Chapter 217: I'll Take You There

The 'Clefairy'—who had just been furious—cooled down just as quickly, now curiously sizing up Ash. And when it mentioned the 'big turkey,' it was, of course, referring to the legendary Ho-Oh.

"Huh?"

Ash looked completely lost.

"Are you sure, Piggy?" Dylan asked, slightly surprised as he turned to 'Clefairy.'

Ash had Ho-Oh's presence on him? That didn't make sense. Sure, Ash had always been extraordinarily lucky—after all, he saw Ho-Oh on his first day as a trainer—but the anime Ash wasn't the Rainbow Hero.

Ho-Oh admired pure-hearted humans, that was true, but in the anime, Ash was never officially chosen as Ho-Oh's champion.

It was only in I Choose You, a parallel universe movie, that an Ash was recognized as the Rainbow Hero. That Ash received the Rainbow Wing, encountered Entei and the other members of Ho-Oh's trio, had Marshadow secretly guiding him, and ultimately climbed Mt. Tensei to summon Ho-Oh.

That was true Rainbow Hero treatment.

On the other hand, anime Ash just had insane legendary encounters—he practically met every legendary Pokémon in every region. So running into Ho-Oh wasn't all that surprising.

"No mistake, Mii~! I know that big turkey well, I'd never mistake its aura."

'Clefairy' blinked its big, innocent eyes.

As a Mythical Pokémon from Kanto, it was deeply familiar with the auras of both Ho-Oh and Lugia.

"Ash, you've seen Ho-Oh before, haven't you?"

Dylan mused for a moment before asking Ash.

Ash was taken aback for a second, then thought back carefully.

"Ho-Oh? You mean that colorful bird Pokémon?"

"That's the one."

"I saw it the day I started my journey."

Ash recalled the radiant, rainbow-colored Pokémon he had glimpsed that day. He even made a promise with Pikachu that they'd go meet that Pokémon again someday.

"Actually, I still have this."

Ash reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a feather.

In the sunlight, the feather shimmered with iridescent rainbow hues—it was breathtakingly beautiful.

Ho-Oh had dropped it when it flew overhead. Maybe the wind was too strong that day, because it had landed right in front of him.

"The Rainbow Wing!"

Leah's eyes widened in shock—she instantly recognized what it was.

She was all too familiar with that feather.

Back when she escaped the Masked Man's organization, she had stolen both the Rainbow Wing and Silver Wing from him.

That was why the Masked Man had been so desperate to hunt her down.

Truthfully, the Masked Man didn't care much about Leah's betrayal.

But the moment she escaped with those two feathers—he had to take action.

"Huh?"

"That's Ho-Oh's feather, Ash. It seems like you've caught its attention."

Dylan chuckled, eyeing the Rainbow Wing with interest.

The Rainbow Wing, also known as the Rainbow Feather.

In the Pokémon games, it was an item needed to summon Ho-Oh.

Its counterpart was the Silver Wing, which was used to summon Lugia.

In the I Choose You movie, the Rainbow Wing had the same function—but with added lore.

The feather could discern the purity of its holder's heart.

If the person was good and kind, the feather would retain its brilliant rainbow colors.

But if the person's heart was tainted by greed or darkness, the Rainbow Wing would lose its luster and turn black.

And when that happened—Marshadow, the Guide of Shadows, would appear to purge the corruption.

"I don't really get it," Ash admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"Just think of it this way—there's a very powerful Pokémon watching over you, and this feather is proof that you can meet it again," Dylan explained with a smile.

"Ohhh…"

Ash understood now.

"So, Dylan, do you want this?"

Ash held out the Rainbow Wing toward Dylan.

"You can have it if you want."

"You're giving it to me?" Dylan raised an eyebrow.

"Ash, this is Ho-Oh's feather—it's incredibly rare. With it, you can summon Ho-Oh. If you're strong enough, you might even catch it."

"Emmm… But I don't even know how to use it, and it's not like I'm strong enough to catch Ho-Oh, right?"

Ash spoke as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

"If anyone can do it, it'd be you, Dylan. Just let me see it once you've caught it!"

Ash wasn't particularly attached to Ho-Oh.

To him, it was just another Pokémon—one he happened to have seen before, but not one he had any deep connection with.

The world was full of Pokémon, and his journey had just begun. Having one more Ho-Oh or one less Ho-Oh didn't make much of a difference to him.

"…wow!"

That was Ho-Oh! One of the most legendary Pokémon in Kanto!

But Ash was talking about giving it away like it was a Spearow.

Brock and Misty exchanged helpless glances but didn't interfere. It was Ash's decision, after all.

"You never change, Ash."

Dylan's eyes glimmered for a moment, then he shook his head.

"Thanks, but I'll pass on the Rainbow Wing."

He declined Ash's offer.

The Rainbow Wing reacted to its holder's heart.

