Riding Ho-Oh to the Human World!

Ho-Oh followed the human cub into the Cave.

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Its expression was full of curiosity.

Could these human items have been brought back from outside by Fire Emperor and the others?

After playing outside all day, Dongshu was tired, sleepy, and hungry.

He rummaged through the Warehouse and found the Moomoo Milk Raikou had brought back for him. He took one bottle for himself, then gave another to Ho-Oh.

After gulping down the milk, Dongshu let out a satisfied burp. Then, hugging the Clefairy Doll Fire Emperor had brought back for him, he curled up on the sofa and soon fell asleep.

Ho-Oh stood nearby, watching the scene as it silently repeated the human cub's name in its heart.

"Dongshu..."

No one knew what it was thinking.

The next morning.

Dongshu got up early.

Seeing Ho-Oh standing nearby with its eyes closed in quiet rest, he suddenly realized that everything that had happened yesterday had not been a dream!

When it saw him wake up, Ho-Oh opened its eyes as well.

"You're awake?" it asked softly.

"Yeah!" Dongshu nodded, then went to the Warehouse and carried out a pile of Berries. He gave a few to Ho-Oh and kept two for himself.

These Berries were his breakfast for the day.

Ho-Oh watched from the side. Only after Dongshu had finished the Berries and burped contentedly did it ask:

"Do you and Fire Emperor usually live like this?"

"Yeah." Dongshu nodded. This was how they usually lived.

After breakfast, sometimes they would take another nap at home, and sometimes Fire Emperor would take him down the mountain to play with those Pokémon.

There were no worries, no sorrows, and no pressure from life. Their days were simple and warm.

At least, Dongshu quite liked it. Every day, he could eat, drink, and play like a salted fish, while also petting Pokémon he liked wherever he went.

He no longer had to be a corporate slave like in his previous life, facing all kinds of pressures such as mortgages, car loans, and bride prices.

Just thinking about his past life put Dongshu in a rather bad mood.

Ho-Oh keenly sensed the change in the human cub's emotions.

Was he missing Fire Emperor and the others? Ho-Oh could not help but wonder.

"Don't worry, Dongshu. Once Fire Emperor and the others finish their business, they will return to Heavenly Green Mountain," Ho-Oh comforted him softly. "During this time, I will keep you company."

"Yeah." Dongshu nodded, then thought of Ash and the Rainbow Hero.

Lying on the sofa, he asked Ho-Oh curiously.

"Ho-Oh, what does the Rainbow Hero do?"

"The Rainbow Hero?" Ho-Oh paused slightly, seemingly not expecting Dongshu to ask that.

After thinking for a moment, it answered, "Like us, the Rainbow Hero bears the mission of protecting the weak and maintaining peace in the world."

"Did Fire Emperor and the others go out to meet the Rainbow Hero?" Dongshu asked again.

"Yes and no. Only humans who pass my test can become the Rainbow Hero," Ho-Oh answered softly.

And as a reward, that person would gain their friendship.

Of course, the reward did not end there.

Humans who successfully passed the trial and reached Heavenly Green Mountain to meet it would receive a reward from it.

Their lifespans would be extended by roughly fifty years, and their bodies would become stronger.

The Rainbow Feather it bestowed also contained its power. If used on a dying Pokémon or human, it could restore them to full health and awaken their potential.

However, if the Rainbow Hero who passed the trial later lost their original heart, the Rainbow Feather would also lose its glow and its effects.

"Humans..." Dongshu could not help asking, "Ho-Oh, what is the human world like?"

"The human world?" Ho-Oh paused slightly. It then realized that this human cub had always lived with Fire Emperor in Heavenly Green Mountain and likely knew nothing at all about the human world.

"Humans... are, like us Pokémon, part of the life that shares this land," Ho-Oh said softly.

Seeing how curious the human cub looked, Ho-Oh smiled. "But if you want to see it, I can take you there and have a look."

At those words, Dongshu's eyes instantly lit up.

"Really?"

If Ho-Oh was willing to take him on a trip through the human world, didn't that mean he could reap a huge batch of Shock Points in one go?

Just as planned!

"Naturally." As Ho-Oh spoke, a blue glow of psychic power appeared in its eyes.

