Pokémon: Multiverse Chat Group

A slight landing sound echoed behind him. Morty turned his head and discovered that Ash had jumped into the pit at some point.

Ash walked over to Raikou, crouched down, and gently pressed one hand against Raikou’s scarred body.

“What are you doing?” Morty instinctively wanted to stop him, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he saw a soft, emerald-green light glow in the palm of Ash’s hand.

That light, like a newly sprouted bud in spring, carried a vibrant breath of life as it slowly seeped from Ash’s palm into Raikou’s body. A warm and comforting energy flowed through Raikou’s battered form.

The emerald-green light circulated on Raikou’s body for about half a minute. Those shocking scorch marks faded and receded at a speed visible to the naked eye, and Raikou’s dim fur regained a faint golden luster. Finally, those scarlet vertical pupils trembled slightly, then slowly opened.

Raikou let out a low and weak cry, struggling to stand up, but its limbs were still somewhat soft.

Morty widened his eyes, looking at the miraculous scene before him, temporarily speechless. What kind of power was this again? First the power to enhance Pokémon, then the power to restore Pokémon. Why did Ash have so many bizarre abilities? Was he even human?

Seeing that Raikou wanted to get up, Ash hurriedly supported its body, continuing to channel Aura through his palm. “Don’t rush. Your injuries haven’t fully recovered yet. Lie down and rest for a bit first.”

Raikou paused, ultimately choosing to obediently lie back down on the ground, waiting for its body to recover. The injuries on its body were all caused by this Rainbow Hero, but it was also he who helped it recover. Moreover, Ash had no obligation to help it recover its stamina. After all, this was a trial. No matter how severe the injuries were, it was only natural.

Even so, Ash had still come over at the first opportunity to help it recover, and Pikachu beside Ash was also looking at it with worry, even though that little fellow’s body was also covered in scars.

Raikou slowly closed its eyes, feeling the warmth inside its body. Lord Ho-Oh, your choice was indeed not wrong. This human is qualified to serve as your representative.

“Ash, there are simply too many miraculous things about you.” Morty looked at this scene before him and let out a long breath, his voice filled with heartfelt emotion. “Being able to understand Pokémon language, entering that special state with Pikachu, possessing special abilities to amplify Pokémon’s power, and even being able to use healing Aura.

It’s too much for me to even begin to understand. As expected of the person chosen by Lord Ho-Oh.”

There was no longer any unwillingness or doubt in his tone. Only heartfelt admiration.

Ash scratched his head and smiled a little sheepishly. “It’s really nothing. Just a bit of good luck.”

Good luck? Morty’s mouth twitched. This level of things could no longer be explained by “good luck.”

Just at that moment, a low and majestic voice rang out simultaneously in the hearts of Ash and Morty.

Rainbow Hero, you have passed my trial.

The two of them froze simultaneously, then looked at Raikou, who was lying among the rubble and gazing at Ash with those scarlet vertical pupils. It was telepathy.

After Suicune lost to you, I once thought that was simply because it didn’t have a Trainer to command it. If there had been a Trainer assisting, you might not necessarily have won. Raikou’s voice was low and steady, yet carried the unique majesty of a Legendary Pokémon. But now I understand. Even with a Trainer assisting, I am not your opponent.

It paused, a flicker of complex emotion flashing through its scarlet vertical pupils.

Your Pikachu is very strong. The bond between you two is deeper than any Trainer and Pokémon I have ever seen. Lord Ho-Oh did not choose the wrong person.

Ash looked at Raikou and nodded earnestly. “Thank you for your recognition, Raikou.”

Raikou didn’t say anything more. It slowly stood up. Although its pace was still somewhat unsteady, it was already able to stand firm.

Immediately following that, a beam of light flew out from Raikou’s body, and Ash instinctively reached out his hand to catch it. The light drifted onto Ash’s hand and then slowly dissipated, revealing the true appearance of the item inside.

This was a purple, thundercloud-like tuft of mane.

This is proof of passing the second trial. Rainbow Hero, accept it. When you gather the tokens of all three of our Legendary Beasts and combine them with the Rainbow Wing inside your body, you will be able to find Lord Ho-Oh’s location. At that time, the final trial will take place before Lord Ho-Oh.

Ash solemnly took the tuft of mane.

The moment he got his hands on it, he felt the rich electric power contained within it. Unlike Suicune’s scale, the power contained within Raikou’s mane was more violent and overbearing.

