Chapter 620: Daddy
Chapter 620: Daddy
When it comes to weaning a child, parents must be resolute and firm.
For the baby, weaning is the first significant physical and mental growth in their young life.
The most crucial aspect of this process is to remain steadfast and not give in to the child's cries. It's essential not to feed them whenever they become fussy.
Decisiveness is key; wavering will only impact the child's mental health negatively, creating an unstable dynamic of affection and distance.
As Shizuru watched Little Tree crawl outside and sit on the grass, crying, he steeled himself, turned, and went back into the room, pretending not to hear her. In reality, he secretly observed the situation with Gogoat from the shadows.
Little Tree, after crying for a while, suddenly realized she couldn't hear her father's movements anymore. She turned her head and saw that her father had left without her noticing! Tears welled up in her eyes, but this time, they were tears of hurt.
The Three Holy Beasts, lying on their sides nearby, watched this scene, unsure of what to do.
As Pokemon, they didn't understand the human concept of weaning.
Shizuru had just explained to them that humans, unlike Pokemon, needed to be weaned to grow and develop properly.
Seeing Little Tree like this, the Three Holy Beasts, who had watched over her since she was little and often soothed her to sleep, couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy.
Water Lord turned his head and glanced at the house with the corner of his eye, spotting Shizuru hiding in the corner, watching them.
Emperor Flame contemplated for a moment, realizing they couldn't just sit and wait.
After a brief thought, the Three Holy Beasts decided to help with the weaning process.
Emperor Flame stood up and slowly approached Little Tree.
Little Tree, with teary eyes, lifted her head and looked at Emperor Flame before her.
She was already familiar with the presence of these three Pokemon who had guarded her since childhood.
Upon seeing Emperor Flame, Little Tree reached out her arms towards him, as if asking for a hug.
The first step in weaning is to divert the baby's attention.
Emperor Flame's usually stern voice softened as he said, "Little Tree, your father is doing this for your own good. Let's go, we'll take you to play, okay?"
Without waiting for a response, Emperor Flame gently picked up her by her clothes and placed her securely on his back.
He turned to look at Shizuru, then changed direction and quickly headed towards the lake in the ranch.
Little Tree, now on Emperor Flame's back, let out a surprised cry and grabbed his mane, her attention immediately drawn to the passing scenery as they rushed forward.
Emperor Flame leaped into the lake and continued running.
They passed through the Reversed World and arrived at the vibrant World Tree.
Little Tree had never seen the Phoenix King in person, despite her age.
Taking this opportunity, Emperor Flame decided to bring her to meet the Phoenix King on the World Tree.
Water Lord and Thunder God followed closely behind, soon disappearing into the ranch.
Witnessing this, Shizuru felt a pang of emotion.
Seeing Little Tree's reaction, he wondered if she had mistaken Emperor Flame for her new father. And if he played the villain at this moment, would she think he was a bad person and distance herself from him? Shizuru's heart filled with worry.
"No, Gogoat, let's go and see for ourselves!"
Gogoat sighed helplessly, "Ah gah..."
Shizuru and Gogoat followed at a distance, maintaining a gap between themselves and the Three Holy Beasts. They silently observed from behind.
Upon reaching the World Tree, Emperor Flame didn't linger at the Expedition Guild but looked up and leaped onto a sturdy branch.
Running along the branch, they soon reached the top of the World Tree.
Amidst the lush green glow of the massive tree, the Phoenix King stood, gazing into the distance.
"Phoenix King!"
Emperor Flame landed behind the Phoenix King, prostrating himself respectfully.
Little Tree, riding on Emperor Flame's back, felt like she was riding a horse. Far from being scared, she found it amusing and giggled.
Hearing the voice, the Phoenix King turned and saw Emperor Flame with a human child on his back.
"What's this?" The Phoenix King was surprised, but as he spoke, he already knew the answer.
The child carried Shizuru's aura, so she must be his daughter. As expected, Emperor Flame's response confirmed his guess.
"This is Shizuru's child. She's currently being weaned, and she's been crying in the ranch. We brought her here to play on the World Tree."
"I see," the Phoenix King nodded in understanding.
Little Tree also noticed the large bird Pokemon before her and, instead of being afraid, stared at it with wide, curious eyes.
"Wow!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with wonder.
The Phoenix King narrowed his eyes slightly, and moments later, a radiant rainbow-like glow emanated from his body. A feather slowly descended from mid-air, landing in front of Little Tree.
