Ash stood, frozen, as the form of Dark Ho-oh began to take shape inside the orb of energy.

Ho-oh turned to Rick and the others. It's eyes glowed a little and the shackles disappeared from around their wrists and ankles. It turned back to the orb and growled as a form of Dark Ho-oh began to emerge from it.

The orb grew slightly and then exploded, sending Ash falling over the edge of the path again, but Ho-oh grabbed his jacket and pulled him up. He thanked Ho-oh and looked back were the energy orb once was. Now in it's place stood a evil looking, black version of Ho-oh, it's red eyes glowing brightly. Beside it stood the Ditto, still looking like Ash.

Dark Ho-oh stretched. "Small minds are easily tricked" It said, grinning at Ash.

"What? What does it mean?" Misty asked, walking over beside Ash.

"It's means..." Ash said. "...that we were supposed to destroy the orbs as soon as we got them, but we thought we had to bring them all together. By doing that, Ditto was able to bring Dark Ho-oh back by combining the remaining powers of all the Dark Legendaries into one. It was a trick"

Ho-oh glared at Dark Ho-oh. "Let's fight, you and me"

"And I challenge you" Ash said pointing to Ditto.

Ditto and Dark Ho-oh grin at each other. "Alright, we accept" Dark Ho-oh said.

Ash turned to Rick and tossed him a Pokéball. "This is Ho-oh's Pokéball, take care of it in case something happens.

Ditto climbed onto Dark Ho-oh's back and grinned. "Let's finish this outside" Dark Ho-oh spread it's wings and flew up towards the roof. It almost instantly opened and Dark Ho-oh flew out.

Ho-oh spread it's wings and flew forward past Ash, who grabbed on as the bird flew past and climbed onto it's back.

"Ash, are you crazy?!" Misty yelled after him, but was already gone.

Rick looked at her. "I know your worried about him, but he believes he must do this, so just trust him" He threw Charizards Pokéball again and the dragon-like Pokémon appeared in front of him. He also released Pidgeot and looked at Misty. "Well I dunno about you, but I'm not just gonna sit here and not see what's going on"

Rick and Raichu mounted Charizard and Misty and Pikachu mounted Pidgeot. The four flew out towards the roof and towards the battle outside.

Ho-oh followed Dark Ho-oh towards the top of the mountain, which was covered in snow and ice. Ash shivered as an icy wind blew past him and he saw his breath turn to fog. He looked at the sky and noticed something different. It was no longer completely black, there were stars! And the moon too! Looks like the energy from the veil was taken to help bring Dark Ho-oh back. He looked at his watch and noticed it was 22:57. He sighed and turned his attention away from the sky and back to Dark Ho-oh and Ditto.

The two Ho-oh stopped at the top on the mountain and lowered their riders down. The top of the mountain was unusually flat, like a large piece had been knocked off the top.

Ash looked at the rock under him and noticed it wasn't rock at all, but ice. "You want us to fight on a frozen lake?!" Ash yelled at the Ditto and Dark Ho-oh.

"Makes an interesting battle" Dark Ho-oh said. "Now to battle"

Ash and Ditto faced each other again, but before they began, Dark Ho-oh hit them, including itself and Ho-oh, with a black beam, which didn't hurt them but knocked them back a little.

"Hey! What was that about?!" Ash yelled up to Ho-oh.

"It's just so I don't feel any pain you give Ditto and Ditto doesn't feel any pain Ho-oh gives me. It's the same for you and your flying turkey friend over there" Dark Ho-oh said grinning at Ho-oh.

Ho-oh growled and narrowed it's eyes. "I am not a flying turkey!"

"Yes, you just keep believing that until you're served as Christmas dinner" Dark Ho-oh flapped it's wings and flew up above Ho-oh. "Give me your best shot"

"We'll see who's served as dinner" Ho-oh angrily flew forward and shot a Fire Blast at the Dark Ho-oh.

Dark Ho-oh countered with it's own dark Fire Blast, causing a small explosion and smoke to rise. Through the smoke Ho-oh flew forward and drove it's talon deeply into Dark Ho-oh's back as it flew over it.

Dark Ho-oh growled and spun around chomping onto Ho-oh's leg.

Below, Ash and Ditto had also started the fight, and already Ditto had received a punch in the eye and shoulder, and Ash had been kicked in the stomach and also had been punched in the eye.

"Is that all you've got?" Ash said. Of coarse he didn't mean it, that Ditto could punch hard, really hard.

Ditto ran forward and made a move to punch Ash in the face again.

Ash was able to dodge this time and he grabbed onto Ditto's arm, twisting it up behind it's back.

Ditto should have been in pain, but it just grinned. "I'm a Ditto stupid, you can't hurt me this way"

Even when Ash twisted Ditto's arm the whole way up so his hand was by it's neck, it showed no signs of pain. Ash shivered. "This is creepy"

Ditto grinned and dropped, kicking Ash's legs out from under him. He twisted his arm up more until it was back in the right place and stood up.

Ash felt a little sick. Ditto had just twisted it's arm the whole way around, which was physically impossible without breaking your arm or ripping it out completely, and it didn't hurt him in the slightest.

"Aww, are you squeamish?" Ditto said grinning.

Ash shook his head and stood up awkwardly on the ice. "Well I guess the only way to defeat you is with fists"

"Bring it on" Ditto said, raising his fists too.

Ho-oh shot another fire Blast at Dark Ho-oh, engulfing it in the flames. "How do you like your flying dark turkey? Medium or well done?" Ho-oh said as it continued the attack.

Dark Ho-oh broke through the Fire Blast and slammed into Ho-oh, knocking it back. It then fired a Fire Blast at Ho-oh.

Ho-oh used a Protect attack and shot forward with a fly attack.

