Lugia and Ho-Oh, floating to the left and right above the Masked Man, simultaneously raised their heads and let out piercing cries.
"Screech!"
The dark clouds in the sky instantly dispersed as scorching, blinding sunlight bathed everyone below.
- Sunny Day: A Fire-type move that intensifies sunlight, boosting the power of Fire-type moves while weakening Water-type moves...
Ye Fan and Gyeol immediately released all their Pokémon without hesitation.
Caleb glanced at the extravagant lineup from afar before silently sending out his own three Pokémon.
Ye Fan showed little reaction to this.
Gyeol, however, looked at Caleb with surprise. She wondered how someone with only three Pokémon (not even a full team of six) managed to overcome all the dangers and make it here?
But before she could figure it out, the Masked Man at the center commanded Ho-Oh and Lugia to attack.
Gyeol regained her composure...
A Trainer with only three Pokémon stood no chance of winning this Mythical Pokémon Competition against them. Thus, she dismissed Caleb entirely. She believed Ye Fan felt the same.
So, once the main quest ends and the Mythical Pokémon Competition begins, their first move will be to eliminate any irrelevant participants before competing fairly for Celebi...
....
True to his reputation as a veteran Trainer with over fifty years of battle experience, the Masked Man responded to the situation with a devastating move...
He Combined Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire with Lugia's Aeroblast to create an enormous, wide-ranging vortex of flames. It was so massive, that dodging was impossible.
Caleb's mind races before he swiftly leaps onto Dragonite's back, recalling Mimikyu and Lucario into their Poké Balls.
He instructed Dragonite, "Fly toward the Masked Man!"
Even someone as ruthless as the Masked Man wouldn't let his own attack harm himself.
"Wuu!"
Dragonite reacted instantly, flapping its wings at top speed as it skimmed the ground, flying alongside Entei.
The Masked Man frowned at the sight and ordered, "Delibird, Ice Beam!"
Caleb barked out commands rapidly, "Dragonite, Flamethrower! Entei, I'm counting on you!"
Entei didn't respond, but its golden eyes flashed before it opened its maw and unleashed a searing blast of fire toward the enemy.
The two Flamethrowers merged midair, forming an even more massive column of flames. Upon colliding with Delibird's Ice Beam, the energy evaporated, producing thick white steam.
Not only that, but the flames rapidly climbed along the Ice Beam. Delibird had no time to react before being engulfed by the colossal inferno.
At the same time, the enormous fire vortex behind them finally crashed down.
Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire ignited the surrounding grass and trees. A forest fire spread rapidly in all directions, turning the entirety of Ilex Forest into a blazing inferno.
Ye Fan and Gyeol, having narrowly avoided the attack using their Pokémon's Teleport and Mirror Coat, immediately commanded their Pokémon to strike at Ho-Oh and Lugia in the sky.
Suicune gazed grimly at the surrounding flames before using Rain Dance. Soon, dark clouds gathered overhead, and a downpour began, temporarily suppressing the spreading fire.
Caleb didn't know how strong the first and third-ranked players on the leaderboard were, but seeing Ye Fan and Gyeol engage Ho-Oh and Lugia directly, he refrained from interfering in the aerial battle.
Wild battles between Trainers clearly didn't follow the League's 1v1 rules. In this kind of fight, victory hinged on who had more Pokémon and whose Pokémon had superior battle instincts.
A Trainer was only one person... it was impossible to split focus six ways and command six Pokémon simultaneously. Even the most skilled Champion couldn't pull that off.
Thus, the Masked Man, being constantly harassed and kited by Caleb's flying tactics, had no capacity to manage Ho-Oh and Lugia. He could only order Ariados and the others to counterattack.
Caleb released Lucario and Mimikyu again. Without a word, his first move was to focus Dragonite, Entei, Mimikyu, and Lucario's combined strength to instantly eliminate the already weakened Delibird, which had taken two Flamethrowers.
With Delibird down, only Ariados, Houndour, and Gastly remained on the ground...
"Don't lose focus, concentrate fire on the same target!" Caleb instructed coolly, "Entei, Fire Spin! Dragonite, Hurricane! Mimikyu, flank and ambush that Gastly! Lucario, Aura Sphere!"
"Houndour, Inferno!" the Masked Man ordered sharply, "Gastly, use Hypnosis on that Dragonite!"
Dragonite, carrying Caleb on its back, flapped its wings after seeing Entei unleash a spiraling vortex of flames, conjuring a fierce gust of wind.
The flames rode the wind, transforming the Fire Spin into a fiery tornado that barreled toward Houndour with overwhelming force.
Accompanying it was a seemingly ordinary Aura Sphere.
Houndour's Inferno didn't even get a chance to fire before being buried under the barrage of attacks.
Meanwhile, Gastly, having stealthily floated into the air, barely raised its claws to cast Hypnosis on Dragonite when a cannonball-like figure slammed into it.
Sharp black claws materialized and slashed mercilessly across Gastly's face.
That was a Shadow Claw boosted by multiple Swords Dances. Even the Masked Man's Gastly couldn't withstand this super effective strike.
The Masked Man was instantly forced onto the back foot. Frowning, he looked up to command Ho-Oh and Lugia, only to realize in horror that they had gone out of control!
At the same time, the players' main quest updated:
[Main Quest Updated!]
[New Objective: Stop the rampaging Ho-Oh and Lugia!]
Caleb looked up just in time to witness the spectacular sight of Ho-Oh and Lugia unleashing their full power; one transforming into a crimson sun, the other into a silver sun.
Gyeol and Ye Fan's Pokémon were instantly blasted away, crashing to the ground.
Ho-Oh and Lugia had gone berserk. Their minds, corrupted by the Dark Balls, had completely lost all reason. Their wild instincts for destruction and violence had been fully unleashed.
Caleb had seen this before. It happened in the movie Pokémon 4Ever - Celebi: Voice of the Forest. Due to being corrupted by a Dark Ball, a Celebi went on a rampage, absorbing trees and vines to become a massive Forest Titan that wreaked havoc...
While Caleb was fighting the Masked Man, the other players who hadn't earned the Legendary Pokémon's recognition also arrived.
Gazing up at the two terrifying orbs of light radiating overwhelming power, they murmured, "They're... so strong!"