On the highest peak of an island shrouded in thunderclouds and roaring thunder, a yellow legendary bird cloaked in violent electricity opened its eyes.
If it wasn't mistaken, that hot-tempered, fire-breathing idiot seemed to be back?
Zapdos's eyes glinted with interest and anticipation.
Perfect. It had slept for ages—now that Moltres was back, it'd be happy to have a battle to stretch its rusty body.
Of course, if Moltres refused, Zapdos wouldn't mind unleashing thunderbolts on the magma sea in the volcano, wrecking its rival's home.
After all, Moltres had done the same to it before.
Zapdos glanced at a spot near its peak, where the rocks were scorched black. That used to be its favorite sleeping spot, until Moltres destroyed it.
…
On another island, shrouded in cold, its legendary master had not returned. The frigid world was as silent as death.
Lucas had thought the three islands Moltres mentioned would be the ones from his memories.
But seeing them himself, he realized they weren't—the climate wasn't the tropical Orange Islands, but cold and harsh.
Of course, the Orange Islands are south of Kanto, and Kanto is half a world away from Paldea.
Even at Dragonite's top speed, it would take half a day to get there.
Moltres, slower than Dragonite, had flown only seven hours. There was no way they'd crossed the world.
Here were three unknown islands in an uncharted sea.
The left island was tall, its peaks wreathed in red clouds and constant snow—a single glance felt freezing.
The right island was all jagged rocks and peaks, shrouded in storm clouds and unending rain, with lightning constantly crashing down.
The central island looked barren, just bare mountains and rocks, with lush vegetation at the base. But the inner peaks held unimaginable energy, with magma flowing gently and the air saturated with fire, rock, and earth energy.
Three different climates and geologies, all in the same sea. Truly rare.
These three islands resembled the islands of fire, thunder, and ice from Lucas's memories, but weren't the same.
Moltres landed near the volcano's rim, where the temperature wasn't too high and the rocks weren't scalding. Lucas dismounted, his Poké Ball automatically opening as an excited Growlithe leaped out, eager to explore.
Was this where it would evolve?
Moltres gently picked Growlithe up and placed it on its back. The volcano might look calm, but if Growlithe got too excited and fell into the magma, it would be bad.
Even as a fire-type, Growlithe couldn't withstand the heat inside the magma—one wrong move and it'd be badly hurt.
Growlithe wanted to run around, but a stern look from Moltres made it sit quietly on its back, hanging its head in disappointment.
Lucas chuckled. Moltres really was a strict mother—but thanks to Growlithe, that once-proud Moltres had become much more caring.
A moment later, Lucas gazed at the magma sea, marveling at it.
Few Pokémon could survive in that. Maybe Moltres, Heatran, Groudon, and a few legendary fire-types. Of regular Pokémon, only Blaine's Magmar came to mind, though maybe stronger fire-types could manage.
Regardless, the magma sea was one of the harshest environments—probably only fire, rock, and ground types could thrive here, given the incredibly dense energy.
Moltres didn't waste time—it was here to help Growlithe evolve, nothing more.
Moltres glanced at the magma sea where it had first gained consciousness, then turned to Lucas, transmitting a thought. Without warning, Moltres swooped down, dropping a screeching Growlithe into the magma with it.
"Uh…"
Lucas winced. Moltres was nothing if not decisive—wasting not a second.
Growlithe alone could never enter the magma safely, but with Moltres, it should be fine. Still, Growlithe was bound to suffer a bit; Lucas felt a mix of worry and schadenfreude.
The magma didn't even ripple as Moltres and Growlithe plunged in. After a splash, everything was calm again, as if nothing had happened.
Lucas digested Moltres's message, raising an eyebrow—it all made sense: "So, two idiots might come to cause trouble? Got it."
In his mind, the images of a yellow and an ice-blue legendary bird appeared.
"With three islands, the other two birds should be here too. While you train, I'll handle them!"
Lucas grabbed two Poké Balls, confidence shining in his eyes.
…
…
…
"I quit—I quit—I regret this!"
Lucas flopped onto the ground like a stubborn kid, radiating dejection and laziness.
He'd just been planning to challenge Zapdos and Articuno, maybe even recruit them.
But in reality, he hadn't even set foot on those islands before suffering a crushing defeat.
On Moltres's back, he hadn't realized how big this island was—now, climbing down, he saw just how huge it was. Without Dragonite, he'd be lucky to reach the base by nightfall. He was already regretting not bringing Dragonite.
Forget challenging Zapdos and Articuno—by the time he reached the bottom, Growlithe might already have finished evolving, while he was still foolishly planning to ride Swampert to the other islands.