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The sacred golden flames came surging forward—but just as they were about to strike Liam—
"Skree!!"
Not far away, Moltres—who had been falling—snapped awake. It shook its dizzy head vigorously, and upon seeing Liam trapped in danger, it let out a sharp, urgent cry. With a powerful flap of its wings, Moltres soared at blinding speed and swooped beside Liam in the next instant. Its talons seized him tightly, and its beak opened wide—unleashing a roaring Flamethrower!
"Moltres—cough!—its flames are stronger. We'd better avoid it for now."
Caught in Moltres's grasp, Liam frowned as he watched the sacred flames from Ho-Oh begin to overpower Moltres's fire.
"Skree!!"
But upon hearing Liam imply that its flames were weaker than Ho-Oh's, a fierce determination flared up in Moltres's eyes. With a defiant cry, it redoubled its efforts—its Flamethrower grew hotter and denser, spewing forth in even greater volume. Against all odds, Moltres actually managed to hold back Ho-Oh's sacred fire!
"Gyaah!!"
Ho-Oh, wings flaring, halted midair. As it saw its sacred fire suppressed by Moltres, a flicker of light returned to its shadowed eyes. Ignoring the Masked Man plummeting nearby, Ho-Oh opened its beak once more and unleashed an even more violent torrent of Fire Blast!
"Skree!!"
The overwhelming flames came crashing down. Moltres trembled under the renewed pressure, yet refused to yield. With a piercing cry, it surged with burning pride—its entire body erupting in flames. It exhaled a devastating, all-consuming blast of fire that once again countered Ho-Oh's divine attack!
"Wait... Burn Up? Moltres..."
Liam's eyes narrowed as realization dawned. Moltres had just used Burn Up—a move that expends all of its fire energy at once. It was immensely powerful but drained the user completely, even stripping it temporarily of its Fire type.
Now, the blaze that had once wreathed Moltres was reduced to faint embers. Its wings flapped weakly, and it began to descend. Though exhausted, its eyes still gleamed with stubborn pride.
"Gyaah!! Gyaah!!"
Perhaps due to the mental strain of being controlled, Ho-Oh's emotions were chaotic. Seeing its attack thwarted twice only fanned its rage further. It let out a furious cry and gathered yet another surge of blazing divinity before hurling it straight toward Moltres!
"Skree!!"
Seeing the sacred flames descending, Moltres tried to summon strength once more—it opened its beak to retaliate, but no flame emerged, only faint wisps of black smoke. Its Fire type was gone.
"Don't just stand there, Moltres! Use Safeguard, now!"
Seeing Moltres falter, Liam slapped its talon and shouted.
"Skree!!"
At his voice, Moltres reacted instantly. With a mighty flap, a green, shimmering barrier enveloped both trainer and Pokémon. The next moment, the FireBlast crashed into them, engulfing everything in searing light.
But even the Safeguard couldn't withstand such divine power—the barrier cracked and twisted, seconds from shattering—
Then—
"Roar!!"
"Kuuh!!"
"Awoo!!"
Three powerful cries echoed from deep within the forest. In the next heartbeat, a burst of violet flame, an aurora-colored ice beam, and a massive bolt of lightning shot forth from three different directions! The three attacks collided head-on with the sacred blaze, dispersing it in a thunderous explosion that saved Moltres and Liam at the last second!
"Gyaah!!"
Ho-Oh turned in fury, its eyes narrowing at the intruders who had interfered. Its screech of wrath shook the treetops.
"Roar!"
An answering roar came from below. A majestic Entei leapt onto the highest bough of a massive tree, violet fire burning at the corners of its mouth. It lifted its head toward the sky and bellowed at Ho-Oh in a language beyond human comprehension.
"Kuuh!" "Awoo!"
In the next instant, Suicune and Raikou emerged from opposite sides of the forest canopy. They did not attack but stood tall, howling upward in unison toward the golden guardian above.
Liam blinked in astonishment. Though surprised by the sudden arrival of these apparent allies, he said nothing—only tightened his grip on Moltres's leg as it slowly descended to the forest floor.
"Baa-gah!!"
Just then, a Delibird burst out of the forest—its legs carrying none other than the Masked Man clinging to it.
"One after another—you all think you can stand in my way? You're really testing my patience! Ho-Oh, use Fire Blast! Teach them a lesson!"
The Masked Man landed once more upon Ho-Oh's back, his expression dark and furious as he shouted the command.
"Gyaah!!"
Ho-Oh obeyed instantly, gathering scorching flames in its beak, ready to unleash them—
But before it could—
Ding-ling... ding-ling...
The soft, pure sound of a bell echoed across the air, faint yet crystalline, reaching every Pokémon and person present.
"Gyaah... Gyaaah..."
As the chime rang out, Ho-Oh froze. The fire it had been charging vanished. The darkness clouding its eyes cleared rapidly—it was regaining control of itself.
"What... what is that sound?!"
The Masked Man frowned as he noticed Ho-Oh's change, an uneasy feeling rising within him.
"Tch. Return, Ho-Oh!"
Without hesitation, he seized Delibird's talon with one hand and held up the Rainbow Ball with the other, recalling the now-calm Ho-Oh into it. Diving down, he retrieved his battered Ice-type Pokémon from the forest floor, then turned one last time toward Liam and Moltres.
"Hmph. Champion—you've impressed me. You've cost me more effort than I expected. But I'll let you off this once. Don't get in my way again—or next time, I won't be so merciful! Farewell... for now!"
With that, the Masked Man ordered Delibird to fly off. It darted between the trees, disappearing into the forest shadows within moments.
"Roar!" "Awoo!"
Entei and Raikou leapt down from the treetops, giving chase. Suicune, however, did not follow. Instead, it padded gracefully forward—each step light and elegant—heading straight toward Liam... and Delia, who was now sprinting toward him from behind.