Chapter 34

A Legendary Photo Op

Although Serena had some trouble at the Dendemille Town Pokemon Showcase, my best friend was able to put her adaptability to the test and pull off a victory, earning her first Princess Key. And now, we were all back on the road to Anistar City, where Ash and I would take on our next Kalos Gym Leader.

One day, we came to the foot of Mount Molteau, the only active volcano in the Kalos mainland. For a moment, we stood to take in the view of the mountain and watched as the small trails of smoke emerged into the sky. Suddenly, there was rustling in the bushes nearby. We stood alert as we saw a creature emerge. It looked like a Charizard, though much smaller and without wings. According to Ash, it was a Charmeleon, and Dexter was quick to confirm.

Charmeleon
The Flame Pokémon
A Fire-type
The evolved form of Charmander
Charmeleon knocks down opponents with its tail, then defeats them using razor-sharp claws.

"Hey, I think I know that one…" Cocoa stepped forward. Just then Charmeleon fired a Flamethrower at her, she was quick to jump away, but her skirt got a little singed. "Aw! Not again!" she muttered as she put out the smoke with her paw.

"Charmeleon!" a voice cried out in concern. A familiar face came out behind him… it was Trevor from Summer Camp. As he caught up to his partner, he saw us and smiled. "What a surprise! I never thought I'd run into you guys out here!"

Charmeleon then fired another attack on us. We all ducked as Trevor tried to hold him back. "Why is Charmeleon in such an awful mood?" Clemont asked.

"Sorry! He's gotten more aggressive since he evolved!"

"I've seen this behavior with my own Charmeleon. Maybe he wants to have a battle?" Ash asked. Charmeleon seemed to smile as he suggested that. It seemed he was right. "So in that case…" he pulled out a PokeBall, and out came his Fletchinder.

"Thanks, Ash! A battle oughta be just what we need to calm him down!" Both Ash and Trevor got into position, as well as their Fire-type Pokemon, and like that, the battle had begun.

Ash VS Trevor
Fletchinder VS Charmeleon
BATTLE BEGIN!

Trevor was the first to make a move. "Let's start off with Fire Spin!" Charmeleon slammed his claws onto the ground, and a thin streak of fire shot across the ground in front of him towards Fletchinder. The flame turned into a fiery tornado which surrounded the Flying-type. Fletchinder flapped its wings and flew out just in time. "Now use Flamethrower!" The flames surged from its mouth into the air.

"Deflect it with Steel Wing!" Ash called out. Fletchinder's wings began to sheen, and he spun around. His opponent's flames seem to bounce off harmlessly. "You got on opening! Use Flame Charge!" The winged one charged into Charmeleon, bashing heads with one another.

The opponent took the hit, but still stood. We were all impressed by Charmeleon. Trevor had trained him well. "Use Dragon Claw!" he said. The Flame Pokemon charged forward, his claws glowing green. But Fletchinder was fast, and he dodged once more. "Flamethrower!"

"Fletchinder, up in the air and use Steel Wing!" Fletchinder dodged the Fire-type move and prepped his own attack. It slammed into the ophidian and knocked out the last of his HP.

Clemont made the call. "Charmeleon is unable to battle! Fletchinder wins!"

Fletchinder roosted on his Trainer's arm as he approached his fallen opponent. The Kantonian then handed over an Oran Berry to replenish Charmeleon's strength. "Feeling better?" Charmeleon growled in the affirmative, having accepted his defeat with pride.

Now that his Charmeleon had calmed down, we decided to rest a little and catch up some. Trevor grew excited as he met the two Mythical Pokemon in our party. "Shauna wasn't kidding when she told me about you catching a Diancie!" Trevor took a photo, then he turned to the other one. "And you're Magearna, right? You don't look like the one I've seen in pictures."

Magearna smiled a little. "My old body was destroyed - long story - so Clemont made me this new one. It's so much stronger and lighter than the last one."

Trevor took another picture. "It looks like you evolved just like my Charmeleon." Then he noticed Jessie and James. "Wait a second! You're the guys who attacked us at the Summer Camp!"

Then Ash got between them. "It's alright. We've made a truce. Our animosity is over."

"Really…" asked Tierno. "Are you sure they aren't following you to try and catch Moltres?"

"I'm positive! They've completely given up their evi-!" Ash stopped mid-sentence. "Did you say Moltres?"

"As in the Legendary Bird?" Clemont asked.

Trevor seemed to understand since he nodded at me. "An examination and analysis of various documents leads me to believe that Moltres is here on Mount Molteau. It's the last of the Legendary Birds I need for my photo collection. See?" He showed us his stored photos. Apparently he already had photos of Zapdos and Articuno - museum-grade photos, in my opinion.

"Incredible!" Cocoa exclaimed. "So you've met other Legendaries besides Xerneas?"

"That's right! And hopefully, Moltres is gonna be today!"

Then I had an idea. "Nous pouvons vous aider à trouver Moltres, si vous le souhaitez."

Dexter hovered over. "Brianna suggested we help Trevor track down Moltres!" The rest of us agreed. It would be faster to find that way, and a lot of us would love to see another Legendary Pokemon.

