"Feng Che, the Rainbow Wing and Silver Wing on Ditto seem to be actively suppressing the power of the Ho-Oh avatar," Mewtwo communicated telepathically. "The true Ho-Oh must be assisting us from her sanctuary. Otherwise, no matter how well your team cooperates, defeating a God's avatar would be an impossible feat."
Beyond suppressing the bird's mind, Mewtwo had deployed a massive psychic domain that acted as a heavy dampener on the avatar's elemental output.
"It's time," Feng Che noted. He could see the avatar's brilliant feathers beginning to lose their luster as its internal energy reserves hit critical levels. "Mewtwo, Teleport me. I'm going to land on its back and finish this."
With a ripple of space, Feng Che manifested directly atop the falling Ho-Oh. Sensing an intruder, the avatar flared with a desperate pulse of Sacred Fire. However, the Purifying Flame in Feng Che's palm erupted with a seven-colored brilliance, forming a protective cocoon that shielded him from the heat.
"Feng Che, I can finally feel the connection," the true Ho-Oh's voice echoed in his mind, awakened fully by the proximity of her own essence. "The avatar is a hollow puppet now. Place my Purifying Flame onto its crown—where the crest feathers were stolen. I will reclaim my power."
Siege of the Tin Tower
While the battle raged in the forest, the city of Ecruteak was under siege. Thousands of Miasma-corrupted Pokémon surrounded the Tin Tower, their eyes glowing with a sickly black light.
High Priest Shamiao stood on the balcony, facing a man who looked like his own reflection from a darker mirror. Shaka, the immortal traitor, sat atop a blackened Charizard, looking down with a predatory grin.
"Shamiao, my descendant... we finally meet," Shaka sneered. "Why cling to a dying bird? Swear fealty to the Great God of the Skies, and I shall grant you the immortality I possess."
"I have no ancestor who serves monsters," Shamiao retorted coldly. "You are the shame of our bloodline!"
"When your bones grow brittle and death whispers in your ear, you will understand," Shaka laughed. "Ho-Oh cannot grant eternal life. But the Sky Miasma can. I have stayed young for a thousand years. A small price of servitude for eternity is nothing. Today, the Tin Tower falls, and the world will burn in Hellfire!"
Shaka signaled his command. Thousands of Flying-types, trailing black mist, launched a coordinated Brave Bird assault against the tower's golden barrier.
Reclaiming the Soul
Back in the Ilex Forest, Feng Che crawled toward the avatar's head. He pressed the Purifying Flame into the empty sockets of the crest.
White-hot light exploded from the bird. Ho-Oh thrashed in the sky as thick, oily black smoke—the Sky Miasma—was burned out of its spirit. Seconds later, the bird's eyes regained their crystalline clarity.
"It was as I feared," the reclaimed Ho-Oh said, her voice heavy with gravity. "The Miasma had planted a seed of corruption. Had you not intervened, this avatar would have eventually transformed into a second Sky Miasma."
"Master Ho-Oh, can you help us stop Lugia?" Feng Che asked.
"I cannot stay. The Tin Tower is under attack by the Sect. I must defend my sanctuary," Ho-Oh replied hurriedly. "Defeat Lugia in fair combat; once its physical form is broken, the control will snap. I have cleared the fires of this forest—the rest is up to you."
With a beat of her wings, the remaining flames in the Ilex Forest vanished, leaving only charred stumps and black earth. Ho-Oh transformed into a rainbow streak, vanishing toward Ecruteak City.
The Sea God's Wrath
"Alright, it's time to end this farce," Feng Che said, Teleporting toward the ongoing clash with Lugia. "Red! Blue! Green! Ho-Oh is safe, but we have to take Lugia down hard to wake it up!"
The Three Legendary Birds—Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos—soared through the storm clouds, carrying the three legendary trainers on their backs.
Lugia roared, creating a Multiscale wind barrier that deflected most incoming attacks.
"We have to break that wind shield!" Blue shouted.
Zapdos unleashed a 10-Million Volt discharge, channeling the lightning into the clouds above. Silver snakes of electricity rained down, disrupting the air currents of the vortex. Articuno followed up with a Blizzard, freezing the turbulent winds into massive, jagged pillars of ice that stretched from the forest to the sky.
The world was suddenly trapped in a frozen, electrified cage.
Lugia inhaled sharply, unleashing a point-blank Aeroblast. The ice pillars shattered into a million shards, but the extreme cold had done its work—Lugia's massive wings were stiffening, its movements becoming sluggish.
Moltres dived through the frozen debris, its wings turning the ice shards into steam as it prepared a final, searing strike. Lugia, cornered and sensing the combined threat of the birds and Feng Che's team, let out a roar of primal, unbridled fury.