Pokemon: Gym Leader

Ho-Oh! The legendary Pokémon of the Kanto region! One of the great mythical bird Pokémon.

"Is this Ho-Oh?"

Lillie had a peculiar expression as she gazed at the majestic figure standing atop the Rainbow Rock.

When she first saw Ho-Oh flying over, she was thrilled, having heard stories about it from Dylan.

Seven hundred years ago, the historic and culturally rich Ecruteak City built two towering structures—one to the east and one to the west.

These were the Bell Tower and the Brass Tower! Constructed to symbolize the bond between humans and Pokémon.

It was this very bond that led Lugia and Ho-Oh to choose these towers as their resting places.

However, 150 years ago, the Brass Tower was engulfed in flames, turning into what is now known as the Burned Tower. When the fire consumed it, Ho-Oh appeared, resurrected three Pokémon, and then truly departed—never to return.

To Ho-Oh, that fire and its aftermath symbolized the fragile nature of the relationship between humans and Pokémon.

Yet, despite everything, Ho-Oh still longed for true understanding between humans and Pokémon. To that end, it sent its guardians across the land to observe humankind.

To Lillie, a Pokémon that yearned so deeply for harmony must be divine, noble, and beautiful.

And indeed, when Ho-Oh descended from the sky, its radiant form perfectly matched Lillie's imagination. But...

Now that it stood upon the Rainbow Rock, she felt it looked slightly different from what she had envisioned.

Leaf stared at Ho-Oh, and though she had mostly overcome her fear of birds, her phobia began creeping back, causing her body to tremble slightly.

A gentle hand patted her back. She turned to see Dylan looking at her with concern.

Leaf gritted her teeth, clutching Dylan's arm tightly to steady herself as she forced herself to look at Ho-Oh despite her fear.

She had to overcome this. Otherwise, would she live in fear forever?

"Ho-Oh!"

At this moment, Ash snapped out of his thoughts, his face instantly lighting up with excitement as he called out to Ho-Oh.

Ho-Oh turned its gaze towards him, warmth and kindness reflected in its human-like eyes as it nodded slightly.

"I want to battle you!"

Ash declared without hesitation.

The amusement in Ho-Oh's eyes deepened. The rainbow light surrounding its body shimmered once more, its massive wings spread wide as it took to the skies.

Brilliant rainbow flames ignited along its sides, and the air around them heated up rapidly.

Without a doubt, this was Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire!

Clearly, it had accepted Ash's challenge.

Lillie and the others gave Ash strange looks, even Leaf, whose legs were still weak from her phobia, was staring at him in shock.

Wait… you're serious??

"Ash! I think you should—"

Misty quickly spoke up, feeling the urgent need to stop him.

Come on, bro! You couldn't even beat Dylan's Zapdos, and now you want to take on Ho-Oh? What are you even thinking?!

Have you considered Pikachu's feelings?!

Couldn't you have asked for something else? Even requesting a joyride on Ho-Oh's back would've been better! At least then, you'd unlock the achievement of "Riding Ho-Oh"!

"I understand, Misty! I know! A true trainer must constantly challenge their limits!"

Ash's blood boiled with excitement. He never expected to see this Pokémon again.

How could he not challenge it?! This was a promise he had made with Pikachu back then!

Even if Ho-Oh was a legendary Pokémon, he and Pikachu wouldn't back down!

"No, what I mean is—"

"Don't worry! Even if we lose, it's fine! I understand!"

"I was trying to say—"

Misty was on the verge of breaking down.

"Pikachu! I choose you!"

Ash, bursting with enthusiasm, turned his cap backward and called out to Pikachu, completely ignoring Misty.

Misty slapped a hand against her forehead in frustration.

"Pika~ Pika!"

Fired up by Ash's passion, the little electric mouse's fighting spirit soared.

"Alright! Let's go, Ho-Oh!"

"Chyuuuu!"

Ho-Oh let out a high-pitched cry that echoed across the sky, seemingly inspired by the boundless determination of the young trainer and his Pokémon.

"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

Ash swung his arm dramatically, commanding Pikachu to attack.

Sparks crackled wildly from Pikachu's cheeks before a golden bolt of electricity shot towards Ho-Oh.

And then…

"AHHH!! Pikachu, are you okay?!"

"Pi… Pika… (Ugh… that hurt… Ash, you idiot!)"

