In the footage—
Suicune, lying on the ground, slowly opened his eyes and looked fixedly at the young man who had collapsed nearby. He hadn't lost consciousness, so he remembered clearly what had just happened.
The residual power of Ash's Aura still lingered in his body, and he could still feel the lingering warmth of Ash's palm.
From this boy, he felt all the greatest qualities of humanity—sacrificing his own life to save a Pokémon… More importantly, this boy possessed the power of the Lord within him!
The life force of Ho-Oh! In other words, the boy in front of him was a trainer recognized by Ho-Oh! The Rainbow Hero!
No wonder he loved Pokémon so much… It wasn't because he became a Rainbow Hero that he loved Pokémon; it was his extreme love for Pokémon that allowed him to become the Rainbow Hero!
Even Suicune hadn't expected that his savior would be the hero chosen by Ho-Oh…
"Wha—"
A light chirp escaped Suicune's mouth, and a glowing blue droplet materialized, dripping gently onto Ash's body! Under the surprised and delighted gazes of Chloe and Pikachu, Ash slowly woke up.
"Ash! Are you okay?"
"Pika-pika! Pikachu-pi!!"
Even Pikachu couldn't help but scold Ash. How could he do something so reckless! Ash had already used his Aura to help Suicune recover significantly, but he insisted on pushing further, draining his energy completely.
"Haha, sorry Pikachu, I'll be careful next time."
"Pika???" Pikachu looked as though he wanted to hit Ash with a Thunderbolt just to wake him up properly!
"That was Life Dew just now, right? Thank you, Suicune." Seeing that Ash was fine, Chloe turned and bowed to Suicune in gratitude. A move that could restore Ash so quickly, shaped like a glowing drop… it could only be Life Dew!
Suicune nodded gracefully, his red eyes quietly studying Ash.
"Woo~"
Ash, who understood the flow of Aura, could decipher the meaning behind Suicune's gentle cry. He was saying: Thank you so much for your help, Rainbow Hero.
It seemed this Suicune hadn't mastered telepathy yet.
"You're welcome… By the way, what exactly is the Rainbow Hero?"
"Woo Woo"
Those who are selected and recognized by Ho-Oh are called the Rainbow Hero by us, the three legendary beasts. So far, you are the only Rainbow Hero I have ever seen, and perhaps the only one in existence.
"Ho-Oh? Am I chosen by him? Is that really a thing?" Ash looked completely bewildered. He had indeed seen Ho-Oh, but… Ho-Oh had never spoken directly to him! He had just been chasing the legendary bird's footsteps. How did he suddenly become the Rainbow Hero?
Suicune nodded affirmatively. The distinct aura of the Rainbow Hero was unmistakable. Then, adopting a pleading tone, Suicune asked:
"Woo-hoo!"
O Rainbow Hero, I must ask for your help!
"Whoosh! Wha~"
Not far from Ecruteak City, there is a water source that has been severely polluted. I attempted to enter and purify it, but I was blocked by a strange force and severely injured in the process. That is why I was so weakened when those humans attacked me!
Hearing this, Ash frowned. The reason the poachers had cornered Suicune finally made sense. But… a new puzzle emerged.
What kind of power was capable of severely injuring Suicune? No matter how you looked at it, Suicune was one of the legendary beasts. If a mere residual force could knock it into such a state, could it be… a higher-tier Legendary Pokémon?
"I understand. Take us to see it, Suicune!"
"Eh! Wait, Ash, what are you talking about? Go check what out? Where?" Chloe, Officer Jenny, and the auxiliary trainers were all confused. They had only heard Suicune making a few animalistic sounds, and suddenly Ash was declaring they needed to investigate something.
"It's like this…" Ash quickly relayed Suicune's explanation to the group. Upon hearing it, expressions of disbelief spread across their faces.
Suicune was directly hit and severely injured by an unknown force? Who could have done such a thing?
"The legendary Pokémon of the Johto region… Could it be Lugia?" Officer Jenny suggested uncertainly.
Aside from Lugia, the god of the sea, what other Pokémon in Johto could beat Suicune into serious injury with just residual power? But… Lugia had absolutely no reason to attack Suicune!
"We won't know until we get there! Suicune, can you still move?"
"Wha—" His body was mostly recovered, and thanks to the Rainbow Hero's Aura, he was ready to depart.
"And please, stop calling me Rainbow Hero. I'm Ash from Pallet Town, just call me Ash!"
"You lead the way on the ground, and we'll follow you from the air on Charizard!" Being constantly addressed as the 'Rainbow Hero' made Ash slightly uncomfortable. After all, his interactions with Ho-Oh were limited. Being called by his own name felt much more natural.
Suicune nodded respectfully to Ash, then offered a slight bow toward Officer Jenny and the surrounding trainers.
Although they hadn't directly intervened, they had come with kind intentions, and Suicune acknowledged that. Turning gracefully, his white ribbons fluttering in the wind, Suicune began to dash forward.
"Let's go, Chloe! We have to keep up!" Ash pulled Chloe onto Charizard, taking to the sky. Officer Jenny quickly mobilized the trainers to follow on the ground. A dangerous anomaly near Ecruteak City was absolutely a matter for the police.
