The Jealous Old Dad

"Dongshu?"

The next morning, in a haze, Dongshu thought he heard someone calling him.

He opened his eyes and saw Fire Emperor's enormous head bent over him.

"Dongshu." Fire Emperor's voice sounded in his heart.

Dongshu was startled. He stared at Fire Emperor without blinking.

How did Fire Emperor know the name he'd had in his previous life?

"Little One, from now on, this is your name," Fire Emperor said. "Raikou, Marshadow, and I chose it for you."

Dongshu opened his mouth. Three Pokémon... had chosen a name for him together?

But then he remembered Marshadow's special ability to enter the depths of human dreams, and quickly figured it out. Marshadow must have told Fire Emperor and Raikou the name.

"Dongshu?" He pretended not to recognize it, feigning confusion.

"That's right. You're Dongshu, my child." Fire Emperor gave a soft hum. Its voice was incredibly gentle, and its heart had never felt so tender.

At that moment, Fire Emperor suddenly realized that, without its noticing, this human child had come to mean so much to it.

"All right, don't just stand there." Raikou's voice suddenly came from behind them.

Dongshu turned and saw Raikou walking in from outside with a basket of Berries in its mouth.

It set the Berries in front of Dongshu and used telepathy to say, "Let him fill his stomach first!"

"I don't need you butting in to tell me how to look after Little One." Fire Emperor eyed Raikou warily.

It still remembered what Raikou had said the day before.

It had said that Little One once told it, "Raikou is the best."

"Hmph."

Raikou snorted. After bringing the Berries over to Dongshu, it went off to one side and lay down like a great tiger.

Dongshu: "?"

He looked at the two Pokémon in front of him.

Why did the atmosphere feel so strange?

Still, Dongshu didn't give it much thought.

He had something to do today, after all.

Once he'd finished eating the Berries, Dongshu immediately turned to Raikou, barely able to contain his eagerness. "Raikou, water the plants!"

"Sure, leave it to me!"

Raikou nodded, then stood and walked toward the Berry patch it had cultivated beside the cave entrance.

Fire Emperor frowned slightly at the sight.

It followed them and saw Raikou standing by a patch of soil, using the move Rain Dance.

A dark cloud appeared overhead, and a light drizzle fell from it, watering the soil below.

"Fire Emperor, Raikou and I planted these Berries together!" Dongshu's eyes brimmed with anticipation. "After a while, they'll grow into big trees and produce lots of Berries!"

"You should have waited for me to come back so we could do it together." Fire Emperor's eyes showed its disapproval. It should have been the one there to do this with Little One!

"Huh?" Dongshu blinked.

Raikou snorted and said from the side, "He isn't the child of just one Pokémon."

Dongshu: "?"

Fire Emperor thought back to what had happened the night before, and fell silent.

It looked at Raikou and asked, "When are you leaving?"

Raikou didn't want to go. It wanted to stay on Heavenly Green Mountain a little longer and spend time with this human child.

But there was still plenty to do out there, and Pokémon in danger were waiting for it to rescue them.

Besides... it also needed to visit that place and see if it could bring the Miltank named Miltank back to live on Heavenly Green Mountain.

That way, this human child would have all the milk he could drink.

Though those thoughts crossed its mind, Raikou didn't want to indulge Fire Emperor. It replied coolly, "That's none of your business."

Listening to the two big cats, Dongshu was even more confused.

But he soon figured it out.

"Raikou's leaving?" he asked.

Fire Emperor looked at him and nodded slightly. "Yes. Raikou has important things to do, just like me. But don't worry. It'll come back once it's finished."

Raikou looked over too, but just then, it remembered the days when this human child had sat on Heavenly Green Mountain gazing into the distance, waiting for Fire Emperor to return.

If it left, would Dongshu miss it like that too?

Dongshu knew full well that the Legendary Beasts all had their own duties to fulfill.

Even though he hadn't spent long with Raikou, he liked this big cat quite a bit.

It was the classic tough-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside type.

"Raikou, don't forget about me!" Dongshu said.

Raikou thought, Of course I won't. It had already come to accept this human child, who got along well with Pokémon and even went out of his way to help injured ones.

"I'm leaving. Dongshu's in your hands now." Raikou turned to Fire Emperor.

"Of course." Fire Emperor replied seriously.

Raikou glanced back at Dongshu once more, then set off, its thick legs carrying it swiftly across the land.

Its lithe figure soon disappeared from Dongshu's sight.

Only after Raikou had left did Dongshu suddenly remember something.

"Oh no!"

"What is it?" Fire Emperor asked quickly.

"Raikou's gone, so no one can Charge my Mushroom Lamp or help me water the plants!" Dongshu was close to tears.

Fire Emperor: "..."

It thought for a moment, then comforted him. "Don't worry, Little One. There may be Pokémon in the forest that can do those things. I'll go find them and ask them to help."

Dongshu sighed helplessly. "Well, I guess that's all we can do."

"You really like Raikou?" Fire Emperor asked, pretending not to care. "Raikou told me you once said, 'Raikou is the best.'"

"Hm?"

Dongshu blinked at Fire Emperor's words.

He turned and saw Fire Emperor looking completely serious, its expression suggesting it couldn't care less. It seemed as if it had only asked offhand.

Dongshu: "..."

Could this big cat actually be jealous?

Then again, Fire Emperor had taken him in and had always done its utmost to care for him. Anyone would feel hurt hearing something like that.

Fire Emperor must be feeling a little sad!

Thinking that, Dongshu nodded and explained, "Because Raikou found me lots of Berries and kept me warm. It even planted these Berries with its own claws!"

I see... Fire Emperor's heart sank.

Its expression barely changed, but its eyes revealed a disappointment it couldn't hide.

"But Fire Emperor comes first for me!" Dongshu continued.

Fire Emperor's eyes immediately lit up. The light that had dimmed in its gaze returned in an instant.

"Marshadow is second-best, and Raikou is third!" Dongshu wrapped his arms around the big cat before him, as if to reassure it that it shouldn't be sad.

He wasn't an ungrateful wretch. After all, without Fire Emperor, he'd probably be dead by the roadside right now.

"Little One..." At those words, Fire Emperor's eyes seemed to glisten with tears.

It lowered its enormous head and gently rested it on Dongshu's small shoulder.

It would spend its whole life protecting this child.