Ash frantically sprayed Burn Heals all over Pikachu as the poor Pokémon groaned in pain.

Yep, the battle had barely started, and Pikachu got blasted by Sacred Fire—instantly knocked out with a burn. Ash was heartbroken.

Misty and Brock looked on with deadpan expressions.

That was fast.

Ho-Oh gracefully landed back on the Rainbow Rock, watching Ash fuss over Pikachu with a contemplative look.

Huh… Did I go too hard on them?

That shouldn't be the case—I was already holding back quite a bit.

"Hmm? Dylan, I think I smell roast chicken…"

Dylan's backpack was suddenly unzipped, and a round, pink face peeked out—Clefairy.

At that exact moment, Ho-Oh looked up, locking eyes with Clefairy.

Ho-Oh: (⊙.⊙)

Why… does this "pig" have the presence of Mew?

Ho-Oh lowered its head in thought. Had it really been so long since it last saw Mew that it was now mistaking a mutated Clefairy for it?

But then again, it had been avoiding that particular human and had to stay hidden.

Also… it wasn't particularly eager to see Mew again. That mischievous little troublemaker was too hyperactive for Ho-Oh to handle.

"Ah~ It really is a big roast chicken, mii~!"

Clefairy's eyes sparkled as its body glowed pink, floating towards Ho-Oh.

"???"

Ho-Oh abruptly raised its head, staring blankly at the floating "pig."

"Why are you looking at me like that? Don't you recognize me, mii?"

Clefairy found Ho-Oh's gaze a bit rude but reassured itself—after all, they were old friends. Ho-Oh wouldn't be like this.

"..."

Ho-Oh struggled to suppress its inner thoughts and shook its head slightly.

"It's been so long, mii~ I missed you, Big Fire Chicken~!"

Clefairy pounced onto Ho-Oh, rolling around affectionately while its little paws sneakily grabbed at Ho-Oh's feathers.

Pluck!

Ho-Oh immediately sensed something was off and turned its head—staring directly at Clefairy's tiny paws, where a shimmering rainbow feather peeked out.

Clefairy quickly hid its paws behind its back with an awkward smile.

Dylan and the others, however, saw it all clearly.

Lillie was dumbfounded.

Did it just yank out a whole handful of feathers?!

"Mew… you better have a good reason for this."

Ho-Oh's mental voice was laced with a smiling anger.

Saying you missed me and then stealing my feathers the moment we meet?!

Ten years' worth of lost feathers couldn't compare to what you just grabbed in one go!

Are you trying to pluck me bald?!

"Hehe~ It's been a long time since I saw the Big Silver Bird, mii. Where is it now?"

Clefairy sat comfortably on Ho-Oh's back, wearing an innocent, clueless expression.

"Lugia, huh..."

At Clefairy's words, Ho-Oh fell into silence. Lugia... Ever since they escaped from the Masked Man together, they had gone their separate ways.

Its bond with Lugia was strong. After all, they had once resided together in Ecruteak City centuries ago.

But thinking about that Masked Man again made Ho-Oh's mood heavy. It had never liked that human, especially since he had even tried to use Ho-Oh to kidnap innocent children.

That event had only strengthened its resolve to abandon the Masked Man.

It had been years now… That child… how was he doing?

Ho-Oh's thoughts were abruptly cut off as it sensed something strange on its back.

"Mew! What are you doing?!"

Ho-Oh nearly lost its composure. It turned its head to see that what was once a small handful of its iridescent feathers had somehow turned into an entire fistful—and worse, there was now a visible bald patch on its right wing!!

A bald patch!

Ho-Oh's avian eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Its feathers took forever to grow back!

"Mew!!!"

Its voice grew sharp with rage. It had been willing to turn a blind eye to a few plucked feathers, but this?! Was Mew seriously trying to pluck it bald?!

Blazing rainbow flames erupted from Ho-Oh's body in fury.

Clefairy immediately floated up and, in a flash of pink light, disappeared back into Dylan's backpack.

"Dylan, Dylan~! I counted, mii! I got twenty-seven of the Big Fire Chicken's feathers for you—right from the edges of its wings! They're definitely better quality than the one that girl gave you!"

Clefairy whispered smugly to Dylan.

Dylan's mouth twitched as he looked up at the absolutely livid Ho-Oh. His sharp eyes also caught sight of the small, conspicuously bald patch on Ho-Oh's right wing.

