Music in media: Wind By Koda Kumi

Early December pays a visit with rising winds and a frenzied stream of snow in tow. The air grows chillier by the minute, with the occasional warmth when the air teases us with a stop motion for a couple of seconds before going on its way. No one can predict the mood of a season like winter.

This time, winter is slow with its moil, footprints remaining for minutes on end in the snow pooling in the streets of Enju till a new flock of white takes over. The years before made winter so fleeting and full of death instead. Children could be heard crying when their snowmen were demolished, cars honked at each other with a rise in accidents, Pokémon vulnerable to the cold were often chided for using the fireplace or electrical heater. So unlike nowadays, charged with infectious laughter, patient drivers and trainers who are reprimanded by their Pokémon for using the fireplace or electrical heater.

Meta presses his face against the frosty window every once in a while, other times morphing into a keyboard for some jingles, prompting Otousan to strum his guitar in harmony. Rae has defeated the League with flying colours and Okaasan was so happy she aired montages of Rae's battles for three consecutive days despite the protests of both viewers and her colleagues.

Hayato's interpretation of "flying colours", on the other hand, gifts us new excitement. One day after Rae's Pokémon are registered in the Hall of Fame, he decides to take us on a soaring session where we can have a Delibird's eye view of Johto in winter. Kaspar's congratulations are in order and doesn't go unnoticed either, though they are sidelined by Matsuba's present, a colour-changing necklace he made from scratch, definitely not from the various emotions Mismagius devoured.

Speaking of Kaspar, he's making progress in his healing, one step at a time, and Rae's success has helped him a little too. Not that it stops him from grumbling at Matsuba when he hops onto Gaiety's body, the Togekiss's charming smile directed at Matsuba's Drifblim making Kaspar nauseous. Rae rides her Noctowl while Hayato sits atop his Pidgeot. Everyone cocks their heads sideways at Meta and I, and I pull out my pockets with an elongated sigh.

"I'll be great," Meta convinces me as he Transforms into a Jumpluff.

"You're killing me," I mumble. I'm so not going to be dropped midair while being carried by a Cottonweed Pokémon that's less than one metre. I might consider if there's a parachute involved, though this doesn't discount the riskiness.

"Fine." Thy shall repent, Meta the Ditto, and become a Gliscor! "More like it?"

"You do know not all Flying-types learn Fly and both Jumpluff and Gliscor can't Fly?" Hayato supplies.

Meta snaps his pincers and drags his tail through the snow. "I am Ditto. I am capable of anything and everything."

"Capable of not being yourself," Kaspar comments at the side and screeches when a Poison Tail hits him.

Meta giggles. "Gliscor is cool. We will glide! Right, Kyo?"

I nod, uncertain of what more to say. A Gliscor's significantly better than a Jumpluff, for sure, and beggars can't be choosers, except I'm not begging, and I'm merely given the illusion of choice.

"Let's take to the skies!" Hayayo leads us into the clouds. Snowflakes pelt on our clothes, skin and hair, crystalline structures melting fast and seeping through our now temporary warmth. The temperature rises a little the higher we go, but each passage through the clouds sends a shiver through our frames.

In contrast to the white landscape below, the magnolia clouds seem like a poor imitation of scoops of Vanillite ice cream, so mystical yet deformed as though a Mega Alakazam or two dug through the clouds with their multitude of spoons prior to our visit. A higher altitude also equates to a closer look at the sun in all its radiant glory, also the migratory flocks in V-shape formation. Our aimless glide in the skies lulls us into a state of relaxation dearly missed. A tad higher and we are engulfed in Feather Dance and Tailwind, perhaps the source of the recent feathery rain, shimmering in all hues and shades imaginable and unthinkable, from burning crimson to ocean blue, from the colour of Mt. Chimney's igneous rocks to Chargestone Cave's sparkling crystals.

Hayato decelerates and we follow till a spire inches into view, growing walls and a silver door, a castle on cirrostratus clouds. He turns his head back to us and sniffs the light air. "We're here."

We watch in trepidation as he touches down, heel on cloud, then his whole being. Maintaining the silence of exalted joy, we channel our hesitation into kinesis and step onto the thin whiteness before returning our Pokémon to their Poké Balls, save for Meta. The cloud floor has the springiness of a trampoline, the moisture of a bog, the heat of a melting candle, and the tranquility of a lake in a calligraphy painting. It's odd enough how an expansive castle stands on such narrow space, but the seemingly short distance throws us off due to the bouncy floor, giving Kaspar instant nightmares of a giant Electrode squishing him. I don't ask if our kiss was part of the nightmare. Rae takes Hayato's hand and leaps across the clouds like hopscotch. Meta, on the other hand, leaves me for Matsuba. The closer we get to the castle, the more it feels as if we're teetering on the wisps of a Mega Ampharos. Maybe this is Amphy in Dynamax form, the consequence of consuming the antidote Crystal found three years ago.

"So... where are we?" I shoot Hayato a look.

