Chapter 331: The Fire of Kindness and the Fire of Compassion
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!"
Overwhelming flames completely engulfed Abin. Immediately after, the flames swirled and erupted, shooting skyward to form a towering Pillar of Fire several meters wide. Many Trainers across the Indigo Plateau subconsciously raised their heads, gazing at the deep red Pillar of Fire from afar.
"Abin, was it? I'll remember the name of a Trainer like you."
Ash was still prone on the ground nearby. The Pillar of Fire surged, and only a human silhouette was faintly visible within. He wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye, preparing to go and collect Abin's body after the fire died down.
Even his own body probably couldn't withstand such flames, right?
"I'll make good use of your Pokémon and items, too."
Ash wiped his tears and swore silently.
Within the flames, Abin hugged himself tightly, eyes shut, silently regretting that he had gone too far today.
He usually reserved these kinds of dirty tricks for Trainers, rarely using them on wild Pokémon. That was because even if human Trainers were disgusted by him, they would exercise some restraint. Wild Pokémon, however, knew no such thing.
To say nothing of a Legendary Pokémon, in whose eyes humans were likely just fodder.
These strategies were, in fact, a grand secret art he had mastered from playing the Pokémon battle games produced annually by Game Freak in Celadon City.
It was a turn-based game that simulated Pokémon battles, so most real-world Trainers were scornful of it. If they played it at all, it was as a collecting and raising game. They rarely used it for battling, as collecting Pokémon in reality was far too difficult; it was nice to live out the fantasy in a game.
As for the turn-based battles, they were completely disconnected from reality.
But Abin was an eccentric person. He went against the grain, believing that even a turn-based game could hide profound mysteries.
For example, items like the Iron Ball and moves like Trick were basically considered useless in real-world battles, and very few people would use them. But in a turn-based game, it was a different story. Every item and move had its own unique function, and Abin's wild imagination had already developed several strategies around them.
When adapted back to reality, they reached another realm entirely.
He was confident that if he continued developing them to their absolute limit, he—a mere small fry—could one day overthrow Champion Lance with nothing but well-formulated strategies!
"Sigh, what a pity. All my strategies are going to be lost to time..."
Abin felt a pang of sorrow.
"..."
He kept his eyes closed for a while, clearly hearing the continuous roar of the fiery torrent around him. He could even feel a terrifying heat radiating from the flames.
But... it didn't burn?
Abin tentatively loosened his arms and opened his eyes.
Before him, he found himself situated in the center of a 360-degree Flame Purgatory, surrounded by deep red torrents of fire. The nearby rubble had been scorched into black, carbonized chips, proving this was no illusion from Moltres, but actual Flame.
Seeing this, Abin grew bolder. He reached out a hand and waved it back and forth. The Flame passed through his arm, giving him the strange sensation of a water current.
"Is that all?"
The words slipped out of his mouth.
Moltres: "?"
In the next instant, the towering Pillar of Fire erupted, collapsing and compressing into a single point before transforming into a ferocious Fire Dragon that swept toward Abin.
"AHHHHHHH!!"
This time, Abin finally felt pain. His whole body was scalding hot, especially his head, which felt like it was being incinerated. He couldn't help but let out an incredibly wretched scream.
"Boom..."
Soon, the Flame dissipated, and Abin's figure reappeared on the same spot.
His head was so hot that he subconsciously reached up to touch it.
"Hmm?"
Abin frowned. Why did the texture feel different than before? So smooth?
After feeling around for another moment, he finally realized what had happened. Moltres had burned all his hair off. His once-energetic short buzz cut was now a big, bald head.
"Bii!"
Moltres flicked its beak and snorted coldly.
At the end of the day, it was still the god of fire, the legendary bird most revered by humans. No matter how angry it got, it would not casually take a human life.
Whether its Flame could inflict damage was purely a matter of its will.
If it so wished, its fire was a Fire of Kindness.
Although the strategy had been disgusting, Abin's final act of recalling his Pokémon had earned its approval. Still, a small punishment was necessary.
