In the footage—
The battle between Infernape and Moltres has officially begun!
This is a duel between Fire-type Pokémon! Because of that, Ash asked Gary not to interfere for the time being. Mission aside, he wanted to let Infernape have a real battle first!
"Infernape, Flamethrower!"
Boom!
The blazing fire rushed forth like a sea of flames, lighting up the entire sky! With Ash by its side, the power of Infernape's flames seemed to reach a whole new level!
That's the true difference between having a trainer and battling alone! The bond between Pokémon and humans elevates a Pokémon's power to greater heights, and Ash and Infernape are the perfect example!
Facing a Flamethrower even stronger than the one before, Moltres—as a legendary Fire-type Pokémon—naturally wouldn't back down. Its sharp beak opened, unleashing a blast of fire just as powerful!
The two streams of fire collided, turning the center of the valley into a burning sea! The intense heat radiated toward the three onlookers. Once again, both flames fought to a complete standstill!
Not only had Infernape powered up, but Moltres had also increased its firepower! It turned out that during their initial exchange, Moltres hadn't even used its full strength!
"Now we're talking! Infernape, Flare Blitz!"
Boom!
Infernape whipped its head, its fiery crest swaying with the movement as crimson flames wrapped around its entire body! In the next instant, those crimson flames turned into a deep, vivid blue!
The sheer heat made the field burn even hotter! Immediately after, Infernape transformed into a blue streak of light, blasting straight into the sky!
Moltres's eyes narrowed slightly. It could feel that the temperature of those blue flames was on a completely different level… For the flames to turn blue from such intense heat meant that even as a legendary Fire-type, taking a direct hit would be dangerous!
Screech!
A fierce cry echoed from Moltres. It flapped its large wings, sending a powerful gale sweeping across the entire valley! The scattered sparks around the field were blown away by the massive storm!
A powerful Flying-type move—Hurricane!
Facing an incoming Fire-type attack, Moltres actually chose to fall back and use a Flying-type move instead! It clearly believed that contesting Infernape's blue Flare Blitz with fire alone might not end well.
The legendary Fire-type Pokémon, in a Fire-type duel… chose to step back! That alone was enough to make Infernape proud!
The violent hurricane raged through the valley, and the blue flame inside it was like a small boat tossed in a storm. But despite the turbulence, the boat kept charging forward!
The blue flames burned right through the howling winds! Though the flame dimmed slightly, the intense heat remained unchanged!
Boom!!
A loud explosion shattered the air! Thick black smoke instantly filled the sky!
Screech—
A golden figure broke out of the smoke first—it was Moltres! However, its appearance was quite unrefined now, with noticeable scorch marks on its body! The legendary Fire-type Pokémon was actually burned by a Fire-type move!
At the same time, another figure launched out from the smoke. Infernape spun rapidly through the air before landing on the ground.
At this point, Infernape was also covered in marks and bruises. The power of Hurricane was no joke, and combined with the recoil damage from Flare Blitz, Infernape was actually in worse shape than Moltres.
After all, the greatest advantage of Legendary Pokémon isn't just their power, but their immense physical stamina.
Screech!
What hurt Moltres most wasn't its body, but its pride! The legendary Fire-type Pokémon was hurt by a Fire-type attack! That made it furious!
With an angry cry, Moltres's body became enveloped in a brilliant golden aura. It then dove straight down like a falling star!
A powerful Flying-type move—Brave Bird!
"Dodge it with Dig!"
Facing a powerful Flying-type move head-on would be an unwise choice! Earlier, Ash chose to let Infernape clash directly to gauge both Moltres's strength and Infernape's limits. Now that he had a clear picture, Ash naturally called for Infernape to avoid taking unnecessary damage.
Boom!
Upon receiving the command, Infernape dug frantically into the ground with both hands, retreating underground just in time! The golden, destructive aura of Brave Bird blasted empty air!
As Moltres flew back up into the sky, Ash issued his next command without hesitation!
"Now, Infernape! Flamethrower!"
Boom!
Infernape burst out from the ground, took a deep breath as its cheeks puffed up, and unleashed an overwhelming sea of fire straight from its mouth! It happened so fast that Moltres didn't even have time to turn around before being engulfed by the flames!
"Did it work?!" Chloe cheered with joy.
Gary shook his head to the side. "It won't be that simple. This is Moltres, a Legendary Pokémon."
"Not only does it have high resistance to fire, but its Flying type also gives it an edge over Infernape. Unless Ash has another trick up his sleeve, this battle won't be easy to win."
As if proving Gary's point, the flames surrounding Moltres exploded in midair! Moltres spread its wings with grand presence, showing little damage on its body.
Compared to the Flare Blitz earlier, while this Flamethrower was strong, it was well within what Moltres could handle.
By using its own flames to buffer the hit, Moltres avoided taking heavy damage. However… being pushed back multiple times only made Moltres's anger rise even more!
Losing ground to other Pokémon was one thing, but to a Fire-type Pokémon? Where would its pride as a legendary Fire-type go?!