He spreads his arms like wings and spins on his toes. "Welcome to the Dreaming Altar, home to the first Altaria who served the birds of Johto, Lugia and Ho-Oh."

"There's an Altaria inside?" Rae knocks on the silver door twice. Each time her fist collides with the door, twinkling mist spills into the air. Meta's eyes glint at the sight. We will be extremely fortunate if said Altaria still resides here.

But Hayato says otherwise, that the Dreaming Altar is now a hotel for any avians who crave food in mid-flight and the rare humans who chanced upon it. The Dreaming Altar is a place where passengers of hijacked aircrafts find themselves or those who escaped via parachute or they whose rocket to the moon needed a break to refuel. In short, it's a safe haven for the moment.

"Let's go in," Hayato says, "the winds will rise anytime soon."

The door opens as smooth as butter on bread, unveiling the wooden interior of the castle, which gives it a rustic feel. A cassette tape plays a sparkling aria from a band of Altaria, enrapturing us into a dreamy moment. A shelf full of empty boxes latches itself to the wall behind the reception counter, made a little less bare as the Altaria receptionist puts a jar labelled "fresh oxygen" on row five out of fifteen, column six out of fourteen, counting from the left. Once done with her task, whatever it's supposed to be, she greets us with a singsong voice, and a female voice leaves the device strapped to her neck, translating her words into a native tongue.

"Dream with us, the Dreaming Altar. We're glad to have you here. You don't seem to have baggage with you. But of course!" She claps her cloud-like wings together. "If you have emotional baggage, feel free to check them in. We will take care of them for you as you enjoy your stay here in the Dreaming Altar."

Kaspar makes the gesture of ripping his heart out and giving it to the amused Altaria. She looks between the rest of us. We shake our heads.

"Very well." The Altaria loops round the counter and motions towards the lift beside the counter. "I'll take you on a tour. We're immensely happy to have you here with us. I daresay no other drama series are as dedicated as yours. Hardly anyone comes here nowadays."

"Humans have been failing in the creativity department since the day they were born. This is why us Pokémon are superior," Meta says and kisses the Altaria on the tip of her wing.

The Altaria releases a hearty laugh as we step into the lift, or what seems to be a lift. She places a wing on the metal bar on the glass wall of the squarish area and glanced upwards. We trail her gaze. Numerous Pokémon hover above us, empty-handed or clutching what she explains to be food. The doors don't close. We wait.

"There are no buttons," Rae observes and the rest of us confirm the fact with accompanying gasps and the jitters. Not so hospitable to your human friends now, are you, Dreaming Altar?

"All you got to do is take a leap of faith," the Altaria says and shoots up, an unapologetic tour guide who doesn't mind losing her tour group.

"Just do it." Hayato grins and bounces on his feet, springing a large distance vertically before vanishing behind a white ledge. Rae doesn't hesitate either, and neither does Kaspar who, for the love of all things egotistic, wants to be in the top three. Matsuba stares at me and I avert my attention to Meta.

Meta coughs. "Brings back memories. We first met in an elevator."

If you can call this one an elevator, that is.

"Let's just go," I say and prepare for the jump.

But a hand holds still my wrist and grounds me. Matsuba closes and opens his eyes, his gaze soft and alluring.

"Let's stay here for a while."

Meta and I give him doubtful looks, to which he fends off with a dismissive wave and the words "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Don't you trust Hayato?" I bend my knees.

He holds my hand and scoops Meta up with the other. "Of course I trust him. But that Altaria's strange. One of them here must be our stalker."

"What proof do you have?" I bite my tongue and add, "Is it clairvoyance?"

"No, our stalker escapes my clairvoyance. But an Altaria makes a good spy since they can blend with the clouds."

"That doesn't explain how they could infiltrate the wed... It was outdoors."

"Precisely."

A symphony erupts from the higher floors and Rae's exclamations grow audible.

"I doubt they will hurt us. We're guests here," I tell him and stretch a little, preparing once more for the jump.

"Let's hope it stays that way," Matsuba says before the three of us spring towards the tall glass ceiling, landing on the porcelain tiles of what seems to be a restaurant.

What's interesting are the lack of tables and chairs, replaced by golden birdcages open and hanging from threads, spinning clockwise or counterclockwise at a Shuckle's pace, taken in by the music of the Dreaming Altar. Various Flying-types rest in a birdcage each, unperturbed by our presence, some of them couples engaged in expressing their deep love for each other, others flirting or brooding in their loneliness. Rae, Hayato and Kaspar occupy a birdcage each. Given the height of the birdcage from the floor, it's a miracle they could get up there.

"You're here," the Altaria's voice comes from behind. "I was worried."

"You don't have to," Meta says. "How do we get in one of those?"

The Humming Pokémon carries him off the floor and tosses him to a birdcage, then turns to Matsuba and I. We gulp.

Nonetheless, we're catapulted to adjacent birdcages overlooking the symphonic band, forming a closed circle with our friends, the Altaria in the middle. The tour goes on.