Uh…

Pig, why did you have to pluck from just one spot? How is Ho-Oh supposed to show itself in public now?

"Mew!! Come out here!!"

Ho-Oh flapped its wings furiously, nearly seeing stars as it registered the missing patch on its right wing.

But Clefairy wasn't stupid. There was no way it was going to come out and face Ho-Oh's wrath right now.

It wasn't afraid of Ho-Oh, of course, but it did know when to play dead.

The sudden shift in atmosphere left Ash and the others stunned.

Wait… wasn't Ho-Oh supposed to be a calm and benevolent Pokémon?!

"Uh, Ho-Oh… maybe we should all just calm down?"

Dylan cleared his throat and tried to mediate.

"Human, hand Mew over to me! It actually plucked that many of my feathers!"

Ho-Oh's rage simmered beneath its voice, transmitted directly into their minds. Did these people not understand that for a bird, its beautiful feathers were its most prized possession?!

Plucking so many at once—was this something a civilized being would do?!

"Ho-Oh, do you remember this person?"

Dylan thought for a moment, then gently pulled Leaf forward.

Ho-Oh's eyes narrowed as it studied the girl, who still held traces of fear in her gaze.

And then—its body stiffened. It did remember her.

And because of that, its fury instantly dissipated.

"So, you do remember, Ho-Oh," Dylan said with a slight smile.

Ho-Oh: "..."

"Leaf once had a happy family, but because of that incident, she not only lost her parents but also developed severe ornithophobia. Whenever she sees bird Pokémon, she has an intense reaction."

Dylan spoke slowly.

Ho-Oh remained silent. This truly was its fault.

It had always hoped for harmony between humans and Pokémon, yet it had once been manipulated into kidnapping a human child.

That guilt had never left it. And now, the child stood before it—forever marked by the trauma of that event.

"Those feathers… just take them."

Ho-Oh let out a quiet sigh, swallowing the pain of its loss. This was its own past mistake, after all.

Dylan raised an eyebrow. Those feathers were technically taken by his pig-mii fair and square, so why was Ho-Oh acting like it was giving them away?

"I can offer compensation as well."

Ho-Oh turned to Leaf, its voice soft but tinged with guilt.

Now that's more like it!

Dylan nodded approvingly. See? Ho-Oh could handle this like a proper legendary bird.

Leaf, meanwhile, slowly regained her composure. She gazed at Ho-Oh—this very Ho-Oh had once taken her away.

But now, she felt… conflicted.

She knew Ho-Oh wasn't the real culprit behind that tragedy.

As for compensation… what could possibly make up for her lost childhood? There wasn't anything she truly needed from Ho-Oh.

But just then, Dylan leaned in and whispered something in her ear.

Leaf blinked.

"Then… could you summon the members of your Ho-Oh Guard?" she asked.

"Of course."

Ho-Oh lifted its head and let out a long, resounding cry.

Moments later, three figures—one blue, one red, and one yellow—landed powerfully before them, their majestic presence filling the air.

Suicune, Entei, and Raikou—the three legendary beasts!

"Can we catch them?"

"…You may challenge one of them. If you can defeat it, you may take it."

Ho-Oh sighed slightly. The three had traveled with it for over a century, watching over the world of humans. But in the end, Ho-Oh did owe this girl something, even if it had not been the one truly responsible.

Ho-Oh took a moment to assess Leaf. She seemed strong, but defeating even one of its guardians would not be easy.

"Dylan, they're all yours," Leaf said, glancing at him.

"No problem."

Dylan stepped forward, pulling out a Luxury Ball, a confident smile on his face as he eyed the three legendary beasts.

"Wait, hold on… wasn't she the one who wanted to capture one?" Ho-Oh asked in confusion.

Wait a minute.

Suddenly, Ho-Oh's mind flashed back to Leaf's exact wording: "Can we catch them?"

Its expression darkened.

Humans were too cunning! They had tricked it with wording!

"Ho-Oh, can I battle all three at once?" Dylan casually asked, spinning his Luxury Ball in his hand.

"No."

Ho-Oh's voice was firm and stiff. It could sense the power Dylan carried. If it agreed to a three-on-one battle, Dylan might just take all three of them.

Hmm… which one should I pick?

Dylan tapped his chin thoughtfully as he examined the three legendary beasts.