Mt. Bell Tower—the tallest peak within the Mt. Silver Range.
The path leading up was narrow and winding, with no guardrails on either side. As he walked along, Hayato couldn't help but worry that he might tumble into the abyss below.
He glanced down. The vast valley beneath was shrouded in drifting mist, making the already bottomless drop seem even deeper and more unfathomable.
A chill ran down his spine.
Yet Entei walked with steady confidence. Each heavy paw pressed down firmly on the mountain trail, its stride unwavering and deliberate.
Sensing the unease on its back, Entei rumbled, "We're almost there."
Hayato looked forward. Mist began to gather, parting just enough to reveal a colossal peak, towering into the heavens like a silent sentinel.
He nodded lightly. "Yeah. I see it."
Suicune padded behind Entei. Glancing back, it noticed Marshadow's head poking out of its shadow. Through telepathy, the little phantom asked, "Raikou didn't come?"
The freshly returned Marshadow shook its head. "We'll see it again eventually."
Suicune said no more.
Marshadow turned its gaze forward, staring at the looming mountain.
So soon…Without realizing it, the time of parting was drawing near.
It lingered for a moment, then shifted its gaze back to the boy riding atop Entei.
The black flames on Marshadow's body flickered faintly. In the next instant, its tiny frame melted back into a ripple of shadow, sinking seamlessly into Suicune's silhouette.
Hayato remained unaware of all this.
When they finally passed the treacherous trail and arrived at the foot of Mt. Bell Tower, the mist thickened dramatically.
And within that mist… gathered Pokémon.
Nidoking, Electabuzz, Rhydon, Magnemite, Magmar…
Some perched on cliffs, some floated in the air, all casting wary eyes at the passing Entei and Suicune.
Hayato frowned. "Don't you think these wild Pokémon seem… restless?"
Entei's pace never faltered. Its fiery gaze swept over the surroundings. Just as it was about to answer, a voice rang out from the fog:
"That's because each and every one of them longs to obtain Ho-Oh's power."
Hayato, Entei, and Suicune looked up.
There, standing proudly atop a boulder, was an old man with a red-and-white cap.
He leapt down with surprising agility. His eyes gleamed as they locked on Entei and Suicune. "Oho! The Legendary Pokémon… Entei and Suicune!"
Hayato studied the small, bearded old man. After a moment, recognition stirred.
It was Bonji.
A character who appeared in the movie Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!—a man who had spent decades chasing Ho-Oh's shadow, deeply knowledgeable about the Rainbow Hero legend.
He had even written a book about Ho-Oh and the Rainbow Feather, inspiring countless Trainers to set out in search of the Legendary Pokémon, hoping to challenge it and become the strongest Trainer.
Ash was one of them.
"This is unbelievable!" Bonji exclaimed in awe, leaning closer. He sniffed the air like a hound. "Faint, but unmistakable… That's Ho-Oh's scent!"
Hayato blinked.
Bonji's eyes widened. "I understand now. You must be the Trainer chosen by Ho-Oh's Rainbow Feather, here to undergo the Rainbow Hero's trial, yes?"
"…Yes," Hayato replied after a pause.
Bonji laughed awkwardly at his own enthusiasm before introducing himself. "Just call me Bonji. For the past twenty years, I've traveled far and wide, gathering data and chasing signs of Ho-Oh. My research led me to believe it would appear here, on this mountain."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Hayato," he said politely.
Bonji was no villain—merely an eccentric scholar chasing proof of Ho-Oh's existence.
Suddenly, Bonji cried out, "Your bag—it's glowing!"
Hayato froze. Quickly removing his backpack, he unzipped it to reveal a dazzling rainbow light seeping from within.
The Rainbow Feather.
As soon as he pulled it out, it shone brilliantly, a rainbow beam stretching skyward, pointing straight to the mountain's peak.
"Waaaah! The Rainbow Feather!" Bonji's voice trembled with excitement. "That's where the scent of Ho-Oh is coming from!"
Hayato, Suicune, Entei, and even Marshadow in the shadows all wore complicated expressions.
Marshadow, in particular, regarded the old man strangely.
It had once thought Hayato was a weirdo for secretly stealing Raikou's fur. But this old man… to claim he could smell Ho-Oh's presence… truly, there were always stranger people in the world.
Hayato sniffed the feather experimentally. Nothing. Not even a hint of a scent.
"How do you know what Ho-Oh smells like?" he asked, baffled. Did this old man have some sort of "super-nose" like the Power of Viridian?
Bonji chuckled. "Not exactly a smell. More like… a feeling. The lingering presence of Ho-Oh."
"…I don't get it," Hayato muttered.
Bonji sighed wistfully. "But this glow… it's dazzling, like the light of my own youth! For an old man like me, it's blindingly beautiful."
Then he turned, his eyes pleading. "Young man, may I accompany you? To see Ho-Oh, just once in my life?"
Hayato shrugged. "Sure."
"Thank you!" Bonji beamed. "I know these trails well. Allow me to guide you."
Exchanging glances, Hayato, Entei, and Suicune pressed on.
The path ahead was gentler. Hayato dismounted, choosing to walk beside his companions for this final stretch.
As they climbed, Bonji chattered eagerly, sharing his decades of research.
"To meet the Legendary Pokémon Entei, Suicune, and Raikou—it must be because of the Rainbow Feather! They come to test whether you're worthy of being the Rainbow Hero."
