Ring ring ring!
Ash rolled over and swatted the noisy alarm clock away.
After an unknown amount of time, Ash's mother, Delia, entered the room. Seeing Ash still fast asleep, she called out, "Ash, why aren't you up yet? You're going to be late!"
"What?!" Ash suddenly bolted awake. He grabbed the alarm clock, saw the time, and cried out in a panic, "Mom! Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Didn't you say that now that you're ten, you don't need me to wake you up anymore and you'd do it yourself?"
"Argh, I'm going to be late! No time to argue about that!" Ash grumbled, quickly changing his clothes and sprinting out of the room.
"Hey, Ash! Don't forget your backpack!"
"I know!"
This was a grey world, where the distant landscape was swallowed by a thick, heavy mist. Ash ran through the deserted streets and soon arrived at the school gates. By chance, he ran into Professor Oak right at the entrance.
"Oh, it's Ash. Today is the first day of school; why are you late?"
"Ah! Professor Oak, I'm so sorry!" Apologizing as he went, Ash hurriedly fled into the campus.
"That Ash... always so scatterbrained." Oak shook his head and walked away.
After narrowly making it to the classroom and enduring the laughter of his classmates, Ash finally sat in his seat. He sighed. As the teacher lectured on stage, Ash couldn't take in a single word. He stared out the window, feeling in his heart that he shouldn't be here. He should be out in the wild, traveling and adventuring with many companions.
Strange, why do I feel this way? Post-holiday syndrome? Ash wondered, feeling as though he had forgotten something vital.
He finally endured until the end of class and went up to the roof, gazing into the distance through the wire fence.
"What exactly did I forget? It feels like something very important." He tried hard to remember, and several blurry silhouettes suddenly popped into his mind.
There was a tall boy, a girl with a side-ponytail, and a small, petite yellow figure.
"Who are you? Why are you in my memories? Why do I feel so familiar with you, so close?"
Ash saw that yellow figure hop right out of his mind and appear before him. It seemed to let out a cry before hopping away.
"Wait! Don't go!" Unwilling to let the yellow figure leave, he immediately gave chase.
He chased it from the school all the way to the main street. Suddenly, the road ahead began to collapse. Without a second thought, Ash leaped down and pulled the yellow figure into his embrace.
At that moment, the blurry figure in his arms finally became clear.
"You're Pikachu!" Ash shouted excitedly. "I remember you now, Pikachu!"
"Pika!"
The boy and the electric mouse fell into a brilliant light and vanished.
…
"Pikachu!" Ash woke up with a start, bolting upright. Seeing Pikachu right in front of him, he immediately pulled it into a hug.
"Pika?" Pikachu let out a soft cry.
"Ash, are you okay?" Misty, Brock, and Aomori were all standing by the bed, looking at him with concern.
"I... what happened?" Ash was a bit dazed.
"Ash, did you forget? You had a fight with Charizard and ended up unconscious. Luckily, Aomori-san had Latias help treat you," Brock replied.
"Oh, right." Ash finally remembered. After thanking Aomori and Latias, he described the events of his dream.
"A world without Pokémon? And forgetting they even exist? That is a truly horrifying nightmare," Misty said, shivering as she hugged Togepi tighter.
"The strange thing is, even after waking up, the dream is still so vivid. It's nothing like the dreams I've had before."
"It's very possible it wasn't just a dream," Aomori said thoughtfully.
"Aomori-san, do you have a lead?"
Aomori nodded, recalling the lore. "I've heard that those gifted the Rainbow Wing by Ho-Oh must pass through a series of trials to become a Rainbow Hero. The Pokémon responsible for these trials include the 'Guide from the Shadows,' the Mythical Pokémon Marshadow, as well as the three Legendary Beasts, Suicune, Entei, and Raikou, who were once given new life by Ho-Oh."
"So you're saying Ash's dream was actually a trial?"
"Yes. If I'm not mistaken, that was the trial Marshadow gave to Ash."
"My trial?" Ash pulled the Rainbow Wing from his pocket and stared at it. In his hand, the wing shimmered with a brilliant, seven-colored glow.
