Two Aura Spheres slammed into the sides of the Forbidden God's Cage, detonating with a deafening explosion.
Smoke and debris filled the air, creating a brief moment of obscurity before revealing the majestic forms of Moltres and Zapdos, now freed from their confinement.
"Moltres——!" Moltres cried out triumphantly, spreading its massive flaming wings as it shook off the remnants of its imprisonment. A fiery aura erupted around its body, signaling its readiness for battle.
Zapdos, crackling with intense Electric-type energy, narrowed its eyes, seething with fury. Its gaze was locked on the control room, the source of its torment—the mastermind, Lawrence.
The legendary bird summoned the ambient electricity in the environment, merging it with its own power. With a piercing screech, it unleashed a devastating storm of thunderbolts in all directions, the bolts colliding with the walls and machinery of the collection hall.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The relentless barrage of electricity wreaked havoc, leaving scorched marks and damaged systems in its wake.
Not to be outdone, Moltres released a torrent of searing flames, enveloping the edges of the spacecraft's transparent outer wall. The intense heat melted the reinforced glass like butter, leaving a massive gaping hole in the ship's structure.
---
In the control room, alarms blared incessantly.
"Report to the master! An unexpected situation has occurred in the collection hall," the artificial intelligence announced in its cold, mechanical tone.
"The Forbidden God's Cage has been destroyed. The God of Fire and the God of Thunder have escaped!"
"What?!" Lawrence shot up from his seat, his composed demeanor shattered by the shocking revelation.
He immediately abandoned his focus on capturing Articuno, his attention now drawn entirely to the chaos in the collection hall.
"Bring up the collection hall's feed immediately!" he barked.
"Yes, Master."
A virtual screen materialized before him, displaying the destruction wrought by Moltres and Zapdos. Flames and lightning raged uncontrollably, while Ash stood free from his confinement, his determined expression evident even amid the mayhem.
"What's happening?!" Lawrence muttered, his brow furrowed deeply.
The two gods' escape had caused significant damage to the spacecraft, though its core systems remained operational. While he still had the means to recapture them, he needed to understand how they had managed to break free.
"It's Ash," the AI stated flatly. "There is an unidentified Pokémon residing within his shadow. Its power is estimated to be at least legendary-level."
"An unknown Pokémon…" Lawrence's eyes widened, his heart pounding as he replayed the footage of the escape. He had gravely underestimated the situation.
"Can a legendary Pokémon alone truly breach my Forbidden God's Cage?"
The thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. The cage, his supposedly impenetrable creation, had been destroyed—not by the gods themselves, but by a single legendary-level Pokémon.
"Haha… Hahaha…" Lawrence began laughing bitterly, the sound tinged with humiliation.
His confidence in his technological genius now felt like arrogance.
"Immediately recalibrate the data on the Forbidden God's Cage and enhance its defensive capabilities!" he ordered sharply, inhaling deeply to regain his composure.
Though the situation seemed dire, he wasn't willing to concede defeat. His database held extensive records of legendary Pokémon's abilities—he just needed to analyze the data to create a countermeasure.
"Abandon the capture plan for now. Allocate all resources to counter the Three Sacred Birds. Prepare a solid defense and enhance the Forbidden God's Cage immediately!"
"Yes, Master," the AI acknowledged, carrying out his directives without delay.
---
Meanwhile, in the collection hall, new Forbidden God Cages emerged from hidden compartments, targeting Moltres and Zapdos.
But the legendary birds, now enraged and free, were not about to be subdued again.
Moltres and Zapdos darted through the gaping hole Moltres had created, narrowly evading the grasp of the approaching cages.
The AI had calculated that the cages could only restrain the two gods. It ignored Ash entirely, deeming him insignificant compared to the threats posed by the birds.
In the shadows, Marshadow retreated into Ash's shadow once more, content to observe and protect as needed. With Ash now free from immediate danger, it chose not to intervene further.
Ash, his determination renewed, approached the cave-like opening to the outside world.
What he saw left him in awe: Moltres and Zapdos locked in fierce combat with Lawrence's machinery, and Articuno flying above, skillfully evading the newly dispatched cages.
"Why hasn't Lugia shown up yet?" Ash muttered, a gnawing anxiety building in his chest.
Logically, the God of the Sea should have already intervened to prevent the escalating chaos. But the plot he remembered from the legends was unraveling, leaving him uncertain of what would come next.
---
Not far away, Misty and her group were on their way to Ice Island when they spotted the massive spacecraft hovering ominously in the sky.
"What is that?" Misty asked, her voice filled with alarm as flashes of fire, lightning, and ice lit up the Skys.
"Tracey, can you see what's happening?" she urged.
Tracey quickly raised his telescope, peering toward the distant chaos.
"It's Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno!" he gasped. "They're attacking the spaceship!"
"What?!" Misty and Melody exchanged looks of disbelief.
"Wait!" Tracey's expression suddenly shifted to one of shock. "Ash… Ash is on that spaceship!"
"How can that be?!" Misty exclaimed, her voice filled with equal parts concern and disbelief.
There was no denying it, though—Ash was at the heart of the unfolding disaster.
"We need to get there immediately!" Misty declared, her resolve hardening.
She commanded her Gyarados, urging it to close the distance between them and the drifting spaceship, which was precariously tilting toward Ice Island.
---
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The explosions intensified as the three gods unleashed their fury. The spacecraft groaned under the relentless assault, its balance stabilizer sustaining critical damage.
In the control room, Lawrence gripped the armrests of his chair tightly, his face pale with tension.
"Can the stabilizer be repaired?" he demanded.
"Negative, Master. The western stabilizer is completely destroyed and cannot be repaired," the AI reported.
"Initiating emergency landing procedures. Designated landing site: Ice Island."
Lawrence's expression darkened as the situation spiraled out of control.
Meanwhile, outside, the gods' attacks continued with unrelenting ferocity, and Ash steeled himself for the climactic confrontation that would determine the fate of the Orange Islands—and perhaps the world.
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