----
Kai released Charizard once again, climbing onto its back as they soared upward toward the top of the Crystal Tower.
Despite taking a punishing hit from Suicune earlier, a devastating Water-type attack that struck with quadruple effectiveness, Charizard had recovered enough after a brief rest to fly steadily once more. His spirit remained unbroken.
From Kai's perspective, even though the Legendary Birds were once again revealed in front of others, there was little need to hide the truth anymore.
Ash and Misty already knew about his connection to the Birds; after all, they'd witnessed him commanding them back during the battle in the Orange Islands.
As for Brock, Kai trusted his character honest, loyal, and not the kind to gossip.
Delia Ketchum, being a mature and kindhearted adult, was equally trustworthy. Kai had no worries she would expose anything to the world.
And Molly?
She was just a child.
Even if she told others about the "man with the three Legendary Birds," who would truly believe her? Most would brush it off as childish fantasy or misidentification.
'Perhaps,' Kai thought, 'she didn't even know what the Three Legendary Birds truly were.'
---
Hovering just outside the tower, Charizard's wings beat steadily as Kai surveyed the damage below.
Inside, Ash, Misty, Brock, Delia, and the illusionary Entei were struggling amid a wild eruption of crystal spikes. The unstable crystal growths stabbed upward like spears, threatening to impale anyone standing still.
The situation was deteriorating fast.
Kai cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted across the whipping wind.
"What's happening over there!?"
Misty, shielding her mouth against the roaring storm, shouted back:
"We don't know! Everything just went crazy all of a sudden!!"
Kai immediately pieced it together.
The Unown's control had collapsed.
The unstable energy core must have reached its critical point.
The Unown's illusions were no longer discerning between friend and foe attacking everything indiscriminately.
Kai pointed toward the lower levels of the tower and shouted again:
"There's an energy mass in the bottom floor! You have to stop it before it destroys everything!"
He added urgently: "Hurry!"
Ash, understanding the seriousness of Kai's tone, nodded with determination.
"We're on it! Leave it to us!"
Without wasting another second, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Delia sprinted for the spiral staircase, rushing to the tower's lower chambers. Even the illusionary Entei, carrying Molly, seemed to recognize the danger and retreated with them.
Before disappearing down the stairs, Ash glanced one last time at the sky, at the magnificent trio of birds circling high above.
He couldn't help but feel awe and envy.
Three Legendary Birds…
It was unbelievable that Kai had managed to capture them all.
Ash had seen them before but every time, he was left with the same feeling:
Pure admiration.
---
Kai, meanwhile, urged Charizard to descend back to the ground.
The battle overhead was still raging fiercely.
Although his Birds held the advantage, the Beasts weren't backing down easily.
Victory might eventually come, but it would take time and time was the one thing they didn't have.
The unstable energy core could explode at any moment.
This fight needed to end. Now.
Kai called Gardevoir to his side. Using its psychic powers, he projected his thoughts directly into the minds of his three Legendary Birds.
"No more holding back. Use it the Triple Bird Strike!"
The Birds, already in tune with their Trainer's spirit, froze for a heartbeat.
Then, with a chorus of fierce cries, they abandoned their individual targets and soared into formation high above the battlefield.
---
Down below, the Beasts Entei, Suicune, and Raikou paused, watching in growing dread.
High above, Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos spiraled upward in a tight formation. Their powerful wings churned the storm clouds, sending them into a frenzied spin that reached even higher into the heavens.
The sky darkened further blacker than midnight.
Each Bird blazed with elemental light:
Red fire.
Blue ice.
Yellow lightning.
From far away, even at the Pokémon Center, Professor Oak and the others could see it clearly.
Standing on the hill, the onlookers felt the winds pick up violently.
The air grew heavy, the storm more furious than ever.
The female reporter turned, fear flashing in her eyes.
"Professor… what are the Birds doing?"
Oak's face was grave.
"I don't know," he admitted, voice low. "But whatever it is… it's going to be catastrophic."
---
Back on the battlefield, the Legendary Beasts bristled.
Their fur stood on end, their muscles tense.
Some primal instinct screamed at them to flee that what was coming was not a battle, but judgment.
Their legs trembled, but none dared move.
Every instinct warned them:
One wrong step… and annihilation would follow.
The Triple Bird Strike was beginning.
----
Don't forget to drop some PowerStones!💎💎💎
For early access to advanced chapters on p@treon.
P@treon/iamxeno
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!