"Ah! It's Trevor!"
Clemont immediately recognized the boy stepping out from the forest.
"That's right—it's me, Trevor," the boy replied, adjusting the strap of his camera. "I heard rumors of Moltres being spotted around here, so of course I came running. You all know my dream—to capture photographs of every Pokémon ever recorded in the Pokédex."
He quickly snapped a group photo of Ash and his friends.
Following close behind Trevor was a Charmeleon.
Back at summer camp, it had still been a little Charmander. Now it had grown, its flames burning fiercer than ever.
But this Charmeleon was clearly hot-blooded, its fiery eyes full of challenge. Ash immediately picked up on it—the Pokémon wanted a battle.
Serena had little battle experience, but since her Braixen had just mastered Fire Blast, Ash suggested she battle Trevor.
"That's a great idea!" Clemont exclaimed. "And in the meantime, I'll put my latest invention to work. The perfect opportunity to test the Clemontic Gear!"
He hurried off, pulling out his mechanical backpack and tinkering with wires and gears.
Meanwhile, the battle began.
"Braixen, use Scratch!" Serena commanded.
"Charmeleon, Dragon Claw!" Trevor countered.
"Flamethrower!"
"Fire Spin!"
The clash of fire and claws lit up the battlefield. Both Trainers lacked seasoned battle instincts, but Serena's bond with Braixen was far stronger than Trevor's coordination with Charmeleon.
In the end, Braixen's teamwork and Fire Blast sealed the victory for Serena.
"Well done!" Serena cheered, hugging Braixen proudly.
"Success!" Clemont suddenly shouted, pushing his glasses up. "Everyone, behold—the Clemontic Gear ON! For the purpose of finding Moltres, I've specially designed this marvelous device: the Rock Searcher Mark 1! Give it any piece of data or material connected to Moltres, and it will locate the legendary bird instantly!"
"Perfect timing!" Trevor quickly produced a blurry photo. "Look! You can hardly see it, but these wings—these wings can only belong to Moltres! No ordinary Fire-type has wings like that!"
Clemont fed the photo into the machine. With a sudden whir and flash, the tracker shot forward, guiding them deeper into the volcano.
"Let's go, everyone! Moltres is ahead!" Ash shouted, running after it.
He already knew the truth—that Moltres slumbered in the magma deep within the crater—but joining his friends on this adventure made the chase worthwhile.
But Team Rocket, of course, had overheard everything.
"Moltres, the legendary bird Pokémon!" Jessie's eyes gleamed. "If we capture it—our power will be unmatched!"
"Exactly! Forget Pikachu—Moltres is the real prize!" James declared.
"Nyahaha! Then today's mission shifts from catching Pikachu… to catching Moltres!" Meowth crowed.
The trio dashed ahead, determined to beat Ash and the others to the legendary Pokémon.
They plunged deeper into the volcano until they reached the magma chamber itself.
But all they saw was molten rock bubbling and steaming.
"No Moltres?!" Jessie fumed. "Pumpkaboo—no, Gourgeist! Smash these rocks with Shadow Ball!"
"Wait! Jessie, if you do that, the volcano might erupt!" James cried, horrified.
Too late. Gourgeist hurled multiple Shadow Balls, shattering chunks of stone around the magma chamber. Huge slabs crashed into the lava, sending bubbles gurgling and steam billowing upward.
Clemont's "Rock Searcher Mark 1" arrived on the scene just then, beeping furiously.
Jessie scowled. "So it's this stupid machine that tricked us? Gourgeist, destroy it!"
"Gourrrr!"
Three Shadow Balls streaked out, obliterating the device in a fiery explosion.
The blast shook the chamber, more rocks tumbling into the lava below. One massive boulder split free from the wall, plunging into the molten depths.
By now, Ash had arrived with his Fletchinder and Pignite at his side. The thick fire energy saturating the area invigorated them both.
"Team Rocket!" Ash's voice rang with anger.
Clemont froze. "Wait… my tracker didn't malfunction? Team Rocket destroyed it?!"
"Fletchinder, use Aerial Ace! Pignite, Fire Pledge!"
"Fletch!"
"Pignite!"
Their combined assault blasted Team Rocket straight out of the volcano, twinkling like stars against the sky.
But the danger wasn't over.
"BOOOOM!"
A geyser of magma erupted from deep within the volcano, soaring high into the air.
Everyone gasped in shock.
Ash, however, smiled, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"It's here…" he whispered.
"SCREEEEECH!!"
A deafening cry split the skies. From within the magma pillar, a colossal figure emerged—its body glowing with fire, wings spread wide, radiating divine heat.
Moltres!
The Legendary Bird of Fire had awakened.
Its eyes burned with fury. It glared directly at Ash and his friends, convinced they were the ones who had disturbed its slumber. Team Rocket had already been blasted away—the blame now fell on Ash's group.
"It's real!" Trevor gasped, trembling with excitement as he raised his camera. "Moltres is right in front of us—I'll finally capture the perfect shot!"
But Moltres was in no mood to be photographed. Enraged, it unleashed a searing Flamethrower.
"Too fast!" Serena cried.
Even Pikachu tensed, unsure whether to act. Ash had already warned it—don't battle Moltres unless absolutely necessary.
"Pika… pi?" Pikachu looked to Ash, worried.
Ash's eyes never left Fletchinder.
It was ready. Its training had peaked, its level just at the cusp—level 35. This was the exact moment, the same way it had happened before… when the pressure of Moltres's presence pushed it beyond its limits.
"Fletch!"
Fletchinder darted forward, wrapping itself in fire, clashing with the raging inferno. The Legendary's attack wasn't its full power—more like a warning. But even that was enough to shake the entire battlefield.
Suddenly, Moltres unleashed its full blaze at Fletchinder—a strike powerful enough to end it.
"Fletchinder, no!" Ash shouted. Without a second thought, he sprinted to the volcano's edge and hurled himself into the line of fire, shielding his partner with his own body.
The bird Pokémon screeched, its body glowing brilliantly as it fought to shield Ash.
Ash clenched his fist, shouting through the blaze:
"Break your limits—evolve!"
In that instant, fire erupted around them. Fletchinder's wings stretched wide, flames roaring brighter than ever. In a dazzling burst of light—
Fletchinder evolved into Talonflame!
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T/N:
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