Backyard

"Is Ho-Oh leaving?" Dongshu asked.

Ho-Oh shook his head. "This is merely a gift from me to you."

Ho-Oh even wanted to stay on Heavenly Green Mountain forever, personally raise little Dongshu, and train him from scratch to become a Rainbow Hero.

Hearing this, Dongshu immediately felt relieved.

He still wanted to ask Ho-Oh to take him to a human city again after some time!

After yesterday's spending spree, his six million Shock Points had been reduced to three million.

Dongshu planned to spend some more Shock Points on things he'd always wanted to buy, then use all the rest to buy Rare Candies and level up Fire Emperor.

"Mm, not just Fire Emperor, but also Raikou, Suicune, Marshadow, and Ho-Oh."

Dongshu pondered silently.

Could he get all of Ho-Oh's family to level 100 before he turned ten?

That way, he wouldn't have to fear any enemies he encountered when he traveled around in the future.

After all, even the beautiful, utopia-like Pokémon world had quite a few villainous organizations.

Take Team Rocket's leader, Sakaki. He was an exceptionally powerful Trainer, and had even controlled Mewtwo for a time.

And in some storylines, Team Rocket members had even gone after Raikou, trying to capture the Pokémon.

Dongshu didn't want Raikou, Suicune, Fire Emperor, Marshadow, or Ho-Oh to be captured by someone without his knowledge.

Though Ho-Oh was powerful, there were also formidable humans like Pryce, who had slain gods with his Swine and Delibird.

He just didn't know whether this world had the Pryce he was familiar with.

So Dongshu thought it would be better to play it safe.

It took four million Shock Points to get Fire Emperor to max level.

Adding Raikou, Suicune, Marshadow, and Ho-Oh, it would take a full twenty million or so Shock Points.

"Six million at a time, so three more times should be enough."

Perfect!

After that, he could ask Ho-Oh to take him out flying a few more times, and he'd be all set.

Dongshu checked his balance. He still had three million left.

He'd better fill his stomach first!

After 40 Shock Points were deducted, a bottle of Moomoo Milk and a serving of food specially made for Bird Pokémon appeared in front of Dongshu and Ho-Oh.

The system said Fearow loved this food. Dongshu wondered whether Ho-Oh would like it too.

"Here!" Dongshu shared the food with Ho-Oh.

Ho-Oh didn't refuse. It happily accepted little Dongshu's offering.

After quickly finishing breakfast, Dongshu climbed downstairs and went to the Ecological Garden in his backyard. He stopped on the open grassy area near the house.

Warm sunlight fell on him. With his hands on his hips, Dongshu looked like he was surveying his domain.

A deep-blue store panel appeared before his eyes.

[Farmland: A 9x9 plot with exceptionally fertile soil, where any crop will thrive. Can be placed anywhere. Exchange cost: 5,000 Shock Points.]

[Fish Pond: A fish pond with its own water-circulation system, suitable for raising ordinary fish for food, as well as providing Water-type Pokémon with a perfect habitat. Exchange cost: 5,000 Shock Points.]

[Automatic Sprinkler: An automatic watering device that can be placed in farmland. Exchange cost: 1,000 Shock Points.]

Now that he'd decided to live on Heavenly Green Mountain with Fire Emperor and the others, Dongshu felt they couldn't keep relying on the System Store to buy meals.

There was nothing wrong with the food, but it always made him feel like he was ordering takeout.

In that case, he'd feel more at ease growing his own food.

Though he was too young to cook right now, everyone grew up eventually.

Besides, it wouldn't matter if they couldn't eat it all.

That was because Dongshu had spotted something very special in the System Store.

[Shipping Bin: A special tool from a certain farming world. Put harvested crops or unused materials inside, and they will be processed automatically the next day and converted into Shock Points. Exchange cost: 100,000 Shock Points.]

"Isn't this from that classic farming game?" Dongshu immediately grew interested.

No need to think twice—he'd exchange for one right away!

The next second, a muffled thud rang out, like a box closing, and a wooden crate appeared beside him.

The Shipping Bin was ready. Next came the farmland!

Each plot cost 5,000 Shock Points. He'd exchange for twenty to start. After 100,000 Shock Points were deducted, a neat stretch of fertile, ready-to-plant farmland appeared before Dongshu's eyes!

Next was the Fish Pond.

It could be used not only to raise ordinary fish for food, but also as a perfect home for Water-type Pokémon.

Like the adorable Quagsire.

Dongshu focused, and the next moment, a crystal-clear fish pond landed with a resounding thump.

Ho-Oh stood behind him, seemingly already used to all this.

Its gaze turned toward this strange space.

Or, to put it another way, this hidden realm.

It had already sensed it yesterday: the natural energy here was far more abundant than outside.

If Pokémon stayed here for long periods, it would greatly benefit their bodies.

They could grow stronger, gain more strength, and grow taller...

Interest showed in Ho-Oh's eyes.

Was their little Dongshu truly a child favored by nature?

"Done!"

The basic infrastructure in the backyard was complete for now, and Dongshu was quite pleased.

After all that, he still had more than 2.7 million Shock Points left.

He decided to exchange all the remaining Shock Points for Rare Candies to level up Fire Emperor later.

With the farmland and fish pond set up, the next step was planting crops.

But Dongshu was too young to do the work himself. He simply didn't have the ability, unless there was a suitable Pokémon to help.

But in his current situation... he couldn't catch Pokémon at all.

Dongshu couldn't help sighing. Never mind, he'd put this on hold and deal with it once he was older!

Back in the living room, Dongshu couldn't help running outside. He sat on a large rock and gazed into the distance.

It had only been a few days, but he was already missing Fire Emperor again.

"Ho-Oh, when will Fire Emperor be back?" Dongshu couldn't help asking.

Ho-Oh replied, "It will return to Heavenly Green Mountain once it has finished guiding the chosen one."

"When will it finish guiding the chosen one?" With nothing better to do, Dongshu couldn't help rambling again.

Ho-Oh thought for a moment before answering, "If the chosen one passes the test, Fire Emperor will protect him and bring him to Heavenly Green Mountain."

"If the chosen one fails the test, the Rainbow Feather I gave him will lose its light. At that point, Fire Emperor and the others will give up guiding him and return to Heavenly Green Mountain directly."

Just like in the movie... Dongshu thought. Then it would probably take a long, long time!

Dongshu sighed helplessly. His little face was full of worry. Above him stretched the clear blue sky; below lay the magnificent Heavenly Green Mountain. Sitting on the rock, Dongshu swung his legs listlessly, missing Fire Emperor.