Chapter 474 475: Temptation
Marshadow was torn between countless emotions.
Conflict.
Panic.
Confusion.
Shock.
After cycling through every feeling imaginable, the guardian Pokémon finally steadied itself.
After all, it had overseen many Rainbow Trials throughout its long existence.
Taking a deep breath, it copied Lin Feng's earlier action and retrieved the Rainbow Wing from the Storage Ball.
The feather now radiated with dazzling brilliance.
Its light had reached its peak.
That meant...
Lord Ho-Oh was already very close to the appointed destination.
Marshadow stiffened for a moment before forcing itself to regain its usual solemn expression.
"Marsha..."
Lord Ho-Oh has chosen you.
You must begin the Rainbow Trial.
That was roughly what it was trying to say.
Meanwhile...
Lin Feng stared curiously at the glowing feather.
Because he noticed something strange.
Moments ago, its name had still been Rainbow Wing.
But after it began shining...
The name displayed by his Eye of Insight had changed.
It was now called...
Sacred Feather.
"Oh..."
"So that's how a Sacred Feather is created."
Once its chosen bearer completed their decision...
The Rainbow Wing transformed into a feather made entirely of pure sacred energy.
"Marsha?"
Seeing that Lin Feng hadn't responded, Marshadow urged him again.
The Rainbow Trial represented courage and purity of heart.
It was also Lord Ho-Oh's way of judging humanity.
Instead of answering...
Lin Feng asked a question of his own.
"Do I really have to go?"
"Marsha?"
Marshadow looked even more confused.
"Marsha... Marsha..."
"If you complete the Rainbow Trial, Lord Ho-Oh will bestow divine power upon you."
"It will greatly benefit both you and your Pokémon."
It laid out the rewards without hesitation.
That wasn't against the rules.
In previous Rainbow Trials...
Some challengers had become consumed by greed after learning about the reward.
They were seduced by power.
Their hearts gradually darkened.
Others had faithfully traveled alongside their Pokémon partners.
They passed Suicune's, Entei's, and Raikou's tests.
Yet because they trusted others too easily...
Their Rainbow Wing had been stolen.
Whenever something like that happened...
Marshadow, as the overseer, would eliminate whoever possessed the Rainbow Wing at that moment.
That way...
They would never reach Lord Ho-Oh.
Yet Lin Feng completely ignored the topic.
Instead, he smiled and asked,
"Was that chocolate just now delicious?"
"Marsha?"
Marshadow froze.
Lin Feng caught the floating Sacred Feather.
"Good."
"If you liked it..."
"I made that chocolate using this feather."
"I think I can make another batch."
"How about giving you another piece?"
"Marsha?!"
Marshadow's eyes nearly popped out of its head.
What...
Had this human just said?
He was saying...
He could make more chocolate like that?
"That's right."
Lin Feng nodded casually.
Marshadow looked at the Sacred Feather resting peacefully in his hand.
Nothing had changed.
It hadn't faded.
It hadn't blackened.
Which meant...
The Rainbow Wing itself didn't consider turning it into food to be an act of impurity.
Marshadow hesitated.
It struggled.
For the first time in centuries...
It had absolutely no idea what it should do.
It desperately wanted another chocolate.
But...
This was Lord Ho-Oh's Rainbow Trial...
"It's fine."
"It's really fine."
Lin Feng continued speaking.
His voice drifted into Marshadow's ears like an irresistible whisper, steadily eroding its resolve.
Then...
He dropped a sentence that struck like a bolt of lightning.
"If the Rainbow Trial doesn't work out..."
"I'll make you another piece."
"And you can bring one to Lord Ho-Oh."
"Let Him try it too."
Lin Feng wasn't even sure what nonsense he was saying anymore.
But somehow...
The more he thought about it...
The more reasonable it sounded.
After all...
Everyone knew Ho-Oh was practically the world's greatest traveler.
People even jokingly called it the "Legendary Cameraman."
Of course...
That was just a meme among trainers.
But it perfectly illustrated how often Ho-Oh appeared throughout the Pokémon world.
It was much like Mew's reputation as the world's greatest wanderer.
"Marsha?"
Marshadow's eyes widened once more.
Because...
Technically...
That was actually possible.
Not every chosen candidate completed the Rainbow Trial.
If something unexpected happened...
Marshadow could simply reclaim the Rainbow Wing...
Allow it to drift away...
And wait for the next worthy challenger.
Besides...
There wasn't only one Rainbow Wing in the entire world.
"Oh no..."
"Oh no..."
Marshadow suddenly realized...
This human was tempting it.
Manipulating it.
And somehow...
It was incredibly tempted.
That chocolate had worked so well on itself.
Surely...
It would work for Lord Ho-Oh too?
If that were true...
Lord Ho-Oh probably wouldn't blame it...
Right?
Marshadow desperately tried to convince itself.
"So?"
"What do you think?"
Lin Feng asked again eagerly.
Finally...
After a long silence...
Marshadow quietly replied.
"Marsha..."
Then...
Its body slowly melted into the floor's shadow and disappeared.
That answer...
Was as good as agreement.
"Nice!"
Lin Feng happily picked up the Sacred Feather.
This time...
He planned to make a much larger batch.
Instead of only twenty chocolates...
He wanted enough for every Pokémon he owned.
Even if each chocolate was slightly weaker...
It didn't matter.
He wanted every single one of his Pokémon...
To taste it.
Did he have any ulterior motives?
Of course not.
He simply didn't want any of his Pokémon to miss out on such delicious liquor-filled chocolate.
The last batch had been too small because he hadn't controlled the proportions very well.
This time...
He would fix that.
...
So...
On the very day the Rainbow Wing shone at its brightest...
Lin Feng turned it into chocolate.
Approximately...
Two hundred pieces.
Because the production quantity was so much larger...
The quality naturally dropped.
Even though the ingredients remained exceptional...
The cuisine itself fell from Legendary Rank...
To SSS Rank.
Fortunately...
The number of effects remained exactly the same.
Only their potency decreased somewhat.
For example...
Limit Break II
Originally:
Raises all Individual Values by 1 to 3 points.
Now became:
Raises every Individual Value by exactly 1 point.
Likewise...
Limit Break III
Originally increased a Pokémon's level by 1 to 10 levels.
Now it became:
Raises a Pokémon's current level by 1 to 5 levels.
(Extremely attractive to Pokémon trapped at a bottleneck. Effective only on the first consumption.)
Note: No effect on Pokémon beyond the Legendary tier.
The remaining cooking effects weren't described precisely...
But Lin Feng assumed they had all been weakened to some extent.
Which was exactly what he had expected.
Of course...
He wasn't about to fool Marshadow with these downgraded chocolates.
When the agreed time arrived...
He handed Marshadow the two original Legendary-grade chocolates from the first batch.
Then he watched quietly...
As the little Mythical Pokémon disappeared once again into the shadows.
As he watched it leave...
A strange thought crossed his mind.
Would Ho-Oh dislike food made from one of its own feathers?
Would that be...
Like a human chewing on their own lips?
"..."
The thought immediately made Lin Feng cringe.
"Nope."
"I'm not thinking about that."
He hurriedly shook the bizarre image from his head.
...
Meanwhile...
Somewhere high in the mountains of the Donghua Region...
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