The Iron Defense used by Celesteela significantly reduced the impact of Dragonite's full-power strike. Even with Thunder Punch landing directly, it barely managed to break through its defenses.
"Flamethrower."
If I can't deal damage with physical attacks because of Iron Defense, then let's see if you have the guts to use Amnesia on the special side too!
Dragonite's Flamethrower was nothing like that of Charmeleon. If Dragonite's attack could be called true flames, then Charmeleon's was nothing more than a flickering ember.
This time, Celesteela didn't opt to take the attack head-on. Instead, it raised both of its cannon-like arms and fired back two Flamethrowers of its own.
In this clash of flames, Celesteela had the upper hand. Dragonite was by no means an expert in using Flamethrower, while Celesteela's cannons doubled as propulsion thrusters, making its proficiency with the move vastly superior.
And more importantly… Dragonite only had one mouth, while this thing had two hands! Was this "Hand-to-Hand Combat" ability even fair?!
Fortunately, while Dragonite's stall tactic didn't buy much time, it was enough for Tyranitar. Despite its massive frame, Tyranitar was far from sluggish—especially after a Dragon Dance boost, which had significantly increased its speed.
Upon reaching the altar, Tyranitar wasted no time. It raised its massive fist and slammed it down on the center of the structure. However, whatever the altar was made of, it barely cracked under the force of Tyranitar's full-powered punch.
That was absurd. With Tyranitar's current strength, a single punch should have been enough to bore a hole through a mountain. Yet all it managed to do here was leave a tiny fracture.
Even so, not even an altar this sturdy could withstand Tyranitar's relentless barrage.
With a series of heavy strikes, the cracks deepened. Then, with one final punch—glowing with a crimson aura—Tyranitar brought down its fist.
Superpower!
Although the move lowered its own Attack and Defense, the sheer force behind it was ridiculous.
This final blow shattered the altar completely.
Amidst the debris was a small box—far more fragile than the altar itself. It had already been reduced to pieces from the impact, revealing its contents.
Two feathers—one golden, one silver—shimmered faintly with a mystical glow. However, anyone with eyes could tell that their energy was waning, and soon, whatever power they held would completely dissipate.
Observing the battlefield closely, Maki immediately noticed the scene. Being closer to the altar now, he could clearly see what Tyranitar had retrieved.
Feathers of Ho-Oh and Lugia?
Golden and silver-white feathers, found in the Kanto region—there was hardly any doubt.
But just as Maki was wondering what Tyranitar planned to do with them, the Pokémon suddenly clenched its fists—crushing both feathers to dust.
Maki was stunned. Wait, is that how you're supposed to use them?!
Meanwhile, Dragonite was being forced back by Celesteela's Heavy Slam and Air Slash. At the same time, Celesteela's body rapidly swiveled to face Tyranitar, as if preparing to launch an attack.
But the moment Tyranitar crushed the feathers, two powerful surges of energy erupted from the fragments, shooting straight into the sky toward the Ultra Wormhole.
As Ho-Oh and Lugia's latent power interacted with the Ultra Wormhole, its previously expanding form suddenly froze in place—then began to rotate in reverse.
The Ultra Wormhole was closing!
Celesteela seemed to realize this as well. Its energy surged wildly, growing even more frenzied.
Light flooded from all over its body, converging into the cannons on its arms. A blinding burst of energy erupted forth.
Even by just looking at it, it was obvious that this attack was far beyond the power of its previous Flash Cannons.
Steel Beam!
A true Steel-type ultimate move—gathering all of its steel essence into a beam of pure destruction. However, the immense recoil would also severely damage the user.
"Draco Meteor!"
Maki's pupils contracted at the sight of the Steel Beam. Who here could possibly withstand that attack?!
But he quickly realized that with the Ultra Wormhole closing, Celesteela wouldn't be able to remain here for much longer. That meant all they had to do was stall!
Dragonite let out a mighty roar. A surge of Dragon-type energy condensed into a glowing sphere in its mouth before shooting into the sky. At its peak, the energy burst apart, raining down as countless meteor-like projectiles onto Celesteela.
A clash between the strongest Dragon-type and Steel-type moves!
At the same time the feathers were destroyed, Ho-Oh—resting in an undisclosed location somewhere in Kanto—suddenly opened its eyes. It let out a majestic cry before silently waiting, as if expecting someone's arrival.
…Nothing happened.
Ho-Oh continued waiting, growing increasingly impatient. Finally, a shadow hurriedly rushed onto the scene.
As it reverted from its shadowy form, its true appearance was revealed—a humanoid Pokémon cloaked in smoke-gray shadows.
Marshadow!
A Legendary Pokémon—and Ho-Oh's chosen emissary.
From Ho-Oh's perspective, Marshadow was fine in every way… except for being far too mischievous. The moment it let its guard down, this little rascal would vanish to who-knows-where.
And apparently, that had just happened again.
"Go check out the situation. If there's a problem, take care of it."
Ho-Oh instructed Marshadow before lightly flapping its wings, causing a golden feather to fall. Marshadow reached out its small hand and caught the feather—but after a moment of hesitation, it looked up and asked:
"You've left so many feathers in different places… How am I supposed to know which one this is?"
At Marshadow's question, even Ho-Oh fell into silence.
It was true. Over the years, it might have left a few too many of its feathers scattered around. Fortunately, most of them had long since lost their power due to time. Otherwise, if too many people came seeking it out, it wouldn't know what to do.
Luckily, Ho-Oh could still sense its own energy's unique fluctuations. It pointed Marshadow in the right direction before promptly sending it on its way.
Regardless of success or failure, at least this would give the little troublemaker something to do—rather than sneaking off on another playful adventure.
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