All the children loved shiny things like this.
Instinctively, Little Tree reached out and grabbed it, her face filled with curiosity as she waved it around.
"Yee-ya!"
Witnessing this, the Emperor Flame felt a sense of relief.
The Phoenix King spoke softly, "Go! Before she grows up, you three must protect her well."
"Yes, Phoenix King!"
The Three Holy Beasts respectfully nodded and retreated, returning to the Expedition Guild.
They stood by the Stunfisk Fountain, gazing at the bustling surroundings, and Little Tree's attention was quickly drawn to the commotion.
"Little Tree, do you want to go down and play with them?" The Emperor Flame asked, turning his large head.
Then, not knowing if Little Tree had understood, he saw her slide down from his body, looking around with curiosity at the surrounding Pokemon as if she had discovered a whole new world.
Pokemon passing by also noticed this scene.
"Pikachu?"
A Pikachu working in the tavern jumped over, looking at the human child with confusion.
Who is she? How did she end up in this place? The Emperor Flame replied, "She's Shizuru's child, named Little Tree."
Pikachu knew Shizuru, and upon hearing this, his eyes widened, and he exclaimed in surprise.
"Pika-pi!"
Gradually, more and more Pokemon gathered around, and Little Tree started playing with them.
Shizuru stood not far away, watching this scene, and in his heart, he thought that his daughter was so well-liked by the Pokemon, just like Ash.
A nine-month-old baby's energy was limited, and after playing for half an hour, Little Tree started yawning, looking tired and sleepy.
Seeing this, the Emperor Flame approached, lying down next to Little Tree, allowing her to rest against his body and take a nap.
Feeling the Emperor Flame's warm fur, Little Tree yawned lazily and soon fell asleep.
Witnessing this, a smile appeared on Shizuru's face.
"Ah-gah-ss?"
"Let Little Tree sleep here for a while!" Shizuru said.
His gaze then turned to the familiar feather in Little Tree's pocket.
That was... the Phoenix King's Rainbow Feather?
Had Little Tree also been chosen by the Phoenix King? Shizuru was a bit surprised.
If nothing unexpected happened, Little Tree might become a new Rainbow Hero like Ash in the future.
This would be entirely beneficial for Little Tree.
Shizuru took a deep breath, and he was quite looking forward to that day! But for now, he had to return to the ranch, where some work remained unfinished.
Shizuru turned back to the ranch and began his daily chores.
Milking the Ride Goat, harvesting crops, storing them in the warehouse, picking tree fruits...
By the time everything was done, it was already 11:00 AM.
Shizuru checked the time and calculated that Qi Shu would be back soon.
Only then did he go to the World Tree to pick up Little Tree and take her home.
Little Tree was still asleep, and when Shizuru picked her up from the Emperor Flame's body, she opened her drowsy eyes.
"Keep sleeping, Daddy will take you home," Shizuru whispered.
Seeing that the person holding her was her father, Little Tree closed her eyes contentedly and snuggled up to Shizuru's chest, falling into a deep sleep.
It was as if the fuss from earlier that morning had never happened.
Witnessing this, Shizuru felt a sense of relief.
Apparently, Little Tree didn't resent him for not giving her breast milk that morning.
"Sleep," Shizuru said, gently kissing Little Tree's forehead.
His daughter was truly the best baby in the world, well-behaved, understanding, and not holding grudges.
Upon returning to the ranch, Qi Shu had also just finished her shift at the Light Brewing Gym.
Seeing the father and daughter, she immediately asked curiously, "How was it? Was weaning off breast milk smooth?"
Shizuru: "...Not exactly smooth."
Shizuru told Qi Shu about what happened that morning.
In the end, he added, "Fortunately, the Emperor Flame and the others were there, and they took Little Tree to play on the World Tree for half a day, diverting her attention."
However, their daughter was so well-behaved that she would surely succeed one day!
Shizuru returned to the room, preparing to put Little Tree in her crib to sleep.
But just as he was about to leave, Little Tree, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly opened her hazy eyes.
She looked at the person in front of her, rubbing her eyes with her small hands, and said, “Pappa!”
Shizuru froze, and his face immediately showed an expression of disbelief.
“Baby, what did you just call me?”
Little Tree looked confused, but she repeated it.
“Pappa!”
