"Cree!"
A clear cry rang out in the early morning. Opening his eyes, Gu Yuan saw Moltres soaring towards the morning sun.
Under the rising sun's reflection, Moltres appeared like a true Divine Bird.
Suddenly, Moltres darted up into the sky, then it descended at an even greater speed.
With a gentle flap of its wings, the air current generated during its dive dissipated, and Moltres steadily stopped directly in front of Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan knew that Moltres was using this method to signal that it was completely recovered and that the time for farewell had arrived.
"Congratulations, Moltres. You've finally recovered and can soar in the sky once more."
Gu Yuan watched Moltres, feeling a slight sense of loss. He also deeply felt the immense strength of Ash's charisma. Honestly, if Moltres had been willing to follow him, Gu Yuan certainly wouldn't have refused. Unfortunately, Moltres never had that intention from start to finish.
Conversely, in Ash's case, Pokémon were always willing to follow him, even if he didn't actively try to catch them. The difference between them was obvious.
Without speaking, Moltres seemed to make a decision. Red light surged forth and in the next moment, three beams of light shot out, landing on Charizard, Charcadet, and Crocalor respectively.
Following this, Moltres flew above Gu Yuan, and with a gentle flick of its talons, it tossed Gu Yuan onto its back. Flapping its wings, it then carried Gu Yuan into the sky, its body covered in rising flames. Not only did the flames prevent Gu Yuan from feeling any pain, but they also shielded him from the wind.
In this manner, Moltres silently carried Gu Yuan as they flew through the air.
Gu Yuan looked at the world below growing increasingly smaller while the flames surrounded him in a warm embrace.
In this moment, he felt all his worries melting away, leaving him at peace.
After a long time, Moltres slowly landed on the ground with him. It gently waved a wing, and a feather radiating red light fell into his hand.
"This feather is for you, a symbol of our friendship. If you encounter any of my kin in the future, you can use this feather to seek their help."
"Thank you," Gu Yuan responded. "I wish you a safe journey. Although I don't know who caused your severe injury, please be careful in all things, especially when dealing with humans. Brute strength alone may not be enough to contend with them."
"I understand. I must go now. May we meet again."
The moment its voice fell silent, Moltres flapped its wings and flew into the sky, quickly becoming a small black dot before disappearing completely.
Gu Yuan lowered his gaze, stroking the feather in his hand, feeling the warmth within. He carefully stored the feather and began to analyze the three beams of light that had struck Charizard and the others.
Although Moltres hadn't explained, Gu Yuan believed that the beams must have enhanced their Fire-type Moves, though he would need to experiment to determine the specifics.
"Come on, Charizard. Let's start with Ember and see how it's changed from before."
Moving to a clearing, Gu Yuan instructed Charizard to attack.
Fire condensed, then burst out in balls of flame. Gu Yuan noticed the anomaly immediately as the fire was condensing. Compared to before, Charizard's flames seemed to contain a special power.
Next, the Ember flames landed on the ground, and he began to observe them closely. Whether it was psychological or not, Gu Yuan felt the temperature of the flames was slightly higher than before.
Unfortunately, he had not recorded these details previously, so he couldn't make a direct comparison. However, one thing Gu Yuan could confirm was that the flames were burning for a longer period.
It is said that Moltres's flames burn eternally and cannot be extinguished. Even the Sacred Flame lit during the Indigo League's opening ceremony is taken from a Moltres. It now seemed that Charizard's flames had inherited some of these traits. While they couldn't reach Moltres's level, the burning time was clearly extended. Additionally, the power of its Fire-type Moves had also increased.
How much the abilities were amplified, and whether other powers were present, could not be fully determined simply by having Charizard release Moves.
"Let's go. The battle I promised you earlier didn't happen, so now I'll make it up to you." Gu Yuan patted Charizard's shoulder and climbed onto its back. "Let's go, battle!"
"Roooar!"
Gu Yuan's voice rang out, and Charizard carried him forward. Alakazam used Teleport to appear beside Gu Yuan, while Sylveon and the others were recalled to their Poké Balls.
A Dragon-like roar echoed, waking up an Ariados that was still sleeping. Just as Ariados opened its eyes, it saw a Charizard charging at it, immediately spitting a stream of fire that formed a massive flame kanji threatening to swallow it.
Alakazam had already used Teleport to bring Gu Yuan down before Charizard launched its attack, ensuring the battle would not be interrupted.
However, Ariados certainly had a few things to say! Having a huge Fire Blast suddenly come crashing down on you while you were sound asleep was something no one could tolerate!
Ariados reacted quickly; it first launched a Pin Missile and then used Night Shade to attack.
Unfortunately, it underestimated Charizard's power. Under the impact of Fire Blast, Ariados's offensive Moves were instantly crushed, and the flames then slammed into its body.
It fell to the ground, still surrounded by flames. The severe pain constantly stimulated its nerves, causing it to roll on the ground repeatedly in an attempt to put out the fire.
However, the tenacity of the flames was clearly greater than it had imagined. Ariados struggled greatly before it could barely extinguish the flames. During this process, Gu Yuan did not allow Charizard to continue its assault, instead carefully observing the situation unfolding on Ariados.
Not only is the burn time longer, but when the flame lands on a Pokémon, it continues to scorch and is difficult to put out. Is there a possibility of further improvement?
While contemplating, Gu Yuan instructed Charizard to attack again to gather more information. Ariados, unaware it had become a test subject, continued to resist stubbornly. However, the previous flames had left a deep impression on it, making it afraid to face Charizard's attacks directly. It could only continuously use more Moves to exhaust the power of Fire Blast.
During this process, Gu Yuan's initial hypothesis was verified. The red beam Moltres released indeed possessed the power to enhance Fire-type Moves, increasing the flames' burn time, intensity, and adhesiveness. Gu Yuan was now curious whether these new abilities could be further improved as Charizard and the others grew stronger.
If they could be improved, this seemingly insignificant effect might yield many unexpected results in the future. However, this was something that only time could verify, and rushing it would be useless, so Gu Yuan decided to maintain a relaxed attitude.
"End the battle, Charizard. Use Fire Blast!"
With the experiment concluded, Gu Yuan had no intention of continuing to toy with Ariados. The scorching flames descended, and Ariados, who had already pushed itself to the limit, could not resist. It was immediately swallowed by the fire and lost the ability to battle.
After defeating Ariados, Gu Yuan did not stop, instead preparing to use more opponents for verification. Flapping its wings, Charizard quickly ascended to search for the next opponent.