"Didn't you bring back a lot of Flying-type Pokémon earlier, Gym Leader?" Parker asked, his voice weary. "They've entered their breeding season and laid an enormous number of eggs. Once these hatch, the cost of raising them will be a massive burden on the Viridian Gym's finances."
"That issue should be resolved once the Nursery fully relocates to the Gym," Feng Che replied. "I'll be launching our formal sales business soon, and we can put some of our stock up for sale. As for the Gym's resident Pokémon, we'll select the best and donate them to orphanages. We can also recruit some hands from there; with the Gym and the Nursery growing so large, you and Fox Princess can't manage everything alone."
Feng Che couldn't help but let out a long yawn. The non-stop travel of the past few days had left him physically and mentally drained. "If there's nothing else, I'm going to hang up now." Without waiting for a response, he ended the call.
Shadows Over Viridian
Back at the Viridian Gym, Fox Princess looked at Parker with deep concern. "Parker, why didn't you tell the Master that the Nidoking swarm is literally pacing outside our front gates every day now? I'm afraid they're going to lose patience and storm the facility. The two of us aren't a match for that entire clan."
The roar of a Nidoking echoed from the forest outside, vibrating the Gym's windows.
"The Master is still busy at the Celadon Nursery," Parker sighed, trying to sound reassuring. "We can hold the line a bit longer. Let's not disturb him while he's finishing up there."
The Altar of Blood
On a remote island in the south of the Johto region, lush vegetation concealed a place of ancient dread. Deep within the island sat a ruined temple, its stones stained by time.
At the center of the temple, a grisly sight unfolded. Dozens of human corpses were arranged in the shape of a giant, twisted feather. Blood flowed from the bodies, funneled into a central sacrificial altar. These men wore the robes of the Pure Heaven Sect, and their faces remained frozen in a state of ecstatic delirium.
As the blood filled the grooves of the altar, black flames began to flicker in the air.
"It is not enough. the souls of these zealots are insufficient to rouse the Great God of the Skies," High Priest Shaka muttered. He pulled a serrated dagger from his belt, bit his lip, and sliced off his own pinky finger.
The moment the finger hit the altar, a pillar of black fire erupted, reaching for the temple roof. Whispers like the screams of the damned filled Shaka's ears. The obsidian statue of Ho-Oh above the altar flared with Hellfire, instantly incinerating the corpses. Shaka watched with a twisted smile as the souls of his followers were pulled into the black blaze, their ghostly wails echoing through the ruins.
"Pure Heaven High Priest Shaka calls for the resurrection of the God of the Skies!"
As he chanted the ancient prayers, wisps of black miasma coalesced above the obsidian statue, forming the spectral silhouette of a Black Ho-Oh. The shadow opened its beak, and a powerful suction pulled the screaming souls into its maw.
Only after devouring the essence did the phantom take on a more solid, terrifying form.
"Shaka... you disappoint me," the Black Ho-Oh hissed, its voice weak and raspy. "Your four 'Ability Users' failed to kill Feng Che. Three of them have already betrayed the Sect. And now, the true Ho-Oh has been awakened. My power is being drained by its resurgence."
The Sky Miasma turned a hateful gaze toward the High Priest. "You require the discipline of the Abyss."
A burst of Hellfire erupted from the phantom's mouth, engulfing Shaka. The black flames burned away his flesh in seconds, leaving him as a charred, skeletal figure. Shaka felt the agonizing heat scouring his very soul, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent. He knew that if he cried out, the God would devour him entirely.
Eventually, the flames died down.
"I thank the Great God for his mercy," the skeleton rasped. As the fire vanished, Shaka's flesh began to regrow at a visible rate.
"With Ho-Oh awake, my power is being siphoned," the Sky Miasma warned. "I must enter a deep slumber to contest for dominance. If Ho-Oh fully descends into the world, I am finished. And you know what that means for you, Shaka. Your life was spent long ago; it is my power that keeps you immortal. If I die, you vanish with me. We are locusts tied to a single string."
"Order every disciple to hunt Feng Che. He is the Rainbow Hero now, and he wields the Purifying Flame. If he lives, he is a mortal threat to us."
The phantom let out a piercing shriek that caused the temple walls to crack.
"I understand, my God," Shaka smiled manically, his eyes turning a visceral crimson. "I will send my elite assassins. I will place his head before your statue and let the Hellfire burn his soul for eternity."
"Kill him, and I shall grant you the power of a God," the phantom whispered. "Break my seal. Once I am free, I shall purify this world in the black flames of the Abyss."
Gathering Allies
Back at the Celadon Nursery, Feng Che met with Maki, Taki, and Zhi in the secluded backyard.
"Maki, I've successfully awakened Ho-Oh and passed the trial. I am the Rainbow Hero now," Feng Che said seriously. "This makes me the primary target of the Sky Miasma. I hope the data you gathered from the Sect can give us the edge we need."
Maki is about to reveal the Sect's greatest secret. Should Feng Che ask about the "controlled avatar" Ho-Oh mentioned, or inquire about the location of the hidden Sky Miasma temple?