You're not allowed to play Pokémon!

Chapter 381 Marshadow: Is this year's Ho-Oh Hero a bit too unconventional? (1134)

With Nemo as an "excellent example," the other students who originally wanted to challenge Teacher Yu quickly left together.

Are you kidding...

Even Nemo, a first-year monster, only managed to defeat two of Yu-sensei's Pokémon despite her best efforts, and she is still far from being able to defeat Yu-sensei. How could ordinary students, whose strength is far inferior to Nemo's, have the nerve to continue challenging her?
After acquiring multiple gym badges, many students felt their skills were improving rapidly, and they even thought they might be able to get lucky and become Elite Four members.

However, after Teacher Wang Yu gave them a brief demonstration of the strength that the Four Heavenly Kings should possess, the students were instantly dumbfounded.

Moreover, even in the battle with Nemo just now, was Teacher Yu really completely serious?
It's hard to say.

Nemo, who was fiercely battling Yu-sensei, might not have noticed some of the details, but the audience could see them clearly.

Putting aside subjective factors like combat power, whether it was Sylveon, who clearly still had the ability to fight, but was decisively recalled by Yu-sensei, or the fact that the Crystallization wasn't used on the obviously more suitable Ursaring, in a sense, it was all a waste of the ocean.

It's already so obvious, and Nemo has only managed to force out four of Yu's Pokémon. There's still one Pokémon left that's really messing with people's minds, the Sister Keeper.

Perhaps it was because Nemo didn't get discouraged even when the situation was completely defeated and was still racking her brains to find a way to turn the tide that made Teacher Yu feel that Ai Guan Shi's tactics were not very effective against her, so she didn't send her out.

But not all newcomers are like Nemo, who can keep playing even when they are thoroughly disgusted by Teacher Yu's scheme!

Nemo's mindset of fully enjoying the battle makes her a true "Parthian superhero."

Thinking about it this way, Nemo is indeed terrifyingly strong!

I'm still too young and inexperienced; with this level of skill, I actually dared to challenge Master Tianwang Yu...

With this in mind, the students quickly left, leaving only Qingyu, Nemo, and Mewtwo outside the Sunny Gym.

"Huh? Why has everyone left?"

After a long and enthusiastic debriefing session with Qingyu, Nemo, regaining her senses, noticed that the area around her was now empty, and a look of confusion crossed her face.

She had originally planned to observe other people's fighting styles to learn from their strengths and weaknesses, and also to observe Aoba-sensei's Pokémon tactics. However, she didn't expect the event to end so soon after her battle...

what a pity.

"Well, we have indeed exceeded our workload for today, so it's time to close the museum."

Qingyu naturally knew what the students were thinking, but as the saying goes, "see through it but don't say it," so he just smiled and moved on from the topic, then looked at Nemo again.

"Speaking of which, now that we're back, why don't we stop by the Sunshine Dojo for a visit?"

"You went to challenge other gyms this year, so you might not know, but our Sunny Gym is booming every day. Our popularity and Pokémon lineup are many times stronger than before!"

"Also... I'll give you the Sunny Gym badge as well. With your performance just now, you might not be quite up to the task of challenging the Champion Road, but getting the badge is definitely more than enough."

Qingyu smiled and spoke, clearly very satisfied with the performance of the dojo apprentice he had been teaching for some time.

For Nemo, it's probably just a matter of time, right?

"Yes, of course!"

Nemo nodded decisively, a bright smile spreading across her face.

"It only just dawned on me that I haven't been back to Little Key Town in ages."

"However, compared to the time I spent challenging gyms in Padia, I felt that my time as an apprentice at Sunnyvale Gym was much more interesting!"

After saying that, Nemo suddenly pouted and muttered a complaint in a low voice.

"The other gym leaders weren't willing to go all out against the newcomer. Even though I said I didn't mind, I still won so easily. Apart from Mr. Gurusha getting a little serious, the others weren't challenging at all..."

"..."

Qingyu merely raised an eyebrow at her rambling, without engaging in the conversation.

After all, if you searched all over Padia, among the newcomers, probably only the battle-obsessed Nemo would be unhappy because the Gym Leader went easy on her, right?
Thinking back to the students who complained endlessly about the difficulty of the Sunshine Dojo's exams...

