After a brief rest and reorganization, Red prepared to leave the Cinnabar Gym.
After learning from Blaine about the volcanic crater where Moltres appears, Red rode Charizard, waved goodbye to Blaine and Arcanine, and headed alone toward the crater.
Half an hour later
Red and Charizard arrived above the largest volcanic crater on Cinnabar Island. Even while flying in the air, Red could vaguely feel the heat intermittently emitted from the crater.
"No mistake, this is where Moltres resides," Red concluded, instructing Charizard to descend.
Charizard flapped its wings and carried Red to the vicinity of the crater.
After landing, Red immediately released his psychic power, forming an invisible psychic barrier around himself to block the scorching heat from the crater.
"How should I lure Moltres out?" Red pondered.
At that moment, the Poké Ball at Red's waist activated on its own. Thousand-Year Gengar emerged from the Poké Ball, sneakily approaching Red and offering a mischievous suggestion.
"Boss, I'm not afraid of fire. How about I sneak down and wake that sleeping Moltres?" Thousand-Year Gengar proposed.
Although reluctant, noticing the shaking Ultra Ball at his waist, Red ultimately sighed and accepted the suggestion. He instructed Thousand-Year Gengar to be careful and not get injured.
"Don't worry, boss. I'll handle it perfectly!"
Thousand-Year Gengar assured Red, then turned into a shadow and slipped into the depths of the crater.
After Red and Charizard waited for a short while, a blazing pillar of fire suddenly erupted from the crater, as terrifying as an imminent volcanic eruption.
"Hehehe, boss, I did it! That stupid bird got pissed off and came out!"
Thousand-Year Gengar floated smugly beside Red, proudly showing off.
Under the gaze of Red and his Pokémon, a figure appeared within the crater. It had red feathers, a straight and sharp beak, and skin with a slightly brownish tone.
It possessed a long, streamlined crest and a tail that churned like flames, both composed entirely of fire. Its wings were covered in flame-like feathers, and its split-toed feet were brown.
This Pokémon was one of the legendary bird Pokémon—Moltres, the source of the sacred flame of the Kanto Region Pokémon League.
Upon appearing, Moltres immediately sensed Charizard's formidable strength and understood Red's intent—to challenge it using Charizard.
"Insignificant human, do you really think an ordinary Fire-type Pokémon can defeat me, who possesses the bloodline of a legendary beast?"
Moltres looked down arrogantly at Red and snorted in disdain, believing Red and Charizard to be overly arrogant.
"Whoa, this dumb bird is way too cocky!"
Thousand-Year Gengar was stunned by Moltres's arrogance.
(Is this idiot bird too weak to even sense Charizard's strength? Just because it has some legendary blood in it, it thinks it's invincible?!)
"What an annoying guy. If Zapdos wasn't already reserved, I'd definitely crush it under my feet!"
Charizard growled unhappily, flames blazing from its mouth, itching to unleash them.
"Come on out, Zapdos!" Red shouted, throwing the Ultra Ball in his hand.
A dazzling white light faded, and a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, forming a massive pillar of electricity in the crater. Its appearance drew the attention of many residents on Cinnabar Island, who were astonished by the strange phenomenon.
The lightning pillar also shocked Moltres, as it immediately recognized its opponent.
Zapdos's figure emerged within the lightning. As the pillar dissipated, its majestic form slowly appeared.
"What a flashy entrance~" Thousand-Year Gengar joked.
Seeing that its opponent was Zapdos, a fellow member of the Three Sacred Birds, Moltres became much more cautious, sensing the powerful aura emanating from Zapdos.
"Strange, Charizard is clearly stronger than Zapdos. Why is Moltres more wary of Zapdos instead?" Thousand-Year Gengar wondered.
"Maybe it subconsciously looks down on Charizard as a 'normal' Pokémon," Red joked, patting Charizard to calm it down.
"Don't worry, Charizard! I'll teach this arrogant Moltres a proper lesson for you!"
Seizing the rare chance to tease Charizard, Zapdos didn't hold back.
But noticing Charizard's angry glare, Zapdos quickly shut up and flapped its wings, flying in front of Moltres and locking eyes with it.
"As a descendant of the Three Sacred Birds, to willingly become a human's 'pet'—how disgraceful!" Moltres mocked, assuming Zapdos had been captured due to weakness.
"Hmph. Defeat me first before you talk big!"
Ignoring the taunts, Zapdos decisively unleashed Thunderbolt. High-voltage electricity surged from its body like ferocious lightning serpents, aiming to capture Moltres.
In response, Moltres used Flamethrower, releasing a blazing stream of fire from its beak. The lightning and fire collided, producing a violent explosion and a massive cloud of smoke.
Since Moltres was a wild Pokémon, Red did not issue commands, allowing Zapdos to rely entirely on its own strength.
Using the smoke as cover, Zapdos activated Agility and vanished from sight.
Under Moltres's wary gaze, Zapdos suddenly appeared behind it, its entire body covered in electricity, and slammed fiercely into Moltres.
Struck by Zapdos's Wild Charge, Moltres let out a painful cry.
Although Zapdos took recoil damage equal to a quarter of the attack, it still couldn't help but mock Moltres upon seeing its miserable state.
"No matter what, Charizard is my companion. Who do you think you are to mock it?"
Enraged, Moltres turned and unleashed Heat Wave, sending scorching air toward Zapdos.
Zapdos calmly used Charge first, boosting the power of its next Electric-type move. Then it released electricity across its body, using Thunderbolt to clash with the incoming Heat Wave.
In an instant, the high-voltage electricity shattered the Heat Wave and struck Moltres again.
Terrified, Moltres quickly used Agility, but it still couldn't fully evade—the electricity struck its wings, dealing partial damage.
Seizing the opportunity, Zapdos used Thunder Wave. A weak electric pulse shot from its body and hit Moltres directly.
Just as Moltres wondered why it hadn't taken damage, it suddenly felt its wings stiffen, followed by its entire body falling into a strange state of paralysis.
"You didn't seriously think I'd go easy on you, did you?!"
Zapdos laughed loudly, ridiculing Moltres's ignorance.
"You're even weaker than the Articuno on the neighboring island. I honestly don't know how you can be both so weak and so arrogant!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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