"Marshadow is the Guide from the Shadows. It follows the one who holds the Rainbow Wing. It might even be here right now."
"Marshadow is here?!"
Perhaps because its name was mentioned, Marshadow poked its head out from the shadows, and was immediately spotted by Pikachu.
"Pika!" Gold sparks crackled around Pikachu as it entered a defensive stance, staring warily at Marshadow.
Alerted by Pikachu, everyone else spotted Marshadow as well.
"That Pokémon is the 'Guide from the Shadows,' the Mythical Pokémon Marshadow?"
"That's the one."
"It's actually kind of cute."
Marshadow glanced at the Latias beside Aomori and the Rainbow Wing in Ash's hand before slipping back into the shadows and disappearing.
"Ah, it's gone," Misty said regretfully.
"It's been with us this whole time? We didn't even notice..." Brock felt a bit of a chill.
"Don't worry. Unless the Rainbow Wing falls into the hands of someone with an evil heart, Marshadow won't react aggressively," Aomori assured them.
"So, did I pass my trial?"
"Presumably. Marshadow didn't take back your Rainbow Wing."
"Great!" Ash hugged Pikachu, saying happily, "This is all thanks to you, Pikachu. If it wasn't for you, I don't know if I could have escaped that world."
"Pika!" Pikachu tilted its head and smiled.
"Ash, don't get careless. There are still the trials of the three Legendary Beasts to come," Misty reminded him.
"I know! But with Pikachu and everyone else here, any trial will be a breeze!" With that, Ash threw off the covers, jumped out of bed, and shouted, "I can't wait anymore! Let's head out right now! I want to meet Suicune, Entei, Raikou, and Ho-Oh as soon as possible!"
"Careful, your injuries just healed."
"Those little scratches are no problem at all!"
"Honestly, you're hopeless."
At Ash's insistent urging, they bid farewell to Nurse Joy and immediately headed toward the Raizen Mountains.
…
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
"You use Flamethrower too."
In a clearing, two Charizards were engaged in a fierce battle. It was obvious that the black Charizard was significantly stronger, pushing its flames all the way to the other side. With a loud blast, the other Charizard wavered under the impact, but its eyes remained bright and determined.
"Charizard, that's enough for now. Take a break," Ash said.
"Roar." Charizard sat obediently on the ground.
Over the last two days, on the way to the Raizen Mountains, Ash had constantly used his Charizard to challenge Aomori's Shiny Charizard. Despite losing every time, they continued to fight again and again.
"Latias, go give Charizard some treatment."
"Okay!" Latias, holding up her small dress, trotted over to Charizard. She raised her hand and skillfully used Heal Pulse to mend the injuries of Ash's Charizard.
"Thanks, Latias," Ash said.
"You're welcome!" Latias gave a sweet smile. Once the healing was finished, she hurried back to Aomori's side to claim her reward—a head pat.
"Charizard, you're performing better and better compared to before," Ash said, stroking Charizard's wing.
"Roar." Charizard's expression held no joy; it still felt the massive gap between itself and its opponent.
"Don't be in a rush. Surpassing it won't be easy. we have to be prepared for a long-term struggle," Ash comforted it.
"Roar."
At that moment, Aomori walked over with Latias and the Shiny Charizard. "Ash, to be honest, your Charizard has a lot of room for improvement in both combat technique and physical conditioning. You should give it some special training in those two areas."
"Combat technique and physical conditioning?" Ash asked. "What kind of special training specifically?"
"For combat technique, it can accumulate experience through actual battles. For physical conditioning, that means increasing its nutritional intake and exercising its body, basically things like weighted runs."
"I get the rest, but how do I increase its nutritional intake? Just feed it more?"
"Feeding it more will just make it fat. A scientific diet is the correct way. Brock is an expert in that area; have him help out."
"I see! Thanks, Aomori-san!" Ash had a sudden realization. He turned to Charizard. "You heard that? Starting today, let's start our special training!"
