Gift

In the forest, Yan Yang was playing games with a group of Pokémon.

"One, two, three..." Yan Yang closed his eyes and began to count.

While Yan Yang was counting, the group of Pokémon began to hide.

Hoothoot flew to the highest tree, hiding behind the dense leaves; Chikorita quietly hid in a flower bed, revealing only a pair of curious eyes; Girafarig chose the space behind a large rock as a hiding spot; Sentret covered its body with fallen leaves and twigs, tucking itself into a small pit and blending in with the ground...

"...ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred, is everyone hidden? I'm opening my eyes."

After finishing his count, Yan Yang began to look around for the hidden Pokémon.

He first spotted Hoothoot in the tree, because Hoothoot couldn't help but make a little noise when he climbed up, and it was noticed immediately.

Next, he found Chikorita in the flower bed; its eyes were still quite easy to spot.

After that, Yan Yang discovered Girafarig, who had accidentally left its tail exposed; if he couldn't see that, he would truly be as oblivious as Dora.

There were also Chikorita, Natu, and Bopo, all of whom were found one by one; now, only Sentret remained unfound.

Yan Yang continued to search, but even when the time was up, he hadn't found Sentret.

Sentret jumped out of the pit happily, declaring its victory in the game of hide-and-seek.

Everyone gathered together, laughing and jumping happily, not only enjoying the fun of the game but also deepening the friendship between them.

Yan Yang sat to one side, watching the Pokémon dancing with joy, feeling delighted himself.

He didn't know how long he had been living in this forest; he had been here for as long as he could remember, and he had lived with the Pokémon for a long time. He knew they were all innocent and cute fellows.

Originally, he had been a bit afraid of other Pokémon, and some Pokémon were also afraid of him. Everyone was afraid of each other, but fortunately, Entei stepped in to mediate, and now everyone was good friends.

Although there were still many Pokémon in the forest he didn't know, he would work hard to get to know them. Father had also said that getting to know more little friends was good for him.

Speaking of his father, Entei, Yan Yang began to fall into deep thought.

The first Pokémon he had known since he could remember was Entei. He had always taken good care of him; even though he looked very stern and often lectured him, he was truly very grateful to Entei.

When he first learned to speak, he called him Father. Even he didn't know why he said it that way; clearly, he was different from him, but he could truly understand the meaning expressed by his Roar.

It was the same with the other Pokémon; perhaps it was a linguistic talent?

He also wanted to know where he had come from, but every time he asked, Entei wouldn't say, just finding some reason to brush it off. However, he probably knew a few things already.

He was a human, and Father was a Pokémon; they were different species. If they were father and son, it naturally couldn't be by blood, and since he had become Entei's child here, it must have been because he was abandoned by his biological parents.

Every time he thought of this, Yan Yang would feel a bit dejected. Even though Entei said he was the best and most well-behaved child, why would anyone throw him away? Was he not cute enough?

As a human, he still hoped to have his own kind as companions, but Entei said there were no other people here and that he was the only human.

Entei always laughed and said he was the only human he knew who lived in the wild with Pokémon, which was amazing, and that perhaps he was the key to a better relationship between humans and Pokémon in the future.

That praise made Yan Yang feel a little embarrassed, though he could have used more of it; perhaps children just liked being praised.

Having lived with Entei for so long, he had memorized the temperature of his back and belly, the softness of his mane, the texture of his paw pads, and the sharpness of his claws...

In any case, he was truly obsessed with every part of him and had to sleep on him every day; if he wasn't allowed to, he would throw a tantrum.

Although he would give him a slap so light it barely counted as one every time, he would always satisfy his somewhat unreasonable demands.

Then again, sleeping with Father shouldn't really count as an unreasonable demand.

Perhaps because he had rubbed his fur and touched his claws so much, Entei had long since gotten used to it, and later on, he would consciously hold him while they slept without even needing to be asked.

