The highest peak in the Yunying Mountain Range: Heavenly Green Mountain.
This was the home of the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh, and the territory of the Ho-Oh Guard.
Most of the time, though, they traveled elsewhere. Only when something special happened would they gather at Heavenly Green Mountain.
Of course, there was one Pokémon who was an exception.
With Dongshu on its back, the Fire Emperor slowly climbed the rugged mountain path.
It looked up the mountain, but couldn't sense Lord Ho-Oh's presence anywhere nearby.
That meant Lord Ho-Oh wasn't currently at Heavenly Green Mountain. It had probably gone out wandering again.
The Fire Emperor looked away, then glanced back and saw that Little One had fallen asleep on its back.
It was probably instinctive for human babies to need plenty of sleep as they grew, the Fire Emperor thought.
It walked slowly and steadily, and before long, it had climbed halfway up Heavenly Green Mountain. There was an unoccupied, spacious cave here where Little One could shelter from the wind and rain.
The cave was neither too big nor too small. It was dry and warm inside, and quite comfortable.
The Fire Emperor found a suitable spot, then lowered itself slightly, intending to let Little One slide off its back.
It moved very gently, as if it didn't want to wake Dongshu, but he still woke when the Fire Emperor shifted.
Are we home?
He rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked around. Only then did he realize that the Fire Emperor had brought him into a cave.
The cave was very spacious, and apart from a few scattered rocks, there was almost nothing inside.
Is this where the Fire Emperor lives?
Dongshu looked around, curious.
"Little One, this is where we'll live from now on."
As if it had sensed how he felt, the Fire Emperor's voice sounded in Dongshu's mind the next moment.
Dongshu immediately turned to look at it.
The Fire Emperor continued to speak through telepathy. "This is Heavenly Green Mountain, the base of me and Lord Ho-Oh's group. From now on, it's your home, too."
Little One couldn't speak yet, but the Fire Emperor could sense that he understood what it was saying.
Sure enough, as soon as it finished speaking, a look of shock appeared on Little One's face.
Heavenly Green Mountain! This was Heavenly Green Mountain!
This was the main setting of the movie I Choose You!, where Ash and Pikachu would undertake the trial to become the Rainbow Hero!
At that moment, Dongshu suddenly understood.
No wonder he'd encountered Raikou earlier. This was the territory of the Legendary Beasts and Ho-Oh!
Didn't that mean he'd have a chance to meet Suicune, Marshadow, and even Ho-Oh in the future?
Seeing that Dongshu had woken up, the Fire Emperor guessed from their interactions over the past few days that Little One must be hungry.
So it stood up abruptly and said to Dongshu:
"I'm going to find you some food. Stay here and don't wander off."
Heavenly Green Mountain was their territory. There was no danger here; it was perfectly safe.
With that, the Fire Emperor turned and quickly left the cave.
Dongshu felt conflicted.
The idea of a Pokémon wanting to be his father sounded so strange... Even if the Fire Emperor was pretty good to him.
But judging by the situation, it seemed the only one he could rely on was the Fire Emperor.
No, the Fire Emperor wasn't the only one.
Dongshu focused, and a panel slowly opened in front of him.
It displayed a dazzling array of items he could buy with Shock Value.
The basics included food and water, clothes and bedding, and Trainer supplies like Poké Balls and Potions. Even things like Rare Candy, which could help Pokémon grow stronger, were basic items.
What attracted Dongshu most was the Dream Renovator function.
If he had enough Shock Value, he could transform this cave into a comfortable home in an instant.
For example, he could first buy [Secret Power] to dig into the mountainside and turn the cave into a Secret Base.
Then he could use [Spatial Technology] to compress space and expand the area inside the Secret Base.
Finally, he could buy wallpaper and furniture to decorate it however he liked.
The Store even offered futuristic technology like a [Large Space Ecological Park].
[Large Space Ecological Park: Developed using Palkia's power over space, this is an independent space equipped with an artificial sun, climate simulation, terrain adjustment, seasonal changes, and other functions. It can meet the daily needs of all Pokémon.]
Dongshu was sorely tempted.
If he had one of these, wouldn't he be able to bring all his favorite Pokémon home and raise them?
Unfortunately, buying these functions required an enormous amount of Shock Value.
He had only 10 Shock Points to his name, enough to buy just two bottles of Moomoo Milk.
Sigh... Until I grow up, I'll still have to depend on the Fire Emperor!
Still, as a baby with the soul of an adult, Dongshu really couldn't think of the Fire Emperor as his father.
"..."
Never mind. He'd just have to take things one step at a time!
Just then, the Fire Emperor walked in from outside with several round Berries in its mouth.
It came over to Dongshu and placed the Berries in front of him, then circled around behind him and settled down as a backrest, using its body heat to keep him warm.
Dongshu had been eating Berries for almost a week straight, and he was getting sick of them.
Luckily, humans in the Pokémon world had unusually hardy constitutions, and Berries contained all the nutrients a person needed day to day. Otherwise, the Fire Emperor would have starved him to death by now.
Staring at the dazzling assortment of food in the System Store, Dongshu couldn't bear to go on eating Berries after a whole week of them. He spent five Shock Points and bought a bottle of Moomoo Milk.
The next moment, a bottle of Moomoo Milk appeared out of thin air in front of him.
At the sudden sight, the Fire Emperor froze, then quickly went on alert.
[The Fire Emperor is utterly shocked by the Moomoo Milk that appeared out of thin air. Where did it come from?] [Could this be... Little One's power? Shock Points from the Fire Emperor +10!]
Oh? A surprise bonus? Dongshu had just picked up the bottle when the notification appeared, and his eyes lit up.
Seeing Little One clutch the bottle and drink eagerly, a thoroughly satisfied look on his face, the Fire Emperor gradually relaxed.
As expected, this thing had something to do with its Little One.
But... the Fire Emperor hadn't expected Little One to possess such power.
For a moment, it didn't know how to react.
Just then, the Fire Emperor suddenly saw another bottle of milky-white liquid appear beside Little One.
Little One picked up the bottle with both hands and held it out to the Fire Emperor expectantly, as if he'd prepared it especially for him.
The Fire Emperor froze.
It shook its head and replied through telepathy, "I don't need it. You keep it for yourself!"
This stuff looked so precious. Wouldn't it be a waste to give it to him?
Besides, it was so precious that the Fire Emperor couldn't bear to drink it.
Before you continue