The moment it was forcefully blasted out of the human shell named Cross, Marshadow was stunned.
Its true body, composed of pure shadow, tumbled several times in the air before barely stabilizing. Its candlelight-like eyes reflected the human Trainer below, who was still maintaining a punching posture, clearly for the first time.
An unprecedented sense of absurdity froze Marshadow in place.
Marshadow: ...How is this possible?
Marshadow: ...This shouldn't be happening! It! The guide who sneaks through thousands of shadows and ten thousand darknesses! The messenger under Ho-Oh in charge of judgment and trials!
It was actually... punched out of its possessed target's body by a human?
This kind of thing was somewhat too bizarre to be true.
This completely exceeded Marshadow's inherent cognition... The trial of the Rainbow Hero shouldn't follow this procedure. The candidate should struggle in the predicament it guided them into, wander in the darkness it laid down, and ultimately find a glimmer of light within the crevices of despair to make a choice worthy of the "Rainbow Hero" name.
This was the true strength of the Rainbow Hero.
But the problem now was that the original procedure had gone wrong. This time's examinee didn't play by the rules at all, and he actually managed to pull it off.
This power is Aura, right?
Marshadow was still knowledgeable and experienced; it could recognize Aura.
Although this Aura was somewhat strange... It was closer to the power of the world's underlying fluctuations, carrying a [Dark] rhythm that made even its shadow body tremble.
It reminded it of a certain great terror that watched everything from the Distortion World... The one born of shadow when strong light shines—the Renegade Dragon, Giratina.
But Aura was Aura.
This essence would not change... It couldn't turn into Giratina's power.
...But the problem now was that the plan was disrupted.
On a meticulously arranged stage, the protagonist suddenly jumped down, dragged the director out, and punched them.
Marshadow hovered in mid-air, actually somewhat at a loss for a moment.
What should it do next? Directly announce a restart of the trial?
Then what did its previous actions of possessing Cross and causing all this chaos count as?
A farce?
Its thought circuits, which were not known for complex thinking, seemed tangled into a messy knot.
Marshadow's true nature—timid, weak, and shy around strangers.
As a socialophobe, it was not good at handling such sudden situations... Because it lacked cognitive awareness, it also did things in extreme ways.
Therefore, it was very easy for it to go from one extreme of social anxiety to another extreme of social anxiety.
...In short, its thought pattern was very abstract.
Its shadow power restlessly surged on instinct, yet it had lost a clear target.
Right at this moment when Marshadow fell into a brief daze, an even more uncomfortable feeling quietly descended upon it.
It wasn't an attack, nor was it hostility.
Instead, it was an... omnipresent "sense of being watched."
It was as if countless invisible eyes were quietly staring at it from all directions, from every corner of the void.
It could even "feel" the shape of those gazes—they didn't rely on light, but rather some more essential fluctuation, rippling outwards like water rings to firmly envelop it within.
It was that trial-taker!
Marshadow abruptly focused its burning pupils back onto Ash.
It saw that the youth was still maintaining his posture after throwing the punch, but it was as if a third, invisible eye was slowly opening.
A profound and mysterious domain spread out with Ash at its center. In Ash's perception, the world had already shed its colors and forms, transforming into a vast tapestry composed of countless flowing rhythms and intertwining Auras.
[Achievement: First Encounter with the Mythical Pokémon, Marshadow - Complete]
[Reward: Mind's Eye of Aura - Domain of the Dark Sky]
Within this pure domain of perception, Marshadow's shadow-concealing characteristics seemed to lose their effect.
All things in the world have their Aura.
Naturally, all things in this world include shadows.
It was just that the Aura of shadows was not easy to perceive.
This made the inherently timid and weak Marshadow feel even more uneasy, giving it the sensation of being exposed under a shadowless surgical light.
Marshadow could even feel the familiar Rainbow Wing on Ash's body shining with an unprecedented intensity.
Marshadow is Ho-Oh's messenger, but its power itself is also countered by Ho-Oh.
Shadows are not darkness, but they are born when light shines upon darkness.
In this garbage dump environment composed of "shadow," Ho-Oh's feather was as dazzling and scorching as a lighthouse in the dark of night, stinging Marshadow's shadow-bound instincts.
—Darkness must rely on light to exist; where there is light, there is darkness.
—And light and darkness are not in direct contradiction or conflict; the intermediate zone between them is shadow.
An epiphany rose in Ash's heart, and it was similarly transmitted faintly to Marshadow through this omnipresent Aura domain.
This made Marshadow feel even more irritated.