It's true that it's very difficult for people to understand each other!
While the two were talking, Mewtwo, standing not far behind Qingyu, was quietly making his presence known, while secretly observing the young student who was chatting happily with Qingyu.

From their battle just now, Mewtwo could clearly feel a significant difference in strength between herself and the other challengers; she was arguably the strongest challenger she had seen in a long time.

However, compared to Nemo's strength, Mewtwo was actually more concerned about the information that had been inadvertently revealed during their conversation.

So that's how it is. So I'm not the only apprentice at Sunshine Dojo...

Moreover, Nemo was a "senior" who had already established a good relationship with Qingyu before she arrived.

After observing Nemo for a while, Mewtwo nodded to himself.

Indeed, she is impeccable in both ability and personality, no wonder Qingyu chose her.

Moreover, based on what I've learned online, it's normal for a dojo to have many apprentices.

A gym like Sunshine Gym, where only Aoba is the sole leader besides himself, is truly an anomaly.

Although the Sunny Gym is not large, it is much more difficult than imagined for one person to manage the gym well while also ensuring their own trainer's growth.

Therefore, it is normal to recruit a certain number of apprentices to be responsible for daily assessments and managing the dojo, thus sharing the responsibilities with the dojo owner.

Of course, becoming a dojo apprentice means having many opportunities to interact with the dojo master, which is especially helpful for the growth of newcomers. It is essentially a win-win choice.

It's likely that Nemo's current strength is also related to Qingyu's previous guidance.

However, I'm not bad myself.

If Nemo can do it, I can definitely do it even better!

I will let Qingyu know that she is the one who is most suitable for Sunny Dojo!
?

Suddenly feeling a burning gaze, Nemo subconsciously tilted her head and met the gaze of Mewtwo, who had inexplicably become aroused. A question mark slowly rose in her mind.

I have a feeling that this new member named Mewtwo really wants to have a battle with me.

Since I've already lost to Teacher Yu, I'll probably stay in Little Key Town for some time to continue my special training.

How about... we take some time to have a friendly match with it?
This seems to be my first time battling a Pokémon that is also a trainer!

……

"Wow, Sunshine Dojo is so lively now?!"

As soon as Nemo stepped inside, she immediately noticed several Pokémon happily lounging around the gym.

Because Qingyu personally took to the field today, and even used his own main lineup, the Pokémon that had been on long-term loan to the gym were exceptionally relaxed, finally enjoying the pleasure of slacking off during work hours.

"Huh?!"

Upon noticing a stranger had arrived at the dojo, Sableye, who had been lying on the floor contemplating life, immediately sat up and let out a startled cry.

The cloned Pokémon, who were sitting in a row on the sofa watching TV and waiting for dinner, all poked their heads out and looked at the energetic girl next to Qingyu.

"Hello~"

Nemo, who has an innate social butterfly ability, walked over in a few steps, greeted the Pokémon in the gym, and casually picked up Squirtle, the eldest of the group.

"Hey~ This is Squirtle, the starter Pokémon from the Kanto region. What an adorable creature. I never expected to run into it at the Sunny Gym."

"Jenny?"

Suddenly stunned by Nemo lifting Squirtle high, it immediately began to struggle violently after seeing the somewhat dangerous gaze of Mewtwo behind Qingyu.

"Oh, don't be shy!"

Nemo wasn't some superhero who could shatter a giant rock with a single punch; in fact, her physical abilities were far inferior to those of an ordinary person. Therefore, she naturally couldn't stop Squirtle from breaking free from her grasp and running into Mewtwo's room with the other little guys, decisively leaving this troublesome place.

So she quickly turned her gaze to Qingyu, revealing an expectant expression.

"Teacher Qingyu, please let these adorable children play with me!"

"All the Pokémon in my team have evolved, but their initial forms are definitely the cutest!"

Qingyu quickly showed a strange expression and shook her head.

"I can't agree to that because these Pokémon were actually bred by Mewtwo. If you want to ask for help, you'll have to find the right person... and the right Pokémon."

"Uh……"

After receiving Qingyu's explanation, Nemo immediately turned her gaze to Mewtwo, who had a serious expression on his face.

"So that's how it is... the rumors were actually true!"

?

Seeing Nemo suddenly become inexplicably excited, it was Mewtwo's turn to start asking questions.

