BOOM!
Ho-Oh's resting place? once a majestic mountain range? had been reduced to a massive field of ruins.
And the cause of this utter devastation was Shiny Mega Rayquaza.
"Stop, stop, STOP! I surrender!"
Ho-Oh struggled to its feet, covered in dust and debris, loudly proclaiming its defeat? a far cry from the dazzling, brilliant appearance it had exhibited upon first emerging. It had attempted to withstand several of Shiny Mega Rayquaza's attacks, and this was the result.
Seeing Ho-Oh's surrender, John retrieved a Luxury Ball he'd prepared beforehand and offered it to the Phoenix. "Then get in."
"What are you trying to do?" Ho-Oh eyed John suspiciously. "I only surrendered. I never said I wanted to become your partner!"
Couldn't the Rainbow Hero capture Ho-Oh after defeating it? Then what was the point of beating it in the first place?
John said nothing, simply gesturing behind him.
Mega Tyranitar, Mega Aggron, John-Greninja, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Blaziken, Shadow Lugia, and even Giratina.
Ho-Oh looked toward the Pokemon assembled behind John, and the more it observed, the more terrified it became. It could sense the immense power hidden within each of these creatures.
"I'd advise you to obediently enter the Pokeball," Giratina said, emerging from the Distortion World to address Ho-Oh directly.
As a fellow apex deity who also enjoyed traveling and photographing locations worldwide, Ho-Oh naturally recognized Giratina.
"You also became this human's partner in such a manner?"
"Of course not!" Giratina vehemently denied. "He is Father's messenger. Father arranged for me to become his companion!"
It would never admit that it had been thoroughly beaten by Mega Gardevoir before loyally serving John.
"Father's messenger?" Ho-Oh truly couldn't sense any divine authority from this human.
Still, this provided an acceptable justification. Besides, humans only lived about a hundred years, barely an eyeblink in a Legendary's lifespan.
"Very well. If you're Arceus's messenger, then I shall accompany you through the mortal world for a hundred years!" Ho-Oh voluntarily flew toward the Luxury Ball in John's hand.
The moment its brilliant wings touched the Luxury Ball, Ho-Oh was absorbed inside.
Without any struggle, the center light flashed once. Ho-Oh had been successfully captured.
"I caught Ho-Oh!" John raised the Luxury Ball triumphantly.
Capturing Legendary Pokemon no longer brought him much joy at this point. It was more about fulfilling a dream he'd held before crossing over, the desire to enter the Pokemon world, to capture Pokemon, to capture Legendary Pokemon and make those childhood fantasies reality.
[Ho-Oh (Flying/Fire-Type)] (Legendary Pokemon)]
[Level: 100]
[Ability: Regenerator (Restores 1/3 max HP when switching out)]
[Moves: Gust, Whirlwind, Extrasensory, Weather Ball, Life Dew, Safeguard, Recover, Psychic, Burn Up, Sacred Fire, Sunny Day, Fire Blast, Future Sight, Brave Bird, and more...]
[Held Item: Sacred Ash]
For a trainer like John who already commanded multiple Legendary Pokemon, he was simply stating facts.
Only two things caught John's particular attention: Ho-Oh's signature move Sacred Fire and its held item, Sacred Ash.
Sacred Fire wasn't particularly impressive in the games, 100 base power with a 50% burn chance.
In reality, however, Sacred Fire carried the reputation of flames that burn eternally. Therefore, that 50% probability should be discarded entirely. It was 100% certain to inflict burns on opponents.
Whether it possessed the ability to grant Pokemon phoenix-like rebirth from flames would require John to test slowly over time.
At minimum, Ho-Oh's Guard Squad, Entei, Raikou, and Suicune, had supposedly received such power.
The Sacred Ash Ho-Oh carried was immediately confiscated by John. Combined with the Sacred Ash he'd received as a reward from the "Visitor from Space" dungeon, John now possessed two Sacred Ashes, effectively two extra lives.
The only potentially troublesome aspect was that Sacred Ash proved difficult even for Ho-Oh to produce.
Thinking of this, John tossed the Luxury Ball back into the sky.
"What?" Ho-Oh emerged looking confused. It had become such an obedient child, already preparing to sleep inside the Pokeball.
"Do you have any more Sacred Ash?"
"Besides the one you took, no." Ho-Oh answered honestly.
John completely abandoned that hope and turned to leave.
Mega Gardevoir prepared to open a spatial corridor for Teleport.
"What about me?" Ho-Oh hovered in midair. It hadn't entered the Pokeball yet.
"When I need you, I'll have Gardevoir Teleport you over!" John replied without looking back.
Ho-Oh stood frozen, processing this casual dismissal. The legendary Rainbow Phoenix, guardian of the skies, symbol of hope and renewal... was being left behind like forgotten luggage?
"Wait... you're just leaving me here?" Ho-Oh's voice rose in pitch.
"Your mountain's destroyed anyway," John called over his shoulder. "Find somewhere else to roost. I'll call when I need you for the tournament."
"Tournament? What tournament?"
"The Masters Eight World Championship. Three days from now. Don't wander too far." With that, John, Mega Gardevoir, and his entire team vanished through the Teleport corridor.
Ho-Oh remained floating alone above the ruins of its former home, trying to comprehend what had just transpired.
In the span of ten minutes, it had been:
-Ambushed by a supposed Rainbow Hero
-Nearly killed by Dragon Ascent
-Intimidated into surrender by an absurdly powerful Shiny Mega Rayquaza
-Coerced into joining said human's team under the pretense of divine mandate
-Robbed of its Sacred Ash
-And then abandoned in the wreckage
"Father's messenger, he says," Ho-Oh muttered bitterly, surveying the devastation. "More like Father's hired demolition crew."
Still, the human commanded Giratina, Lugia, and that terrifying Rayquaza. If he truly served Arceus's will, perhaps this century of partnership wouldn't be entirely unbearable.
And if the human proved troublesome... well, a hundred years was nothing to an immortal being. Ho-Oh could outlast any mortal's ambitions.
With a resigned sigh that sent rainbow sparks cascading through the air, Ho-Oh flew off to find temporary accommodations. Apparently, it now had a tournament appearance to prepare for.
How utterly bizarre mortality made everything.
Back in Draconia, John materialized in his private training facility. The entire excursion, from locating Suicune to capturing Ho-Oh, had taken less than three hours.
"Efficient," Emerald commented, not even looking up from her tablet. After years working for John, deity-hunting had become just another item on the schedule.
"The tournament starts tomorrow. I needed to wrap things up quickly." John stretched, feeling satisfied with the day's work. "Is everything ready?"
"Your match against Chadri is in three days. All arrangements confirmed. The Sky Island Arena has been repaired after your exhibition match."
"Good. Let's review Chadri's recent battles. The Steel Emperor didn't get that title through luck."
As John settled in to prepare for his first real tournament challenge, none of his competitors could have possibly known he'd just added the Rainbow Phoenix itself to his already overwhelming roster.
The Masters Eight Championship was about to become far more interesting than anyone anticipated.