It didn't like this feeling of being seen through and understood.
Its duty was to test, to create predicaments, not to engage in this kind of deep "communication" with the trial-taker.
Ash — Requested communication.
Marshadow — Rejected!
Its chaotic thoughts needed an outlet; its bewilderment needed to be dispersed by action.
Marshadow's mind, leaning towards the simple and direct, quickly chose its most familiar route after a brief crash—returning to the original plan.
Since its disguise had been torn away, it would place the choice before him in the most direct and cruel manner.
"Goo..."
A low, inhuman cry escaped from Marshadow's throat.
Its petite figure suddenly erupted with monstrous shadow energy, rapidly spreading like thick ink dropped into clear water.
Don't be fooled by Marshadow being so small and tiny, looking cute and soft as if it wasn't strong at all.
But in reality, as one of Ho-Oh's messengers...
Marshadow, no matter how weak, couldn't be that weak.
No matter how weak it was.
It still possessed power belonging to the legendary level.
And this level of power couldn't be described by intuitive data.
However, its shadow power wasn't very adept at destruction; it was relatively silent and traceless.
Meanwhile.
Far away in the urban area of Gringey City.
Those Grimer and Muk, which were originally just blindly surging in search of food, seemed to have received some kind of command.
Inside their bodies were Aggregation Toxic Lures wrapped in shadow power.
Of course, this stuff wouldn't kill the Grimer and Muk from eating it, and it even made them eat quite happily.
It was just that these Aggregation Toxic Lures had previously been wrapped in shadow power for a slow release.
But now, Marshadow proactively stimulated the medicinal properties of all these toxic lures at once.
For the Muk, it was originally a bit exhilarating, but now it was suddenly way too much.
They let out hisses mixed with pain and fanaticism, madly surging towards a certain center point.
Streaks of purple and yellow figures formed a slow torrent.
Although the Grimer and Muk were very fanatic and proactive.
Their physiological structure was ultimately just a pile of sludge, so their movement speed was still too slow.
In the eyes of many Trainers and citizens, these Grimer and Muk, carrying various different types of garbage and debris, began to blindly advance towards a single target.
Everyone had a premonition that there would be something incredible there.
However, no one dared to follow them.
This was true for both Brock and Misty.
The massive gathering of Poison-type Pokémon would turn an area into a highly toxic zone.
Unless one could be immune to toxins or had a high enough poison resistance, whether their strength was high or not wasn't the deciding factor in whether they could survive.
At the target point of the Grimer and Muk torrent, where the most Aggregation Toxic Lures were stored, there was also a very large Muk.
The Grimer and Muk collided, squeezed, and fused body with body.
Countless purplish-black, viscous bodies converged and expanded like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea.
Ultimately.
A super-giant Muk—as towering as a mountain and exuding a suffocating stench and ominous aura—rose from the ground in the core area of the city.
...A specific, massive mutation of Pokémon.
...Similar to the Giant Tentacruel in Vermilion City back then.
...Except that a Pokémon like Grimer could naturally aggregate, so Marshadow didn't need to expend too much power in this process, making it a lot easier.
The massive body of the Giant Muk, formed from the fusion of millions of individuals, almost blotted out the sky in that area.
It squirmed, letting out a muffled roar like thunder.
Giant Muk: Hungry!
Giant Muk: So hungry!
However, despite this situation, this kind of Pokémon's aggressiveness towards living creatures actually wasn't strong.
Normal organisms and substances weren't on their menu.
Therefore, what the Giant Muk set its sights on was—the abandoned factory district.
Giant Muk: Eat!
Giant Muk: Hungry!
Giant Muk: Food!
Amidst the Giant Muk's movements, houses and buildings began to collapse, accompanied by rumbling sounds.
The Giant Muk advanced towards the abandoned factory district.
Those abandoned buildings and tools were extremely perfect food in its eyes... You could say they had been thoroughly marinated by various toxic pollutants.
And apart from the ordinary citizens and Trainers who began to flee, there were also fanatic Grimer enthusiasts cheering.
Sludge Friends Society Member A: "It's the God of Grimer!"
Sludge Friends Society Member B: "It's the great King of Muk!"
Sludge Friends Society Member C: "This is retribution for your abandonment!"
Sludge Friends Society Member D: "..."
Meanwhile, back at the garbage dump.
The Giant Garbodor, thoroughly infused with Marshadow's shadow power, also let out a deafening roar.
Its already massive body further expanded as if being inflated, frantically devouring all the garbage around it.
