"Stop, Lawrence!" Ash's roar sounded so small amidst the raging winds and thunder, yet it carried an unshakable determination.
A blue green Aura flared brilliantly around him as he tried to interfere with the cursed capture device.
However, Lawrence's technology far exceeded imagination. The energy net fired from beneath the flying fortress was not only incredibly durable, but also contained a suppressive force field.
Zapdos's furious lightning strikes hit the net, but most of the energy was redirected outward, instead blasting the sea below into violent waves.
Ash's Aura shockwave slammed into the fortress's energy shield, only creating ripples of violent distortion without shaking it in the slightest.
"It's useless, young trainer." Lawrence's voice echoed through the loudspeakers, tinged with the pleasure of watching prey struggle. "My collection is destined to house the most exquisite beauties of this world. Resistance only adds drama to this masterpiece."
"Pikaaa…chu!" Pikachu leapt in front of Ash, gathering all its remaining electricity. A colossal Thunderbolt shot forward like a golden pillar of light!
This attack nearly drained Pikachu of all its strength.
Boom!
The fortress's shield flickered violently, even showing signs of instability.
Lawrence let out a soft exclamation, seemingly surprised.
But it was already too late.
In that brief stalemate, the energy net suddenly tightened. Countless tiny currents wrapped around Zapdos like shackles.
It let out a piercing, unwilling cry as its massive body convulsed violently. The lightning that symbolized freedom and destruction quickly dimmed.
In the end, just like Moltres before it, Zapdos was forcibly dragged into the cold containment chamber inside the flying fortress.
"No!" Ash's eyes burned red as he watched the second legendary being fall into enemy hands.
"Hahahaha!" Lawrence's triumphant laughter echoed across the sky and sea. "Perfect! Absolutely perfect! The blazing heat of fire, the ferocity of thunder! Only one final piece remains, the ultimate cold of ice! Articuno, I am coming!"
Without hesitation, the flying fortress turned and sped toward the Ice Island, a land eternally covered in snow and radiating a biting chill. It had clearly detected Articuno's presence and intended to claim the final god for its collection.
"That madman! He has no idea what he's doing!" Misty watched in horror from the boat.
The clouds in the sky were no longer gray, but tinged with an ominous purple red. The waves rose like mountains, as if the entire ocean was brewing its final destruction.
Ash forced himself to calm down. His Aura told him that within the flying fortress were two immensely powerful yet suppressed energy sources, Moltres and Zapdos. He had to save them.
"Captain Maren, get closer to that fortress! Misty, Tracey, Melody, be ready to support!" Ash issued orders rapidly, his sharp gaze scanning for weaknesses.
Just as the fortress approached Ice Island and activated its capture device again, aiming at Articuno, who soared through the blizzard with an aura of absolute zero, a sudden change erupted.
The sea around Ice Island began to churn violently without warning.
No, it was not boiling. A colossal force surged upward from the depths of the ocean!
A massive water vortex of unimaginable diameter shot up from beneath the fortress, like a pillar connecting sea and sky. It was not a clear blue, but a deep indigo that seemed to swallow all light, filled with suffocating life energy and divine might.
"Gya-oo-oooh!!!!"
A long, ancient roar filled with supreme authority and boundless fury rose from the ocean depths, instantly overpowering the wind, thunder, and crashing waves. The sound struck directly at the soul.
The Guardian of the Sea, Lugia, had been completely enraged!
The towering vortex slammed into the underside of the flying fortress. Its sturdy energy shield shattered instantly like paper. The massive structure tilted and rolled under the unstoppable force, alarms blaring throughout.
"Now's our chance!" Ash seized the moment and shouted, "Pikachu, aim for that open containment chamber! Maximum power, Thunder!"
"Pikaaa—CHUUU!!!" Pikachu gathered every bit of strength it had just regained, drawing in the chaotic electricity of the storm. A terrifying bolt of lightning, as if capable of tearing apart the heavens, struck with perfect accuracy into the chamber holding Moltres and Zapdos.
Boom! Crash!
The precision instruments inside exploded and short circuited under the violent lightning.
The energy restraints binding the two legendary birds instantly failed. Moltres and Zapdos broke free at the same time. Filled with the humiliation of captivity and overwhelming fury, they smashed through the chamber walls and burst out!
The first thing they did after escaping was not gratitude, but unleashing all their rage upon the cause of everything, each other, and the newly emerged Lugia, whose presence radiated even greater pressure.