"As I was saying, the birdcages are ornaments of rebellion against captivity. You'll realise the doors are dismantled, granting us absolute freedom." The music launches into a decrescendo as she speaks further. "Now we take a roost. Would anyone love some tea?"

She returns with glasses of piping hot hojicha a while later. When she hands me my glass, she asks if I'm feeling like I'm a dream already. I nod quietly and take the drink from her wings, a feather falling off and dancing towards the floor, a wild blue flicker before dying off into white.

"Once you're done, you may leave or stay to talk among yourselves," says the Altaria.

Rae frowns. "This is it?"

"We offer short respites only. The Dreaming Altar is a place for revitalisation before you continue with your life." She offers Rae a refill. "Were you expecting more?"

"Hmmm..." Kaspar taps his chin and puts a leg over the other. "You manage the place alone."

"What makes you say that?" The Altaria almost drops her kettle.

Kaspar shakes his head. "The other Altaria are shimmering in the light. It's a symptom of prolonged Double Team."

She deflates into herself. "It's a lonely existence. Pitiful, don't you think?"

"Have you ever seen Ho-Oh?" Matsuba interjects in hopes of overwriting the tension, also because he's still yet to fulfil his wish to catch a glimpse of Ho-Oh.

"I have," the Altaria says. "In fact, I can feel the presence of the Sacred Almighty."

Doesn't that mean Ho-Oh is nearby? Matsuba seems to register the implication as well and slips off the edge of his birdcage, promoting the Altaria to catch his fall.

"I... Thanks." After getting off the Pokémon, he turns to Hayato sharply. "Did you sense Ho-Oh?"

The Flying-type specialist shakes his head. "No... But I have a hunch."

"What is it?" Matsuba asks while the rest of us get off the birdcages.

The symphony wraps up smoothly with a lingering high Do.

"The Dreaming Altar's located directly above Enju City. Ho-Oh must frequent here a lot."

"Indeed, the Sacred Almighty does," the Altaria chimes. "But I'm afraid I don't feel zir presence anymore."

We thank her and leave the Dreaming Altar. Maybe Ho-Oh left a Rainbow Wing behind or some food or Sacred Ash. Anything to indicate zie was once here.

The cirrostratus clouds are empty.

Kaspar taps his foot. "Maybe... Maybe a Rainbow Wing bounced off the clouds and landed somewhere in Enju."

"You know this isn't some inflatable playground, right?" Meta rolls his eyes. "The wind is at its strongest. Even if Ho-Oh left something, it's windswept."

"What a genius," Kaspar mumbles.

Rae laughs and comforts him.

"We could still chase after zir," Matsuba says. "I'm just this close to meeting Ho-Oh!"

Hayato places a hand on his shoulder, then faces the all of us.

"For some reason, I think the Legendary Bird is avoiding us."

"Prankster much?" Matsuba crosses his arms.

"Ho-Oh's just busy," Rae supplements. "Legendary Pokémon need to keep the world in balance. They don't have time for short breaks. Zie could've just passed by."

Reluctantly, we make our trip back to the Johto surface, in front of the Aomine minka.

Just then, Okaasan comes running towards us with a bright smile. Pinched between her fingers is a multicoloured feather.

"I've been looking for you! No one knows where you boys went, not even my cameraman!" Okaasan catches her breath and continues, "I've been blessed! A Rainbow Wing fell into my office! This means Show Me Your Smile will have skyrocketing ratings! We could win the drama of the year!"

Matsuba snatches the Rainbow Wing and places it close to his chest. "As compensation, I'll be taking this."

Okaasan blinks, slightly disgruntled and speechless.

"I've been waiting to see Ho-Oh all my life," he deadpans, gives her thanks and hugs me.

Okaasan applauds and we stare at her in confusion.

"So you have chosen your partner at last," she croons. "Excellent, excellent! The Hanatoro festival takes place on the fifteenth of December. It'll make a perfect date for you two and for our drama."

"We..." I wet my lips with saliva, about to explain the situation when footfalls increase in volume and Otousan comes riding Hābu.

Getting off his Meganium, he brandishes a Rainbow Wing from his pocket and declares that his business will soar into prosperity soon. Okaasan's eyes dilate and she expresses her wishes to him, then they dance on the streets, the first time in a long while they ever shewed an ounce of love.

"We should get going," I mutter. "Let's go to your gym, Matsuba. It'll be quieter there."

Upon reaching the Enju gym, a raving crowd whips their heads around at us and throws congratulatory phrases at Matsuba. He raises a brow. When the crowd parts, he sees it.

A Rainbow Wing rests in front of the doors to his gym.

His delight causes seven traffic accidents in the northern parts of Enju, six people all over Johto to fall off the roofs and onto the large air cushions below, five Stantler to line up in front of a sleigh bound for Mt. Silver, four random estates to turn into karaokes and discos, three offices to receive spam calls, two new yaoi manga to be published, and one city, rumoured to be Enju, to fly into a celebration with spirits equivalent to a hormonal rage.