"Fire as well…? You can even wield elemental flame without a Law of your own?"
Ho-Oh watched as Lugia's water tornado was torn apart by Ash's Water Dragon. Awe flickered in her voice.
Then flames erupted around her entire body as she struck toward Ash.
"No… ordinary Ninjutsu won't withstand a Legendary Pokémon," Ash realized instantly.
Ho-Oh's sacred fire wasn't something basic Suiton could block.
"Curse Mark — First State!"
At Ash's call, the three-tomoe pattern on the back-left of his neck expanded outward, dark energy flaring. His entire body was wrapped in a pitch-black aura—like living flame.
"That feeling…"
Both Ho-Oh and Lugia stiffened.
They felt the sudden shift in the surrounding elements—something beyond normal chakra, something that tugged at the world itself.
"Senjutsu: Water Formation Wall!"
A towering wall of water—twenty meters high—surged up from the ocean, shielding Ash. Ho-Oh's blazing strike collided with it and was instantly repelled backward.
"This human can manipulate elements and touch the power of Law—!"
Ho-Oh's eyes narrowed sharply as the rebounded force pushed her back.
Ash had no idea that what he called Senjutsu was, to Legendary Pokémon, the Law of Nature itself—
the hidden principle that amplified elemental energy beyond its limits.
But for Ash, "Law" was still a concept he couldn't fully comprehend.
"ROAR!!"
Just as Ho-Oh reeled, Lugia unleashed a furious cry.
A compressed Hydro Cannon blasted forward, aimed directly at Mewtwo.
"Protect."
Mewtwo's barrier manifested instantly—but even after evolving into a true first-tier Legendary Pokémon, he could not fully match the overwhelming force of another super-legend.
Ash had to defeat either Ho-Oh or Lugia quickly.
A violent impact echoed—
BOOM!
CRACK!
Fractures rippled across Mewtwo's barrier like shattered glass—Unbelievable.
Even his strongest defense collapsed under Lugia's raw power.
"Gravity Field!"
Mewtwo thrust his hands outward. A black gravitational dome expanded, pushing down on the battlefield.
Ho-Oh and Lugia felt it immediately—their altitude dropping sharply under the intense weight.
"Good chance."
Ash inhaled deeply—
"Senjutsu: Water Release — Breaking Wave Cannon!"
A colossal torrent erupted from his mouth like a high-pressure beam.
The ocean split apart under its force, the sea unable to close again as the technique carved a path straight toward Ho-Oh.
BOOOOM!!!
Zzzzzzz—!
Just before it could strike, Lugia darted in front of Ho-Oh, erecting his own Protect.
The barrier around Lugia shimmered—transparent, yet vastly more stable than ordinary Protects.
Pure Psychic-type mastery.
Lugia possessed both Psychic and Flying attributes. His telekinetic strength far surpassed most Pokémon—including Mewtwo in raw utility and stability.
Ash's Breaking Wave Cannon clashed with Lugia's barrier, neither side giving way.
And then—
Ho-Oh lifted off behind Lugia, aura blazing.
Rejecting Mewtwo's gravity, she rose with a burst of sapphire energy.
That shining blue aura—
Brave Bird.
A full S+-rank strike.
"Move!" Ash called.
Mewtwo flashed upward to intercept, but—
KRAAASH!!
Ho-Oh's Brave Bird shattered Mewtwo's Protect like thin ice.
Still, he bought Ash a moment.
"If I stop the ninjutsu, Lugia will attack.
If I don't dodge, Ho-Oh will hit me.
Looks like… I have only one option."
Ash lowered his stance.
"—I'll trade blows."
"Senjutsu: Lightning Release — Chidori!"
A surge of blue lightning exploded across Ash's body, forming a roaring spear of electricity. The power was enough to shake the sea itself.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Ho-Oh's Brave Bird collided with Ash's Senjutsu-charged Chidori.
A massive shockwave detonated over the ocean, sending towering waves rolling into the sky.
The sea itself roared from the impact.
The explosion cut off Ash's jutsu entirely.
As the smoke faded, his clothes were riddled with tears, and several scorched wounds streaked across his body.
Mewtwo didn't fare much better.
Ho-Oh's Brave Bird had pierced his Protect instantly, leaving deep gashes along his frame.
As for Ho-Oh, she didn't walk away unharmed either—the impact of Ash's Senjutsu Chidori had dealt surprising damage.
To Ash's astonishment, Ho-Oh's body now trembled slightly—paralysis was spreading across her limbs.
"I truly underestimated him…" Ho-Oh admitted, her voice steady despite the shaking.
"I didn't expect a human to wield not only Fire-type Laws, but Lightning-type Laws as well."
Her normally immaculate feathers were ruffled, scorched, and streaked with cuts. Even her balance faltered under the paralysis shock.
"Yes… I never imagined humans could reach such power," Lugia added, staring at Ash with disbelief and respect.
"It's fine."
With the battle momentarily paused, Ash floated toward Mewtwo.
The lift came from the Levitate Gem he carried—something he'd nearly forgotten about amid the chaos.
"I didn't expect to be pushed this far," Mewtwo replied, voice calm but tense. "So this is the gap… between a first-tier Legendary and a super-Legendary Pokémon."
He fixed his gaze on Ho-Oh and Lugia—serious, calculating.
"I told you… this world isn't as simple as it looks."
As Ash spoke, his injuries mended rapidly.
Between his Mokuton regeneration and the restorative boost from Senjutsu, his body healed almost instantly—to the point he was nearly immortal by normal standards.
"Here—take this. We'll keep the last one for a real emergency. I only have five left, and I need to save them."
Seeing Mewtwo's drained aura and heavy damage, Ash tossed him two Senzu Beans.
Crunch.
Mewtwo didn't hesitate. He trusted Ash completely.
The effect was immediate—
Before the stunned eyes of both Ho-Oh and Lugia, Mewtwo's wounds vanished, his energy surged, and in a breath—
He was fully restored.