Rusted car wrecks, twisted steel rebars, mountains of plastic waste... everything was swept into its body, becoming part of its strength and volume.
Its height surpassed thirty meters; one could almost say that every type of garbage and waste in Gringey City could be found on its body.
It symbolized the Gringey City of the past.
It was the abandoned past of Gringey City.
The oppressive feeling it exuded made the entire garbage dump tremble.
The battlefield instantly fell into an eerie silence.
Only the earth-shattering roars triggered by the birth of the two giant beasts remained.
Ash's Mind's Eye clearly "saw" all of this.
Although he had just obtained it from the System and was still a bit unaccustomed to it, it was indeed very useful.
His use of the Aura power had become smoother, and he could intuitively feel it.
The massive dark Aura gathering countless hunger and chaos in the direction of the city, and this even more solid and terrifying dark Aura right before his eyes that had absorbed the filth of the entire garbage dump.
"Brock, Misty..."
Regarding the strength of those two, whether they could take care of that Giant Muk... Ash felt they definitely could.
But to take down that massive monster right inside the city.
What about the city?
Neither Brock nor Misty were the type to make a small commotion when they fought.
In other words, once they went all out, it would inevitably cause massive destruction.
But if they allowed that Giant Muk to eat the entire polluted factory district clean... it would inevitably give birth to an even harder-to-deal-with menace.
In the long run, it should be dealt with as soon as possible.
However... the citizens and Trainers were still evacuating.
Once Brock and Misty fought the Giant Muk with their full strength, it would inevitably release various toxic gases and poisonous substances.
...Acting now would catch ordinary people in the crossfire.
...Not acting now would nurture a super monster.
"Damn it!" Ash couldn't help but curse under his breath.
He subconsciously reached into his jacket and took out the Rainbow Wing.
Hum—
The feather emitted an unprecedentedly fiery light in his hand.
That light wasn't intense in a physical sense, but on the level of Aura perception, it transformed into an ultimate, pure will of [Purification].
Right.
Ho-Oh's role was also a very interesting matter.
Ho-Oh is the Rainbow Pokémon, bestowing blessings upon righteous Trainers.
But that wasn't its primary job.
Ho-Oh corresponded to Lugia.
Lugia was the god of ocean currents.
Ho-Oh was the god of atmospheric air currents.
For thousands of years, the Pokémon world had never experienced a disaster of disordered ocean or air currents, which meant these two worked quite harmoniously and diligently.
Ho-Oh going on business trips everywhere wasn't just it simply carrying a camera and secretly taking pictures... Laughs.
And under the illumination of the phoenix feather's light.
Marshadow's shadow-composed body emitted a faint noise, like the "sizzle" of being scorched.
The trial of the Rainbow Hero was very cruel.
Even Marshadow would similarly be hurt in this trial.
However, everyone generally didn't worry about dying.
As a rare super healer in the entire world.
You could say Ho-Oh's combat strength was lacking.
But you couldn't say Ho-Oh's support capabilities were lacking.
Even if you died so thoroughly that not even ashes remained, Ho-Oh could still resurrect you.
This was a super support!
Marshadow let out a low growl laced with pain and violently retreated a distance.
It genuinely hurt.
And that Giant Garbodor let out a threatening roar even more so; the garbage on its body's surface seemed to begin decomposing under the light's illumination.
Its body being able to expand to this scale was all thanks to Marshadow's power.
And since Marshadow was countered, the Giant Garbodor naturally wouldn't fare any better.
Even that Giant Muk was the same.
Although the Muk had proactively aggregated under the effect of the Aggregation Toxic Lures.
Being able to maintain such a massive size without disintegrating also involved Marshadow's power.
And the light of Ho-Oh's feather seemed to possess enough power to "annihilate" them.
At this moment, Ash completely understood.
He understood just what a bastard of a multiple-choice question this so-called Rainbow Hero trial was.
As the shadow guide, Marshadow was the examiner of the Rainbow Hero trial.
It had placed two "disasters," equally born from filth and darkness, in front of him simultaneously.
But as the trial-taker, Ash held a "divine artifact" in his hand that seemingly could solve the problem—Ho-Oh's feather.
Then it forced the trial-taker to make a choice:
Option ①—
Right here, right now.
Use the power of the feather to purify and annihilate this Giant Garbodor in front of him, which had been enhanced by Marshadow and had devoured a large area of the garbage dump, and very likely annihilate Marshadow along with it.
But this meant he would have no strength left to deal with that super-giant Muk wreaking havoc in the city, formed from the fusion of countless Muk.
The destruction of the city seemed imminent.
