Pokemon: Reborn Rich Alternate Earth

Slapping Tapu Lele repeatedly with Agility-enhanced strikes might not have dealt much damage, but the humiliation was absolutely devastating.

Since becoming a guardian deity, when had Tapu Lele ever suffered such disgrace? And now, it was actually being slapped around the face by its former "tool bird"?!

Moonblast.

A silvery moon rose behind Tapu Lele, and as it ascended, a surge of pale energy erupted from the guardian’s body.

Caught off guard, Moltres took the full brunt of Moonblast—a direct manifestation of Tapu Lele’s fury.

The explosive force of the attack sent Moltres hurtling back nearly a kilometer, its flame cloak scattering like embers in the wind.

The pain was so intense that even breathing felt difficult.

But it didn’t matter—Moltres’ spirit burned brighter than ever. After all, it had landed more than a dozen face slaps on Tapu Lele earlier. So what if it got hit back once?

Before the Moonblast’s aftershocks even faded, Tapu Lele followed up with Psyshock.

From nearly a kilometer away, the psychic assault reached Moltres almost instantly, blasting it even farther away.

“Meta~”

Metagross, watching from the sidelines, grew anxious seeing Moltres get struck again and again.

“It’s fine,” Julian said calmly.

"SKREEE—!"

A piercing cry erupted from Moltres’ throat.

As a Legendary Pokémon, it shared one common trait with others of its kind—incredible resilience and stamina.

Unless the opponent crushed it with overwhelming power, Moltres could very well drag the battle out until the other side fell first.

Tapu Lele’s Moonblast had certainly hit hard—had this been the Moltres from a month ago, it might’ve been in real danger, especially after the follow-up Psyshock.

But now?

Those two attacks had only chipped away a third of its stamina at most—and its natural regeneration was already patching it up at a visible rate.

“Flame Charge!”

Even from a kilometer away, Julian’s command still reached Moltres’ ears—'via telepathy.'

Of all special abilities, psychic powers were the most versatile, useful for both humans and Pokémon alike.

Of course, the condition was that your Psychic abilities had to be at least intermediate level. If it was still beginner level, it was practically useless.

Moltres’ body ignited in crimson flames, its entire form roaring forward like a turbocharged engine. Under the effects of Flame Charge, its speed began climbing rapidly.

Tapu Lele unleashed another Psyshock, this time morphing the attack into rippling psychic waves instead of sharp projectiles—

—only for Moltres to plow straight through them, flames blazing brighter with every moment.

With every meter Moltres closed in on Tapu Lele, the flames of Flame Charge dimmed slightly, its speed steadily dropping.

Tapu Lele had somehow turned Psyshock into 'speed bumps', methodically sapping Moltres' momentum—an incredibly skillful application of the move.

Only someone with absolute precision over Psyshock could pull that off.

Metagross scoffed: 'I can do that too.'

By the time Moltres was about 50 meters from Tapu Lele, the energy of its Flame Charge had fizzled out completely by the Psychic waves.

But so had Tapu Lele’s Psyshock.

And while Moltres had been the one charging relentlessly, Tapu Lele was the more exhausted of the two. Maintaining those psychic "speed bumps" was far more draining than it looked.

But before the guardian could even catch its breath—

FWOOOSH!

A searing Flamethrower blasted from Moltres’ beak, the enhanced flames radiating terrifying heat.

And that wasn’t all—Julian followed up with another command:

“Flare Blitz.”

"SKREEE—!"

With a piercing cry, Moltres became fire itself, its body transforming into a blazing comet as it streaked across the sky with a trail of crimson light.

Tapu Lele barely managed to shake off the Flamethrower—only to see a phoenix of pure flames hurtling toward it.

Tapu Lele: 'Not happening!'

Moonblast.

As the silver moon materialized once more, its energy erupting just as Flare Blitz collided with it in perfect a sync.

BOOOOOOM—!!!

A thunderous sound echoed across the entire island.

The shockwave from the clash split the ocean below, forcing the water back hundreds of meters and exposing the seabed. A few unlucky Magikarp flopped helplessly on the suddenly dry ground, utterly confused.

'Bro, where’d the water go?! I was just swimming in it.'

Thanks to Metagross’s protection, Julian was completely untouched.

Above, Moonblast and Flare Blitz remained locked in a deadlock, neither giving way. Shockwaves rippled outward with each passing second.

Tapu Lele gritted its teeth, glaring at the Moltres that now matched it blow for blow.

"TOOL BIRD!!" it spat.

Moltres acted as if it hadn’t heard the insult. Right now, its only thought was to defeat Tapu Lele.

But with both attacks equally matched, this would likely end in a stalemate—both sides exhausting their energy until neither could continue.

Just then, Julian’s voice once again reached Moltres’s ears:

“U-turn!”

Hearing that, Moltres’s eyes lit up.

In an instant, it disengaged from the clash, pulling back from Moonblast with lightning speed.

Up until now, Flare Blitz and Moonblast had been clashing head-on. But the moment Moltres suddenly pulled back, Moonblast lost its target—and instantly exploded outward.

However, Moltres was already gone, having retreated faster than the explosion could chase.

Tapu Lele was still channeling energy into the Moonblast when it suddenly realized—Moltres had vanished mid-attack.

…

Moonblast exploded forward—but Moltres, having executed a U-turn, had already reappeared behind Tapu Lele.

THUD!!!

A heavy crashing sound rang out as Tapu Lele’s body was sent hurtling like a meteor, slamming down onto the exposed seabed that the receding waters had yet to reclaim.

The resulting impact and shockwave caused the seawater to surge backward again.

There was no need for Julian to say anything—given such an opportunity, Moltres knew exactly what to do.

Flamethrower roared from its beak, engulfing Tapu Lele in searing fire just as the ocean surged back to reclaim the seabed.

But the scorching heat vaporized the incoming water before it could even touch Tapu Lele, steam hissing violently into the air.

This, to some extent, did weaken the power of Flamethrower.

But—it was already enough.

"Stop."

As Julian finally called for a halt, Moltres stopped its assault. The waves finally crashed down, swallowing Tapu Lele’s scorched form beneath the sea.

Panting heavily, Moltres flew back to Julian. It was clearly battered and exhausted, but its spirit was blazing with triumph.

“Well done.”

He patted Moltres’ slender neck in approval.

All those good meals and training over the past weeks had finally paid off.

“Meta~”

Even Metagross nodded in acknowledgment.

Though internally, it mused: 'If I had gone up instead, this fight would’ve ended even faster.'

Receiving Julian’s praise, Moltres squinted happily, looking pleased with itself.

After all, how many Pokémon could say they had just beaten Tapu Lele to a pulp?

*****

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/ReduxMagister