Afterward, Ash Ketchum and Misty ran several more tests and finally confirmed that the Rainbow Wing really did choose its bearer, and it only acknowledged Ash and Ash's Pokémon.
Whether it was Ash or Pikachu holding the Rainbow Wing, its colors shone just as bright.
But the moment Misty held it, the Rainbow Wing's colors instantly dulled.
There were two possible reasons for this. One was that the Rainbow Wing rejected Misty specifically—but Misty flatly refused to accept that. She considered herself kindhearted and, by her own claim, an ultra-invincible beautiful girl. Why would the Rainbow Wing reject her?
Which left the second reason: the Rainbow Wing only recognized Ash and Ash's Pokémon. Anyone else who touched it would make it turn dull, just like before.
Misty originally wanted to test it with her own Pokémon, but she realized none of the three she'd brought had hands. Meanwhile, Ash only had Pikachu, so there was no way to verify the second hypothesis.
Either way, the fact remained that the Rainbow Wing only recognized Ash. That made Misty think of a certain legend.
"The legend of the Rainbow Hero?"
"Pika pika?"
Seeing the looks on their faces, Misty nodded with solemn importance. "That's right. According to legend, Ho-Oh chooses a Trainer with a pure heart and immense potential to be the Rainbow Hero."
"It gives the hero a token of their own. When the hero has grown strong, they'll seek them out through that token and challenge them. If the hero can win, Ho-Oh will willingly become their Pokémon. That's the legend of the Rainbow Hero."
"Ehhh~~~~" Bright light flashed in both Ash and Pikachu's eyes—clearly, Misty's tale had captured their full attention.
"So you're saying once we get stronger, this feather will guide us to Ho-Oh, and we'll be able to challenge her?"
"I don't know. It's just a legend… By the way, Ash, why are you calling Ho-Oh 'she'? That's a god! A god! You should be using that one!"
"…Oh. Got it." Ash paused for a long moment before answering helplessly.
In reality, Ho-Oh was female—the Eye of Insight wouldn't get that wrong. But there was no way to explain that to Misty. He could only go along with her for now.
"Come on, let's head for Viridian City. Today's been ridiculously lucky—we found a reliable partner, saw Ho-Oh, and even got the Rainbow Wing. Heh, clearly all of this means I'm destined to become a Pokémon Master. Right, Pikachu?"
"Pika pi~" Whatever you say~
Pikachu spread his little paws in resignation, then tugged Ash's hair to tell him to get moving. He was hungry.
"Hungry? I've got some instant snacks. Want some?"
"Don't like those. You want the tomato-flavored ones? Wow, picky now, are we!"
"…"
Ash and Pikachu were roughhousing up ahead. Behind them, Misty watched the two silhouettes, a thoughtful look glinting in her emerald eyes.
They'd only known each other for half a day, but the things Ash had shown already went far beyond normal human understanding.
Whether it was taking on a flock of Spearow with his bare hands, running as fast as a car, or the encounter with Ho-Oh and possibly becoming the Rainbow Hero—everything pointed to Ash being extraordinary.
Even if he sometimes came off as ignorant, that didn't change the fact that his potential was huge. From the perspective of a still-inexperienced Gym Level Trainer, Misty was certain the future Champion's throne would have a place for Ash.
In fact… even reaching the level of a Trainer like Leon wasn't out of the question.
Even Leon probably hadn't run into a once-in-centuries Legendary Pokémon right when he first set out on his journey.
"Well… whatever the case, I guess I've benefited from his luck, too. Without him, I might never have seen Ho-Oh in my entire life. Traveling with him might just be the best decision I've ever made." Misty murmured softly, then quickened her pace to catch up to Ash.
…
At two in the morning that night, Ash and Misty arrived in Viridian City. The city was shrouded in darkness, lit only by the occasional streetlamp.
They should've rested for the night before heading in, but Ash was too excited and pushed on to Viridian City in one go.
The streets were deserted at that hour. With no obstacles, Ash and Misty made straight for the Pokémon Center.
Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center was already asleep. Only a Chansey was on duty at the front desk.
Usually, there was only one Nurse Joy per Pokémon Center, so the night watch had to rotate with the Pokémon. Otherwise, even an iron body couldn't endure that kind of schedule.
The drowsy Chansey snapped to attention at the sound of footsteps. When she saw Ash and the others, she hurried over, bowed politely, and chirped a soft "chansey, chansey."
"Hello, do you have any rooms available? I'm a Trainer who just set out on my journey—here's my identification." Ash held out his Pokédex to Chansey.
The Pokédex listed a Trainer's departure date and served as personal identification. With it, you could even go without an ID while traveling. It was an incredibly convenient tool.
Of course, only a very small number of new Trainers had access to such a device.
There was also this: according to League regulations, Trainers within a year of starting their journey could stay and eat at Pokémon Centers for free. It was a subsidy to encourage more boys and girls to become Trainers.
It wasn't a trivial expense for the League, but judging by the stream of talented Trainers that appeared every year, it was money well spent.
"Chansey, chansey~" Chansey carefully checked the Pokédex, then nodded with a smile and gestured politely to invite them in. She was indicating there were still rooms available.
"By the way, this is my traveling companion, Misty. She should be eligible for the free lodging, too, right?" Ash pointed to Misty.
"Chansey~~" Chansey's fingers waved in a sequence, trying to convey something. Most people wouldn't understand a Chansey, but Ash had Aura Power, and understanding Pokémon speech was effortless for him.
"As long as we share a room, it's fine. There are two bunk beds… Got it. Thanks, Chansey." Ash waved and thanked her.
He had to admit, the Eye of Insight was seriously handy. Without it, he'd probably be using the Pokédex right now just to check Chansey's name.
But with the Eye of Insight, at least for things like names, he didn't need the Pokédex anymore.