Before we get started, there's something I'd like to say.

Some of you might not know this, and some of you are likely already aware of it, but just last week, we lost a true legend.

Akira Toriyama.

For the longest time, I'd heard numerous things regarding one of his most famous works, that of Dragon Ball. It wasn't until more recent years that I'd actually say I'm a fan of the franchise, with help from enjoying TeamFourStar's DBZ Abridged series, which you have likely identified some references I've made to their parody. So needless to say, I had begun to come to enjoy what the franchise had to offer, they even got one of my favorite artists, NateWantsToBattle, to sing the English version of Limit Break X Survivor for the opening of the Tournament of Power.

But alas, we have lost a legend of pop culture.

Akira Toriyama's work was groundbreaking, it helped in defining so many parts of popular media. We've all mimicked a Kamehameha at least once, don't try and deny it. In fact, Pokémon itself has had Toriyama's art style influence it in the past, not to mention all the numerous references so many franchises have made to the series, both in Eastern and Western media.

I had concluded the other day about a way to describe the impact of his work, and that is that Akira Toriyama was the manga writer equivalent to Stan Lee. Each of these legends' works defied expectations and became cultural phenomenons, reshaping their own industries as well as influencing others.

Goku's clash with Beerus may have been felt across all of Universe 7, but Akira Toriyama's work did the same for manga, how fitting.

R.I.P. to a G.O.A.T. You have given us so much, your rest is well-earned.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Kung Fu Panda. Any OCs however, are mine unless stated otherwise.

Chapter 10: Bird is the Word

With Lyla, Monkey, and Mantis

The three were headed to the Gym only to find people fleeing, or sending projectile attacks at something as it kept vanishing throughout the air. Occasionally, purple energy surrounded large chunks of rubble as they launched at buildings or people who were fighting back before fleeing.

Monkey and Mantis were understandably confused. Why were things floating in the air?

Monkey turned to Lyla. "I thought you said that they had Ice, Fire, and Electric powers?"

Lyla's brow was furrowed at that as they observed the area. "They do. But this transformation doesn't make any sense, not unless…" Lyla thought for a moment, something seemingly coming to mind.

"So what's going on?" Mantis asked.

"Lugia is the master of the Avians, at least, of one set of the Avians. Apparently, Galar has their own set of legendaries they also call the Avians, but they're completely different. Their names are Telekun, Taekwondeux, and Maltrois. Those three have much different powers, and there are some Pokémon that are convergent in their appearance but aren't anything like their look-a-likes." Lyla explained, noticing something blue floating in the air before it vanished once more.

"That's what the Galar Avians are compared to the ones Lugia is the master of, but it seems as though the Jewel's power has managed to warp their powers to match their counterparts. Perhaps it isn't a coincidence for their similarities after all, given this is not what Articuno is normally supposed to be capable of." Lyla pondered. 1

Monkey's expression became firm. "All that matters is that we must stop them."

Lyla nodded in agreement as her eyes moved rapidly as she looked around the area. "Agreed. Just be sure to watch your-GET DOWN!"

Lyla screamed, tackling Monkey to the ground. Barely an instance after, a large slab of concrete sailed over their heads as it fell to the ground, a purple glow dissipating as it hit the ground.

The three turned the direction the slab came from, as they were met with their foe. Her main body was lavender in color with a black marking covering her chest. Her feet are black with lavender talons. The three feathers of her crest, which are longer, fused, and folded to the back, have the same purple color as her beak and tail. Her eyes were glowing light blue, appeared to be mostly closed, and were surrounded by a black, mask-like facial disc. She had white, feather-like blades of condensed psychic power at the edges of her wings.

The legendary stared at the three before bellowing out a battle cry. Gyaoo! Her eyes glowed brighter and turned purple, alarming Lyla.

"Move!" Lyla said quickly, with Monkey and Mantis quickly doing so as they split up, Lyla headed toward the legend's right as Monkey and Mantis circled to her left.

Articuno fired a set of twin beams from her eyes at them, the beams struck the ground where the group had stood as it was covered in a layer of ice.

"Don't let her Freezing Glare hit you! Keep moving!" Lyla shouted.

A purple glow began to surround many chunks of debris scattered around the area, lifting them up before they flew toward the three. The three were able to dodge them all effortlessly, but they didn't stop. The debris followed them as they ran.

