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Following the commands of Kaz and Sham, Ho-Oh and Jynx swiftly launched their attacks!
Ho-Oh stirred up a Hurricane far surpassing the ordinary level, rapidly engulfing Jynx's Blizzard within it! This intensified the Blizzard's power and speed as it hurtled towards Garchomp!
"Garchomp!"
"Rooarr!!"
Liam, seeing the attack suddenly coming from the side, immediately called out in a low voice.
The mental connection between Liam and Garchomp meant that in moments like these, no lengthy explanations were needed. Hearing his name, Garchomp instantly understood.
With a low growl, he swiftly turned around! The sand-claw wings on his back swung sideways, unleashing numerous streams of sand! Like a wave of quicksand, they blocked the enhanced Blizzard.
After Garchomp withstood this wave of Blizzard attacks, Liam frowned slightly as he looked at Kaz and Sham on Ho-Oh's back. He sighed inwardly and spoke in a calm tone.
"You are still just children. I can overlook the attack you just launched. If you surrender now, I can guarantee you won't be harmed."
As for Kaz and Sham, although they had been led astray by the Masked Man, they were still just children. Facing opponents of this age, Liam truly found it difficult to resort to heavy-handed measures.
Upon hearing Liam's words, Sham, who had been somewhat fearful, suddenly brightened, a glimmer of hope appearing on her face.
"Eh! Really...?"
But before Sham could finish, Kaz interrupted her.
"Say no more! We would never betray the Teacher! Bring on whatever you've got! As long as we're here, you can forget about interfering with the Teacher's plans!"
Sham: "..."
Kaz's tone and gaze were resolute. In Kaz's heart, probably nothing was more important than the Masked Man who had raised him.
Liam: "...Sigh~ Alright then. If that's the case, there's no other way."
Faced with Kaz and Sham's stubbornness, Liam felt helpless. But he had already given them a chance; if they refused to listen, that was their choice.
Thinking this, Liam looked down at the three familiar figures below, his gaze finally settling on Delia. The anger that had stiffened his face quickly melted away upon seeing her, replaced once again by a gentle smile.
"Delia!"
"Yes! I'm here!"
"Hehe, have Suicune use Crystal Barrier again!"
"Ah? Oh! Understood! Suicune? Can you do it?"
"Kuuu!!"
After this brief exchange across the distance, Suicune let out a high cry, causing the previously deployed Crystal Barrier to dissipate. The artwork-like barrier quickly turned into countless iridescent bubbles floating in the air.
Immediately after, translucent crystalline walls reappeared around Ho-Oh, once again closing in to envelop it.
"This again? Hmph! This thing is no threat as long as we fly out of it! Ho-Oh! Quickly, fly out!"
Kaz, seeing the crystalline walls reappear, smirked disdainfully and swiftly commanded Ho-Oh.
"Kyaaah!!"
Upon hearing the command, Ho-Oh swiftly flew towards a gap. Its speed was great, and given the current closing speed of the barrier, it seemed impossible for the barrier to trap Ho-Oh.
But...
"Stay right where you are! Garchomp! Dragon Rush!"
"Rooarr!!"
The moment Liam saw Ho-Oh trying to escape the barrier, a cold smile also appeared on his lips as he quickly ordered Garchomp to attack!
With a mighty roar, powerful Dragon-type energy, accompanied by rolling streams of sand, rapidly coalesced around Garchomp's body! It ultimately formed a gigantic sand dragon that roared as it dove down!
The dragon's head, formed entirely of quicksand, snapped its fanged maw onto Ho-Oh's body! The powerful impact sent Ho-Oh crashing back into the barrier! Garchomp, carried by momentum, also charged in!
Shing!
Then, a light sound of the barrier sealing shut was heard. The complete Crystal Barrier was once again formed, a massive structure standing on the ground, reflecting dazzling, colorful light under the sun!
"Kyaaah!!"
"Rooarr!!"
