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Question of the week: Ash's main love rival is Drew, who is May's?
Appreciate you and enjoy the journey. Keep advancing!
Chapter 12: Stand Tall
Having retrieved the Splash Plate and sent it to Cynthia, Ash, May, and Red continued their journey. Thanks to Lapras, the trio made their way to One Island, where Ash bid his beloved friend farewell once again and thanked her for all her efforts. After their farewells, they learned from One Island's town that Mt. Ember no longer lies dormant and was active for reasons that were unknown. Unsurprisingly, Ash's Rotom Phone pinpointed the plate's location at Mt. Ember. To complicate matters, the local townsfolk warned that if they dared to enter Mt. Ember, then they risked angering the fiery Moltres that is said to live there. However, learning of the Legendary Pokémon's presence there only motivated them more to explore the mountain and uncover the next plate. They made their way up Kindle Road without any setbacks, but the trek inside the caves of Mt. Ember proved a different challenge.
May tugged on the sweaty collar of her blouse, "If I'd known it'd be this hot, then I would've worn something lighter."
"Well, it is a volcano," Red raised an eyebrow.
The coordinator threw him some shade, "How often are you around your Uncle Max?"
"Pretty often when I was younger. Why?" Her sarcasm flew over his head.
"Never mind," May sighed.
Ash examined his surroundings, "No sign of Moltres yet."
May whined, "Ash, we're supposed to be looking for the plate, not Moltres."
Her husband let out a guilty laugh, "Right, sorry. I guess I got so excited to hear it was here that I almost forgot about the plate."
"You would-be, you Pokémon-obsessed maniac," May lowered her head, causing Ash to rub his head.
"I wouldn't get too excited about finding Moltres," Red stayed vigilant. "For all we know, we might face another Lugia situation if we do."
Ash frowned, "It wouldn't be the first time we battled a Moltres."
Red nodded, "I was told. Not sure if it's the same Moltres, but any Moltres is still a powerful opponent. We best be ready if we bump into it."
"Let's hope not," May prayed.
As Red led the way, he stopped when he saw another pathway that led up the volcano. He spread his arm out to stop the couple from moving forward, "Look at that."
"No wonder it's so hot in here," May peered down.
"Check it out, Slugma and Magcargo," Ash saw Slugma and Magcargo resting in the fiery pool. The magma's heat was nothing to the Fire-type Pokémon as they floated down the chamber.
Red observed the bubbles of magma burst and looked up to see how much higher they had to go. He looked to the right and saw a narrow bridge-like path connecting their floor with the upper one. Below it, there was another bigger pool of magma. "We have to cross that if we want to get higher," the trainer said.
"You can't be serious," May's pupils shrunk when she saw how narrow the path was and all the magma underneath. The coordinator tried to laugh off her nerves, "Are you sure the plate isn't on this level? We might've missed it on the way here."
Red smirked, "It's never that easy."
May hunched over and sighed, "No, it never is."
An enthusiastic Ash took the lead, "Well, either we find the plate or we become Slugma dinner today, but no way but forward, right?" He pressed forward with arms swinging and a pep in his step.
"That might be your worst pep talk ever," May glared at him.
Red rolled his eyes, "Let me go first. I'll check where it's safer to step so you can follow me. I think it'll be safer that way."
"Aw, c'mon, Red. It's not like we haven't been on dangerous adventures. We've been on plenty more since we met you, too," Ash insisted. Ash turned around to take his first step on the pathway, but he slipped when the floor crumbled. He felt his heart sink when he felt the free falling sensation until something caught him.
He looked back to see that Red and May caught him by the collar. "You were saying?" an annoyed Red took a deep breath.
"No, Ash, à la Magma for the Slugma today," May helped Red pull him up.
"I see what you mean," Ash got humbled and let Red take charge.