However, before it could make a move, Nemo suddenly reached out and grabbed Mewtwo's right hand, blinking repeatedly and looking at it with an expression of adoration.

"Wow, that's amazing! This is the first time I've ever seen a Pokémon that can be a trainer. No wonder you got Aoba-sensei's approval. The school forum has been talking about you lately!"

"Hey, Mewtwo... classmate? Since we both love Pokémon battles, we can definitely become good friends!"

"..."

Suddenly we were so close!
Mewtwo was clearly caught off guard by Nemo's sudden action and instinctively tried to use its psychic powers to push her away, but then immediately realized what it was doing and stopped its instinctive behavior.

The person in front of me is just an ordinary human. Even if I don't exert my full strength and only make a slight move, I could still hurt her.

At that time, my reputation in Qingyu's eyes will definitely plummet...

It was indeed an open conspiracy.

However, without using superpowers, the only way to communicate with her is through language.

Judging from Nemo's behavior, she seems to be the kind of person who doesn't understand human speech very well and acts very independently...

After sighing inwardly, Mewtwo quickly showed a helpless expression on its face.

I've confirmed it; they're the kind of people I'm least good at getting along with.

"Since you are a human recognized by Qingyu, then just call me Mewtwo."

"As for becoming friends... we've only just met, isn't it a bit too early to talk about that now?"

"Huh? But aren't we all Aoba-sensei's students? So it's only natural that we become friends!"

"..."

This time, Mewtwo was speechless.

They even brought up Qingyu, so how could she possibly refuse?

This guy is definitely the kind of person I'm worst at dealing with.

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes!"

Seeing this, Nemo smiled brightly again, made a "V" sign with her hand, and spoke again with a more forceful tone.

"Now that we've become friends with Mewtwo, then..."

"To celebrate becoming friends, we absolutely have to have a showdown!"

"So, let's have a battle!"

"Snapped--"

Qingyu suddenly reached out and slapped her forehead, her face showing pain.

I knew it.jpg
Nemo's brain seems to have a very peculiar circuitry; no matter what option is chosen, the final result will always lead to a battle.

Qingyu has already experienced enough of this.

However, when it's time to remind her, I, as her "teacher," still have to step in and stop her.

"Hey, let's have a match!"

"Don't you think battling is fun? Mewtwo, as a current gym apprentice, probably thinks so too!"

"The way to become friends is to confirm each other's feelings through battles!"

"No, Nemo."

Just as Nemo continued to speak, and it seemed that Mewtwo was also about to nod in agreement, Qingyu quickly interrupted Nemo's "deadly barrage of calls."

"Your Pokémon have just finished a battle and don't have the energy to fight anymore. Being so reckless will make them cry."

"..."

Qingyu's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, instantly extinguishing Nemo's enthusiasm and making her appear much less imposing.

"That's true, I almost forgot..."

But soon, the green highlights on her head straightened again, and Nemo looked up and was full of energy.

"But thinking about it carefully, there will be plenty of opportunities to battle Mewtwo in the future, so there's no need to rush this day!"

"In that case, please let me play with those cute kids for a while, okay? You definitely can, right, Chaomeng-chan~"

Soon, Nemo walked up behind Mewtwo and, under its somewhat frightened gaze, pushed it slowly into the room where Squirtle and the other Pokémon were.

Qingyu could only shake his head helplessly at Nemo's behavior.

Indeed, only the brave deserve to enjoy the world. With Nemo's strong personality, even Mewtwo couldn't withstand her.

Even its slightly reserved nature seems to have become part of the world Nemo enjoys...

Social terrorists are truly terrifying!
Even Mewtwo was easily suppressed!

After thinking for a moment, Qingyu didn't choose to check on how they were getting along. Instead, he took out a Poké Ball from his pocket and summoned Indeedee.

Then there are the other Pokémon in his team.

"Hmm?"

After Aiguan's younger sister appeared, he instinctively glanced at the time and then quickly walked into the kitchen.

"We have a guest coming over today, remember to cook lots of delicious food!"

After giving a reminder, Qingyu followed him into the kitchen, still feeling uneasy.

It seems like time is a bit tight. I'd better help out myself and also confirm the dinner menu with Ai Guan Shi.

