Chapter 99: The Trial of the Three Holy Beasts (Double Chapter)

The back, for any Pokémon, symbolizes dignity and strength—a place no one is allowed to trample upon. Therefore, under normal circumstances, they would never permit anyone to ride on their backs. This was also why Mashado was so shocked upon witnessing Suicune’s behavior.

Suicune approached Hu Yang and gently lowered itself, making it easier for him to climb up.

Hu Yang looked puzzled. It seemed something was happening that he didn’t understand.

He pointed to himself in surprise and asked, “You want me to sit on you?”

Suicune turned its head to look at him and nodded slightly.

Such an opportunity was not to be missed.

After the Pokémon finished their breakfast, Hu Yang packed up his sleeping bag and leftover trash, then recalled the Slowpoke and Shelmet he had left outside back into their Poké Balls. With his backpack secured, he steadily sat atop Suicune.

Mashado quietly slipped into Hu Yang’s shadow.

The Phoenix’s feathers still shimmered with vitality, indicating that this human boy still possessed the qualifications to become the Rainbow Hero. Until the radiance on the feathers dimmed, Mashado could not leave and had to remain in the shadow, guiding the boy through the trials to become the Rainbow Hero.

This was Mashado’s mission and the responsibility bestowed upon it by the Phoenix.

Not only Mashado, but Suicune, Entei, and Raikou were the same. During the trials, they needed to follow the chosen one closely, monitoring and testing whether the hero and their companions possessed a just heart.

This act was less about surveillance and more about protection—to ensure the safety of the Rainbow Hero, they guarded them throughout the journey.

This part of the journey was Suicune’s role.

Later, Entei would take over, followed by Raikou at the end.

Each of the legendary beasts’ tests differed.

Only after earning the approval of all three could one truly pass the trials and become the Rainbow Hero.

This aspect was not explicitly shown in the anime movie but was subtly conveyed through the meaningful encounters and farewells between Ash and his companions.

Hence, Hu Yang was unaware of it.

Mashado’s presence during the journey was to amplify the darkness within the chosen one’s heart and observe how they would choose to confront it.

At present, Hu Yang felt exhilarated, almost wanting to let out a Tarzan-like yell.

Besides purifying water, Suicune seemed to possess the magical ability to control the direction of the wind.

Sitting atop it, the wind that greeted him split like waves hitting a reef—parting in front and converging behind him.

Riding on Suicune, he was completely unaffected by the wind.

Now, this was what an adaptable Pokémon steed looked like!

Fast and never thirsty—the kind of ability that a hundred Rapidash could never replace!

This was Hu Yang’s first thrilling experience since arriving in this world.

The scenery around him blurred into streaks, rapidly fading behind.

With a graceful leap from Suicune, the shadows of the trees vanished instantly, and sunlight poured down from the sky.

It was as if jumping from a shadowed world into one bathed in bright sunshine.

In the distance, a small human town stood amid green fields.

Basking in the sunlight, it appeared especially peaceful and beautiful.

Ancient Rose Town had arrived.

Excited, Hu Yang jumped off Suicune’s back, pulled out his camera, and took a photo with it.

Suicune’s photo, secured!

After the shot, Suicune stood still, watching Hu Yang.

A gentle north wind blew, and Hu Yang sensed something, asking, “Are you leaving?”

Suicune nodded.

“Not coming with us?” Hu Yang felt a tinge of regret. Although Suicune’s portrayal in the anime was underwhelming, he quite wanted to catch this Suicune.

Hearing this, Suicune shook its head.

It turned around, glanced once at Hu Yang, then disappeared into the dense forest.

Hu Yang was speechless.

Well, Suicune probably had its own business to attend to.

Besides, his journey was far from over; he was sure they would meet again.

With this thought, Hu Yang’s eyes shone with hope and anticipation.

At that moment, he suddenly wanted to tilt his cap like Crimson did—it felt cool.

So, Hu Yang decided to buy a Crimson-style baseball cap in Ancient Rose Town.

After he turned to leave, Suicune’s figure once again emerged from behind a large tree.