What was the same as Suicune’s scale was that this was not only a token, but also a precious item that could help Electric-type Pokémon enhance their strength.

“I accept it.” Ash carefully put away Raikou’s mane, then raised his head, looked at Raikou, and a spark of expectant fighting spirit ignited in his eyes. “When will Entei’s trial come?”

Among the Legendary Beasts, only Entei, the last one, had not been battled yet. Ash was very much looking forward to the showdown with Entei. On one hand, the opponent was a Legendary Pokémon. On the other hand, as long as he defeated Entei, he would be able to go look for Ho-Oh.

Ever since he saw Ho-Oh at the very beginning of his journey, Ash had never seen Ho-Oh’s trace again. Thinking of that divine bird carrying seven-colored rainbow light, Ash’s heart was filled with anticipation. He wondered if he went all out right now, whether he could match up against Ho-Oh.

Raikou was silent for a moment, and slowly said, Entei has always been erratic in its whereabouts. Even we are not clear on its tracks.

Its voice carried a hint of helplessness, but since Suicune and it had both completed their trials for Ash, Entei must have already sensed it as well. After some time, it would definitely come looking for him.

However, Rainbow Hero. No, should I say Ash. Raikou’s voice suddenly became serious. Entei’s strength is the strongest among our Legendary Beasts. Its trial will be even harsher than mine and Suicune’s. You must prepare yourself.

Ash froze for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curled into a confident smile.

“I couldn’t ask for more.”

Entei, the strongest of the Legendary Beasts. Just thinking about it was exciting.

Raikou slowly stood up. Through the treatment of Ash’s Aura, the injuries on its body had mostly recovered. Although its pace was still slightly unsteady, those scarlet vertical pupils had already regained the divine brilliance that a Legendary Pokémon ought to have.

Ash carefully put away Raikou’s mane, then flipped and leaped, landing steadily on the edge of the pit. Pikachu followed closely behind, landing lightly on his shoulder. As for Raikou, it turned into a golden electric arc, sweeping past Morty and landing steadily at the edge of the field.

Morty came back to his senses and hurriedly followed to crawl out of the pit. Everyone else came out of the pit stylishly, so what was up with him being the only one crawling?

Inside the Gym, those students were still immersed in the earth-shaking showdown from just now, sitting dazedly in the spectator seats without even daring to breathe loudly.

After coming up, Morty looked at Raikou, a flash of guilt sweeping through his eyes. He lowered his head, clenched his fists, and said with hard-to-conceal self-blame. “You said you wanted to find a Trainer to assist and increase the difficulty of the trial. As a result, I held you back from start to finish. If I had commanded a bit better, if my prediction could have kept up with Ash’s rhythm, perhaps…”

“You did very well.” Raikou interrupted his words, its voice still low, but without a shred of blame. “I enjoyed this battle very much. To be able to go all out in a clash with such an opponent, even in defeat, there are no regrets.”

It raised its head, its gaze falling upon that small yellow figure on Ash’s shoulder, a flicker of complex light flashing through its scarlet vertical pupils.

“That Pikachu is indeed very strong. And Ash, who is able to raise Pikachu to this extent, is even stronger. Losing to such an opponent is not disgraceful.”

Morty opened his mouth, but in the end failed to say anything, merely bowing deeply.

Raikou didn’t look at him anymore, instead turning around and casting its gaze toward Ash.

“Ash, I look forward to meeting you again. At that time, I hope you can bring the tokens of our three Legendary Beasts, stand before Lord Ho-Oh, and complete the final trial.”

Ash nodded solemnly. “I will.”

Raikou nodded slightly, and the next second, its golden body transformed into a dazzling flash of lightning, leaping out through the Gym’s front doors. That bolt of lightning sped across the old bluestone streets of Ecruteak City, disappearing into the distant horizon within a few breaths.

Raikou had left. It had only formed a temporary partnership with Morty to test Ash, and now that the test was over, it was naturally going to leave. Even so, Morty’s heart still felt somewhat hollow.

What a pity. He had failed to cooperate well with Raikou and win this battle. However, just as Raikou said, although this battle ended in defeat, it was satisfying and thoroughly enjoyable. He couldn’t just immerse himself in failure.

After quite a while, he took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, and turned to walk over to Ash.

