Chapter 209: Staring Any Longer Would Be Rude
As a legendary Pokémon, Ho-Oh was massive.
Unlike its four-meter height recorded in the Pokédex, the Ho-Oh before them stood twenty meters tall, with a nearly hundred-meter wingspan.
It was over ten times the size of Asahi's baby Lugia.
And yet… this massive Ho-Oh had just been plucked bald by Pryce's Delibird.
Asahi couldn't help but stare at the exposed patch of skin on Ho-Oh's body.
Noticing his gaze, Ho-Oh subtly adjusted its posture to hide the bald spot.
Ho-Oh locked eyes with Asahi and repeated its gratitude.
Through the power of Viridian, Asahi could sense Ho-Oh's emotions. Understanding its intent, he quickly looked away.
Staring any longer would be rude.
In response to Ho-Oh's thanks, Asahi simply waved his hand.
"No need to thank me. That masked guy was my enemy too."
"But… Ho-Oh, you scared my friend."
Saying that, Asahi held Green's hand and looked at Ho-Oh.
Ho-Oh, unfamiliar with Asahi's tactics, hesitated before finally noticing Green.
Sensing her presence, old memories surfaced in Ho-Oh's mind.
Ten years ago, when it was still under the Masked Man's control, it had kidnapped six children from different regions under his command.
The girl before him… was one of them.
Realizing this, Ho-Oh's gaze softened with guilt.
Then, it flapped its wings…
And Asahi and Green were suddenly enveloped in rainbow light.
Green, bathed in the glow, fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, Asahi felt a surge of energy coursing through his body.
"What is this… Ho-Oh's blessing?"
Compared to Celebi's vague, uncertain blessing, Ho-Oh's effect was immediate.
Asahi felt brimming with energy, like he could punch a Slowpoke unconscious with one hit.
…Actually, now that he thought about it, in the original storyline, Silver survived Mewtwo and Mew's battle despite being turned to ash.
Could it be… because of Ho-Oh's blessing?
Setting that thought aside, Asahi turned to Ho-Oh.
"Why were you here?"
For Ho-Oh to suddenly appear only to be ambushed by Pryce—something was off.
Hearing the question, Ho-Oh pointed toward the Bell Tower.
Only then did Asahi notice that half of the Bell Tower was encased in ice.
The sunlight reflecting off the frozen tower made it look beautiful yet ominous.
He understood now.
Pryce had threatened to destroy Ho-Oh's home, forcing it to show itself.
"Where's your squad?" Asahi asked, looking around for Raikou, Entei, and Suicune.
If the Legendary Beasts had been here, Ho-Oh wouldn't have struggled so much against Pryce.
Ho-Oh shook its head.
Through his Viridian powers, Asahi understood.
"They're not in Johto…?"
At that moment, Ho-Oh finally noticed Mewtwo.
Mewtwo, however, was completely unbothered.
Because after watching Ho-Oh get plucked bald, it was hard to feel intimidated by it.
Ho-Oh: "Who are you? What is your connection to Mew?"
Without hesitation, Mewtwo proudly answered:
"Mew is my mother!"
Ho-Oh was shocked.
Then Mewtwo added something even more shocking—
"And Asahi is my father!"
Ho-Oh: "???"
Asahi: "???"
As a legendary Pokémon that had lived for countless years, Ho-Oh thought it had seen everything.
But today, it had experienced too many shocks in a row.
This was even more unbelievable than when the Masked Man had once defeated and enslaved it with just a Piloswine and a Delibird.
Ho-Oh was so dazed that when Asahi asked for one of its feathers to make a Poké Ball, it absentmindedly agreed without hesitation.
And so, after what might have been the most confusing encounter of its life, Ho-Oh flew off, possibly heading back to Kanto to resume its role as a mystical security camera.
Asahi looked down at the Rainbow Wing in his hand.
He had achieved his goal.
But… he didn't feel happy at all.
He really wasn't Mewtwo's father.
Yet the joke he had once made to tease Mew had come back to haunt him.
Was this karma?
The fool becomes the joke himself?
Thankfully, Green was asleep, and the only witnesses were Mewtwo, Gardevoir, and Salamence.
Otherwise, this would have been social death.
Gardevoir wouldn't gossip, and Salamence… well, Asahi had already bribed it with half a year's worth of extra meals to keep quiet.
Finally, Asahi turned to Mewtwo with a deep sigh.
"You did well this time. Just don't say that again."
Mewtwo nodded seriously.
But deep inside, it disagreed.
Because to Mewtwo, both the bond between Asahi and Mew, and the inexplicable connection it felt to Asahi, proved that what it said was true.
---
With Ho-Oh gone, Asahi descended with Green.
The moment he landed, he was immediately surrounded by a group of monks.
They glared at him with suspicion.
"You there! Did you attack the Bell Tower and assault Ho-Oh?"
