The sun rose and set over Heavenly Green Mountain. Life there was leisurely and unhurried, so much so that Dongshu often forgot the very concept of time.
He and Ho-Oh lived a life of rising at sunrise and resting at sunset.
Every morning, they would get up early, and Ho-Oh would take him flying all over the mountain, observing the lives of the Pokémon who lived there.
At dusk, Ho-Oh would bring Dongshu, exhausted from a day of playing and already fast asleep, back to the nest. Together, they would drift off to sleep in the cave.
This kind of life was something even a Pokémon of Ho-Oh's stature had never experienced before.
It had never imagined that one day it would personally raise a human child.
If Lugia next door knew about this, it would surely be astonished, wouldn't it?
The Legendary Beasts and Marshadow returned to Heavenly Green Mountain on a day of drizzling spring rain.
Since it was raining outside, Dongshu and Ho-Oh had stayed in.
Ho-Oh was resting with its eyes closed nearby, while Dongshu leaned against the window, gazing out at Heavenly Green Mountain in the rain.
The moment Entei and the others appeared, Dongshu spotted them.
"Entei's back!"
Dongshu hurried downstairs, unable to wait another moment. By the time he reached the ground floor, the Legendary Beasts had already entered the cave.
"Entei!"
Dongshu flung himself at Entei and wrapped his arms around its foreleg.
Having returned to the place where Little One was, Entei felt itself relax from head to toe.
It gently rested its enormous head on Dongshu's shoulder. Its dignified voice rang out through telepathy. "Mm, I'm back."
Even while carrying out its mission far from home for days on end, Entei had constantly thought of Little One.
It had worried he might get hurt, and wondered whether he might cry after being apart for so long.
Now that it saw Little One safe and sound—and even a little chubbier and taller—Entei felt as though a great weight had lifted from its heart.
The taciturn Pokémon lowered its head, making it easier for Little One to hug.
"Hmph."
Just then, a snort came from nearby.
Dongshu and Entei turned and saw Raikou staring at them with a sullen expression.
As soon as it noticed them looking, Raikou turned away and said coolly, "We should go see Lord Ho-Oh."
"And Raikou!"
After hugging Entei, Dongshu ran over to Raikou and wrapped his arms around its leg, showing it how much he had missed it.
At that, Raikou's expression stiffened. Its face softened a little as it lowered its head to look at the human child before it.
Dongshu could tell that Raikou cared about him just as much as Entei did. It even seemed to think of him as its own child.
Seeing that Raikou seemed a little unhappy, he hurried over to hug the great tiger and carefully checked its fur.
"Did you get hurt this time, Raikou?"
Little One was worried about it! Raikou shot Entei a provocative look, showing off, though its voice still sounded rather cold. "I'm even stronger than Entei. How could anyone hurt me?"
Entei: "..."
"Mm-hmm!"
Dongshu nodded again and again, indulging the somewhat proud tiger.
Then he turned to Suicune and Marshadow nearby and greeted them, too.
Seeing that the human child didn't treat it the way he had just treated Entei and Raikou, Suicune couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
Still, it said nothing. It simply nodded gently to Dongshu, its voice warm and elegant. "Mm, it's been a long time, little Dongshu."
"Marsha~"
A faint smile appeared on Marshadow's usually expressionless face.
Just then, Ho-Oh finally appeared.
It flew down to the first floor and looked at the Pokémon.
Entei and the others immediately grew serious.
"Lord Ho-Oh, sorry for the trouble during this time!" Entei thanked Ho-Oh.
Ho-Oh narrowed its eyes at Entei, its gaze sharp.
Did Entei mean to claim its little Dongshu as soon as it got back? Was it in such a hurry to distance itself from him?
I'll go scatter a few more feathers later and find more Chosen Ones for these fellows to guide. Then little Dongshu will be mine alone, Ho-Oh thought, feeling a little wicked.
Entei was somewhat bewildered.
Still, Ho-Oh understood. After all, Entei was the one who had brought the human child back to Heavenly Green Mountain.
Its gaze settled on the Pokémon before it. It didn't even need to ask to know that the Chosen One had failed the trial again.
"Lord Ho-Oh, the Chosen One didn't meet our requirements. The Rainbow Feather he carried has lost its luster," Suicune reported as it stepped forward.
"I know."
Ho-Oh couldn't help sighing.
How many times had it been now?
How many Chosen Ones had failed the trial?
Over the past hundred years, it had given countless feathers to humans. It could barely remember the number itself.
Not one of those humans had passed the trial.
Ho-Oh felt utterly exhausted.
As expected, outsiders couldn't be relied upon. Rather than continue this approach, it would be more dependable for them to start from scratch and raise a human into a Rainbow Hero themselves.
Ho-Oh's hopeful gaze fell upon Dongshu.
Meanwhile, Dongshu led Entei and the others to the backyard.
"Entei, Marshadow, Raikou, Suicune, come take a look!"
The Pokémon were a little confused, but as they followed him through the room and past the ordinary wooden door, the scenery before them changed completely.
A secret realm rich in natural energy slowly unfolded before their eyes, with grasslands, forests, flowers, lakes, and snowy fields.
When Entei and the others took in the sight, their pupils all shrank.
"Little One, what is this...?" Entei asked in a deep voice.
"This is a place I made for everyone, so we can play and live together!" Dongshu said brightly.
The astonishing power left Entei and the others utterly stunned.
This power was truly incredible!
"Little Dongshu is a child blessed by the power of nature," Ho-Oh's voice sounded in the minds of the Pokémon.
Entei and the others all paused in surprise.
"The natural energy here is so abundant that even I can't help being drawn to it."
"Spending a long time here would be beneficial to any Pokémon."
Ho-Oh's voice rang out slowly.
Natural energy helped Pokémon grow and grow stronger.
Ho-Oh had traveled the world for many years and visited countless places.
In human terms, this was a place where exceptionally powerful Pokémon were likely to emerge: Alpha Pokémon, or Totem Pokémon.
But even more than that, what moved Ho-Oh was this:
Little Dongshu had created this place for them, so they could live and rest together.
Ho-Oh was deeply touched.
"Entei, Suicune, Raikou, Marshadow," it said softly.
All four Pokémon turned to look.
Ho-Oh continued, "If I ever leave this place, I entrust little Dongshu to your care. No matter what, you must protect him. He is our hope, the Rainbow Hero Heaven has bestowed upon us."
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