You're not allowed to play Pokémon!

Chapter 382 Am I really a divine beast man?

It was late at night.

When Qingyu, who was dreaming of becoming a "super-sized Charizard-level five-star chef with universal acclaim," was suddenly awakened by the sound of explosions outside, he was actually a little annoyed.

However, when he opened the door with a resentful look and saw a humanoid Pokémon that was all black and only had its little head sticking out of the floor, his originally terrible night suddenly became wonderful.

"Ma...Mashado?!"

Surprised and delighted, he instinctively exclaimed.

This is Marcia!
Marshadow, a Shadow Pokémon, is a Fighting/Ghost type.

As Ho-Oh's messenger and guide to the Ho-Oh Hero, it is said that it only appears beside humans chosen by Ho-Oh, silently guiding them to complete their trials and become respected "Rainbow Heroes".

As a result, humans in the Pokémon world know almost nothing about it to this day, only mentioning it briefly in a few legends.

Of course, besides his noble status as Ho-Oh's messenger and head of Ho-Oh's guard, Marshadow is also an extremely rare Mythical Pokémon in the Pokémon world.

If it were just a regular Mythical Pokémon, Aoba might not actually be this excited.

But Masado is different!
In terms of game strength alone, aside from the Alpaca, it should be the most powerful in Mythical Pokémon.

The Fighting + Ghost type has almost no offensive blind spots, and its base stats are no longer the standard balanced build of mythical Pokémon, but rather a standard fast-attack template, making Marshadow's combat power even stronger.

Of course, the most outrageous thing is its signature move.

As we all know, Ghost-type Pokémon are very lacking in offensive moves. Many Pokémon can only use Shadow Claw with 70 power and Shadow Ball with 80 power, which is incomparable to other types with strong offensive capabilities.

Marshadow's Shadow Steal is not only a physical attack with a power of 90, but it also has a rather abnormal effect.

Just as the move's name suggests, when using this move, Marshadow first steals the opponent's ability boosts before launching an attack to deal damage, and can even pass through Stands...

In other words, as long as there is Marcia in the team, the opponent will naturally be on guard against this move, and will become more hesitant when using enhanced moves.

As for its signature Z-Move, "Seven Star Soul-Stealing Kick," it is also a prime example of a powerful, brick-throwing move that is guaranteed to hit, making it a formidable threat.

In short—

How can there be such a handsome and cute Pokémon as Marshadow!

If we're only talking about the game itself, between Ho-Oh and Marshadow, Aoba would undoubtedly choose the latter.

Hehe... Masado, hehe...

Qingyu's burning gaze quickly brought a look of fear to Masado's face.

At the same time, Mewtwo, who was standing nearby, also noticed Qingyu's expression, and his face suddenly became a little strange.

Does Qingyu really like this Pokémon that much?

For some reason, Mewtwo, who had originally intended to bring it to Qingyu, suddenly felt a bit complicated.

Now that his true identity had been exposed, Marshado decided to stop pretending. He emerged from the shadows, walked forward solemnly, and looked up at Qingyu, saying:

"Nice to meet you, Qingyu, a hero candidate recognized by Lord Feng Wang."

"Hello, Marshall."

Upon hearing its words, Qingyu was stunned for a moment before reacting after a few seconds.

Is this a plan to have a serious talk with oneself?

However, while smiling and nodding, Qingyu's expression quickly turned serious and then confused.

"So, the legend that obtaining the Rainbow Feather can make one the Ho-Oh Hero is true?"

"But I don't think I've ever seen Lord Ho-Oh. You got this feather from someone else, didn't you?"

Because of Masador's appearance, Qingyu suddenly became a little curious—

So becoming a Ho-Oh Hero doesn't require meeting the Ho-Oh "BOSS," and you can just fast-forward to the next step after getting the feather?
So what exactly is Ho-Oh's role in the whole process...?

"..."

Clearly, the question Qingyu posed at the outset also stumped Marcia.

After thinking carefully for a few seconds, Marshall quickly gave his answer.

"The process is not important; the result is what matters."

"The previous hero candidate who was recognized by Lord Ho-Oh did not undergo the trial, so it can be considered that he transferred his qualification to become a hero to you."

"I see."

