It suddenly dawned on Ash that he seemed to have neglected the feelings of those Pokémon who had stayed in Professor Oak's backyard for so long.
Never again!
Absolutely never again would something like this happen!
Ash's mind raced.
Combining what Gary had said earlier, Ash quickly formed a rough guess.
Infernape must have gone to challenge the Moltres near Pallet Town.
Otherwise—unless Entei had shown up—
There was simply no other Fire-type Pokémon that could keep injuring Infernape over and over again!
[Leon: When a Trainer has too many Pokémon, these kinds of problems can arise. A person's energy is limited—sometimes you can't attend to every Pokémon's feelings.]
[Steven: That's why I treat every one of my Pokémon with equal love.]
[Wallace: But what if you had a Diamond Princess Diancie?]
[Steven: That's different—that's the Diamond Princess!]
[Wallace: Exactly. Even Steven Stone and Leon have Pokémon they favor, let alone Ash. He's already doing very well—he genuinely tries to distribute his love evenly among all his Pokémon.]
[Ash: I'm really sorry.]
[Cynthia: There's no need to blame yourself. If you feel you owe them, then make it up through your actions. After all, this has nothing to do with the you of the present or the future.]
[Ash: Thank you, Miss Cynthia. From now on, I swear I'll treat every Pokémon seriously!]
Kanto — Professor Oak's backyard.
Watching the Pokémon bustling about the yard, Ash smiled from the bottom of his heart.
At the same time, he made a silent vow—
He would pay close attention to their needs.
He would never let something like Infernape's situation happen again!
…
On-screen—
Seeing Ash suddenly sprint off, Gary let out a sigh.
After saying a quick "sorry for the poor hospitality" to Cynthia,
he turned and chased after the figure that was already about to vanish from sight.
"You reckless idiot! Do you even know where Moltres is?!"
Gary shouted while running, trying to slow Ash down with his voice.
After all, Pallet Town had plenty of monsters—
But only one human-shaped Pokémon.
Ash Ketchum.
That speed was practically equivalent to Agility.
Gary seriously couldn't keep up!
It had always been like this—every time they went out to play, Ash would dash off so fast Gary couldn't even find him.
Gary had deep resentment about this.
And precisely because of it, he'd developed iron lungs since childhood.
His voice carried clearly to Ash's ears.
When Ash finally stopped,
Gary ran up beside him, panting heavily.
"I'm telling you—can you not be this reckless next time? At least wait for me!"
"Gary, do you know where Moltres is?"
Ash asked anxiously—this concerned Infernape's safety.
He couldn't help but worry.
"Fine. Just follow me."
Gary naturally knew Moltres's location. Since it was part of the trial, he'd investigated it in advance.
But considering Ash's… comprehension skills,
Gary decided it was better to personally take him there.
If Ash got lost again, things would get really troublesome.
He definitely wasn't worried about Ash or anything!
[Diantha: Gary may sound sharp-tongued, but he's actually kind-hearted, isn't he?]
[Lance: Cold on the outside, warm on the inside. I get that!]
[Brock: Yeah, even though Gary and Ash always fight whenever they meet, they actually get along pretty well.]
[Misty: You call meeting and immediately battling "getting along"? Then no one has a bad relationship.]
[Bruno: It's just love-hate. Lorelei and Lance are like that too.]
Lance: Please don't drag me into this, thanks!
Especially don't lump me together with Lorelei!
I don't like women pushing forty!
…
On-screen—
Although Moltres's location was "near" Pallet Town, the actual distance still required crossing mountains and rivers.
After traversing an entire forest and climbing the tallest peak within it,
the two finally saw the valley where Moltres lived.
However—
Before they could even approach the valley,
countless bursts of flame were already erupting within it.
Mixed with Moltres's cries—
And Infernape's roars.
Ash's eyes instantly sharpened.
They were too late.
Moltres and Infernape were already engaged!
"Ash, don't act rashly—we'll go in together!"
But when Gary turned to look at Ash—
He found Ash was already gone.
Looking up—
Ash's figure had already appeared right in the middle of the valley.
Damn it!
I'm tired. Just end it. Destroy the world already!
Gary was speechless.
He'd emphasized "don't be reckless" so many times—why wouldn't this guy listen?!
That was Moltres!
One of the Legendary Birds!
Even without divine authority, it wasn't something an ordinary Pokémon could defeat!
