Suicune: Have You Already Forgotten Our Mission? (Seeking Follow-up Reads!)

At this, Fire Emperor said nothing more. It simply licked Little One's cheek gently, then lifted its head to gaze out at the drizzling autumn rain.

A hundred-plus years was enough for many things to change. It was no longer that naive, innocent Pokémon from the beginning.

Over that century, it had encountered many things and met many people.

Thus, Fire Emperor knew full well that its Little One was vastly different from ordinary children.

Little One never wanted to call it Dad.

Little One seemed to know a great deal in that little head.

Little One sometimes acted like a small adult.

All of this made it clear that its Little One was no ordinary human child.

But so what?

The time they spent together was real, and Little One's "love" for it was no lie.

No matter what, this was its Little One, its child.

It would protect this child for life—no... forever.

In that moment, many thoughts raced through Fire Emperor's mind.

Human life had its limits. As a father, it would never let Little One leave.

When Lord Ho-Oh returned, it would beg Lord Ho-Oh to grant its Little One eternal life, just like itself, Raikou, and Suicune.

Whatever the cost, Fire Emperor would pay it willingly.

In the afternoon, the rain stopped.

The air was thick with the scent of wet earth and grass, and a brilliant rainbow hung across the sky.

Seeing that rainbow, Dongshu first thought their photographer Ho-Oh had flown back. But on closer look, he was disappointed to find it was just an ordinary rainbow.

The ground was wet. Going outside would mean muddy feet.

Dongshu didn't want to get covered in mud, but he also wanted to go out and pick all the Berries that had grown.

That way, by the day after tomorrow, the trees would be full of fruit again.

Seeing this, Fire Emperor had no choice but to let Dongshu ride on its back to the orchard. There, they picked all the Berries from the trees, placed them in baskets, and stored them in the warehouse Dongshu had dug.

Looking at the mountain of Berries piled high inside the Secret Base, Dongshu grinned, a bright smile spreading across his face.

This way, they wouldn't have to worry about going hungry this winter!

Meanwhile, at the foot of Heavenly Green Mountain.

An elegant, flowing blue figure set foot on this land.

It looked up at the peak of Heavenly Green Mountain, vanishing into the clouds, and furrowed its brow slightly.

Fire Emperor was there.

Suicune moved its limbs, dashing up the mountain path. Its tail, as graceful and flowing as a ribbon, swayed lightly.

As it advanced, Suicune took note of its surroundings.

Heavenly Green Mountain... unchanged.

At least, it looked the same as the last time it had returned.

So what could possibly keep Fire Emperor here, refusing to leave?

The scenery blurred past. As the Incarnation of the North Wind, Suicune was incredibly fast.

Before long, it reached the mountainside.

There was still some distance to the summit.

But it could sense that Fire Emperor was here—and not just Fire Emperor. Marshadow was here too.

No, not just the two of them... Suicune frowned slightly. It could vaguely feel another presence besides Fire Emperor and Marshadow.

That presence was very weak... Suicune had only felt this kind of aura from Pokémon that had just hatched from eggs.

In that moment, a wild guess suddenly surfaced in Suicune's mind.

Could it be that Fire Emperor, Marshadow, and Raikou had been raising a Pokémon cub here on Heavenly Green Mountain behind its back?

But that couldn't be! Neither Fire Emperor's nor Raikou's personality seemed like the type to do such a thing.

Let alone Marshadow.

It was here.

Lost in thought, Suicune suddenly stopped.

It looked up at the cave ahead.

Suicune remembered this place. Once upon a time, while guiding the Rainbow Hero through trials, they would also rest here.

But compared to the cave in its memory, things seemed to have changed quite a bit.

Beside the cave, a grove of Berry-laden trees had grown, seemingly out of nowhere.

Rows of fruit trees stood neatly arranged, as if planted by human hands.

Moving forward, Suicune's gaze pierced through the cave entrance toward the interior.

What had once been a cave with uneven rock walls was now a square, four-cornered room, much like a human dwelling.

Even more astonishing to Suicune was that the cave floor was covered in a layer of wooden planks, exuding a natural, earthy scent.

"What is this?!" Suicune's face showed an expression of disbelief.

Just then, a familiar figure emerged from within the cave.

Suicune looked up and saw Fire Emperor walking out from inside, raising its head to meet its gaze from afar.

"Fire Emperor..."

Suicune was about to communicate with Fire Emperor through telepathy, but the next second, its peripheral vision caught sight of something behind Fire Emperor—a human child it had never seen before!

Suicune's pupils sharply contracted.

And at that moment, the human child also noticed its arrival. The moment their eyes met, the child froze in place.

After a brief pause, Suicune turned its gaze back to Fire Emperor.

Its voice sounded as gentle and pleasant as a babbling brook.

"Fire Emperor, what exactly has happened here?"

"As you can see, I've taken in this child." Fire Emperor's voice was dignified. "Let me introduce you, Suicune. He is Dongshu, my child—Fire Emperor's child."

Taken in... a child...

Suicune's pupils trembled violently.

How was this possible?

Fire Emperor, a Pokémon, why would it bring a human child back to Heavenly Green Mountain and treat him as its own?

More importantly, it seemed to have forgotten its mission...

Suicune's tone gradually turned serious.

"Fire Emperor, we need an explanation," it said.

"Little One's parents died protecting us Pokémon. In the human world, he has no family left, so I brought him to Heavenly Green Mountain and decided to raise him." Fire Emperor explained concisely. "Marshadow and Raikou already know about this."

Suicune: "..."

So it was the only one left in the dark, was it?

Suicune had no right to interfere with Fire Emperor's actions, nor did it wish to.

It only said softly, "Fire Emperor, you've stayed on Heavenly Green Mountain for far too long. You and I both have our own missions—there's no time to care for a human child."

Fire Emperor fell silent, unable to answer Suicune's words.

Because it had already made its choice—between fulfilling its mission and caring for Little One, it had chosen the latter.

"If Lord Ho-Oh holds anyone accountable, I alone will bear the blame." Fire Emperor said solemnly.

"Lord Ho-Oh will return soon," Suicune said.

Among the Legendary Beasts, Suicune had a closer bond with Ho-Oh, so it knew far more about Ho-Oh's movements than Fire Emperor or Raikou.

The two beasts didn't speak behind Dongshu's back, and Dongshu couldn't help but tug at a tuft of Fire Emperor's fur.

Ho-Oh was coming back?

No, given Ho-Oh's personality, it probably wouldn't blame Fire Emperor, right? Probably... right?

Dongshu looked worriedly at Fire Emperor beside him. In that moment, countless thoughts surged through his mind.

Soon, one thought gained the upper hand.

—If worst comes to worst, just run, right?

Travel the whole world first, shock everyone, earn enough Shock Points, then directly exchange for a hundred Rare Candy to level Fire Emperor straight to 100. That way, there'd be no need to fear Ho-Oh.