Adoption

The next morning, one human and one Pokémon continued onward.

Near noon, they finally passed through Tokiwa Forest and arrived at a stretch of open plains.

With Dongshu on its back, Fire Emperor gazed into the distance. At the edge of the plains stood a human town.

That was their destination.

Fire Emperor planned to leave once it had delivered Little One there.

But just then, it suddenly heard a sound from its back.

"Growl, growl, growl!"

Fire Emperor: "..."

It silently set Dongshu down somewhere safe, then turned and sprinted into the forest.

Watching Fire Emperor disappear from sight, Dongshu knew it had gone to find food for him again.

But... once Fire Emperor brought him to a town where humans lived, they would have to part ways, wouldn't they?

He had spent three days with Fire Emperor, and Fire Emperor had taken care of him for three days.

Dongshu was quite reluctant to part with such an intelligent, dependable Pokémon that knew how to look after others.

Where was he supposed to go from here?

All told, Dongshu had been transported to this world for less than ten months. Now that his parents were dead, he was far too young to live on his own.

And he had no relatives like maternal grandparents or paternal grandparents either. When the time came, he could only be sent to an orphanage.

How miserable.

"Ugh!"

Dongshu could not help sighing.

"Hisss—!"

In the grass, a slender purple snake Pokémon about a meter long silently moved toward Dongshu.

It was an Ekans.

This was an underage Ekans. Its gaze remained fixed on the prey ahead while its tongue flicked lightly, sensing the prey's scent and any danger nearby.

A perfect chance!

The prey had not noticed its approach, and there was no danger around!

Ekans keenly realized this was an excellent opportunity to attack. It silently circled behind its prey and was about to strike when an enraged roar came from nearby.

Fire Emperor had just returned with several Berries in its mouth when it saw a wild Pokémon preparing to hunt Little One.

Its eyes split with fury. Its voice thundered with rage as it rebuked:

"Get lost!"

A terrifying pressure swept out from its body.

Ekans immediately sensed the danger. Panicking, it abandoned the hunt, turned, and slipped into the grass, quickly vanishing from sight.

By the time Dongshu realized something was wrong and turned around, he saw only Ekans's tail.

With the Berries in its mouth, Fire Emperor strode quickly over to Dongshu and placed them before him. Then it raised its head and looked toward the direction Ekans had fled.

Only then did Dongshu belatedly realize that the Ekans had apparently mistaken him for prey and was about to hunt him!

The wilderness of the Pokémon world... really was dangerous after all!

"It's all right now." Fire Emperor's dignified voice rang out in Dongshu's mind.

Fire Emperor withdrew its gaze, then sat down before Dongshu and looked at him sternly.

Dongshu slowly let out a breath of relief. Thankfully, Fire Emperor was here...

This was already the second time Fire Emperor had saved him.

Without Fire Emperor, he would probably have died in that sedan with his parents.

But looking at Fire Emperor before him, and the town standing on the plains behind it...

Dongshu knew their time to part was drawing near.

"Ugh!"

If only I were a Trainer. Then I could catch Fire Emperor and stay with it forever, Dongshu could not help thinking.

Unfortunately, that was impossible.

He silently sighed and ate the Berries, his feelings complicated.

Fire Emperor had already risen from the grass and was waiting beside him.

Dongshu stretched out his arms and hugged Fire Emperor tightly.

Feeling Little One's action, Fire Emperor froze slightly.

It silently looked at the somewhat downcast Little One before it, momentarily at a loss.

Was Little One reluctant to part with it too?

Fire Emperor remained silent. Without saying a word, it picked Little One up by his clothes and tossed him onto its back, then broke into a run toward the human town.

This time, Fire Emperor did not stop to rest again. Carrying Dongshu, it soon arrived outside the human town.

"We're here. This is where you belong."

Fire Emperor picked Dongshu up in its mouth and set him down on the street.

It was a very small town.

It was noon, and most of the townspeople were at home having lunch. There was hardly anyone to be seen outside.

Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, Dongshu had no idea where he was.

It did not look like Tokiwa City. Instead, it resembled a remote rural town like Pallet Town.

Dongshu looked around, taking in his surroundings.

But when he withdrew his gaze and looked back at Fire Emperor, all he saw was its retreating back.

At some point, Fire Emperor had already turned around, seemingly preparing to leave.

Dongshu froze where he stood, staring fixedly at Fire Emperor.

Fire Emperor walked forward on its own. Though it appeared calm on the surface, its mind was in utter turmoil.

Scene after scene from the past three days with Little One kept flashing through its mind.

Little One's adorable look as he fed it Berries, the sight of Little One curled up safely in its embrace as he slept, the way Little One waited where he was for it to return... He had relied on it so much.

Perhaps Little One had already regarded it as family.

Fire Emperor had never experienced such a feeling before. It was completely unfamiliar to it.

It was leaving. Would Little One cry?

His parents had left this world to protect Pokémon. Little One had no family left now.

And all of this had been to protect Pokémon like them.

A hint of hesitation arose in Fire Emperor's heart.

Its steps paused slightly, and then it turned its head to look behind it.

Little One was sitting there all alone, staring at it without blinking, seemingly unable to understand why it had left him here.

Little One looked both pitiful and foolish like that.

Fire Emperor froze.

Voices surfaced in Fire Emperor's mind, warning it again and again.

"Little One has no family left. Even if he returns to human territory, he will have nowhere to go."

"Little One's parents died protecting Pokémon. Then we Pokémon should naturally take good care of their child."

"If I just leave like this, Little One will definitely be so heartbroken that he bursts into tears, won't he?"

Fire Emperor gritted its teeth and closed its eyes. After a brief struggle, it had already made its decision.

It opened its eyes again, turned around, and ran toward Little One. It gently picked him up by the clothes on his back, then carried him away from the town without looking back.

Dongshu: "?"