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"Roooar!!"
With a heavy stomp of its foot, Aerodactyl sent a tremor through the entire cave. The ceiling, lined with sharp, stalactite-like rocks, began to violently shake. In the next instant, countless jagged stones came crashing down like a hailstorm—raining directly upon Moltres.
"Screee!"
Caught off guard by the sudden upheaval, Moltres let out a surprised cry. Unaware of what was happening, it quickly stopped its Flamethrower and flapped its wings rapidly, weaving through the falling rocks. But it wasn't fast enough.
One large rock slammed into it mid-dodge, staggering its rhythm. Immediately after, dozens more stones crashed down, burying Moltres under the rubble.
"Was that... Rock Slide? Aerodactyl!"
Liam stared at the pile of boulders burying Moltres, then turned to Aerodactyl in astonishment.
"Roar…"
Having landed a successful blow, Aerodactyl flapped its wings and flew to Liam's side. Its gaze fixed warily on the pile of rocks, it let out a low, warning growl.
"I know Moltres won't be taken down that easily… but I believe in your strength. As long as you trust me, then even if it's a Legendary Pokémon—we've got nothing to fear! Aerodactyl, now's our chance—use Hyper Beam!"
Liam understood what Aerodactyl's growl meant, but his voice brimmed with confidence. He pointed at the rock pile and shouted the command.
"Rooaaar!!"
This time, Aerodactyl obeyed immediately. Its body crouched slightly as powerful energy began to gather in its mouth. Then—boom!—a thick beam of golden energy blasted straight into the rock pile, smashing into it with a deafening explosion.
Stones of all sizes were flung in every direction, and a thick black smoke filled the cavern.
"Screee!!"
Just after the explosion, a sharp cry rang out from the smoke. A radiant golden figure burst forth from above the haze—Moltres, shining with intense light, soared upward, then quickly arced in the air before diving toward Liam like a missile.
"Not good! That's Sky Attack! Everyone, dodge!"
Seeing Moltres's golden glow and flight trajectory, Liam instantly recognized the move—Sky Attack, a powerful Flying-type technique that required a short charge time before being unleashed. But now that the attack was already in motion, the only option left was to evade it!
"Grooowl!"
"Roar!!"
At Liam's command, Arcanine immediately activated Extreme Speed, its body surrounded by a red aura as it darted off with Liam on its back. At the same time, Aerodactyl beat its wings hard, shooting straight up just in time to narrowly avoid the oncoming Sky Attack.
Though Sky Attack was incredibly powerful, its trajectory was straightforward, making it hard to steer mid-flight. While difficult to block, dodging was still feasible.
"Screee!!"
But Moltres wasn't finished. Its first strike missed, and the golden aura around it vanished. With a graceful twist in the air, it flared its flaming wings and quickly circled around, ending up above Aerodactyl again.
Then—its sharp beak opened wide, and a spiraling vortex of flames shot out.
The fireball, spinning wildly as it emerged, was no bigger than a ping-pong ball at first—but rapidly grew in size, swelling into a massive vortex several meters in radius! Aerodactyl couldn't dodge in time and was swallowed whole, trapped inside the fiery inferno and unable to break free.
"Screee…"
Seeing its opponent momentarily restrained, a golden gleam flashed through Moltres's eyes. Once more, its body was enveloped in radiant light.
It soared in a slow, circling arc above, then dived down once again—another Sky Attack aimed at the flaming vortex!
"Watch out, Aerodactyl! Use Giga Impact!"
From Arcanine's back, Liam had just escaped the earlier attack. Now, he turned to see Aerodactyl engulfed by the flames, while Moltres prepared for another devastating strike. There was no time to dodge—so Liam made the call for a head-on clash.
"Roooaaaar!!"
From within the vortex, Aerodactyl let out a thunderous roar. Its wings flared wide as rings of white energy rippled out from its body. In seconds, its entire form was wrapped in a powerful aura, and the vortex around it was blown apart by the sheer force of the energy.
Then—with a roar that shook the cave—Aerodactyl launched upward, a blazing comet of white energy, crashing directly into the oncoming Moltres!
The collision made Liam flash back to when he first battled Aerodactyl—when Garchomp's Dragon Rush collided with Aerodactyl's Giga Impact. The scene now was like a mirror of that clash.
As the two mighty Pokémon collided, an enormous shockwave erupted, tearing through the cavern. The force shattered rocks from the ceiling, sending debris crashing down—only to be pulverized mid-air by the sheer energy of their clash.
"Screee!"
"Rooaar!"
Locked in a deadly stalemate, both Pokémon let out fierce cries. Their respective energies—Moltres's golden glow and Aerodactyl's white aura—flared even brighter.
The force of their clash intensified further, the surrounding air whipping into violent winds. Even the nearby rock pillars were etched with deep scars from the pressure alone.
Liam and Arcanine had long retreated to a safe distance. Liam looked up at the midair battle, concern in his eyes. Seeing how much larger Moltres's golden aura was compared to Aerodactyl's, he could already guess how this would end.
"Screee!!"
BOOM!!
As expected, with a final cry, Moltres unleashed a surge of energy. A massive explosion echoed across the cave. Aerodactyl let out a pained grunt as its body was blown away like a cannonball, slamming hard into the ground and forming a deep crater.
"Screee!"
Moltres, too, was affected by the recoil. Its golden body trembled mid-air as it beat its wings fiercely to steady itself. After a moment's struggle, it stabilized and landed atop a rocky pillar, spreading its wings and letting out a triumphant cry.
Seeing Aerodactyl crash down, Liam immediately had Arcanine rush over. He jumped off and slid down into the crater, where he found Aerodactyl lying on its back—still conscious.
When it saw Liam approach, it opened its large mouth slightly and even managed a small smile.
"Aerodactyl! Quick, drink this!"
Relieved to see Aerodactyl still responsive, Liam knew its ancient, hardened body had saved it from severe injury. He rushed to its side, uncorked a bottle of Max Potion, and poured the contents into its mouth.
Watching Aerodactyl gulp down the entire dose, Liam gave its long snout a few hearty pats, smiling with satisfaction.
"Heh… You did amazing, Aerodactyl. You've proven your strength. Now rest for a bit. That big firebird out there—don't worry. I'll take care of it for you."
"Rooaaar…"
Liam took out Aerodactyl's PokeBall and recalled the exhausted but content Pokémon. Then he climbed out of the crater, pulled out another bottle of Max Potion, and placed it at the base of the rock pillar where Moltres stood.
After backing away some distance, and seeing Moltres looking down at him in confusion, Liam pulled a PokeBall from his belt—and threw it open.
A flash of white light revealed Garchomp's towering figure behind him, eyes blazing with battle intent, locked onto the Legendary bird above.
"Hey, big firebird! Come down and drink that potion—it'll restore your strength. Then let's have a real, all-out battle. Because…"
"I'm going to catch you!!"