The next prompt that rolled in was the second time he had seen it throughout this entire run - it was hard to forget the first time he attempted a Z-Move, after all, and he had to buy the temporary upgrade to reach it. With two of his Pokemon trying to take down the birds, it was time to bring out the third.

❝Gou!❞

The Monferno came out of the Poke Ball, cognizant that he was being sent into battle, and was immediately in a fighting stance. One of the Pidgeots, noticing the appearance of a new target, immediately changed tracks to descend and fight the fire type. In response, the Monferno dodged with a side-step before countering with a well-placed punch. But more were on the way, and to use the Fire Z-Move here was not going to bode well for many of his Pokemon and the worms.

❝I'm going to activate a Z-Move!❞

<Got it!>

There was no time to waste, and he had to let the game take over his body for a moment, as terrifying as it was to let his control slip away. He took in a deep breath before he took to position, keeping his feet far apart as he moved his arms upward in a semi-arc before doing a punch combo (a mix of jabs and straights) while feeling some kind of energy well up inside him. This energy was then transferred over to his Monferno, who let out a powered-up yell before a massive aura spiked above him, forming into large hands and feet - punching and kicking the enemy Pidgeots out of the air before he leapt in and hooked the closest bird in range.

PROMPT #93: [Tower]WfCWWDe71-50

The tender moment would only last for a moment before the powerful winds would remind them that there were birds and beaks and sharp talons behind them, ready to slice and stab if they did not move out of the way. The pair of starters quickly sprang into action, with Gou rushing in with glowing, elongated claws, bringing down a fury of Fury Swipes. Kanya would parry a beak headed right for his cheek with Hone Claws before retaliating with Scratch, and then with the Monferno keeping things at close range, the Meowscarada prepared a Seed Bomb to deal more damage form afar.

Mugan, on the other hand, was still hanging on for his dear life on one of the Pidgeot's feet - the bird was successful in getting off the ground, but not shaking off the dragon. Screeching and hollering, all of the shaking and struggling eventually made Mugan's grip slip off, to which Arthur caught him by returning to his Poke Ball before he hit the cavern floor.

PROMPT #95: [Tower]p4xCGeUH1-50

With the Pidgeots slowing down, the Monferno and Meowscarada were able to partner their assault - and they didn't have to speak for this part; all Kanya had to do was show that his paw was coated in fire and Gou understood. Facing one of the weakened birds, they ran up to it with their paws or hands ready for a wind up, coating it in fire, before slicing down with a blazing Scratch. The large bird screeched in pain before despawning right before their eyes, and that left four more for them to take down before all of this was over.

PROMPT #97: [Tower]OEvEOzEl1-50

With the power up from Eru, Kanya could feel that -- while his energy spent from the previous attacks were not completely gained back, it felt like his next one was going to have much more oomph to it. And besides, this was not the longest they had fought, though it definitely felt like the most intense. He nodded once before he focused on the Pidgeots above him, and the birds too were glaring at their prey, as if waiting for the first move.

Kanya would gladly take that opportunity for them. The pink flower collar around his neck glowed bright green before light green orbs broke away from it, forming a circle before moving away, floating, ready to hone onto their targets. <Eat this!> he let the bombs fly straight up, and if the birds thought they had dodged the initial attack, they would be surprised to find that the bombs would explode right above them, or worse, right beside them. Shrieks erupted from near the cavern ceiling, which made rocks fall and hit their wings and bodies.

PROMPT #99: [Tower]_svm8KoU1-50

A number of things happened, in quick succession.

Arthur had been watching when Gou had started to climb upward to tackle or do whatever to one of those birds, as he had no idea how he was planning on getting back down. His fears were realized when his Pokemon had missed, and the trainer broke into a sprint, never having run faster at any other time in his life (even if this was not real), keeping his eyes up, even if the dust was thrown and vision blurred. But he made sure, he made sure he was in the right place at the right time.

And when Gou saw his trainer ready to catch him, he reciprocated; he opened his arms and landed right on his chest--a tackle-embrace that Arthur couldn't stop no matter how hard he tried to plant his feet on the ground, but even if his back was sore and he narrowly hit his head on the rocky bed (and his ribs, and his chest, pain bloomed from all sides), he managed to pull his head up to find that the Monferno looked uninjured, and he was relieved.

The final bird flapped and squawked, feathers falling from its once prestigious plume, and Arthur couldn't tell if it gave up or it was just too tired to do anything else. He supposed both things were synonymous. Pulling out the UI, he decided to do another purchased and then looked at the Cottonee.

Temporary upgrade purchased!

❝Take it away, Eru.❞

The Cottonee wasn't sure what to do at first, but she felt it once again; power and knowledge of something new, and a pull to do a combination of attacks to finish this challenge with a bang. She started with Growth, coating herself in a glow to power up her own attacks this time instead of others, and then afterward her aura changed - with leaves raised, she called for the sun, miles away from them, to shed light into the dark cavern. Somehow, a light that resembled the great ball of flame appeared right above the statue, casting warm beams all around. And with that set up, there was only one more thing to do.

She pooled that sunlight together, into that tiny little body, and became concentrated light itself before releasing it into a beam aimed true. The last Pidgeot simply closed their eyes and accepted their fate.

When Arthur was able to see again, he saw that the worms continued the final stage of their journey, forming into the statue that was now the most imposing thing in the cavern. A UI popped up with a hearty congratulations, citing that he was the third player to complete the solo tower.

He laid his head on the solid ground, fatigue catching up to him all at once.

❝...well, third in the world has a ring to it.❞

Tower Challenge complete!