Fierce Battle: The Restored Articuno

"Entei, are you ready?" Yan Yang's voice rang out with striking clarity amidst the biting wind. It was better to use the Pokémon's original name during battle; he hoped he wouldn't mind.

Entei let out a low Roar, seemingly responding to Yan Yang's trust and anticipation. He didn't mind the change in address during the heat of combat.

"Flare Blitz!" Following Yan Yang's command, Entei transformed into a streak of crimson lightning, surging rapidly toward Articuno.

Articuno wasn't flying very high, and combined with Entei's formidable leaping ability, there was a real chance for the Flare Blitz to land.

Besides, Entei's true strength had always lain in his physical moves.

As for whether Yan Yang, riding on Entei's back, would be burned—that was not a concern. Entei's control over his flames had reached a state of pure perfection, and Yan Yang himself had developed a resistance to heat and fire after spending so much time with Entei, so he naturally wouldn't be scorched.

However, Articuno was clearly no pushover. With a gentle flap of its wings, a powerful chill instantly coalesced into an ice wall, which, bolstered by the snowy weather, actually blocked Entei's high-powered attack.

"Flamethrower!" Yan Yang issued another order. Entei opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of scorching flames, attempting to melt the ice wall before him.

Yet, the flames were rapidly extinguished the moment they touched the icy surface, leaving behind only a thin mist of water.

It seems ordinary fire won't work, Yan Yang thought to himself. Then let's try this flame.

"Entei, Sacred Fire!" Yan Yang shouted. The flames on Entei's body grew even more intense, as if his very soul were burning. Yan Yang felt significantly hotter than before, but it remained within a tolerable range.

Entei gathered all his strength, releasing an unprecedented surge of scorching energy. This energy coalesced into a beautiful beam of white flame, instantly melting the ice wall and shooting straight toward Articuno.

Thanks to the boost from the Flame Scarf, this Sacred Fire was incredibly powerful. That's right—although Entei wasn't wearing the scarf, Yan Yang on his back was, and he could still channel the power of the Fire Gem contained within it.

However, Entei's Sacred Fire did not hit its mark. Articuno shifted its position the moment the ice wall melted, vanishing just as the Sacred Fire was about to strike, only to reappear on the other side.

"It's Snow Cloak." Yan Yang naturally understood why Articuno could dodge an attack that was nearly guaranteed to hit; it was the effect of its hidden ability, Snow Cloak.

In such an icy environment, Articuno not only saw its move power increased but also gained an evasion bonus that made it difficult for attacks to land.

Yan Yang understood this, but he didn't panic, continuing to issue commands to Entei.

"Entei, Extreme Speed!" Facing an Articuno like this, Yan Yang chose a faster priority move. Entei vanished from his spot, and by the time he reappeared, he had already leaped into the air.

No matter how fast Articuno's reflexes were, it was too late. After taking a direct hit from the Extreme Speed, it immediately flew to the other side, trying to put some distance between itself and Entei.

But it was already too late; the very moment it tried to pull away, Articuno had exposed a significant opening.

The equation for victory had been written, and now was the perfect moment.

"Entei, Rock Slide!" As the command was given, Entei, having just landed on the ground, immediately began to gather his power. The snow-covered ground suddenly cracked open, and several massive boulders, glowing with energy, flew toward Articuno.

Rock Slide was a bit slow to execute; after all, Entei was not a Rock-type Pokémon, and his power and proficiency with this move were inferior to his Fire-type techniques. However, it was enough.

Articuno sensed the immense power of the attack; if it were hit, it would be a life-threatening blow. It was too late to dodge the range of the attack, so Articuno abandoned defense and unleashed its strongest move—Blizzard—preparing to meet the attack head-on.

The two forces collided in the air, creating a spectacular clash.

However, it was clear that the Rock-type move, which countered the Ice-type, held the upper hand. Combined with the fact that Articuno's Blizzard had been used in a rush and hadn't reached its maximum potential, the impact of the Rock Slide was inevitable.

The rocks tore through the Blizzard, becoming even harder as they were coated in ice, and finally struck Articuno in the sky. More importantly, they hit one of its wings.

