Chapter 237: Ash and the Flock of Birds
Moltres and Articuno carried Ash and Serena through the sky. Ash carefully examined this world, a world consisting only of sky and cliffs.
Moltres and Articuno led them to a cliff top, where Ash discovered many Swellow and Taillow. However, they all watched Ash and Serena warily. Ash recalled Moltres and Articuno, releasing his Swellow. Pikachu called out to the Swellow, hoping they wouldn't be hostile.
The Swellow, seeing so many of their kind, were also somewhat cautious. Ash's Swellow spoke to them, and they relaxed their guard slightly, but remained watchful of Ash and Serena. If they made any unusual moves, they would definitely attack in a swarm.
Ash cautiously asked Pikachu, "Pikachu, did you ask them where this is?"
Pikachu gestured wildly, roughly meaning that they had been here for a very long time and didn't know.
Serena then spoke up, "Ash, look at that volcano over there. Isn't that Mt. Chimney we saw in the Hoenn region?"
Ash followed Serena's finger and looked into the distance. Not too far away, there was indeed a place resembling a volcano. Ash thought for a moment and said, "Let's go take a look. The Swellow here are quite hostile towards us, so let's just leave for now."
Serena nodded, and Ash recalled his Swellow. Pikachu quickly climbed onto Ash's shoulder. Ash released Moltres and Articuno again, and the two legendary birds carried Ash and Serena to the volcano-shaped peak.
As the saying goes, "Looking at a mountain can tire a horse to death." But even looking at a mountain can tire a bird to death! Moltres and Articuno flew at full speed, taking almost three and a half hours to reach the volcano. Recalling their exhausted Moltres and Articuno, Ash frowned as he looked at the crater and the abandoned cable car. "It really is Mt. Chimney! Didn't we enter an Ultra Wormhole? How did we end up in Hoenn?"
Serena thought for a moment and said, "This is Mt. Chimney, but it isn't. Didn't we just try? The black part below is completely inaccessible, as if the entire ground has vanished, leaving only this space above. These mountains and cliffs are located at a relatively high altitude, which is why they survived."
"Uh... then why are these mountains and cliffs able to stand upright on this dark plane?" Ash scratched his head.
Serena rolled her eyes and said, "How should I know! This space is so strange, I don't think anything unusual could happen here."
"Like a Moltres bursting out of the volcano and attacking us?" Ash joked.
Serena was about to say something when a clear bird cry interrupted her. A Moltres, carrying lava, burst from the volcano, unleashing a Flamethrower at Ash and Serena without warning.
"You jinx! Absol, Air Slash!" Serena exclaimed helplessly, simultaneously sending out her Pokémon.
"Uh, I didn't mean to! Who knew there really was a Moltres? Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash said awkwardly.
Absol's horn glowed white, and it turned its head, unleashing a white crescent-shaped blade that shattered the Flamethrower. Pikachu then erupted with a burst of electricity, a thick bolt of lightning striking the Moltres, causing it to cry out in pain.
"It doesn't seem that strong," Ash said doubtfully. "Compared to my Moltres, it's much weaker."
"It's best if it's not strong, let's finish it off quickly," Serena said. "Absol, Psycho Cut!"
"Pikachu, use Thunder Wave to paralyze it, then use Electro Ball!" Ash said.
Pikachu fired tiny arcs of electricity at lightning speed, paralyzing Moltres. Then Absol leaped up, its horn gleaming with psychic energy, and slammed it hard into Moltres, knocking it heavily to the ground. Immediately afterward, Pikachu unleashed a giant Electro Ball.
An explosion echoed through the silent space, startling many birds on the cliffs, which fluttered in the air for a while before gradually returning to their perches. As for the wild Moltres, it lay on the ground, unable to battle.
Ash said to Serena, "Serena, you should catch this Moltres. It seems like the only way to move around in this space is with Flying-type Pokémon. You don't have a Flying-type Pokémon to ride, so Moltres is perfect."
"Okay. I understand," Serena said.
She then took out a Poké Ball and captured Moltres. The Poké Ball wobbled a few times on the ground and then remained still. If Ryan were here, he'd probably be frustrated: "Why?! She captured a legendary Pokémon with just one Poké Ball! I can't even capture one with a Great Ball, and Great Balls often break! Why can Serena capture it with just a regular Poké Ball?!"
Serena picked up the Poké Ball, released Moltres, and then took out some medicine to heal it. Although Moltres was captured, it clearly ignored Serena, its disdainful expression obvious.
"Come on, capturing you was a last resort. Moving around in this space, I obviously have to rely on you to carry me," Serena said, stroking Moltres's head.
Moltres didn't say anything, simply closing its eyes, its expression saying: "You can say whatever you want, I'm not listening!"
Serena shrugged helplessly at Ash. Ash said, "It's okay, things will get better with time. My Pikachu ignored me at first too, but look, it's my best partner now!"
Serena nodded and said, "Let's do this for now and rest here. I've looked around, and there are still quite a few plants and Berry trees on Mt. Chimney that can provide us with food for now."
"Yeah. But we still need to explore this area. There's Moltres here, so there's a chance there might be other legendary Pokémon or powerful Pokémon. We can catch some Pokémon from other regions too," Ash said excitedly.
Serena shook her head speechlessly: Ash gets a little too excited when it comes to Pokémon he's never seen before.
"Wait, Ash! What's that flying over there?" Serena suddenly noticed something and called out to Ash.
Ash turned around and saw a large flock of white, swan-like Pokémon flying towards Mt. Chimney. It seemed their target was Mt. Chimney. Ash looked intrigued: "A Pokémon I've never seen before! Let's catch one and see!"
(End of Chapter)
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