Lyla's eyes glowed blue as she slammed the ground with a less-powerful Night Daze, using the explosion to eradicate the pieces following her, before firing a Dark Pulse from her mouth at Articuno.

Articuno dodged the attack, almost looking as if she had teleported to the side as she turned toward her attacker, her gaze being met with…

Well…that hand gesture is certainly ironic, all things considered.

Articuno's eyes narrowed in rage as she cried out, flapping her wings to throw a barrage of her white feathers at Lyla.

Lyla nimbly dodged the feathers, even doing a backflip to dodge one set as she fired another Dark Pulse at Articuno, who dodged that attack as well.

"You know? Maybe Taunting one of the Shamounti wasn't exactly the brightest idea!" Lyla said with panic, having begun to regret her previous decision.

Having taken Articuno's attention away from them, Monkey and Mantis were no longer being pursued and proceeded to charge at the bird. Monkey latched to her back as Mantis held onto the swirling tail feathers. Articuno cried out in surprise at realizing someone was on her, as Monkey threw a few jabs into her back.

Articuno threw flapped her wings back, throwing Monkey off of her. Mantis was still holding onto the end of the tail feathers, holding on for dear life.

"I! Am! Getting! So! Dizzy!" Mantis screamed, each word being spoken individually as he was spun around. Desperate to get any kind of damage on the bird, Mantis resorted to biting into the feathers to hold on, freeing his arms to slash at the bird.

Articuno squawked in pain before cracking her tail feathers like a whip, throwing Mantis off in the process from the force. If it weren't for Mantis' exoskeleton, some mighty whiplash would've been in order.

Mantis bounced off the ground a few times before slowly getting back to his feet with a groan. "I think I'm gonna hurl," he said with a bit of a sway.

Articuno threw more debris at them as they ran regrouped and circled as a unit.

"Lyla, why not use some of your illusions?" Monkey asked.

Lyla grunted, one of the smaller debris hitting her. "There'd be no point! Illusions don't matter against a Psychic! Even if my species are resistant to such kinds of attacks, Articuno will just see through them!" Lyla responded.

Lyla then made a sharp turn toward Articuno, barreling toward the legendary with more debris on her tail. Articuno fired beams of violet frost at Lyla as she approached, who side-stepped each one, the ground struck being coated in violet ice behind Lyla, as she prepared to slam the ground near Articuno for another Night Daze. However, Articuno threw a massive burst of Psychic energy, knocking her back and into the debris following her, peppering her with hits to her back.

Lyla groaned as she got back up. That did not go how she wanted it to. 'What the Distortion was with that move? It was like some kind of, Shadow Chill, or something.' In a desperate attempt, she tried summoning an illusionary copy of herself to either side of herself. 2

Articuno fired another Freezing glare, each beam causing the illusions beside her to poof out of existence.

"Damn it." Lyla clicked her tongue. It was worth a shot at least.

Monkey and Mantis arrived at her side, destroying the chunks of debris that were following them.

Mantis began to speak. "Well, I suppose this could be going worse."

Just as Mantis had gotten halfway through his sentence, both Lyla and Monkey began to panic and interrupt him, waving their arms frantically. "Nonowait-!"

Articuno let out a cry as she copied Lyla's move, and summoned two replicas of herself to either side. She and the replicas then proceeded to spin around rapidly in a circle, leaving them unable to tell which one was the real one.

Lyla and Monkey proceeded to slowly turn to look at Mantis with annoyance.

Mantis nervously laughed under their gaze. "Whoops…" he said apologetically.

Lyla's eyes twitched in pure rage. "If we somehow get out of this and Articuno doesn't kill you. I will."

Mantis sighed. "That's fair."

With Viper and Crane

The two made their way to the Health Center to find a somewhat similar scene that the others had, with destruction evident and all around them. The rubble was bathed in dark flames, scorching the ground around them.

"Well, I suppose this is certainly the fire one we're up against," Crane stated before looking at the flames with a tilted head. "I don't remember that book showing anything about dark flames though," The bird pondered.

Viper squinted as an aura of heat rose the area's temperature. "You're right. It almost doesn't look like actual flames. More like that energy Lyla emits whenever she does those Dark Pulses or Night Dazes," Viper stated.