It stood in the wind, silently watching the boy’s departing silhouette.

…

Ancient Rose Town, also known as Ancient Dawn Town.

In the games, it is the first town players reach that features a Pokémon Center and a Poké Mart.

In reality, Ancient Rose Town didn’t have many modern skyscrapers like other large cities, instead retaining the sparse architectural style from the game.

There was no department store here; in its place stood a blue-roofed building called the “Poké Mart.”

Unlike in the game, where the Poké Mart only sold healing items and Poké Balls, here it also offered daily necessities for travelers.

Inside, Hu Yang found a common red-and-white cap, paid for it, then put it on.

He called out to Gengar, “How does it look? Cool or not?”

Though Gengar didn’t understand what “cool” meant, it cooperated, replying, “Cool!”

Hu Yang was delighted and decided to wear it from then on.

While wandering the town, Hu Yang spotted a bookstore by the roadside.

He thought for a moment, released Slowking, and took it inside.

“Slowking, want to read some books?” he asked.

He planned to teach Slowking to recognize words and learn some knowledge about human society.

Meowth could build machines; perhaps his Slowking could too.

Surrounded by a mountain of books, Slowking, an Psychic-type Pokémon, seemed to foresee its future and groaned, “This is truly a headache.”

Yet, seeing Hu Yang’s eager expression, it did not refuse.

A nearby clerk, surprised, covered their mouth: “A talking Slowking? Oh my! This is incredible!”

“Hello, please wrap all these up for me, thank you,” Hu Yang interrupted the clerk’s astonishment.

He was holding a pile of books—from basic number recognition, to more difficult mechanical manufacturing and research, then to human societal development and the intrinsic connections between humans and Pokémon.

Among them were titles like *How to Become a Qualified Breeder*, *Training Psychic-Type Pokémon*, *How to Manufacture Energy Cubes*, and *The Culinary Guide*.

These books were not only for Slowking but also for himself and Gengar.

Because the two demonstrated intelligence and cognitive abilities far beyond younger Pokémon like Yaya.

Traveling alone, there were always things to forget or neglect.

In those moments, help was necessary.

Gengar and Slowking were perfectly suited for this role.

Hu Yang stacked the books inside Gengar’s body with satisfaction and left the bookstore.

Under the sunlight, his shadow slanted slightly westward.

Seeing this, Hu Yang suddenly remembered the vanished Mashado.

That little fellow—could it still be lingering within his shadow?

At that moment, Mashado, silently observing the real world from within the shadow realm, noticed Hu Yang’s gaze resting on the shadow.

Their eyes met across the boundary of two worlds for a fleeting instant.

Suddenly feeling discovered, Mashado’s body stiffened.

But soon, Hu Yang looked away.

Seeing this, Mashado exhaled in relief.

Hu Yang didn’t care whether Mashado still lingered in his shadow.

After all, he had no plans to go to Kanto now; Mashado’s presence here was just a waste of time.

By noon, Hu Yang planned to spend the night in Ancient Rose Town and set off for Whitestone Town the next day.

Ancient Rose Town had no inns but offered a Pokémon Center for trainers to rest.

Though Hu Yang didn’t have a Pokédex and couldn’t use the Pokémon Center services for free, he had money.

The Pokémon Center here was small, and since the town had no gym, few trainers stayed.

Looking at them, Hu Yang thought, "Let it be."

They all seemed like trainers just starting their journeys, and he didn’t want to trouble them.

Thus, he spent the afternoon in the hall, leafing through the books he had bought.

The Pokémon sat on the opposite sofa, bored, sipping the tree fruit juice and Moo Moo milk he bought for them, keeping him company.

At times like this, everyone was well-behaved.

Unconsciously, night fell outside.

Just then, Hu Yang’s phone in his pocket suddenly rang.

Hmm? Who sent him a message?

Because phones in this world were rudimentary and rarely used, Hu Yang often forgot about his phone.

He pulled it out, unlocked it, and saw the words “Daiyu” displayed on the screen.

Daiyu: Hello, Teacher Xiao Yang, have you recently been to Meteor Falls to dig for stones?