A surge of joy filled Shizuru's heart. The baby could call him daddy! Without correcting Little Tree's pronunciation, Shizuru quickly turned around and shouted, “Wife, come quickly, Little Tree can call me daddy!”
In a moment, Qi Shu also rushed over, and the couple stood by the crib, looking at the baby inside with surprise.
Shizuru guided, "Little Tree, call me daddy again."
"Pappa!"
"It's true!" Qi Shu was excited, "Little Tree, do you know who I am? I'm your mother!"
Little Tree looked at her and then happily called out, "Mommy!"
Qi Shu's eyes widened in surprise.
"Say it again!"
"Mommy!"
"Good girl!"
Qi Shu, quite moved, held the child in her arms, forehead to forehead, and played with her.
Little Tree giggled.
Shizuru felt a twinge of jealousy, "Why does she call mommy so clearly, but calls daddy 'Pappa'?"
"Hehe, that's because Little Tree and mommy have a special connection!"
Shizuru: "..."
Oh well, he'd go cook!
Ever since Little Tree could say 'daddy' and 'mommy', Shizuru would teach her more words every day.
After Qi Shu went to work, only the father-daughter duo and a group of Pokemon remained on the ranch.
Shizuru started with the most familiar aspects of daily life. He brought Little Tree before the Pokemon and pointed at them, saying, "This is Motolizard."
"Momo..." Little Tree couldn't quite get it.
But Motolizard was delighted, "Ga-roar!"
"This is Gogoat, Go-le-ton!" Shizuru elongated the pronunciation.
However, Little Tree struggled for a while but couldn't say it.
Gogoat didn't seem to mind and instead looked very happy, "A-ga-sss~"
"What about Babutap?" Shizuru brought Babutap to Little Tree and taught her to say its name.
"Pa-pu..."
After speaking, Little Tree's attention was drawn to Babutap and the hammer in its hand.
She reached out her small hand, wanting to grab the hammer like Babutap.
"Ba-mo!"
Babutap was startled, but it quickly understood Little Tree's intention and carefully placed the hammer in front of her.
Little Tree gripped the hammer's handle with her tiny hand, trying to lift it, but her strength was too weak to move it.
Shizuru: "..."
Little Tree lost interest in the hammer and quickly turned her attention back to Babutap.
Not sure if it was because girls were interested in soft and fluffy things, Little Tree wobbled over to Babutap and crawled onto its body, burying her face in its pink fur.
"Pa-pu!"
Babutap blinked and then happily hugged Little Tree.
"Looks like Little Tree really likes you, Babutap," Shizuru said with a smile.
"Ba-mo~"
"Now, it's Pterafly." Shizuru turned his attention to Pterafly, "Little Tree, say 'Pterafly'."
However, Little Tree still couldn't speak and only babbled.
"Roar..." Pterafly looked dejected.
"Don't be sad, she's still young and learning to speak. In a while, she'll be able to call your name," Shizuru comforted Pterafly, patting its head.
"Roar~"
Pterafly happily hugged Shizuru.
"Alright, alright, let's sit and play together!"
After a while, Shizuru noticed something.
Little Tree could only make sounds similar to 'daddy' and 'mommy'.
So, for Pokemon like Motolizard, Babutap, Butterfly Ba, and Ice Eevee, Little Tree could say their names indistinctly.
But for Pokemon like Emperor Flame, Gogoat, Frost Fairy, Martial Bear Master, and Evil Pom, Little Tree couldn't say their names and could only make sounds like 'woo-woo', 'huff-huff', 'ya-ya', and 'umm'.
However, the first step for a genius had just begun.
Shizuru believed that by this time next year, Little Tree would be able to clearly say the name of every Pokemon on the ranch!
Then, he would slowly teach Little Tree how to use the Eternal Force and Dragon Force.
During their free time, he would take Little Tree and the Pokemon on trips around the world, to see it and experience nature firsthand.
They would go to the Arctic ice fields to see the chubby seal Poke Balls, dive in the azure sea to admire the beautiful heart-shaped fish, venture into the sandy desert to see the rogue crocodiles and big-jawed ants, and visit the picturesque bamboo forest to see the adorable mischievous pandas.
Just thinking about this life made Shizuru feel incredibly happy.
On a sunny afternoon, Shizuru stood by, watching the Pokemon playing with Little Tree, feeling a happiness he had never known before.
They would continue to live happily on the ranch.
With Pokemon and family by his side, Shizuru felt his life was complete at this moment.
(End of Chapter)
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