As Red took cautious steps, he thought about how different Ash and May were from his parents. He questioned if it was the age or the experience. The trainer wondered if peace time slowed their maturity or if the war that plagued his timeline hastened their maturity. Regardless, he only wished to keep them safe. "Mom, Dad, Sapphire," Red murmured as he thought about the last time he saw them. Red hadn't returned to Poni Island since Omega was defeated, and he didn't expect to return. He thought reuniting with them in spirit would give him the peace he craved, but Red was disappointed to learn that he was wrong. He was convinced that no amount of love or peace could wash away his sins or trauma. It also awed him that young Ash and May maintained a lighthearted attitude despite the circumstances. It was a staggering difference from the environment he was raised in. Red looked to the end of the narrow crossing. "No way but forward," he mumbled.
May looked left and right and felt her legs wobble as she tried not to look down. "You know it only makes it worse if you keep looking down, May," Ash reminded her.
"I can't help it. The heat and sounds of the magma down there remind me that if I slip, I'm cooked," May took baby steps on the crossing.
Ash moved up closer to her and placed his hand on her back, "If it helps, I'll keep my hand on your back so you know that I've got you and that I'm right behind you."
May felt her heartbeat ease when he said that. "That does help. Thank you, Ash," May was touched by his caring gesture.
"See? I know what I'm doing sometimes," Ash joked.
May giggled, "Don't be hard on yourself. Even after all that we've been through, we can't be like Red. I don't know if we will ever be able to handle things the way he does no matter how hard we try."
Her confession made Ash think about his actions earlier. "Sometimes, I feel like he still thinks we're the kids he met during our journey in Unova."
May saw what Ash was getting at. "I know that we're technically his parents, but we'll never be THE parents he grew up with. Our worlds are too different in a sense. I wish I could be the mother he was raised with, but I'm not there yet. Regardless, I'm trying to understand him. It just takes him time to open up."
"I see what you mean," Ash put things into perspective as they continued their way up. Red remained unaware of what they discussed as he walked ahead of them.
"You don't need to act like the Ash from the future who seemed to have it all together by the time Red was 10. You be you, Ash. I think that's all Red needs. He already takes a lot from you," May smiled even though Ash couldn't see.
Ash also grinned, "Thanks, May. That helps."
"That's why I'm your wife, right?" May replied.
"That's right," Ash agreed.
After they made it through the narrow crossing, Red pointed to a narrow slope that led to what appeared to be the outside of the volcano. "We're halfway there," their son measured the distance in his mind.
"This keeps getting better and better," May mustered an uneasy smile.
Red grabbed onto May's hand, "It won't be so bad. Keep your back against the wall, side step slowly while I hold on to you and you hold on to Ash."
"I like the sound of that," an eager Ash reached for May's hand.
"When you put it like that, it does sound more manageable," May admitted. The coordinator looked at the slope and summoned courage again, "Alright, let's get this over with."
"Yes, ma'am," Red led the way again. He ensured that he didn't go too fast for Ash and May as they stepped across the slope. It had just enough space for each of them. Ash and May kept their heads raised and looked directly across to avoid eyeing the drop and magma below. To keep their minds distracted, Red told them a story, "I'm not sure if we'll find the plate up there, but my sense of direction hasn't failed me before, thanks to a lesson I learned from someone who went on their journey when they were young."
Ash became curious, "Really, who?"
Red smiled, "Whenever he'd reach a crossroads and couldn't decide which way to go, he'd grab a stick. He'd look for the finest stick around and toss it in the air. Whichever side that stick landed on—
"Was the side that he would take," Ash finished for him. "I taught you that?"
"You did," Red grinned. "And even though I didn't have a stick with me now, I've learned to use my gut. That hasn't let me down," the trainer shrugged.
May winked, "So Future Ash and Ash do have similarities."
"Of course," Red laughed.
Ash closed his eyes and felt pleased that by Red's words, "I actually learned that from my dad before he went on his journey. Sometimes, I wonder what direction his stick took him."