Suddenly, a beam wizzes between the two, destroying a patch of ground behind them as their pupils shrink in shock.

The two turn to see the broken earth for a moment, before glancing at each other.

"You know, I get the feeling it doesn't just look similar," Crane said as he shook a bit from how close the attack had been to the two.

Viper gulped as the two turned in the direction the attack came from. "Yeah, me too."

Perched atop the Health Center's entrance was their target. Her body is primarily black with scarlet highlights and bright blue eyes. Her scarlet beak is hooked at the tip and leads to markings that run down the front and behind her head. The feet were also scarlet with black talons. The wings, crest, and tail are mostly black, with the crest having an extra curl at the front and the tail being split in two, and all three of these features exude a magenta, flame-like energy. Evidently, the two could gather this was the Mistress of Fire.

The legendary glared at the two before bellowing out a battle cry. Gyaoo! Raising her wings up, a fireball of shadowy energy charged in the space between.

Viper and Crane, seeing the attack charging, quickly split up. The Shadow Fire shot where they stood moments ago and scorched the ground, as Crane took to the skies. 2

Moltres' eyes narrowed as her gaze locked onto Crane in the skies above her. It was as if she were taking offense to him being at a higher elevation than her.

Actually, scratch that, she was offended.

Moltres raised her fiery wings and brought them down with force. In a single flap, she launched off the building and after three more, she was at eye level with Crane. She threw her wings up, the black areas glowing cyan, before slamming them forward and throwing two Air Slashes at Crane.

Crane showed his aerial expertise by swiftly dodging each blade of air, twisting himself like a torpedo underneath them before raising back up, using the momentum to launch himself forward. He spun horizontally, hitting Moltres with a kick to the face.

The blow struck true, but Moltres barely flinched from the attack. She took advantage of Crane's proximity and latched onto his leg with her beak, using it to throw him downward.

Crane recovered just before hitting the ground, as he noticed Viper slithering up the side of the Health Center. The two nodded in agreement as Crane drew Moltres toward him.

Crane flew toward the building with Moltres hot [facepalm] on his tail feathers. The legendary opened her beak, preparing a Dark Pulse when Crane swiftly dove to the side.

The action distracted Moltres briefly before she turned back only to have Viper in her face. This surprised the bird momentarily as Viper struck her head on, literally, before coiling herself around the bird's neck.

"Let's see if you can soar the air without any in your lungs!" Viper remarked, strengthening her grip around Moltres' neck.

Moltres attempted to squawk and claw at Viper to rip her off briefly, before changing tactics. Moltres' anger burned bright, as the heat swelled higher from her rage-fueled flames across her body. If she couldn't claw the snake off, she'd burn it off.

Viper panted as she attempted to push through the heat. Not able to take it anymore, her grip went slack as she let go of Moltres, falling through the air as Crane swooped by, catching her before she could hit the ground.

Crane let her down safely as he hovered himself just above, beside Viper and looking at her with worry.

"Are you alright?"

Viper breathed heavily in her attempts to recover. "That fire isn't normal. They make the ones from the training course look like candles!" Viper exclaimed, wincing a bit from some light burns on her underside. It wasn't bad, but it might've been if she hadn't let go.

Viper looked up and her eyes widened. "Dark Pulse! Incoming!" Viper exclaimed, alerting Crane of the oncoming attack as the two dove to either side of the attack.

Crane flew upward, with Moltres following suit as the two engaged in an aerial battle above the buildings, about 7 stories up.

Viper, wishing to assist her friend, looked around on the ground for ideas. Seeing a large pile of broken stones, roughly the size of an Oran Berry, she slithered over.

Crane continued to fend off Moltres in the skies, dodging her Dark Pulses, Shadow Fires, and Air Slashes. If he couldn't do the most damage, perhaps he could try for a war of attrition to wear her out, while occasionally peppering her with attacks when he had the chance.

As Moltres prepared to let out another Dark Pulse, she was suddenly struck in the face by something, the item shattering as it hit her. She looked down at the source of the attack, to find Viper standing beside the pile of rubble. The serpent had her tail up, tossing a chunk of stone a few times into the air just above. Viper then caught the stone, before whipping herself around, cracking herself like a whip to launch the stone at Moltres, who barely moved out of the way in time before being hit.

