"Micheal, I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" I proclaimed.

The others stopped in their tracks and stared back at me. The young man smirked and nodded.

"All right, I accept!" he said.

At first, the others and I were on our way to explore more of Ecruteak City, but I wanted to take a page out of Elsu's book for a change.

After arriving at the Pokémon Center, we rested our Pokémon and made our way to the battlefield. When Micheal and I were in positions, we called out our Pokémon.

"Heracross, let's go!" Micheal cried.

"Kaiba, I choose you!" I exclaimed.

At once, the Single Horn and the Humming Pokémon appeared.

"Heracross, use Megahorn!" Micheal exclaimed.

"Aerial Ace!" I cried.

The two Pokémon cried out before charging at one another with charged-up attacks. The two clashed wing and horn, going back and forth, bashing into one another.

"Throw it!" Micheal cried.

At his command, the Heracross used its horn to hurl Kaiba out of the way.

"Quick, Kaiba! Use Dragon Pulse!" I cried.

After recovering from the sudden throw, Kaiba launched a multicolored shock wave at the beetle-like Pokémon.

"Dodge it!" Micheal cried.

The Single Horn Pokémon cried out as it leaped out of the attack's way.

"Brick Break!" Micheal cried.

When Heracross crossed its arms, they began to glow. It then charged at Kaiba with incredible speed.

"Counter with Aerial Ace!" I exclaimed.

Kaiba chirped out a cry as she sped toward the Single Horn Pokémon. When they clashed, it caused a small explosion.

"Now, Kaiba! Use Hyper Voice!" I cried.

Kaiba then let out a horribly loud cry at the Heracross. The beetle-like Pokémon didn't have to react and got knocked back down to the battlefield.

"Heracross, are you alright?" Micheal asked.

The Single Horn Pokémon got up and shook away the pain.

"I gotta admit, your Altaria is something special," Micheal complimented, "Very formidable."

"Thanks," I said, "I could say the same about your Heracross. Even though you just caught it the other day, you guys are already in sync."

Micheal grinned before turning his attention back to the battle.

"Megahorn!" Micheal exclaimed.

When Heracross's horn glowed green, it flew over toward Kaiba.

"Dragon Pulse!" I cried.

Kaiba cried out as she released a multicolored shock wave.

"Deflect it!" Micheal said.

The beetle-like Pokémon raised its horn and blocked the attack, deflecting it to the ground.

Impressive play, Micheal.

"Aerial Ace!" I cried.

Kaiba's wings began to glow as she sped over to the Heracross. Horn and wings repeatedly clashed, an awe-inspiring battle in the sky.

"Hyper Voice, now!" I said.

Kaiba took a deep breath before letting out a horribly loud shout on top of the Heracross, causing it to crash into the ground.

Alright, a critical hit!

"Don't let up! Use Dragon Pulse!" I cried.

Kaiba cried out as she fired a multicolored shock wave at the Heracross.

"Deflect it back using Megahorn!" Micheal said.

With quick movements, Heracross got up and blocked the attack with its glowing green horn. It then deflected the Dragon Pulse back at Kaiba, causing her to crash to the ground.

That kind of thing happened to Zora back on Team Xenon's ship.

When the dust cleared, Kaiba was left unconscious.

"And Micheal is the victor!" Eric proclaimed.

Micheal and I smiled as we walked up to one another.

"That was an awesome battle," Micheal said, "Your Altaria is very strong."

When he said that, Kaiba came to and let out a happy cry.

"I could say the same about your Heracross," I said, "Using Megahorn to deflect and redirect our Dragon Pulse attack was very impressive."

The Single Horn Pokémon walked up beside its trainer and smiled as it happily cried out.

"Next time we have a battle, I wanna face off against your Arcanine," I said.

"Deal," Micheal said, "But only if I can battle your Eevee."

Libby happily cried out as she wagged her tail.

"Deal!" I said.

We sealed our rematch promise with a firm handshake.

"That was an awesome battle, you two!" Nina cheered, skipping towards us.

"You're very strategic, Micheal," Eric said, "I might wanna have a crack at you next time."

"Yeah! I wanna battle you, too!" Elsu said excitedly.

"Oh, you two are so on!" Micheal said with a grin.

I fondly chuckled as I returned Kaiba to her Pokéball. When I turned to Kat and Rina, I saw Rina attach something to her ear. As I walked up to my friend, I saw that it was a red, white, and green feather earring.

She was wearing those at the fashion expo a few days ago.

"Hey, Rina! Kat!" I called out.

The two girls turned to me and smiled.

"Hey, Era," Rina greeted as I sat down, "That was an incredible battle! It was really fun to watch!"

"I second that!" Kat said.

Angel smiled as she cried out, agreeing with her trainer.

"Thanks, guys," I said, "Hey, Rina. I wanted to ask about the earrings you're wearing. They're very pretty."

"Oh! Thank you!" Rina said, "Inspired by the Legendary Pokémon, Ho-Oh."

My eyes widened at the name.

"Ho-Oh?" I questioned, "But how did you even know the colors to use?"