May and Red took pity on his comment. Red mustered a soft smile, "I'm sure he's out there continuing his journey."
"Yeah, I'm sure he is," a hopeful Ash pulled down the brim of his hat.
"And we made it," Red led them to the ledge that led outside the volcano.
"That was fast," May put her hands behind her head.
Red agreed, "It wasn't so bad after all. Now, come on. My gut's telling me that we're close." When they ran outside, they discovered that they were at the summit and discovered another pathway that led to the peak. "No sign of trouble yet," Red noted.
"I wonder what's at the top," Ash questioned.
"We're about to find out," May picked up the pace once the peak was in sight. When they reached the top, they discovered a pool of lava and a stone platform at the center with a rocky nest. The famous Moltres rested in the nest, but the bird opened its eyes when it sensed the trio.
"Well, if it wasn't inside the volcano, it had to be here," Red surmised.
Moltres flapped its fiery wings to take to the skies. The Legendary Fire-type Pokémon cried in anger over the intrusion on its territory. "Look, I see the plate!" Ash pointed at the plate in the nest after Moltres flew up.
"It's been guarding it?" May suspected.
The Flame Pokémon used Incinerate to get rid of them. "It's clearly not happy to see us," Red dodged rolled behind a rock. The trainer only saw one way to settle this, "Charizard, I need you!"
"Guess, we're up to it," Ash stood up behind the rock. "Go, Charizard!"
"Blaziken, help us out!" May called out her ace Pokémon.
The trio of fire Pokémon stood before the Legendary Pokémon. Their resistance to fire would allow them to keep up with the enraged bird. However, Moltres saw through their methods and summoned Ancient Power. "What are the odds that it would know that?" Red complained.
"Dodge!" the three trainers ordered. The Charizard flew up and Blaziken jumped out of the way.
Moltres didn't give them a chance to counter. It used Agility to get back behind the trio Pokémon to deliver a Wing Attack. Blaziken and the Charizard fell to the ground, but they shook off the pain and stood up. The Fire-type bird screeched as if taunting them over their underwhelming power. "Alright, if you want to play like that then fine. May, have Blaziken retrieve the plate while we keep Moltres busy!" Red set the plan into motion.
"Right," May agreed. "Blaziken, fetch that plate!" May pointed at.
"Blaze!" Blaziken jumped over the lava pool with its powerful talons.
Red targeted Moltres, "Charizard, use Dragon Pulse!"
Ash also joined in the attack, "Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
The proud Charizard fired at the bird, but Moltres was focused on Blaziken. When it saw the Blaze Pokémon close in on the plate, it used Agility to stop him and used Wing Attack. "Blaziken, push yourself away with Blaze Kick!" May countered before Moltres could strike. When Blaziken saw Moltres between him and the plate, he used his fiery talon to push back against the Flying-type Pokémon before it could strike its wing. Blaziken backflipped back to his trainer.
"As long as Moltres can fight, I don't think we'll get to the plate," May clenched her fist.
"That Agility is going to be a problem," Red grunted. That's when an idea struck him, "I know. Let's use our aura to get in sync with our Pokémon. That should help us maneuver against Moltres's moves."
Ash and May's heads jerked up when he brought it up. The nervous couple feigned enthusiasm, "Right!"
"Let's do it then," Red balled his hand into a fist. He closed his eyes to focus and became one with his Charizard. He felt the battle through Charizard's senses and directed it. "Thunder Punch!" Red fought back. Charizard flew toward Moltres and pulled back its arm to deliver the blow. Moltres used Agility to dodge and countered with Ancient Power. Red frowned, "Turn around. Bash through it." Charizard looked back and had both its fists charged with electricity. The Flame Pokémon punched Moltres's attack to smithereens, alarming the Legendary Pokémon. Moltres beat back Charizard with Incinerate, but Charizard used Thunder Punch to shield itself, although the Fire-type starter slid back.
