Raikou: Humans are all treacherous scoundrels, not to be trusted!

Another 5 Shock Value?

This time, it was Dongshu's turn to feel a bit shocked.

He had thought obtaining this thing might be difficult, but he never expected it to be so easy!

As if responding to his actions, Fire Emperor licked his face again with its tongue.

Dongshu was smeared with saliva and quickly reached out to push against Fire Emperor's face, rejecting its Big Cat Lick.

Seeing this, Fire Emperor stopped grooming. It closed its eyes, ready to rest and conserve energy, waiting for the little one to finish resting before they continued their journey.

But the next second, Fire Emperor felt the little one lean in again and kiss its forehead.

Fire Emperor opened its eyes, belatedly realizing—was the little one playing with it?

Fire Emperor didn't know how to react. It had never raised a cub before, let alone had such an experience.

In the past, it had always been rushing around, fulfilling the duties of the Ho-Oh Guard, rescuing Pokémon trapped in snares.

It looked at the little one in front of it, then instinctively groomed his fur again.

Dongshu: "..."

This time, Fire Emperor didn't provide him with any more Shock Value, though that was understandable—having experienced it once, Fire Emperor probably wasn't as shocked anymore.

This body was far too young. After playing for a while, Dongshu began to feel tired.

He obediently burrowed into Fire Emperor's warm embrace, closed his eyes, and started to sleep.

Dongshu wasn't worried about encountering danger or being attacked by Wild Pokémon—after all, as a Legendary Pokémon, Fire Emperor was incredibly powerful.

A wave of drowsiness washed over him, and before long, Dongshu drifted into a dream.

Seeing the little one asleep, Fire Emperor began grooming his fur again.

Only when the little one's body was once again clean and tidy did it stop.

A gentle breeze blew, and amidst the slowly falling autumn leaves, Fire Emperor clearly felt its heart gradually becoming fuller.

*

Dongshu slept for a long time.

When he woke up, he found himself still nestled in Fire Emperor's arms.

Fire Emperor was already awake, and in front of it lay a few round Berries.

Seeing Dongshu open his eyes, Fire Emperor slowly stood up and used its paw pads to push the Berries toward him.

Dongshu didn't refuse. Happily eating one Berry, the one person and one Pokémon then continued on their way.

Dongshu didn't know where Fire Emperor was planning to take him, but as long as he was by Fire Emperor's side, he wasn't worried.

With food, drink, and no danger, Dongshu finally had the peace of mind to observe this strange yet familiar Pokémon world from Fire Emperor's back.

Caterpie crawling on tree trunks, Butterfree fluttering through the forest, Pidgeotto soaring across the sky, fiercely territorial Beedrill...

And so, the days passed one by one.

Before he knew it, the one person and one Pokémon had left the forest and entered an endless stretch of mountains.

The types of Pokémon living here had also undergone a dramatic change.

The common Caterpie, Butterfree, and Oddish of the forest were nowhere to be seen, replaced by groups of Geodude, Sandshrew, and Nidoran.

Only by being in the midst of it could one truly feel how vast and magnificent this world was.

Dongshu's eyes were full of longing. If his age allowed it, he would definitely take out a Poké Ball and catch a few Pokémon he liked.

Of course, that was impossible.

After all, he himself still needed someone to take care of him.

One day, as the one person and one Pokémon crossed a mountain peak, Dongshu suddenly saw lightning flashing in the sky ahead.

Faintly, he could hear roars coming from that direction.

Fire Emperor seemed to sense something. It stopped in its tracks and looked ahead.

Dongshu didn't understand what was happening, but when he looked up, he saw a swift figure walking slowly toward them from not far away, riding terrifying lightning.

It was a Pokémon that looked like a saber-toothed tiger, covered in golden fur, with sturdy limbs and sharp fangs.

Like Fire Emperor, this Pokémon had a black steel headpiece on its forehead, covering its forehead, nose, and mouth. Beneath the headpiece were X-shaped blue whiskers.

Behind this Pokémon, a lightning-shaped light blue tail crackled with electricity.

The moment it appeared, its gaze locked onto Fire Emperor and the Dongshu on its back.

Dongshu immediately felt a powerful pressure sweeping toward him.

That Pokémon was... Raikou!

At this moment, Raikou's body surged with ten thousand bolts of lightning. With every step it took, a trace of blue electric light was released from its body.

Closer...

When Raikou appeared before Fire Emperor, Dongshu immediately felt a predator's pressure envelop his entire body, making him unconsciously grip Fire Emperor tighter.

Fire Emperor sensed the little one's unease. Its brow furrowed, and its voice was stern and majestic:

"Raikou, you've gone too far."

Raikou withdrew its gaze from Dongshu, its tone utterly cold.

"What are you doing? Why did you bring a human child back to Heavenly Green Mountain territory this time?!"

"His parents died protecting Pokémon. As Pokémon ourselves, it's only right that we care for their offspring!" Fire Emperor said gravely.

It wasn't explaining to Raikou—it was stating a fact.

"You're raising a tiger that will bite you back!" Raikou had witnessed too many incidents of humans harming Pokémon, and deep down, it felt nothing but rejection and distrust toward them.

Even if this one was still a child.

Raikou's tone was full of warning: "Humans are all treacherous and untrustworthy!"

"The little one is different." Fire Emperor naturally understood Raikou's stance. It didn't want to argue, only shook its head solemnly and said, "This has nothing to do with you."

Raikou cast a cold glance at Dongshu. Seeing that Fire Emperor was clearly protecting this human, it snorted, then shifted aside and strode forward, leaving only one remark behind.

"Hmph. I hope you don't regret the decision you've made today."

The little one was so well-behaved, so dependent on him—how could he be like other humans? Fire Emperor couldn't help thinking.

The three members of the Ho-Oh Guard each had their own missions and duties. Unless they encountered a major crisis too difficult to handle alone, they would join forces.

Under normal circumstances, they did not interfere with one another.

So Raikou only issued a few warnings before leaving on its own.

Fire Emperor paid it no mind. In its heart, it firmly believed that its little one was different.

More importantly...

Fire Emperor lifted its head, its gaze piercing through the mist-shrouded mountains ahead, finally settling on the tallest and most magnificent peak among them.

Their destination, Heavenly Green Mountain, had arrived.