Chapter 264: The Generous Ho-Oh
"You have successfully passed the trials and become the Rainbow Hero. You may ask me for one wish."
Ho-Oh looked at Will for a moment longer, then lowered its head to look at Lorelei.
Its tone and gaze... were just a little perfunctory.
"Really? Then... then..."
Lorelei's eyes lit up and her mouth curved into a grin. Then she suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right! Nurse Joy said before that Piplup's body has some problems. Can you cure him?"
Will and Ho-Oh both fell silent.
Will couldn't help but smile, feeling warm inside.
Ho-Oh stared at Lorelei for a few seconds longer, finally starting to take this child seriously.
Among the gods of the Pokémon world, many didn't distinguish between good and evil and acted without restraint. This was especially true for the Legendary Birds, Groudon, Kyogre, Kyurem, the Creation Trio, and Yveltal.
But there were a few who were undeniably "good."
Many of the sub-Legendaries, like the Legendary Beasts, the Eon Duo, the Forces of Nature, the Swords of Justice...
And among the high-tier Legendaries, Ho-Oh, Rayquaza, Zygarde...
As a righteous Pokémon, Ho-Oh naturally appreciated Lorelei's request.
A trainer who valued their Pokémon would never be rejected by a Legendary, even an "evil" one.
" regarding his problem, even I cannot solve it. However, there is no need to intervene. It will not affect his health."
"Oh. Nurse Joy said the same thing. I didn't expect even Ho-Oh couldn't fix it."
Lorelei nodded, not seeming too disappointed.
To her, Will evolving would make him stronger, but he would lose the cuteness unique to Piplup. For Lorelei, who loved cute things, that was a significant sacrifice.
"...You can make another request."
"Ummm, then... Oh! I want your feathers! Not the challenge feather, but feathers I can take back to Mom and Dad as charms. It would be great if they could ward off evil and cold."
"Very well. But I must ask, do you not wish to make your Pokémon stronger?"
Ho-Oh shook its body.
Three warm, crimson feathers fell from its body and landed in Lorelei's hands.
"Stronger? Haha, Piplup and I will get stronger through our own hard work! We don't need shortcuts like that."
Lorelei patted her chest confidently.
"Oh."
Ho-Oh nodded blankly, then turned to Will.
"Will. I recall that's what Mew called you."
This last sentence was telepathic; Lorelei couldn't hear it. Ho-Oh knew better than to let humans know about reincarnation.
"What did Mew tell you?"
"It said you were that Sceptile from over a hundred years ago. Lugia sought me out specifically to fight me because of you."
Ho-Oh grinned, a strange expression on its face.
"That has nothing to do with me."
"I know. It was Lugia's own mistake."
Ho-Oh nodded, its expression turning serious. "While you were fighting Lugia, I was in the Orre region pursuing the other one. I intended to defeat and purify it, but I never expected it would go after the Tree of Beginning."
In Ho-Oh's view, purifying Lugia was its job.
Because in Kanto and Johto, Ho-Oh was the only god capable of contending with Lugia.
Other regional gods wouldn't care about Lugia unless it invaded their territory. In their eyes, Lugia's issues should be handled by a god from the same region.
So, if Ho-Oh didn't come to purify it, Lugia really would have wreaked havoc on the world.
"I see. If I'd known earlier, I would have asked Mew to call you too." Will sighed.
But there was no use talking about it now; he was already in his fourth life.
"Thank you for saving the Tree of Beginning and Mew. They are my friends, companions through countless years."
Ho-Oh lowered its head slightly to Will, expressing its gratitude.
"No wonder Mew transforms into you so casually. You two are close."
"Mm. However, your ability to fight two Lugias to the brink of death on your own exceeded my expectations. When Lugia found me, its condition was beyond what Recover could heal."
"It still fought you in that state?"
"Yes. Because of its mistake, it nearly caused your death. It was very guilty. But at the time, I was focused on destroying the organization that created the artificial Shadow Lugia. And based on Lugia's description, I felt that even if I rushed over, it would be too late to resurrect you. So I didn't go. I apologize."
Ho-Oh lowered its head again, this time in apology.
