Rainbow Wing is just like any other Pokémon item.
It can be integrated into the body of Pokémon,
Or taken out when not in use.
Items like Mystic Water and Charcoal are used in the same way.
When Charmander integrated the Rainbow Wing into her body,
Charmander's entries also changed quietly!
Under One Man, Above All Dragons (Orange): Combining Rainbow Wing with a change in mindset, this alters her arrogant personality. She vows to be loyal to Ash for life and to become the strongest Charizard! When facing other Charizards, all attributes are increased by 20%.
It was... very sudden.
When Ash saw Charmander's [Arrogant] turn into [Under One Man, Above Ten Thousand Dragons],
He was a little confused.
It was the first time he realized,
That even without the entry system upgrading it,
Entries could also evolve!
By combining Rainbow Wing's power with Charmander's will, a new entry was born.
This entry jumped straight from blue to orange, skipping two levels entirely,
And in terms of stats, it was far superior to the previous one!
The previous entry had too many side effects,
And its boosts were pathetically small.
But now, not only was the entry corrected into absolute loyalty toward him,
When facing Charizard-type Pokémon, every stat would be enhanced!
It even had potential for further promotion!
If it were upgraded to red or even gold,
The effect might not only apply to Charizards, but to all dragon-type Pokémon!
A genuine dragon-slaying entry!
However, after checking his own entry inventory, Ash's excitement faded instantly.
Oh, it's golden.
He couldn't even upgrade the red ones yet!
It was still a long way to go before all his entries reached gold.
Wild Pokémon on the roadside were too weak.
Most untrained wild Pokémon were only ordinary level.
Higher classes were extremely rare.
If you only count normal-level guaranteed drops, it takes 10,000 Pokémon to form one red entry.
And 100,000 Pokémon to make one golden.
Even if Ash and Pikachu fought endlessly, it would be impossible!
Therefore, the best way to earn entry experience was to challenge gym leaders.
Let them bring out their full strength!
Based on the strength of gym-level Pokémon, defeating ten of them would guarantee a red entry.
Thinking of this, fire blazed in Ash's eyes!
He had to reach Vermilion City quickly!
But then again, not every gym had gym-level Pokémon in charge.
He wasn't sure if Vermilion Gym did...
"Ash, Ash! Tell me more about Ho-Oh! I grew up hearing about Ho-Oh's stories!"
Misty didn't notice the sudden spark of fighting spirit burning in Ash's eyes.
She reached out her small white hand, clinging to Ash's arm and shaking it playfully.
Serena, seeing that, felt a twitch of irritation cross her face.
"I'm joining too, Misty. I want to hear everything as well~"
As she spoke, Serena gently pulled Misty back beside her.
The two girls smiled sweetly, looking as close as sisters.
But Ash could somehow feel an invisible wave of tension between them...
...
Three more days passed in the blink of an eye.
Ash and his group finally arrived at the next town.
Along the way, Misty had listened to Ash's full story about Ho-Oh.
Although Ash called it a "story," in reality, it was just an encounter that happened after a rainstorm.
The Rainbow Wing had simply drifted down before him.
But that alone was proof that Ho-Oh had acknowledged Ash in some way!
When Misty heard how Serena once mistook Ho-Oh for a shiny Fearow,
She laughed so hard her suspenders nearly fell off.
That embarrassment made Serena's face turn red,
And she angrily declared she wouldn't speak to Ash for an entire minute!
That small incident soon passed.
After traveling over hills and rivers, the three arrived at a small town to restock supplies.
There, they learned of a group of abandoned Squirtles.
These Squirtles had been deserted by their Trainers and grown hostile toward humans.
They frequently appeared in town in groups to cause trouble.
The townspeople were at their wits' end.
Ash, Misty, and Serena exchanged glances.
Each of them saw the same spark in the other's eyes.
They had just encountered the last of the starter trio!
And not just one—an entire group!
Even Ash couldn't help but be speechless.
What kind of absurd luck was this?!
Normally, it didn't take this long to reach Vermilion City.
The main reason was that they had taken a wrong turn earlier, forcing them to travel the long way around.
But this detour had turned out to be worth it.
Because it led to all three starter species crossing their path!
It felt almost as if fate itself had arranged it.
Unlike before, Ash didn't hesitate this time.
He went straight to confront the Squirtle Squad.
He sent out Butterfree and scattered Sleep Powder, putting the front row of Squirtles to sleep.
When they awoke, Ash spoke gently with them.
He knew well that being abandoned by Trainers could leave deep emotional scars.
So he took his time to talk things through,
And shared the special water-type rations he had prepared earlier.
Their hostility melted away almost instantly.
Afterward, the Squirtle Squad decided to follow Ash's group!
That was the combined power of kindness and food!
Each of the three captured one Squirtle.
The remaining two Squirtles were transferred to Professor Oak's Laboratory.
The Squirtle Squad had only one condition for joining Ash's team—
That Ash's delicious rations must never stop!
So Ash kept his word.
He sent the extra two Squirtles back to Oak's lab,
And spent an entire day preparing a large batch of food for both water and flying Pokémon.
It would last at least a week.
After that, Ash could simply make more and send it through courier.
Modern express services used Pidgeot or Fearow for fast delivery.
Even across multiple cities, it wouldn't take more than a day.
As for why food for flying Pokémon was included...
It was because Ash already had six Pokémon on hand.
He chose to temporarily send Pidgeotto back.
Pidgeotto's foundation was already solid, and what it needed now was steady growth.
It would continue its training and learn more moves at Professor Oak's lab.
Ash planned to switch it back once Butterfree reached its next bottleneck.
(End of the chapter)