As a veteran Legendary Pokémon who wielded Sacred Fire and held multiple divine offices,
when it came to surviving before Legends stronger than himself, Ho-Oh dared say he ranked among the very best.
After all, he was not Xerneas, whose abilities were completely countered. No matter how powerful the God of Order was, as long as it did not enter its 100% Form, it could not take him down immediately.
Even if he was not as tough as Lugia, he could temper his body with Sacred Fire at any time. He also lacked the weakness of an aura, so Order Divine Power could not fully suppress his Law Authority and impose healing prohibition anytime soon.
Knowing that stalling meant victory, Ho-Oh upheld this principle. He took the fiercest blows, yet refused to fall.
At the same time, he used the unconventional Laws he had tinkered with to create a spectacle, giving the impression that he was fiercely clashing with Zygarde while concealing the truth that Zygarde was beating him one-sidedly.
No matter what, he was still the totemic faith of this Pokémon League and this nation. Ho-Oh had to save some face.
He had never been particularly skilled at combat. Even though Zygarde was only in its 50% Form, its status and power as the guardian of order were enough to suppress him.
As everyone knew, the guardian of order maintained order through force, not by making rules or devising solutions to difficult problems.
Perhaps only a Legend whose Authority and Laws stood on equal footing with it, and who had been tempered by countless battles and excelled at combat, could be evenly matched against it.
At this moment, Zygarde was also puzzled as to why Ho-Oh had diverted some of his energy to create those flashy yet impractical illusions.