationship they have now? Besides, you don't really object either, do you?" Suicune's gaze was sharp, as though he had already seen through Raikou's private thoughts.

Raikou fell silent, which was as good as admitting it.

"Then isn't that fine? Their business is their own; we shouldn't interfere. Since they both agreed to it, we just need to quietly wish them well." Suicune looked unconcerned. He had always taken many things lightly.

"But Lord Ho-Oh probably won't agree, will he?"

Suicune had a bit of a headache over that issue as well. Lord Ho-Oh's moods were unpredictable, and there was no telling whether he would accept this fact.

"Why are we worrying about it blindly? We just need to see what Entei thinks. If he decides to leave, we can offer a little help when appropriate."

Ho-Oh's guard would never allow a Pokémon with a Trainer to join.

Raikou nodded. He also felt that the two of them were quite good together. As their elder brothers, they were willing to shoulder responsibility for their younger brother.

Their relationship really was exceptionally close.

"Let's go. We shouldn't disturb them. We still have things to do," Suicune said as he walked away with elegant steps.

Raikou did not want to leave just yet. He wanted to properly say goodbye to Yan Yang.

So he seized the chance and came over to Entei and Yan Yang.

Yan Yang had stopped crying. Although the corners of his eyes were still a little red, it did not affect their conversation.

"Little Sun, I'm leaving."

"Huh? So soon? Won't you stay a while longer?" Yan Yang had never truly been angry with Raikou. He had only wanted to warn him a little.

Now that Raikou was leaving, Yan Yang felt somewhat reluctant to part with him.

"Yeah. We all have serious business to attend to. We can't stay with you forever."

"Will you come visit me again in the future?"

"Definitely. I really like you. If it weren't for Entei, I'd have wanted to take you away directly." Raikou glanced at Entei with ill intent, but Entei could not be bothered to respond.

"Actually, I don't dislike you, Second Uncle. You're very cute," Yan Yang said happily, as though he had just thought of something.

Raikou's mouth twitched. Could I be described as cute?

But say whatever you want. He did not care anymore.

"Mm, I know. Then I'll be going now. See you next time." After saying that, Raikou left so quickly that it was hard to believe a Pokémon had been standing there just moments ago.

Yan Yang quietly said goodbye.

He would forever remember everything that had happened over these past two days.