Don't be fooled by a mere bald head, thinking he'd be fine again in three months. Moltres's Flame was a Fire of Kindness, and more than that, the fire of a deity. It had directly incinerated his hair follicles down to the roots.
In other words, this was now a barren scalp. Hair would never grow here again.
Abin: "?"
He rubbed his bald head. Did this mean he was going to look like this forever?
Moltres had already begun to shake its body, intending to offer a feather to Abin as a token of its approval. To its surprise, Abin waved his hands frantically, his expression anxious.
"I don't want your feather, I don't want your feather! Just give me my hair back!!"
Abin knew what was what. A Moltres feather wasn't like one from Ho-Oh or Lugia; it wasn't even considered an item and wasn't of much use.
"Bii..."
At these words, Moltres spread its fiery wings like a human shrugging, looking completely helpless.
It only knew how to destroy, not how to restore. If he wanted to grow his hair back, he would either have to find a human hair transplant clinic or seek out a higher-level god of fire.
For instance, the one in Ecruteak City was also a God of Fire. It was said that its flames contained a powerful life force, a legendary remedy for anything barren. Any bald old man who was scorched by its flames would wake up the next day with the emo hairstyle of a 20-year-old youth.
This was an existence a level above the Fire of Kindness. It was known as...
The Fire of Compassion.
Abin: "..."
*So, rounding up, I'm going to be bald for the rest of my life?!*
"Thud."
Ignoring the latter's deathly pale face, Moltres casually tossed the Iron Ball from its talons, which smashed a small pit into the ground.
The Battle was over now; it could change its Item.
"Pfft..."
"Tss..."
At that moment, the effects of paralysis, poison, and burn all flared up at once. Moltres's brow furrowed, but it forcibly suppressed the wave of nausea. It raised its wings, about to fly to a place where no one could see it to properly recover its Stamina. It would also check if there were any wild sweet-peach trees nearby to restore some energy.
It... doesn't know Roost.
*Right, I'll just be lazy today and only accept two rounds of challenges.*
*Besides, there shouldn't be anyone else around who wants to challenge me...*
"Swoosh!!"
Just as Moltres was about to spread its wings and take off, a figure made of grass suddenly popped up from the lawn a few meters in front of it.
Seeing the wild boss about to flee, Ash, who had been observing from the shadows, had no intention of letting it get away. He shot up, threw off the Ghillie Suit he was wearing, and fixed his gaze directly on Moltres.
"Bii..."
Their eyes met. A challenge must be met with a battle. That was the rule here.
Caught off guard, Moltres subconsciously met Ash's gaze. As a god who honors its word, it could no longer flee.
*Damn it! How can there still be a human hiding here under my divine Leer!?*
"Moltres! I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge you!!"
Ash raised a Poké Ball toward Moltres, full of fighting spirit as he openly declared war.
"Zzzt..." "Pfft..." "Fwoosh..."
An electric arc, a bubble of poison, and a lick of flame erupted on its body again. Moltres's brow creased deeply, its own flames flickering unsteadily. It could only once again suppress the nausea and face Ash head-on, letting out a loud cry.
"BII!!"
The meaning was simple.
As a Legendary Bird, it only accepted a four-person team battle, not a solo challenge from Ash.
And in the surrounding area, besides the bald Abin who was still rubbing his head and doubting his existence, the other three Trainers had long since been scared off. There were no other three people to form a team with Ash.
Its Condition was poor. It would avoid Battle today.
"Oh? Four people, you say? What a coincidence."
The look in Ash's eyes as he gazed at Moltres was like he was looking at an idiot.
Moltres: "?"
"Swoosh!" "Swoosh!" "Swoosh!"
The next second, three more grass-clad figures popped up around Ash. The trio swiftly shed their Ghillie Suits, their expressions grim and serious.
Todd Snap even unleashed a blinding flash with a flick of his wrist, perfectly capturing Moltres's stunned expression on his DSLR camera.
"Nice one! A top-ten shot right off the bat!"
Todd Snap threw a punch at the air, inwardly pleased with himself.
(end of chapter)