"From Yelena," Rina answered, "She has a few kimonos inspired by Ho-Oh. She got her inspiration from her photographer getting a picture of it on one of his vacation days. Ever since I saw the colors for Ho-Oh, I decided to make some earrings and this bracelet."

She then held out her wrist and showed me a red, white, and green beaded bracelet with two feathers hanging from it.

"Wow! It's beautiful!" I said.

"Thank you," Rina said, "It would be amazing to see Ho-Oh for real and gain my own inspiration from it!"

"I know you will, Rina," Kat said, "From what I've heard about Ho-Oh, legend says that whoever sees it will have eternal happiness!"

Wow, a heck of a legend!

"Ooh, now I really wanna meet Ho-Oh!" Rina exclaimed giddily.

Seeing Rina's smiling face made me laugh. Turning my head to the others, I saw they were having a two-on-two Pokémon battle; Micheal and Nina against Elsu and Eric. Standing in front of Micheal was a lean green Pokémon with spikes on its body. Taking out my Pokédex, I scanned the unfamiliar Pokémon.

"Cacturne, the Scarecrow Pokémon. It becomes active at night, seeking prey that is exhausted from the day's desert heat. Packs of them follow travelers through the desert until the travelers can no longer move."

What do the Cacturne do after the travelers can no longer move...?

Micheal's Cacturne fought alongside Nina's Mawile against Eric's Totodile and Elsu's Sliggoo.

Now, this is a captivating battle to watch.

Grinning to myself, I stood up and looked down at the others.

"I'm gonna go rest my Pokémon." I said.

"I'll come with," Rina said, standing up, "I gotta buy some more Pokéballs."

Smiling with a nod, the two of us walked back into the Pokémon Center. After handing my Pokémon to Nurse Joy, I glanced at Rina, watching her purchase more items.

Ever since the events in Azalea Town, Rina has found more confidence in herself, so much so that she's starting to hold her own in a fight. I'm really proud of how far Rina has come!

"Hey, did you hear?" asked a stray voice.

Looking to the side, I saw two men at the café chatting over coffee.

"There have been rumors of Ho-Oh sightings flying around." said the shorter man.

"Yeah, I heard about that from my daughter," the taller man said, "I believe her. There have been a lot of rainbows recently, and it hasn't rained."

Ho-Oh sightings? Rina would love to know about this!

"Excuse me," I began, walking up to the men, "But where have these sightings been occurring?"

They turned to me and grinned.

"Some say Ho-Oh's been flying over the towers," the shorter man said, "Rainbows have been more frequent, too."

"But from what I've heard, these sightings are just rumors," the taller man said, "I know you're the type of kid that'll go Ho-Oh hunting in the blink of an eye, but I wouldn't get my hopes up, kid."

Rumors, eh? That's what they said about Celebi inhabiting Divinus Forest back in Ezonia, but I have proof that those rumors are true.

"Where would one even begin to start Ho-Oh hunting?" I asked.

"Hmm... Well, the best place is at the top of Burned Tower," the taller man said, "If memory serves me right, that tower was for Lugia, but then Ho-Oh took it over when Lugia left after it burned down."

The top of Burned Tower, huh?

"Thanks a lot!" I said, bowing my head.

After receiving my Pokémon, I met up with Rina at the PokéMart.

"Rina! Rina! I have amazing news!" I cried excitedly.

"Whoa, whoa! What is it?" she asked.

"I just heard that there have been Ho-Oh sightings around here, and from what the men told me, it's been appearing near the towers, and we might be able to see it on top of Burned Tower!"

Rina's eyes widened and sparkled.

"We've gotta go tell the others!" Rina said excitedly.

Snubbull and Libby both cried out with smiles. After stuffing her bag with the items, she purchased, Rina and I sprinted out of the Pokémon Center and onto the battlefield to see the others still battling, only this time, it was Kat and Elsu against Micheal and Eric.

What did we miss...?

"Hey, guys!" Rina called out.

The others stopped and turned to us.

"What's up, you two?" Nina asked.

"Pack your bags, everyone!" I said, "We're going Ho-Oh hunting!"

Their eyes widened, as well as their smiles. After they retracted their Pokémon, I told the others about the conversation the two men were having and what they told me.

"I knew if I stuck around with you kids, something awesome would happen!" Micheal said excitedly.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Nina questioned, "To the top of Burned Tower!"

After the others rested their Pokémon, we ventured back to Burned Tower. Once we arrived, I looked up at the ruined monument.

Well, there's no time like the present...

As we walked inside, we carefully stepped over the debris.

"So, all we have to do is climb to the top of Burned Tower?" Elsu asked.

"That's what the guys told me," I said, "He also said not to get our hopes up. These are just rumors, after all."

"Yeah, and the rumors about Celebi inhabiting Divinus Forest were proven true," Eric said, "We could prove that these rumors are true as well."

"Count me in!" Kat said.

"Us, too!" Nina and Micheal said.

"I'm in!" Rina exclaimed.

Libby, Angel, and Snubbull all let out cheer-filled cries.

