"Damn it… don't look down on me. Let me burn!"
Ash roared as the scorching spiritual pressure from Moltres intensified, trying to overwhelm his mind.
In response, a black flame erupted across Moltres's body—an extension of Ash's unleashed spiritual force. The black fire devoured the scorching mental flames attacking him, forcing Moltres's Law-fire to recoil.
"Haa… haa…"
Half-kneeling on Articuno's head, Ash gasped for air, soaked in sweat. For a moment, he had been driven to the edge of insanity by the heat of Moltres's fire-law.
In that brief instant of explosive spiritual backlash, he forced Moltres under control—
—but only for a heartbeat.
The connection snapped immediately afterward.
His mental energy, violently detonated from within, needed time to stabilize. Pupil power recovered fast—but his mind was in turbulence.
The Amaterasu-like black flame vanished as his chakra calmed, leaving visible burns on Moltres's body.
It was unbelievable—
a Legendary Pokémon that commanded the Law of Fire being burned.
Yet Moltres, blinded by rage, ignored its injuries entirely.
Zapdos screeched.
Moltres shrieked.
Both continued attacking wildly—and both began drifting dangerously close to Articuno again.
Not far away, the Kanto Elite Four regrouped.
"Ash is already fighting the Three Legendary Birds head-on," said Lance, frowning as he examined the two bubble orbs in his hands—one flickering with flame, the other with lightning.
"We must locate the third treasure immediately."
With the flame and lightning treasures recovered, the remaining one would naturally be the Ice Orb, tied to Articuno. But the place the Slowking indicated was completely empty—disturbed, as if someone else had arrived first.
"We know," Bruno said helplessly. "But with the Ice Orb missing, we have no solution."
Suddenly—
"Looking for this?"
A calm voice interrupted.
They turned to see a group approaching: the Johto League's Elite Four and Champion-class trainers.
Silver Rowan, the heir of the Rowan family and the Johto League's champion, stepped forward.
Behind him stood:
Chie Aoyama, Ice-type Elite
Kaito Mori, Ghost-type Elite
Ryo Takahashi, Fighting-type Elite
Reika Sato, Electric-type Elite
Kanto and Johto had always maintained an outwardly diplomatic, but quietly hostile rivalry. Their sudden late arrival only deepened Lance's irritation.
"You people from Johto showed up awfully late," Lance said coldly. "Seems like you wanted us from Kanto to be cannon fodder first."
He wasn't wrong.
Lance and Agatha may be Elites, but both possessed champion-level strength.
The Johto side knew this—and wanted Kanto's strength weakened before stepping in.
Silver Rowan smirked and tossed an object upward.
The Ice Orb glimmered in his hand.
"Are you looking for this?"
Lance glared. "So that's your game."
Silver's smirk deepened.
"Let's make a deal. Give Johto 50% of the profits from your cousin's potion production, and this is yours."
He meant Ash's new Elixir, the one bringing unprecedented success to the Draconis family, the eight great clans, and the Kanto League.
Lance and the others finally understood—and their expressions hardened.
"So that's what you're after," Lance said sharply. "Ash's potion? Forget it. Not even half a percent."
Silver's eyes narrowed.
He switched tactics.
"Then we can stall," he said coolly.
"Let's see how long your little Kanto champion can last with the Three Legendary Birds raging."
His voice lowered.
"To summon Lugia, the three bubble orbs must be placed at the designated altars. If we don't cooperate… no summoning. No solution."
The implication hung in the air.
Silver wanted time, leverage, and Kanto's desperation to force a trade.
"Silver, this isn't good. If we drag this out too long… it may be too late."
Chie Aoyama frowned, clearly disliking the idea of provoking Kanto's champion.
"Relax," Silver replied calmly. "They'll be the ones forced to compromise last."
A flicker of calculation crossed his eyes—gone in an instant.
Among the Johto Four, only Ryo Takahashi came from a notable family.
The rest had no powerful backing; for training resources, they were forced to follow Silver's lead.
Even Ryo, despite his lineage, was weaker—and had no real room to oppose Silver's decisions.
"If you keep stalling like this, we may lose control," Ryo finally muttered.
"The legends say that even Lugia might not be able to stop the Three Legendary Birds once they reach full rampage."
A heavy chill settled in.
Silver seized the moment.
"We're happy to cooperate," he said lightly, turning toward Lance.
"But it seems they are the ones refusing."
"Damn…"
Lance's expression darkened.
So did Agatha's.
It was now obvious—Silver wasn't here to help.
He wanted all the benefit and none of the responsibility.
He wanted Kanto to fight, bleed, and weaken—while Johto reaped the rewards.
A classic empty-handed robbery.
And a dangerous one.
(TN: The Johto Elite Four are OCs here, so I've translated them using lore-apt Pokémon names.)