"Please don't worry, Platinum. You trust me so much, so I will never let you down."
Damian smiled as he gave Platinum his word.
"Mmh~!"
Platinum smiled back. She looked genuinely relieved.
Even though... their first meeting wasn't very pleasant, and Platinum used to have a lot of prejudice against Damian.
After all, who would feel comfortable with Damian after he used her family as leverage?
Not to mention, Damian had originally been the leader of the infamous Team Rocket.
But now, Platinum just wanted to say that outsiders didn't understand Damian at all!
Since they had finished talking about serious business, the atmosphere in the room went quiet for a moment.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
As time passed, Platinum realized she was alone in a room with Damian. Without realizing it, her fingers tightened around the hem of her clothes.
"Um..."
Looking at Damian across from her, Platinum felt her face heat up again.
"Platinum, it's already 10:30 PM. Since you aren't leaving, are you planning to sleep here with me?"
Damian glanced at the clock on the wall and spoke to Platinum in a teasing tone.
"No... no! I'm sorry! Goodnight, Damian!"
Platinum's face turned red instantly. She stood up, bowed nervously to Damian, and quickly walked toward the door.
How could Mr. Damian say that?!
Platinum was extremely embarrassed. What did he mean by "sleeping with Damian"? That wasn't something you said to a proper young lady!
"Goodnight. Remember to close the door behind you," Damian said, finding it very funny.
"I understand."
Platinum closed Damian's door and immediately let out a long sigh of relief. She patted her chest lightly to calm herself down.
Just now, her heart had really jumped into her throat. It was too embarrassing.
Also, thinking about it now, she had really been too bold. She had actually stayed in Damian's room for so long late at night.
It was a good thing that Damian wasn't the type to take advantage of her.
Platinum calmed herself down and walked toward her own room, feeling much lighter.
But Platinum didn't notice that after she left, someone was watching her from a room with a slightly cracked door.
Hmm, it doesn't look like Damian and Platinum were up to anything. I can relax now.
The next day arrived in the afternoon.
Paul had gone out to do a mission. Damian, Caitlin, and Platinum took a walk around Viridian City.
Of course, it was mostly Damian taking Caitlin and Platinum around. After all, Viridian City was Damian's hometown.
"Damian, Damian! We did it!"
At the edge of Viridian Forest, Ash ran over excitedly and shouted to Damian.
"We caught those four traitors! Pikachu defeated them easily. We got back all the money and Pokémon they stole!"
"Pika~chu!"
Ash sounded thrilled. On Ash's shoulder, Pikachu chimed in too, proud and happy.
"Is that so? You did a great job, Ash. I knew you could do it."
Damian wasn't surprised at all. He praised Ash with a smile.
"Hehe~ Are there any more missions like that, Damian? Just leave them all to me!"
Ash felt like he was getting addicted. Doing good like this felt right.
"Hey, hey, Ash, don't get carried away," Misty said, sounding exasperated.
"If Archer hadn't provided very detailed information, it wouldn't have been that easy for us, right?"
It looked like they had finished the mission easily, but the main reason was that Archer's side had provided specific details about movements and locations.
Archer's side handled the hardest part.
After that, Ash and the others only had to show up and fight. Naturally, it went fast.
"As for missions, you can just check the mission board more often. If there is one that fits you, you can take it," Damian said with a smile.
"By the way, Ash, you should have one more important thing to do, right?" Damian looked at Ash.
"?" Ash looked back, confused.
"Don't forget. You are a Trainer chosen by Ho-Oh."
Damian waved his hand at Ash. What he was holding was a Rainbow Wing that shimmered with rainbow-colored light.
"A Rainbow Wing? Damian, you have one too?"
Brock looked at Damian with great shock. No way—could Damian also be chosen by Ho-Oh? That didn't feel right.
Wait, speaking of which, when Damian fought Ash last time, he had even used Suicune. From that point of view, Damian really was someone connected to Ho-Oh.
"Ah~ My relationship with Ho-Oh is pretty good. We experienced an unforgettable battle together. We're close comrades."
Damian spoke as if it were obvious.
Well, Damian truly believed Ho-Oh was a useful shield.
Besides, even though Ho-Oh often argued with him, it was only talk. When Damian needed Ho-Oh to take hits, Ho-Oh still stepped up.
"Eh? That's so nice. I haven't seen Ho-Oh in a long time."
Ash took out his own Rainbow Wing. He hadn't seen Ho-Oh since the time he first left Pallet Town.
Was Ash really the person chosen by Ho-Oh?
Platinum looked at the Rainbow Wing in Ash's hand with curiosity. Ho-Oh, the Legendary Pokémon of Kanto.
Platinum had also read about it. It was said that people who saw Ho-Oh could find happiness. She didn't know if that was true.
"Then you need to go find Ho-Oh yourself. Ho-Oh is a Legendary Pokémon, after all. It can't just keep appearing in front of you whenever you want."
Damian said that to Ash. After all, a Pokémon like Ho-Oh had its pride.
"But I don't know where to find Ho-Oh?"
Ash scratched his head, sounding frustrated.
"I know. Ash, let me take you to find Ho-Oh." The corners of Damian's mouth slowly curled up.
"Eh? Really?" Ash's eyes lit up.
