Chapter 148: Moltres
On a small island a few kilometers from Mt. Ember, Rio assigned Gengar a task: scout out the Team Rocket presence on Mt. Ember. As the sun set and night fell, it was the perfect time for reconnaissance. Gengar received the order and drifted toward the island.
"Old ghosts get no love—all the dirty work is mine," Gengar grumbled.
Rio rolled his eyes and pretended not to hear. He wandered the island with Charizard and Raikou.
"Everyone, come out and get some fresh air—we’ve got a tough battle ahead." With a flash of light, Rio released Annihilape, Red Gyarados, Munchlax, Greninja, and Eevee.
"ROAR!!!" The Red Gyarados immediately called out to Annihilape and flicked its tail.
"Annih~" Annihilape understood, punched itself, and grabbed the Red Gyarados’s tail, reenacting the Hulk vs. Loki scene.
Raikou stared: (⊙_⊙)? "This is how they get fresh air?" It asked Rio in disbelief.
"Always been like this," Rio shrugged.
Munchlax tugged at his sleeve. "Ka~" It patted its stomach and opened its mouth. Rio understood, pulled out some Energy Cubes, and tossed them in. Munchlax swallowed them with satisfaction, then lay down and fell asleep.
Rio wanted to rest too. He looked around, found a tree, and started gathering grass to make a bed. While searching, a stone tablet buried in the sand caught his eye. He called Charizard over to dig it out.
The tablet revealed an image of Lugia, flying above churning waves.
"Don’t make a big deal out of it—in these islands, besides Moltres, Lord Lugia and Lord Ho-Oh both once lived here. The ancient locals erected this tablet," Raikou said, following Rio and noticing his expression. "For all you know, Lord Lugia or Lord Ho-Oh might be nearby right now, waiting to swoop in when the fighting gets hot."
Rio shot Raikou a look. If they showed up during the fight, we’d all be done for—including you.
But after hearing Raikou’s explanation, he stopped worrying about the tablet and continued making his bed.
About two hours later, Gengar returned and reported on Mt. Ember. As Rio had suspected, the island was crawling with Team Rocket. They’d taken over the entire island and locked up the residents.
"Good thing I didn’t rush in—otherwise, I’d be fighting them before Moltres even showed up, and Moltres would be the one laughing," Rio muttered.
Just then, a bird cry—like a phoenix’s song—echoed from above. Rio looked up and saw a fireball, glowing like a sun in the night sky, flying toward Mt. Ember from the west. Its appearance illuminated the night, brightening Rio’s small island.
"Here it comes!" Rio quickly recalled Annihilape, Red Gyarados, Munchlax, and the others, leaving only Gengar and Raikou outside. He had Gengar carry him toward Mt. Ember with Psychic, his eyes fixed on the fireball as it landed on the island’s highest peak—Mt. Ember.
After Moltres settled in, the entire island glowed under its flames. Rio still didn’t rush in—he waited patiently offshore.
"Greninja—I’ll need you for this." He released Greninja, which immediately entered its Battle Bond form.
"Gren~" Greninja shot toward Mt. Ember.
"What was that just now?" Raikou asked in surprise.
"Battle Bond evolution," Rio said briefly, focusing on the shared vision from Greninja’s Battle Bond.
Greninja raced through the trees of Mt. Ember, reaching the summit in under half a minute and perching on a secluded branch. Moltres was resting peacefully in its nest at the top of the peak, unaware of the danger approaching.
Just then, Moltres’s stats appeared through the shared vision:
[Pokémon: Moltres]
[Level: 80 (Currently enraged—do not provoke. Time until next level: 4520 days.)]
[Talent: Legendary]
[Friendship: 0]
[Ability 1: Pressure]
[Ability 2: Flame Body]
[Gender: Genderless]
[Moves: Acrobatics (120%), Aerial Ace (120%), Agility (120%), Air Cutter (120%), Air Slash (120%), Brave Bird (120%), Rage (120%), Take Down (120%), Dual Wingbeat (120%), Safeguard (120%), Endure (120%), Facade (120%), Blast Burn (120%), Fire Spin (120%), Flamethrower (120%), Roost (120%), Heat Wave (120%), Sunny Day (120%), Sky Attack (120%), and more...]
[Description: This is a legendary Pokémon and the embodiment of spring. Whenever it is injured, it can heal by entering the magma inside the volcano’s crater.]
Rio barely had time to read it before Greninja’s gaze shifted—to a group of Team Rocket members creeping toward Moltres with their Pokémon. The leader was a red-haired, alluring woman holding a Poké Ball.
Without hesitation, Rio had Greninja alert Moltres. Greninja hurled a Water Shuriken, which grazed past the woman.
Her eyes widened. She spun around, ready to curse whoever had thrown it—when a piercing phoenix cry came from behind her.