Before long, Entei brought Sunny and Hawlucha to Yuto’s private residence.
After helping Entei purchase a large number of supplies, Yuto had also told Entei the location of his house, telling him that if he ever needed assistance in the future, he could come here and find him.
He had even assured Entei that he lived there alone.
Sunny looked around curiously.
Yuto’s home could be described as luxurious Johtonian (Japanese) house while still blending naturally into its surroundings.
It was located on the edge of the city, with a lush forest stretching not far beyond it.
They were currently standing in the backyard.
The backyard was a spacious garden filled with all kinds of unusual plants and berry trees.
There was also a modest swimming pool.
Since there were no fences or walls enclosing the property, many wild Pokémon often came here to play.
There was even a small training ground, making it obvious that this was an ideal place for both the owner and his Pokémon to train and spend time together.
There were even wild Pokémon having a wonderful time.
Even when they noticed unfamiliar visitors, none of them panicked or fled.
It seemed they had long grown accustomed to seeing unfamiliar Pokémon come and go.
Entei sensed that Yuto was not home at the moment, so he calmly walked over to a quiet corner and waited.
Sunny climbed down from Entei’s back while still carrying Hawlucha, then sat beside Entei.
This was someone else’s home, so it was better not to wander around carelessly.
Unlike the forest they lived in, where he could run around as much as he wanted, this place was carefully maintained.
If he accidentally trampled someone else’s flowers or damaged the garden, it would be rather embarrassing.
When the other Pokémon noticed that the three of them were simply sitting there instead of joining in the fun, they became dissatisfied and hurried over one after another, enthusiastically inviting Sunny and the others to play with them.
Sunny smiled politely and declined.
Still, he turned to Hawlucha and asked what it thought.
Hawlucha proudly declared that it was already a mature Pokémon and no longer needed to play childish games.
Unfortunately for it, the eager twitching of its body completely betrayed its true feelings.
It was obvious that it desperately wanted to join in and was merely forcing itself to remain dignified.
Seeing that Sunny and the others truly had no intention of participating, the Pokémon eventually gave up and returned to entertaining themselves.
However, one particular Squirtle seemed extremely interested in the newcomers.
Without the slightest hesitation, it jumped right onto Sunny’s lap and immediately started asking question after question.
It was the very definition of a social butterfly among Pokémon, treating the three strangers as though they had been friends for years.
After barely surviving Squirtle’s endless stream of questions, Sunny finally found an opportunity to ask one of his own.
“Do you know what kind of person the owner of this place is?”
Squirtle blinked in surprise.
This human was actually answering its questions.
He could understand Pokémon speech.
Its attention immediately shifted as excitement lit up its face.
“Squirtle! He’s a really wonderful person! He lets us come in here to play, gives us delicious food, and even treats injured Pokémon. He’s seriously the best!”
Nearby, a Meowth with bandages wrapped around one of its legs nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Sunny thought to himself, He really does sound like an excellent person.
No wonder Ho-Oh once favored him.
Squirtle became even more animated.
“Squirtle, Squirtle! But he has rules too. Nobody is allowed to damage the plants here or fight inside the garden. If anyone breaks the rules, they’ll get kicked out.”
“There used to be a Scyther that relied on its strength to bully all the other Pokémon here. It even tried to take over the entire place. When that human found out, he simply ordered his Charizard to use Flamethrower, and Scyther got blasted right out of here.”
“The way it ran away was absolutely hilarious. We all felt so satisfied watching it get what it deserved.”
Sunny nodded in understanding.
Still, something puzzled him.
Such a huge backyard, yet there wasn’t even a single Pokémon visibly guarding it?
Even if Pokémon were generally kindhearted and unlikely to cause trouble, shouldn’t someone at least keep watch against human thieves?
If Entei could simply walk in with him, then anyone else could probably do the same.
Someone this carefree was certainly rare.
As if reading his thoughts, Entei finally spoke.
“There actually is a Pokémon guarding the place.”
“It’s just hiding somewhere while secretly watching us.”
Sunny blinked.
“So it’s been spying on us this whole time?”
