Nesting Shadows

Gon had slept for most of the day, starting from shortly after breakfast in the morning and continuing until late afternoon.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Yuga sitting quietly beside him, gazing at the setting sun in the evening sky.

He tried to sit up, causing enough movement to draw Yuga's attention.

"Awake, huh? How do you feel?" Yuga asked with a smile.

"Uh, very comfortable," Gon replied, his face breaking into a bright smile.

He had never felt this relaxed before, as if a heavy burden had suddenly been lifted from his entire being, both physically and mentally.

Seeing Gon's healthier complexion, Yuga relaxed and said, "That's good. After sleeping for so long, are you hungry?"

Upon hearing this, Gon suddenly felt the emptiness in his stomach and was eager to have a hearty meal.

Seeing Gon nod in agreement, Yuga said, "Just wait a moment; I'll warm up some food for you."

Anticipating that Gon would wake up hungry, Yuga had prepared some food in advance.

With Gon's physical condition improved, the two of them had to spend another night at the foot of Mt. Moon.

In the evening, both of them found it difficult to sleep, so they sat up and chatted under the starry night sky.

It was early summer, and the night sky was exceptionally bright and beautiful, despite the abundance of mosquitoes in the wilderness. Fortunately, Yuga had come prepared with effective insect repellent.

"Now that your health is restored, as long as you take good care of yourself, you'll gradually become as healthy as any other person. From now on, you'll learn how to become a Trainer with me. Are you ready?" Yuga asked quietly, shifting his gaze from the night sky to Gon, who was sitting beside him.

"Yes, I'll do my best," Gon replied firmly, clutching his Abra tightly in his arms.

Yuga nodded in acknowledgment. He could see that despite Gon's quiet and obedient demeanor, he possessed inner strength. Otherwise, he wouldn't have fought so hard to stay alive, knowing his impending fate.

However, Yuga had confirmed with him that he seemed genuinely unaware of the immense psychic power hidden within his body.

"Starting tomorrow, we'll climb Mt. Moon. We won't leave this place for a few days. I plan to train you here for a while, and you'll also learn how to bond with Abra," Yuga explained his plan to Gon.

Yuga wasn't in a rush to take Gon to the Mount Tensei. Given Gon's current condition, he had no chance of passing the Trial of the Rainbow Hero. Without a reasonable certainty of success, Yuga didn't want to take unnecessary risks. This wasn't a game where failure could be rectified with a retry; this mission was critical to Chatot's life.

Gon had no objections to Yuga's plan; he was determined to put in the effort.

As Yuga was about to say more, he suddenly felt that something was amiss. There was a ghostly aura of a Ghost-type Pokémon around them.

"Gengar!"

With Yuga's exclamation, Gengar swiftly emerged from his shadow, and without Yuga having to say anything, it understood his intentions. In an instant, a Shadow Ball was hurled towards a spot not far from Gon.

The sudden appearance of the Shadow Ball startled Gon, and even his Abra trembled in fear.

With Gengar's attack, a small humanoid Pokémon materialized near Gon, its large orange eyes shimmering as it observed Yuga and Gengar, who had just attacked.

Following this, the Pokémon conjured a Shadow Ball and rapidly directed it toward Gengar.

Gengar attempted to evade but suddenly felt as though countless voices were whispering softly in his ear, completely diverting his attention.

Struck by the Shadow Ball, Gengar lost all ability to fight instantly.

Seeing Gengar fall, Yuga refrained from any further actions, as he had recognized the identity of this Pokémon.

It was Marshadow, the Mythical Pokémon! Marshadow acted as a guide for shadows, sealing and correcting things when the rainbow colors faded. It was a guardian, and it likely held no ill will towards Yuga and Gon.

Just as Yuga thought Marshadow would return to the shadows, it suddenly appeared right in front of him, then swiftly entered Yuga's own shadow.

Yuga then saw the Clease Tag, sealed in his own shadow, floating out and being incinerated by a cluster of ghostly blue flames.

This took Yuga by surprise. Wasn't Marshadow supposed to stay with Gon, overseeing his actions? How had it ended up in Yuga's shadow?

What followed left Yuga even more astonished.

"Mismagius!"

With a cry, Mismagius, which had been concealed in Yuga's shadow, was thrown out and landed on the ground.

Mismagius looked confused as it glanced at Yuga, then floated back up, attempting to re-enter Yuga's shadow.

No matter how hard it tried, Yuga's shadow, like a frozen river in winter, refused to let it in. Instead, it left Mismagius feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Yuga sighed and told Mismagius, "Forget it; return to your Poké Ball for now."

"What's going on? Can someone explain why I was thrown out for no reason?" Mismagius seemed a bit frustrated.

And just like that, Mismagius was recalled into its Poké Ball, utterly bewildered.

Yuga knew that Marshadow was behind all of this. Being a Ghost-type Pokémon, and standing around the Ghost World Origin Stone in his body, Marshadow was naturally drawn to it.

However, Marshadow was quite dominant and didn't want to share with Mismagius, despite its reputation as a timid and weak Pokémon.

Knowing that Marshadow wouldn't harm him or Gon, Yuga quickly tended to the injured Gengar. He released his Chimecho to heal Gengar's injuries and then recalled Gengar to its Poké Ball.

"What kind of Pokémon was that? It was so strong that neither Gengar nor Mismagius could resist it," Chatot asked, looking surprised, with Gon also curious about the situation.

Yuga explained, "That was Marshadow, the Mythical Pokémon. It will accompany us until we meet Ho-Oh. It acts as the overseer of the Rainbow Hero's trial."

"I see! You sure know a lot," Chatot exclaimed.

Yuga just smiled without saying anything.

Hearing Yuga mention Ho-Oh and the Rainbow Hero, Gon looked puzzled.

Seeing Gon's confused expression, Yuga smiled and said, "I'll explain all of this to you in due time."

Gon nodded in understanding and didn't press for more information.