Chapter 141: Marshadow

The Tianqing Mountain grew especially cold after night fell.

Charizard led the party, and Huo La's Houndour was being cradled in Fan Ye's arms at that moment.

"Fan Ye, how much farther do we have to go? Have you actually climbed Tianqing Mountain before?" Ash couldn't help asking.

"Almost there. Just turn the corner ahead, then a few hundred stone steps and we'll be there. I used to climb it often when I was young." Fan Ye inhaled a breath of cold air as he tightened his grip on the Houndour.

"Sigh, keep climbing; we're already this far, we can't turn back." Xiao Gang sighed helplessly, turned to Huo La, and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just conserving energy… cold." Huo La replied weakly. If it weren't for Fan Ye's age, he wouldn't have wanted to hand over the Houndour at all.

When they finally stepped onto the last stone step, everyone staggered to steady themselves.

The hands and feet that had been frozen stiff on the mountain path were now gently enveloped by warmth, and even the chill in their breaths had faded considerably.

Huo La was the first to look up, and he stopped in his tracks instantly.

Above them, no dense canopy blocked the view; the night sky stretched crystal‑clear as if washed.

A hazy moonlight spilled over the blue‑stone summit, outlining a soft silver rim; stars peppered the ink‑blue heavens so densely that one could almost reach out and touch them, their glimmer brighter than the valley below, falling on the shoulders like tiny shards of crystal.

A wind rose from the ravine, carrying the crisp scent of grass and trees, yet it held no chill, gradually easing the tension that had tightened their nerves all the way up.

"This… this is unbelievably beautiful!" Ash couldn't help spreading his arms; Pikachu poked its head out of his chest, lifted its little paw as if trying to touch the Xingyue right before his eyes, "It feels like if I stand here and reach out, I could touch the moon!"

Fan Ye, still cradling the Houndour, shifted his steps lightly to the edge of the summit; his aged face softened with emotion, "It's been over a decade since I last came up; I never expected the Tianqing Mountain at night to be this beautiful… No wonder Ho‑Oh chose to settle here."

Xiao Gang produced a water flask and handed it over, sighing with a smile, "Finally the climb wasn't in vain; the summit is surprisingly warm, it's like a completely different world from the valley below."

Huo La took the flask, but his gaze drifted toward a shadow on the opposite side of the summit—dense dwarf pines stood there, and as the wind brushed the foliage, a faint, uneasy rustle suggested something skittering between the leaves.

"What, still think there's a problem?" Gengar's voice echoed in his mind, stripped of its usual teasing tone.

Huo La shook his head lightly, pretended to tie his shoes while squatting, and whispered, "Old Ghost, go hide in the shadows and check; it'd be best if there's no issue."

Seeing his solemn expression, Gengar dropped its jokes, its silhouette slipping past his feet, silently melting into the darkness without leaving a trace of mist.

At that moment, Fan Ye suddenly pointed to a spot not far away, his voice trembling with excitement, "Look! That's the Rainbow Stone!"

The group followed his gaze and saw a rock bathed in the faint Xingyue glow, emitting a soft orange‑red sheen as if wrapped in a warm halo.

"Rainbow Stone…" Ash's eyes lit up; he hurried over, circled the stone, touching it from all sides, then pressed his face against it, puzzled, "Other than being a bit warm, there's nothing special about this stone!"

"What do you know!" Fan Ye snapped, his tone reverent of the legend, "The story says a Rainbow Hero wielding the Rainbow Feather climbs Tianqing Mountain, and only then does the guide appear!"

Hearing Fan Ye mention the Rainbow Feather, Ash immediately fished the feather from his chest.

Starlight fell upon the feather, and the multicolored glow instantly intensified, enveloping his body in an instant, as if cloaked in a flowing veil of light.

Within that radiance, a faint candle‑like flame flickered in the dim shadow cast by the moon. The flame surged, and in an instant a humanoid silhouette rose from the shadow—a Pokémon!

"Yes! That's it! The guide of the rainbow, Marshadow!" Fan Ye stared at the Pokémon, his hands trembling with excitement, and the Houndour in his arms let out a soft cry.

Huo La also examined Marshadow closely.

Although he knew it hid within Ash's shadow, this close‑up observation was his first.

The Pokémon resembled a child in stature, its body formed of smoky gray shadows; its face was encased in a helmet‑like shell with two curved horns at the top; orange‑red eyes housed yellow pupils, each eye bearing a yellow oval mark above it; small swellings protruded from its wrists, and a collar emitting faint smoke hung around its neck.

His gaze fell upon a panel only he could see:

Pokémon: Marshadow

Gender: None

Level: Lv50

Su Xing: SS

Status: Healthy

Nature: Timid

Type: Fighting/Ghost

Ability: Skillful Technician (when using weaker moves, can boost their power)

Height: 0.7 m

Weight: 22.2 kg

Carried Item: Marshadium Z

Moves: Shadow Sneak (61% mastery), Shadow Punch (49% mastery), Deep Abyss Thrust (55% mastery), Close Combat (21% mastery), Shadow Thief (19% mastery), Phantom Force (21% mastery)…

Improvement Count: 0

Reading the clear data on the panel, Huo La thought silently, "Sure enough, only a Divine Beast can conceal its type under special circumstances. But… a Marshadow bearing a Z‑crystal… Seven Star Soul‑Stealing Leg?"

"Eh?! Eh, eh, eh!" Ash stared at the Marshadow emerging from his own shadow, his mouth agape in shock.

He then ripped out his Pokédex, which emitted a mechanical prompt, "Unidentified Pokémon, recording data…"

"Whoa! I've discovered a new Legendary Pokémon!" Ash's shout nearly blew the summit's air away.

Xiao Gang's face was equally stunned; after Fan Ye gave him a gentle tap to bring him back, he whispered, "Fan Ye, you said it's called Marshadow just now?"

"Exactly!" Fan Ye's voice trembled with excitement, "The legend in the ancient texts speaks of the Legendary Pokémon, the guide of the rainbow—Marshadow!"

"So how do we summon Ho‑Oh next?" Ash held up the Rainbow Feather, glancing between Marshadow and Fan Ye, his eyes sparkling, "Do we have to battle Marshadow?"

Fan Ye stared blankly, scratched his head, and said, "I… I don't know either!"

The group fell silent instantly.

"Ash, take the Rainbow Feather and stand on that Rainbow Stone to try it," Huo La said at the right moment.

"Right! Rainbow Feather with Rainbow Stone—how could I have missed that!" Ash slapped the back of his head, grabbed the feather, and sprinted toward the Rainbow Stone.

He scrambled up using both hands and feet; as soon as he steadied himself, the multicolored aura that had surrounded him erupted, radiating outward in all directions—within a blink it bathed the entire Tianqing Mountain, turning the night into a dawn‑bright glow.

Moments later, a clear phoenix call echoed from the eastern TianQiong, and a rainbow‑colored silhouette streaked across the night sky, soaring toward the summit.