25: Chapter 24: The Rainbow Hero!
25: Chapter 24: The Rainbow Hero!
Chapter 24: The Rainbow Hero!
After a flurry of playful chaos, Sean finally realized he had been pressing down on a colorful feather radiating a rainbow glow.
Curious, he reached out and picked it up, straightening out the feather he had accidentally bent before examining it closely.
The feather felt warm and smooth to the touch, with what looked like dancing flames flickering within it.
The dreamlike glow it cast wasn’t harsh at all, yet it carried an indescribable sense of divinity!
“What is this?” Sean furrowed his brow, staring at it in disbelief.
“And come to think of it, what on earth happened afterward?
Why am I in a hospital?” Sean’s memories were still frozen right at the moment he lost consciousness inside the Team Rocket base.
Lyra took a deep breath and recounted everything that had transpired afterward in fluent detail: From how Lance obliterated the base with thunderous momentum, to his own critical state and three days and nights of intense emergency treatment, all the way to the miraculous descent of the legendary Pokémon Entei the previous night, which used its sacred flames to save him…
Sean listened with his jaw practically unhinged, instinctively reaching back to touch the wound where the spider thread had pierced him.
The skin there was completely smooth now, leaving only a faint, faded scar.
“Did Entei revive me by watching an ad?!” Sean blurted out in utter disbelief.
“…” Speechless, Lyra shifted her gaze away and fixed it on the Rainbow Wing clutched in Sean’s hand.
“This feather was also left behind for you by Entei.
I have no idea what it actually is or what it does.” With that, Lyra walked off to the side, pulled out her phone, and called Professor Elm: “Professor, Sean is awake.” The phone immediately transmitted the Professor’s voice, pitched so high it cracked with excitement.
Lyra had no choice but to hold the phone a bit further from her ear: “What?!
I’m on my way right now!” Lyra had already filled Professor Elm in on Entei’s visit the night before, which finally pulled him out of his spiraling vortex of self-reproach and breakdown.
Almost the exact second she hung up, the door to the hospital room was kicked open with a loud *bang*.
Professor Elm rushed in at breakneck speed, his glasses sliding crookedly off to one side.
Without a single word, he threw his arms tightly around Sean—who was still sitting upright on the bed—and cried out in emotional turmoil: “Thank goodness!
You scared the absolute daylights out of me, kid!” Once the wave of emotion passed, Professor Elm instantly flipped into overprotective-dad mode, beginning to yank at Sean’s hospital gown to check if his injuries were entirely healed: “Let me take a look!” Terrified, Sean grabbed a fistful of his own clothes and held on for dear life, his face flushing crimson: “Professor, what are you doing?!” “Let me see if you’re recovering normally, that’s all!” “No way!
Professor, stop it!” The Professor ripped off his glasses and declared with absolute gravity: “Let me see!” “No!” Floating nearby with his arms crossed, Gengar deadpanned: “Ke-giah ke-giah~ (This Sean guy is pathetically weak~)” Realizing his purity was in mortal peril, Sean experienced a flash of genius.
He whipped the rainbow-shimmering feather out of his pocket, shoved it practically into the Professor’s line of sight, and stammered: “Wait, wait, wait, wait!
Professor, look at this thing first!” The trick worked like a charm.
Professor Elm’s attention was hooked instantly, halting his clothes-ripping assault as he hurriedly shoved his glasses back onto his face.
The Professor scrutinized the rainbow-glowing feather up close, his expression turning deathly serious and intensely focused.
Seconds later, speaking in a tone mixed with profound shock and reverence, he declared: “If I’m not mistaken, this is Ho-Oh’s feather!” Upon hearing the Professor’s words, Sean and Quilava froze instantly in unison: “Ho-Oh’s feather?!” “That’s right!” Professor Elm began explaining the legend as he understood it: “The Rainbow Wing is a guiding proof bestowed exclusively by Ho-Oh upon those it has acknowledged—those possessing a righteous heart and a pure soul!” Growing more and more excited, Professor Elm continued: “Sean, you’ve been chosen by Ho-Oh!
You’ve become a Rainbow Hero!” Hearing that, Sean instinctively pointed a finger at himself: “A Rainbow Hero?
Are you messing with me?” Sean had a pretty clear grasp of how much weight he carried.
A righteous heart?
Maybe he had a tiny scrap of one—after all, back when he was a kid, he used to daydream about becoming a Kamen Rider to fight evil and champion justice.
A pure soul?
He didn’t fit a single syllable of those three words, okay?!
