Chapter 71
I'm at the Giant's Foot with Alice and Elena. Curiosity bubbles up inside me and I can't help but ask, "What does the third Legendary Clue talk about? Can we take a look at it?"
Elena, with a slight cough, starts explaining, "When the sun reaches its zenith, it shines directly down upon a great tree with leaves that seem to burn. It is there that the legendary wings come to roost. And that's it."
Alice, looking puzzled, turns to me, "So, the great tree we saw earlier, that's the one?"
I nod confidently, "It has to be. Let's head there."
As we reach Ballimere Lake, the sight of more Fossil Pokémon takes our breath away. Alice, her eyes wide in wonder, exclaims, "Now there's Cradily, Tyrantrum, and Armaldo here too?"
I scan the area, a sense of excitement growing. "That's almost all the fossils, except for the ones from Sinnoh," I remark. Then, spotting something in the water, I point out, "And look, there's a Relicanth too!"
We're standing in front of the massive tree when Elena remarks, "This sure is a big tree."
"Yeah..." I start to reply, but my attention is suddenly drawn upwards. Something is flying above us. Alice, with a hint of curiosity in her voice, asks, "Hey, what is that?"
Squinting, we all try to get a better look. It's a blackbird, ablaze with flames, feasting on the fruit of the tree. "What the... is that a Moltres?" I ask, baffled.
Elena, just as confused, points out, "But Moltres are supposed to be yellow, not black..."
In that moment, the Moltres turns around, emitting a loud roar. We all whip our heads in its direction, just in time to see an orange bird charging at it. The orange bird launches a kick towards the Moltres, who swiftly dodges.
"And what was that? Don't tell me that's Zapdos," I exclaim in surprise. But as we all take a closer look, it's unmistakable—it really does look just like Zapdos. "I thought Zapdos is a flying creature, not a land creature," Alice remarks, her voice filled with confusion.
Moltres, now more vivid in my sight, seems to wield some sort of dark flames. It launches an attack at Zapdos, who evades effortlessly with a quick jump.
"Woah... What kind of attacks are those?" I wonder aloud, captivated by the fierce battle unfolding before us.
Just then, a purple beam zips past us, forcing us to dodge. We turn around and see a purple bird, unmistakably an Articuno, shooting beams from its eyes.
Elena, trying to make sense of it all, questions, "So, a black-colored Moltres, a running Zapdos, and a purple Articuno that shoots lasers from its eyes? Are these the Legendary Bird Pokémon that are said to gather around this tree?"
I whirl around, startled, and say, "Look, there's more!" We all turn to see the real Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres soaring through the sky. Each of them unleashes their signature moves - Blizzard, Fire Blast, and Thunder - at the trio of unusual Pokémon we had just seen. The three strange birds quickly scatter, clearly recognizing the trouble the original Legendary Birds represent.
"Are you guys hurt?" the genuine Moltres inquires, concern evident in its voice. We recognize the three birds as the one Serena and I captured back in Kanto. I can't hide my confusion as I ask, "If you're Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, then who were those three we saw earlier?"
Zapdos answers with a stern tone, "They are our Galarian form cousins. And trust me, they're not as easygoing as us."
Alice, with a tone of awe, remarks, "Galarian Form Legendary Pokémon... that's amazing to know."
Suddenly, Elena's phone rings. She answers it with a hint of concern, "Uncle? What's wrong?"
Through the phone, I hear a familiar voice, booming and enthusiastic. "Oi oi! It's me, Peony! Listen—I wanted to ask you somethin'... Hang on, Chief! There's breakin' news on the telly! They're sayin' dodgy bird Pokémon are poppin' up left and right!"
"That must be the Galarian Form Legendary Pokémon," I murmur, piecing together the puzzle.
Peony's voice continues, his excitement palpable even through the phone. "There's this pointy-feathered one in the Wild Area! Plus a fiery-lookin' one out on the Isle of Armor! And this fancy, graceful one's apparently flyin' about the Crown Tundra! Wouldn't it be somethin' if they turned out to be the bird Pokémon I wrote that clue about? Hm, if that were the case...I think I'd call this expedition something like..."
I can't help but mutter, "Not again..." under my breath, anticipating another of Peony's wild adventure ideas.
A Legendary Tree of a Legendary Three!
Articuno turns to me and asks, "What does it mean?"
I quickly dismiss the concern, "Never mind about that, Articuno."