Articuno, with its four-fold weakness to Rock-type moves, naturally couldn't withstand such a powerful attack. With its wing struck, it could no longer maintain flight, lost its balance, and plummeted, falling unconscious.

Entei walked over to Articuno, looking down at the incapacitated legendary bird, lost in thought.

This battle between legendary beings had come to a close, and the final victory belonged to Yan Yang and Entei.

"We did it, Dad! We actually defeated the legendary Articuno." Yan Yang happily rubbed his face against the mane on Entei's body, his heart filled with excitement.

Just imagine: if you commanded your favorite Pokémon to defeat a powerful legendary Pokémon, anyone would feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

Entei also found it somewhat miraculous. He hadn't expected the effect of being commanded to be so effective. While it might have been because he trusted him deeply and was strong enough on his own, Yan Yang's familiarity with his situation and his ability to make judgments at the right time were truly remarkable.

Little Sun really seemed to be a natural-born trainer.

And Little Sun truly understood him so well—what moves he would use, his proficiency with them, the timing of his attacks, and more. He was truly his child.

As Entei thought this, he praised Yan Yang, "Well done. You will definitely be an outstanding trainer in the future."

A child receiving praise from an adult is bound to be happy, and Yan Yang was no exception. He held his head high, looking full of spirit; if he had a tail, there's no telling how high it would be wagging.

Even with his previous memories, he still acted like a child in front of Entei, as if trying to make up for the regrets of his childhood.

"Right, Dad, that control ring." Yan Yang, immersed in the joy of victory, almost forgot the most important thing.

Entei signaled his understanding, then gathered flames in his mouth and blasted them at the silver ring on Articuno's tailbone.

Entei didn't hold back his control with this blast of fire. After burning away the silver ring that was the root of the trouble, he also scorched the feathers on Articuno's rear and tail to a crisp black.

Hmph, causing so much trouble, you certainly deserve a lesson, Entei thought to himself.

Watching Articuno with its rear end charred black, Yan Yang couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahaha..."

After laughing, Yan Yang asked Entei how to handle the bird, as leaving Articuno here didn't seem quite right.

Entei didn't care much for that; he simply let out a loud, thunderous Roar right next to Articuno's ear, which was so startling that Articuno immediately snapped back to consciousness.

Looking at Entei and a human before it, Articuno didn't understand what had happened. It only remembered being ambushed by some humans, forcibly restrained, and then, after finally breaking free from their control and escaping, it... what happened after that? Articuno couldn't remember a thing.

Seeing that Articuno was able to speak properly again, Entei began to question it about the situation.

Articuno honestly recounted what it could remember. After all, having heard about the things it had done while out of control, it felt guilty and had to set aside its haughty demeanor—especially since the one before it was a subordinate of the great Ho-Oh, and it was still a bit afraid of Ho-Oh finding out about this.

Even though its own status was high, it was far inferior compared to Ho-Oh.

Fortunately, the incident this time didn't blow up; otherwise, if those other two stinking birds found out, they would surely mock him relentlessly.

As for the human before him, judging by the situation, it seemed to be a child adopted by Entei. He was still somewhat curious as to how a high and mighty Legendary Pokémon could adopt a human cub.

Entei ignored the look on Articuno's face that seemed to be asking what was going on between the two of them, and said with a serious expression, "How do you intend to thank us for helping you clean up this mess?"

Articuno indicated that he had nothing to give, but felt it wouldn't be right to offer nothing at all, so he plucked a feather for Yan Yang, only to discover why his backside looked so dark and charred.

Damn it, Articuno certainly knew why, but he didn't dare show it; being in the wrong meant having to swallow it.

He quickly stated that he was severely injured and needed rest, then flew away, demanding secrecy before he departed.

Entei agreed, as he still had to give the Ice God some face, and thus watched Articuno leave.

To fly so fast even with injured wings, it seemed he really didn't want to stay here a moment longer.

Meanwhile, Yan Yang was carefully examining the ice-blue feather in his hand.