This went on for a while, with Crane distracting Moltres as Viper fired more debris at her. Unfortunately, this couldn't last forever. Viper attempted to grab more ammo, only to find there were no more left. With the distraction from the ground gone, Moltres fired a burst of dark flames at Crane, which detonated before him and left the tips of his feathers scorched.

Crane descended a bit at that, trying to regain his bearings from the blow. "Boy, isn't that some fiery wrath," Crane muttered with a grimace. That attack had hurt, and he was sure he couldn't take too many of those.

"This isn't working! What are we supposed to do?!" Viper cried out.

"I don't know. Riley wouldn't quit, so neither can we!" Crane affirmed, his resolve solidified.

This would not be an easy fight.

With Tigress

Just like her allies, Tigress reached her destination at the center plaza. People had vacated the area, and Tigress put herself on guard. Why?

Because whoever she was facing wasn't anywhere in sight.

Tigress cautiously approached the broken fountain, its water flowing out and into a pothole in the ground nearby. Tigress inspected the area for any clues to her opponent's whereabouts, as her fur stood on end. It wasn't that she wasn't nervous to be fighting one of these legends alone, but her fur wasn't standing like that because of nerves…but the traces of static that were permeating the air.

Tigress looked toward the potholes and suddenly realized something.

'These potholes weren't here before…and they look more like footprints." Tigress noticed. It was true. The potholes weren't deep, but they were in the shape of a bird's foot. Judging from the prints, the feet had three forward-facing toes and one backward-facing one on each foot.

Tigress' ear twitched as she heard something running nearby. She turned toward the source but was met with nothing. Her other ear twitched, but this time, she caught a glimpse of orange and sparks of static. Then both her ears twitched.

Tigress' eyes widened as she quickly dove to the side, barely managing to get out of the way of the thing as it barreled through where she once stood. Using the momentum of her dive, she rolled back up into a fighting stance as she finally got a good look at her opponent. Tigress had looked through Banner's Pokédex on the trip across the waters, so she could see a resemblance to Zapdos, though there were some differences.

His body was red-orange with black plumage. His head featured yellow eyes with more pronounced, mask-like black coloration around them, a shorter black beak, and a longer, more visible neck. Rather than being a flyer, he looked more built for running. His legs were black, longer, and more muscular, his thigh feathers were also black, with yellow talons with red rings at their bases. His red-orange wings were smaller, with small black markings that appeared to be remnants of his typical appearance. Finally, he had a row of spiky feathers along his chest, and a similar row of black feathers on his back.

"Okay, something clearly changed you. Last I saw, you were supposed to be yellow." Tigress remarked.

Zapdos' eyes flared as his gaze rested on Tigress, as he let out his battle cry. Gyaoo! He clawed at the ground a few times before going into a sprint, charging at Tigress at incredible speeds.

Tigress brought her arms up to block just as Zapdos raised his leg for a powerful, Brick Breaking blow. The attack sent her back a bit from the sheer force of the attack, her arms stinging slightly, whether from pain or static, she didn't know.

'Damn! That leg strength is no joke!' Tigress cried out internally, shocked [why are you the way that you are?] from the power behind that one kick.

During that time, Zapdos had pushed himself back in a display of acrobatics as violet lightning built around his beak. Tigress was forced to dodge a blast of Shadow Bolt as Zapdos was rounding the area for another attack at Tigress' right. His beak began to glow as he propelled himself forward, drilling through the air as he approached. 2

Tigress barely got out of his path in time, quickly taking the opportunity to strike his right leg as he twisted through the air. Unfortunately, the legend's leg muscles prevented her attempt at slowing him down from doing much, as he sailed past with barely a scratch from the attack.

'His legs are too strong for me to try and handicap him!' Tigress thought in alarm, as many of the plans she had in trying to stop this force of nature just went up in flames, or rather lighting. She doubted trying to trip him up would do her any good either.

"'See what you can do to keep the runner busy!' She says! How about you try dealing with something you can barely keep track of by yourself?! See how-" Tigress grunted as Zapdos bolted [ARRGGGGH! STOP IT!] past her with his wings glowing, feeling like she just got hit with something metal in her left hip. "See how easy it is for you!" Tigress said with a snarl.