Qingyu nodded seriously.

Becoming the Rainbow Hero, Giovanni, is truly a worldline he could never have imagined.

However, I don't really want to become the Rainbow Hero that much...

I have a feeling it will be a lot of trouble.

"May I ask what the benefits are of becoming the Rainbow Hero?"

Qingyu winked at Mashado.

While the title "Rainbow Warrior" does sound pretty cool, if it only brings trouble and no benefits, Aoba should think carefully.

"benefit?"

Marshall looked up again, his gaze towards Qingyu now carrying a hint of scrutiny.

What's wrong with this guy? To gain the approval of Lord Ho-Oh and to see Lord Ho-Oh's beautiful figure in person, isn't that the highest honor for a human?
In the past, the heroes of Ho-Oh have always accepted the trial decisively; this situation has never occurred before.

...Except Sakaki.

However, there are indeed some advantages.

"If I can complete the trial and become the new Rainbow Hero, I will not only receive the blessing of Lord Ho-Oh and strengthen my body with the power of the sacred flame, but I will also be qualified to command the Ho-Oh Guard."

After Marshall finished speaking, he added another sentence.

"In human society... shouldn't they be called the Three Holy Beasts?"

"The Phoenix Guard..."

After repeating the sentence in a low voice, Qingyu's eyes quickly turned comical.

If it had been a few years earlier, my expression upon hearing this name would probably have been one of excitement...

After all, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune used to be quite prestigious, often making cameo appearances in TV anime as Ho-Oh's messengers.

But problems arose after he made too many cameo appearances!

Especially the extremely handsome and very popular legendary Pokémon Suicune.

Once upon a time, who wouldn't want to tame a "messenger of the North Wind"?

Unfortunately……

I know everything!

But speaking of the Ho-Oh Guard, Marshadow should be a member of it, right?

Thinking of this, Qingyu smiled and looked at Marshall again.

"Is Namashad considered a member of the Phoenix Guard?"

Eh?
After being asked a question by Qingyu, Marcia, who was waiting for his answer, was dumbfounded.

It was right; this Rainbow Warrior was acting strangely, and it seemed to be really after it!
It was already strange enough that they knew of his existence, but to specifically name him... Marshall's feelings became incredibly complicated at this moment.

It seems this is the first time the Rainbow Hero has set his sights on himself, the examiner.

Despite having rarely appeared before them for thousands of years in order to ensure fairness as an examiner, he still encountered a human being who was not quite right in the head.

As the "shadow" behind Lord Ho-Oh, there is actually a day when humans take notice of him and want to invite him to become their partner.

This feeling……

Why do I not feel bad?

"If you can pass the full test, the Ho-Oh Guard will naturally become your help when the world is in crisis."

"...Of course, that includes me too."

Suppressing the urge to complain, Marshall gave a solemn reply before suddenly disappearing using a stealthy attack.

By the time Qingyu realized what was happening, she could only see a dark shadow darting behind her, and when she turned around, Marshado had vanished without a trace.

"Marshado?"

Qingyu tentatively called out, but received no response.

Ghost-type Pokémon have the ability to pass through shadows and enter other dimensions.

If it doesn't want to appear, it seems there's really nothing I can do about it.

Qingyu couldn't help but shake her head.

Although I was woken up, the night's experiences were still worthwhile.

At least it confirmed his legitimacy as the future "Rainbow Warrior," and who knows, he might even have a chance to recruit Marshadow in the future.

Even if Marshall is unwilling to show himself now, he can't just stand by and do nothing when he, as a candidate for hero, is in danger, right?
It's like having another top-notch bodyguard by your side.

and many more……

Thinking about it this way, if Marshall is also considered a member of the team, wouldn't the number of "legends" in my team be a bit too high?

Even setting aside Milerton, which is classified as a paradoxical species and theoretically shouldn't exist in this world, there are still two powerful figures, Mewtwo and Urquidone, to assist us.

Then there's Mew, who I've had a lot of contact with; Marshadow, who hides in my shadow; and Black Rayquaza, who occasionally shows up but doesn't seem to have any ill intentions towards me...

This is almost enough to form a full team!
Am I really a mythical beast man?