Dark Ho-oh used Detect and dodged the Fly attack, slashing Ho-oh in the back with it's talon.

Ash was a better fighter than Ditto had expected, and had the upper-hand. Ditto decided it was time to use his powers.

"Ready to surrender?" Ash asked as the Ditto stood on his hands and knees, panting. Ash had been punched in the face and kicked. He'd been tripped by Ditto, he'd slipped on the ice and he'd crashed more than once into Ditto when he tried to stop.

Ditto laughed a little and looked up. "Not by a long shot" Without warning Ditto jumped up and raised his arm. His arm changed shape and formed into a silver mace.

Before Ash could move the mace was slammed into his stomach and pulled away quickly. He doubled over and fell to his knees, clutching his stomach and gasping for breath.

Ditto ginned and 'skated' backwards away from Ash. He raised his hand again and it changed into a mallet of some sort. He raised his arm and brought the mallet down on the ice.

There was a vibration before the ice began to crake, heading straight towards Ash. When the reached him the ice began to separate. Having a bad since of balance, he wasn't able to stay on and fell into the icy water. The cold was too much for him to withstand and he fell into unconsciousness.

Ditto's hand changed back to normal and he skidded across the ice, jumping from one ice board to the next. He got near were Ash was and dived in. He grabbed Ash and pulled him above water. He swam to the edge of the lake and pulled himself out. He seemed unaffected by the cold and sat silently by the side, Ash lay beside him.

In his unconscious mind, he could tell something was wrong. He couldn't move or do anything else for the matter, but he knew that he was in trouble. "Ho-oh..."

Ho-oh backed up and froze. "Ash? Ash what's wrong?" When he got no reply he began to get worried. It quickly turned from Dark Ho-oh and flew back to were the lake was.

Bad idea.

Dark Ho-oh took it's chance and shot forward with a Drill Peck, driving right into Ho-oh's back. It flew forward and little and clutched Ho-oh in it's claw around the neck, stopping it from breathing. When Ho-oh had practically stopped moving, Dark Ho-oh flew back to the lake, still with Ho-oh clutched in it's claw.

When it reached the lake and saw Ditto sitting with his arms folded by the side of the lake, along with an unconscious Ash, it grinned and tossed Ho-oh down.

Ho-oh slammed into the ice and it shattered under it's weight. It panicked at the feeling of the freezing cold water and used it's wings to reach the surface. It was paralysed from the cold and too weak to move as it slouched over on the ice, half on it still in the water.

Ho-oh opened it's eyes weakly and saw Dark Ho-oh talking to Ditto and then grinning at Ash, who was still out cold. Dark Ho-oh opened it's beak and bent it's head down to Ash.

Ho-oh instantly had the feeling Dark Ho-oh wanted to make a snack out of Ash and made an attempt to get up, but it couldn't move.

Dark Ho-oh did something Ho-oh didn't expect. It gently picked Ash up by the jacket and looked at Ditto. It bent down and Ditto climbed on. When Ditto was ready, Dark Ho-oh grinned at Ho-oh and spread it's wings, taking off at a high speed, bringing Ash with it.

Ho-oh opened it's eyes but quickly shut them as the sun hit it's eyes. Wait a minute, the sun? Ho-oh opened it's eyes and looked up. It was the sun! Ho-oh looked around and noticed that it was no longer up at Mount. Silver, but in the cave of the mountain. Rick must have returned it and brought it here . It noticed Rick and the others nearby and tilted it's head. "What's going on?"

Pikachu turned around and looked at Ho-oh. [They took Ash]

"What?!" Ho-oh jumped up and stomped it's foot off the ground. "We have to go help him"

Rick turned around and looked at Ho-oh. "We would if we had any idea were he was"

Misty looked at Rick. "We'll know if Ash is in any pain because Ho-oh will feel it too right?"

"Ya, the spell was lifted as soon as Ash left the mountain. So let's just hope Ho-oh doesn't feel any pain" Rick said and looked down at Pikachu, who had his ears lowered so much they were nearly flat against his head.

"Well we can't just give up!" Ho-oh said.

"Who says we're giving up?" Rick stood up. "I'm gonna head off to look for him, now that it's still dark"

"Me too...but....why does it have to be dark?" Ho-oh asked a little confused.

"Well we don't want anyone seeing you do we?" Rick said.

"But the journalist..."

"Ash gave me an idea for that" Rick said. "When he said it wasn't a real Ho-oh, it gave me an idea. I got my Misdreavus to make an illusion of a Ho-oh. Everyone believes it was just a Misdreavus now"

Misty spoke up. "But won't Dark Ho-oh come out during the day?"

"No, sunlight weakens Dark Ho-oh, that's why it covered the world in darkness" Ho-oh explained.

"Well lets get going then!" Rick said releasing his Charizard and Pidgeot once more and looked outside.

Two minutes later, with Raichu and Rick riding Charizard, and Misty and Togepi riding Pidgeot, Ho-oh flew out of the cave with the others following. "But Dark Ho-oh may be too strong for anyone to defeat" Misty said.

"Not necessarily" Ho-oh said. "Back in the time when the Dark Legendaries were banished to the Shadow Realm, it was done so by two things. The White Ho-oh's power contained in the Solis Sword, and a Ho-oh's ultimate attack"

"Ho-oh's ultimate attack?" Rick thought.

"A Ho-oh's ultimate attack is a secret attack that can only be used when a Ho-oh's power is combined to the one who shares it"

"You mean Ash?" Misty asked.

Ho-oh nodded. "Yes, if Ash and I don't focus our powers and work as one, share the same mind, we won't be able to call upon the attack"

"What's the attack called?" Rick asked curiously.

Ho-oh closed it's eyes for a second then answered. "Rainbow Flame"