Hmm, it's not that I'm itching to cook again!
……

After dinner, because Qingyu, his companions, and even Nemo were all exhausted, they all fell asleep early.

Midnight arrived quickly.

As the entire town of Little Key fell silent, a wet shadow suddenly appeared on the beach not far away.

"Couldn't he just stay in the city quietly? Why did he make me cross half the sea to chase after him? What a troublesome guy..."

"If I have to swim back to Johto by then, then maybe we should just destroy this world altogether."

Splattered with sweat, Masado shook himself, muttering to himself in a weary voice as he stretched out his hands and summoned a ball of black flames carrying a sinister aura, which he then spread evenly over his body.

(Marshad, Mythical Pokémon)

As a Ghost-type Pokémon, and having received a special blessing from Ho-Oh, even Will-O-Wisp, which many Pokémon avoid, cannot harm it in the slightest.

Instead, it became a great helper in quickly drying its body.

"If Lord Ho-Oh knew I was using the power He bestowed upon me like this, he would probably be very angry..."

Such a thought suddenly arose in his mind, but before it could even begin to linger, the warm sensations emanating from all parts of his body made Marshall immediately abandon any further thought and trust his body's choice.

so comfortable...

No, Lord Phoenix is ​​broad-minded and would never get angry over such trivial matters.

Besides, there are more important things to do now!

After enjoying the moment with his eyes half-closed, Marshall, feeling his body dry again, immediately remembered his business and his eyes sharpened.

As a deity who wields supreme power and has been entrusted with a mission by the creator god, Lord Ho-Oh doesn't usually get involved in affairs, but occasionally he'll take a stroll through the human world to see if there are any humans with both good character and strength.

If you are fortunate enough to be chosen by Lord Ho-Oh, He will bestow upon you rainbow feathers as a symbol of His approval.

The human who obtains this tail feather is known as the Ho-Oh Hero.

Of course, the process is not as simple as people have told us.

After all, Lord Ho-Oh's judgment is sometimes hard to describe, so the members of the Ho-Oh Guard need to conduct an assessment and obtain unanimous approval before they are qualified to meet Lord Ho-Oh.

Apart from the three legendary beasts, "Suicune, Entei, and Raikou," who occasionally appear in human society, only the examiner himself, lurking in the shadows and observing everything secretly, has the final say.

Strictly speaking, the current candidate for Ho-Oh Hero should be that middle-aged man named "Sakaki," and the rainbow feather in Aoba's hand was also a gift from him.

However, based on my years of slacking off... and close observation, this man is really a bit scary. He almost discovered me several times. Moreover, he has no intention of becoming the Ho-Oh Hero at all. Instead, he always thinks about using the Ho-Oh's gifts to do something big.

So it's probably safer to just hand over the Rainbow Feather to someone else.

As for this Ho-Oh Hero candidate who made me suffer so much to catch up with... if he can't gain my approval, I'll just dress up as a ghost and scare him for a month or two, so he can experience the fear of being dominated by Lord Marshadow!

The thing humans fear most is the unknown. Even if you know it's a ghost Pokémon playing a prank, if you don't know your true identity, you'll definitely scare it to death as a form of punishment!
Thinking of this, Marshall suddenly felt a strange sense of anticipation.

Following the energy emanating from the rainbow feather, Marshadow, now completely dry, concealed himself again, lurking in the shadows under the moonlight as he steadily advanced towards the Sun Gym.

However, it immediately noticed something was wrong as soon as it stepped near the Sunny Gym.

"Gah?!"

At the entrance with the sign "Sunshine Dojo," a metallic creature sleeping in a soft, comfortable nest suddenly raised its head, as if sensing its presence, and instantly became alert.

"???"

Marshadow instinctively stopped and held his breath, while observing the Pokémon with its somewhat peculiar appearance.

It actually found itself?

But that's impossible, isn't it?

There are generally only two ways to discover yourself lurking in the shadows.

Firstly, it is a ghost Pokémon that can also enter other dimensions, and it is extremely sensitive to spatial fluctuations.

But this guy doesn't seem to have ghost attributes...

Then there's only one possibility—

Is this guy stronger than me?
No, no, no, that can't be possible!