Trevor got up and secured his camera. "Thank you! That would be a great help!"

As we started for the mountain, Meowth realized something. "Why is it that we keep running into the best Pokemon after we've given up on being the bad guys?"

It was a large mountain, but we were probably about a quarter of the way up. As we searched for a safe route, Ash was examining a picture Trevor found from a locally famous photographer. It was foggy and obscured - one could barely make out an image in the gray. "What makes you so sure this is Moltres?" he asked.

"There's no other Pokemon with wings shaped just like that," he answered, "and according to my research, Moltres has been spotted up here in the past. It was an accident that it got there in the first place; it didn't even know it was being photographed. But if we just head up to that giant rock, I know we can see it!"

"What giant rock?" asked James. "I can't make heads or tails from this image. And there's gotta be like ten thousand giant rocks on this mile-high crater."

Clemont laughed with confidence as he adjusted his glasses. "I think that's my cue… the future is now, thanks to science! Clemontic Gear ON!" In no time whatever, Clemont produced a robotic entity that looked like something out of a kid's show. "This is called my Rock Searcher Mark One!"

Trevor prepared his camera for a photo. "So this is one of Clemont's famous inventions!"

Clemont collected the photo from Ash and fed it into a slot on the Rock Searcher's back. "We just input the landscape of this photo into its memory, then the Rock Searcher will locate an exact match automatically!" He pressed a big red button and the machine started to move up the mountain, while the rest of us followed.

It came to one rock after the other. Each time, it would scan the rock in front of it. Each time, a big red X on its back would signify it was the wrong one. And each time, it would start again, taking us further up the mountain. We went higher and higher, the air got thinner and thinner, and we all grew more and more tired.

All except for Trevor. He was enjoying this more than he hoped. Every so often, we would come across a wild Pokemon for his photo collection - Crustle, Diglett, and Trapinch to name a few. He was constantly remarking on how lucky we were to be finding so many Pokemon such as these. The way he had been acting, it was almost like he forgot about Moltres entirely.

Once he had intentionally slid down a rather steep slope to take a picture of a passing butterfree. I think he said something about its antenna being larger than normal. But there was one little tiny bite-sized problem… after he slid down, it was too steep for him to climb back up. "Guys? A little help?"

We looked at one another, each of us trying to determine what to do. But then I had an idea. Remembering my Pure Hearts, I decided to call upon one of them. I had decided to try a new one… "Pouvoir de Fée!" I called out, summoning the power of the Fairy-type Pure Heart.

My lower spine seems to stretch a little, pushing me forward. Oddly, my legs remained planted firmly on the volcanic soil. Just then, a new pair of legs formed and the space between both pairs grew a little. My old feet and new ones formed into hooves as soft pink fur grew around my body. From behind, I could see a tail had grown. It was long and hairy, kinda like one of Ninetails'. My head felt a little tingly as apparently a long horn protruded from my forehead.

My friends were a little awestruck as they saw me assume this new form. "I call the next ride!" cried Bonnie as I prepared myself. I ran on all four of my hooved legs and leaped down the mountain, landing next to Trevor. I then helped him onto my back, and we rode back up to everyone else.

After we got back up, Trevor backed away and took multiple pictures. "I didn't know you could do this! That's incredible!"

"C'est une découverte relativement nouvelle," I explained. As I was speaking, Magearna and Bonnie clambered onto my back. "J'ai expérimenté avec le reste de mes Cœurs Purs."

Dexter hovered over. "Brianna says it's a rather new discovery and that she's been experimenting with the other Pure Hearts."

"So there are multiple different forms you can use? I wanna see them all!"

"Qu'en est-il de Moltres?" I reminded him why we were here. "Je peux te les montrer une autre fois."

"She said we should focus on Moltres for now, and she promises to show you later." And with that, we got back to the trail.

We had a little catching up to do, but we finally caught up to the Rock Scanner. By this time, Serena caught a rather uninviting smell. "Ash! Excuse you!"

"Believe me, Serena. If that was me, you would've heard it." He then sniffed the air. "It's brimstone. We must be close to the crater."

And speak of the devil, we turned a corner and there it was. We were just a few yards away from a boiling lake of lava, and the heat emanating therefrom was a little much for some of us. If only I had the Fire-type Pure Heart at the time…

The Rock Searcher then approached another large boulder near the crater and scanned it. A loud ringing like someone using a doorbell came from it, and a large green O flashed on its back.

"Yes! This is the rock from the picture!" Clemont shouted over the ringing. He then approached his invention and pressed the kill switch, but nothing changed. He tried again, and again, and again, but nothing. Instead, a swirling motion formed from the screen. Then it started to spark and smoke as it turned around and ran at us. It had gone completely haywire as it chased us around the crater.

At last, I used my equestrian hind legs to strike the Rock Searcher. It flung through the air and landed into the lava. Clemont dropped to his knees as we watched it blow apart. "Désolé... vous pouvez me facturer des dommages."

Dexter was about to translate, but then a roar came out of the volcano. "What was that?" asked Bonnie as we looked around. He and Magearna clung to Serena.

