Ash's Pokémon Travel Has Big Problems

—Ho-Oh: I accidentally fell flat on my face.

The giant bee hovered silently in mid-air, its two stingers hanging low, stained with specks of golden divine blood. Its compound eyes were cold and ruthless, as if it were not the one who had just committed the act of killing a god.

Ash recognized the Beedrill that had once stood next to Giovanni.

Considering the rainbow feather that Sakaki "gifted" him.

Everything seemed to be connected by an invisible thread.

Sakaki did give him a big gift, but he had been waiting for this moment from the beginning.

This left Xiaozhi with a strange feeling.

Should we hold a grudge against Giovanni?

There seems to be no reason for resentment.

Because I have indeed benefited greatly from it.

Even considering the difficulty of this trial... Sakaki's behavior is like buying a lottery ticket.

Ash can't very well say that Giovanni gave him a great deal of benefit and that he accepted it without hesitation.

...This was even when everyone knew they were going to be in trouble.

The benefits have been obtained.

They also gained even more benefits.

However, the feeling of being schemed against is still very unpleasant.

Xiao Zhi felt he had a chance to get his revenge.

You bunch of scoundrels all think you can scheme against everything and that everything is under your control.

I'm going to scatter you all!

I'll scatter you all!

Although my mind was wandering off to who-knows-where.

But Xiao Zhi didn't do or say anything; he just wanted to see how things went.

As for Ho-Oh being killed?

Even a fool would know it's impossible.

The scene was deathly silent.

Only the golden divine blood dripping from Phoenix King's wounds scorched the newly purified land below, making a "sizzling" sound.

Logically speaking, Ho-Oh should be resurrected now.

But Ho-Oh looks a bit like it doesn't want to be resurrected?

...otherwise, it wouldn't have been bleeding there.

"Ugh..." In the distance, Emperor Yan struggled to his feet from the ruins, shaking his slightly dizzy head, and muttered under his breath, "I clearly... didn't sense this guy's presence nearby at all before..."

Due to the high-intensity, overloaded work during this period, Emperor Yan was actually in a somewhat weakened state.

Suicune leaped out of the stream, shaking off the water droplets, and said in a cool voice, with the same confusion and a hint of embarrassment, "I was also unaware."

They had been wandering around here for a while.

Emperor Yan even planted a trace of sacred fire within the bodies of almost every living being.

But nothing was found that was closely related to Giovanni.

So where exactly is Giovanni's Beedrill hiding?

Okay, actually it's the darkest place under the lamp that's blind.

Amado and Kosaburo were brought here by Marcia.

Entei and Suicune never expected that the Poké Ball that Kosaburo was carrying would contain Giovanni's Beedrill.

So this is another one of Masador's fault.

Emperor Yan: The ones that Marcia brought should be fine.

Sui-kun: So you're from Marshall. You must have been checked.

Marshall: ...I just grabbed one randomly.

Emperor Yan: ...You should just die.

Suijun: ...It's good that you're dead.

Faced with the invisible question conveyed by Giovanna through Beedrill, these two legendary guardians were somewhat unable to look directly at him.

Even the Rainbow Hero who failed the last trial is qualified to come and cause trouble for Ho-Oh.

This is not a problem that Emperor Yan and the Water God should worry about.

Regarding the Rainbow Warrior Trials, Ho-Oh is usually directly responsible for and oversees the execution of the trials by Marshall.

Emperor Yan and the Water God were merely assistants.

Therefore, they really don't have the right to say too much.

Sakaki's voice rang out again, tinged with a barely perceptible hint of mockery: "What, surprised?"

"It's not too difficult to block your perception with a little bit of technology."

"After all, compared to the last 'trial' that started strong but ended weakly, we have to make some preparations this time."

His mention of the previous trial made Emperor Yan and the Water Lord even more silent, their eyes revealing complex and unfathomable expressions.

That was a trial that was never made public.

