Chapter 98: The Trial Begins.

As for why this conclusion was reached, it was because, as one of the Three Sacred Beasts, the Water Lord not only possessed the power to purify water but also had the ability to perceive a person's true nature. It could sense that the human boy before it had quite a decent character, full of sincerity and love toward Pokémon. More importantly, his strength was formidable.

With this in mind, the Water Lord glanced once more at the Pokémon bird beside it, who was quietly preening its feathers. To express his apology, Hu Yang planned to invite the Water Lord to a meal, which would also serve as payment for filming. He placed the freshly cooked Pokémon food before the Water Lord.

The Water Lord looked at the food and then back at him.

“Won’t you eat?” Hu Yang asked, somewhat puzzled. After all, he hadn’t seen the Water Lord eating anything in the anime.

Eating was certainly permitted.

Silently, the Water Lord lowered its head and opened its mouth to eat the human food.

Hmm… actually, the taste of human food was quite good.

Staring up at the Water Lord, who stood half a meter taller than himself, Hu Yang couldn’t help but feel a surge of awe.

It was truly enormous!

At least two meters tall, right?

He reached out and touched the Water Lord’s body—it was cold and smooth, with a texture like the north wind brushing over the surface of water. The only downside was that the Water Lord had no fur, making it slippery and somewhat uncomfortable to touch. If only Entei, that big feline Pokémon, were here instead.

Suddenly touched, the Water Lord tensed up for a moment.

It wanted to retreat but, seeing the boy’s face full of curiosity, it stayed rooted in place.

The Water Lord ate quickly, and before long, it had devoured all the food Hu Yang had prepared.

Unaware that this Water Lord was one of the three sacred beasts of the Johto region, Hu Yang thought of the Three Regis, the Legendary Birds, and the Three Sacred Beasts as plural entities.

So he asked, “Do you live nearby?”

If so, rumors of a mysterious Pokémon would surely have spread in Celadon City long ago.

Hearing this, the Water Lord shook its head.

The incarnation of the north wind had no fixed habitat; it would appear wherever the wind blew.

Indeed, it was just passing through.

Any player would be eager to seize the opportunity to encounter a passing Water Lord, and Hu Yang was no exception.

Images from the anime of capturing the Water Lord flashed through his mind.

Just as he was about to pull out a Poké Ball, the Water Lord moved.

It walked over to the backpack on the ground, then turned back to look at Hu Yang.

Hu Yang froze, quickly realizing what the Water Lord was doing.

Inside that bag was the feather of the legendary Ho-Oh!

He opened the bag, took out the feather, and asked, “Did you sense this, which is why you appeared here?”

The Water Lord nodded.

At that moment, the feather began to emit a multicolored glow.

The Water Lord’s gaze was immediately drawn to it.

Hu Yang was equally stunned.

It’s glowing!

Wait a moment.

Suddenly, Hu Yang felt something was amiss.

The feather’s glow meant that the Trial of the Rainbow Warrior had officially begun.

An incredible thought sprang to mind.

In the Ho-Oh movie, Ash encountered Entei first, and only after that did Marshadow transfer from Entei’s shadow to his own.

Could this glow mean that Marshadow had already entered his shadow?

Thinking this, Hu Yang abruptly looked down at his own shadow.

Seeing this, the Water Lord’s heart skipped a beat.

It had sought the feather merely to remind him not to forget its existence.

But now…

Had this boy discovered Marshadow’s presence?

That seemed impossible.

By logic, humans shouldn’t know Marshadow existed.

Feeling an inexplicable relief, the Water Lord relaxed slightly.

Yet the next moment, the boy asked, “Did you bring Marshadow here?”

The Water Lord was speechless.

Sacred beasts do not lie.

At this moment, the Water Lord awkwardly wished it could scratch its nose.

A minute later.

Watching Marshadow emerge from his shadow alongside the Water Lord, Hu Yang was utterly speechless.

Good heavens, this Water Lord truly was the one resurrected personally by Ho-Oh!

Hu Yang was not surprised that the Water Lord and Marshadow wanted to guide him to participate in the Trial of the Rainbow Warrior.

But did Ho-Oh know about this?

If that feather had truly been forcibly plucked from the ancient Lugia, Ho-Oh probably did not want to see him right now.

He didn’t even know how to evaluate the actions of the Water Lord and Marshadow.

If he actually went to Mount Azure to summon Ho-Oh to fulfill his wish, Ho-Oh would probably run away the moment it saw him.

It might even scold the Water Lord and Marshadow afterward.

The image of the Water Lord and Marshadow hanging their heads, getting scolded by Ho-Oh, appeared in Hu Yang’s mind, causing him to smile faintly.

However,

“I’m not planning to participate in the trial just yet,” Hu Yang said to the Water Lord and Marshadow.

There was no reward for taking part.

His bond with his Pokémon did not need validation from anyone.

Unless the trial’s prize was Ho-Oh or one of the Three Sacred Beasts, he wasn’t interested in making the trip.

Upon hearing this, both the Water Lord and Marshadow were stunned.

How could this be…

They had never met a human who was so indifferent to Ho-Oh and the Rainbow Warrior’s trial.

Marshadow looked at the shimmering, multicolored feather.

The feather’s glow meant this human’s heart was filled with goodwill toward the world and that he was strong and pure of spirit.

“Marsha…” Marshadow murmured.

Marshadow possessed the ability to amplify a trainer’s inner weaknesses to test their qualification as a Rainbow Warrior.

Because of this power, it could also see a trainer’s darker side.

But when it used this on Hu Yang, it saw a scene where the Three Sacred Beasts—Entei, Water Lord, and Raikou—circled around him like pets.

Even the Ho-Oh it guarded was ridden by this human!

Marshadow’s eyes went wide in shock.

Ho-Oh! What kind of person would even think to ride Entei running across the meadow?

More importantly, why was his dark side something like that?!

Most other humans treated Pokémon as tools, weapons, or even food.

Hu Yang felt a bit strange.

Uncontrollably, he imagined capturing Ho-Oh and the Three Sacred Beasts, riding them across the world, showing off in front of other trainers.

His gaze lingered on the utterly shocked Marshadow.

Marshadow whispered to the Water Lord beside it, “Marsha…” (He wants to ride you.)

The Water Lord, who had been lying on the ground like a cat, immediately stood up and gestured for Hu Yang to climb on its back.

Marshadow exclaimed, “Marsha?” (What are you doing?!)

The Water Lord silently communicated back, “He has proven his strength and heart to me. I accept this human and allow him to ride on my back.”

Marshadow was speechless.