Since Entei remained perfectly relaxed, it meant that the hidden Pokémon bore no hostility.
That only made Sunny even more curious.
He carefully scanned the surroundings.
Soon, he noticed a patch of orange hidden within a nearby bush.
He walked a little closer.
Only then did he realize it was a Growlithe.
Seeing that it had already been discovered, Growlithe simply stepped out openly instead of continuing to hide, walking confidently as though it owned the place.
Well…
it actually did.
Growlithe casually lay down on a large stone not far away, though its eyes remained somewhat cautious as it watched Sunny and the others.
Its trainer had specifically instructed it that if a large Pokémon resembling its own evolved form ever came here, it was not to interfere.
It only needed to wait quietly until he returned.
And yet, Yuto had barely been gone for a short while before Entei had already shown up.
…
Although it had received its master’s orders, Growlithe had still secretly observed them out of curiosity.
It wanted to see what kind of Pokémon its trainer knew.
The result had left it utterly shocked.
That enormous Pokémon possessed overwhelming strength.
Its aura…
It was even stronger than its own father, who served as a police Arcanine at the local police station.
If such a powerful Pokémon truly wanted to force its way inside, Growlithe knew it would be completely powerless to stop it.
Then there was that little boy.
His entire body carried Entei’s scent.
Not just a little.
It was incredibly thick, as though he had lived beside Entei every single day.
It finally understood that the rumors were true.
The child really had been raised by that legendary Pokémon.
As for the bird Pokémon…
There was nothing unusual about it.
Just an ordinary wild Pokémon.
Sunny quietly examined Growlithe.
“Growlithe (Slightly Wary)
Gender: Male
Type: Fire
Level: 25
Ability: Intimidate (Lowers the opponent’s Attack by one stage upon entering battle.)
Held Item: Charcoal (Boosts the power of Fire-type moves.) Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Moves: Omitted
Status: Healthy.
Curious.
Evaluation: Fearlessly challenges opponents far larger and stronger than itself.
Brave by nature and exceptionally loyal.
It would willingly risk its life for its trainer.
One of the most loyal and dependable Pokémon partners a human could ever have.”
Reading the evaluation, Sunny couldn’t help smiling.
Growlithe truly deserved its reputation as one of the most loyal Pokémon.
Although…
This evaluation was surprisingly normal.
That alone felt rather abnormal.
Sunny had always liked Growlithe.
Even in the anime, its image had been portrayed so positively that hardly anyone could say anything bad about it.
James’s Growlithe had left an especially deep impression on him.
Still…
He preferred the majestic Entei.
Who on earth was the one who started calling his father a “giant Arcanine”?
(╬◣д◢)
After receiving Entei’s permission, Sunny slowly approached Growlithe.
Since it showed no signs of aggression, he gently reached out and began petting it.
Petting a dog really was an incredibly satisfying experience.
Growlithe remained cooperative.
After all, the one petting it was only a small child.
It had no reason to consider the gesture rude.
As a canine Pokémon naturally close to humans, Growlithe was especially gentle toward children.
Dogs loved kids.
Naturally, Growlithe quickly developed a favorable impression of Sunny as well.
“Hello, Growlithe. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Woof. Likewise.”
Knowing that Sunny could understand Pokémon speech, Growlithe was more than happy to chat with him.
…
“When will your trainer be back?”
“Woof, woof. He’s taking care of a few things right now. He should be back soon. If you’re hungry, I can bring you something to eat.”
“No thanks. I’m fine.”
Sunny returned to Entei’s side.
Hawlucha had already run off and was now playing happily with several other Pokémon.
Judging from the smile on its face, it was having an incredible time.
After everything it had gone through, Hawlucha undoubtedly still carried emotional scars.
Now that it was laughing and playing with everyone else, its mood had clearly improved considerably.
At least there was no longer any need to worry about its emotional state.
Some time later, Growlithe suddenly sprang to its feet with excitement, wagging its tail furiously.
At the same moment, Entei also rose calmly to his feet.
Sunny immediately understood.
The owner of the house had finally returned.
(End of Chapter)