"You are surrounded! Surrender at once! Leader Morty of Ecruteak Gym will arrive soon!"
Asahi: "…"
Sighing, he pulled out his badge.
"International Police. The criminal has already been defeated."
Even after seeing the badge, the monks didn't lower their guard and continued surrounding him.
They didn't trust Asahi's identity because they saw the Rainbow Wing clutched in his hand.
He claimed he had repelled the criminals, so why was he holding so many of Ho-Oh's feathers...?
And he was even carrying an unconscious girl in his arms... No matter how they looked at it, he didn't seem like a good person.
Following their gazes, Asahi finally noticed the bunch of feathers in his hand. He smacked his forehead—he had been so focused on avoiding social death just now that he had completely forgotten to stash them away in his bag.
"If I say that Ho-Oh gave them to me, would you believe me?" Asahi put on a rare expression of sincerity.
No one believed him.
After all, legend had it that only trainers recognized by Ho-Oh would receive a single Rainbow Wing as a blessing!
Yet this guy was holding an entire handful of them—wasn't it obvious he had plucked them straight off Ho-Oh's body?
The monks exchanged glances and, without hesitation, released their Pokémon, preparing to subdue Asahi.
Seeing that explaining was useless, Asahi sighed. "Sigh... Why does no one ever believe me when I tell the truth? This is too hard..."
With no other choice, Asahi gestured to the Gardevoir and Mewtwo beside him.
Their eyes gleamed simultaneously, and a vast wave of psychic energy swept through the entire group of monks and their Pokémon.
In mere seconds, the only ones still standing were Asahi and his Pokémon.
Recalling Mewtwo and Salamence into their Poké Balls, Asahi looked at the unconscious monks with helplessness.
"Why must you force someone as kind as me to resort to violence...?"
Gardevoir rolled her eyes at his words.
---
As the Gym Trainer of Ecruteak Gym, Morty had always had one wish—to witness the legendary Ho-Oh with his own eyes.
However, Ho-Oh's whereabouts were unpredictable, and it hadn't appeared in Ecruteak City for years, leaving his wish unfulfilled.
But today, while at the gym, Morty received a distress call from Bell Tower.
It was said that someone had attacked the tower, luring out Ho-Oh... This news made him both furious and a little excited.
"Could I finally get to see Ho-Oh?"
Carrying this thought, Morty hurried to Bell Tower, only to find that Ho-Oh had long since disappeared.
Instead, what he saw was an eerie sight—so eerie that even a Ghost-type Pokémon Trainer like him felt unsettled.
A young man was sitting on a large rock, and before him, the monks and their Pokémon were arranged in neat rows.
So orderly... it looked just like a morgue.
If not for his Gengar assuring him that they were all still alive and merely unconscious, Morty might have really thought they were dead.
Just as Morty was scanning Asahi with caution, Asahi let out a sigh of relief upon seeing him.
"You're finally here..."
Seeing that the other party didn't seem hostile, Morty asked in confusion, "You are...? And what exactly happened here...?"
Asahi took out his identification.
"Asahi, International Police, as well as the Gym Challenge Examiner for this region. As for what happened here... it's all just a misunderstanding."
---
Asahi briefly explained the situation to Morty.
How he had been traveling when he discovered Ho-Oh under attack, how he stepped in to help repel the assailants, and how Ho-Oh, in gratitude, gifted him a bunch of feathers...
The entire sequence of events was logical and well-reasoned.
After hearing Asahi's explanation...
How should Morty put it? He completely understood why the monks had attacked him.
Had he not carefully verified Asahi's credentials and heard of a particularly skilled International Police officer from Kanto, he might have suspected Asahi to be the one who attacked Ho-Oh himself.
Now that he was sure Asahi was an ally, Morty relaxed and asked, "Who was it that attacked Ho-Oh?"
Who could be so bold and powerful as to strike at Ho-Oh itself?
"The leader of Team Mask... Actually, the reason I sought you out is also related to this matter." Asahi continued, "The Gym Challenge is just a cover. My real reason for coming to Johto is to take down Team Mask."
"At present, we've already contacted Kurt of Mahogany Town and Whitney of Goldenrod City. Now, we need you to join us."
"I see..." Morty pondered for a moment before nodding. "I'm in!"
Johto Gym Trainers were dedicated to their duty.
For a mission assigned by the Pokémon League, he had no reason to refuse.
Moreover, Morty deeply admired Ho-Oh. Since Team Mask had attacked Ho-Oh while Asahi had protected it... that alone was reason enough for him to join Asahi's cause.
After handling business, Morty curiously asked, "Asahi, you've seen Ho-Oh and even fought alongside it. Can you describe what it looks like?"
The murals in Bell Tower only depicted an abstract representation of Ho-Oh. Hearing about it from someone who had actually witnessed it would surely be far more vivid.