As the most trusted messenger of Lord Phoenix, even if I often slack off, the power I have accumulated after a thousand years of training may not be as great as Lord Phoenix's, but it is more than enough to take on any of the three sacred beasts one-on-one.

In other words, this seemingly high-tech Pokémon is already as powerful as a legendary Pokémon?

And what a coincidence that it's related to the new Ho-Oh Hero?

For a time, Marshall was plunged into deep self-doubt.

but……

Just as it was seriously considering whether to show itself and tell this big guy its purpose, the originally wary Milton suddenly looked away, as if nothing had happened, and immediately lay down on the cat mat and closed its eyes.

"..."

Marcia fell silent.

Turns out I was just scaring myself.

Soon, when he realized that it was just a coincidence, Marshall breathed a huge sigh of relief.

I knew it! How could a Pokémon assigned to guard the gate possibly be as strong as a legendary one?
After confirming that nothing had happened, Marshadow cautiously approached the Sunny Gym. Only after repeatedly testing and confirming that the gatekeeper did not react at all did he finally feel safe enough to slip past it and enter the Sunny Gym.

But the moment it crossed the threshold, Millerton, who had been yawning, suddenly opened its eyes again and looked at the door behind it in confusion once more.

"Gah?"

I have a feeling that something just passed by?

I think we encountered a similar situation when we were helping that doctor couple in Zone Zero?

If I remember correctly, it was a creature called Zhenyifa that suddenly sneaked into the research institute and almost scared the researchers half to death.

(Sister Fa is so cute!)

However, most Ghost Pokémon only play pranks, and even Ancient Pokémon are only slightly more warlike, so the impact is not significant.

Besides... it's none of my business now anyway.

Even if the sky falls, let Qingyu hold it up. I'm just a good-for-nothing who's just waiting to die, there's no need for meddling in other people's business.

A little confused, Millerton quickly lay back down, putting everything that had just happened out of his mind, and drifted off to sleep.

As Milton was fully set up, Marshadow, who had passed the first stage, soon discovered something was wrong with the Sunny Gym.

“Boni…”

It was a Pokémon lying asleep on the living room carpet, and even its unconscious aura was enough to make it take it seriously.

The actions of that big guy outside could be explained as coincidence, but...

The aura of this Pokémon inside doesn't lie; it is genuinely strong, probably not much weaker than itself. It just didn't notice its arrival because it wasn't familiar with the situation.

Is the Pokémon purity in this place a bit too high?
Marshadow vaguely sensed something was wrong, but as Ho-Oh's envoy, supervising the hero candidates was his only job.

So it had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue going in.

After the shock of the first two Pokémon, the Pokémon it encountered next were nothing special.

A significant portion of them are of mediocre quality, but judging from the fact that they are sleeping together in a huddled mass, they seem to be doing fairly well here.

Silently observing his surroundings from the shadows, Marshall nodded to himself, giving the new hero candidate a slightly higher evaluation.

If it can make Pokémon happy, then it's a pretty good thing for humans.

However, character is only one part of the evaluation; to gain one's approval, one must also have the corresponding strength!

Marshall continued forward and soon noticed a baby dragon in the corner of the living room.

It had some knowledge of Pokémon from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, so it recognized the Pokémon as Shellder at a glance.

As a Pokémon that matures late, once it has accumulated enough power and completed its transformation, it will evolve into a Salamence that is forever filled with the desire to fight.

However, that alone was not enough to make Marcia stop.

What truly puzzled it was the dragon-attribute energy emanating from the armored dragon's body.

Although it was not yet fully developed and its strength was relatively limited, the oppressive dragon power vaguely felt familiar to Marshadow.

It's somewhat like Rayquaza, the "Dragon That Rules the Sky," who is on par with Ho-Oh.

Ultimately, even if it evolves, it will still only be Salamence, and it has no chance of being Rayquaza.

It's probably just my imagination.

Were you startled by the big guys outside just now, and haven't recovered yet?

Marshall even began to examine himself, wondering if he was being a little too sensitive.

Continuing our gaze inward, past the armored dragon, we left the living room and entered the living area inside the gym.

The first thing that comes into Marshadow's view is the relatively empty training ground, where only a Lucario is sleeping on the floor.

Did you go straight to sleep after training to save time?

Marshall's expression suddenly became somewhat complicated.

There's something off about a lot of the Pokémon in this gym...