The trainers, driven by curiosity and a desire to help, willingly followed. They wanted to see what kind of power could injure Suicune!
Glancing back and seeing Charizard keeping pace, Suicune accelerated. He had sensed the immense power of that Charizard during the battle with the poachers.
While he didn't know Charizard's absolute limits, it was clearly stronger than Suicune was in his current state! Combined with Ash's status as the Rainbow Hero, Suicune felt confident bringing them along.
Shortly after, Suicune skidded to a halt near a dark, murky water source. Ash and Charizard descended smoothly. Officer Jenny and the ground team were still a fair distance behind, unable to match Suicune's speed.
"Is this it, Suicune?" Ash surveyed the seemingly empty clearing. There was nothing visibly blocking the polluted water. But… through his Aura perception, Ash could feel an immense, concentrated force field pulsating right in front of them! Suicune must have been injured trying to force his way through it.
"Whoosh! Wha~~"
Yes, there is a field here forged from two distinct energies. It prevents me from moving forward. Purifying water is my duty, so I tried to break through, but…
Suicune shook his head dejectedly. His failure to breach the barrier had left him vulnerable to the poachers.
"Let's give it a try!"
"Charizard, use Blast Burn!"
If it was an energy barrier, they would just shatter it with sheer power! Intense, boiling flames rapidly condensed in Charizard's jaws before erupting outward! The fiery bombardment slammed into the invisible barrier, the red glow illuminating the darkened forest!
Boom!!
The two forces violently clashed! Under the immense pressure of Blast Burn, visible spiderweb cracks began to spider across the empty air!
After a tense standoff lasting several seconds, the barrier finally shattered like glass! Charizard immediately cut off the flames to prevent a forest fire.
With a single, overwhelming strike, the barrier that had stymied Suicune was annihilated! While this Suicune might not have been at its absolute peak maturity, Charizard's raw, devastating power was undeniable.
"Wha—"
Thank you, Ash, Charizard. When I finish purifying this water, I have a gift for you.
With the barrier destroyed, Suicune stepped forward to begin the purification process. By the time Officer Jenny and the others finally arrived panting, the water was already crystal clear.
"This… you solved it already?" Officer Jenny was stunned. Hadn't Suicune been severely injured by this obstacle? She had only seen a flash of red fire in the distance, and now the problem was gone?
"Charizard did all the heavy lifting! The barrier just required a massive amount of force to break. But… the real problem is that we don't know how that barrier formed in the first place."
Breaking it was simple. The mystery was its origin. According to Suicune, the barrier was a fusion of two distinct energies… Who would create a Champion-tier barrier just to isolate a polluted pond?!
Within the shattered barrier, I sensed the distinct energies of time and space; Eternatus's voice echoed suddenly in Ash's mind.
Ash froze. The power of time and space… That could only mean two specific Pokémon: Palkia and Dialga! Was this anomaly connected to them? But they resided in the Sinnoh region! How were their powers manifesting in Johto?!
...
Global Forum Chat Board
[Flint]: Wow, I didn't expect this! The Suicune incident actually involves those two Legendary Pokémon? And they're from our Sinnoh region!
[Morty]: It doesn't make sense… Aside from when Hoopa forcibly summoned them, Legendary Pokémon rarely leave their respective regions. Why would traces of the Space-Time trio appear in Johto?
[Cynthia]: Between the alternate Tobias attacking Yveltal in Kalos, and now the power of Palkia and Dialga appearing in Johto… It feels like the entire world is teetering on the edge of chaos! The Space-Time deities are unique. They exist within their own independent dimensions, rarely interacting with our world or each other.
[Cynthia]: But… anomalies happen. If they were to clash again for some unknown reason, their conflicting powers could generate localized space-time distortions!
[Flint]: Like the barrier Ash just shattered?
[Cynthia]: Exactly. And that barrier was just a minor side effect. If their conflict escalates… the fabric of space itself could completely collapse! Just like we saw in the previous broadcast…
As Sinnoh's leading mythologist and Champion, Cynthia understood the gravity of Palkia and Dialga's powers. They rarely crossed paths, but when they did… the resulting conflict could literally unravel reality! The presence of a space-time barrier in Johto was a terrifying omen.
If anomalies were manifesting all the way in Johto, one could only imagine the current state of the Sinnoh region…
[Alder]: Speaking of which… it looks like it's time for Ash to step up again! I hate to admit it, but Ash has a much better track record of stopping Legendary Pokémon conflicts than any of us Champions! It's basically his specialty…
As Alder pointed out, when it came to resolving crises involving deities, the world didn't look to Cynthia—they looked to Ash! His actions were already legendary. Whenever the world faced destruction, Ash was the one who stood on the front lines!
[Lance]: When you put it like that… it really makes us older veterans look completely useless!
[Diantha]: Stop right there! I am not old!
[Cynthia]: Hehe, men who call women old… tend to find trouble very quickly~
[Lance]: ... My apologies, I will stop typing now.
While the world debated the escalating crisis, Ash in the footage had already begun to move…