"We'll soon find out…" James replied.

Seconds later, the volcano seemed to erupt, scattering embers everywhere. As we took shelter behind some rock, we saw a shape in the flames.

"Is that…?" asked Clemont.

"It is!" Ash answered.

As the fire settled, the shape became more clear. It was a yellow avian creature with flames on its head and wings.

"Moltres!" we all shouted.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of it before?!" Dexter shouted. He then proceeded to show us the data.

Moltres
The Flame Pokémon
A Fire and Flying-type
This legendary Pokémon scatters embers with every flap of its wings. If this Pokémon is weakened or injured, it is said to dip its body in volcano lava to recover its strength.

"We finally found it! It's like a dream come true!" Trevor prepared his camera and took several pictures.

But that dream quickly turned into a nightmare. In the next few seconds, Moltres attacked us with a massive Flamethrower. We all ran and hid to protect ourselves. "What's it doing?" Serena asked.

Clemont quickly had a realization. "The explosion!" he exclaimed. "Moltres must think we're attacking it!"

Ash called out to the Legendary Bird. "Moltres! Stop! That explosion was just an accident!" But Moltres would not listen. He fired another attack upon us. "Guess we have no choice… Frogadier, use Water Pulse!" He tossed a Poke Ball up, and the Bubble Frog Pokemon emerged. It fired off the attack with pinpoint accuracy… but the move evaporated before it could make contact.

"It's too hot up here!" Dexter told us. "Water-type moves are useless at this range!"

Trevor saw this. "Then we'll fight fire with fire! Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!" It fired a direct attack. Even though it was not very effective, at least it was something.

Ash then followed his idea. He retrieved Frogadier and released Fletchinder. "Ger in close and use Razor Wind!" Fletchinder tried, but Moltres was too fast. With another Flamethrower attack, it slammed Fletchinder into a wall on the far side of the volcano. "Fletchinder, are you okay?" his Trainer asked as he came out from behind the rock.

That inadvertently recalled Moltres' attention. It then prepared to fire another attack on us, and there would be no time for Ash to evade it. Fletchinder saw this. Even though he was injured, he darted across the magma to us. The faster he flew, the more he seemed to glow a bright blue until at last, he got between us and took the attack head on. As it held the attack back, its wings seem to grow wider and its body larger. After the Flamethrower was exhausted, Fletchinder's glow subsided to reveal a new Pokemon in its place.

"Fletchinder evolved! Awesome!" Ash called out. Dexter hovered over and showed him the data.

Talonflame
The Scorching Pokémon
A Fire and Flying-type
Fletchinder's evolved form
During an intense battle, Talonflame expels embers from gaps between its feathers. It reaches speeds of over 300 miles per hour chasing prey.

"300, huh?" Ash commented. As he spoke, he noticed Moltres coming in to attack. "Then let's use that speed to our advantage!" Talonflame then flew against Moltres. Another blue aura formed around his body as they slammed into each other.

"Talonflame learned Brave Bird!" Dexter told us. "Brave Bird is one of the most powerful Flying-type attacks!"

Moltres then charged up another attack, aiming for its avian opponent. "Dodge and use Brave Bird!" Ash called out. Using the attack, Talonflame evaded the oncoming Flamethrower and slammed into the Legendary Bird with tremendous speed.

Then he tried to come back around to attack again, but Moltres had a different idea. As Talonflame closed in, Moltres fired off a Fire Blast attack, which its opponent was unable to attack. The attack was too much for Talonflame, and he fell from exhaustion… straight for the boiling lake of lava.

"Talonflame!" Much to our surprise, Ash ran down the crater to try and catch him.

Seeing this, I ran close behind and yanked him onto my equestrian back. As I leaped across the crater, Ash reached out and caught his partner, and I landed safely on the opposite side. "Tu es tellement impulsif, Ash ! Et imprudent..."

"I know, and I'm sorry…" he replied as though he knew precisely what I said. Then he looked at his rescued Flying-type. "Talonflame, are you okay?" The one in question chirped in affirmation.

Moltres saw everything. As we returned to our friends, we noticed that its attacks seem to have stopped altogether. "Looks like Moltres finally realized we're not enemies after all," Clemont hypothesized. While he was speaking, the Legendary Bird started to fly off toward the west. I had to wonder where it was off to now…?

A little while later, we made it back down to ground level. Trevor was reviewing all the photos he took up there, and one could tell he was pleased with himself. "These photos are perfect! I don't want to delete any of them!"

"I guess it was all worth it then," said Cocoa as she glanced between Trevor and Talonflame. "Especially for some of us."

"Talonflame, you were awesome up there!" Ash commented. "Let's keep working together to make you better than ever before!" Talonflame nodded and lifted its wing. Ash slapped it in a high five, and Trevor was quick enough to take a photo thereof. Shortly afterwards, he and Charmeleon went back on their own way, and so did we.

A trip to Mount Molteau had led us to a rare encounter with the Legendary Bird Moltres. On top of that, Ash's Fletchinder has evolved into Talonflame. And so with all kinds of new Pokemon yet to meet and new adventures yet to experience, the journey continues…