The guide from the shadows—the Mythical Pokémon, Marshadow. It is said to lead Trainers with pure hearts who possess the [Rainbow Wing], all
The guide from the shadows—the Mythical Pokémon, Marshadow.
It is said to lead Trainers with pure hearts who possess the [Rainbow Wing], allowing them to meet Ho-Oh and become the "Rainbow Hero."
At the same time, it amplifies the weaknesses in a Trainer's heart, testing whether they are truly worthy of the title.
This process, known as the 'Rainbow Trial', has been passed down by elders who have heard the legends of Ho-Oh.
Since ancient times, only a handful of Trainers have ever become the "Rainbow Hero."
Once the [Rainbow Wing] loses its brilliance, Marshadow emerges from the shadows to correct and restore order.
Though its methods of correction… tend to be rather direct.
Now.
Marshadow's shadow stretched long, cast upon the walls of Natsume's home.
Its eyes burned with bright flames, yet its body remained pitch-black, like a flickering candle or the spirit of a steadfast warrior.
"Marshadow…" Marshadow scanned its surroundings warily, its gaze settling on a confused Gengar.
"Marshadow!" Marshadow frowned.
It had clearly sensed the fading aura of the Rainbow Wing, but why…?
There wasn't a trace of malice from the Rainbow Wing, and strangely, it seemed… content with its current state?
"Marshadow!" Marshadow eyes blazed, the flames in its pupils flaring.
If such power fell into the hands of evil… disaster would surely follow!
I must retrieve the Rainbow Wing.
The Trainer who let the Rainbow Wing dim… has no right to be the "Rainbow Hero"!
"Gengar~" Gengar scratched its head in confusion, then grinned widely.
It didn't understand the situation, but this guy looked like he'd be great at 'swimming' too!
"Gengar!" Reaching into the darkness, Gengar pulled out a can of cola and casually offered it to Marshadow.
"Marsh…?" Now it was Marshadow's turn to freeze.
What kind of things was this guy storing in the darkness?!
Marshadow stared blankly as Gengar rummaged through the shadows, pulling out a mini-fridge.
With a tap of its finger, Gengar zapped the fridge with a Charge Beam, then happily retrieved an ice-cold cola.
"Gengar~"Gengar took a long sip and sighed in satisfaction.
Marshadow: (°ー°〃)
Gengar: (￣▽￣)~*
"Marshadow…"
Dammit… why did that look so appealing?!
Shaking its head, Marshadow steeled itself.
The priority was finding the Trainer with the Dim Rainbow Wing!
It had traveled all the way from Kanto, moving through the 'world of shadows' to reach Sinnoh—all to reclaim the Rainbow Wing.
That Trainer had already failed the 'Rainbow Trial'… I must restore the disrupted order!
"Marshadow…" Marshadow fiery gaze shifted as it stepped forward—only to slip on something.
"Gengar! Σ(っ °Д °;)っ" Gengar gasped in horror.
Hey, you! You just stepped on my canned cola!
…Wait, that was the flavor Trainer liked.
Patting its chest in relief, Gengar smirked. "Gengar~"
Then it's fine~
"Marshadow…" Marshadow stern expression wavered slightly.
Closing its eyes, Marshadow visualized the 'reverse side of the world'—the realm of shadows.
Aside from the muted colors, the shadowy version of the house was identical to the real one.
Except… this shadow-house was packed with appliances, snacks, and stacks of notebooks, leaving Marshadow utterly baffled.
"Marshadow…"Marshadow picked up one of the notebooks and flipped through it, pausing in surprise.
Were these… training notes?
To carry them around at all times… just how dedicated was Gengar's Trainer?!
"Gengar!" Gengar puffed its cheeks angrily.
Hey, don't go snooping through other people's stuff!
A small black hole formed in its palm as darkness swirled into it—Gengar raised its Dark Void high.
"Marshadow?!" Marshadow's jaw dropped.
You're a Gengar!
Since when could you use Darkrai's signature move?!
Seeing the danger, Marshadow quickly leaped out of the shadows, reappearing in Natsume's home.
"Marshadow…" Wiping marshadow brow, its expression hardened.
I have to take the Dim Rainbow Wing back!
Leaving it with this Gengar's Trainer… who knows what kind of chaos would follow?!
Gengar floated out of the shadows, snatching back the cola it had offered earlier.
"Gengar~ (⊙ˍ⊙)"
Stupid shadow thief… no cola for you!
In the dimming light of dusk, Marshadow and Gengar stood locked in a tense standoff.
"Marshadow!" Suddenly, Marshadow froze—a sharp aura had locked onto it from behind.
The pressure came from the fish tank.
But I checked earlier… there was nothing threatening there!
Sweat dripped down Marshadow's face.
It had thought escaping the 'world of shadows' would give it the upper hand…
I've been tricked! Completely fooled!
First an impossible Dark Void, now this sudden aura…
This ordinary-looking house was full of traps!
No wonder the Rainbow Wing refused to acknowledge its Trainer… this level of cunning is just unfair!
"Marshadow…" Clenching its fists, Marshadow braced itself for a desperate fight.
As the Guardian of the Rainbow, this was its duty—a warrior's pride.
"Gengar!~(￣0￣)/"
Meanwhile, Gengar was joined by a fierce Sylveon, a chained Arcanine, and a cold-eyed Sirfetch'd…
When it came to battles, Natsume-sensei's Pokémon always fought as a team!
"Sylveon? (〝▼皿▼)" (Who the heck are you?)
"Arcanine! 凸(｀0′)凸" (Sylveon sis, you're the best!)