"ROAR!" Charizard roared at the sky and spat out a burst of flame, looking quite excited.
"No time like the present! Let's start right—"
"Wait a second, Ash. We're about to eat." Brock, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, spoke to Ash. "Eat first. The food won't be good if it gets cold."
Ash and Charizard both instinctively rubbed their empty stomachs. They looked at each other and shouted, "Right! We need energy to train!" "Roar!"
After a whirlwind of activity, the delicious food Brock prepared had vanished into their stomachs.
"I'm so full," Ash burped, feeling a bit reluctant to move. He was then promptly hoisted up by Charizard.
"I know, I know! We're going to train right now!"
Ash had Charizard use its claws to cleave a large tree in half. Then, he had Charizard carry the tree on its back and walk back and forth. He also shouldered a large bundle of branches himself, joining Charizard in the special training. Misty, Pikachu, and the others cheered them on from the side.
Suddenly, a lithe figure leaped out from the forest and landed on the stump of the large tree.
It was a massive, lion-like Pokémon with orange-red fur. Iron rings were fixed around its powerful limbs, and a cloud of white, flowing mane trailed behind it.
"Entei," Aomori blurted out.
"That's Entei? It's so majestic," Misty marveled.
"Entei, are you here to give me a trial?" Ash shrugged off his burden and walked up to the Pokémon.
"..." Entei looked at him silently without speaking.
"Perhaps the trial is a battle? That suits me just fine." Ash's eyes were full of determination. "Come on, Charizard! Show Entei our power!"
"ROAR!" Charizard dropped the tree and took flight, landing in front of Entei, its battle-hungry eyes locked onto the beast.
However, Entei did not respond. It turned around and, with a few leaps, vanished into the thicket.
"Ah! It ran away." Ash and Charizard looked at each other, confused as to why Entei would show up just to look at them and leave.
"Did I... pass the trial, Aomori-sa...n?" Ash turned around, only to find that Aomori was gone.
"Even Latias is... when did they disappear?" Brock and Misty were completely bewildered.
"Pika?" Pikachu also had no idea.
In the forest, Entei leaped continuously, moving like a phantom. Suddenly, it came to a halt, looking solemnly at the two... people?
No, neither of these two is human.
The girl radiated the aura of a Pokémon; she clearly was one. The young man, while lacking a Pokémon's aura, possessed an incredibly vast amount of energy within him, something no human could possibly possess.
Which Pokémon is he transformed from? There are no flaws at all... Could it be that Lord? Entei speculated inwardly.
Aomori had no idea what Entei was thinking. He simply wanted to take this chance to get some of Entei's fur.
It's said that the three Legendary Beasts were originally members of the Eevee line. I wonder if I can verify that theory through its DNA.
He looked at Latias beside him. "Go on, Kobeni, you know what I want."
"Don't you just want someone's hair? Master's hobbies are so strange," Latias muttered. she trotted slowly up to Entei and said in a friendly manner, "Hello. Could you give me a strand of your fur?"
"What do you intend to do with that?" Entei used Telepathy to speak with Latias.
"It's for my Master. He wants to collect the fur of all the Legendary Pokémon." Latias pointed to Aomori behind her. "If possible, I'd like you to give it up voluntarily. I don't want to fight you."
"..." Entei glanced at Aomori. After a long silence, it nodded, allowing Latias to pluck its fur.
"Thank you! You're a nice person. Much better than those stupid birds last time." Glad she didn't have to fight, Latias happily plucked a few strands from the back of Entei's neck and brought them back to Aomori.
"It actually agreed?" Aomori didn't bother Entei further and watched it leave. "Compared to the hot-tempered Legendary Birds, the Legendary Beasts are much more temperate and understanding."
This perhaps had something to do with Ho-Oh, who holds the secrets of life force; its presence brings happiness to others.
"The secrets of life force... I wonder if I can fathom them." Aomori felt that there were still many undiscovered powers within his own body. If he could master them, his strength would surely reach another level. Compared to his energy manipulation, he utilized his physique far too little.
"Latias, let's head back."
"Mhm!"