The blazing pillar of energy lasted only a few minutes but its devastation was absolute.
When the last flickers of elemental power burned away, the battlefield fell into eerie silence.
Only scattered motes of light drifted down like dying embers, fading quietly into the night.
At the base of the shattered Crystal Tower, the battle was over.
Ash, Misty, Brock, Delia, and Molly slowly lowered the arms they'd raised to shield themselves.
For a few moments, none of them dared to move.
Above them, the once-massive tower was simply… gone.
The thick crystal walls, the grand chambers they had been vaporized.
Not destroyed. Not broken.
Only fragments of the base remained, standing alone under the cold light of the moon.
They exchanged glances, faces pale.
Only now did they truly understand why Kai had urged them to hurry.
He hadn't just wanted them to reach the Unown's core in time.
He had wanted to save their lives.
If they had hesitated even a little longer…
They would have been caught in that annihilating blast.
Nearby, dozens of weakened Unown floated aimlessly.
The unstable energy at their center had been completely drained and consumed in their desperate defense against the Triple Bird Strike.
It hadn't been out of kindness.
The Unown had merely acted out of survival instinct.
Still, thanks to that instinct, Ash and the others were alive.
Ash stood slowly, brushing dust from his clothes, and cast a determined look toward Molly.
The Illusory Entei, drawn from her deepest wishes, stood nearby, barely able to keep itself upright.
Time to finish this, once and for all.
Meanwhile, out under the open sky, Kai gazed upward as the Legendary Birds Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno descended.
Their once-mighty forms now drooped with exhaustion.
Their feathers dulled.
Their energy is spent.
They had poured everything into the Triple Bird Strike.
It was their ultimate move A final, all-or-nothing attack.
And this time... they had won.
Erika stood beside Kai, staring at the majestic birds with wide eyes.
In the past, she had only seen them in photographs, documentaries, and fleeting glimpses on television.
So close she could almost touch them.
"They're beautiful…" she whispered, almost in awe.
The Legendary Birds heard her quiet words.
Though weakened, each turned toward her with surprisingly warm gazes clearly finding her far more agreeable than the stoic psychic girl who had come before.
Kai chuckled, stepping forward and running his hand gently over Moltres' flaming feathers.
"They are beautiful," he agreed.
"And strong. It wasn't easy taming them, you know."
One by one, he returned the exhausted Birds to their Ultra Balls, letting them rest.
Then, climbing back onto Charizard's back, he extended a hand to Erika.
"Come on. Let's see what's left."
The ground below was unrecognizable.
Crystalline shards littered the earth like broken glass.
The center of the battlefield was a massive crater an ugly scar left by the Three Birds' combined might.
And lying scattered around the crater—
The Three Legendary Beasts.
Entei, Suicune, Raikou.
Each of them battered, gasping for breath, utterly defeated.
Kai touched down near the crater, landing lightly in the dust.
From his belt, he drew three fresh Ultra Balls.
The Beasts were too weak to fight back.
The victory was his for the taking.
He wound back his arm and threw the first ball toward Suicune—
A sudden blaze of fire roared across the sky.
In an instant, the Ultra Ball was struck mid-air and incinerated into ash before it could even reach its target.
He spun around, eyes scanning the dark heavens—
And there, silhouetted against the starlit sky, was something magnificent.
A massive bird, its wings blazing with golden-red feathers, hovered above, staring down with regal authority.
Its rainbow-colored wings caught the moonlight, scattering shimmering hues across the sky.
Kai's heart skipped a beat.
He rubbed his eyes once, twice but there was no mistaking it.
It wasn't an illusion.
It was the real Ho-Oh.
Beside him, Erika gasped audibly, her hands covering her mouth.
Even among Legends, Ho-Oh was rarer, more elusive, and more revered.
And now it had appeared unmistakable in its splendor.
Red and green-tipped wings.
Shining tail feathers.
A crown of yellow atop its head.
Eyes burning with ancient wisdom and power.
Kai's instincts kicked in, He quickly pulled out his Pokédex and scanned it.
Ho-Oh—the Rainbow Pokémon. Fire and Flying type. A Legendary Pokémon of myth is said to nest at the foot of a rainbow. Ho-Oh soars endlessly across the sky, its radiant wings scattering brilliant rainbows. It is said that anyone who witnesses Ho-Oh will be blessed with eternal happiness.
Kai lowered the Pokédex slowly.
Of all the outcomes he had anticipated today—
A battle with Legendary forces.
He had not expected this.
Ho-Oh itself… had come.
Was it here to stop him?
Or… for something even greater?
Kai's mind raced with questions but he knew one thing for sure:
This wasn't over yet.
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