Ash and May did their best to focus, but they felt themselves come in and out of their sync with Charizard and Blaziken. The two Pokémon were unsure of how to assist Red's Charizard against Moltres. "Dragon Tail!" Ash tried to get it together. Ash's Charizard tried to strike Moltres from behind, but the bird sensed the incoming attack and used Agility to dodge again. When it reappeared, it knocked Ash's Charizard back with Wing Attack.
Blaze Kick! May also tried to lend a hand. Blaziken attempted to deliver a somersault kick after Moltres struck back Ash's Charizard, but Moltres flew back and dodged its talon. Moltres readied another Wing Attack to strike Blaziken until Red's Charizard intervened with Thunder Punch. The block was a setback for Moltres, but it recomposed itself after it shook off the electricity.
Red opened his eyes, "Ash, May, what's wrong? Charizard and Blaziken are struggling."
Ash and May opened their eyes and tried to address the elephant in the room. "To tell you the truth, we haven't kept up with our aura training with most of our Pokémon since Unova," Ash confessed.
"So we're pretty rusty at this," an ashamed May revealed.
Their son sighed, "I guess it's up to me then." Red refocused on connecting with Charizard to fight Moltres. As it turned into a one-on-one battle between Red's Charizard and Moltres, it became evident that the pair had the Legendary Pokémon on the ropes with Thunder Punch.
Ash tapped May's shoulder, "May, have you noticed that Moltres doesn't seem to be afflicted by Shadow Energy?"
"Yeah, now that you mention it. I got so caught up with battling it once it attacked that I overlooked that," May didn't see any signs of Shadow Energy.
"Maybe Moltres really is just trying to protect the plate," Ash guessed.
May slammed her fist on her palm, "Ash, that's it! We've been looking at this the wrong way. We shouldn't need to battle Moltres if we can get it to calm down and explain ourselves."
"Let's do that!" Ash liked the sound of that. The couple stepped out into the open for Moltres. "Hey, Moltres. Over here!" Ash waved his arms.
Red snapped out of his focus and looked at the couple. "What are you doing?!" he became alarmed.
May explained, "Moltres's is also trying to protect the plate. It doesn't mean to harm us. If we can get it to see that we want to protect the plate too, maybe we don't need to battle or hurt it!"
"That's insane. Moltres will burn you to a crisp!" Red argued. He ran over to stop them until Blaziken and Ash's Charizard got in the way.
The brunette grinned at him, "Trust us, Red. We can handle it."
Red took a step back, unsure if he was willing to take the risk. He saw that they were adamant in their idea and there was no way of stopping them. "Charizard, pull back," Red wrestled with his decision. Red's Charizard flew back to him as Moltres turned its attention to Ash and May.
"Hey Moltres, sorry about that!" May waved at it.
"We didn't mean to anger you. We're here because we want to help you protect the plate you're holding," Ash negotiated. Moltres flapped its wings and kept its fiery stare fixed on the couple.
Red did his best to fight his nerves as he saw Moltres hover toward them. He wondered if their passive approach could work. That's when he remembered that this wasn't the first time he experienced the lesson. The father and son sat against a tree watching a pair of wild Pokémon play. Ash had decided to take his family to the countryside away from the war so they could have a few days of peace and spend time with them. In the middle of their discussion about Pokémon, a young Red stared at his father. "Dad, if violence is so bad then why do we have our Pokémon battle?" Red asked him.
Ash placed his hands behind his head, "Well, Red, the difference is that when you're having a Pokémon battle, the trainer and the Pokémon are enjoying it. It's a sport. Think about it this way. No one likes to get hurt, but people still like to play football or wrestle even though they might get hurt, right?"
"Right," Red followed.
