"This is bad... the Shadow Sky God is about to break the seal!"
High Priest Shamiao's face turned deathly pale as he watched the Rainbow Wing in the Submerged Rock Cave turn a corrupt, abyssal black.
"Lance! We must combine our strength to suppress the monster!" Shamiao pulled out a final, pristine Rainbow Wing from his robes.
Lance placed his hands over the artifact, his body glowing with a vibrant green light. The Viridian Power surged into the feather, forcing it to emit a brilliant, seven-colored radiance in a desperate attempt to reinforce the barrier.
"Shamiao... Ho-Oh's power is no longer enough to contain me!" a deep, chilling voice echoed from the depths of the seal. "From this day forth, I am free!"
The next second, a massive explosion of miasma rocked the cave. A gargantuan, black, shadow-version of Ho-Oh—the Sky God—tore through the barrier. In an instant, the cave was transformed into a sea of black Hellfire, a literal hell on earth. Outside, the sky turned pitch black as dark lightning webbed through the clouds.
"Finally! The seal is broken! Hellfire shall consume the world of Pokémon!" The Sky God's voice was filled with a terrifying, arrogant malice that made the very air tremble.
"Dragonite, Dragon Rush!" "Kingdra, Hydro Pump!"
Lance and Shamiao gritted their teeth against the suffocating pressure, commanding their Pokémon to strike. But the black Ho-Oh simply beat its wings, sending a tidal wave of Hellfire that swallowed both attacks. With a series of thuds, Dragonite and Kingdra were charred to cinders and fell to the ground, defeated.
"High Priest Shamiao, thank you for your 'care' all these years," the Sky God sneered. "I shall roast you over the Hellfire and watch as your soul slowly turns to ash."
But the next second, the Sky God's face froze. The sneer vanished.
A pillar of blinding white Sacred Fire descended from the heavens, piercing through the cave roof. The Rainbow Wing in the altar suddenly flared with a brilliance that outshone the dark flames.
A massive suction force erupted from the seal.
"No! This isn't real! Why does Ho-Oh still have the power to bind me?!" "My strength... it's being stripped away! What is happening?!"
The Sky God struggled, its wings clawing at the air, but it was dragged back into the altar inch by inch until it vanished once more. The miasma dissipated, and the wild Pokémon who had been driven mad by the darkness suddenly returned to normal.
"What... just happened?" Lance and Shamiao stared at each other in shock.
The Small World
In its hidden sanctuary, the true Ho-Oh was equally dumbfounded. It felt the power it had lost suddenly flow back into its body with interest. It extended its senses to the Rainbow Wing it had gifted to the "Ditto" on Feng Che's team, and it finally understood the sequence of events.
A Jirachi that grants reverse wishes... how fascinating, Ho-Oh mused. Shaka wished for the Sky God's release. But because the wish was inverted, the Sky God—who had just managed to break free—was not only resealed but also stripped of a massive portion of its divine essence. It won't be breaking that seal again for a long, long time.
The Great Temple
Inside the floating palace, High Priest Shaka stood in a state of utter shock. Cold sweat dripped from his brow as he felt his spiritual link to the Sky God snap. His own power began to wither rapidly, leaving him too weak to even cast basic spells.
"I wished for the Sky God to break the seal... why was he resealed instead?!" "The barrier is even stronger now! I've lost all contact!"
Shaka turned his frantic, bloodshot eyes toward Jirachi. The Wishing Star, terrified by the priest's hideous expression, darted behind Feng Che to hide.
"Come back, Jirachi." Feng Che raised a Poké Ball, recalling the Pokémon.
"It was you! You set this up!" Shaka hissed, his gaze locking onto "Furukawa."
The body of the priest suddenly rippled. The disguise melted away to reveal a figure in a black cloak and a smiling mask. Simultaneously, a series of cackling laughs echoed through the hall.
Everyone—Sol, Luna, Nova, and Shaka himself—found their bodies locked in place. Shaka, in his weakened state, was completely unable to resist Gengar's Shadow Stitch.
"It's been a while, High Priest Shaka. You don't look particularly well," the voice beneath the mask said mockingly. "Though, I must say, seeing you this pathetic has put me in quite a good mood."
"YOU!!!"
Shaka's eyes turned a violent scarlet. He recognized that voice. "You're the one who keeps ruining my plans! You sabotaged Jirachi! What did you do to the Sky God?!"
"Sacrilege! The Sky God will not forgive you for this!" Shaka screamed, his veins bulging with rage.
"Now, now, Shaka. You shouldn't make accusations without proof," Feng Che said dismissively. "My Jirachi was 'stolen' by the Temple. You and the Pope each used a wish. If anything, I should be charging you a service fee. I'm the victim here."
Shaka nearly choked on his own bile. If there was no conspiracy here, he would eat his own staff.