Of course, Gary wasn't unfamiliar with the Legendary Birds.
Red had once successfully gathered all three—
Gary had personally witnessed their power.
And this Moltres was terrifyingly strong!
At first, Gary had even suspected it might be the divine Moltres of the Orange Islands.
But since the Orange Islands showed no disturbance, that theory was clearly wrong.
Now, seeing Ash's reckless charge—
Gary sensed disaster.
This looked bad—really bad!
With no choice, he gritted his teeth and followed.
At that moment—
Within Moltres's valley—
A Pokémon with fierce flames blazing atop its head and white fur covering its body stood upon the earth.
Its limbs were long, yet its posture wasn't upright—
Instead, it looked somewhat hunched.
Before it stood a golden bird engulfed in flames.
They were the very targets Ash had come for this time—
Infernape and Moltres.
At this moment, neither had noticed the intruder.
They were still locked in mutual assault.
Infernape opened its mouth—
And unleashed surging flames.
Crimson fire spiraled upward toward Moltres in the sky.
Moltres didn't dodge.
Instead, it plunged its entire body straight into Infernape's Flamethrower.
Then—
An even more intense blaze erupted from within.
Just the clash of flames alone sent the valley's temperature skyrocketing.
Crimson fire filled the entire valley.
After one exchange—
Infernape hadn't gained any clear advantage.
The attack ended in a stalemate.
"Tch!"
But Moltres had no intention of stopping.
It beat its wings, twisting midair and hovering.
Its wings flapped rapidly—
A wave of scorching heat surged forth.
The intense heat caused the valley's flowers and plants to visibly wither.
Faced with this attack,
Infernape tried to counter with Flamethrower—
But the airflow stirred up by Moltres's Heat Wave made it impossible for Infernape to even open its mouth.
Under such conditions,
Infernape could only cross its arms in front of itself, bracing against the assault!
Yet—
It was furious!
"Ha—ka!"
The flames atop Infernape's head burned even more violently.
Every time—
Every time it tried to close the distance—
Moltres used this move to keep them apart.
Preventing Infernape from ever exploiting its strengths!
[Flint: Damn, that monkey is strong! If I'm not mistaken, it actually fought Moltres to a draw! How is it even stronger than my Infernape?!]
[Volkner: Calm down. You're an Elite Four—Ash is a Champion. How could an Elite Four be stronger than a Champion? Right?]
[Bruno: Exactly. Even though I'm Elite Four, every Champion Kanto's had could crush all four of us. It's absurd!]
[Steven: I do acknowledge Lance and Bruno's strength—they're absolutely Champion-level. The problem is Kanto has too many monsters. Starting with Professor Oak, Kanto's Champions are all in the "utterly crushing" category.]
[Professor Oak: You flatter me. That's all in the past—not worth mentioning. Besides, Kanto doesn't even have a Champion right now. Red and Blue both said they're not interested in the title and want to pursue their own paths. It's quite a headache.]
[Wallace: I have a question—if Lance has Champion strength but no title, doesn't that make him a "void Champion"?]
Oh wow—so even you, Wallace, are mocking me now?!
Noted!
Marked down carefully!
Lance's Death Note!
[Drasna: After all, it's Kanto's Champion—we should respect the prestige. As for Lance, he's just unlucky.]
[Lance: There really are good people in this world!]
[Iris: Grandpa Alder said Lance being Champion just means he's not good enough. Bringing shame to the Dragon Clan—using Pokémon with "dragon" in their names to pretend they're real dragons. Shame on you!]
I was wrong.
This world really does have more bad people!
Even kids are saying this about me now!
It's all Lorelei's fault—nothing but evil deeds!
…
On-screen—
Just then,
Ash, who had rushed into the battlefield, swept his gaze over Infernape and Moltres.
He instantly assessed the situation.
"Infernape—use Flare Blitz! Push through in one go!"
That familiar voice!
Infernape immediately abandoned any thought of defending against Moltres's attack.
It turned its head—
And saw the figure it had longed for.
"Ha—ka!"
Infernape's cry was filled with joy!
It had been so long since it had fought alongside Ash.
It was itching to battle!
More than that—
After Ash repeatedly chose Charizard as his travel companion,
Infernape had begun to wonder—
Was it because its strength wasn't enough?
Was that why Ash didn't take it along?
Because of that—
Infernape had begun intense training.
It challenged every Fire-type Pokémon in the backyard.