"When it comes to violence, no one wants to get hurt and no one enjoys it. Whenever two sides choose violence, there's always loss on both sides. It hurts in more ways than one. Violence doesn't just cause physical pain. Violence causes a mental and emotional pain that isn't so easily fixed through training or strategy. Neither you nor your Pokémon feel that type of pain when you're in a Pokémon battle. There are consequences when we choose violence. That's why we don't like violence but enjoy Pokémon battles," Ash pointed to the female and male Nidoran that were play fighting in front of them.
A surprised Red watched them tackle each other and get back up. They were injured but they enjoyed themselves and by the end of it, the Nidoran were rolling on the grass and smiling. "I-I understand," Red nodded.
Ash placed his hat on Red's head, "When you become a trainer and get old like me, never make violence your first option. As a matter of fact, violence should always be a last resort. Does that make sense?" The carefree father looked under the brim of the hat to grin at Red.
"It does," Red lifted the brim of the hat to grin back.
"You're showing me again. Aren't you?" Red watched Ash and May make their stand against Moltres.
The couple approached Moltres when it landed to listen. No human ever dared to address it so boldly, so the Legendary Pokémon was intrigued. "There are bad people who want to destroy the plates, Moltres, and we're trying our best to stop them. We don't want them to destroy the plates," May clasped her hands.
Ash fell on his knees and clenched his fists. "My best friend died trying to protect one of the plates from these people." When Moltres was startled by the genuine pain in Ash's eyes. The trainer relived the moment again as he made his plea.
"We can't let them hurt anyone else like that. The plates need to be protected, and we know good people who will take care of them until the danger passes. We won't let them get away with this. Please help us prevent more deaths by letting us care for the plate," May's eyes filled with tears. She was overcome by fear of what would happen if they failed to protect any of the plates.
Ash got on his feet to show the spark in his eyes. "Please forgive us for invading your home and attacking you. We didn't mean to cause any harm. We just want to protect the people and Pokémon that we love. They are the most important things in the world to us, and we can't imagine a life without them."
"Let us save our loved ones," Ash and May begged.
Red and their Pokémon listened as Moltres considered their plea. Their eyes did not deceive it, and once it calmed, Moltres sensed a familiar aura emitting from them. It closed its eyes to home in on their energy. The Legendary Pokémon sensed Lugia's energy clinging to their aura. Their leader had also given its blessing on their journey. Moltres's rage cleared up, and it could feel the sincerity from the humans. Without any sign of hostility, Moltres stepped aside and bowed at the couple. Ash, May, Red, and their Pokémon were amazed by the turn of events. Moltres nodded to confirm its approval. "It worked," Red mumbled.
May beamed. "Blaziken, can you please fetch it?"
"Ken," Blaziken jumped to the stone platform and fetched the plate. When it returned to May, he handed over what turned out to be the Flame Plate.
"Thank you for giving us a chance, Moltres," Ash bowed at the bird.
"Thank you for listening to two humans who are trying their best with what they have," May also bowed.
Moltres bowed once more and took its leave, abandoning Mt. Ember for the time being. It no longer needed to control the volcano's power to protect the Flame Plate. The bird trusted that it was in the right hands. "Goodbye, Moltres," Red wiped a tear from his eye while trying to keep a straight face.
"Good job, everyone," May praised the group when she looked back with the plate in her hands.
"Sometimes, you just have to talk it out," Ash chuckled.
Red had a sheepish smile and bowed at them, "Well done."
"Let's see where that leaves us," May pulled out her Rotom Phone. Her face brightened when she saw the nearest plate reading, "No way!"
Ash pulled out his Rotom Phone to see, "What, May?" When he checked his face also lit up. "Two readings in Alola!" he beamed.
Red chuckled. He knew that would be like a homecoming for his father. "If Alola is next, we can catch a ferry from One Island's pier."
"Yay!" Ash and May pumped their fists in the air.
"But first, we need to get the Flame Plate transported to Cynthia," Red reminded them.
An awkward Ash and May scratched their faces, "Oh, yeah."
Red crossed his arms though he still smiled, "No way but forward." Ash and May laughed at his comment and followed his lead.