But while the idea sounded wonderful, reality was far less kind.
Never mind whether Ho-Oh was willing. Since arriving at Heavenly Green Mountain, he hadn't even seen Ho-Oh!
"Well, forget it. I should deal with the crisis right in front of me first!"
Dongshu sighed. He'd painstakingly saved up more than two hundred Shock Points just so he could buy himself a set of baby clothes. That way, he wouldn't have to run around with his bottom bare.
It was no big deal if Fire Emperor and the others saw him, but it would be bad if a passing Trainer or a Rainbow Hero taking the trial happened to see him.
But what could he do to earn more Shock Points?
Raikou?
Dongshu looked at Raikou, but Raikou only watched him from afar. It didn't approach him the way Fire Emperor did.
Never mind. Raikou looked so cold.
Just then, Dongshu remembered the Krabby he'd encountered while gathering Berries with Fire Emperor that day.
He'd performed a butterfly-catching trick in front of that Krabby, and it had given him 20 Shock Points.
If he gathered all the Wild Pokémon nearby and performed magic tricks for them, would they give him even more Shock Points?
The problem was, how could he call all the Pokémon nearby over?
Dongshu stared at the cave ceiling, thinking hard.
A moment later, inspiration struck.
Got it!
In the movie Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!, Marshadow had used its power to control the Pokémon living nearby and launch a Beat Up against Ash and the others.
Marshadow had lived here for a long time. It must know lots of the Pokémon in the area!
Although Marshadow usually stayed out of sight, Dongshu knew full well that the Pokémon was always watching the outside world from within his shadow.
No time like the present!
Dongshu scrambled to his feet, looked at his shadow, and called out in Pokémon Language:
"Woof woof?" (Marshadow, are you there?)
At first, nothing happened in the shadow.
But soon, Dongshu saw ripples spreading in layers across it.
Then a figure about his own size poked its head out, gazing at him with a solemn look.
"Marsha?" Marshadow sounded puzzled.
"Marshadow, you've lived here for a long time. Do you know lots of Pokémon?" Dongshu asked eagerly, grinning.
"Marsha..." Marshadow froze slightly, apparently not expecting that question. It looked at Dongshu, then gently nodded. "Marsha."
The members of the Ho-Oh Guard got along fairly well with the Wild Pokémon.
That was especially true of the Wild Pokémon living around Heavenly Green Mountain.
They had all witnessed Lord Ho-Oh's miracles at one time or another, and many of them revered Lord Ho-Oh.
For that reason, the Wild Pokémon around Heavenly Green Mountain didn't fight among different species the way Wild Pokémon in other places did.
"Can you help me gather everyone together?" Dongshu quickly asked.
"Marsha?" A puzzled look flickered in Marshadow's eyes.
"I want to perform magic tricks for everyone!" Dongshu pleaded. "Please help me, Marshadow. I want to play with everyone!"
Marshadow: "..."
Looking at the human toddler begging it with such a pitiful expression, Marshadow couldn't bring itself to refuse.
"Marsha..."
It nodded gently, then returned to the Shadow World and vanished from in front of Dongshu.
Dongshu could hardly wait.
If only a few Pokémon showed up, he'd spend five Shock Points on a bottle of Moomoo Milk and perform a trick where he made milk appear out of nowhere.
If lots of Pokémon came, he'd buy a pile of ordinary candies that cost one Shock Point each and use them for his act. When he finished, he could hand out the candies as appearance fees.
Dongshu didn't know when Marshadow would be back. He stood up and staggered toward the cave entrance, planning to wait outside.
But before he could make it there, a cold voice sounded in his mind.
"If you go out and get into trouble, I won't come save you."
Dongshu turned around and saw Raikou staring straight at him.
Clearly, Raikou had just spoken through telepathy.
Raikou had expected the other party to get scared and return to the cave, but instead, the human toddler wore a sly smile.
"Marshadow will protect me!" he said.
There won't be any danger! Dongshu thought.
Some Wild Pokémon were indeed dangerous, but since Marshadow had invited them—and they were willing to spend time with Pokémon of different species—they probably weren't the sort to attack people for no reason.
Raikou: "..."
A naturally evil human brat! He'd even managed to bewitch Marshadow!
That was the first thought that came to Raikou's mind, but then what had happened last night resurfaced.
Raikou fell silent.
Dongshu paid him no mind. He went outside the cave and waited for Marshadow.
Before long, Raikou came out too.
When Dongshu looked at him, Raikou explained coldly, "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm only worried you'll run into danger before Marshadow arrives."
Dongshu: "..."
What a cold-faced, warm-hearted big cat.
Just then, Marshadow returned.
A huge crowd of Wild Pokémon followed behind it.
There were Golem, Zubat, Magnemite, Venomoth, Larvitar, Magmar, Krabby and Graveler, a family of Nidoking and Nidoqueen, Electivire, Magnemite, Oddish...
There were at least thirty of them!
Some of these Pokémon were powerful, but in front of Marshadow, they didn't show any signs of aggression.
It seemed Marshadow had told them about the human toddler on the way over.
The moment they arrived, the Pokémon turned curious gazes on Dongshu.
Some of the larger, stronger ones could clearly smell the powerful, searing aura of Fire Emperor on him.
"Cubone!"
Krabby, who already knew Dongshu, excitedly greeted him from among the Pokémon.
Dongshu grinned and greeted him back.
Then, using the Pokémon Language Fire Emperor had taught him, he spoke to the group in a babyish voice:
"Woof woof!" (Welcome, everyone! I'd like to put on a magic show for you!)
Magic... show?
The Pokémon had never heard of such a thing and looked confused.
The next second, they saw the human toddler pull out a large leaf.
"Look. There's nothing inside this leaf, right?" Dongshu showed the Pokémon the leaf from every angle, thoroughly and carefully.
"Cubone!" Krabby was very encouraging.
"All right, now watch closely!"
Dongshu used his little hands to fold the leaf into a pouch.
He made a meaningless cry, like a Pokémon.
The next moment, something amazing happened.
The leaf, which had been flat, started to puff up right before their eyes!
No, the leaf had been forced open!
"Rustle!"
One by one, delicious candies with a sweet aroma burst through the leaf and rolled out.
The Wild Pokémon before him immediately widened their eyes in astonishment.
What was going on?!
Hadn't they seen that the leaf was empty?
Then where had those sweet-smelling things come from?!
The Pokémon stared wide-eyed at the candies that had suddenly appeared, unable to believe what they were seeing.
At the same time, the panel before Dongshu's eyes began filling with notifications.
[ Magnemite was shocked by your "making something out of nothing" magic trick. Magnemite's Shock Points +20!] [ Nidoking was shocked by your "making nothing out of nothing" magic trick. Nidoking's Shock Points +15!] "..."
Watching his balance climb rapidly, Dongshu's eyes lit up.
I'm rich! I'm rich!
Before you continue