Ho-Oh Wants to Bring a Baby?

"Say no more." Ho-Oh seemed to see through Fire Emperor's thoughts, withdrawing its gaze from Fire Emperor and turning instead to Suicune and Raikou beside it.

And Marshadow, who had appeared silently at some point.

"I have summoned you all here today not for this matter, so do not worry, Fire Emperor. Since you have decided to adopt this human child, it means a bond has already formed between you."

"A human raised by Pokémon... I look forward to seeing your future."

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Fire Emperor replied respectfully, "Yes, Lord Ho-Oh!"

Ho-Oh nodded lightly, then continued with the main matter: "I have sensed that the new Chosen One has already set out on a journey to Heavenly Green Mountain, carrying the Rainbow Feather."

"Fire Emperor, Suicune, Raikou, Marshadow—I need the four of you to go guide him, test him, and see if he has the qualifications to become a Rainbow Hero."

A new Chosen One had appeared?

Fire Emperor was slightly taken aback.

In the past, they would have immediately agreed and followed the lingering aura of the Rainbow Feather left by Lord Ho-Oh to find and guide that Chosen One.

But now, if they all left, there would be no one to take care of Little One...

"Oh? Fire Emperor, do you have any concerns?" Ho-Oh looked at it.

Fire Emperor said respectfully, "Lord Ho-Oh, Little One is still young and cannot live alone. If I leave along with Raikou and the others..."

"I want to go too!" Dongshu naturally understood the conversation between Ho-Oh and Fire Emperor.

So Ho-Oh really was a kind Pokémon! It hadn't hesitated at all to let him stay.

But a new Chosen One had appeared?

Dongshu was very interested in this. As far as he knew, Ho-Oh flew all over the world, selecting qualified humans and granting them Rainbow Feathers.

If he could tag along on this trip, maybe he could show off in front of that trainer, earn some Shock Points to help make ends meet.

But the moment he heard those words, Fire Emperor instinctively objected.

"No! You stay on Heavenly Green Mountain!" Fire Emperor frowned. The outside world was too dangerous. If something happened while they were carrying out their mission, they wouldn't be able to protect Little One.

Fire Emperor looked pleadingly at Ho-Oh: "Lord Ho-Oh..."

It wanted to ask if it could leave a little later, then take turns with Raikou or Suicune.

But before it could speak, Lord Ho-Oh said:

"In that case, leave this human child to me."

It had once perched in the tower near Ecruteak City, and it was there that it had built friendships with humans.

Though the tower was later destroyed and it left, Ho-Oh understood humans far better than Fire Emperor and the others.

This wasn't just because this child was adopted by Fire Emperor.

It was because Ho-Oh sensed an incredibly pure aura from this human child, as well as a deep love for Pokémon radiating from his heart.

This suddenly sparked a new idea in Ho-Oh's mind.

In the past, it had flown all over the world, casting a wide net to find potential Rainbow Heroes and granting them Rainbow Feathers. That method was too cumbersome and exhausting.

And now, it had been nearly a hundred years since it had last selected a suitable Rainbow Hero.

Over that century, it had granted countless feathers to humans, but not a single one had passed the trials.

Ho-Oh felt deeply weary.

But what if they raised a human from scratch, training them into a Rainbow Hero?

That way, there would be one more person to help them protect weak Pokémon and mediate the relationship between humans and Pokémon...

At this thought, Ho-Oh's eyes suddenly lit up with a bright gleam.

Neither Fire Emperor nor Dongshu knew what was going through Ho-Oh's mind.

But upon hearing that Lord Ho-Oh was willing to take care of Dongshu, Fire Emperor's eyes filled with gratitude.

"Lord Ho-Oh, thank you so much!"

Dongshu was a bit dumbfounded. What was with these Legendary Pokémon? Why did they all want to try their hand at raising a child?

Raikou was one thing, but now even Ho-Oh?

Before he could react, Fire Emperor said to him:

"Little One, Raikou and I have to go fulfill our mission. For now, Lord Ho-Oh will take care of you."

There was no need to say much more, because Fire Emperor knew very well that their Little One was a very clever child. Even if left alone at home, he could take care of himself.

But as Little One's father, even knowing this, Fire Emperor couldn't help worrying.

Dongshu opened his mouth to speak. He knew that Fire Emperor and the others were going to guide and test the human chosen by Ho-Oh.

If that person passed the trials, they would become a Rainbow Hero, just like Ash in the anime.

If they failed, the Rainbow Feather in their hand would lose its color.

That meant they had lost the qualification to become a Rainbow Hero.

But...

Dongshu couldn't help glancing at Ho-Oh nearby.

A glint of "scheming" shone in Ho-Oh's eyes.

This naive, worldly-innocent human child was nothing short of a perfect blank slate to them.

Raised by Pokémon, this child would one day surely become an exceptional Rainbow Hero, racing across the land alongside Fire Emperor, Raikou, and Suicune—protecting the weak, protecting this world.

"But I want to go too..." Dongshu tried to resist.

Because following Ho-Oh wouldn't earn him as many Shock Points as showing off in front of humans.

From his research, the greater the shock in someone's heart, the more Shock Points he could harvest.

A child raised by Pokémon. A child riding the legendary Pokémon Fire Emperor. A child who could "command" the Legendary Beasts...

These would surely stun the trainer chosen by Ho-Oh, letting him rake in a fortune.

That way, he could buy more furniture from the System Store to build his home.

But Fire Emperor grabbed his clothes by the teeth and set him down, then licked his cheek soothingly.

"Be good, Little One. Lord Ho-Oh will take care of you. We'll be back soon."

Raikou and Suicune nodded beside him.

Then Fire Emperor turned to Ho-Oh.

"Lord Ho-Oh, we leave him in your care."

With that, the Legendary Beasts and Marshadow cast one reluctant glance at Dongshu before charging toward the foot of Heavenly Green Mountain.

Now, they would leave the mountain and head to the side of the chosen one.

In the blink of an eye, only Dongshu and Ho-Oh remained atop Heavenly Green Mountain's peak.

Dongshu stared longingly at Ho-Oh—at this legendary Pokémon that netizens in his past life had jokingly called "Shiny Fearow" and "The Photographer."