Destiny [Pokémon]

❥ chapter IV

You pressed your lips together to stop an exasperated groan from escaping your throat. You had come to the realization that, no matter how much you would rack your brains about this matter and turn it over in your mind, you simply would not find the answers to the whole multitude of questions clouding your mind. That frustrated you to no end.

You wanted to figure out the meaning behind your encounter with the Rainbow Pokémon as quickly as possible so as to not waste any more thought on this. Unfortunately, you knew you couldn't. You knew you couldn't just come up with a reasonable explanation for what had happened because it was so damn weird that it was downright unexplainable for you.

Your last hope were your parents. They were the only persons you could talk to, and the only ones who you were (pretty) sure would believe you despite the story about Ho-Oh sounding kind of far-fetched. No, it didn't just sound far-fetched, it was far-fetched. You hoped that they could help you somehow or, at the very least, would listen to you so that you finally could get this off your chest. That would surely bring some relief as well.

Hence, as soon as the three of you had entered your house in Hydrus Village and your dad had closed and locked the front door behind him, you turned around to your parents without even bothering to take off your jacket and shoes first, causing both of them to pause and look at you expectantly.

"I know this is difficult to believe, but this feather"—you gingerly plucked said object from your hair and held it out to your parents—"is from Ho-Oh."

It took a moment or two for the surprise to register on your parents' faces, their eyes widening into an incredulous stare. They, once again, exchanged looks. Then, they did a double take and stared at you with both eyebrows raised.

"Ho-Oh?" your dad questioned, a tiny hint of disbelief lacing his words. "Are we talking about the Legendary Pokémon?"

"Yes, the Ho-Oh. It seems like I'm the only one who saw it, but there's no doubt that I did. It showed up out of nowhere when I was in Lucus Grove, and it lost this feather when it flew away." The words came gushing out of your mouth in an outburst of relief that you could finally talk to someone about what you had seen and experienced in the grove back on Hydra Island. Indeed, it felt like a considerable weight had already been lifted off your chest just by uttering these words.

With a thoughtful hum, your dad took the feather and began to examine it thoroughly, turning it in his hands and holding it up against the ceiling light to inspect all angles. Afterwards, he handed it over to your mom who did the same, looking at the feather from all sides.

"From what I've heard and read about Ho-Oh ... Indeed, this feather looks like it belongs to it," your mom said, but she then corrected herself with a slight shake of her head, "No, considering the fact that it changes colour depending on the angle at which it is struck by light, it undoubtedly is one of Ho-Oh's feathers." She gave the feather back to you.

"And you said you're the only one who saw it?" your dad asked to which you wordlessly replied with a vigorous nod. He rubbed his jaw in a pensive manner, his fingers making a quiet scratching sound as they scraped against the razor stubble. "Come to think of it, I heard a lot of patients talking about a rainbow suddenly appearing in the afternoon. I assume that must've been Ho-Oh?"

"Yeah, exactly," you responded. As you looked up at your parents with hope shimmering in your eyes and tinging your voice, your stomach fluttered in fearful anticipation. Now came the most important question. Perhaps they knew something you didn't. Perhaps they had an answer. "You don't happen to know what that means, do you? That no one but me saw it? I've been trying to find out by myself, but the only thing I get are headaches from thinking too hard! It's so frustrating!"

Cupping her elbow in one hand, your mom tapped a finger of the other against her chin. "Well, the most known legend about Ho-Oh is that—"

"It only appears before a pure-hearted Trainer, I know. I heard of the legends. But obviously, I'm not a Trainer, so that makes no sense." All the while, you tried to keep your voice as calm and levelled as possible with the feeling of tightness slowly taking over your throat and stomach. You didn't want to let your frustration out on your parents. Your current predicament wasn't their fault. It really was no one's, to be precise.

"You might not be a Trainer yet, but you are pure-hearted," your mom countered with a lopsided grin, passing over the exasperated tone in your voice you hadn't been able to conceal. "Maybe this is your call to adventure. You've always wanted to venture out into the big, wide world, haven't you?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to do that after graduation."

Her grin turned into a gentle smile. She placed a comforting hand on your shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Things never really turn out the way you expect, sweetie. It's not unusual for kids your age to take a time out from school to start on an adventure. Just look at Kaitlyn. She left two years ago, didn't she? Of course, you can always come back and continue with school."

"Maybe ..." you began, trailing off as you contemplated your mom's words for a moment. "Maybe you're right. I have to give that some thought first."

"You have all the time in the world. So take your time to come to a decision, honey," your dad said, his statement supported with a nod by your mom. "No one is pressuring you. It is your decision alone, and we'll support you no matter how it turns out."

Your parents' words of encouragement achieved their hoped-for purpose, dispersing your inner turmoil of unanswered questions and troubled thoughts. Opening your arms wide, you hugged both your mom and your dad. "Thank you so much. You're the best parents in the world."

You felt your dad grin against your hair as he said, "We know. That's why you're the best daughter in the world."

"Don't lose any sleep over this, sweetie," your mom added, stroking your back. "If your encounter with Ho-Oh really has a deeper meaning, then you'll find out soon enough, don't you think so?"

"Yeah, you're right." Pulling back from their calming embrace, you beamed up at your parents who returned your smile. "I'm so glad I finally got to talk to you about this. I was driving myself crazy, trying to find an answer to why Ho-Oh showed up and why I was the only one who could see it ... You really, really helped me. Thank you."

"That's what we're here for, honey. We are your parents, after all. You can always come talk to us about everything that's bothering you." From the corner of your eye, you saw your dad raising his hand. But when you realized what he was going to do, it was already too late, and your shying away was futile. Your hair was once again dishevelled, drawing yet another cry of protest from your lips.

"Dad! Not again! Stop that already!" You angrily swatted his hand away and set about fixing the damages done to your hairdo while carefully holding Ho-Oh's feather in your mouth. The death stare you were giving him was not effective—on the contrary, it only added to his glee.

Your mom looked with a smirk on her lips, clearly enjoying herself. "Have fun, you two, while I go prepare dinner. And don't forget to take your shoes off, sweetie, I don't want you to track in dirt!" Waggling an admonitory finger at you, she slipped out of her jacket and shoes herself and then went into the kitchen.

"Well, I better excuse myself too before I end up being stabbed with that feather," your dad joked. Making a move to mess up your hair once more, he pressed a fleeting kiss to your forehead instead and nimbly evaded your attempt to hit him in the arm. He hurried to get rid of his jacket and shoes as well before you could potentially turn his words into action—not that you would actually ever do that. "I'm in my study!" And with these words, he disappeared upstairs to get today's paperwork of the clinic done.