"You'll need help navigating through the tower." said a stray voice

Looking behind us, we smiled when we saw Ecruteak City's historian.

"Hey, Yūrei!" Kat said.

"So, you caught wind of the rumors about Ho-Oh?" she asked.

"Yep! Now, we're trying to see if they're true!" Elsu said.

Yūrei chuckled before weaving past us.

"Well, follow me!" she said, "I can guide you through the tower, but be careful. Everything here is unstable."

Nodding to the ghost girl, we followed her up the nearby ladder. Once we were on the next floor, I gawked at the gaping hole in the floor.

Wow. To think a lightning bolt made this.

Turning my attention back to my friends, I saw a purple Pokémon with levitating hands float over the gaping hole. I took out my Pokédex and scanned the unfamiliar Pokémon.

"Haunter, the Gas Pokémon. By licking, it saps the victim's life. It causes shaking that won't stop until the victim's demise."

I swallowed a lump in my throat as I listened.

That's a pretty spooky Pokémon.

"Oh, don't worry about the Ghost-type Pokémon here," Yūrei said, "As long as you guys are with me, they wouldn't dare try anything."

I glanced at the Haunter and watched it slip through the burned walls.

Yeah, I'm definitely not leaving Yūrei's side or getting on her bad side, so it seems...

After climbing up a few more ladders, we reached the top of Burned Tower.

"This is where people claimed to see Ho-Oh?" Elsu questioned.

"Yeah, but... where is it?" Micheal doubted, looking around the room.

"Let's start looking for any clues," I said, "Something, anything to prove that Ho-Oh was here."

Nodding in understanding, the others and I began walking around the empty room, looking for any signs of Ho-Oh.

"So, what are we looking for anyway?" Micheal asked, "A footprint, a stray photo-"

"A feather?" Rina asked.

I perked my head up and turned to my pink-haired friend.

"A feather would work perfectly, Rina," I said, "How'd you come up with that?"

"Uhm, come see for yourself." she said.

Raising a curious brow, the others and I gathered around Rina near the center of the room. In her hands was a bright red, white, and green feather.

Those colors match Rina's earrings and bracelet exactly.

"Whoa! It's stunning!" Nina gushed.

"That's Ho-Oh's feather, alright," Yūrei said, "Having one in your possession will ensure eternal happiness. At least, that's what the legends say."

"Legend or not, this proves that Ho-Oh really was here!" Kat said.

The others and I cheered, as well as our Pokémon. Then, we heard a loud screech-like cry from above. We looked up, and our eyes widened at a large red bird-like Pokémon.

Could it be...?

I scrambled to take out my Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon above us.

"Ho-Oh, the Rainbow Pokémon. Ho-Oh's feathers glow in seven colors depending on the angle at which they are struck by light. These feathers are said to bring happiness to the bearers. This Pokémon is said to live at the foot of a rainbow."

"That's Ho-Oh?" Eric questioned in surprise.

Eric quickly took out his camera and took some pictures of the Legendary Pokémon. I followed suit by taking photos on my phone.

"Wow," Rina said in awe, "It's even more beautiful in person!"

Then, the Legendary Pokémon looked back at us and turned around.

"Wait. Is Ho-Oh... coming over to us?" Nina asked.

That's when the Rainbow Pokémon fluttered in front of us, the light bouncing off its magnificent feathers, turning the room into one big rainbow.

Wow. It's even more gorgeous up close.

Libby, Angel, and Snubbull happily cried out, to which Ho-Oh let out a screech-like cry in return.

"To think we'd be standing face-to-face with a Legendary Pokémon," Micheal said.

"We did before, remember?" Kat asked, "There were three of them, like... yesterday."

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that."

I chuckled before turning my attention back to the Rainbow Pokémon. The bird-like Pokémon looked down at Rina and saw her holding one of its feathers. Tapping the feather with its beak, Ho-Oh made the feather glow, causing a small rainbow to appear.

"Whoa," Rina said in awe, "Thank you!"

Then, Rina gently placed her hand on Ho-Oh's golden beak, and the Rainbow Pokémon leaned into her touch. Smiling at the scene before me, I pulled out my phone and took a picture.

"Thanks for leading us up here, Yūrei," I said.

"Of course!" she said, "It's been a while since I've seen Ho-Oh,"

"You've met Ho-Oh before?"

"Sure did!"

I wouldn't be surprised if she met Celebi...

Ho-Oh then let out another screech-like cry before propelling itself into the air.

"Bye, Ho-Oh!" Nina cried, waving, "Hope to see you again soon!"

"Safe travels!" Eric cried.

The others and I bid Ho-Oh farewell as it flew away, leaving a magnificent rainbow in its wake.

"Let's head back to the Pokémon Center," I said, "Libby and I are itching to have a battle with your Arcanine, Micheal."

"And a battle you shall get!" Micheal said with a grin.

As Yūrei led us out of Burned Tower, I looked up and smiled at the rainbow.

I always get a sense of promise when I see a rainbow. Like, nothing terrible will ever befall humanity. To me, that's the true nature of a rainbow, and Ho-Oh is the perfect Pokémon to exemplify that!