He eyed Hayato curiously. "Though I've never seen them so close to a human before…"
Legendary Pokémon rarely appeared before mankind. To most, they were distant, divine figures, untouchable. Only a handful of people ever earned their trust.
Bonji glanced at Entei and Suicune trailing calmly behind Hayato. "They… seem to really like you."
Hayato chuckled. "I like them too."
Entei's face remained stern, regal as ever, though deep inside, its heart wagged like an eager tail.
Suicune was less restrained, gazing at Hayato with unmistakable warmth.
Bonji looked on in envy, then suddenly asked, "Since Entei and Suicune are here… then surely the 'Guide in the Shadows' must also be with you?"
"That mythical Pokémon—Marshadow. When the rainbow fades, it emerges, using its shadowy power to seal away and correct all that has gone astray."
Hayato nodded softly. "It's here."
His gaze lowered to the ground. Within his shadow, Marshadow's eyes met his. Human and Pokémon stared across the thin veil of two worlds.
Marshadow blinked, startled.
"Ah… youth. What a treasure." Bonji sighed.
The climb was long. From base to summit, it would take four or five hours.
Hayato kept his steady pace, savoring this final journey with Entei and Suicune.
But Bonji grew more restless the higher they climbed. He wanted nothing more than to witness the Rainbow Hero's birth and see Ho-Oh at last.
Whenever Hayato paused to rest, Bonji nearly burst with impatience, whispering eagerly:
"Legend has it that when the Rainbow Rock atop Mt. Bell Tower blooms with the rainbow's light, Ho-Oh will descend before the one bearing its feather, to grant them a challenge!"
Hayato: "…"
…But the Rainbow Feather he carried wasn't exactly granted to him by Ho-Oh.
"You don't look excited?" Bonji asked, bewildered.
"I am," Hayato admitted truthfully.
"Then hurry!" Bonji urged. "Once you place the Rainbow Feather on the Rainbow Rock, Ho-Oh will appear!"
Hayato turned toward Entei, Suicune, and his own shadow.
He already knew what would follow.
When the trial ended, he would part ways with these companions.
He would return to Hoenn, continue his Gym challenges.
Marshadow and the Legendary Beasts would resume their duties.
Ash, too, had already begun his journey. If the events of I Choose You! unfolded in this world, then he had likely already met Ho-Oh and received his own feather.
Marshadow would one day guide him. Entei and Suicune would go test him as well.
This short journey with the great "big cats" had been filled with joy. Hayato wanted to slow down, to linger just a little longer.
But they had reached Mt. Bell Tower.
He took a deep breath, stroking the heads of Entei and Suicune. Smiling, he asked, "We'll meet again someday, right?"
Entei dipped its head solemnly.
Suicune nodded softly. "We will."
"Good." Hayato turned toward Bonji. "Alright. Let's keep going."
Bonji's eyes trembled. He understood now why the boy had walked so slowly.
For he knew: the Rainbow Hero was never just one chosen soul.
Wherever Ho-Oh flew, it would bestow Rainbow Feathers upon the worthy. Marshadow, the shadow guide, would test them. And the three Legendary Beasts would follow, judging their resolve.
"Perhaps… that's the true beauty of youth," Bonji whispered, watching their backs as they climbed.
Hayato decided that before parting, he would take a commemorative photo with Entei and Suicune.
Year 210 of the League calendar—he journeyed with the Ho-Oh Guardians for half a month upon Mt. Bell Tower.
The only regret: Raikou wasn't here.
Hayato even thought briefly about sending Cramorant to go fetch it, just to complete the group. But… that might humiliate Raikou, making it despise humans all the more.
He hesitated.
Just then, a flash of white burst from his belt.
"Gaaah!"
Cramorant had popped out on its own, wings flapping as if ready to take flight. Hayato quickly grabbed it in his arms before it bolted.
"Gaaah?" Cramorant tilted its head.
Hayato let out a helpless laugh. Somehow, this bird always sensed his thoughts at the oddest times.
"I know you're strong," he said, stroking its head. "But this time, let it be."
"Gaaah."
"Stay with me. Let's climb together."
Releasing it, Cramorant obediently hovered by his side, chirping happily.
Relieved, Hayato pressed onward.
At last, they reached the summit—the legendary roost of Ho-Oh.
Just as below, wild Pokémon had gathered in silence. Perched on rocks, nestled in clouds, standing still… all to witness the birth of a new Rainbow Hero.
And at the path's end stood a crystalline boulder, gleaming with rainbow hues.
"The Rainbow Rock," Bonji whispered. "Place the feather upon it, and Ho-Oh shall appear."
Hayato glanced down at the Rainbow Feather in his hand, its seven-colored light dazzling. Then he turned to Entei and Suicune behind him.
Marshadow, too, had emerged from the shadows, hovering between them, its eyes solemn.
"Go on."
Entei and Suicune's gazes brimmed with encouragement.
This was the final step.
Hayato drew a deep breath and stepped forward.
He laid the Rainbow Feather upon the Rainbow Rock.
In an instant, feather and stone resonated, bursting into a pillar of radiant rainbow light that pierced the heavens.
The clouds roiled and scattered, unveiling the endless blue sky.
All across the mountain, Pokémon lifted their heads to witness the miracle.
Rainbows danced in their eyes as the energy pulsed from the Rainbow Rock, spreading across the peak—until the entire mountain seemed to shine with prismatic brilliance.
(End of Chapter)