Ho-Oh: I ***

"..."

The moment Hu Yang saw the feather clearly, he felt as though he could barely breathe.

Th-This...

Could Cramorant have forcibly plucked this from Ho-Oh?

"Caw!"

Cramorant seemed tired and yawned.

Hu Yang recalled it into its Master Ball, then returned to the cabin with a complicated expression, carrying the Rainbow Wing.

It was just one feather. Ho-Oh probably would not hold a grudge against him, right?

He carefully recalled what he knew about Ho-Oh from the story.

Legend had it that Ho-Oh possessed the power to revive the dead. Wherever it flew, it left rainbows behind, and those who saw Ho-Oh would be blessed with eternal happiness.

According to Johto legends, Ho-Oh had once lived atop Ecruteak City's Bell Tower.

Later, after the neighboring Burned Tower was destroyed by fire, Ho-Oh left and began flying all over the world in search of Pokémon Trainers with pure hearts.

In the anime, there had been very little plot involving Ho-Oh.

The only movie centered on Ho-Oh was I Choose You!.

There, Ho-Oh left Ash a feather, and Ash and Pikachu embarked on a wonderful adventure because of it, eventually becoming the Rainbow Hero.

However, judging from the story, that title did not seem particularly useful. If you did not tell anyone, no one would ever know you were the Rainbow Hero.

Thinking about it carefully, the Rainbow Wing seemed to have no other purpose beyond letting someone see Ho-Oh again.

Hu Yang currently had no desire to see Ho-Oh again.

Without money, he might starve to death halfway there.

Rather than taking this feather to undergo some hero's trial, he might as well get something practical out of it.

Like money.

If it was valuable enough, he planned to sell it so he could catch a few more new Pokémon.

Of course, aside from summoning Ho-Oh, the Rainbow Wing might also represent Ho-Oh's favor and good luck?

More importantly, Ho-Oh had not left feathers for just one person.

Besides Ash, during the Johto arc, it had also left a feather for an Ecruteak City resident named Jaye. After that, it never appeared again until the man was nearly old enough to die.

Though he knew those two were probably from parallel worlds, Hu Yang still felt that Ho-Oh was the Pokémon version of a "scumbag."

"What do you think?" After thinking for a long time, he asked Gengar and Poison-type Roserade.

"Roli..." Poison-type Roserade looked helpless. It had never even heard of Ho-Oh!

Hu Yang turned his gaze to Gengar.

Gengar spread its claws. "Don't look at me. I don't know it either."

Hu Yang: "..."

"I'm asking whether this feather could have been forcibly plucked off Ho-Oh by Cramorant."

"Roli..."

Poison-type Roserade and Gengar exchanged a glance. Recalling the things that silly bird had done, they nodded in perfect understanding.

Gengar said, "I think that's possible."

It paused, a mischievous smile appearing on its face. "You could have that silly bird pluck a few more. They'd be perfect for making a feather duster."

Hu Yang: "..."

Big guts!

How dare a mere Gengar show such disrespect toward Ho-Oh, a first-tier Legendary Pokémon! Was it not afraid Ho-Oh would hit it with Sacred Fire-type?! Hu Yang really wanted to ask that.

But Pokémon were not like humans. They had no civilization.

Take Poison-type Roserade, for example. If Hu Yang had not caught it, it might never have seen the ocean in its entire life, much less known that Legendary Pokémon existed in this world.

Still, Ho-Oh's feather really was quite pretty.

It did not get wet, and beneath the lights, it reflected rainbow-colored gleams.

Just then, Hu Yang spotted Poison-type Roserade's shadow move.

"!"

Could it be Marshadow, the shadow guide that led the Rainbow Hero, coming over?

But it was not. It was merely a moth drawn to the light, flying past the lamp.

Hu Yang immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, Ho-Oh had more messengers than just the three from Johto. Strictly speaking, Marshadow, which guided Trainers who had obtained the feather to meet Ho-Oh, counted as one too.

In his previous life, netizens had even jokingly called them "Ho-Oh's dogs."

Hu Yang worried that Marshadow might attack them if it could not stand hearing others speak badly of Ho-Oh.

Thinking carefully, in the movie, Marshadow had only transferred into Ash's shadow after he met Entei.

Now, let alone Entei, he had not even seen Suicune, which could be caught in a net by humans.

So Marshadow could not possibly appear here.

Relieved, Hu Yang suddenly remembered that he still did not know whether this world was based on the anime, the manga special, or the games' worldview.

"No, I need to find out what Professor Oak's grandson is called." Hu Yang, who had been lazing around for ages, felt that it was time to take action.

If he was called Gary instead of Blue, that would mean Hu Yang had not come to the most dangerous manga special world.

However, judging from his experiences over the past few months, this world did not seem all that dangerous.

Before Hu Yang's thoughts could drift any further into wild territory, the passenger ship finally arrived at the destination of this voyage.

Standing on the deck and looking at the towering Fire-type volcano rising from deep within the forest, the words "Mt. Chimney" instantly appeared in Hu Yang's mind.

"Mt. Chimney... Groudon seems to be inside that Fire-type volcano, right?" Hu Yang silently thought.

But he did not dare be certain, because according to the setting, Groudon generally dwelled in Fire-type volcanoes around the world.

Hoenn had more than one Fire-type volcano besides Mt. Chimney.

As for Kyogre and Rayquaza, one should currently be sleeping soundly in an underwater cavern, while the other patrolled its territory in the ozone layer.

After getting off the ship, Hu Yang slung on his backpack, with Gengar floating behind him, and headed straight for the station.

This port was still a long way from Fallarbor Town. Other than walking, taking a vehicle was the only way to get there.

In the dead of winter, the weather was far too cold. He did not want to stay outside for even one extra second. The vehicle had heating on, making it feel like a completely different world from outside.

Hu Yang sat in his seat and let out a satisfied long breath.

But the moment he opened his eyes, he saw an enormous Gengar burrow into his arms.

Gengar said, "There are so many humans! They're squeezing me to death!"

Hu Yang was speechless. "...You can go back into your orb. Besides, they can't touch you at all, can they?!"

Without even thinking, Gengar refused. "No way!"

Hu Yang: "..."

Fifty minutes later, the two got off at Fallarbor Town Station.

It was snowing in Fallarbor Town.

As far as the eye could see, the entire town was blanketed in snow.

This weather was not suitable for going outside.

So the moment he got off the train, Hu Yang headed straight for an inn by the roadside and spent sixty Poké Dollars on a single room.

The inn had a Japanese-style theme. A warm little Fire-type stove burned in the room, and from the tatami mats, he could admire the beautiful snowy scenery outside through the transparent floor-to-ceiling windows.

The inn attendant thoughtfully brought complimentary tea and snacks. Hu Yang thanked them, then released his Pokémon and let them play by themselves.

He took off his coat and wrapped himself tightly in a small blanket.

This kind of weather was perfect for sleeping in bed.

Gengar was shocked by the sight. "You came all the way here just to sleep?! Can't you sleep at home?!"

Hu Yang: "..."

He did not want to pay Gengar any attention. Turning around, he faced it with his backside.

Gengar: "..."

Ho-Oh: I gave you a feather to bring you luck, and you want to sell it for money!