Once Charizard left, none of them could withstand even a single exchange!
Finally—
One night, Infernape saw roaring flames burning in a distant valley.
That was when it decided to challenge it.
Why did Infernape do all this?
To fight side by side with its Trainer.
And now—
Hearing Ash's voice again,
That familiar sensation surged through Infernape's body.
Its flames burned.
Its blood burned.
"Let's take it down together!"
Seeing Infernape hesitate,
Ash directly pointed at Moltres in the sky—
As if Moltres were just an ordinary Pokémon in his eyes!
"Ha—ka!"
Infernape nodded heavily.
It turned back around—
The flames atop its head visibly roared higher!
Then—
Infernape spewed flames from its mouth.
In an instant, raging fire enveloped its entire body.
Next, it began spinning forward like a blazing wheel!
The flaming wheel tore through the Heat Wave's barrier.
Before Moltres could even react—
Infernape's fist smashed hard into Moltres's abdomen.
A pillar of fire pierced straight through Moltres's body—
Exploding out its back in a dazzling blaze!
Now—
With Ash's participation,
Infernape clearly unleashed even greater power.
This strike not only shattered Moltres's Heat Wave—
It even gained the upper hand!
[Leon: Very strong. A Flare Blitz of this caliber surpasses 99% of the Fire-types I've seen. Especially since it directly dispersed Moltres's Heat Wave—Infernape's strength cannot be underestimated. It might not be inferior to Ash's Charizard at all.]
[Flint: Then where do I rank, Mr. Leon?! Am I in the 99% or the 1%? My Infernape is strong too!]
[Leon: Hahaha, Flint—you're quite good.]
[Volkner: I can't hold it in anymore—this is hilarious. Do you really have no self-awareness? Ash is a Trainer personally acknowledged by Leon. Who do you think you are?]
[Lucian: Truth is a sharp blade, Flint. You really don't have a clue.]
[Flint: Is the gap really that big?! Should I go apprentice under Ash too?! Compared to a Fighting-type master, Ash seems more worthy of the title Fire-type master!]
[Bruno: What—are you trying to become my junior?]
[Flint: No no no. Same school, different lineage. We'll each do our own thing—you call me senior brother, I'll call you senior brother.]
[Aaron: As expected of you, Flint!]
…
On-screen—
After landing the hit,
Infernape didn't linger.
With a quick movement, it returned to Ash's side.
Its lively eyes shimmered with strange brilliance.
It had been so long since it felt this way—fighting together with Ash!
Once it confirmed this wasn't an illusion—
Infernape suddenly hugged Ash tightly.
"Ha—ka!"
That longing overflowed unmistakably.
However—
Infernape had clearly forgotten one thing.
It had just used Flare Blitz.
Before that, it had endured Moltres's Heat Wave for several minutes—
And had been in extremely close contact with Moltres.
Its body temperature had reached a terrifying level.
The moment it hugged Ash—
That heat transferred directly to him.
"Ah—hot hot hot hot hot!"
Good thing it was Ash.
If this were anyone else, they'd be sent straight to the Pokémon Center—
With first-degree burns.
As for Ash—
He only felt heat.
His skin didn't even turn red.
Pikachu, who had been on Ash's shoulder the whole time, hurriedly reminded Infernape.
"Pika pika!"
Only then did Infernape reluctantly release Ash.
Freed from the scorching embrace,
Ash quickly rubbed his body, dispersing the heat.
Then—
He looked intently at Infernape, who was about the same height as him.
With utmost seriousness, Ash said:
"I'm sorry, Infernape. I didn't take your feelings into account during this time. I'm truly sorry."
"Ha—ka."
Infernape quickly shook its head, signaling that it wasn't Ash's fault.
"I understand how you feel! We haven't fought together in so long. Actually, I really want to fight alongside you too—it's just that I never had the right chance.
Don't worry. From today on, whenever there's a suitable opportunity, I'll bring you along to battle!
Do you remember Miss Cynthia? We might be facing her before long! When that time comes, I'll be counting on you to help me win!"
Ash poured out everything in his heart in one breath.
The sheer amount of information made Infernape's gaze go blank.
After a long moment of processing, it finally sorted everything out.
Especially when it heard the name "Cynthia"—
The flames atop its head shot up instantly.
"Ha—ka!"
Infernape burst into excitement!
Cynthia was a Champion—
Which meant…!!
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