At the same time, Articuno, disturbed from Ice Island and equally hostile, flew into the fray.
The three legendary birds, embodiments of the fundamental forces of nature, released all their accumulated chaos, fury, and power at once.
Flames, lightning, and ice!
Three devastating beams of energy collided violently in the sky. There was no technique, no evasion, only the most primal and brutal clash of raw power. The sky was torn apart, the sea evaporated and froze in an instant. The shockwave from the explosion sent Captain Maren's boat flying backward, and Ash nearly lost his footing from the island's heights.
This was not a battle.
It was the prelude to destruction.
The level of energy they were releasing had already surpassed a critical threshold. The purple red vortex in the sky began to collapse inward, as if an indestructible black hole was forming.
The prophecy of the end of the world was unfolding in the most direct and terrifying way possible!
"This can't go on!" Ash stood against the violent torrents of energy, his eyes filled with an unprecedented determination.
He remembered Lugia's guidance, remembered the responsibility of the chosen one.
First, he used an Aura barrier to help Captain Maren stabilize the nearly capsizing boat, escorting Misty and the others to the sheltered side of Fire Island where it was relatively safe.
"Ash! Where are you going?" Misty cried out when she saw him turn to leave.
"I have to retrieve the remaining orbs! It's the only way to calm their fury!" Ash spoke rapidly. "Pikachu, let's go!"
Without hesitation, he rushed back into the raging chaos. Riding on Lapras, which had arrived just in time, he braved the falling lightning, fire, and hail, struggling his way onto Lightning Island. On a scorched altar struck black by thunder, he found the Lighting Sphere, crackling with golden arcs of electricity.
The moment he took the Lighting Sphere, a vast and gentle voice echoed directly within his mind.
"Chosen one… your resolve, I have sensed it."
It was Lugia!
Using its immense psychic power, it was holding off the three legendary birds. Its indigo figure moved through the storm of destructive energy, enduring immense pressure as it tried to separate them, though with little success.
"I have to go to Ice Island and retrieve the final orb!" Ash replied urgently in his mind.
"Time… is running out." Lugia's voice carried a trace of fatigue and determination. "Their power is escalating out of control, and I cannot hold them for long. I will open a path for you and send you back to the starting point. The rest… I leave to you, child blessed by Aura and the Viridian."
As soon as it finished speaking, Lugia let out a soul shaking cry. Its massive wings beat powerfully, drawing upon the deeper forces of the ocean.
A gentle yet mysterious current, as if alive, wrapped around Ash, Pikachu, Lapras, as well as Misty, the others on Fire Island, and Captain Maren's boat.
This current carried an irresistible force, yet remained incredibly steady, as if it had transcended space itself. In an instant, it pulled them away from the center of destruction and returned them to their original starting point, the shores of Shamouti Island.
Lugia, meanwhile, turned without hesitation to face the three legendary birds, who had completely lost their sanity, their power growing ever more violent as they clashed.
It spread its massive wings, forming an indigo barrier of light, forcefully withstanding the aftermath of the three devastating beams, buying Ash precious time.
"Lugia…" Standing on the beach of Shamouti Island, Ash tightly gripped the Fire Sphere and the Lighting Sphere in his hands. He could clearly feel how brutal the battle in the distance had become.
Though Lugia was powerful, facing three beings of the same legendary level, whose strength was surging due to their loss of control, its situation was far from favorable. The three birds were now united in hostility, directing their fury outward. Lugia was fighting one against three!
"Ash!" Melody ran over, her face pale. "The legend… the legend is coming true! The Guardian of the Sea has appeared, but the fury of the three legendary birds can no longer be restrained…"
At that moment, Lugia's grand and urgent voice echoed once more in everyone's minds, like a final revelation.
"The destruction of balance was born from human greed. But the hope to end this catastrophe also lies in human hands. Chosen one, only by gathering the Spheres of the three birds, and with a pure heart and fearless courage, can the wounds be healed and balance restored. This raging calamity, this wrath of the legends… can all be brought to an end by you."
All eyes turned toward Ash.
He looked at the two orbs in his hands, burning and crackling with power, then raised his gaze toward the distant sky, where lightning flashed and fire and ice intertwined within the storm. At its center, that indigo figure stood alone, bearing everything.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ash pressed the two orbs tightly against his chest. His eyes burned like stars as he spoke loudly, his words a response to Lugia, to his companions, and a vow to himself.
"I understand! I'll retrieve the final Ice Sphere!"
"No matter what, I will stop all of this!"
...
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