As Yan Yang thought about it, he giggled to himself, seemingly having thought of something happy.

However, lately, he had been feeling a bit uncomfortable; his head always ached, as if something was growing inside his brain, and vague images would always appear in his mind.

But fortunately, it would only last for a while before the pain stopped, though he couldn't remember what those images were.

He didn't tell Entei; he didn't want to make him worry about such a small matter.

Entei said his body was very strong, and he felt the same way, so this headache shouldn't be a big deal. Besides, Father had his sacred fire; the next time he helped him purify his body, it would probably be resolved along the way, so there was no need to worry too much.

By the way, Entei had been acting mysterious today, as if he were hiding something, and he didn't know what it was.

Perhaps he hadn't even realized that he had an extra sense of awkwardness today; Yan Yang had noticed it long ago, but he didn't expose him.

Father had his own secrets, too, and it was better not to pry; what if it made things awkward?

As he thought about this, Sentret came over. Everyone prepared to play one more round before going home, and he volunteered to be the one to do the catching this time. Yan Yang naturally agreed happily.

After another game, the sun was about to set. The horizon was dyed in a gentle orange-red, and the forest seemed to have put on an evening gown, preparing to welcome the arrival of night.

At this moment in the forest, the light became soft and warm. The golden afterglow spilled down through the sparse treetops, and the outlines of the trees became more distinct under the setting sun; every leaf seemed to be plated with a golden edge, shimmering with a faint light.

Yan Yang quickened his pace back to the cave and found that Entei hadn't returned yet, so he waited at home.

Ever since the incident last time, Entei hadn't allowed him to run around at night; if he wasn't there, he had to stay home properly.

In fact, he didn't come home every day; sometimes he wouldn't return for several nights in a row. He was naturally very worried, and even though Aunt Miltank would keep him company when Entei was away for a long time, he still couldn't suppress his worry.

However, he would never run out in the end, because he knew that one day, Entei would return.

He still remembered the time when Entei finally returned after a long absence, and he had thrown himself onto him, crying his eyes out; thinking about it now, he felt quite shy.

Soon, footsteps came from outside the cave. Entei had returned, and he seemed to be carrying something in his mouth.

"Come, take a look at the good thing I've prepared for you." Entei placed what he had been carrying in his mouth onto the ground; it was a white scarf with an orange-red gemstone embedded at the end.

Yan Yang really liked the orange-red stones that matched Entei, and seeing this white scarf made him very happy. He put it directly around his neck, and the size was just right. Under the illumination of the flames in the cave, the gemstone on the chest portion of the scarf shimmered.

"That's right, today is your birthday. This is a gift for you. Do you like it?" Entei asked with a hint of anticipation.

"I like it! Things from Father are the best." Yan Yang was overjoyed. Although he didn't know what a birthday was, he seemed to intuitively understand the meaning. This was the first birthday gift he had ever received, so its significance was naturally extraordinary.

However, he took the scarf back off. He didn't want to wear such an important item casually, fearing he might get it dirty or break it. So, Yan Yang placed it inside the basket that had once held him, tucking it away as a treasure.

"By the way, make a wish silently in your heart. I've heard that wishes made on your birthday always come true. Remember, you must never say it out loud; they say if you speak it, it won't work."

"A wish?" Yan Yang looked at a shooting star streaking across the sky outside the cave and silently made a wish in his heart: "Then I hope there's delicious food every day, that Father and the other Pokémon can be happy every day, and also... never mind, that's enough."

After making his wish and spending some more time chatting and playing, it was time to sleep.

Inside this very cave, a boy slept in the embrace of a giant beast. Anyone unaware of the situation would cry out in wonder at the sight.

In the middle of the night, the sleeping boy began to furrow his brows, his body trembling slightly.

His head hurt terribly, as if his brain were growing.

The boy endured it for a long time until the pain finally subsided, but suddenly, many things appeared in his mind. Before he could even react, he fell unconscious once again.