Now, inside the Crystal Barrier, Ho-Oh, seeing Garchomp and Liam also trapped within, let out an angry cry. Garchomp immediately roared back in response!
"Hmph! How foolish! This just saves us the trouble. We will resist to the end! Let's see when you'll find the time to go after the Teacher! Take them out, Ho-Oh! Use Sacred Fire!"
"Kyaaah!!"
Kaz, looking at Liam trapped within the same barrier, also smirked coldly. He leaned down and loudly commanded Ho-Oh, completely disregarding the confined space and thin air inside the Crystal Barrier, directly ordering Ho-Oh to use its most powerful move, Sacred Fire!
Upon hearing the command, Ho-Oh swiftly spewed Sacred Fire! Golden flames, like a vortex, surged towards Garchomp and Liam!
"Dodge it, Garchomp!"
Having suffered from Sacred Fire before, Liam knew perfectly well that this was not an attack Garchomp could withstand head-on. A direct clash held no benefit, so he chose evasion. For Garchomp's speed, a frontal attack like this stood absolutely no chance of hitting him!
"Rooarr!!"
Upon hearing the command, Garchomp immediately sprang into action. His figure became a blur in his original spot, and when he reappeared, he was already above Ho-Oh!
The Sacred Fire that had lost its target slammed directly into the crystalline wall, causing the originally transparent wall to glow red and heat up. It seemed that if Ho-Oh launched a few more such attacks, even this crystalline wall would be shattered!
"Garchomp! Maximum power Stone Edge!!"
"Rooarr!!"
From this position, the most suitable attack was Garchomp's storm-like Stone Edge! Garchomp swiftly spread his sand-claw wings! Then, a massive volley of sharp rocks shot forth! Accompanied by countless sounds of tearing through the air, they rapidly rained down!
"Kyaaah!"
Because they were inside the Crystal Barrier, the large-sized Ho-Oh had limited room to maneuver. Ho-Oh initially tried to evade the Stone Edge, but its hampered movement allowed the sharp rocks to catch up quickly. In the blink of an eye, Ho-Oh was engulfed by the Stone Edge! With a cry of distress, it crashed to the ground!
"Cough, cough!! You bastard! Ho-Oh! Use Recover!"
Ho-Oh's crash and the Stone Edge attack kicked up a large amount of dust. Kaz and Sham, who had been protected by Jynx, coughed as they ran out of the smoke. After emerging, Kaz quickly turned and shouted towards the smoke, telling Ho-Oh to use Recover to heal its injuries and restore its stamina!
"Kyaaah..."
After Kaz's command, a weak cry came from within the thick smoke. Clearly, the previous Stone Edge had caused significant damage. Then, faint green lights began to flicker within the smoke, rapidly restoring Ho-Oh's stamina.
"No more struggling! Garchomp! Restrain Ho-Oh!"
Seeing the advantage they had just gained, Liam naturally wouldn't let Ho-Oh recover its stamina completely. The moment he saw the green light flickering within the dust, Liam didn't hesitate to order Garchomp to attack!
"Rooarr!!"
Upon hearing the command, Garchomp swiftly dove down! His massive sand-claw wings stirred up a powerful gust of wind, directly dispersing the thick smoke below!
This revealed Ho-Oh, standing on the ground on both feet, in the process of recovering! Following another low growl, the sand-claw wings on Garchomp's back rapidly began to expand infinitely!
They transformed into two gigantic sand claws. With immense force, they slammed down onto Ho-Oh's back, forcefully driving the recovering Ho-Oh back into the ground!
"Kyaaah!"
Ho-Oh, its recovery interrupted, struggled to rise again. But then Garchomp immediately followed up, crashing down onto Ho-Oh's back!
Countless streams of sand surged like a river, swiftly enveloping Ho-Oh's entire body, not even sparing its beak!
In a matter of seconds, Ho-Oh's ability to move was completely sealed.