Aside from the Evil Spirit, I don't think I've ever actively contacted a single legendary individual...

Could it be that I really have the constitution to attract divine beasts? A trip to the capital city even led me to Padia.
Qingyu fell into deep thought.

……

Although Masador's appearance did excite Qingyu for a while, it was just a minor incident in her life.

After all, he hadn't received any information about what it took to become the Rainbow Hero, and Marshadow hadn't mentioned it to him either.

Perhaps it was startled by its own direct attack? Marshadow never appeared again after that night. If Mewtwo hadn't been able to vaguely sense its presence, Qingyu would have even suspected that Marshadow had run away...

So we can only take it one step at a time.

Moreover, being a hero is just a side job for him; his primary responsibility as the gym leader should be prioritized.

Over the next two days, Qingyu focused on testing the stronger students, making them feel the intensity of a top-tier player as much as possible before the road to the championship.

As for the assessment to obtain the badge, it has been entirely entrusted to the two apprentices, Mewtwo and Nemo.

That's right. Nemo was just idling around in her big villa in Keytown anyway, and she would show up right on time as soon as the gym opened. So Qingyu simply let her come back to help him out and challenge the students for a bit of fun.

Nemo had no reason to refuse Qingyu's request.

Occasionally, she would use the Pokémon she had bred herself, but most of the time she would stick to the old setup of the Sunny Gym, using rented Pokémon and established tactics to further expand her knowledge.

Moreover, her appearance seems to have created a subtle chemical reaction.

Mewtwo, who was already diligent in her studies, suddenly fell into a strange competitive mood after her appearance, and the arms race between the two gym apprentices began silently.

Qingyu certainly had no objection to this; in fact, he wanted to give Nemo a thumbs up.

It really does take a competitive spirit to grow; with an opponent, Mewtwo's growth rate will probably be much faster than before.

And just like that, April arrived quickly.

On her first weekend back after returning, Qingyu finally got some rest.

Sunday, August 5th.

Qingyu was sitting in front of the computer, thinking about what lineup to prepare for the evening.

After the weather series, which he had been working on for a long time, was finally complete, there were still many strategies he could talk about. However, he still hoped to develop some systematic and easy-to-use interesting tactics.

If we continue to extend the idea of ​​weather tactics, there are many classic systems, but the difficulty of learning them is significantly higher, making them unsuitable for beginners to imitate and learn, which deviates from Qingyu's original intention.

Just as he was struggling with his decision, Mewtwo suddenly opened the door and walked in, holding a tablet that was playing a video.

"Qingyu, what do you think your opponent was thinking at that time?"

After handing the tablet to Qingyu, Mewtwo asked a question.

When Qingyu looked at it, he realized it was a recording of his own battle during the Psychic Masters Tournament, and he instantly understood what Mewtwo was doing.

Watching video recordings is indeed a good way to improve one's thinking, especially when it's a high-level ball game with extremely high prestige.

Of course, the value of a victory is even greater if you win it yourself!

The video playing on the tablet was a match between him and his fan David during the group stage.

The opponent that left a deep impression on him at the time was apparently the Exeggutor that blew up its insurance policy...

It was a trick he used to create a joke, but he never expected to encounter it in real combat. He was really shocked at the time.

"While using insurance premiums combined with hypnosis does have some value, I feel there might be better options?"

Mewtwo suddenly spoke again.

"Better choice?"

"Indeed, there are certainly more scientific methods of hypnosis..."

Qingyu spoke subconsciously, then paused, stunned.

When he looked up at Mewtwo again, his eyes suddenly lit up with excitement.

Mewtwo's casual question unexpectedly gave him a lot of inspiration.

Yes, we can take the tactics of our opponents in this Masters tournament and optimize them.

Things like hypnosis, shrinking, spatial manipulation, and even Metagross and Gengar encountered in the semi-finals and finals can all be taken out and formed into interesting tactical systems...

Then let's do them one by one in order.

"Looks like we have content for the next few weeks of live streams!"

"Thank you for reminding me, Mewtwo!"

Qingyu smiled and subconsciously reached out to touch Mewtwo's head.

Today's live stream will use a gravity hypnosis tactic that's more fun and intense than emptying the insurance policy!

(End of this chapter)