Could it be that this year's hero candidates were chosen by mistake?
Humans who can raise such a group of freaks, even if they are not freaks, are definitely not normal people!
With this in mind, Marshadow became even more curious about their trainers.

Having passed several levels and getting closer to the room where the Rainbow Feather was located, it relaxed its vigilance slightly.

however……

That is, in the moment it relaxes.

"boom--!"

A sonic boom suddenly came from behind Marshall, followed by what seemed to be a wave missile attack that exploded above its head, also blowing off a section of the floor.

???

Marshadow instinctively turned around and found that Lucario, who had been sleeping on the floor, had gotten up at some point and was watching him warily.

If it weren't for my ghostly attributes, which give me the ability to sneak into shadows and hide in other dimensions, that wave of missiles might have caught me completely off guard!

However, Lucario is a hero of waveguides, and everything has waveguides, so it's normal for it to find itself in the same boat... just kidding!

What is another dimension?
That's a place that exists independently of the real world and borders the legendary reversed plane. Strictly speaking, it belongs to the domain of Hades Dragon Knight Latina!

In other words, if its own body isn't actually in this space, how does it detect itself using waveguides?
Even intuition can't be that far-fetched!
"Luca?"

Lucario, who had just woken up from a dream and instinctively fired a wave missile at the floor, was stunned.

What did I just do?
Everything it just did was a purely instinctive bodily reaction, as if its body was the first to sense impending danger and thus acted before its brain could even register it.

But the problem is...

When it came to its senses, it realized that there seemed to be nothing there.

The enemy didn't notice; the section of floor destroyed by the wave missiles was quite conspicuous...

"Luka..."

I must be dreaming!

If Qingyu finds out I did it tomorrow, she won't blame me, but I'll still feel a little uneasy...

If you cause trouble in the gym, do you think you're some really bad Pokémon?

and so--

That's right, as long as you're asleep, you're not the one who did it!

Lucario simply turned his back and lay down on the ground again, soon emitting even breathing sounds.

"..."

If you had to describe Marshall's feelings at this moment in one word, it would be "numb"!

Its judgment was indeed correct; none of the Pokémon in this gym are normal!
Fortunately, it is a Ghost-type Pokémon, so even if Aura Sphere successfully targets an enemy, it can't do anything to itself.

It's safe for now, and we're only one step away from Qingyu's room!

For the last half of the corridor, Marshall decided to speed up and rush through in one go, lest there be any more experts waiting for him behind.

But as we all know, what you least want to happen is usually what happens.

Before Marshadow could even exert its power, the door to the other room suddenly opened, and a pinkish-purple Pokémon appeared, blocking its path.

"..."

Mewtwo lowered its head, its psychic powers allowing it to clearly sense the creature lurking in the shadows on the ground.

Although it was already midnight, for Mewtwo, it was just the beginning of his nightlife.

Because it was curious about what Nemo had said today, it had originally planned to hack into the school forum to see what the students were saying.

However, before it could take any action, it suddenly noticed the sound of an explosion outside.

And so, the scene before us unfolded.

"Come out, I know you're here."

"A mere ghost doesn't need to pretend in the face of superpowers."

Although it is not a Ghost-type Pokémon, psychic powers are inherently unscientific, especially when it is Mewtwo, a "legendary Pokémon" that is somewhat related to Mew.

This uninvited guest, which appeared at the Sunnyvale Gym for some unknown reason, might be able to fool other Pokémon, but it just can't get past Mewtwo.

When Marshadow saw the true form of the Pokémon blocking his way, he was suddenly stunned—

I feel like he's similar to that guardian of the World Tree...

If I remember correctly, it should be called Dream?

The World Tree is located near Rota City in the Kanto region, north of Miku City and Mt. Tsukimi, and not far from the Johto region.

As creations of Arceus, the creator god, Mew should theoretically be a deity of the same level as Ho-Oh, and therefore it was given the responsibility of guarding the World Tree.

But can Dream really reproduce?
Judging from both its appearance and energy, this Pokémon in front of me should have a deep connection with Mew.

This journey to Padiya was only just beginning; before even reaching his true destination, Martha had already been shocked several times…

First, there's that gatekeeper Pokémon that, upon closer inspection, seems a bit off. Maybe it spotted me from the beginning and just let me in on purpose.

