According to the legend passed down in Featherfall Town, before Ho-Oh formed a bridge of understanding with humans at the Bell Tower in Ecruteak City, she once passed over the region near Featherfall Town.
At that time, the town was caught in the grip of conflict, suffering from war and an unrelenting cold snap. Even when spring arrived, the land remained frozen, impossible to cultivate. The trees had withered in the frost, and hope was fading fast.
Just when the townspeople were losing all faith, Ho-Oh appeared in the skies above. With a wave of her radiant wings, she brought life back to the barren land. Trees that had once withered sprouted anew and bore fruit. The frozen soil thawed, and Pokémon suffering from frostbite were healed.
And it all began when a single rainbow-colored feather fell from the sky.
The unspoken part of the legend was something Luther had learned through Tatsuya.
The reborn people of Featherfall Town, along with those from neighboring settlements, searched far and wide for the feather, wishing to honor Ho-Oh with a tribute of gratitude.
But no matter how hard they searched, the feather was never found.
So, the elders of Featherfall Town believed the feather had transformed, becoming pure, radiant energy that sank into the earth, nourishing the soil, and then disappearing without a trace.
Yet now, the rainbow feather, once thought lost forever, an object searched for in vain, was right before Luther's eyes.
After all these years, it still shimmered with a faint rainbow glow, casting soft light across the surrounding rock walls. As Mai descended into the pit, a gentle breeze stirred through the cave, causing the glow to flicker like the flame of a candle.
Mai's reaction matched Luther's: stunned silence.
"This is… from the legend of Featherfall Town…"
Her hand trembled as she pointed to the feather. Until this moment, she'd always thought of the legend as a charming, romantic tale, no more real than any myth. But now, standing before this radiant feather, it felt like coming face to face with a Mew that had wandered through the ages.
Luther gently took Mai's hand and carefully stepped over scattered rubble toward the rainbow feather.
As the soft light glowed before him, Luther turned his flashlight to scan the cave walls.
"What are you looking for?" Mai asked, noticing Luther poking at the ground with a stick.
"I'm trying to figure out why Ho-Oh's feather ended up here. Doesn't this strike you as strange?"
"Ho-Oh?" Mai tilted her head, puzzled. "Is that the name of the Pokémon that dropped the feather?"
"When we get out of here, you should read the legend of the Bell Tower in Ecruteak City. Ho-Oh is a Legendary Pokémon, and this feather is her gift. But the real question is, why is it here, of all places?"
"We've been traveling for three days since we left Featherfall Town. Even if we weren't moving fast, we've put quite a bit of distance behind us. According to the legend, the townspeople actually saw the feather fall, so it should've landed near the town, not out here, in the middle of nowhere, buried in a pit."
"The feather's presence here proves the townspeople were telling the truth. Which means there's only one explanation: someone, or some Pokémon, moved it here."
Just then, Luther's stick struck something solid. The sharp sound echoed in the quiet cave.
Luther froze, a thought forming in his mind. Slowly, he backed away and shined his flashlight toward the spot.
The Pokémon who had gathered around gasped audibly, their eyes widening in shock. Mai quickly clamped her hands over her mouth and stopped Chikorita from peeking, gently covering the little Pokémon's eyes.
Where the light landed, a field of white bones was revealed.
From the skeletal structure, it was clear these remains belonged to Flying-type Pokémon. But Luther couldn't immediately identify the species.
Circling the area with his flashlight, he continued surveying until a conclusion crystallized in his mind.
"This is a burial site," he said quietly.
"A resting place for a flock of Flying-type Pokémon."
Luther's thoughts began to take shape.
After Ho-Oh revitalized the land, these Flying-types, perhaps out of reverence, perhaps out of deep gratitude, must have discovered the feather before any humans did.
They placed it here, at their final resting ground.
Luther couldn't fully understand the behavior or thought patterns of Pokémon, but he could imagine this much: maybe they saw Ho-Oh as a divine figure, and by placing the sacred feather in their tomb, they believed their spirits would follow her into the skies.
As he looked across the sea of pale bones, Luther imagined the Flying-types coming here at the end of their lives, closing their eyes peacefully before the rainbow feather's glow, ready to take flight one last time.
The feather had given them peace in their final moments.
"Marill, Jumpluff, Chansey, dig a big hole."
Although they didn't quite understand what Luther was planning, Marill and the others immediately began to dig without hesitation.
When Espurr and Kirlia joined in, using their Psychic powers to help clear away the soil, Mai quickly realized what Luther was trying to do.
"Slowpoke, Eevee, go give them a hand too."
With so many Pokémon working together, the large pit was soon finished. Luther carefully gathered all the bones he could find and gently placed them into the grave. Many were extremely brittle, some crumbling slightly as he picked them up, and he handled each one with deliberate care.
Once he was sure no bones had been left behind, Luther gave the word, and the Pokémon began to fill the grave back in.
When the work was done, Luther unwrapped a piece of cloth, gently placed the rainbow feather inside, and secured it in his backpack.
After climbing out of the cave, he and Mai looked down at the now-sealed entrance, then silently began piling the surrounding vegetation back into place to conceal it once more.
From the state of the overgrowth and undisturbed foliage, it was clear that no Pokémon had visited this spot in a very long time. The condition of the bones inside only reinforced that impression, this place had been abandoned for years, perhaps even decades.
That the rainbow feather had been left there, intentionally placed within a burial ground, meant that this spot had once held great meaning for those Flying-type Pokémon. They had not left it behind lightly.
But now, no one had returned.
Perhaps, over generations, their descendants had slowly forgotten this place. Maybe they had migrated, or even evolved into new forms, leaving the memory behind. Or maybe their numbers had dwindled, and those last remaining few had passed away before they could pass on the knowledge of the feather to the next generation.
Whatever the case, one thing was clear: that flock had vanished from this region.
Chikorita, meanwhile, didn't understand why Mai had covered her eyes earlier. Thinking it was part of some playful game, she kept her mouth open, clearly expecting another piece of candy.
Luther chuckled, peeled the wrapper off a candy drop, and offered it to her. As Chikorita snuggled into Mai's arms with a blissful expression, he affectionately tugged on the leaf atop her head.
"Next time, don't go running off like that. It's too dangerous out there."
Chikorita nodded eagerly in response, and Luther smiled.
"Still… if you hadn't wandered off, we never would've found the rainbow feather. So, I guess you've earned one more."
He handed her another candy.
(End of Chapter)
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