Lusamife was well accustomed to her sister's teasing and feigned annoyance, "Do you want to swap your long legs with mine?"
"If it were a modeling contest, you'd definitely be the champion."
"One shouldn't be too greedy, sister~"
Lusamine was momentarily at a loss for words. Upon reflection, everyone has their own merits to be proud of.
"Hmph, I'll let it slide this time." Lusamine shot Carl a look. Everyone knew Carl and Lusamife were the least likely pair, so her choice had avoided any disputes.
"But how do you know about Grandpa Lewis's Beach House?" Lusamine asked on Nanami's behalf.
"Ho-Oh told me." Carl shrugged.
"What?!" The girls were taken aback. Nanami and Lorelei gasped, "You've seen Ho-Oh?"
"Isn't it simple?" Carl pointed towards Hoopa, who was busy playing beach volleyball.
"Ho-Oh? Hoopa can summon it!" Hoopa chimed in cheerfully. If it could summon Lugia, then Ho-Oh was just as possible.
"Could you take me to see Ho-Oh?" Nanami asked excitedly. In the Kanto region, Ho-Oh and Lugia were the most coveted legendary creatures to encounter, especially for researchers like Nanami.
"Sorry." Carl spread his hands apologetically, "If Ho-Oh visits my home, I can invite you to meet it. But I can't just take people to see it; Ho-Oh has a special relationship with humans and legendary creatures."
"Oh, sorry!" Nanami realized her faux pas, quickly thanking and apologizing, "I was being presumptuous, please don't take it to heart."
"No worries." Carl waved it off with a smile, "I understand."
Lorelei asked curiously, "Why did Ho-Oh mention Grandpa Lewis's beach house?"
"It didn't specifically tell me; it was just a coincidence that I found out. Ho-Oh keeps an eye on certain people."
"Who?"
"An idiot."
"An idiot?"
"It's pronounced differently on the island, but it means Ash."
Nanami's eyes widened in surprise, "Ash is being watched by Ho-Oh?"
"Yes," Carl frowned slightly, "Didn't your grandpa tell you? Ash met Ho-Oh on his first day and received a Rainbow Feather. He informed Professor Oak immediately."
"What? Grandpa knew too?" Nanami's expression changed instantly.
She quickly dialed Professor Oak. His cheerful voice came through, "Nanami, how's it going with Carl? Have you used your charm to win him over?"
This comment made the other girls look at Nanami with a teasing glint in their eyes.
Was she on a mission?
"Grandpa!!!" Nanami blushed, flustered, "Don't talk about that now! I want to know why you didn't tell me about Ash meeting Ho-Oh."
"What?" Professor Oak's hologram appeared, holding a cup of noodles, looking shocked, "Ash met Ho-Oh? How did I not know? That boy had such luck? Wait... He dared to hide it from me!"
Professor Oak was already planning on how to deal with his grandson.
"You didn't know either?" Nanami looked at Carl, puzzled.
Carl was equally confused, "Professor Oak, Ash and Gary left on the same day, right? Didn't he contact you about this?"
"Huh?" Professor Oak almost dropped his noodles, "He contacted me, but didn't he say he saw a shiny Fearow?"
Carl was taken aback.
Ho-Oh... a shiny Fearow?
Well, it seemed fitting.
A shiny Fearow equaling Ho-Oh?
Carl thought the comparison was amusing. But Professor Oak was certainly bold to make such a jest about Ho-Oh.
The girls were momentarily stunned, caught off guard by Professor Oak's comment about Ho-Oh.
"Hehe, Hoopa would love to meet Ho-Oh," Hoopa suddenly said with a giggle, "So, Ho-Oh is a colorful Fearow? I must tell her next time I see her."
This brought everyone back to their senses, their expressions turning quite interesting. Professor Oak had quite the nerve; if Ho-Oh heard this, it might just set his house ablaze with its sacred fire.
"Grandpa, I think we need to set some boundaries," Nanami said, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.
"What?" Professor Oak asked cheerfully, "Are you going to change your last name to Carl's?"
Nanami was bewildered. She only wanted to distance herself from her grandpa, why would she change her last name?
She quickly realized, her grandpa was hinting at her marrying Carl. By local custom, she'd take her husband's last name after marriage.
"Grandpa, is your hearing really that bad?" The blush returned to Nanami's face as she huffed, "No wonder Ash said you'd mistake Ho-Oh! I meant you should establish your own household to avoid dragging the Oak family into this! I heard you reconnected with Granny Agatha? Why not marry into their family? I'll handle things at home!"
Her words set all eyes on Professor Oak with curiosity.
Professor Oak, well-practiced in the art of maintaining composure, diverted the conversation smoothly, "You know Ash, he's sixteen and still can't recognize common Kanto Pokémon. If he hadn't played the XY game, his understanding of type attributes would still be basic."
"He pointed at the Ho-Oh mural in the Pokémon Center, insisting he'd seen an identical Pokémon fly towards the rainbow's end. Would you have believed him?"
From Professor Oak's perspective, such skepticism was understandable.
Before Ash made the top sixteen in the Kanto League and encountered more legendary Pokémon, few would have believed such tales.
Professor Oak had only seen Celebi in his youth and, with Carl's help, had met Mewtwo and Mew. To say Ash saw three legendary Pokémon in a year or two seemed too improbable.
"So... Ash really did see Ho-Oh?" Professor Oak turned to Carl.
"Not only did he see it," Carl explained, "He was chosen as the Rainbow Warrior, receiving the Rainbow Feather. This means he's allowed to enter the Celestial Mountain's secret realm and, upon passing the trial, challenge Ho-Oh."
"What? A chosen one by a legendary Pokémon?" Professor Oak was astounded, "I underestimated the boy."
"You've underestimated more than just him," Carl chuckled, "Like May from the Hoenn region, who managed to capture Rayquaza."
"Or the Sinnoh trainer with Darkrai and Latios, whose strength leaves one speechless. There's also a young girl from Unova's Dragon Village, who joined the Masters Eight even younger than Ash, quickly reaching Cynthia's level. Alain from Kalos isn't simple either; his Charizard with Water Absorb is no joke. And as for that one called Goh, he's truly ambitious."
"In light of these stories, Ash's experiences aren't particularly extraordinary. But his Pikachu is remarkable, riding various legendary Pokémon, defeating many, and even sparring with Ho-Oh. Though these are tales from parallel worlds, this Pikachu is truly unique. Such an extraordinary Pikachu, and Professor Oak just handed it to Ash. That's some luck."
"Did I miss anyone?" Professor Oak felt a bit unsettled under Carl's gaze.
"You'll find out eventually," Carl said, intentionally keeping things mysterious. Some things lose their charm if revealed too soon.