In the footage—
After a brief discussion, Ash and Gary were ready to set off immediately! The situation in Sinnoh could not be delayed, so it was necessary to get a feather from Moltres as soon as possible to help Gary qualify for Project Mew.
Just as they were about to leave, Dr. Cerise received a phone call.
"Yes, this is Dr. Cerise. Oh? It arrived? Great, please bring it right in!"
Hanging up the phone, Dr. Cerise turned to Chloe with a pleased expression.
"Officer Jenny has sent the Prism Scale over, and it's right at the door! We can let Feebas evolve before you head out to find Moltres!"
Chloe was delighted. She hadn't expected Officer Jenny to deliver the Prism Scale so quickly. With Milotic on her side, she might be able to help Ash even more!
In the backyard of the Cerise Laboratory, Chloe approached Feebas with the Prism Scale. She slowly knelt down, placed the scale against Feebas, and spoke softly:
"Feebas, from today on, you won't be seen as an ugly duckling anymore. You're going to transform into a beautiful swan! Give me the strength to stand alongside Ash!"
As the scale touched Feebas, a brilliant light wrapped around its small body, and its form began to grow larger! A moment later, the light faded, revealing a stunning figure.
It had a cream-colored body with red fins framing its head, a tail covered in blue and pink scales, and three dark spots along its neck. Its graceful shape was a marvel to look at, bringing a sense of calm to everyone watching.
This was Milotic, widely known as the most beautiful Pokémon in the world!
"That's wonderful, Milotic!" Gary remarked, taking out his notebook to jot down some notes. "I've seen plenty of Milotic before, but this is my first time watching Feebas evolve into one in person."
At first, Gary simply found Pokémon evolution fascinating. The world was full of mysteries, and his deep curiosity eventually led him to become a Pokémon researcher. Now, he was a full-fledged Pokémon Professor!
"To think a weak Magikarp becomes a fierce Gyarados, and a plain Feebas becomes a stunning Milotic… Pokémon really are incredible creatures!" Dr. Cerise said with a gentle sigh.
"Now that Milotic has evolved, let's get going!" Gary suggested. "Our first stop is Pallet Town! There's a valley near my grandfather's laboratory where Moltres was reportedly sighted. Let's go check it out first!"
Since the evolution was complete, Gary wanted to find Moltres without delay.
Ash readily agreed. It had been a while since he last visited home, and he hadn't seen the Pokémon in his backyard for some time. Although he frequently swapped his active team with the Pokémon staying at Professor Oak's lab, he had traveled through seven regions—eight including Galar! Even with regular rotations, many of his Pokémon hadn't been called out in a while. Going back to check on them was a great opportunity.
Soon, Gary and Chloe said goodbye to Dr. Cerise and returned to Professor Oak's Laboratory in Pallet Town.
Professor Oak already knew Gary was returning, but he was pleasantly surprised to see Ash and Chloe as well.
"Professor Oak, long time no see!"
"Haha, we talk on the phone almost every day, so it hasn't been that long!" Professor Oak chuckled.
Ash called him almost daily to check in and see how his Pokémon were doing, so they were always in touch.
"How is everyone? Are they all in the backyard?"
Professor Oak nodded. "For the most part, yes… except for Infernape."
"What?!!" Ash's expression changed instantly. "Infernape is gone? How come?"
If Infernape was missing, why hadn't Professor Oak told him sooner?!
"Don't worry, it's not that Infernape is lost," Professor Oak explained quickly. "Lately, Infernape has been looking for strong opponents to battle. It went through almost every Pokémon in the backyard, and aside from Sceptile, few could give it a proper challenge.
So, Infernape went out to find stronger opponents. With your Aura, Ash, you should be able to sense its location. Please bring it back when you can."
Ash let out a sigh of relief. Professor Oak's dramatic pause had startled him so much that he forgot about his Aura abilities. It turned out Infernape simply ran out of suitable sparring partners in the backyard.
After all, Charizard—who could usually keep Infernape in check—was traveling with Ash, Snorlax was usually resting, and Krookodile wasn't quite at the same level yet. Sceptile was the only one who could go toe-to-toe with Infernape, but as a Grass-type, it wasn't always an ideal matchup for a full-power Fire-type battle.
"Alright! I'll go track down Infernape first, and then Gary and I can look for signs of Moltres nearby!"
Ash activated his Aura and began tracking Infernape's energy signature. As he walked, he couldn't help but reflect on things.
Lately, he had been relying heavily on Charizard and Snorlax, somewhat neglecting his other Pokémon. They all wanted to battle and show what they could do, so he needed to make sure he gave everyone a fair turn.
