Time passed quietly. By the time evening arrived, the world was bathed in the soft glow of dusk.
The distance between Pallet Town and Viridian City was moderate neither far nor near.
On foot, it usually took an entire day.
If they walked through the night, Ash and Serena might reach the city before midnight.
But this was their first day of travel, not a race.
They chose to take it easy.
Ash wanted to spend the journey training Froakie, letting him battle wild Pokémon to gain experience and drop new entries.
It was the perfect opportunity to raise levels and expand their collection.
Through years of testing, Ash had discovered a pattern.
The stronger the Pokémon he fought, the higher the quality of the drop.
Advanced-level Pokémon usually yielded blue entries.
Elite ones dropped purple.
He hadn't battled many at that tier, but one thing had remained consistent—no elite-level opponent had ever dropped anything below purple.
That was the baseline.
After fighting thousands of Pokémon, Ash had only ever obtained two red entries in total.
The rest were blue, with a single orange one appearing once by pure luck.
It wasn't that he had bad luck.
Low-level Pokémon simply had an abysmal chance of dropping high-grade entries.
And even when they did, the effects were often useless.
Things like [Jump Boost] or [Machop Strength]—entries so situational that they were practically junk.
Some even carried small negative effects.
After years of grinding, Ash had yet to see any drop surpass the innate quality of Pikachu's own traits.
It might also have something to do with the rarity of the Pokémon themselves.
As twilight deepened, light rain began to fall.
Ash and Serena quickly set up their tent, sheltering from the drizzle.
Fortunately, the shower didn't last long.
By the time the clouds cleared, the air felt cool and clean, the sky tinged with sunset hues.
Serena stepped outside, stretching with a soft yawn.
"Haa~ the air feels so fresh after the rain," she said happily. "Look, Ash! There's even a rainbow!"
Ash followed her gaze.
A vast rainbow arched across the evening sky, shimmering faintly.
The sight left him momentarily speechless.
But something beyond the rainbow suddenly caught his attention.
"Serena, look over there!"
Serena turned, following the direction of his finger.
In the distance, a massive bird glided gracefully along the rainbow's curve, its feathers glittering with brilliant colors.
"That's… Fearow?" she said uncertainly.
Ash froze. "...What?"
He looked from the bird to Serena, utterly bewildered.
"When I type this question mark, it's not me who has a problem it's you who has a problem!"
Serena blinked, confused. "So… not a Fearow?"
Ash could only sigh helplessly. "How about we get a closer look?"
"Um… shiny Fearow?" she tried again weakly.
"Heh… right," Ash muttered, half laughing, half crying.
He called out his partners. "Pikachu, Froakie, come see this."
Pikachu and Froakie appeared beside him, eyes widening at the sight of the radiant bird soaring through the sky.
"Pikachu, Froakie, that's our goal," Ash said quietly. "That's where we're heading someday."
"Pika!"
"Kie!"
Even from this distance, both Pokémon could feel it—the overwhelming power radiating from that creature.
The pressure was so immense that it made their hearts race.
This wasn't a gap of levels.
It was a difference in existence itself.
Ash squinted at the magnificent bird as it soared away, and a wave of energy pulsed through his system.
A panel appeared before his eyes.
[Name]: Ho-Oh
[Gender]: Female
[Trainer]: None
[Type]: Fire, Flying
[Level]: Peak of Divine Domain
[Ability]: Pressure
[Moves]: Sacred Fire, Sky Attack, Fire Blast, Overheat, Future Sight...
[Talent]: Divine Domain
[Special Move]: Light of Life
[Entries]:
- God of Life (Color)
- Lord of the Skies (Gold)
- Fire Phoenix (Gold)
- Divine Oppression (Gold)
- Divine Charity (Gold)
- Divine Heritage (Gold)
- Power of Offering (Gold)
- Fighting Instinct (Gold)
- Supreme Talent (Gold)
Ash's pupils shrank.
Nine entries.
Every single one gold-tier or higher.
And at the very top God of Life, a Celestial entry.
His breath caught in his throat. "So this is Ho-Oh…"
According to the system's records, even most legendary Pokémon didn't possess Colorful entries.
Only the highest divine-class Pokémon did.
Ho-Oh was undeniably one of them.
The sheer luxury of her stats was blinding.
Regular Pokémon below Elite could hold only five entries.
Divine Domain Pokémon, however, could wield up to nine.
Ho-Oh was perfection incarnate the pinnacle of the world's hierarchy.
As Ash studied her, Ho-Oh turned her gaze toward him.
It was just a brief glance, but something powerful flickered within it—a spark of acknowledgment, almost divine in weight.
Then, from her radiant wings, a single feather loosened and drifted downward.
Before Ash or Serena could react, the glowing plume twisted through the air, leaving trails of rainbow light.
It stopped directly in front of Ash.
He instinctively reached out and caught it.
Warmth surged through his hand, spreading across his entire body.
It was gentle, pure, and full of vitality.
Ash stared at the feather, awe filling his eyes. "This is… the Rainbow Wing?"
The faint hum of power vibrated through the air, and for a heartbeat, it felt as though the world itself acknowledged the bond forming between man and legend.
(End of Chapter 6)