To put it simply, Tigress was not having a good time right now.

As capable of a fighter as she was, Tigress couldn't help but admit this legendary was on a whole different level of power, one that she couldn't handle alone. She really wished she had some backup right about now.

Zapdos then charged […why are there so many descriptor words that can make for electrical puns?] at Tigress again, overwhelming her with lightning-like movement as he reared his leg for a Thunderous Kick.

Tigress felt a shift in the air's energy.

Before Zapdos could land the devastating blow, his eyes widened as he quickly jumped back, away from the giant fist crackling with energy as it made itself known, as well as its user.

"You look like you could use some help, gaijin."

Standing before Tigress was Paul, his guard up as he stood between herself and Zapdos, the Electivire staring down the avian.

"What are you doing here?" Tigress asked in surprise, moving to his right as she put up her guard, not taking her primary gaze off Zapdos.

"Zapdos isn't just a threat to you you know. As long as the Avians are being controlled like this, they're a threat to everyone." Paul stated firmly. "Besides…let's just say that sister of his can be quite convincing." Paul alluded.

"Then we're in agreement."

Paul glanced at her with a smirk. "Just be sure to keep up, gaijin."

The two, in sync, barreled forward toward Zapdos. Paul charged [fine. You can have that one] an Electro Ball in his left arm and threw the orb at Zapdos. Zapdos attempted to dodge to his own left, only to be met with Tigress, who threw a strong blow into his torso. The hit was strong, but nothing Zapdos couldn't handle, however that hit was just strong enough to knock him to the side and into the Electro Ball as he cried out in pain.

Both mammalians jumped away before Zapdos could counterattack.

"You would think a being known for lightning powers wouldn't get hurt by them himself," Tigress remarked.

"The transformation into a Taekwondeux must've taken away his resistance." Paul cupped his right hand, lighting charging into a lightning bolt-shaped javelin as he threw the Thunderbolt at Zapdos. "Otherwise we'd be dealing with a more aerial Avain."

Zapdos dodged the incoming Thunderbolt and began to run in circles around the two, his speed leaving behind multiple afterimages as the ground he ran across rumbled from the power.

Tigress and Paul quickly went back-to-back, keeping a close eye on their sectors for any incoming attacks.

Both hoped that Riley would both a stop to this soon.

With Riley and Rye

Things did not seem like they'd be stopping soon.

The two had been under constant assault by Lugia and Mephiles, and it was beginning to show. Both were scraped up, their outfits matted with dirt, new holes, or blood. Every time they thought they'd had an opening, they were punished for it, as Lugia's power was nothing short of, well…legendary.

Lugia had always been known for being able to take a lot of damage, especially seeing as he was the master of the Avains, having earned that moniker by forcing all three to submit in the same battle. If the legends of that were to be believed, he probably could've taken on both the Shamounti and Galar Avains at the same time!

Rye was currently getting back up from another devasting blast, before a Shadow Ball exploded the ground just before him, sending him skipping across the ground and next to his son near the top of the road both had trekked to get there. Not only did they have to contend with Lugia, but a Shadow Mega Lucario as well.

Mephiles stared them down with his right hand raised at them. He began to lower it as Lugia landed beside him. "You're dependence and desire to protect one another makes you weak. As it stands, the two of you together stand no chance against us. You are weak, damaged, and neither of you can even bridge the gap between our power with a Mega Evolution." Mephiles raised his arm again, as a violet orb of energy, different from that of a Shadow Ball, appeared in his hand. The orb's energy matched Mephiles' own. 2

"So then, any last words?" Mephiles mocked, prepared to fire his Shadow Wave at a moment's notice.

Rye gritted his teeth.

"He's right."

Rye's eyes widened in disbelief. He turned to his left to see Riley getting back to his feet, determined as ever.

"What?!"

"As long as both of us are here, we stand no chance." Riley declared, grabbing Rye by the scruff of his neck.

Rye realized too late what his son was planning to do.

"Riley! No!" Rye said in horror, as his son lifted him off the ground.

Riley wound up. "I'll hold them off as much as I can." Riley twisted on a dime, launching his father back down the mountain.

"RIIIIIIILLLLEEEEEEEYYYYYY!" Rye screamed as he disappeared down the mountain.

