Autumn Forest

At the highest peak of Heavenly Green Mountain.

Marshadow stared blankly at the glass bottle the human baby had handed it.

It had encountered many humans before and seen many things about them in their dreams and memories.

For example, the bottle contained a food called Moomoo Milk. It was highly nutritious and could be very beneficial to both humans and Pokémon.

Human babies especially needed it more than anyone.

As far as Marshadow knew, human babies weren't like Pokémon. They were weak and fragile, and if something bad happened to them, they would shatter like glass.

More importantly, Marshadow had learned from the memories of the Rainbow Heroes who had come to take the trial in the past that—

Human babies had to drink Miltank's milk when they were young, because it would help them grow stronger and healthier.

And now, the human baby had given it something so important to him.

Even though it didn't need it at all.

"Marsha..." Marshadow couldn't help murmuring.

Memories surfaced in its mind—those it had seen in the dream of the human baby Fire Emperor had brought back.

...Was this what it meant to care?

*

Dongshu's 35-point fortune was barely worth mentioning among the dazzling wares in the System Store.

He thought long and hard about how he could earn Shock Points, but in the end, he found that every idea was either unsuitable for someone his age or simply impossible.

After all, he was still a baby who wasn't even a year old. He couldn't walk or talk, and spent most of the day sleeping.

In the end, Dongshu felt utterly dejected.

sigh Forget it. I'll take things one day at a time!

Dongshu lay on the "Leaf Bed" Fire Emperor had made for him, thinking like a lazy fish.

Seeing Little One suddenly let out a very humanlike sigh, Fire Emperor couldn't help feeling puzzled.

What was Little One fretting about?

Or was he worried about something?

Food?

Fire Emperor looked toward the pile of Berries stacked nearby.

As a Legendary Pokémon, it didn't need to eat. It had gathered all that food especially for Little One, enough to last him until next spring.

Or was he worried about his safety?

Fire Emperor wanted to tell him that this was Heavenly Green Mountain, the territory of Lord Ho-Oh and the Ho-Oh Guard. No human or Pokémon could cause trouble here.

With it protecting him, no one could hurt Little One.

Fire Emperor thought for a long time but couldn't figure out why Little One had sighed.

It said nothing, simply walking over and lying down beside him.

Hm?

Dongshu sensed Fire Emperor coming and turned to look at the Pokémon clearly watching over him.

He had never imagined that a Pokémon would take him in.

Much less that it would care for him as if he were its own child.

Had Fire Emperor noticed him sighing and come over to keep him company in silence?

There was no way he wasn't touched. Fire Emperor had been so, so good to him all this time.

Dongshu turned and hugged Fire Emperor's huge paw.

Fire Emperor, what should I do for you?

Treat it like a father? That was impossible. Calling a Pokémon "Dad" would be far too strange.

Treat it like a Pokémon? But his relationship with Fire Emperor clearly wasn't that of a Trainer and Pokémon in the traditional sense.

"sigh!"

Dongshu couldn't help sighing again.

Forget it. There was plenty of time. If nothing unexpected happened, he and Fire Emperor would be living together for a long while.

There was no point thinking about it now. Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it. Instead of dwelling on this, he should check how many Shock Points it would take to buy Fire Emperor a Rare Candy.

If it wasn't too expensive, he'd exchange for a few dozen and see if he could feed Fire Emperor all the way to level 100.

Then the two of them could rule the world.

Rare Candy was a very special item. Unlike other goods, it couldn't be exchanged for directly. He had to select a Pokémon beside him first to see its exact price.

Dongshu thought of "Fire Emperor."

Soon, the corresponding price appeared beside the Rare Candy.

[Rare Candy (Fire Emperor exclusive): A Rare Candy used to raise a Pokémon's level. Exchange cost: 46,000 Shock Points.]

Dongshu: "..."

Fire Emperor thought Little One had been sighing because he was bored from staying in the cave and sleeping all the time.

Although it was a Pokémon, Fire Emperor knew that human babies needed to be carefully cared for and protected.

So that afternoon, on a pleasantly warm day, Fire Emperor picked Little One up in its mouth and took him for a walk in the forest.

It was already late autumn, and the whole mountainside looked increasingly desolate. When the north wind blew, people dressed lightly would shiver uncontrollably.

Normally, the weather wasn't suitable for taking a baby outside, since he might catch a chill and fall sick.

But with Fire Emperor there, that wasn't much of a concern.

The Sacred Fire within its body roared like molten lava, radiating heat from every part of it. That warmth shielded Dongshu and kept him cozy.

Riding on Fire Emperor's back, Dongshu was finally getting a chance to go for a walk. His attention was immediately drawn to the Wild Pokémon living in the mountains.

Mankey swung from vine to vine between the trees. A mother and child pair of Krabby and Graveler looked wary, yet showed reverence whenever they saw Fire Emperor. Kangaskhan roamed the forest in groups, each with a baby in tow...

The Pokémon wandered around the forest, looking very busy.

Dongshu watched them with great curiosity.

Soon, he noticed something.

Were these Pokémon roaming the forest to look for food?

That was probably it. Pokémon were remarkable creatures, and they could sense winter's approach, too.

As far as Dongshu knew, many Pokémon had a habit of gathering and storing food before winter arrived.

He saw the group of Kangaskhan stop beneath a Berry tree. The Kangaskhan Mother, huge in size but gentle in expression, plucked Berries from the branches and handed them to the Baby Kangaskhan tucked into her pouch.

The Baby Kangaskhan happily gobbled them up.

The Kangaskhan Mother smiled as she watched her child eat.

There were several Kangaskhan. Before long, only a few scattered Berries remained on the tree.

Once their bellies were full, the Kangaskhan turned and left.

Seeing this, Dongshu couldn't help thinking of the mountain of Berries Fire Emperor had gathered over the past few days.