Marshadow

Dongshu, however, didn't care what the Fire Emperor thought. That was just how he was: whoever treated him well, he treated well in return.

Besides, he'd gotten those Shock Points from the Fire Emperor in the first place, so he ought to share the milk with him.

So Dongshu climbed up beside the Fire Emperor's enormous head, frowned, and lifted the Moomoo Milk to the Fire Emperor's mouth.

"Yiya!" (Drink it!)

Fire Emperor: "..."

Though he couldn't understand Little One's words, the Fire Emperor could clearly sense that if he refused, Little One would definitely get angry.

This is Little One's way of showing he cares... A feeling unlike anything he'd ever experienced welled up in the Fire Emperor's heart.

His efforts hadn't been in vain. Little One had come to see him as family, too.

The old father felt both happy and comforted.

Once he'd eaten his fill, Dongshu soon felt sleepiness wash over him.

Most babies spent their infancy like this: aside from eating, they slept most of the time.

It meant they were growing.

Dongshu instinctively snuggled into the Fire Emperor's warm embrace. Before long, he drifted off to sleep.

Seeing this, the Fire Emperor furrowed his brow slightly.

He could clearly sense that Little One seemed somewhat fatigued.

Is it because he used his power? the Fire Emperor wondered.

Using any kind of power in this world came at a cost.

When they used Moves, they expended energy in their bodies. Even Lord Ho-Oh was no exception.

Little One was still very young and probably hadn't fully mastered his own power yet. He'd just used it, and immediately afterward, he'd fallen asleep.

That was bad.

Although the milk was delicious, for Little One's health, the Fire Emperor decided he would do his best to stop Little One from using his abilities in the future.

In reality, however, Dongshu had simply eaten and drunk his fill and was feeling a little sleepy.

The Fire Emperor had no idea.

He looked down at Little One, who was resting his head on one of his forelegs, then stuck out his tongue and used his secret technique, "Big Cat Lick."

Suddenly, the Fire Emperor's movements paused.

He abruptly raised his head and looked toward a patch of shadow in the corner of the cave.

A petite figure had appeared there at some point.

It was a humanoid Pokémon, its body seemingly made of gray smoke. The area around its face resembled a helmet, with two curved little horns growing from the top.

It had appeared without a sound. Its orange-red eyes gazed eerily at the Fire Emperor and Dongshu in his embrace.

"Marshadow," the Fire Emperor said in a dignified voice. "What brings you here?"

Marshadow's gaze was eerie. Its voice sounded as childish as a young child's, yet utterly lifeless.

"You brought a human to Heavenly Green Mountain. He bears no trace of Lord Ho-Oh's aura, nor is he a Rainbow Hero chosen by Lord Ho-Oh."

Marshadow's gaze slowly shifted from the human infant to the Fire Emperor.

"Fire Emperor, this is against the rules."

"..."

The Fire Emperor was silent for a moment, then said, "I'll report this matter to Lord Ho-Oh myself."

At that, Marshadow said nothing more.

It had come today because it sensed an unfamiliar presence on Heavenly Green Mountain. It had intended to investigate, but hadn't expected to find a human infant here.

Marshadow gave him an eerie look, then slowly sank down until its body disappeared into the shadows.

Humans were the worst.

Marshadow returned to the Shadow World and closed its eyes. Images from the dreams of humans who had taken part in the Rainbow Hero trials in the past surfaced in its mind.

Desire, greed, wicked thoughts...

Every human, every Rainbow Hero, was the same.

Marshadow had been through too much. It had long since stopped expecting anything from humans.

Dongshu slept for a very, very long time.

It wasn't until dusk that he opened his eyes.

The Fire Emperor lay beside him like a statue. As soon as he saw Dongshu wake, the dignified big cat immediately looked over.

Dongshu rubbed his eyes. Outside, twilight had fallen. The sun was about to set, and dusky light bathed the entire mountainside.

Seeing Dongshu look outside, the Fire Emperor asked him through telepathy, "Want to go outside and have a look?"

"Yiya?" Is that okay?

Dongshu hurriedly turned to look at the Fire Emperor.

The Fire Emperor slowly got to his feet, then picked Little One up in his mouth and tossed him onto his back. Then he set off on his sturdy limbs and slowly walked out of the cave.

Outside the cave was a peaceful, tranquil scene.

The sky overhead was filled with orange clouds, and gentle twilight blanketed the mountains. Wherever the evening glow reached, Pokémon wandered leisurely through the woods.

Rhyhorn, Magmar, Weezing, Nidoqueen, Nidoqueen...

In Ho-Oh's domain, Pokémon of different species and types lived together in harmony.

There were no people here, only Pokémon.

"Waa!" How amazing!

Looking at the scene, Dongshu couldn't help exclaiming.

The Pokémon world was amazing!

But soon, a cold wind swept over him, blowing away all the excitement in his heart.

So cold!

"Achoo!" Dongshu couldn't help sneezing.

The Fire Emperor immediately carried Dongshu back into the cave.

He stirred the power in his body, radiating heat. Before long, the entire cave had warmed up like a room with a lit fireplace.

Only then did Dongshu let out a long breath.

Sure enough, having a Fire-type Pokémon around during the cold season was great!

But then he remembered something very important.

It was already late autumn, and winter would arrive before long.

When the temperature plunged and heavy snow fell, the entire mountain range where Heavenly Green Mountain stood would likely turn white.

With the Fire Emperor around, Dongshu wasn't too worried about freezing to death.

What worried him was where he'd get food.

Food was scarce in winter, and even Berries that grew everywhere might not be as easy to find as they were now.

As Legendary Pokémon, the Fire Emperor and the others didn't need to eat in their daily lives. Dongshu's Shock Value was limited, too, and couldn't possibly provide food for an entire winter.

Thinking of this, Dongshu turned to the Fire Emperor, trying to communicate and explain the problem.

"Yiyi yaya!"

The Fire Emperor looked at him, apparently unable to understand a word he was saying.

Dongshu immediately felt dejected.

Sigh, he was still too young!

If he were already ten, he wouldn't have to struggle like this.

With his cheat, if the Fire Emperor cooperated, the two of them could visit a human town and battle some rookie Trainers who'd just set out on their journeys. After one round, they'd easily earn several hundred, or even a thousand, Shock Points.