On the other end of the phone, Peony's voice rings out again, filled with his usual exuberance. "Now I've gone and ultra-mega-completely forgot what I called you for in the first place! Well, life's too short to sweat the small stuff! Ta, Chief!" The call abruptly ends, leaving Elena with a deadpan expression, typical of Peony's unpredictable nature.
"So what are you three doing here? Shouldn't you three stay at the ranch?" I ask, a bit puzzled.
"Your mother knows that those three might be causing trouble, so she sent us here," comes the response.
Elena, her focus on the clue, starts jotting down, "The bird of orange dashed off to the Wild Area. The bird of black flew off to the Isle of Armor. The bird of purple set off across the Crown Tundra. Where are we going first?"
Articuno chimes in, "We're in the Crown Tundra, so the Galarian Articuno might be here somewhere."
"So you mean... it's just going to fly around the place until we manage to capture it?" I question, a sense of challenge rising in me. "Maybe this exploration might be the toughest compared to those Regis and Calyrex..."
Alice, with a spark of an idea, suggests, "Maybe it will be faster if we just gallop on our own steeds to find them."
We then call out Glastrier and Spectrier. With Calyrex's permission, we mount them, ready to gallop across the lands. Articuno, determined and eager, decides to stay out of its Pokéball, wanting to confront its Galarian form.
Back at Giant's Foot, the distinctive call of the Galarian Articuno fills the air. "It's nearby. I can hear it," Articuno announces, its voice edged with determination.
"We can hear it too," I reply, focusing on the direction of the sound. "It seems like it's coming from the Snowslide Slope."
"Let's go there," suggests Alice, and we dash off towards the sound.
As we race, the Galarian Articuno suddenly flies past us. Articuno wastes no time and unleashes an Ice Beam in an attempt to catch its attention. But the Galarian counterpart merely dodges and continues its flight.
"I think she didn't notice me," Articuno says, sounding a bit disheartened.
"Then we have to try again," Elena insists, determined.
We persist, using various moves to draw its attention. Finally, our efforts pay off. The Galarian Articuno stops ignoring us and gracefully lands on the ground.
"Good, now it's going to listen to us?" I ask, hope mingling with anticipation in my voice. Suddenly, the Galarian Articuno splits into three identical copies, each one declaring, "If you can find out the real me, I'll give you a chance to battle me." We're all taken aback by this trick. It's clear Galarian Articuno enjoys playing games.
When I make a guess and pick one, it turns out to be wrong, and the bird simply flies away again. "Hey, come back here!" I shout, frustration edging my voice as we resume our chase.
Upon reaching the Snowslide Slope, the Galarian Articuno splits itself once more. This time, Articuno uses Hurricane, successfully targeting the real one. With a hint of respect, Galarian Articuno concedes, "Very well. It seems my cousin has found me, then I shall have a battle with you."
"I accept the challenge," Articuno responds, determination in its stance.
The two Pokémon face off. Articuno makes the first move with Freeze-Dry, but the Galarian Articuno swiftly dodges. Then, its wing begins to glow, forming a blade-like shape to slash at Articuno.
Alice, observing keenly, wonders aloud, "That's Psycho Cut. Does that mean Galarian Articuno is a Psychic Type?"
"It seems so," I reply, analyzing the battle. I notice that the Galarian Articuno is affected by the hail while the original isn't. "So Galarian Articuno is Psychic and Flying Type. That's good to know."
Articuno launches an Ice Beam at the Galarian counterpart, but it nimbly dodges. Suddenly, its eyes glow white, emitting a beam that Articuno narrowly avoids.
"What was that move?" Elena inquires, puzzled.
Articuno answers, "Freezing Glare. The user shoots its psychic power from its eyes to attack. This may also leave the target frozen."
I can't help but express my amazement, "A Psychic move that can freeze Pokémon?" I say, "I thought this day couldn't get any weirder."
Unfazed, Articuno fires a Blizzard at the Galarian Articuno. "How is that? Cousin? It's super effective against you," it taunts. But in a sudden twist, it gets struck by a mysterious attack from above.
"Even Future Sight as well?" I ask, astounded. "Man... Galarian Articuno might be stronger than the regular Articuno."
"I am not going to admit that," Articuno declares, using Roost to heal itself. However, Galarian Articuno mirrors the action, healing itself with Recover.
Then, both of them employ Mind Reader simultaneously. In perfect sync, they unleash Hurricane at the exact same moment, neither missing their target.
Alice, observing the battle, remarks thoughtfully, "But somehow, I feel the two of them might be familiar as well."
"Maybe because they are both Articuno," I suggest, watching them intently.