That power gently enveloped Dongshu's body and placed him on Lord Ho-Oh's back.

"I have visited many places where humans live. I am far more familiar with and knowledgeable about them than Fire Emperor and the others," Lord Ho-Oh said softly.

There was no way following him could go wrong.

Taking this human cub to have a look at the human world would be the perfect opportunity to further strengthen their bond.

Lord Ho-Oh had already made up his mind.

He would start from scratch and raise this human cub into a Rainbow Hero—a Rainbow Hero raised by Pokémon.

"Hold on tight—"

Lord Ho-Oh let out a pleasant cry, spread his wings, and soared into the sky. Rainbow light immediately appeared around him as he left Heavenly Green Mountain and flew toward the distance.

Looking down at the vast land below, then thinking of how this trip was highly likely to earn him a huge number of Shock Points, Dongshu could not help but grow excited.

Lord Ho-Oh, I love you!

Johto Region, Ecruteak City.

At the center of this ancient and elegant city stood two grand, majestic towers.

Inside the towers, many monks and shrine maidens who worshipped Lord Ho-Oh were offering their usual prayers.

"Grandmother, can Lord Ho-Oh really hear our prayers?" a girl named Suzune, dressed in shrine maiden robes, could not help asking Shrine Maiden Grandmother beside her.

Shrine Maiden Grandmother was already seventy-eight this year. She had once been a shrine maiden herself and had presided over ceremonies worshipping Lord Ho-Oh. Now, time had left far too many marks upon her face.

Her once glossy black hair had long since turned snow-white, while her once fair and smooth cheeks were now covered in wrinkles.

It was said that Shrine Maiden Grandmother had worshipped Lord Ho-Oh, the god capable of bringing happiness to people, ever since she was born.

Hearing Suzune's question, Shrine Maiden Grandmother looked both reverent and solemn.

"Lord Ho-Oh can definitely hear us. I believe he will hear our voices and return to Ecruteak City once again, just as he did hundreds of years ago, to rebuild his friendship with us humans!"

Suzune could not help sticking out her tongue.

She had heard those legends far too many times. Having inherited the role of shrine maiden since childhood, she had always prayed and performed rituals diligently, yet she had never once seen Lord Ho-Oh.

"Do not disrespect Lord Ho-Oh!" Shrine Maiden Grandmother rebuked her, her face full of devotion. "It was human greed in that incident that caused Lord Ho-Oh to lose his trust in us."

Seven hundred years ago, two towers were built in Ecruteak City, standing on its eastern and western sides.

These two towers had been built for the friendship between humans and Pokémon. The legendary Pokémon Lord Ho-Oh and Lugia lived atop the two towers.

At that time, the people of Ecruteak City enjoyed the protection of these two legendary Pokémon.

But later, certain humans used Lord Ho-Oh's power to commit evil everywhere and ignite wars, ultimately causing Bell Tower to be burned down.

Thus, disappointed in humanity, Lord Ho-Oh and Lugia left Ecruteak City and cut off all ties with humans.

In hopes of bringing Lord Ho-Oh back, the residents of Ecruteak City built a new Bell Tower on this land, but Lord Ho-Oh never showed himself.

After being scolded by Shrine Maiden Grandmother, Suzune pursed her lips.

Resting her chin in her hand, she thought boredly that perhaps Lord Ho-Oh had found somewhere better to live.

Suzune suddenly wanted to go out for some fresh air. Using the excuse that she needed to relieve herself, she asked Grandmother for leave, then ran alone to the top of Bell Tower. With the worries of a young girl in her heart, she gazed sadly at the magnificent scenery around her.

But just then, a brilliant rainbow suddenly appeared on the distant horizon.

Suzune froze slightly, then looked up at the sky in disbelief.

This has to be fake, right? It hasn't even rained in this weather—how could there possibly be a rainbow?!

Yet in the next second, a sacred golden-red figure appeared at the end of that rainbow.

That was...

Suzune's pupils contracted as that figure gradually overlapped with the figure depicted in the murals recorded within Bell Tower.

That was... Lord Ho-Oh, the legendary Pokémon whom Shrine Maiden Grandmother and the other people of Ecruteak City had worshipped for over seventy years!