Hearing Morty's request, Asahi thought for a moment.
"How should I put it... Have you seen Fearow? It's kind of like a shiny Fearow."
"A... shiny Fearow?"
Morty's long-held admiration for Ho-Oh instantly shattered.
"Of course, Ho-Oh is much more beautiful than a Fearow... But after the fight, that messenger bird from Team Mask pecked some of Ho-Oh's feathers off, so it'll probably take some time for them to grow back."
Morty's last remnants of admiration crumbled even further.
"B-Bald...?"
A bald, shiny Fearow—what kind of image was that?
Morty suddenly felt like his dreams had been shattered.
---
After recruiting Morty into the Anti-Team Mask squad, Asahi left the task of explaining things to the monks to the local Ecruteak City resident.
With Green, who had just regained consciousness and was still a bit groggy, he wandered around the city. Eventually, they arrived at Burned Tower, one of Ecruteak's most famous landmarks.
"So this is the legendary Burned Tower, where Suicune, Entei, and Raikou were born?" Green asked as she gazed up at the ruins.
"That's right... How's your body feeling?"
Asahi was more concerned about Green's condition. After receiving Ho-Oh's blessing, she had fainted immediately.
Though it was Ho-Oh's doing, meaning there likely wasn't any harm, Asahi still worried about her.
"I feel great!" Green smiled playfully. "I feel like my body is overflowing with life energy!"
As she extended her hand, a faint rainbow-colored glow shimmered over her skin for a brief moment.
Though it was fleeting, Asahi's Aura Powers keenly sensed that the blessing she received from Ho-Oh was even stronger than his—by about 1.5 times.
Could it be that Ho-Oh is holding a grudge against me for staring at its bald spot earlier...?
Asahi muttered inwardly.
But he quickly shook his head. Ho-Oh wasn't such a petty Pokémon.
It's probably compensation for the harm she suffered in the past.
After confirming that Green was fine and visiting Ecruteak's famous landmarks, Asahi released Salamence once more.
"Let's go to our next destination—Olivine City!"
Salamence: "?"
Again?
It hadn't gotten any real rest all day... Couldn't it at least take a break?
Asahi knew that his constant traveling was exhausting for his dragon, but...
Taking out two boxes of Pokéblocks from his bag, he tossed them to Salamence.
"It's a special situation—just bear with it for a bit."
He used the simplest and most effective strategy—
Bribery... No, feeding!
Munching on the Pokéblocks, Salamence immediately lay down, signaling Asahi to hop on.
Feel free to use me all you want!
---
Meanwhile, back in Team Rocket's base...
Giovanni was reviewing reports on their recent losses in Johto.
"Two of our bases have already been attacked by Team Mask?" Giovanni asked.
Lambda nodded. "Yes, Boss... The attacks were led by their officers Ichiki and Rika."
Recently, both sides had gathered considerable intel on each other. Giovanni's team had identified four key officers under Team Mask.
The stronger two were Ichiki and Rika, who possessed near-Elite Four-level strength, while the weaker two were Sham and Carl.
Still no sign of Silver.
Hearing Lambda's report, Giovanni showed no anger.
"This only proves that we're on the right track... There is indeed something important to Team Mask near Azalea Town."
The two bases that had been attacked were merely decoys Giovanni had set up to divert the attention of both the Pokémon League and Team Mask.
There weren't any truly important assets inside them.
In fact, Giovanni hadn't even bothered to conceal their locations—anyone conducting a simple investigation could find them.
Yet despite having had the opportunity to attack much earlier, Team Mask had only now chosen to strike. That could mean only one thing—
They were getting desperate!
"Increase the search efforts around Azalea Town… Find out Team Mask's secret!" Giovanni ordered coldly.
"Yes, sir!"
Just as Giovanni was about to discuss further details and make additional arrangements, his tablet suddenly chimed with a notification.
Picking it up, he saw a new email alert displayed on the screen.
He tapped it open—
[Team Mask's leader appeared in Ecruteak City, fought Ho-Oh, and took its feather. – Asahi]
Seeing this message, Giovanni furrowed his brows deeply—the first real reaction he had shown today.
The content itself was secondary.
What concerned Giovanni the most was the fact that Asahi had 'kindly' sent him information.
Was this supposed to be some kind of 'repayment' for the intel he had previously provided?
That thought crossed his mind for a brief moment, but he quickly dismissed it.
From what he knew of Asahi, there was no way he would be that considerate.
Then he reread the contents of the message.
Team Mask's leader appeared in Ecruteak City, fought Ho-Oh, and took its feather.
Why did Pryce fight Ho-Oh?
Why steal its feather instead of capturing it?
Was Asahi present at the scene, or did he get this information from an informant?
The more Giovanni thought about it, the deeper his frown became as the mysteries surrounding the situation thickened.
---