Hu Yang was speechless.

…

In Kanaz City, inside a luxurious residence, Daiyu sat on a sofa feeding a white Steelix while keeping an eye on his phone.

His trip to Mt. Battle had yielded no results.

To search for stones, he had even descended to the deepest level of the Stone Cave, but found nothing.

Nearly two months without success made Daiyu uneasy, and he couldn’t help but recall the figure he encountered last year at Meteor Falls.

They had agreed to contact each other upon finding stones, yet the other party never reached out again.

After much thought, Daiyu decided to send a message to inquire.

However, after waiting a long time, no reply arrived.

Daiyu was silent.

He suddenly felt that Furong had been right.

That trainer truly didn’t admire him like others did.

Born into a privileged family, favored since childhood for his handsome looks, formidable talent, and strength, Daiyu was experiencing for the first time the pain of being treated coldly.

Had he done anything to offend anyone?

Daiyu carefully recalled the three times he had encountered Hu Yang.

Although born into wealth, Hu Yang was not like some rich kids who flaunted their background.

On the contrary, he was low-key—whether traveling or challenging gyms, he always set off on foot like an ordinary person.

Yet, it wasn’t that Hu Yang didn’t want to respond to Daiyu.

Just as he was about to reply, a group of people in red uniforms suddenly burst into the Pokémon Center.

They immediately took control of Nurse Joy and other trainers in the hall.

Hu Yang was among them; he had intended to have Gengar intervene, but the unfolding situation made him abandon the idea.

A young man resembling Brock but with larger eyes sprinted out at the commotion.

Wearing a khaki researcher’s uniform, seeing Nurse Joy captured, he gritted his teeth and demanded, “Let her go!”

A member of Team Magma’s leadership stepped forward, saying, “If you want her released, come with us to the Ancient Rose Ruins.”

The man hesitated but, seeing Nurse Joy controlled, nodded reluctantly, “Fine, release her and I’ll take you to the ruins!”

“Smart choice, Dr. Metz,” the Team Magma lieutenant said, waving his hand.

Immediately, a group of Team Magma members seized him and led him out.

The innocent bystanders were taken along as well.

Hu Yang watched silently.

That was it.

Dr. Metz was the researcher responsible for investigating the Ancient Rose Ruins in the anime.

He had established a research lab inside the Pokémon Center to study the mysteries of ancient Pokémon within the ruins.

Legend said the Ancient Rose Ruins held a gate connecting the ancient Pokémon world to the present one.

However, the ruins were equipped with special devices that would automatically break if someone tried to force entry.

Only by finding four differently colored gems and inserting them in order into the device would the entrance open.

In the anime, Team Magma believed the ruins related to the legendary Primal Pokémon Groudon they were searching for.

Hence, they went to great lengths to find the four orbs, hoping to unlock the ruins.

But in truth, the ruins had nothing to do with Groudon.

Inside, there was only an underground waterway connecting to the sea, inhabited by a school of ancient Corsola.

Speaking of ancient Corsola, Hu Yang recalled the mural photo he had seen in Kanaz City depicting the unsealing of the Three Legendary Pillars.

Ancient Corsola was one of the key Pokémon involved in breaking the seal.

The other was Wailord.

In the game, ancient Corsola could be caught at fixed points, but in this reality, they were very old Pokémon.

Among trainers circulated rumors that they were extinct.

But in fact, ancient Corsola were not extinct; they dwelled in the ocean’s deepest parts, their tough scales allowing them to withstand high pressure, causing them to rarely appear near shallow waters.

Thus, humans found it hard to detect their existence.

This was also why Hu Yang refrained from acting.

While Team Magma wasted their effort, he could at least enter the ruins to watch the spectacle and take a photo of ancient Corsola.

Unable to catch all Pokémon as in the game, he would use photography to fill his Pokédex instead.

Or perhaps, he could capture an ancient Corsola to raise and later catch a Wailord, alter its ability to Levitate, turning it into a flying whale to live above his yard, using both to break the seal of the Three Legendary Pillars someday.