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Moltres lowered its head to look at Liam and Garchomp in the distance. Sensing the seriousness in Liam's eyes and the fighting spirit burning in Garchomp's, it spread its wings and slowly descended from the stone pillar, landing on the ground. It extended its sharp beak, picked up a fully opened Max Potion, and downed it in one go.
"Skree!!"
The moment it drank the Max Potion, Moltres immediately felt its depleted stamina rapidly recovering. It looked at Liam and Garchomp with even more curiosity.
"Even though my Aerodactyl can be a bit unruly, it's still my partner. And you were the one who attacked first. No matter how you look at it, this is your fault. Since you made a mistake, you'll have to pay the price. And that price… is me defeating and capturing you! Garchomp! Charge in with Dragon Claw! "
"Raargh!"
The instant Liam gave the command, Garchomp's entire body turned into a white blur. In the blink of an eye, it appeared right in front of Moltres, slashing down hard with a powerful Dragon Claw.
Moltres clearly hadn't expected Garchomp to be so fast. It didn't even have time to take flight. In a hurry, its fiery wings gleamed white as it used Wing Attack to block the strike.
But Garchomp's power was simply overwhelming. Even though Wing Attack managed to intercept the Dragon Claw, the sheer force still sent Moltres flying backward. With a loud bang, it slammed into the rocky pillar behind it.
"Skree!!"
Furious after being overwhelmed in their first clash, Moltres opened its beak and unleashed a spiraling Flamethrower at close range toward Garchomp.
"Garchomp! Use Double Team! Then follow up with Sand Attack!"
"Raargh!"
Up against the legendary Moltres, Liam dared not relax for even a second. He kept a close watch on every move it made and reacted the moment it attacked.
Moltres's Flamethrower pierced through Garchomp's body, but the hit figure twisted eerily before vanishing—it was only an illusion, not Garchomp's real body.
Realizing its attack had missed, Moltres hurriedly flapped its wings, attempting to lift off. The skies were its domain, after all—fighting there gave it a huge advantage.
"Raargh!"
But just as it lifted off the ground, a clump of sand suddenly struck its face with pinpoint accuracy. Moltres was instantly covered in dust, eyes squinting and blinking rapidly, trying to rid itself of the sand.
"Now's our chance! Garchomp! Get up there and use Slash!"
"Ggaaarr!"
Seeing the Sand Attack take effect, Liam immediately gave the next command.
Garchomp darted out from behind a rock pillar, launching itself into the air with a powerful kick. Its front fin glowed white and came down hard on Moltres's back.
Moltres let out a screech of pain as its body plummeted from the sky and crashed into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
"Don't stop! Follow up with Dragon Rush!"
Such minor moves weren't enough to take down a legendary Pokémon. If they were going to defeat Moltres, it would have to be with a much stronger move.
"Raargh!"
Still hovering in the air, Garchomp roared at Liam's command. A bluish-purple dragon formed entirely of Dragon-type energy swirled around Garchomp. With a thunderous cry, it plummeted from the sky, diving toward the fallen Moltres.
"Skree!!"
Just as the energy dragon plunged into the cloud of dust, a golden figure shot out from the smoke like an arrow, barely dodging Garchomp's Dragon Rush. Garchomp, unable to halt in time, crashed straight into the ground with a deafening impact.
Hovering above, Moltres seemed rather smug. Its golden body circled once in midair before diving down again with a fully charged Brave Bird, flying so close to the ground that it left a burning trench in its wake, golden flames roaring within it.
"Garchomp! Use Quick Turn! "
"Ggaarr!"
Just as the golden silhouette of Moltres was about to enter the dust cloud, Liam shouted out. A roar came from within the haze, and Garchomp shot upward out of the smoke.
At the same time, Moltres tore through the other end of the dust cloud, its fierce dive kicking up powerful gusts that instantly cleared the air.
"Raargh!"
Having used Quick Turn to dodge the attack, Garchomp immediately chased after Moltres. Empowered by the move, Garchomp's speed spiked dramatically, and it closed in fast.
"Skree!!"
Moltres noticed Garchomp catching up and quickly climbed higher, weaving skillfully through the surrounding rock pillars. Ahead of them was a dense forest of towering stone columns.
"Raargh!"
While Garchomp's straight-line speed was excellent, it lacked agility. Once Moltres started darting around the stone pillars, Garchomp was forced to slow down and maneuver carefully, making it impossible to keep up.
"Skree!!"
Noticing Garchomp's clumsy flying, Moltres let out a mocking cry. It swooped behind a thick pillar. Gritting its teeth in anger, Garchomp gave chase, only to find that Moltres had vanished when it rounded the corner.
Liam climbed back onto Arcanine's back. Arcanine sprinted to the base of the rock forest, following after Garchomp and Moltres. Liam spotted Garchomp hovering mid-air, scanning the area in confusion—there was no sign of Moltres.
"Garchomp! Stay alert! It's definitely hiding nearby! Use your strongest Sandstorm! "
"Raargh!"
Liam wasn't worried Moltres would flee—its pride would never allow that. Which left only one possibility: it was lying in wait to ambush Garchomp.
Garchomp let out a fierce roar, and a violent Sandstorm swirled up from the ground, quickly enveloping the entire forest of stone pillars.
Suddenly, behind one of the larger pillars came a low screech, followed by a wave of scorching heat. The hot wind clashed with the sandstorm, creating a blazing tornado of sand and flame in the center of the stone forest. The powerful winds swept outward, churning the surroundings.
"There! Garchomp! Dragon Rush! "
Even though the Sandstorm had been broken, Liam had already achieved his goal—Moltres's location was now clear.
"Raargh!"
Garchomp spotted Moltres immediately. The moment it heard Liam's command, it flung its fins backward and launched itself in reverse. But a massive rock pillar blocked its path.
Garchomp changed position midair, stomped both feet into the pillar, and dragon energy surged out. The pillar cracked and shattered under the force, and with a mighty roar, Garchomp shot forward like a meteor, slamming directly into the pillar where Moltres was hiding.
The moment of impact turned the massive stone pillar to rubble, as if it were made of foam. Moltres had to hastily dodge, narrowly avoiding a direct hit but still getting pelted by flying debris.
"Keep going! Another Dragon Rush! "
"Raargh!"
Even before the dragon-shaped energy faded, Garchomp had already gathered it again. With a spin, it stomped off another pillar, blasting it to pieces.
Then, like a fierce dragon, it lunged forward and sank its jaws into Moltres, carrying the legendary Pokémon with it as it smashed into the ceiling of the cavern above.
A sharp crack rang out from the rock ceiling—Garchomp had broken through, taking Moltres with it into the upper level!
"Screeeech!!"