Screech!!
Flames erupted from Moltres! It concentrated all its power into its sharp beak and unleashed a massive, fiery emblem floating in the air—Fire Blast!
"Infernape, dodge with Dig!"
Ash tried to repeat the same tactic. However, the moment Infernape burrowed underground, Moltres immediately blasted another stream of fire straight down into the opening!
"Oh no! Infernape, get out of there!"
The hole meant for dodging was now being used against it! Ash's instruction came quickly, but Infernape couldn't react in time. Crimson flames poured directly into the tunnel!
A sharp cry of pain came from inside the hole. When the flames finally cleared, Infernape forced itself out of the ground. Much of its white fur was scorched. That direct Fire Blast was extremely powerful!
"Ash, is it okay? Do you want to switch?"
"Not yet! Watch—this is where Infernape's true strength comes out!"
Ash spoke with confidence to Gary, though his eyes still held a hint of concern. Infernape's greatest power wasn't its normal strength, but its explosive power when driven into a corner!
However, activating its ability Blaze when heavily weakened was a double-edged sword. Entering that state meant Infernape was already close to its limits. Every time they relied on Blaze, it was a high-stakes gamble!
Yet, both Infernape and Ash thrived in moments like this!
"If you don't give it your all, you can't fight without regrets! Let's go, Infernape! Flare Blitz!"
Boom!
Infernape whipped its fiery crest, and deep blue flames covered its body once again! It charged forward with speed like lightning!
As a Legendary Pokémon with high intelligence, how could Moltres fall for the exact same move twice? It flapped its wings, preparing to fly higher to avoid the attack!
After all, its biggest advantage over Infernape was flight! Even if Infernape could jump high, it couldn't match a Pokémon flying straight up into the open sky!
So, Moltres flew straight upward without looking back.
Chloe looked stunned from the side. Was Moltres actually flying higher just to avoid a Fire-type move?!
...
Global Forum Chat Board
[Lance]: Wow, the legendary Moltres is actually avoiding a Fire-type move? What kind of situation is this?!
[Lucy]: Quite a surprising sight!
[Blaine]: Doesn't this prove just how terrifying Infernape's blue Flare Blitz really is? Moltres wasn't nearly as cautious against normal Flamethrowers…
[Flint]: Infernape's physical and special attacks are generally balanced, but Ash's Infernape seems to bring out incredible power specifically when using Flare Blitz!
As an expert with Infernape, Flint immediately noticed what made Ash's Infernape unique. While its normal flames were strong, they were roughly equal to Moltres's. But when Infernape used Flare Blitz, the flames shifted from red to blue, producing heat so intense that even Moltres hesitated to take it head-on!
[Lance]: Even though Infernape seems to be pushing Moltres back, Moltres is simply choosing not to clash directly right now. After all, with others watching, it probably wants to avoid taking unnecessary damage.
[Lance]: But if Infernape keeps pressing with Fire-type moves, Moltres's pride won't let it keep backing down. Once Moltres decides to fight to the end, Infernape will be in trouble!
Flare Blitz inflicts heavy recoil on the user. If Moltres decided to trade hits directly, Infernape's lower physical stamina would make it very difficult to win in a prolonged battle.
[Diantha]: Let's not jump to conclusions just yet.
[Cynthia]: Hehe, let's see how this unfolds. I have a feeling Ash's Infernape still has unused strength waiting to come out.
[Flint]: More strength? Is that possible? Infernape is already fighting around Champion-level standard. Any higher would mean reaching the level of a Champion's ace Pokémon!
[Cynthia]: Call it intuition. Let's keep watching.
Cynthia's golden eyes remained fixed on the screen. Ever since seeing Infernape earlier, she felt a strong sense of rivalry between it and her Garchomp.
In the Footage—
Infernape was wrapped in blue flames, soaring into the air. But Moltres simply flew higher, avoiding the trajectory entirely!
"It's going higher… Infernape, use the surrounding cliffs to boost your jump!"
Boom!
Infernape shifted its angle, kicking off the side of the valley cliff! It bounded from one rocky wall to the other with incredible force, making the entire valley tremble!
Cracks like spiderwebs spread across every surface Infernape touched. With each leap off the cliffside, it built up more momentum and speed, like a marble bouncing with increasing energy!
By the time Infernape reached the top edge of the cliff, the accumulated force exploded all at once!
The blue figure shot into the sky like a rocket!
Noticing the movement behind it, Moltres turned its head—only to see Infernape right beside it!
Moltres was stunned! How did it get up here?! It was flying hundreds of meters in the air!
Without giving Moltres any time to react, Infernape slammed its body directly into Moltres, wrapped in roaring blue flames!
Boom!!
A massive explosion echoed across the sky! Under everyone's tense gazes, a reddish-brown figure fell from the sky first. Right behind it, the large golden bird tumbled as well, its body heavily scorched.
"Infernape, wake up! Adjust your posture and land safely!"
Ash's voice reached the ears of the nearly unconscious Infernape…