Chapter 155: Battle of Legends (Part 6)
"We saved you out of good will, and this is how you repay us?"
Seeing Rio lay into Moltres so satisfyingly, Gengar joined the trash-talking. Talking smack was its favorite pastime—especially to Moltres’s face. Even Gus would have given it a thumbs up.
Rio glanced at Gengar, then stole a look behind him at the magma pool. Charizard had sunk into the lava, and he prayed desperately that it would recover. He remembered that Entei and Ho-Oh—both wielders of Sacred Fire—could be reborn in magma. He’d brought Charizard here hoping the same might apply to it. If not... then they’d all die together.
"Moltres—I despise you! A hundred years ago, I used to look up to you!"
Moltres, caught between Rio and Gengar’s verbal assault, was torn. It wanted to obey Lugia’s orders, but its conscience wouldn’t let it. Spit fire, and it’d complete the mission but feel guilty. Hold back, and it’d keep a clear conscience—but face Lugia’s wrath.
After a moment of thought, Moltres made its choice. "Human—I’m sorry. Compared to being despised by you, I fear Lord Lugia’s punishment far more."
Moltres charged its flames again. Watching the fire about to pour down on him, Rio’s pupils contracted, and he shouted: "Wait!"
Moltres hesitated. Rio continued: "Fine—we accept death. But if you have any conscience, give us a moment to face it. That way, you can think of it as us choosing to die—so you won’t have any guilt."
Hearing that giving them time would make it seem like voluntary death, and free it from guilt, Moltres swallowed its flame. "Alright," its voice echoed in Rio’s mind. "How long do you need?"
"We’re about to die, and you’re asking how long?! You’re heartless—you’re Moltres! The sacred bird that brings life to the world!" Rio said with exaggerated anguish.
"Yeah, yeah—have some mercy!" Gengar chimed in.
Moltres was once again at a loss for words. Every time that human opened his mouth, it felt powerless.
"But if you want a day, a night—even months—am I supposed to wait that long?" Moltres finally replied after a long pause.
This bird’s quicker than I thought, Rio mused, glancing back at the magma. "Half an hour—give me half an hour to face death," he said.
"No—five minutes max. Lord Lugia will finish its fight soon. What do I do when it comes?" Moltres shook its head. "Five minutes. That’s all. Then I’ll carry out Lord Lugia’s orders."
"Fine—five minutes. Let me breathe for five more minutes." Rio nodded with feigned pain.
As he and Gengar rambled about last words, Rio kept his eyes on the distant battle. Zapdos, under Athena’s command, was being pummeled by Lugia, barely holding on—and would have fallen much sooner without the help of other Rocket Pokémon. Giovanni was nowhere to be seen—only some Rocket grunts commanding Water-types to dive into the sea. Rio guessed Giovanni had been knocked into the water by Lugia’s Psychic like he had, and no one knew where he’d been swept to.
Time ticked by. Five minutes later—
"Time’s up. You can face death now." Moltres’s voice echoed in Rio’s mind.
Damn it—has Charizard melted to nothing? Why isn’t there any sign of rebirth? Rio glanced at the still magma pool, then looked up: "You sure? You said five minutes—are you a stopwatch? Can you be that precise? I think it’s only been three minutes."
"Yeah—definitely not five minutes yet," Gengar added.
"I can’t be wrong—I counted three hundred seconds in my head. Not a single mistake," Moltres said smugly.
Rio and Gengar exchanged a deadpan look. This bird actually counted? One by one?
Just then, the magma pool behind Rio began to churn violently. His face lit up with hope.
"Kid—it’s time to face death." Moltres’s flame reignited.
"Wait!" Rio shouted excitedly. "I have one more thing to say!"
"What now?!" Moltres was getting annoyed, its flame dying down again. "I’ve already given you everything you asked for!"
"Say... say..." Rio’s mind raced, scrambling for another excuse.
"Human—are you stalling? I’m telling you, there’s no way out. Lord Lugia’s orders cannot be disobeyed. Just accept your death!"
Moltres looked down at Rio, its flame flickering once more. But just as it was about to unleash it—
The magma pool behind Rio erupted. A dragon’s cry echoed as a pillar of molten rock shot into the sky. Rio, watching the winged silhouette rising from the inferno, finally let out all the frustration he’d been bottling up:
"Say... say... SAY YOUR GRANDMOTHER! Charizard—KILL IT!"
"Roaar~"
From the magma pillar, a black Charizard burst forth, spewing purple flames that neutralized Moltres’s attack midair. Its reappearance and fully healed state shocked Moltres. It glared furiously at Rio.
"Human—you were stalling on purpose!"
"Charizard—unleash all your power and destroy it!" Rio ignored Moltres, activating the Key Stone on his chest. It resonated with the Y Mega Stone on Charizard’s tail, and Charizard re-evolved into its Y form. The beam clash reversed—Sacred Fire was visibly overwhelming Moltres’s Flamethrower.
Moltres’s eyes widened. It tapped into its inner origin flame to push back.
"Charizard—Smokescreen!" Rio commanded.
Charizard withdrew its Sacred Fire and spread its wings. Two seconds later, thick black smoke billowed across the island. Moltres, confused by the move, flapped its wings—but when the smoke cleared, the human who had just declared he’d "kill it" was fleeing on Charizard’s back. Without looking back.
Moltres was stunned.
"Moltres—I told you to finish them!" Lugia’s voice echoed in its mind.
"I’ll take care of them right away!" Moltres trembled and gave chase.
At sea, Giovanni had been retrieved by his subordinates and was ordering a retreat. Athena pulled out a Poké Ball to recall the battered Zapdos—
But before she could, Lugia shot a glance at it. A wave of Zen Headbutt shattered the Poké Ball. Zapdos reappeared—and was now free. The black metal rod embedded in its head also fell away.
"ZAAA!!!" Zapdos flew beneath Lugia, glaring at Team Rocket.
"Damn it!" Giovanni was furious. Today’s mission had been a total failure. Not only had they failed to capture Moltres, but they’d also lost the Zapdos they’d worked so hard to catch.
"Retreat! Everyone retreat!" Though bitter, Giovanni gave the same order again.