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"That's—! Ho-Oh? Why did it suddenly appear here!?"
At the Burned Tower, Liam stared toward the distant Bell Tower, where the magnificent Ho-Oh slowly descended onto its peak. His heart was filled with confusion.
"T-that's Ho-Oh! Ho-Oh has returned! It's been a hundred years—Ho-Oh has come back to Ecruteak City!"
Morty, equally stunned, shouted with excitement as he gazed at the majestic figure by the Bell Tower. His face was filled with exhilaration.
But beside Liam, Axu's brow furrowed deeply, his face tight with worry.
"Boom!!"
A sudden explosion echoed from afar—the upper half of the Bell Tower's spire was engulfed in flames, scorched by Ho-Oh's fire. The sight startled Axu, who immediately panicked.
"Big sister! My sisters are still at the Bell Tower! Go, Manectric! Hurry and get me there!"
Seeing that a battle had broken out, Axu's expression turned frantic. Thinking of his sisters still at the Bell Tower, he released his Manectric, leapt onto its back, and sped toward the burning tower at full speed.
"...I'll go take a look as well. I'll leave things here to you two. Come out, Arcanine!"
Watching Axu race off on his Manectric, Liam called out his Arcanine. Mounting its back, he turned to Morty and Eusine.
"Got it! Leave this to us—we'll be right behind you!"
Eusine responded quickly, and Morty nodded repeatedly beside him.
"Alright, I'm going. Arcanine, take us back to Delia first."
"Rooaar!"
Liam patted Arcanine's neck. The great beast growled lowly, then dashed away with blazing speed.
...…
Liam didn't rush straight to the Bell Tower. First, he had Arcanine carry him back to the Ecruteak Gym. But when he arrived—Delia was nowhere to be found.
"...Arcanine, use your nose. Find out where Delia went."
Seeing that Delia wasn't waiting for him, Liam frowned and gave Arcanine's neck another pat. He was counting on Arcanine's sharp sense of smell to track her down.
"Grrr... sniff sniff... rooar!"
Arcanine lowered its head, inhaling deeply as it searched for Delia's scent. After a few sniffs, it picked up her trail and gave a low bark before sprinting off without needing another command.
...…
To the east of Ecruteak City—near the Bell Tower.
The battle between Ho-Oh and the Masked Man had reached its climax. But as time passed, Ho-Oh gradually began to fall into a disadvantage. Facing the relentless assault of the Masked Man's five Pokémon, it looked as though defeat was only moments away.
The Bell Tower, much like the Burned Tower, stood in the heart of a forest—far from any civilian buildings. Thankfully, there was no danger of innocent bystanders getting caught in the crossfire. Still, many of Ecruteak's citizens stood anxiously at the forest's edge, fear written across their faces as they watched the battle rage beside the sacred tower.
"That—that's Ho-Oh! Who is it fighting? Damn it! Ho-Oh finally returned to Ecruteak, and now someone dares to attack it!? Unforgivable!"
Among the crowd, an elderly woman leaning on a cane trembled with anger, striking the ground in frustration as the sound of explosions echoed through the woods.
"Grandma! Don't worry! We'll go help Ho-Oh right now! We won't let anyone hurt it!"
At her words, several young men dressed in Ecruteak's traditional attire stepped forward with determination. They released their Pokémon from their PokeBalls and charged into the forest, shouting bravely as the onlookers watched with hopeful eyes.
Just then, Delia arrived at the scene with Riolu by her side. Thanks to Riolu's sense of direction, she had managed to navigate the maze-like ruins of the old city.
"Excuse me! What's happening here?"
Panting slightly from the run, Delia asked a nearby bystander while glancing toward the people who had just rushed into the forest.
"What's happening? Something big! Someone's attacking our Guardian!"
The man, visibly agitated, clenched his fists as he answered.
"Guardian? You mean that rainbow-colored bird? Why would anyone attack it?"
Delia's brow furrowed in confusion. She recalled the magnificent, rainbow-plumed bird she'd seen earlier.
"Young lady! Judging from the Pokémon at your side, you must be a trainer, right?"
The elderly woman who had spoken earlier turned toward Delia. Her eyes flickered with surprise upon seeing Riolu, and she quickly hobbled closer.
"Ah—yes... I suppose I am," Delia admitted shyly.
"That's wonderful! Young lady, please—I beg of you! Lend us your strength! Help drive those villains away and protect our Guardian! Don't worry—we'll make sure you're properly thanked afterward!"
The old woman grasped Delia's hands with trembling fingers, her eyes filled with desperate hope. The surrounding townspeople looked on expectantly.
"This... Alright. I'm not that strong, but I'll do my best!"
Unable to refuse all those hopeful gazes, Delia nodded firmly. Turning to Riolu, she dashed into the forest.
...…
Delia and Riolu raced through the dense woods toward the Bell Tower at the center.
"Rio! (Wait—something's ahead!)"
"Hm? What is it, Riolu?"
Riolu suddenly stopped, sensing something ahead.
"Rio! (There's a battle up front—several people!)"
After closing its eyes briefly to focus, Riolu opened them again and reported what it sensed.
"There's fighting ahead too? Let's check it out first!"
Delia frowned slightly, then nodded.
"Rio! (Right!)"
...…
Not long after, they arrived near a small clearing. Delia could already hear sounds of battle—but within seconds, the noise ceased, replaced by silence and faint groans.
"Huh? It stopped?"
Confused, Delia crept forward and carefully pushed aside the tall grass to peek through.
On the other side of the clearing lay several young men dressed in Ecruteak's traditional garb—clearly the ones who had charged in earlier. They were sprawled across the ground, unconscious. Their Pokémon were down as well, surrounded by scorched earth and shattered branches—a clear sign that a fierce fight had just taken place.
"These guys… they're from Ecruteak! Hey! Are you okay? Can you still stand?"
Delia rushed from the bushes and knelt beside one of them, gently shaking his shoulder.
"Ugh… too strong… run…!"
The young man barely opened his eyes before croaking out a weak warning.
And just then—
"Meow!!"