Shopping Spree

900 points!

That magic show had earned Dongshu a whopping 900 Shock Points!

Added to what he'd saved up before, minus the points he'd spent on candy, he now had 1,065 Shock Points left.

He could buy all kinds of things that would be useful to him!

At the thought, Dongshu couldn't help grinning from ear to ear.

But first, he had to properly thank his excellent "audience."

Looking at the large group of Pokémon who still hadn't recovered from their shock, Dongshu picked up the candy on the ground and shared the sweets in his hands with them. Then he said in Pokémon language:

"Here! Have some!"

Nidoking and Nidoqueen's child, Nidoran, ran forward, picked up a piece of candy with his paw, and popped it into his mouth.

The next second, his eyes lit up.

"Woof, woof!" It's so good! And sweet!

The little Nidoran picked up two more candies and ran back to his parents, offering them the sweets.

Nidoking and Nidoqueen looked at their child, then accepted the candy with paws many times larger than his. Curious, they each took a bite.

"Ni-ga!"

Seeing this, the other Pokémon came forward too, picking up candy and tasting it.

After finishing their candy, the Pokémon couldn't help looking at the little human child who'd offered them sweets in such a sweet, babyish voice. They all felt a little more fond of him.

For a while, the whole mountainside rang with the Pokémon's cheerful cries.

The atmosphere was utterly harmonious and joyful.

Not far away, Raikou stared blankly at the scene.

This human child...

"Marsha..." Marshadow was just as stunned.

It wasn't until Dongshu picked up a piece of candy and came over to share it with him that Marshadow finally snapped out of it.

He gazed at the candy in Dongshu's hand, then took it and put it in his mouth.

A feeling unlike anything he'd ever experienced surged through him.

"Marsha..."

"Everyone, come play again next time!" Dongshu waved goodbye to the Pokémon gathered before him.

He'd just made a fortune, and he couldn't wait to go back and spend it.

The Wild Pokémon didn't mind. They'd found the human child's performance pretty entertaining, and, more importantly, they'd gotten to eat something so delicious.

So they called back to Dongshu, then turned around one by one and left with their families and friends.

I almost forgot!

Only after the Pokémon had disappeared at the end of the mountain path did Dongshu suddenly remember something.

Raikou hadn't had any candy!

There were still a few pieces left in the leaf. Dongshu picked one up and walked over to Raikou.

From Raikou's perspective, the human child seemed to have suddenly remembered something. He picked up a piece of candy from the leaf and came toward it, taking unsteady little steps.

Before long, the child was standing in front of it.

Raikou lowered its head and looked down at him.

Under its gaze, the child slowly lifted the candy in his palm and gave it a sweet smile.

Then, in his soft, babyish voice, he said:

"Raikou, this is for you!"

Raikou's pupils contracted.

At that moment, it felt as though something had sprouted inside its heart.

Its heart, frozen by ice and filled with an unshakable distrust of humans, felt as if a warm spring breeze were gently blowing over it.

The ice around its heart slowly melted. Raikou suddenly felt that perhaps not all humans were so treacherous and deceitful... Maybe it could try trusting one again.

That was what it thought, but Raikou didn't let it show.

I'm only doing this so I don't disappoint this treacherous human child, Raikou told itself.

If the child burst into tears because it refused, it would be hard to explain to Fire Emperor.

So Raikou ate the candy.

"There you go!" Dongshu happily hugged the leaf. Before leaving, he didn't forget to thank Marshadow. "Thank you, Marshadow!"

Come to think of it, Marshadow was really big!

In the anime, he'd looked so small, but in real life, Marshadow was taller than Dongshu.

Of course, that might just be because Dongshu was so young right now.

But that was okay. He'd grow up someday!

Dongshu hugged the few pieces of candy he had left and returned to the cave. He saw Raikou watching him without blinking.

"This is for Fire Emperor!" Dongshu hurriedly explained.

Fire Emperor had taken him in and raised him with the care of a father, through countless hardships. So the remaining candy was all for Fire Emperor!

Raikou: "..."

Raikou didn't answer. It walked over to another part of the cave and lay down. Though it wasn't looking at Dongshu, it continued to keep an eye on him.

Once back in the cave, Dongshu immediately opened the System Store.

Over a thousand Shock Points!

Dongshu had wanted to spend 200 points right away to exchange for a complete set of clothes that would meet his needs for spring, summer, fall, and winter.

But then he thought better of it. He was still very young, and babies grew fast at this age. Before long, he might outgrow the clothes.

That would be a waste of his Shock Points.

In that case, he'd improve his living conditions first!

It took a lot of Shock Points to use Secret Power to turn the cave into a suitable Secret Base, and he couldn't afford that yet.

So Dongshu turned his attention to one of the items.

[Striped Wood Flooring: Wooden flooring that will never rot. Once used, it automatically changes the floors in your home. Cost: 500 Shock Points.]

The cave floor was cold and hard. Even though Fire Emperor had covered it with a thick layer of leaves, sleeping on it was still very uncomfortable.

"Purchase!"

At Dongshu's silent command,

his balance automatically dropped by 500.

At the same time, a dazzling white light rose from the cave floor.

In the glow, Dongshu could clearly feel the cold, hard ground below disappearing, replaced by a smooth, soft new floor with a gentle warmth and a simple, natural feel.

The moment the change began, Raikou sensed something strange nearby.

It jumped up instinctively and looked down at the glowing floor. Its huge tiger-like eyes were filled with shock, but then, as if it had thought of something, it turned its gaze toward Dongshu.

After a long while, the white light on the ground slowly faded.

The cold, hard floor had vanished, replaced by brand-new, gleaming, warm Striped Wood Flooring.

The natural wood grain looked like a work of art made by nature itself, as if it had brought the scent of the forest into the cave. Stepping on it felt warm and comfortable.

The flooring covered every inch of the cave, leaving no corner untouched. It fit the space perfectly.

All set!

Looking at his handiwork, Dongshu felt completely satisfied.