“This is the Badge of Ecruteak Gym. The Fog Badge. Keep it well.” Morty took out a Badge from his pocket and handed it to Ash. The Badge was pitch-black all over, shaped like a ferocious ghost, with two dark purple gems embedded in the eye sockets, casting a faint, chilly light under the Gym’s illumination as if it might come alive at any moment.

“Thank you. I’ve obtained the Fog Badge!”

“Pika Pikachu!”

Ash and Pikachu struck their signature poses simultaneously and shouted in unison. Pikachu could shout the slogan as a matter of course this time, because his contribution in this battle was the greatest. Right now, the muscles and bones all over his body were still aching. Raikou’s thunder wasn’t so easy to swallow.

Morty looked at the scene before him, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, but quickly reining it back in. He was silent for a moment, then bowed solemnly to Ash.

“I’m sorry, Ash.”

Ash froze for a moment and hurriedly reached out to support him. “Gym Leader Morty, what are you doing?”

“In the beginning, my attitude toward you wasn’t good.” Morty straightened up, sincerity and apology in his eyes. “Because you are the Rainbow Hero. Our family has guarded the Bell Tower for generations, waiting for a full thousand years, yet Lord Ho-Oh has never responded to our prayers. But it chose you. A fifteen-year-old boy, an outsider with no connection whatsoever to the Bell Tower.”

He smiled bitterly and shook his head. “To be honest, I was very unwilling in my heart, and even somewhat jealous. So when you came to challenge the Gym, after I learned your real name, my attitude toward you was also quite poor. All of it stemmed from the jealousy in my heart.”

“But you proved with your strength that you deserve the title of Rainbow Hero. Your talent, your ability, your bond with Pokémon. All of them have won my heartfelt admiration.” Morty looked straight at Ash, his gaze open and frank. “My attitude toward you earlier was my fault. Please forgive me.”

He took out a dark purple square box from his pocket and handed it to Ash. “This is my apology gift. Please accept it.”

Ash took the box, opened it, and saw a TM glowing with a dark purple light lying inside.

“This is the TM for Perish Song.”

Perish Song, a Ghost-type special move. Pokémon that heard this song would inevitably fall into a fainting state after a certain period of time. Although it was ineffective against Pokémon with the Soundproof Ability, and the user itself would also be affected, as long as there was tactical cooperation, the effect of this move would be much more powerful than any high-power move.

However, the Perish Song TM had never been seen on the market. To be precise, this move couldn’t normally be made into a TM. The craftsmanship was simply too complex.

“This Perish Song is our Ecruteak Gym’s exclusive TM. Aside from our Ecruteak Gym, no one else can make it.” Seeing Ash’s confusion, Morty explained.

“This is too precious.” Ash instinctively wanted to decline.

“Accept it.” Morty shook his head. “Consider it my apology for my previous rudeness, and also consider it making a friend.”

Ash looked into Morty’s sincere gaze, ultimately nodded, and solemnly put away the TM. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony. Thank you, Gym Leader Morty.”

Morty’s mouth finally revealed a relieved smile. Then he turned around and looked at the students in the spectator seats who were still immersed in shock, his expression turning serious.

“Everything that happened here today. Raikou, the Legendary Beasts, the Rainbow Hero, Ho-Oh. Not a single word is allowed to be spoken outside. Did you hear me?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried unquestionable authority.

The students gave a start and nodded vigorously one after another. “We heard you! We will absolutely not tell anyone!”

Seeing the children agree so readily, Morty nodded in satisfaction, the gentle expression from ordinary days reappearing on his face.

Just at that moment, Marcus suddenly raised his hand and asked somewhat nervously. “Um, Gym Leader Morty, can we take a group photo with Ash? And get autographs?”

Before he finished speaking, the other students also raised their heads one after another, looking at Ash with eager eyes full of anticipation. From their initial disdain toward Ash’s arrival to now being completely won over by Ash’s performance, children’s world was just that simple. The idol in their hearts had shifted from Morty to Ash.

Ash froze for a moment, then smiled. “Of course you can.”

“Yay!” The children cheered and swarmed up enthusiastically, surrounding Ash tightly.

Lily took out her phone, held it high, and everyone squeezed together, flashing brilliant smiles at the lens. With a click, the image froze.

Morty, standing to the side, looked at this scene, a smile also appearing on his face.

Ash, I hope you can fulfill our family’s thousand-year unfulfilled wish on our behalf, and make Ho-Oh reappear in the mortal world.

After finishing the autographs and photos, the children dispersed with full satisfaction.