Ho-Oh Report

Ho-Oh (the Rainbow Pokémon) is a legendary Fire/Flying-type Pokémon found soaring through the sky in all parts of the world, though they tend to appear frequently in certain places of sacred importance. Renowned for their magnificent appearances and fiery powers, Ho-Oh are truly sacred creatures that are generally steeped in myth more so than science. Of course, considering their abilities, that should come as no surprise; besides, if you lived in the 14th century or earlier, how would you explain a bird that randomly generates rainbows every time it flies!?

Little is known about Ho-Oh because of their exceptional rarity, but what is known is more than enough to testify towards the wondrous image humanity has made for them over the millennia. Although Ho-Oh possess naturally brilliant plumage, what makes them truly unique is that their feathers are laced with tiny crystals that act as perfect prisms, splitting light that strikes them into a total of seven different colors (the colors themselves depend on the angle at which light strikes the feathers). More importantly, these crystals function much like raindrops when exposed to sunlight and thus are capable of generating rainbows while Ho-Oh are in flight. This strange mystical quality has led many to regard Ho-Oh as guardians of the sky, but the actual need for such crystals in the wild is still an utter mystery. Oddly enough, these crystals can be ground into a fine powder that acts a super-powerful healing tonic, curing status conditions, healing wounds and even reviving fainted Pokémon in a trainer's entire party in a single sitting; now referred to as Sacred Ash, these items are incredibly rare and are virtually unobtainable outside of an encounter with an actual Ho-Oh. In addition, Ho-Oh are noted for their tremendous pyrokinetic abilities, which exceed their other psychic powers so strongly that they make Ho-Oh partial Fire-types. In particular, Ho-Oh are able to generate a potent flame by mixing the ingredients of a traditional fire with the crystals imbedded in their feathers; the addition of the crystals makes this fire glow a brilliant white (with just a shade of indigo and violet), burn brighter and burn much hotter than a traditional fire. This unique attack (which only they and Entei are able to learn), known as the Sacred Fire attack, is not quite as powerful as the traditional Fire Blast attack but is more than compensated for its ability to effectively Burn a target 50% of the time and inflict physical damage, exceeding the possibilities of every other damaging Fire-type attack except for the highly inaccurate Inferno attack. In short, Ho-Oh are powerful beasts capable of dealing considerable damage to any number of opponents without even trying. Thankfully, they are usually quite peaceful and rarely ever attack other life forms outside of a battle. It is lastly noted that it is believed that Ho-Oh do possess breeding populations like their semi-aquatic counterpart, Lugia, but no Ho-Oh chicks have been observed by modern humans yet.

While there are many legends associated with Ho-Oh across the planet, one of the most well-known legends involves the Tin and Brass Towers of Ecruteak City within the Johto region. 700 years ago, two nine-tier towers were built within Ecruteak City in hopes of fostering friendship and hope between Pokémon and people. The eastern tower, known as Tin Tower (though today it is simply referred to as the Bell Tower), was designed to be a place where Pokémon could awaken and start each day anew; a local Ho-Oh often perched at the top of this tower and considered it to be its permanent nesting ground. The western tower, known as Brass Tower (now referred to as the Burned Tower), was designed to be a place where Pokémon could go to sleep in peace; while reports are a bit hazy on the subject, it is believed that a local Lugia used the tower as its permanent nesting ground. For many generations, peace surrounded the towers and Ecruteak City was a prosperous place…but a bit over 160 years ago, disaster struck. A freak storm generated massive lightning bolts that struck many homes and buildings within the small city, setting them ablaze; one of those buildings was Brass Tower. Although all of the people and most of the Pokémon within the tower were able to escape to safety, three unidentified Pokémon were trapped within the basement of the tower. The blaze lasted for three days before a sudden downpour finally put out the fire, but by then the three trapped Pokémon had been burned alive and reduced to little more than ashes. According to legend, Ho-Oh felt such pity towards the deceased Pokémon that it resurrected them in forms representative of the entire fiasco: The lightning bolt that started the fire (Raikou), the fire itself (Entei) and the rain that finally stopped the blaze (Suicune). Considering that these legendary beasts are seen around the world, it is unlikely that their origins truly took place here; however, all historical records make no indication of any different events, leaving the legend as Ecruteak City's official public record. It is possible, however, that the Ho-Oh modeled the creatures after the legendary beasts that were already present in the wild, which would in turn make this an isolated incident. What is known is that the Ho-Oh that once rested on Tin Tower flew away and has only reappeared on extremely rare occasions; the Lugia believed to live on Brass Tower flew away to an unknown location and has not been seen since, though many believe that it may be living within the depths of the region's Whirl Islands. From this legend, though, it has at least been verified that, if spotted, Ho-Oh will leave behind one of its feathers, a Rainbow Wing, to those that it finds favor with and wishes to do battle with someday as the Rainbow Hero, provided that its herald, Marshadow, can verify that the presenter of the feather is pure of heart, lest they risk the wrath of Marshadow instead.

Despite the fact that little is known about their anatomy or behavior, it is more than apparent that Ho-Oh are magnificent creatures that deserve to be worshipped and revered for the mystical birds they are. With the highest base Special Defense stat out of all Flying (tied with Lugia) and Fire-type Pokémon and the highest base stat total out of all Fire (tied with Reshiram) and Flying-type Pokémon (tied with Lugia, Rayquaza and Yveltal), it cannot be argued that these powerful beasts are able to deal just as much damage on the battlefield as they can take, proving that they are truly legends to be remembered. If you ever manage to see one of these brilliant creatures, consider it to be a sign of future success; these creatures only ever appear in front of humans with pure hearts, so even the slightest glimpse of them is worth more than any other compliment you could possibly receive!

Professor Wormwood