"That's right. If you are lucky, maybe you can even catch Ho-Oh," Damian replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Ash was overjoyed. If he could catch the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh, his strength would definitely jump!
When that time came, punching the poker-faced Paul and kicking Red around would no longer be a dream!
Misty and Brock looked at each other. They both felt that Damian probably wasn't being this helpful for no reason.
"Damian, do you know where Ho-Oh is?"
"I don't know that, but I do know where you can summon Ho-Oh. As for whether you can catch it, that depends on your own skill, Ash."
What Damian was talking about was, of course, Mount Tensei, the mountain at the end of the rainbow.
Mount Tensei is located at the highest peak of the Cloud Sea Mountain Range. It is also the place where the rainbow ends. As long as a hero holding a Rainbow Wing comes there, the wing can be used to summon Ho-Oh.
In I Choose You!, Ash summoned Ho-Oh this way and used Pikachu to battle it.
The result wasn't known, but it was clear that Ash must have enjoyed the battle.
"I want to go! Damian!"
Ash made his decision without any hesitation. Ho-Oh—he really wanted to see Ho-Oh one more time.
It was just like the promise he made with Pikachu when they first left Pallet Town.
'One day, we're going to meet that guy!'
And now, Ash felt the time had finally come!
"Alright, I haven't seen Ho-Oh in a while either. I'll take you there."
"Yay!"
Ash was very happy.
"But Damian, are you really this free? As the leader, you should be very busy, right?"
Then Ash blinked and asked curiously.
"Ha~ I am the boss of Team Rocket. I can arrange my own time, Ash."
If the person asking this hadn't been Ash, Damian would have thought it was a test, but it didn't matter.
"And I'm not afraid to tell you, Ash. I have my eye on a certain Pokémon. But it's best to catch it after you meet Ho-Oh."
Damian replied bluntly.
"Oh, oh, I see. What Pokémon is it?" Ash asked immediately.
"You'll know when the time comes. No time to lose, let's go."
Damian planned to take Ash on a speedrun of the Ho-Oh quest.
"Okay!"
Ash's fighting spirit was burning bright.
While no one was paying attention, two empty orange pupils inside Ash's shadow were filled with confusion.
I'm doomed~!
Because he had done the research long ago, Damian was not unfamiliar with the location of the Cloud Sea Mountain Range.
Riding on Flying-type Pokémon, Damian and the others arrived at the peak of Mount Tensei at four o'clock in the afternoon.
"When the Rainbow Flower blooms on the Rainbow Rock, Ho-Oh will descend."
After landing, Damian looked at the giant rock nearby and spoke.
"Ash, put your Rainbow Wing on it and summon Ho-Oh."
"Got it!"
Ash trusted Damian. He ran to the base of the Rainbow Rock and climbed up quickly.
Without much effort, he reached the top of the Rainbow Rock and placed the Rainbow Wing on it.
Afterward, Ash climbed down and returned to the group.
The Rainbow Wing floated above the top of the Rainbow Rock. The entire Rainbow Rock began to shimmer with bright rainbow light.
Suddenly, a giant pillar of light shot straight into the sky. It dispersed the thick layers of clouds and revealed the blue sky.
A rainbow started from the Rainbow Rock and spread quickly into the distance.
"So cool..."
Platinum said quietly, staring at the rainbow.
Orange pupils lit up from Ash's shadow. The shadow kept flowing and changing shape. A small, human-like black Pokémon gradually took form.
This was the Mythical Pokémon Marshadow. It was also known as the "Shadow Guide."
But right now, Marshadow was lost in thought. Had Marshadow actually guided anything?
Lord Ho-Oh wouldn't blame Marshadow, right? Probably not. No matter what, Ash had arrived, hadn't he?
At that moment, Marshadow suddenly felt a chill run through its body. It turned its head sharply, and what entered its sight was Damian's face with a wide grin.
Marshadow swallowed hard and instinctively took several steps back. It felt like Damian was… bad news. Why did it feel like Damian was coming for it?
Marshadow was naturally timid. Damian's gaze—and the fact that Damian also had Suicune—made Marshadow want to run.
"Chirp~!"
Just then, a loud and long cry came from far away.
A bird Pokémon covered in golden and rainbow light appeared from the rainbow and flew toward them.
"Ho-Oh! It's Ho-Oh!"
"Oh my god! I actually saw Ho-Oh!"
"It's amazing!"
Ash and the others were extremely excited. Platinum was also excited. Ho-Oh—the Legendary Pokémon from the stories.
At that moment, the face of the approaching Ho-Oh also wore a very human-like smile. Ho-Oh was in a very good mood.
This was because Ash, the human Ho-Oh valued and gave the Rainbow Wing to, had finally passed the tests of Ho-Oh's guardians and arrived there under Marshadow's guidance.
What did that prove?
It proved that Ho-Oh's judgment had not been wrong.
However...
When Ho-Oh flew above Ash and the others, preparing to circle around once, Ho-Oh's eyes suddenly froze.
Because Ho-Oh saw Damian below, smiling while holding the trembling Marshadow in his arms.
Crap! Why is this peasant here too?!
You jerk! That's my Marshadow!
Why are you holding Marshadow, you peasant? And Marshadow, why are you so spineless? If Damian wants to hold you, you just let him?!
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