Chapter 144: The Legendary Flame Bird

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"Rooaaar!!!"

Sensing an unidentified creature approaching from afar, Aerodactyl opened its jaws wide and let out a warning roar into the distance, its eyes already on high alert.

"Skreeee!!"

The warning was quickly met with a response—a sharp, piercing cry echoed from the distance, followed by a massive fireball that lit up the entire underground cavern as it approached.

"Roar!"

When Aerodactyl saw that the other party had ignored its warning and launched an attack instead, it immediately became furious. With a powerful flap of its wings, it charged head-on toward the fireball.

"Aerodactyl! Don't be rash! Dodge it first!"

Even Liam could feel the immense energy within that fireball. Seeing Aerodactyl fly straight at it made him shout anxiously.

Aerodactyl, mid-flight, clearly heard Liam's call but didn't heed it. A flash of wild defiance sparked in its eyes as it opened its large jaws and quickly gathered energy for a Hyper Beam, firing it directly into the center of the fireball. 

The attack punched a massive hole through the middle, and Aerodactyl folded its wings and flew through the fireball's core, charging angrily toward the depths of the cave.

The giant fireball, now pierced and dissipating after Aerodactyl's Hyper Beam, lost its force and crumbled into flames that scattered into the air.

"Aerodactyl! Argh… We better follow!"

Liam called out as Aerodactyl vanished further into the cave. With a helpless sigh, he turned, picked up the shattered ring and stored it away in his portable space. Then he summoned Arcanine, leaping onto its back and patting its neck.

"Arcanine! Let's go help Aerodactyl!"

"Rrrooof!"

Arcanine nodded immediately and dashed into the cave with Liam on its back.

It didn't take long for them to catch up—Aerodactyl had already engaged its opponent in battle.

"Rooaaar!!"

Inside the massive cavern, Aerodactyl bared its jaws, razor-like teeth on full display. Four massive, lightning-formed fangs extended from its mouth as it flapped its wings furiously and charged toward its opponent—a divine bird engulfed in blazing flames.

"Skreeee!"

Faced with Aerodactyl's attack, the Fire-type bird Pokémon responded with a sneer in its eyes. With a swift beat of its wings, it dodged the assault nimbly and countered with a torrent of flame from its sharp beak. 

The Flamethrower struck Aerodactyl squarely on the back, causing it to cry out in pain. The lightning fangs in its mouth vanished instantly, and its body, trailing black smoke, crashed into the ground with a resounding thud.

"Aerodactyl! Damn it! Why is there a Moltres here?! Arcanine, let's go help!"

Seeing Aerodactyl slammed into the ground, Liam's face was full of concern. His gaze lifted to the sky where the massive Moltres circled. He patted Arcanine beneath him, preparing to join the battle.

"Rrrooof!!"

Just as Arcanine crouched low, ready to leap into action at Liam's command, several massive, jagged rocks suddenly shot out from the dust cloud left by Aerodactyl's crash, planting themselves firmly in front of Arcanine and halting its movement.

"Grrraaah!"

A fierce gust of wind blew away the surrounding dust, and Aerodactyl emerged from the crater, climbing out slowly. Its crimson eyes burned with battle fervor as it tilted its head back and roared up at the circling Moltres.

"Skreeee!"

Moltres, surprised and somewhat impressed to see Aerodactyl still standing, let out a high-pitched cry. A wave of scorching wind surged from its body and barreled toward Aerodactyl.

"Aerodactyl! Use Rock Slide!"

Seeing the fiery assault heading straight for Aerodactyl again, Liam quickly issued a command, hoping Aerodactyl would finally listen.

But Aerodactyl only spared him a glance before opening its jaws again, once more gathering energy for a Hyper Beam on its own. Unfortunately, the speed of Moltres's heatwave attack outpaced the buildup of Hyper Beam. 

Caught off-guard, Aerodactyl was struck by the fiery blast, lifted off its feet, and slammed violently into a thick stone pillar, leaving deep cracks across it. Aerodactyl then slid slowly down the pillar, scowling with rage as it struggled to its feet and tried to gather Hyper Beam once more.

"Skreeee!"

But before the beam could even take form, Moltres dived at lightning speed and struck Aerodactyl with its flaming wings, sending it crashing to the ground with another agonized roar.

After several exchanges, Moltres's gaze toward Aerodactyl shifted. Where there had once been admiration, now there was only scorn. 

It glanced at the struggling Aerodactyl, then turned its attention to Liam, eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.

"…Moltres! We don't really have any reason to fight! Why don't we just sit down and talk thi—Whoa! Arcanine, dodge!"

Liam had a bad feeling the moment Moltres turned its gaze on him. Forcing a smile, he tried to speak, but before he could finish, a Flamethrower came hurtling toward him and Arcanine. Liam quickly shouted for Arcanine to dodge.

But Arcanine had already begun moving the moment Moltres started attacking. The scorching flames didn't even singe a single strand of its fur. In return, Arcanine launched its own counterattack—another Flamethrower shot up from below, sweeping toward Moltres.

Yet, Moltres didn't even try to dodge. As the flame approached, it simply flapped its blazing wings once, and the powerful Flamethrower was scattered into nothing. It didn't cause Moltres even the slightest harm.

"This isn't working! Fire-type moves barely hurt it. Arcanine, conserve your energy for dodging!"

"Rrrr…"

Seeing its Flamethrower nullified, Liam knew it was pointless to rely on Fire-type moves against Moltres.

"Skreeee!"

Infuriated that its attack was evaded, Moltres opened its beak and launched wave after wave of Flamethrower attacks toward Liam.

Arcanine continued dodging swiftly, but Liam knew this couldn't go on forever. They needed a plan. He turned toward Aerodactyl, which was standing again, and shouted loudly:

"Aerodactyl! Do you want to win against that Moltres?!"

"Rrraah…"

Aerodactyl looked up at Liam, eyes glowing with the desire to win, and gave a firm nod.

"Good! Then listen to my commands! This opponent is powerful, but your typing isn't at a huge disadvantage! If you follow my instructions carefully, we still have a chance to win!! Arcanine! Protect!"

Sitting on Arcanine's back, Liam called out to Aerodactyl. In the sky, Moltres continued spewing torrents of flame. Arcanine dodged as best it could, but the rocks in the cave were beginning to catch fire, reducing its room to maneuver. 

When it became clear they couldn't avoid the next blast, Liam ordered Arcanine to use Protect.

Responding quickly, Arcanine raised a shimmering blue barrier around itself, shielding against the Flamethrower.

Meanwhile, Aerodactyl looked up at the rampaging Moltres in the sky, then back at Liam. Its gaze sharpened. With a furious roar, it stomped the ground hard beneath its feet.