Then came another Pokémon I'd never seen before, radiating an aura of power that made it look formidable.

Even seemingly ordinary creatures like Shellder and Lucario exhibit extraordinary qualities and should not be viewed with ordinary eyes.

Finally, there's the Pokémon right in front of us.

Is this year's Ho-Oh Warrior a bit too unconventional?
Masado suddenly felt a deep sense of emotion.

I only slacked off for a few years because I saw that Giovanni had no intention of becoming a hero, so how did karma come knocking on my door...?

Having never been discovered by humans for thousands of years and with a 100% success rate in infiltrating, I never expected that I would capsize in the tiny ditch of Parthia this time.

However, now that he had been exposed, Marcia simply stopped pretending.

If Mewtwo starts the fight first, I'll be facing far more than just it; all the Pokémon in the Sunny Gym will probably be my opponents.

Even someone as strong as Marshall would have some trouble fighting against so many illegal individuals.

Therefore, it decisively emerged from the shadows, slowly revealing a pitch-black head.

?

Upon seeing Marshadow, three question marks suddenly appeared above Mewtwo's head.

Although it knew it was probably a ghost Pokémon, it initially thought it was just a wild Pokémon playing a prank.

But the Pokémon that appeared in front of it now didn't recognize it...

If "Scroll King," who can recite the Pokémon Pokédex from memory, doesn't recognize it, there are only two explanations—

This Pokémon has not yet been discovered by humans, or humans simply cannot obtain data about it!
Regardless of the circumstances, this is enough to prove its uniqueness.

and many more……

A Pokémon I've never seen before?
Thinking of this, Mewtwo's eyes suddenly held a hint of longing as it looked at Marshadow.

If I could bring a Pokémon that isn't even listed in the Pokédex to Qingyu, I'd probably get praised!
The thought of being patted on the head or encouraged on the shoulder by Qingyu suddenly filled Mewtwo with fighting spirit, and without saying a word, it planned to immediately use hypnosis to put it into a deep sleep.

but……

Before Mewtwo could make its move, the door behind it suddenly creaked open.

"What happened? Why is it so noisy outside?"

A sleepy-eyed Qingyu emerged from behind the door, yawned, and looked at Mewtwo.

Perhaps because Marshadow was not very tall and only his head was showing, it was only after a few seconds that Qingyu noticed this uninvited guest who had barged into the gym when he followed Mewtwo's gaze downwards.

Then I was instantly dumbfounded.

"Ma...Mashado??!"

After a brief moment of surprise, Qingyu's expression suddenly changed 180 degrees. As she instantly came to her senses, she also showed obvious surprise.

? ? ? ? ? ?
Perhaps all the unexpected events that happened when he infiltrated the Sunny Gym were nothing compared to the shock that Marshadow felt when the hero candidate called out his name.

Because it has adhered to the principle of "Trial of Shadows" for thousands of years, it has been almost completely hidden from human sight. Apart from a very few trustworthy Ho-Oh Heroes, it is impossible for anyone to know of its existence.

However, this hero candidate, whom he was meeting for the first time, recognized him at first glance and even blurted out his name.

What's the situation?
At this moment, Marshadow's resentment towards Sakaki reached its peak—

That despicable, evil, and damned Sakaki!
Keep Lord Phoenix's gift with utmost respect by your side!

Even if no one has the ambition to become the Ho-Oh Hero, it doesn't matter. Isn't it better for everyone to slack off together?

Now look what's happened! They've switched to a Ho-Oh Hero who's clearly not right, and he seems quite powerful too. Will I still be able to slack off from now on...?

Just as Marshado was sighing inwardly, he turned his head and suddenly noticed Qingyu looking at him.

Generally speaking, when ordinary people see a ghost Pokémon, their first reaction should be to be frightened.

Even if he knew his own name and identity, as Lord Phoenix's envoy, shouldn't he have shown me the utmost respect...?

However, neither of these two emotions were present.

Sensing the undisguised fervor in Qingyu's gaze, Marshall's expression began to turn terrified—

Could it be that……

He accepted the trial of the Ho-Oh Hero, but his purpose was not Lord Ho-Oh, but me?

No, you can't!
This is a blasphemy against Lord Phoenix!

(End of this chapter)