Winter was drawing to an end, and spring was quietly approaching.
The once bare branches had already begun to sprout tender green buds, heralding the return of life.
The snow blanketing the ground was gradually melting away, leaving behind pools of crystal clear water.
Every now and then, a few resilient plants could be seen poking their heads out from beneath the melting snow.
The air was filled with the refreshing scent of damp earth and new life.
The mixture of fragrances made everything feel fresh and invigorating.
Occasionally, the sound of distant streams flowing once more after thawing could be heard.
The warm and gentle sunlight bathed the land, adding a sense of comfort and tranquility to the early spring scenery.
The Pokémon that had spent the winter hibernating were about to awaken, while most of the others had already become active again.
Flying Pokémon soared through the skies, Water-type Pokémon swam through rivers and lakes, and countless Pokémon raced across the ground, filling the forest with renewed vitality and energy.
Sunny happily ran out of the cave.
Looking at the changing scenery outside, his mood instantly brightened.
Three months of winter had truly felt unbearably long.
During that time, he had barely exercised at all.
Most days he had simply stayed inside the cave, eating, sleeping, then eating again.
He could clearly feel that his body had become much chubbier.
Looks like it’s time to lose some weight.
Taking a deep breath, Sunny immediately started running.
Even though he was still barefoot, it did not bother him in the slightest.
Entei stepped out of the cave behind him, lazily stretched his body, shook out his mane, then watched Sunny run farther and farther away until he disappeared from sight.
He had no intention of chasing after him.
Throughout the entire winter, aside from bringing Sunny outside two or three times, the child had practically remained inside the cave every single day.
Anyone would have felt stifled after being confined for so long.
Now that winter was finally ending, Entei decided to let the boy go out and enjoy himself.
The forest had been peaceful lately.
There were no major dangers to worry about, so he could safely allow Sunny to explore alone.
Besides, Entei always felt that with him constantly following behind, Sunny could never truly relax.
Even if something unexpected happened, Sunny was no longer the helpless child he had once been.
He had grown considerably, and most of the Pokémon in the surrounding forests already knew him.
If he encountered trouble, he could simply ask them for help.
There really was no need to worry too much.
Since he had some free time, Entei decided to head toward the nearby human settlement.
While he was there, he could also gather some supplies for the child.
After all, Sunny was still running around barefoot just like he was.
Entei had always been the type to act immediately once he made up his mind.
The instant the thought crossed his mind, he disappeared from where he stood.
Not long afterward, he arrived near a human settlement.
Finding a high vantage point where he could conceal himself, Entei quietly observed every movement of the people below.
Some were buying and selling goods.
Some were performing street acts.
Others were battling with their Pokémon.
The streets were bustling with people.
It was an incredibly lively scene.
Entei himself could never get used to being surrounded by so many humans, but he had to admit that the atmosphere was vibrant.
Sunny would probably love a place like this.
Among the crowd gathered around the plaza, one familiar Trainer caught his attention.
He was a young man who looked energetic and full of life.
Wearing a baseball cap and casual clothes, he was currently commanding his Charizard in battle against another Trainer’s Ludicolo.
“Charizard, use Wing Attack!”
“Use Protect, then look for an opening to use Surf!”
“Heat Wave!”
“Surf!”
…
The surrounding spectators immediately erupted into enthusiastic applause.
After the two Trainers exchanged a few polite words, they each went their separate ways.
Entei quietly followed the young man.
After all, they could be considered acquaintances.
If he remembered correctly, the man’s name was Yuto.
His memories were a little hazy, but it had been about eight years ago.
Back then, Yuto had been the previous candidate for the Rainbow Hero.
Because he had met the qualifications, he had received one of Ho-Oh’s feathers and had begun searching for Ho-Oh’s trail.
Unfortunately, he had still been too young.
He had failed to pass the trials set by the three Legendary Beasts.
As a result, he never even earned the right to learn Ho-Oh’s whereabouts, much less challenge the Rainbow Pokémon itself.
After that, everyone had simply gone their separate ways.
Only Trainers who passed the trials were qualified to meet Ho-Oh.
Still, Entei had always held a favorable impression of Yuto.
Back then, Yuto’s Charmeleon had displayed an incredibly tenacious fighting spirit, leaving a deep impression on him.
Now it had evolved into Charizard.
Its strength had undoubtedly improved by leaps and bounds.
