Ho-Oh

"You're called Dongshu, right?"

The photographer's noble and elegant voice suddenly rang out in Dongshu's mind through telepathy.

"Yes..." Dongshu looked up at the great bird before him. With Fire Emperor and the others gone, didn't this mean he'd be spending the next stretch of time alone with Ho-Oh?

Ho-Oh, the most mysterious legendary Pokémon in the Pokémon world, its strength unknown. Though it had appeared many times, it had never revealed its true power in front of anyone.

Dongshu couldn't help but check this Ho-Oh's strength through the Rare Candy section of the System Store.

Although there was no concept of levels in the real world, by exchanging for Rare Candy items, a Pokémon's approximate strength could be displayed in terms of levels.

[Rare Candy (Ho-Oh Exclusive): A Rare Candy used to raise a Pokémon's level. Exchange cost: 82,000 Shock Points.]

Eighty-two thousand...

That meant, if expressed in levels, this Ho-Oh was around level 82!

In a Pokémon world where the max level was 100, this Ho-Oh's strength was absolutely among the top tier!

A hint of shock crept onto Dongshu's face.

Ho-Oh keenly noticed the expression on this human child's face.

Is he nervous? Ho-Oh wondered.

"No need to be tense. I am Ho-Oh, a being that brings happiness and good fortune to humans." Ho-Oh tried to make its tone as gentle as possible.

Over seven hundred years ago, it had forged a friendship with humans in Ecruteak City and lingered for a long time atop the tower they built for it.

During that time, Ho-Oh had observed many humans up close.

As for how to care for a human child...

Ho-Oh's mind conjured the image of a human mother holding her baby in her arms.

The first step to raising a Rainbow Hero—building a bond with this human child.

Ho-Oh descended from the rainbow-colored stone to stand before Dongshu. It then bent down and said to him:

"Come, Dongshu, climb onto me! I'll take you to see something interesting."

Dongshu: "?"

Was Ho-Oh telling him to ride it?!

Dongshu's mouth fell open in surprise.

Not that he minded, but...

Ho-Oh stood nearly four meters tall—to him right now, it was an absolute giant!

"Ho-Oh..." Dongshu couldn't help calling out.

This human child called my name... Ho-Oh narrowed its eyes slightly and said gently, "Yes, I am Ho-Oh."

"Too high!" Dongshu tried to convey the issue. "I can't reach!"

Ho-Oh, full of anticipation: "..."

That was an oversight on its part.

A blue light flickered in Ho-Oh's eyes, and the next second, a gentle psychic force wrapped around Dongshu's small body, lifting him lightly and placing him on its back.

"Whoa!" Dongshu played along with an exclamation of surprise. "That's amazing!"

Ho-Oh let out a melodious, pleasant cry, and the next moment, it spread its wings and soared high, flying from the peak of Heavenly Green Mountain into the clouds.

For the first time in his life, he was this high up. Watching the land grow farther and farther below, Dongshu's legs went weak with tension, and his body couldn't stop trembling.

This high... if he fell, wouldn't he just splat to death?

Hmm? This human child seems scared?

Ho-Oh keenly sensed the emotions of the one on its back and said gently through telepathy:

"Dongshu, look ahead."

Dongshu instinctively tore his gaze from the ground and followed Ho-Oh's words to look forward.

—A massive, dazzling rainbow stretched across the entire azure sky. The distant sun radiated warm light, and soft white clouds had appeared around them as if by magic, painting a scene like a beautiful, fairy-tale oil painting.

"Whoa!" Seeing such a breathtaking sight, Dongshu was instantly captivated.

"This world is beautiful, isn't it?" Ho-Oh said softly.

"Yeah!" Dongshu nodded dazedly.

Ho-Oh smiled. It let out a lovely, pleasing sound, then slowed its pace, drifting through the sky with the human child on its back.

Until the sun set in the west, and fiery clouds swept across the entire sky.

In the twilight dusk, Ho-Oh finally brought Dongshu back to Heavenly Green Mountain.

Dongshu was thrilled by the day's experience.

But what excited him even more was how friendly and gentle this Ho-Oh was with him.

It was a completely different Pokémon from the photographer or the shiny Fearow he'd imagined.

When he landed on the ground, Dongshu said from the bottom of his heart to Ho-Oh, "Thank you, Ho-Oh!"

Ho-Oh smiled faintly.

Then, it saw the human child in front of him pull out a Poffin that gave off an enticing aroma from somewhere, as if by magic.

Ho-Oh paused slightly, its gaze falling on that Poffin.

The next second, it saw the human child hold the Poffin in both hands, strain to stand on tiptoe, and offer it up to him.

"For you!"

Ho-Oh was startled. "This... is for me?"

"Mm!" Dongshu nodded gently, smiling as he said, "Because Ho-Oh played with me for so long today!"

At that moment, an unprecedented feeling suddenly welled up in Ho-Oh's heart.

This human child...

The expression on his face grew even gentler, and he softly ate that delicious Poffin.

"Ho-Oh, follow me!" Dongshu tugged at Ho-Oh. "It's dark, we should go home!"

"Home?" Ho-Oh was taken aback again.

"Mm, the home of Fire Emperor, Marshadow, Raikou, Suicune, and me!" Dongshu nodded.

"Oh?" Hearing this, a hint of anticipation rose in Ho-Oh's heart.

He followed the human child off the mountaintop, down the mountain path, and before long, they spotted a cave up ahead fitted with a door.

Beside the cave, a patch of Berry trees grew in the soil.

Seeing this, a flicker of surprise passed through Ho-Oh's eyes.

"Raikou and I planted these together!" Having spent most of the day with Ho-Oh, Dongshu was no longer as unfamiliar or nervous around this Pokémon.

So, when he saw Ho-Oh looking over there, he took the initiative to explain. "That way, we don't have to go down to find food!"

As he spoke, a slightly troubled expression appeared on Dongshu's face.

"But sometimes the Berries grow too many, and Fire Emperor and I can't finish them, so they go bad..."

"To avoid wasting them, later Fire Emperor and I started sharing them with everyone in the forest!"

"Is that so?" Ho-Oh's gaze grew even softer. He hadn't been wrong—this human child was practically born to be his Rainbow Hero.

Dongshu stepped forward and pushed open the door. Ho-Oh looked inside.

Unexpectedly, it wasn't a cave at all, but a secret space specially decorated, square and neat, resembling a house built by humans.

The floor was covered with wooden planks, and a large carpet lay over it. Nearby were sofas, tables, chairs, a fireplace, and other furnishings, making it look very cozy.

"This is..." Seeing this, Ho-Oh couldn't help but pause.

"This is the home of Fire Emperor and the others and me!"