Spring Comes After Winter

Kanto Region, Heavenly Green Mountain, winter.

In the bitter cold of winter, snow fell endlessly outside, and time inside the cave seemed to crawl at a snail's pace.

Amid the swirling blizzard, it felt as if only Dongshu and the Fire Emperor remained in the world.

They huddled together in this small cave, nestled on this desolate, lonely land, keeping each other company.

The Fire Emperor had never experienced anything like this before.

Ever since Ho-Oh resurrected it centuries ago, it had carried a heavy burden.

For hundreds of years, the Ho-Oh Guard had been racing across this land almost without rest.

"..."

The Fire Emperor's face was shrouded in shadow as it looked down at the little one by its side. Though its expression remained stoic, its heart softened.

Like the deep, silent love countless fathers hold for their children—wordless, yet deafening.

As a soul with an adult mind, Dongshu naturally saw all of the Fire Emperor's quiet sacrifices.

What amazed him was that a Legendary Pokémon like the Fire Emperor would go this far for him.

Going out to find him food, grooming his fur, warming him with its own body heat...

All of this proved that the Fire Emperor truly treated him as its own child.

It was impossible not to be moved. Dongshu had no way to repay it, so he could only work hard to learn the Pokémon language under the Fire Emperor's guidance.

Throughout the winter, almost every day as soon as he opened his eyes, Dongshu would practice speaking with the Fire Emperor.

The Fire Emperor was also astonished by Dongshu's extraordinary talent for learning.

This would occasionally earn Dongshu a few to over a dozen Shock Points.

Dongshu saved them all, never spending any, except when he wanted a change of taste—then he'd use 5 Shock Points to buy a bottle of Moomoo Milk.

Three months slipped by quietly as Dongshu slept curled up in the Fire Emperor's arms.

Though humans don't need to hibernate, living in a cave—eating when full, sleeping when tired—was probably no different from hibernation.

Under the Fire Emperor's protection, Dongshu managed to survive the harshest winter safely.

No sickness, no freezing, no starvation.

Dongshu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. And not just him—the Fire Emperor also let out a long breath.

Finally—the little one had made it through the winter.

The old father's heart felt a wave of relief.

When Dongshu left the cave again and stepped outside, the world had changed dramatically.

The snow had melted, the rivers thawed, everything was reviving, and the forest had donned a new coat of vibrant green.

Three months had passed, and Dongshu was now one year and four months old.

Gifted beyond his years, he could already stand up from the ground and slowly walk on his own two feet.

But he couldn't go far.

The Fire Emperor silently watched Dongshu from behind, watching him stumble as he walked.

Its expression was stern, its body tense, always ready to rush forward and cushion the little one's fall.

But Dongshu didn't fall. After a few steps, he turned back excitedly and said:

"Fire Emperor, spring is here!"

Though he couldn't yet form long sentences, Dongshu could clearly express himself in the Pokémon language.

The Fire Emperor felt a pang of disappointment at Dongshu's address. Was the little one still unwilling to call it father?

Ah, well... no matter. As long as the little one was happy.

It sighed quietly in its heart, then stepped forward to Dongshu's side, gazing with him at the springtime Heavenly Green Mountain.

Its large, fluffy head nodded gently: "Mm, the weather's starting to warm up."

The Fire Emperor's gaze swept over the land below. It could clearly see that with spring's arrival, the Pokémon living on this land were beginning to leave their dens and move about outside.

"I want to go to the forest!" Dongshu's eyes lit up as he looked down at the woods below.

He wanted to try using the Pokémon language the Fire Emperor had taught him to communicate with other Wild Pokémon.

The Fire Emperor nodded in agreement. Besides, the Berries stored in the cave had almost been eaten up by the little one.

Might as well head down the mountain and pick some more for him!

Thinking this, the Fire Emperor habitually bit down on the scruff of Dongshu's neck, intending to lift him onto its back.

But the moment it bit down, the little one yelped in pain.

Over the winter, Dongshu had grown quite a bit. His old clothes no longer fit, so he'd long since taken them off with the Fire Emperor's help, now wearing only a large leaf wrapped around him.

When the Fire Emperor bit down, it caught him right on the neck.

"Ouch!"

Fire Emperor watched as Little One stared at him with tearful eyes, accusing him.

Almost forgot... Fire Emperor lowered his head and licked the spot he had just bitten, then crouched down and said in a deep voice:

"Climb onto my back!"

Dongshu nimbly scrambled onto Fire Emperor's back. Once he was steady, Fire Emperor rose and dashed down the mountain.

Before long, the pair—one human, one Pokémon—arrived at the forest from before.

Fire Emperor expertly found a Berry tree. He set Dongshu down on the ground and began using his psychic power to pluck Berries.

Meanwhile, Dongshu turned his gaze to the surrounding grass. He wanted to find a Wild Pokémon to test his grasp of the Pokémon language.

Unfortunately, the Pokémon here seemed deeply in awe of Fire Emperor. The moment he appeared, they fled to other places, watching from afar and rarely drawing near.

Dongshu's eyes locked onto a Nidoran in the distance. Taking advantage of Fire Emperor's Berry-picking, he staggered to his feet and shuffled slowly toward the Nidoran.

But the moment the Nidoran saw him approaching, it seemed startled, frantically burrowing into the grass and vanishing.

Dongshu: "..." Was he really that scary?

Dongshu looked around. Soon, his attention landed on a wild Beedrill.

In that case, I choose you, Beedrill!

He changed direction, trying to approach the Beedrill and communicate with it.

That Beedrill was quite sharp. It spotted Dongshu's intent almost instantly.

Though this was the edge of its territory, as a Pokémon with a strong sense of territory, the Beedrill immediately regarded the human's actions as an invasion.

A piercing buzz emanated from its body—the sound of its wings vibrating at high frequency.

But the next second, the Beedrill spotted a terrifying figure behind the human intruder.

Fire Emperor: Stare—

The Beedrill's pupils contracted. Without a backward glance, it flew away.

Dongshu: "?"