His brain was crammed entirely with how to make fast cash, how to nickel-and-dime petty gains, how to chase lewd thoughts, how to slack off, how to pull pranks, and that time he accidentally poured water all over the Ruins of Alph and caused the entire ancient site to collapse…
He flat-out refused to believe such an absurd setup would ever land on his head!
“Uh, so what’s this even good for?
Is it a decoration?” Sean asked, bewildered.
Professor Elm scratched the back of his head: “The legends of Ho-Oh that I’m familiar with are limited to scattered notes in ancient texts; I’m no expert.
But I can guarantee you one thing—this feather is definitely no mere decoration!
As for the exact utility of the Rainbow Wing and what responsibilities a Rainbow Hero has…” Professor Elm paused, gazing out the window: “Perhaps you’ll have to travel personally to Ecruteak City—the place carrying the ancient legends of Ho-Oh—and ask the local Gym Leader or visit the elders who have guarded the myth across generations to find your answer.” Lowering his head, Sean spun the Rainbow Wing between his fingers, thinking to himself that this might well be his chance to find Ho-Oh and resurrect Typhlosion!
“Ecruteak City, huh…” —————————— To prevent widespread public panic, the League covered up the incidents involving the chimeras and the Team Rocket base.
Internal branches of the League and International Police forces were working behind the scenes with relentless determination to investigate.
…
The next day, the door to the hospital room was rapped softly, and Lance—garbed in his signature combat attire and billowing cape—pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The perpetually busy Champion had clearly dropped all matters on his plate upon hearing the news, rushing right over.
Inside the ward, Sean, Quilava, and Gengar were working up a sweat trying to drag Larvitar back by its stubby little legs to stop it from chewing on the bricks inside the wall.
“Ahem!” Lance cleared his throat slightly to announce his presence.
“Oh!
Uncle Lance!
What’s up~” Sean let go of Larvitar’s stubby leg, turning around to greet Lance.
Lance took a deep breath, speaking with absolute solemnity: “Sean, I am formally apologizing to you!
As the commanding officer of the operation, I was far too arrogant, misjudged the risks, and dragged you into such a perilous situation, nearly causing an irreversible tragedy.
This was my failure as a leader, and I take full responsibility!” Seeing this, Sean quickly waved his hands: “No, no, no, no, Mr.
Lance!
I was the one who insisted on going, and on top of that, I treated your warnings like wind blowing past my ears and stubbornly insisted on locking horns with that chimera.
I’m the one who should be apologizing!” With both of them trying to take the blame, the atmosphere felt a bit overly polite and harmonious for a moment.
Watching Sean’s sincere expression, the stern look on Lance’s face softened considerably.
Dropping the mutual apologies, Lance reached into his coat, pulled out a small red velvet box, and handed it to Sean: “Regardless of how we got here, you brought back crucial intelligence, defeated the chimera, and paid a tremendous price.
Please accept this as a token of my gratitude!” Sean took the box solemnly and opened it with eager curiosity.
Nestled quietly on the velvet cushion inside was a ring.
The band of the ring was a sleek, silver-white metal, embedded with a colorful bead that bore a spiraling genetic helix pattern and radiated a faint, shimmering energy.
“Could this be…?” Sean’s eyes widened.
“That’s right, this is—” Before Lance could finish, Sean interrupted him: “Are you proposing to me?!
Sorry, but my sexual orientation is completely normal!” Blushing furiously, Sean crossed his arms over his chest, shooting a bizarre, side-eyed look at Lance.
Lance froze, momentarily wondering if Sean’s brain had sustained permanent damage during the ordeal.
Then, second-guessing himself: *Wait, who on earth gives someone a ring like this?!* His face flushing pink in realization, Lance rushed to explain: “This is a Keystone!!
With this, when the conditions are met, you can resonate with a Pokémon and allow them to undergo Mega Evolution.” “Mega Evolution?!” Sean gasped, a massive surge of joy instantly washing over him.
Even if he’d never eaten pork, he’d certainly seen a pig run!
He had worshipped this legendary power countless times on the internet!
This was a miraculous phenomenon that allowed Pokémon to shatter their limits and evolve once more—one of the ultimate capabilities every single Trainer dreamed of!
He immediately plucked the ring out of the box and slipped it onto the index finger of his right hand.
To his surprise, the fit was snug and effortless.
Lifting his hand, he examined the glowing, prismatic Keystone closely under the light of the room.
Jackpot!
However, Sean’s mind quickly zeroed in on a crucial detail, and he forced down his overflowing excitement to double-check: “Wait, I remember Mega Evolution requires a matching pair of stones, right?
The Trainer has the Keystone, but the Pokémon also needs to hold its corresponding Mega Stone, right?” …