As the two Pokémon recover from the Hurricane attack, the Galarian Articuno conjures a wall. "It seems like Galarian Articuno is going for Trick Room," I note, trying to anticipate its next move.
"Yeah... It might want to use Speed to defeat the Kanto one," Elena adds.
But Articuno, seeming to have had enough, declares, "I guess playtime is over." In a swift, decisive move, it unleashes Sheer Cold, knocking out the Galarian Articuno. We all stand there, mouths agape, stunned by the sudden turn of events.
"You could have just done that on the first turn," Alice says, a bit exasperated. "Why would you want to have a serious battle if you could just do that?"
"My cousin doesn't like that," Articuno explains, while the Galarian Articuno mutters in frustration, "Not the fricking Sheer Cold... why am I a Psychic Type instead of an Ice Type?"
"Impressive strength," I say to the Galarian Articuno, who finally acknowledges me with a bow, seemingly aware of my connection to Arceus. With a confident motion, I toss a Pokéball, capturing the Pokémon.
Articuno (Galarian Form): The Cruel Pokemon: Psychic and Flying Type. Its feather-like blades are composed of psychic energy and can shear through thick iron sheets as if they were paper.
"Well, that's one down," I say, feeling a sense of accomplishment. We decide to head back to Freezington to update Peony on our success with Articuno.
Upon hearing our report, Peony is ecstatic. "Wait—you really caught Articuno from the legends?! That's ultra-mega-brilliant! Report away!" He observes the captured Articuno, commenting on its unique appearance and the lack of cold aura. "Hmmm... So that's Articuno, is it? The Legendary Pokémon that can manipulate ice? I definitely see the resemblance, but it's got this dodgy mask on and everything... and it hardly seems cold at all, does it? Oh well! It's got one ultra-mega-icy gaze! That's Articuno enough for me, anyway. Let's call this expedition a success!"
After the debriefing, we step outside to find both Articuno and the Galarian Articuno waiting.
"So, you guys are cousins?" I ask.
"That's right. Though I proved today that I am stronger than my cousin," Articuno states proudly.
Galarian Articuno quickly retorts, "Hey. I didn't know you would go for the Sheer Cold! I demand a rematch."
"Not for now," Articuno replies. "We have to help the Chosens to find your sisters." Turning to us, Articuno suggests, "Galarian Zapdos might be in the Wild Area of the Galar Region. We can give you a ride there."
"That would be great," I respond eagerly. And with that, we mount the two legendary birds, ready to embark on our next quest to find Galarian Zapdos.
Here is a new chapter, and in this two-part chapter, Ash, Alice, and Elena are going to find the Galarian Birds. And here is the Articuno one, and I decided to make their relation cousins, but the Kantonians are brothers and Galarians are sisters. I hope you like this chapter.
Ash and Alice's Pokemon:
Venusaur x2, Charizard x2, Blastoise x2, Butterfree x2 (One Pink), Pikachu, Meowth, Machamp, Rapidash (Galarian), Slowbro (Galarian), Gengar, Kingler, Weezing (Galarian), Lapras, Eevee, Snorlax, Articuno (Galarian), Meganium, Typhlosion (Hisuian), Espeon, Slowking (Galarian), Mantine, Sceptile, Gardevoir (Shiny), Milotic, Absol, Infernape, Lucario, Abomasnow, Gallade, Samurott, Audino, Darmanitan (Galarian), Garbodor, Zoroark, Stunfisk (Galarian), Greninja, Meowstic x2, Aegislash, Hawlucha, Decidueye, Lycanroc (Dusk), Mimikyu (Shiny), Melmetal, Rillaboom, Cinderace, Inteleon, Greedent, Corviknight, Orbeetle, Thievul, Eldegoss, Dubwool, Drednaw, Boltund, Coalossal (Shiny), Flapple, Appletun, Sandaconda, Cramorant, Barraskewda, Toxtricity x2 (Amped, Low-Key), Centiskorch, Grapploct, Polteageist (Antique), Hatterene, Grimmsnarl, Obstagoon, Perrserker, Cursola, Sirfetch'd, Mr. Rime, Runerigus, Alcremie x9 (Each Flavor), Falinks, Pincurchin, Frosmoth, Stonjourner, Eiscue, Indeedee x2, Morpeko, Copperajah, Dracozolt, Arctozolt, Dracovish, Arctovish, Duraludon, Dragapult, Zacian, Eternatus, Urshifu x2 (Single Strike, Rapid Strike), Zarude, Regieleki, Regidrago, Glastrier, Spectrier, Calyrex, Kleavor