The battle Entei had just witnessed was enough to prove that.
When Yuto arrived at a secluded place with no one around, he suddenly turned around.
He immediately came face to face with the Entei following behind him.
“Long time no see, Entei!”
Yuto looked pleasantly surprised.
He had sensed someone following him for quite some time, so he had deliberately come somewhere isolated to see who it was.
He had never expected it to be Entei.
Entei nodded.
He had not made much effort to conceal his presence in the first place.
After exchanging a few greetings, Yuto began talking about everything that had happened over the years.
He proudly said that he had grown much stronger, and if the opportunity ever came again, he would definitely challenge Entei and the others once more.
Beside him, Charizard eagerly cracked its neck and flexed its claws, looking completely ready to fight Entei.
After all, it had once suffered a crushing defeat at Entei’s hands.
However, Entei had not come here looking for a battle.
He still had important business to take care of.
“So, why were you looking for me?”
Seeing that Entei clearly had no intention of fighting, Yuto asked.
Unlike Sunny, Yuto could not understand Pokémon language.
It took him quite some time to piece together Entei’s meaning.
“You want to learn about the current situation in this city… and you also want to buy some things?”
Entei nodded.
Yuto looked rather surprised.
Observing humanity was indeed one of the duties entrusted to the three Legendary Beasts.
But buying things?
Why would Entei need to go shopping?
Nevertheless, he readily agreed.
Trying to guess what a Legendary Pokémon was thinking was never a wise idea.
However, after hearing what Entei actually wanted to buy, Yuto found it impossible not to overthink things.
Children’s clothes.
Shoes.
Food.
And Entei even asked what kinds of toys children usually liked.
Good grief…
What exactly did Entei need all of these for?
Could it be that some humanoid Pokémon needed them?
Entei offered no further explanation. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
He remained extremely cautious regarding Sunny.
The fewer humans who knew about the child, the better.
Otherwise, countless unnecessary troubles might follow.
Naturally, Yuto had no intention of refusing Entei’s request.
The items Entei wanted were inexpensive.
They did not even cost as much as feeding one of Yuto’s Pokémon for a single day.
Besides, he was far from poor.
Paying for everything was no burden at all.
If spending such a small amount of money could earn Entei’s goodwill, then it was unquestionably worth it.
As for why Entei wanted those things…
That simply was not any of his business.
…
Meanwhile, Sunny continued darting through the forest.
He found a large, sturdy tree and immediately began climbing it without hesitation.
His movements were remarkably agile.
Before long, he reached the point where several branches split apart and stood securely atop one of the thick limbs, surveying the forest around him.
Not far away, numerous long vines hung from the surrounding trees.
Several Mankey were happily swinging back and forth across them.
Sunny suddenly had an idea.
Taking a deep breath, he leaped forward.
His hands firmly grabbed the nearest vine.
With one powerful kick, his entire body swung gracefully through the air.
Then he caught the next vine.
Then another.
And another.
Repeating the process over and over, he glided through the forest like a nimble spirit.
Nearby, a group of Spearow and Pidgey watching the spectacle were completely dumbfounded.
The normally hot-tempered Mankey noticed that this human was actually swinging faster than they were.
Their competitive instincts immediately flared up.
One after another, they chased after Sunny, determined to defeat him in a contest of vine swinging.
Hearing the Mankey catching up behind him, Sunny increased his speed.
Finally, when there were no more vines ahead, he released his grip, performed a full three hundred and sixty degree spin in midair, and landed perfectly on the ground.
Thus ended a competition that had seemingly begun for no reason at all.
The Mankey looked utterly dejected.
An entire group of Mankeys…
Had actually lost to a human.
It was simply too embarrassing.
Sunny patiently comforted the disappointed Mankey.
He explained that he had started earlier than they had.
The vines he had already used were still swinging, making them much harder to grab.
He continued giving several other reasonable explanations.
Eventually, the Mankey cheered up again.
After resting for a short while, Sunny began running through the forest once more.
Sometimes he leaped over small streams.
Sometimes he dodged beneath low shrubs.
The wind rushed past his ears, carrying with it a refreshing feeling of coolness and absolute freedom.
Several Pokémon joined him, running alongside him as they laughed, chased one another, and played together.
The entire forest echoed with cheerful laughter.
Everyone was enjoying themselves together in perfect harmony.
Perhaps…
That was the true charm of the Pokémon world.
(End of Chapter)