Dylan didn't consider himself a bad person—but he also didn't think he was pure-hearted enough.

If he took it and the feather dimmed, that'd be awkward.

Besides, only those with a pure heart could actually summon Ho-Oh.

To Dylan, this was just a feather—nothing more.

"This feather belongs to you, Ash. You should try finding Ho-Oh yourself."

"But I don't even know where to look…"

Ash looked a little embarrassed. He didn't even know how to use the feather.

"Just follow your instincts—it'll guide you."

Dylan glanced at the Rainbow Wing in Ash's hand.

Ash nodded thoughtfully.

"Dylan, Dylan! Do you really not want the feather, Mii?"

Suddenly, 'Clefairy's' sweet telepathic voice rang in Dylan's mind—just his mind.

"…What's up?"

"If you do want it, I can go get you one! How many do you need? One feather for a box of canned food sound fair, Mii?"

'Clefairy's' eyes gleamed.

It had just discovered a business opportunity!

If it plucked a whole box of feathers, it wouldn't have to worry about food for a month!

Wait… Were Ho-Oh's feathers this valuable to humans?! This was amazing!

"You… You're not thinking of plucking them straight off Ho-Oh, are you?" Dylan was speechless.

"Of course not! Dylan, how could you accuse me of such a thing?!"

'Clefairy' puffed up, looking scandalized.

"Bird Pokémon naturally shed feathers, okay? That big turkey hasn't molted in ages! I'm just helping it get rid of the old ones so new ones can grow—it should be thanking me, Mii!"

Dylan's eyelid twitched.

Seeing that Dylan wasn't interested in Ho-Oh's feathers, 'Clefairy' immediately switched tactics.

"How about Lugia's feathers instead, Mii~?"

Dylan sighed.

"What would I even do with so many feathers—make a feather duster to smack you with?"

He couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

But then again… maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.

As much as he tried to dismiss it, he had to admit that both Ho-Oh and Lugia's feathers were incredibly rare and valuable.

What if he used them as decorations for the Rota Badges? That could look pretty impressive…

Or maybe… it'd be way too flashy?

Dylan fell into deep thought.

---

With the battle concluded, Dylan decided to treat Ash and his friends to a meal—he was getting hungry himself.

They found a nice restaurant and booked a private room.

At the dinner table, Ash wore a slightly troubled expression.

"Dylan, I really do want to see Ho-Oh again… but it feels like it's really far away."

Following Dylan's advice, he had held onto the Rainbow Wing and let his mind go blank.

Sure enough, he could feel a faint, guiding presence directing him somewhere.

But it felt… so far.

"Oh? You can sense it?"

Dylan's interest was piqued.

"Yeah, but…"

"If you don't mind, I can take you there."

Dylan considered it.

Ho-Oh—the so-called 'big turkey'—was something he was genuinely curious about.

But as for catching it?

He wasn't particularly interested.

Trainers chose Pokémon, sure—but Pokémon also chose their trainers.

And Ho-Oh, especially, was picky.

It only recognized humans with pure and untainted hearts.

Its trio of guardian Pokémon existed solely to judge humanity on its behalf.

As the official lore stated:

"The legend says that when humans once again earn its trust, it will return to the Bell Tower."

Dylan didn't think he had the qualities necessary to earn Ho-Oh's recognition.

And even if he managed to capture it by force, it would likely abandon him sooner or later.

If a Pokémon would just up and leave after being caught—then what was the point of catching it in the first place?

And besides, a Pokémon as legendary as Ho-Oh had intelligence and free will on par with humans.

It wasn't just about raw power—it had its own clear sense of purpose.

"I have a Pokémon that can fly. If it's somewhere in Kanto, we can get there by tomorrow afternoon."

"Really?!"

Ash's face lit up with excitement. This was perfect!

"Of course."

Dylan nodded, though his gaze briefly flickered toward Ash's shadow.

He had already asked Mew, and the little troublemaker had confirmed that something was lurking within it.

So it's true…

Still, Dylan couldn't help but feel a bit regretful.

If Ash was following the storyline of the I Choose You universe, why hadn't he also inherited that Ash's incredible trainer talent?

To be fair, anime Ash wasn't bad at training—he was just a late bloomer.

He needed time, experience, and the wisdom gained from countless adventures.

Every battle, every loss, every victory—they would all eventually shape him into the strongest trainer in the world.

When it came down to it, both Ash and Red were destined to reach the top.

The difference?

One was a prodigy, the other was a slow-burning legend in the making.

"Alright! Thanks, Dylan!"

"No need to thank me—I'm just interested in seeing Ho-Oh for myself."

Dylan chuckled.

After all, it was one of Kanto's most famous legends.

As a Kantonian himself, he wouldn't pass up the chance to meet it in person.

But while Ash was beaming with excitement, Leah's expression turned oddly serious.

She pursed her lips slightly, lost in thought.

Ho-Oh…

(End of Chapter)