Chapter 129

"It really is it." Huo La looked at the feather and nodded affirmatively.

He turned to Ash, who was still curiously fiddling with the feather, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity: "This is no ordinary feather; it is the Rainbow Wing—the feather of the legendary Ho-Oh."

"Huh? Ho-Oh's feather?" Upon hearing the word "Ho-Oh," Ash was so startled that his hand shook, and the feather fell with a "plop."

Huo La was quick-witted and immediately reached out to catch it.

When the feather landed in his palm, it was as light as a snowflake, but upon closer inspection, the seven-colored light that had been flowing through it was fading rapidly, and after a moment, only a monotonous black and white remained.

Huo La squinted for a few seconds, then handed the feather back to Ash.

Miraculously, the moment the feather touched Ash's fingertips, that seven-colored glow bloomed anew, even brighter than before.

"Eh?" Ash held the feather up to the light, turning it over repeatedly. "I clearly saw just now that when the feather was in your hand, all seven colors disappeared, leaving only black and white. What is going on?"

"Sigh, you didn't see wrong." Huo La sighed and explained, "The Rainbow Wing chooses its master—only those with a pure heart can keep its seven-colored luster; if someone with evil intentions holds it, it will lose all its light and become dull."

He paused and continued, "Entei, Suicune, Raikou, and another Pokémon of mysterious identity will specifically seek out the holder of the Rainbow Wing to verify if they are qualified to become a 'Rainbow Hero.' I think Entei's appearance in Yuhong City this time is no coincidence at all; it came specifically to see you."

"So that's it!" Ash suddenly realized, but soon frowned again. "That's not right. Since having evil intentions makes the feather lose its color, how did it turn black and white when you held it? Could it be that you are also a person with evil intentions?"

"Do I look like one to you..." Huo La gritted his teeth. "Besides, it only turned black and white; it didn't lose its luster."

"Oh, right." Ash scratched his head, not understanding the reason behind it.

"By the way, Huo La, how do you know so much about the Rainbow Wing and Entei?" Ash threw out another question.

Huo La pondered for a moment and spoke slowly: "Remember when you said in Nibi City that you had seen a mysterious Pokémon on a stone tablet? Since then, I've gone through the ancient books my father collected, and there happened to be a record about the Rainbow Wing and the three legendary beasts. At the time, I just thought it was a myth and didn't take it to heart."

"It wasn't until Entei appeared now, and you produced the real Rainbow Wing, that I dared to be certain—this is no coincidence; Entei is here to verify you, to see if you are qualified to become a Rainbow Hero."

"Yes!" Ash clenched his fists instantly, his eyes shining like stars, his tone full of drive. "I will definitely become a Rainbow Hero! And when that time comes, I'll make Ho-Oh acknowledge me!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu on his shoulder also raised its little paws, chirping in agreement, clearly as excited as Ash.

Watching the high-spirited boy and his Pokémon, Huo La couldn't help but smile. Suddenly remembering a question, he asked casually: "By the way, I never asked, how did you get your Charmander—now it should be called Charmeleon? I see it's especially close to you."

"Oh, it makes me angry just talking about it!" The smile on Ash's face vanished instantly, and his tone became indignant. "Charmeleon was abandoned by a Trainer named Da You! It was raining heavily that day, and Da You thought Charmander was too weak to beat a Poliwag, so he just left it in the grass!"

The more he spoke, the angrier he got, clenching his fists as he added: "That Da You is truly despicable! Pokémon aren't tools; how can he just abandon it because it couldn't win!"

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu also furrowed its little brow, waving its paws at the air as if standing up for Charmeleon.

"Da You..." Huo La repeated the name in a low voice, his eyes suddenly becoming deep. He stared at Ash with a hint of inquiry, unable to stop himself from muttering: "Is this really the main world..."

It could basically be confirmed that the Pokémon world exists in multiple parallel timelines.

In his memory, the Trainer who abandoned Charmander in the main world was indeed named Da You, but the legend of the "Rainbow Hero" and the appearance of Ho-Oh's feather did not match the main world plot he knew at all. This was something happening in a parallel timeline, whereas the Trainer who abandoned Charmander was named Cross.

Ash felt his skin crawl under his gaze and instinctively shrank back, asking stutteringly: "Hu... Huo La, why are you staring at me like that? It's kind of scary."

Huo La came back to his senses, quickly withdrew his gaze, and shook his head to cover up his momentary distraction: "It's nothing, I was just suddenly wondering why Ho-Oh would choose you specifically and leave behind the Rainbow Wing."

"Needless to say!" Ash immediately puffed out his chest and patted it proudly. "Of course, it's because I'm going to become the world's #1 Pokémon Master in the future! Ho-Oh must have seen my potential in advance!"

As he spoke, he began to ramble on about his plans, from the next Gym he would challenge to the Pokémon he would capture in the future, unable to stop his excitement.

But Huo La's thoughts had long since drifted away.

The explosion at the Rainbow Gym, the provocation by mysterious forces, plus the sudden appearance of Entei, the trial of the Rainbow Hero... with countless things intertwined and countless new variables, it seemed his transmigration wasn't that simple?

After nightfall, Huo La lay on the bed in his room, staring at the ceiling, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

During the day, Ash had already shared the news about the "Rainbow Wing" and the "Rainbow Hero" with Brock and Misty. The group's eyes lit up as they listened, surrounding Ash to ask for details and insisting that once the martial law in Yuhong City ended, they must go to the forest in the west to find Entei, even if just for a glimpse.

Huo La sighed and turned to look at the bedside—Gengar was poking its head out from his shadow, floating in mid-air and yawning.

He asked casually: "Old Ghost, you've lived so long, have you ever seen a Divine Beast?"

Gengar's yawning motion paused, a flash of complex nostalgia appearing in its red eyes, and then it laughed heartily: "Entei, Suicune, Raikou? Those three? At most, they are just demigods holding some natural authority; they are still far from being true Divine Beasts!"

Huo La didn't catch the subtle shift in concept in its words, just following his own train of thought: "Whether they are demigods or Divine Beasts, your 'First Translation Battle' will likely fall on those three or Marshadow."

Gengar stopped laughing instantly, fell silent for a few seconds, and suddenly shouted: "What? It's not Ho-Oh? That's too disappointing! I thought I'd be able to talk to a true top-tier existence for the first time!"

Complaining aside, it changed the subject, its tone carrying a hint of emotion: "But then again, this brat named Ash has truly heaven-defying luck. To be favored by Ho-Oh and even get the Rainbow Wing—this kind of thing doesn't happen once in a few hundred years. What kind of monster gathering place is your Pallet Town? Why does it feel like the Trainers coming out of there are all extraordinary."

Huo La glanced at it and didn't refute—indeed, Trainers from Pallet Town seemed to be born with a "special constitution," always encountering things others wouldn't encounter in a lifetime and seeing legendary Pokémon others wouldn't see.