In the forest, beneath falling autumn leaves, a sturdy, agile figure carried a young child, racing over the golden carpet of leaves.
"Rustle, rustle!"
Its thick, powerful paw pads crushed the brittle, dry leaves underfoot, making them rustle.
Fire Emperor's golden-red eyes stared straight ahead.
Little One's parents had died protecting their Pokémon, so as a member of the Ho-Oh Guard, he ought to take good care of their child.
Little One no longer had parents. So starting today, he would be Little One's father!
Now, he was taking Little One back to Heavenly Green Mountain. For one thing, it was the territory of the Ho-Oh Guard.
Marshadow, Suicune, Raikou, and Lord Ho-Oh all lived there with him.
For another, Little One's existence needed to be reported to Lord Ho-Oh.
As Fire Emperor pondered, he suddenly felt the person on his back tug at his fur.
His thoughts snapped back to the present. He gradually slowed down, then stopped beside a towering tree.
Fire Emperor looked back at the human infant on his back. His eyes, usually so stern and dignified, now held a trace of tenderness.
"What's wrong?" Fire Emperor asked through telepathy.
Little One couldn't talk yet, but Fire Emperor felt that the child on his back could understand him.
At that moment, Dongshu felt completely numb.
From the moment Fire Emperor had carried him off from the human town until now, Dongshu still hadn't quite processed what was happening.
Had Fire Emperor kidnapped him?
No, that couldn't be...
But more importantly, he needed to pee!
"Eee! Ah!"
Put him down!
Seeing the urgent expression on Little One's face, as if he were trying to say something, Fire Emperor couldn't help looking troubled.
What was wrong with Little One?
He was just about to ask when, the next second, he felt a warm stream running down his back.
Little One's body stiffened, his face set in an expression of grim resignation.
I'm done for... Fire Emperor's going to bite me to death now, isn't he? Dongshu thought.
Fire Emperor's pupils shrank. At last, he realized what it was!
At the same time, the long-quiet golden finger panel before Dongshu's eyes suddenly sprang to life.
[The dignity of a Legendary Pokémon must not be violated. Your act of peeing on a Legendary Pokémon was not only shocking, but also a first in Fire Emperor's life.] [How many firsts does a life have? Shock Points from Fire Emperor +5!]
"..."
Five minutes later.
In a forest stream, clear water burbled along.
Fire Emperor was immersed in the water, with only his head showing. He looked at Dongshu on the bank with his golden-red eyes.
There was a hint of helplessness in his gaze.
Dongshu stood there, feeling guilty. Thank goodness Fire Emperor hadn't bitten him to death. Instead, he'd gone straight to a river and jumped in.
But watching Fire Emperor bathe in the water, looking so ridiculous, Dongshu couldn't help giggling.
Fire Emperor: "..."
The next second, he rose from the water. His massive body made a light leap, landing precisely on the bank.
Fire Emperor shook the water from his body, then summoned the power of fire within him. In practically an instant, every drop of water in his orange-red fur had been dried.
Then Fire Emperor walked over to Dongshu on his sturdy legs and lay down behind him. He stuck out his tongue and began licking the little one's "fur."
Of course, it wasn't literally fur. This was how Fire Emperor and other feline Pokémon cleaned themselves and stayed neat.
Feeling Fire Emperor's tongue sweep across his face, Dongshu was utterly shocked.
Thinking about Fire Emperor's behavior over the past couple of days, a thought he could hardly believe suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Could Fire Emperor really think of him as his... child?
But how was that possible?
He and Fire Emperor had only known each other for a few days!
Was it because Fire Emperor had seen that both his parents were dead and thought he was too pitiful? Maybe Fire Emperor didn't trust that anyone would care for him if he returned to the human town, so out of sympathy, pity, or a sense of duty as a member of the Ho-Oh Guard, he'd decided to adopt him himself?
Had spending a few days together made Fire Emperor see caring for him as a responsibility?
Dongshu was stunned.
If that was really the case... then Fire Emperor's behavior finally made sense!
What was this?
Though shocked, Dongshu didn't find the idea impossible to accept.
After all, the anime had shown plenty of examples of humans being adopted by Pokémon and raised to adulthood.
For instance, there were Zarude and Koko in the movie, as well as Taro in the anime. After an airplane accident separated him from his parents, kindhearted Kangaskhan had taken him in and raised him.
"So that means I'll be living with Fire Emperor from now on?"
Dongshu was shocked, but also a little happy.
He was shocked that a Legendary Pokémon like Fire Emperor had adopted a human child as his own.
He was happy that he wouldn't have to be separated from Fire Emperor.
After all, his parents in this life had passed away, leaving him without any other family in the world. Fire Emperor was the one he knew best right now.
More importantly...
The peeing incident just now had helped Dongshu figure out how to use his golden finger.
While Fire Emperor licked him clean, Dongshu focused his thoughts, and the panel appeared automatically before his eyes.
His Shock Value, which had been 0, was now 5.
That meant he could redeem a bottle of Moomoo Milk from the shop and drink it.
[Moomoo Milk: Milk with 100% nutritional value, produced by Miltank. Drinking it regularly can make people stronger. Cost: 5 Shock Value.]
No... I'd better save it for now. There might be some special situation later when I need it, Dongshu thought.
By then, Fire Emperor had finished licking him clean.
Perhaps realizing that he was still young and his body couldn't handle a long journey, Fire Emperor didn't continue onward. Instead, he lay down on the golden leaves, serving as a giant, furry cushion for Dongshu.
Dongshu turned to look at Fire Emperor. Sensing his gaze, Fire Emperor opened his eyes and met his eyes.
What's wrong? Fire Emperor asked silently.
But the little one in front of him didn't answer.
He turned around, a little clumsily, then gently reached out and touched Fire Emperor's face.
Fire Emperor gave a slight start, but didn't move.
There was no denying it: Fire Emperor was one handsome Pokémon!
In real life, Fire Emperor looked like a cross between a lion and a Tibetan mastiff, both mighty and imposing.
Dongshu couldn't help himself. He leaned in and planted a kiss on Fire Emperor.
The next second, he felt Fire Emperor's body go rigid.
Then the panel's notification appeared again.
[Since the day he was born, Fire Emperor has always been on his own. He has never been this close to anyone, human or Pokémon. Your affectionate gesture caught Fire Emperor completely by surprise.] ["Perhaps Little One already sees me as his father." Shock Points from Fire Emperor +5!]
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