But the situation that time was somewhat complicated.

That was several years ago.

There are quite a few people involved.

Although there are issues with Marcia being too abstract.

However, there was more than one abstract person involved that time.

Among them is Devon Corporation's president, Zvoki Hibiscus, who is attempting to capture Rayquaza at the Buried Tower in the Johto region.

Although the process was brief and did not have serious consequences, the final result... was clearly not pleasant.

That's when Giovanni's Tokiwa Power completely disappeared.

Unlike Ash.

Sakaki's trials did not take place when he was a child.

In his youth, Giovanni possessed the powerful Tokiwa Force.

But this power did indeed weaken as he got older.

Even if Marshall's personality is indeed very difficult.

However, due to his personality and age, Giovanni did not progress to the same level as Satoshi in the Rainbow Warrior Trial.

It's not that serious or terrible, though.

After all, the more a candidate meets the Rainbow Warrior criteria, the more miserable the trial will be.

If you don't meet the standards, you'll be eliminated early on, and the trial will end.

Generally speaking, it's unlikely that someone Ash would have to undergo the Rainbow Hero Trials at his age.

This is entirely Marcia's fault.

Phoenix Kings usually seek out women who are 16 years or older.

But Marcia is indeed too abstract.

Ash's trial had already begun, and the situation in Black Cloud City had become quite chaotic, which is why Ho-Oh had arrived.

Considering they were already there, and the trial had already begun... Ho-Oh didn't stop them even though they realized Ash was too young.

And this news is indeed extremely shocking.

Ash and his Pokémon held their breath, this was an epic piece of gossip involving legendary secrets!!!

After all, Ash got the Ho-Oh feather from Giovanni.

So, what exactly happened to Giovanni back then?

At this time.

Phoenix King's voice resounded once more in everyone's hearts, carrying the unique grandeur of divinity, yet unable to conceal a trace of helplessness.

“Sakaki...you can’t kill me.”

"If this can quell your anger, I can allow you to 'kill' a few more times."

Amidst the burning divine fire, Ho-Oh was revived intact.

In gamification terms, that's how it's described.

① Beedrill used a deadly sting followed by a critical hit to kill Ho-Oh at full health.

② Ho-Oh's passive ability is triggered after death, reviving with 100% HP and having no internal cooldown.

Probably that's it.

Ho-Oh possesses near-immortality.

Ordinary destruction has little meaning for Him.

As for those who fail the Rainbow Warrior Trial, Ho-Oh will have a high degree of tolerance as long as they are not too wicked.

The same question remains: Ho-Oh is essentially a benevolent deity.

If Ho-Oh causes harm to the other party due to its own excessive behavior, then Ho-Oh will have a higher tolerance.

"Hmph." Giovanni's cold snort came through Beedrill.

"You think I'm doing this to get revenge for that failed trial?"

"The selection of the Rainbow Warriors originates from an ancient covenant and is a tradition and honor of humankind."

"Even if I fail, it's because I lack the ability."

“I, Sakaki, am not so narrow-minded as to vent my resentment on you, a god who follows ancient covenants.”

Sakaki wouldn't cause trouble over something like this.

Otherwise, he would have killed Marshall long ago.

He didn't realize the so-called trial of the Rainbow Warrior at first.

But after thinking about it for a while, I understood... but I didn't take it seriously.

So his coming here is certainly not the issue.

and so……

Sakaki's tone abruptly changed, his voice instantly turning icy and chilling, and his suppressed anger erupted like a volcano:

"I've come today to ask you only one thing—"

"Where did you take my son?!"

This is what really infuriated Giovanni.

Why didn't they pick a fight with Marshall?

Considering that the Rainbow Warrior Trials are a human tradition, Giovanni won't hold Marcia accountable for what she did.

He swallowed his anger.

However, the fact that her son had been captured by Phoenix King was simply intolerable.

If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't find Ho-Oh, he would have gone to their door long ago.

……