Chapter 352: Ho-Oh???!
"Hmm???!..."
Darkrai's expression shifted, a flicker of genuine intrigue crossing its features as it stared down at Mega Houndoom.
The divine aura that had erupted from the hellhound's core was still lingering in the air, refusing to dissipate.
"This creature... why does it carry the scent of a God?"
Darkrai's voice echoed in Kenji's mind, tinged with shock. As a Mythical being, its senses were tuned to a higher frequency. The moment that energy had flared, Darkrai had recognized it—it was the signature of a peer, another dweller of the legendary realm.
But more than that, the source of this aura was vastly, incomprehensibly more powerful than Darkrai's current self.
Kenji didn't need to guess. He already had the answer.
The aura within Mega Houndoom was unmistakably that of Ho-Oh. As a Pokémon blessed by the Rainbow Wing and baptized in the Sacred Flame, it was only natural that the hellhound carried a fragment of its master's divinity.
And under the protection of that divine spark, Darkrai's Disable would likely be useless for the remainder of the round.
"HEI-JIA!!!! —"
Mega Houndoom unhinged its jaws. A massive pillar of violet fire erupted from its throat, launching a proactive assault on the God of Nightmares.
Darkrai raised a claw, instinctively countering with a Dark Pulse.
To its astonishment, the two moves didn't trade evenly. The moment the black energy met the purple flames, the pillar of fire tore through the Dark Pulse as if it were a common smoke screen, continuing its path toward the target.
Darkrai jerked back, performing a frantic mid-air dodge as the flames scorched the space it had occupied a millisecond ago.
Xun wasn't letting up. With the power of Ho-Oh coursing through its veins, Mega Houndoom's move potency had reached a terrifying threshold. It began a relentless strafe of the arena, sprinting through its own sea of purple fire while sniping at Darkrai from every conceivable angle.
Darkrai dodged again, twisting its shadowy form to avoid a Flamethrower. It spread its arms, and its blue eye flared with a brilliant, calculating light.
Psych Up!!!
As the move took hold, Darkrai's internal stats shifted to mirror those of Mega Houndoom.
However, the "Ho-Oh Blessing" wasn't a standard stat change—it was a qualitative shift in energy. Consequently, Darkrai only managed to copy the speed boosts from the earlier Flame Charges. In a direct beam struggle, it was still being overpowered.
Attack after attack rained down on the hovering Mythical. Darkrai, the God of Nightmares, found itself being kited and pressured by a mere dog.
"You insolent cur...!!!"
In the sky, a stray spark of purple fire grazed Darkrai's shoulder. The searing, soul-burning sting of the Abyssal Flame finally ignited the God's temper. Its single blue eye locked onto the hound below, burning with a freezing cold fury.
It wasn't just the pain of the burn. It was the insult to its pride. It was a God being taunted by a "blessed" stray.
"YOU SEEK DEATH, MONGREL!!!"
Darkrai's telepathic shout was so violent it made Kenji wince. The black mist around its body began to churn and boil.
Kenji let out a slow sigh. He felt Darkrai's rage peaking and sent a final mental nudge.
"No more games. Show them what nightmares are made of."
Hearing Kenji's permission, Darkrai's fury smoothed out into a chilling, high-pitched cackle that echoed through the stadium.
"Dirty dog! You have succeeded in making me angry! Now, I shall make you pay the price!"
The mist surrounding Darkrai began to swell with impossible volume.
HISSSSS!!!! —
Massive plumes of inky black gas erupted from the shadow realm on the floor, rising like pillars to converge in the center of the arena.
Mega Houndoom's hackles rose. It stared up at the gathering darkness. It didn't understand the tactical nature of what was happening, but its primal instincts were screaming at it to run. It felt a bone-deep, existential terror.
Xun Zhurong felt his partner's fear through the Mega link.
"Don't falter! Houndoom!! We have the protection of Ho-Oh! Even a God cannot stand before our faith!!"
Xun's shout bolstered the hound's resolve. Its faith was absolute. Emboldened by its trainer's will, the fear in its heart was burned away by the Zhurong fire.
"Houndoom!!! Fire Blast!!!"
"HEI-JIA!!!! —"
Mega Houndoom didn't hold back. It unleashed its ultimate Fire-type nuke, the massive kanji of purple flame hurtling straight at the hovering Darkrai.
But this time, Darkrai didn't move. It didn't even attempt to block. It simply hung in the air, watching with cold indifference as the incinerating fire closed in.
SCREEEEEECH!!!! —
Just as the Fire Blast was about to consume Darkrai, a high-pitched, majestic cry—identical to the one heard during the opening ceremony—exploded through the stadium.
POP!!!! —
With a dull sound, the incoming Fire Blast suddenly became unstable. Like a fragile soap bubble hitting a needle, the massive fire attack simply detonated mid-air, its energy dissipating harmlessly before it could touch its target.
The entire arena shuddered. Mega Houndoom's body convulsed, a violent tremor racking its muscular frame.
In the trainer's box, Xun Zhurong's pupils shrank to pinpoints. His entire body began to shake. He stared at the center of the arena, his face pale and his breathing shallow. The calm, arrogant mask he had worn for years was gone.
SWISH!!!! —
Up on the high platform, Zhurong Yun—the Champion who had sat motionless through every match—suddenly bolted to his feet. He stared down at the field, his eyes burning with an intense, disbelieving light.
Behind him, the Elite Four were just as rattled. Shock, horror, and pure confusion warred on their faces.
The stadium fell into a deathly, absolute silence. A hundred thousand people held their breath, their gazes locked on the transformation occurring within the black mist.
Screeeeee...
Another cry.
"Is that... Ho-Oh???!"
Finally, Zhurong Yun found his voice. His tone was shaky, filled with a disbelief he had never shown in his life.
...
On the field, as the black mist from the Nightmare Realm converged, it had formed a massive, pulsing "egg" of shadows in a corner of the arena.
As Mega Houndoom's fire failed, the egg finally cracked. A phoenix-like shriek tore through the air.
The black energy shattered, flowing downward and draining back into the Dark Void on the floor.
Like a lotus flower shedding its outer petals to reveal its core, the silhouette hidden within the shadows was revealed.
It was a Pokémon that mirrored the legendary Phoenix. But where the Ho-Oh of legend was gold and rainbow-hued, this one was a haunting palette of deep black and bruised purple. It radiated an aura that was simultaneously sacred and profoundly malevolent.
As the creature revealed itself, Mega Houndoom didn't bark. It didn't growl. It dropped to its stomach, whimpering, too terrified to move.
The creature standing before them was the Zhurong family's god. It was the deity of the skies and the master of the Sacred Fire.
It was Ho-Oh.
But it was a Ho-Oh born from the deepest, darkest nightmare.
In the sky, Darkrai looked down at the shadow phoenix it had manifested, its blue eye finally showing a look of absolute satisfaction.
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