Option ②—
Rely on his own strength to defeat or at least shake off Marshadow and the Garbodor, and then rush to the city.
Use the feather to deal with that super-giant Muk, which was highly likely to cause greater casualties.
But this meant he first had to face the combined interception of an extremely powerful Mythical Pokémon and a monster that had devoured the entire garbage dump.
Victory or defeat was unpredictable... he might even be completely unable to break away.
Moreover.
Once he chose to leave, who could guarantee that this Garbodor wouldn't follow Marshadow and charge towards the city?
By then, if the two giant beasts converged, the disaster would become completely irreversible.
...If one was feeling particularly much of a gambler, they could also try luring the two together and annihilating them at the same time.
But during this luring process, how much destruction would be caused?
This wasn't a choice between two options at all!
This was a trap where, no matter how he chose, it felt as if he would fall into the abyss!
It was a crueler interrogation than the Trolley Problem.
Because it forced you to make a "relatively correct" yet still guilt-ridden decision between two seemingly unsalvageable endings.
It interrogated not only courage and strength, but also the values behind the choice, and whether one could still hold onto a certain... conviction in a desperate situation.
Choosing ②.
Defeating Marshadow and then resolving the city's crisis.
This was theoretically the most correct.
Because it attempted to save more.
But could it really be done?
Facing a Mythical Pokémon that could possess bodies, control giant beasts, and possessed bizarre power, along with a Garbodor monster whose size and strength were constantly growing, how slim was the hope of victory?
And if he failed, or even just delayed for too long, over at the city's side...
Ash's knuckles turned white from gripping the feather so tightly.
—Bullshit Rainbow Hero trial.
—Not only was the difficulty higher than the Trolley Problem...
—It actually had a time limit!
The light emitted by the feather was incredibly scorching in his "Mind's Eye" perception, as if it were also burning his soul.
—Light!
—You are too dazzling...
...Tolerating no selfishness whatsoever.
Marshadow hovered on Garbodor's massive shoulder, coldly watching the silent Ash below.
The focal point of the trial was never victory or defeat, but the choice of the [Heart].
Whether the Rainbow Hero themselves was strong or not wasn't important... unless you were strong enough to beat Ho-Oh.
And by passing the trial and gaining Ho-Oh's approval, one would inevitably be able to leap up and become one of the top-tier powerhouses in the world.
Even the choice of the Rainbow Hero themselves wasn't important... because no matter what they chose, there were certain entities nearby backing them up.
Ho-Oh itself is a benevolent god; it couldn't truly cause a massive disaster.
Therefore, the core focus of the trial had always been the thoughts and mentality of the trial-taker themselves.
To prevent the Rainbow Hero's power of Ho-Oh from being abused.
The difficulty of the assessment would inevitably be very high.
Those who could pass the Rainbow Hero trial would definitely not be people who abused their power.
Those who abused power and had dark thoughts could not pass the trial assessment.
However, Marshadow's extreme thought pattern was unable to understand the stormy seas within Ash's heart at this moment.
It only knew that the trial had entered its most crucial stage.
It looked forward to seeing what kind of choice this human—who could punch it out with a fist and see through its hiding—would ultimately make.
Would he succumb to the realism of "choosing the lesser of two evils"?
Or would he stick to the seemingly impossible ideal of trying to save everything?
Thus, Marshadow did not rush to launch an attack.
It wanted to see an even more shining soul.
Right now, it was waiting for Ash to use his choice to write down the final answer.
And only at this time would Ho-Oh observe the entire process.
And only this level of difficulty was worth Ho-Oh's full observation.
On the other side.
The difference in the state of the two spectators was also somewhat stark.
_⊙ Suicune: "The result seems to be coming out."
(;一;) Entei: "...I'm so tired..."
(□) Suicune: "Ho-Oh is coming!"
(n_n) Entei: "Keep it up! I knew this one would make it this time!"
Suicune and Entei looked towards the sky.
The sky there was densely covered in dark clouds, the cloud layers thick, and the accumulated clouds even began to rotate, giving off a full sense of oppression.
It could truly be called a scene of doomsday destruction.
But right behind those pitch-black clouds.
Waiting to bloom was the most dazzling rainbow light.
...And... a certain someone who had been waiting for a long time...
____
👻🔥Heey! Walnut-chan for more chapters!🔥👻
🔥 New history: Group chat of the Dead
✅ Unlock a 40-chapter backlog for ALL my series.
✅ Receive exclusive content and regular updates!
Help us reach these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 universal bonus chapter
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters for ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnut-chan