Another 5 Shock Value?
Now it was Dongshu's turn to be surprised.
He'd thought getting this stuff might be difficult, but he hadn't expected it to be so easy!
As if responding to his actions, Fire Emperor licked his face again.
Dongshu was left with drool all over his face. He quickly reached out and pushed Fire Emperor's face away, refusing the Big Cat Lick.
Seeing this, Fire Emperor stopped licking him. It closed its eyes, intending to rest and conserve its strength. Once Little One had finished resting, they would continue on their way.
But the next second, Fire Emperor felt Little One snuggle up to it again and give it a kiss on the forehead.
Fire Emperor opened its eyes. Only then did it realize that Little One seemed to be playing with it.
Fire Emperor didn't know how to react. It had never raised a young one, much less experienced anything like this.
In the past, it had always been rushing from place to place, carrying out its duties as a member of the Ho-Oh Guard and rescuing Pokémon caught in traps.
It looked at Little One, then instinctively licked him again.
Dongshu: "..."
This time, Fire Emperor didn't provide him with any more Shock Value. That made sense, though. It had already experienced this once, so it probably wasn't as surprised anymore.
This body was too young. After playing for a while, Dongshu started to feel tired.
He obediently snuggled into Fire Emperor's warm embrace, then closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Dongshu wasn't worried about running into danger or being attacked by Wild Pokémon. After all, as a Legendary Pokémon, Fire Emperor was incredibly powerful.
A wave of sleepiness washed over him, and before long, Dongshu had drifted off.
When Fire Emperor saw Little One asleep, it started licking him again.
It only stopped once Little One was clean and tidy again.
A breeze swept past as autumn leaves drifted slowly to the ground. Fire Emperor could clearly feel its heart growing fuller.
*
Dongshu slept for a long time.
When he woke up, he found that he was still nestled in Fire Emperor's embrace.
Fire Emperor was already awake, with several round Berries placed in front of it.
When it saw Dongshu open his eyes, Fire Emperor slowly got up and nudged the Berries toward him with its paw pads.
Dongshu didn't refuse. He happily ate a Berry, then he and Fire Emperor continued on their way.
Dongshu had no idea where Fire Emperor was taking him, but as long as he was by its side, he wasn't worried.
With food and drink and no danger, Dongshu could finally relax and observe this strange yet familiar world of Pokémon from Fire Emperor's back.
Caterpie crawling along tree trunks, Butterfree fluttering through the forest, Pidgeotto darting across the sky, Beedrill fiercely defending its territory...
And so, the days passed.
Before they knew it, the human and Pokémon had left the forest and entered a seemingly endless range of mountains.
The kinds of Pokémon living there had changed dramatically, too.
The Caterpie, Butterfree, and Oddish commonly found in the forest were nowhere to be seen. In their place were groups of Geodude, Sandshrew, and Nidoran.
Only by being here could one truly appreciate just how vast and magnificent this world was.
Dongshu's eyes filled with longing. If he weren't so young, he would have taken out a Poké Ball and caught a few Pokémon he liked.
Of course, that wasn't possible.
After all, he still needed someone else to look after him.
One day, as the human and Pokémon were crossing a mountain peak, Dongshu suddenly saw flashes of lightning in the sky ahead.
He could faintly hear roars coming from that direction.
Fire Emperor seemed to sense something. It stopped and looked up ahead.
Dongshu wasn't sure what was going on, but when he looked up, he saw a lithe figure approaching from nearby, controlling terrifying bolts of lightning.
It was a Pokémon that looked much like a saber-toothed tiger. Golden fur covered its body, its limbs were sturdy, and its fangs were sharp.
Like Fire Emperor, it had a black, iron-like ornament on its forehead, covering its brow, nose, and mouth. Beneath the ornament were blue, X-shaped whiskers.
Behind the Pokémon, a pale blue tail shaped like a bolt of lightning crackled with electricity.
The moment it appeared, its gaze locked onto Fire Emperor and the Dongshu on its back.
Dongshu instantly felt a powerful pressure sweep over him.
That Pokémon was... Raikou!
At that moment, Raikou's body crackled with thunderous power. With every step it took, a flash of blue electricity sparked across its body.
Closer...
The moment Raikou reached Fire Emperor, Dongshu felt a beastly pressure envelop his entire body. He instinctively gripped the fur beneath him tighter.
Fire Emperor sensed that something was wrong with Little One and furrowed its brow. Its voice was stern and dignified.
"Raikou, you're going too far."
Raikou turned its gaze away from Dongshu. Its voice was icy.
"What are you doing? Why did you bring a human child back into Heavenly Green Mountain after leaving this time?"
"His parents died protecting Pokémon. As Pokémon, we ought to take care of their child!" Fire Emperor said gravely.
It wasn't explaining itself to Raikou. It was simply stating the facts.
"You're raising a wolf in your own den!" Raikou had witnessed too many instances of humans hurting Pokémon. Deep down, it hated and distrusted humans.
Even if the one before it was still a child.
Raikou's voice was full of warning. "Humans are all treacherous. They can't be trusted!"
"Little One is different." Fire Emperor knew Raikou's circumstances well. It didn't want to argue with him, so it simply shook its head and said solemnly, "This has nothing to do with you."
Raikou shot Dongshu a cold glance. Seeing how clearly Fire Emperor was protecting the human, it snorted, moved aside, and walked straight on, leaving behind a single remark.
"Hmph. I hope you don't regret the decision you made today."
Little One was so obedient and so dependent on it. 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 duties and missions. Only when faced with a grave crisis they couldn't handle would all three join forces to fight.
Under normal circumstances, they didn't interfere with one another.
So after a few words of warning, Raikou simply went on its way.
Fire Emperor paid it no mind. It firmly believed that its Little One was different.
More importantly...
Fire Emperor lifted its head and looked through the mist-shrouded mountains ahead, finally fixing its gaze on one of the tallest and most magnificent peaks.
They had reached their destination: Heavenly Green Mountain.
Before you continue