He was currently climbing through the ranks of the World Coronation Series, and many of his Pokémon hadn't had a chance to compete yet. He resolved to rotate his team more often from now on.
Following Infernape's Aura, Ash soon arrived at a valley near Pallet Town. As they entered, both Ash and Gary sensed something unusual.
"Gary… this place…"
"That's right. The rumors about Moltres were centered around this area. If Infernape came here seeking a strong opponent, that means… Moltres really might be here!"
Powerful Fire-type Pokémon naturally draw each other in. Since Infernape was actively searching for powerful foes, the odds of Moltres being in this valley were extremely high! Gary felt a surge of excitement. Finding Moltres on their very first stop would save them a lot of time!
"I feel it!" Ash called out. "Along with Infernape's energy, there's another powerful presence approaching it! Let's hurry, Gary!"
"Right!"
"Wait for me!" Chloe called out from behind as the two boys sprinted ahead. When it came to encountering rare Pokémon, their shared excitement was identical—a mutual understanding built over years of growing up together.
In the middle of the valley—
A reddish-brown Pokémon with a fiery crest on its head stood tall. It had slender limbs, golden swirling markings, and a tail that swung steadily. Across from it, a large golden bird wrapped in bright flames hovered in the air!
Infernape and Moltres!
The two Fire-types were locked in a standoff. Infernape opened its mouth and launched a blazing red column of fire! Moltres didn't dodge, countering directly with a stream of fire of its own!
Boom!
The two fiery blasts collided, lighting up the entire valley with intense heat! The flames rose high into the sky, revealing an even match between the two sides.
Not pausing for a moment, Moltres flapped its wings, sending sharp blades of energy cascading down from above—Air Slash!
Boom!
Infernape met the attack head-on, its fists glowing white as it unleashed a rapid flurry of punches! Its strikes were fast as lightning, shattering the incoming energy blades one after another. However, the stream of energy blades seemed endless, and Infernape slowly began to fall back under the pressure…
"Infernape, use Flame Wheel to block the Air Slash!"
A familiar voice echoed through the valley. Without a moment's hesitation, Infernape obeyed the command. It unleashed a burst of fire around its body and spun forward like a rolling wheel! The rotating fire wheel incinerated the incoming Air Slashes.
Seeing this, Moltres halted its attack and looked down at the three young trainers running into the valley.
Infernape stopped its Flame Wheel and looked over, spotting Ash among the group. Overjoyed, it ran up and threw its arms around him!
"Hot! So hot, Infernape!" Ash laughed.
Having just used Flame Wheel, Infernape's body was still radiating immense heat. Anyone else might have ended up with a burn!
"Pika-Pikachu!" Pikachu greeted Infernape warmly. Infernape let go of Ash, scratched its head sheepishly, and smiled.
"I'm sorry, Infernape. I haven't called on you for battles in a while, which is why you had to come out here to find opponents…"
Infernape shook its head, letting Ash know it didn't mind.
"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of battles coming up! This time, I'm going to Sinnoh and bringing you along. Maybe you'll even get to battle Cynthia again!"
Hearing this, Infernape's eyes lit up with excitement! Battling Cynthia again had always been one of its greatest goals.
However, before thinking about future battles, there was still an opponent standing right in front of it! Infernape turned back to face Moltres, who was hovering quietly in the sky. As a noble Legendary Pokémon, Moltres had waited patiently for them to finish talking before resuming the battle.
Global Forum Chat Board
[Lance]: Here it comes! Infernape vs. Moltres!
[Blaine]: A duel between two legendary Fire-types! This is a true battle against a Legendary Pokémon!
[Steven]: We've seen several battles against Legendary Pokémon before, like Leon and Ash facing Eternatus, or Pikachu battling Zapdos.
[Cynthia]: Ash's Infernape seems to have a special connection with me…
Seeing Infernape's excitement at the mention of battling her again, Cynthia smiled. As one of the classic Sinnoh partner Pokémon, Infernape clearly held a lot of history and determination.
[Flint]: Judging from that Flamethrower earlier, this Infernape is barely a step behind mine! It's rare to see an Infernape trained to such a high standard!
Although Infernape had appeared briefly before, Flint hadn't seen its full capabilities until now. From the raw power displayed against Moltres, this Infernape was clearly performing at a Champion-level standard!
[Volkner]: An Infernape comparable to Flint's… I'm really looking forward to seeing this battle unfold.
Standing in the valley, Infernape and Moltres readied themselves as the battle officially began!