Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of crisp, metallic snaps echoed through the air. The ninja blades struck Ananda's body, but instead of drawing blood, they only shredded his robes. The ninjas felt a violent shock travel up their arms as their high-alloy steel blades shattered into countless fragments, littering the floor.
"What incredible defense!" Yuji Ando gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief. "An alloy blade... shattered by human flesh?"
With Ananda joining the fray, the scales of victory tipped toward the Bell Tower. The ninja corps' Pokémon began falling from the sky like lead weights, hitting the ground with sickening thuds and lying motionless.
"Go, Greninja!" Ando roared, releasing his ace.
This Greninja was striking—its skin was pitch black, and its eyes glowed a malevolent red. It wielded twin blades forged from dark energy, moving like a cold, heartless machine.
"Is that a Shiny, or has it been dyed black by the malice?" Feng Che whispered to Mewtwo from their hiding spot.
[My telepathy reveals its true skin beneath the shroud of malice is still blue,] Mewtwo replied. [It is being consumed by the energy.]
The dark Greninja vanished. In the blink of an eye, it reappeared behind Ananda's Lucario, slashing down with its shadow blade. Lucario countered instantly with Steel Claw, the two forces clashing in a spray of sparks.
"Mewtwo, this is our chance. To the top!"
While the monks and ninjas were locked in a desperate struggle, Feng Che and Mewtwo slipped deeper into the tower.
[The barrier is still active,] Mewtwo noted, [but inside the tower, its restriction on my power is significantly weaker.] With a flash of Teleport, they bypassed the traps and stairs, appearing instantly on the highest floor.
Inside the sanctuary, Kasyapa stood before the Rainbow Wing. Hearing the fighting below, a thin, cruel smile spread across his face. His eyes, once serene, were now filled with a terrifying, crimson greed.
"The Rainbow Wing... at last."
"Nineteen years," Kasyapa hissed. "Nineteen years since I joined this tower as a novice. For nearly two decades, the 'holy' aura of this feather has scorched my inner malice like a branding iron. Every moment has been a torture of burning organs."
"But now, its power is fading. It can no longer suppress me!"
A towering pillar of black malice erupted from Kasyapa's body, kicking up a violent gale. The "Holy Priest" was gone; in his place stood a demon wrapped in dark flames.
The Rainbow Wing flickered with a weak, seven-colored glow, struggling to repel the invasion.
"Turn! Become a Wing of Corruption!" Kasyapa laughed maniacally. "Help me unseal the God of the Skies!"
The black mist swirled around the feather, seeping into its fibers. The rainbow light dimmed. Suddenly, a thunderous crack echoed through the tower—the protective barrier outside developed a deep, web-like fissure before shattering completely.
Below, in the Plaza:
"No! The Wing!" Ananda's heart skipped a beat. His face paled as he realized the truth. "It was a diversion... they led me away so they could corrupt the feather!"
Blood-red tears welled in Ananda's eyes. He had failed Shamyo's trust. If the Wing fell, the world would be overrun by ancient monsters.
Yuji Ando, sensing the barrier's collapse, laughed at Ananda's grief. "Hahaha! Did you really think we were alone? Kasyapa has been our mole for nineteen years! Today, his mission is finally complete!"
At the Top Floor:
The moment Feng Che arrived, he felt a psychic "wail"—the cry of Ho-Oh. He saw Kasyapa frantically pumping dark energy into the feather, which was rapidly turning coal-black.
If it turns into a Wing of Corruption, the seal on the 'Sky Monsters' will break, Feng Che thought grimly.
In the games he played before crossing over, the release of the "Demonic Sky Beasts" was the final, world-ending plotline. The corrupted feather acts as a beacon for ancient, malevolent entities.
Suddenly, the feather seemed to sense something. It vibrated violently and, with a whoosh, vanished from Kasyapa's grasp.
Feng Che felt a sudden weight in his jacket. He reached in and pulled out the Rainbow Wing.
The moment his fingers touched it, his Power of Viridian surged uncontrollably into the feather. The black malice retreated as if burned by acid. A blinding, seven-colored radiance erupted, completely purging the darkness until the Wing shone brighter than ever before.
The Purifying Flames of Heaven rained down from the ceiling with renewed vigor, and the broken barrier outside snapped back into place, stronger than before.
"What?! What did you do?!" Kasyapa screamed, lunging at Feng Che. "Give it back! It's mine!"
As Kasyapa charged, the holy light of the Wing ignited the malice still clinging to his body. White flames—Sacred Fire—erupted from within him.
"AHHHHHH!" Kasyapa collapsed into a ball of fire. "Nineteen years... my youth... wasted! WHY?!"
"Because greed has a price," a calm voice spoke from behind Feng Che.
A remarkably handsome, young monk stepped out of the shadows. He had a red, flame-shaped mark on his forehead. This was the true master of the Bell Tower: High Priest Shamyo.
"High Priest? But... you went to the sea cave!" Kasyapa gasped through the flames, his body turning to ash.
"If I didn't leave, how would I give you the chance to show your true face?" Shamyo sighed, his eyes full of disappointment. "I sensed your greed years ago, Kasyapa. I set this trap to see if you would repent. You chose... poorly."
"You... you let your own monks die just to bait me?" Kasyapa snarled with his final breath. "I never served Ho-Oh. My only master is the God of the Skies! May the darkness consume you all!"
With a final curse, Kasyapa dissolved into ash. Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire had burned away not just his body, but his very soul.