Just as Ye Li's fingers were about to touch the golden feather.
Something suddenly changed.
Blaine, who had been standing behind him all along, suddenly had a cold gleam flash through his eyes-the gleam of a scheme succeeding.
Without warning, he flung a Poké Ball at the ground beside him.
"Sandslash! Dig!"
A powerful Sandslash burst out of the ball. Its sharp claws, like rapidly spinning drill bits, instantly dug an enormous pit in the volcanic rock beneath Ye Li and Apollo's feet.
It happened so suddenly that Ye Li and Apollo had no time to react.
The ground vanished beneath their feet, and they fell helplessly into the deep hole.
"Lord Ye Li!"
As he fell, Apollo let out a roar of shock and fury.
Meanwhile, aboveground.
A savage smile spread across Blaine's face as his plot succeeded.
He darted forward and, before anyone could react, snatched the feather burning with golden flames, clutching it tightly in his palm.
"Hahahaha!"
Blaine burst into wild laughter.
"Thank you so very much, everyone from Team Rocket."
"Without you, I'm afraid I could never have solved that riddle in my lifetime, much less obtained the Fire God's token."
As it turned out, he had never intended to cooperate in earnest.
From beginning to end, this crafty old fox had been using Team Rocket.
He had only wanted to use Team Rocket's strength to help him solve the riddle and obtain the token.
Then he would cast them aside, monopolize this gift from a god, and carry out his insane scientific research.
On the Altar, as Moltres witnessed this, its flame-filled eyes instantly filled with towering fury at the deception.
It felt that both it and its token had been desecrated.
"Screee-!!!!"
A piercing cry laden with destruction rang throughout the volcanic dome.