Riley let out heavy breaths before turning back to Mephiles and Lugia. Mephiles' attack was still charged as he smiled sinisterly.

"And then there was one. Once again, you choose to face death alone." Mephiles mocked.

Riley let out a cough, as it began to twist into a chuckle. The Lucario brought his hands up once more into a fighting stance, his pupils glowing bright blue.

"Oh yeah? Last time I checked…I told Death she could piss off. So…" Riley said with a bloodied, feral smile. The blue glow in his eyes flickered, as the tiniest hint of red shone through for the briefest of moments.

"Make me two-for-two you bitch!"

After about a minute, Rye's momentum died as he braced for landing. He bounced along the ground a few times, finding himself only a quarter of the way up the mountain from Opelucid.

Rye struggled as he punched the ground beneath his, tears welling in his eyes. "Please. Not again. I can't lose you too!" Rye said in despair and desperation.

He could only pray to Arceus that he wouldn't have to bury his own son.

Canon Omake:

Eri was running around Opelucid, looking around frantically for her targets. They had to be here some- 'Ah ha!'

Eri ran up to her targets. "Hey!"

Paul and his group turned to Eri with annoyance. "What do you want, brat?" Silver said with a scowl.

Eri huffed. "Rude! Big Bro's friends need your help!"

Trip raised a brow at that. "Really? I thought they were strong enough to handle them. Can't they do it with him around?"

Eri shook her head. "Big Bro and Dad are on Victory Mountain. They're going after Shadow Meanie. The others need your help!"

Paul stared down at Eri with a cold look. "And why would we help them out?"

Eri, for her part, didn't waver under Paul's glare as she stood her ground. "What? Are you telling me that you're gonna let a bunch of foreigners show you up like that? Wouldn't you love to hold it over their heads that they couldn't get out alive without help from Pokémon?" Eri asked challengingly.

Paul crouched down to one knee to stare down the Shiny Riolu, their faces only a foot away from each other.

"You know, the funny thing is, I know you're playing me…" Paul stated firmly. A few moments later, a smile plastered his face as he chuckled. "But you're right." Paul got back up to full height before addressing his cronies. "Come on. Let's show these gaijin they'd be screwed without our help."

And like that, the three split up, heading in the direction of each battle that was taking place. Eri, for her part, smiled confidently to herself. Lili was gonna be so proud of her!

"Hey! Can I help too?!"

Eri blinked at the sudden voice, turning to the speaker. "Um, I doubt they'd object to more help? Paul and Tigress could probably use a third." Eri responded.

The person pumped their fist. "Awesome!" The person then started heading toward the plaza.

Eri just stared on as they ran. "You are a strange person…Lotus."

1: Okay, all of that is a reference to something me and some others in a Discord server came up with one day. We remembered how the Galarian Birds seemed to act more like convergent species over regional forms. Given that some of the Legendaries and Mythicals have hinted towards upcoming things for a while now, we thought it was safe to say that the Galarian Birds were the hint towards convergent species like Wiglett. (for example. The two Urshifu Styles reference the Agile and Strong Styles of Pokémon Legends Arceus. And Calyrex's giant head is like crowns that happen during Terastalization)

So I asked them "What would we call them if they had a different name, but in reference to their inspirations?" And after some tinkering, we decided on Telekun, Taekwondeux, and Maltrois.

Telekun (aka Galarian Articuno): a combination of tele (a root word that means 'transmission over a distance.' Like in the term 'telekinesis' and how it involves moving things with your mind) and un (French for the number 1)

Taekwondeux (aka Galarian Zapdos): a combination of the martial art Taekwondo (and since it's a Fighting Type…I think you get the point) and deux (French for the number 2).

Maltrois (aka Galarian Moltres): a combination of mal (a root word that means 'evil.' The Dark Type is referred to as the "Evil" Type in Japan) and trois (French for the number 3).

The second half of their names are inspired by the numbers 1, 2, and 3 in Spanish for the actual names. It only made sense to simply switch the language for these new names, so we went with French instead.

2: In Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, there are a number of Shadow moves that can be used by Shadow Pokémon. These moves are always super effective on non-Shadow Pokémon in that game. In order of appearance here, we have:

Shadow Chill

Shadow Fire

Shadow Bolt

And Shadow Wave

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed and feel free to review!