"It's fine. You don't owe me anything. Destroying that organization was more important." Will didn't take it to heart.
"That may be so, but I am still grateful that you helped Mew and the Tree, and solved Lugia's problem for me. I would feel bad if I didn't offer you some compensation."
Ho-Oh shook its head and glanced at Lorelei.
"Making her the Rainbow Hero and granting her a wish was meant to be a small compensation for you. I thought she would ask for items to increase your strength. I didn't expect this."
"She does what she wants. I let her be. Besides, I don't have a strong desire for power anymore."
Will shrugged.
He had long lost the obsessive pursuit of strength he'd had in the past. The end result was always a reset anyway.
And staying by Lorelei's side didn't require immense power. His training was casual now, prioritizing happiness and relaxation.
"In that case, let me give you something else as compensation. Lugia is still sleeping, but once it wakes and hears about you, it will likely seek you out as well."
Ho-Oh gently flapped its wings.
A breeze lifted Will up, carrying him alongside Ho-Oh toward the peak of Mount Tensei.
"Piplup?"
Lorelei tilted her head in confusion, but this time she wasn't anxious.
She could tell Ho-Oh was communicating with Will, just in a way others couldn't hear. Since Will didn't react badly, it meant there was no danger. Lorelei knew she just had to wait here for him to return.
The peak of Mount Tensei.
This was Ho-Oh's residence.
In reality, it was a simple nest of sticks, lined with leaves from who-knows-where.
"These are items humans offered to me in Ecruteak City in the past. They are of no use to me. You may take whatever you need."
"Really? Then I won't be polite!"
Will looked at the small pile of treasure, his eyes lighting up.
The gold and silver didn't tempt him. But the items inside... his heart was pounding.
"Take what you wish." Ho-Oh smiled gently.
"Haha, Ho-Oh, you're generous."
Hearing this, Will dove into the pile and started rummaging.
Charcoal. Take!
Black Belt. Take!
Silk Scarf. Take!
Scope Lens. Take!
Will instantly grabbed four battle-enhancing items.
Then he looked carefully at the rest.
Mystic Water, Dragon Fang, Sharp Beak... he already had these.
Various fossils, Choice Band, Deep Sea Tooth, Reaper Cloth...
These items were rare, but useless to him.
Although Ho-Oh said to take whatever, Will didn't want to appear too greedy and annoy the bird. These items were just dessert. The most important thing was building a friendship with Ho-Oh.
"Just those four?" Ho-Oh tilted its head.
It didn't think much of it. To Ho-Oh, these things were basically trash. They could sit here for 10, 100, or 1000 years without moving. They were like unwanted decorations in its house. So even if Will took more, Ho-Oh wouldn't think he was greedy.
"These four are enough." Will shook his head.
Unlike Ho-Oh, he saw these four items as incredibly powerful. The boost they would give him was visible.
Charcoal: Boosts Fire-type moves by 20%. Useless for him in this life, but who knows about the next few?
Black Belt: Boosts Fighting-type moves by 20%. Useful, incredibly useful! It would be useful in every life! Because the Aura Sphere and Aura barriers created by his Aura Power were all Fighting-type moves!
Silk Scarf: Boosts Normal-type moves by 20%. Also useful. Every Pokémon knew some Normal-type moves; they always came in handy.
Scope Lens: Increases critical hit ratio. If Will combined this with Hone Claws and moves that naturally had a high crit rate... his crit rate would be at least 50%.
So, acquiring these four items was a massive boost to Will's combat power.
"Hmm... right, take this too."
Ho-Oh seemed to think it wasn't enough. It lifted a wing, and a golden feather floated down from beneath it.
"What is this?"
"My molted crest feather. With it, you can use Sacred Fire."
"What?! Are you serious? You're giving me this?"
Will stared at Ho-Oh, dumbfounded.
Sacred Fire was the signature move of Ho-Oh and Entei. While the move itself wasn't inherently game-breaking—it was mainly Ho-Oh and Entei who were strong—it was still a 100-power Physical Fire-type move with a high chance to Burn the target.
And now, Will had the Charcoal...
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