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The arrival of the magnificent rainbow-colored bird drew the attention of nearly everyone in Ecruteak City.
"Shaaa!!"
The multicolored bird let out a resonant cry as it descended slowly from the sky. The wind stirred by its enormous wings dispersed vast swathes of clouds, and with an awe-inspiring presence, it finally landed atop the Bell Tower.
"Shaaa!!"
Standing on the tower's peak, Ho-Oh lowered its head, its sharp eyes falling upon the four shrine maidens collapsed on the altar. A flicker of anger flashed across its gaze. Then, turning toward the masked man and his Pokémon standing at the edge of the rooftop, it suddenly spread its wings wide and released a furious, thunderous cry of warning.
"Hahaha! Ho-Oh! Just as the legends described! Using one of your feathers along with this Clear Bell truly summons you… Hehehe, I really must thank these shrine maidens for safeguarding these sacred relics for generations. Otherwise, I would've had to deal with that old man and his troublesome followers."
The masked man showed not a hint of fear in the face of Ho-Oh's wrath. Looking down at the Rainbow Feather and Clear Bell in his hands, his voice trembled with excitement.
"Shaaa!!"
Ho-Oh's eyes blazed with fury when it saw the masked man's complete disregard for its warning. With another deafening cry, it opened its beak, releasing a brilliant torrent of golden flames that roared straight toward the intruder!
"Hmph! Such a bad temper! Houndoom, block it!"
"Grrr!"
As the flames surged toward him, the masked man merely snorted and flicked his hand. From behind him, a Houndoom darted forward on command, throwing itself in front of the fire to shield its master.
"Awwooo!"
But the instant Ho-Oh's flames struck, Houndoom was blasted away with a pained howl, smashing into the rooftop railing before slumping to the ground, its eyes spiraling in dizziness as it fainted.
"Tch! Even a Houndoom with the Flash Fire ability couldn't endure it... As expected of a Legendary Pokémon! Such incredible firepower! Ariados, you're up! Use String Shot! Haunter, use Hypnosis!"
The masked man frowned slightly beneath his mask. With no time to waste, he recalled his fallen Houndoom and immediately commanded the two remaining Pokémon beside him to attack.
"Dos!"
"Ghaaa~!"
At his order, Ariados spewed a torrent of sticky silk from its mouth, while Haunter waved its spectral claws, sending waves of eerie hypnotic energy toward Ho-Oh.
The Bell Tower's rooftop was not very large, so the distance between Ho-Oh and the masked man was short. Given Ho-Oh's massive size, even though it tried to flap its wings and dodge, it was a fraction too slow. One of its wings was quickly bound by the thick threads, and immediately afterward, the rippling waves of hypnosis swept across its body.
"Shaaa!!"
Entangled by silk and bombarded by hypnotic energy, Ho-Oh felt its consciousness blur slightly—but with a mighty shake of its head, it roared itself back to focus. A dazzling blue aura suddenly burst from its body, shattering the webbing that bound it and repelling the waves of hypnosis completely.
"Hmph… Safeguard, huh? This could be tricky…"
The masked man muttered, watching as Ho-Oh's Safeguard shattered Ariados's silk and deflected Haunter's hypnosis. The powerful gust that followed from Ho-Oh's newly freed wings buffeted the rooftop, and yet the man's lips curved into an exhilarated grin.
"Shaaa!!"
Now completely unbound, Ho-Oh rose slowly from the tower top. But it didn't fly away. Flames of anger still blazed in its eyes—it clearly intended to punish the fool who dared offend it.
"Shaaa!!"
Ho-Oh's mighty cries echoed across the skies. Then, with another piercing screech, it dove from above, its vast wings slicing the air. Opening its beak wide, it unleashed a massive, fiery Fire Blast in the shape of a blazing "大" character that cascaded downward with overwhelming might!
BOOM!!
The explosion tore apart half the Bell Tower's roof. Splinters and debris scattered wildly through the air, leaving only the spot where Ho-Oh had originally landed intact. The four shrine maidens who had collapsed earlier remained unharmed in that untouched space.
"Hmph! What a troublesome creature. But that's fine by me—the stronger the opponent, the more thrilling the challenge!"
The masked man and his Pokémon had already leapt off the tower to avoid the blast. Ariados had spun a large web below beforehand, allowing them to land safely without injury.
"Shaaa!!"
Ho-Oh continued circling above, scattering radiant rainbow light with every beat of its wings. But when it noticed the masked man standing unscathed on the ground below, it screeched once more, diving furiously toward him. A torrent of flames began to swirl in its beak again—
"Baga!!"
At that instant, a cry rang out from the nearby forest. A red-and-white Delibird shot out like a spinning drill, striking Ho-Oh squarely in the face and interrupting its attack!
"Baga! Baga!!"
The Delibird flapped its tiny wings, landing in front of the masked man and glaring up at the dazed Ho-Oh, which was shaking its head in frustration.
"Oh, Delibird—you're back. Where are Kaz and Sham?"
The masked man's lips curled slightly as he addressed the bird, even as he drew two more PokeBalls from his belt.
"Teacher! We're here!"
Before Delibird could respond, two figures burst from the forest—Kaz and Sham—rushing breathlessly to the masked man's side.
"Hmph! I told you to wait here! Where did you two run off to? If it weren't for the fact that this is a critical moment, I'd be teaching you a lesson right now!"
The man shot them a cold glare, his tone sharp and scolding.
"Uh… Teacher, we—"
"Enough! Save it. We'll talk after we capture this one! Come out—Jynx! Mamoswine! Delibird! Use Blizzard together!"
Kaz opened his mouth to explain, but the masked man cut him off sharply. He tossed the two PokeBalls in his hands, summoning a Jynx and a Mamoswine.
In perfect sync with Delibird, all three Ice-type Pokémon unleashed Blizzard simultaneously. The fierce storm erupted across the area, howling with incredible power as it swept toward Ho-Oh!
...…
Meanwhile, on the steps outside the Ecruteak Gym, Delia stared blankly at the Bell Tower, where Ho-Oh's cries continued to echo. Then, glancing toward the smoldering Burned Tower nearby, her eyes hardened with resolve. Quickly recalling the three PokeBalls in her hand, she rose to her feet and broke into a run—straight toward the Bell Tower.