"Sirfetch'd! (｀0′)Ψ "(Charge!)
Marshadow: (╥﹏╥)
G-Ganging up isn't fair!
Maybe… I should leave the Rainbow Wing here for now… and sneak back later with 'shadow sneak'?
But seriously.
How did that Trainer even get the Rainbow Wing in the first place?
The tricks he teaches his Pokémon… are just too dirty!
...
Outside the Villa.
Natsume was signing for a delivery when the villa behind him erupted in a cacophony of clattering noises.
"Are you sure everything's alright?" The delivery guy swallowed hard. "Your house sounds like it's about to collapse..."
"Happens all the time."
Natsume replied flatly. "I'm used to it."
Delivery guy: "..."
A true warrior faces life's hardships head-on… along with the endless renovation bills!
After one last glance at the beautiful villa, the Rocket-uniformed delivery guy left.
Natsume unwrapped the package outside, muttering under his breath:
"This doesn't look like a briefcase full of funding..."
Peeling away layers of secure packaging, he was left with a delicate, jewelry-like box.
"This feels bad..."
A growing sense of unease settled in Natsume's chest as he hesitantly opened the 'mystery box'—only to be met with a refreshing coolness.
[Purifying Droplet: A crystal formed from Water-type energy condensed by Manaphy, possessing healing and purifying properties. (A gift from the sea.) ]
Natsume: "..."
Not funding. Not a credit card.
Somehow, it was both unexpected and completely predictable.
With a quiet sigh, Natsume stared at the diamond-like Purifying Droplet.
The International Police actually put thought into this… Knowing Arcanine had been exposed to magma and volcanic toxins, they must have assumed this would help.
But the thing was—Arcanine didn't need it. Not with the Sacred Fire from the Rainbow Wing.
Which meant this Purifying Droplet would end up as a decorative rock in Blastoise's fish tank.
Extravagant? Absolutely. But at least he wouldn't have to change the water anymore.
The ultimate 'Blastoise Happy Stone'!
"Look on the bright side," Natsume mused, rubbing his chin. "At least I won't need to buy Mystic Water anymore?"
What worried Natsume was the possibility of Blastoise upgrading its demands—from Mystic Water straight to Purifying Droplet.
The kind where you can't sleep unless the tank is lined with them...
"Nah, that won't happen." Natsume coughed dryly.
The lack of a monetary bonus for the Stark Mountain incident left Natsume with minor disappointment.
Still, it wasn't a total loss.
Natsume gave a small nod—then froze as a sudden warmth radiated from his chest pocket.
The long-dormant Rainbow Wing flickered weakly before dimming again.
"Huh… so you're not dead yet?"
Pulling out the Rainbow Wing, Natsume casually hit it with a Ripple Aura.
Like a switch had been flipped, the dull feather shimmered back to life.
"Wait, aura actually recharges it?!"
Natsume blinked in surprise—but then again, Sir Aaron had once used his own life force to power the Tree of Beginning.
And if legends were true, Ho-Oh had once perched on those very branches… so maybe there was a connection.
Shaking the Rainbow Wing, Natsume turned back toward the villa, chuckling to himself.
"At least this won't summon Marshadow—"
He pushed open the door.
Every pair of eyes in the room snapped toward him.
Natsume's gaze landed on the small, shadowy figure.
"Marshadow?!! ∑(°Д°ノ)ノ"
Marshadow glared at the 'shady' Trainer, its expression tinged with despair.
If he'd been any later… I might've been mobbed to death!
But then—
Its eyes locked onto the Rainbow Wing in Natsume's hand.
Marshadow's gaze fixed on the Rainbow Wing in Natsume's hand.
Strike first.
If he could steal back the Rainbow Wing, there might still be a chance to fight!
"Marshadow!" Marshadow melted into darkness, then emerged from Natsume's shadow, its small hand reaching for the Rainbow Wing.
At that exact moment.
The [Rainbow Wing] erupted in a dazzling radiance, as if acknowledging Natsume, flooding the entire room in a prismatic glow!
Both Natsume-sensei and Marshadow froze.
"Marshadow...?" Marshadow stared blankly.
What was happening... Had the [Rainbow Wing] recognized him as worthy again?
Natsume was equally stunned.
So you had some charge left this whole time, huh? Just tricking me into giving you another Aura of Ripple?!
The glowing light began to dim as the Rainbow Wing attempted to 'power down'—only for Natsume to casually flick another Aura of Ripple at it.
Rainbow Wing lit up again!
Natsume: "..."
Marshadow: "..."
This Rainbow Wing... why is it so different from the others?
Or has staying with this human for too long... corrupted it?!
Marshadow closed its eyes, trying to sense the Rainbow Wing's condition.
"Marshadow." After a moment, it reopened them, thoroughly confused.
It truly did acknowledge him...
Suddenly, it felt a hand rest on its head. Marshadow flinched in alarm.
"Marshadow!"
A gentle energy flowed into its body. Marshadow's cheeks puffed up as it leaped back, eyeing the young man warily.
Seems like even with Marshadow here, nothing bad happened after all.
Natsume smiled. "Since you're already here, why not stay for a meal?"
Marshadow scratched its head.
Weird... He doesn't seem like a bad person...
But then what about those underhanded strategies earlier? And the dim Rainbow Wing?
Marshadow hesitated. What puzzled it even more was—
For that brief moment, the Rainbow Wing had recognized him once again...
"Marshadow!" After a pause, as if reaching a decision, its eyes hardened with resolve as it looked at Natsume.
Natsume faintly heard a childlike voice, telepathy whispering in his ear:
Rainbow Trial, begin!
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