Note: Consider this the real world story for now untill heavenly dao is back and the chatboard is from the real world also
After checking carefully, Ash realized he already had quite a lineup ready. Pikachu, Charizard, Treecko, Riolu, and Froakie were all Pokémon who had been featured in the recent broadcast. Among them, Charizard was already capable of Mega Evolution.
He could also use Riolu's Aura resonance and Pikachu's special Z-Move. It would likely be some time before Froakie could achieve its unique Bond Phenomenon, needing to evolve into Greninja first. As for Treecko… it was theoretically possible to utilize it with a Gigantamax factor.
All in all… the future was incredibly promising!
Using so many systems that felt almost like cheating, even Ash himself felt a bit embarrassed. Misty, noticing Ash's conflicted expression from where she stood nearby, patted him firmly on the back and spoke up, snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts.
"Thinking about complicated stuff again, Ash? Honestly, you don't need to overthink this so much. Absolute fairness is practically impossible in this world, right?
Pokémon have type advantages, level differences, and what they call 'various battle systems'... fundamentally, all of that just represents the trainer's own level of strength!"
"A trainer's support for their Pokémon is like 1+1=3. If someone doesn't have access to the same systems as you, it's simply because they haven't put in the incredible effort required to train to that level!"
"If you decide not to use your own strength because you think it's unfair to your opponent, it's not actually unfair to them; it's extremely unfair to you! It's strength you gained through sheer dedication, so why shouldn't you be able to use it?!"
Misty's words hit him like a lightning bolt, instantly dissolving Ash's internal conflict. She's right! My power, and the power of my Pokémon, was earned through immense struggle.
Refusing to use their strength because of some abstract notion of 'fairness' would be a true injustice to them! The whole point of a battle… is to give it your absolute all and fight without any regrets!
He believed that the Ash in the video definitely wouldn't be dwelling on things like this. He was only struggling right now because he hadn't yet gone through those future experiences with his team.
Power that was too easily obtained would make anyone question themselves; but the Ash on the screen had weathered thousands of trials… surely that Ash wouldn't get lost in those kinds of doubts!
"I understand now, Misty. Thank you so much!"
Misty offered a genuine, warm smile but didn't say anything, turning her gaze back to the image.
Watching Ash and Infernape in the video, filled with spirit and a perfect mix of calm and excitement, Misty realized that the Ash of their world was becoming more and more like the Ash on the screen every single day!
In the Footage—
After activating its Super Blaze state, Infernape's flames were so intense that even Moltres found itself involuntarily stepping back! While it had been prepared to fight to the end, even if it meant a mutual knockout, the legendary Fire-type was now reconsidering.
Facing Infernape in this form… it simply wanted to avoid the attack completely. It wasn't that Moltres was backing down from a fight; it was the flames themselves… Who could possibly withstand that heat?!
"Here it comes, Moltres!"
"Infernape, Flamethrower!"
"Oh-Haaaa!"
The flames atop Infernape's head receded slightly, becoming only a little larger than usual. However, its power hadn't weakened in the slightest; it was just becoming highly concentrated.
Infernape took a massive breath, its upper body bulging as it prepared to unleash the attack. Then, it opened its mouth and blasted a torrent of fire!
An incredibly large sea of fire formed in an instant! The Raging Flames spread across the entire valley! Moltres intended to dodge, only to find that even with its wings fully spread, there was literally no space left to maneuver! It was completely surrounded by fire.
Screech!
Left with no other choice, Moltres flapped its wings frantically, summoning a violent windstorm! A massive hurricane attempted to extinguish the surrounding flames! But… when wind power isn't strong enough, it only serves to nourish the fire!
The fire uses the wind to grow, and the wind fuels the fire further! The flames surrounding the valley became even more violent! Moltres itself was being scorched by the heat!
Gary quickly released his Blastoise, and Chloe immediately called out her Milotic. They didn't intend to jump into the fight; rather, the intense heat radiating from Infernape's flames was affecting the area where they stood!
Even just standing still, sweat began to pour down their foreheads. After summoning Blastoise and Milotic, the two asked their Pokémon to use their Water-type moves to cool the immediate vicinity. If they didn't, Gary and Chloe might faint from the heat before Moltres was even close to defeat!
Rumble!!
Within the furious flames, a golden figure charged out, flying high into the sky! Although Moltres had quickly escaped the fire, the Flamethrower had still left visible burns on its body. Ash watched the soaring legendary bird, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"It's not so easy for you to fly away this time… Infernape, Power-Up Punch!"
Boom!
Infernape's legs bent slightly, and then it exploded forward with the speed of a cheetah! Before Moltres could even react, Infernape had already appeared right behind it! Moltres's eyes widened in sheer terror.
This monkey… not only did its flames grow significantly stronger, but how could its jumping power be this immense? Could it be…
BOOM!!!
A fist glowing with white light bombarded Moltres directly on its back! In an instant, Moltres fell from the sky like a shooting star, crashing heavily into the ground! The whole valley shook, and large chunks of rubble began tumbling from the surrounding cliffs!
After landing the successful hit, Ash waste no time, immediately calling for Infernape to press its advantage!
"Use this move to end it! Infernape, Flare Blitz!!"
After the Power-Up Punch boost, using Flare Blitz would be more devastating than ever before! However, because of that immense power, if they couldn't decisively end the match, Infernape would almost certainly suffer massive recoil and exhaust itself.
This move was all-or-nothing—they needed to either secure the win or severely disable Moltres, or Infernape would be the first to collapse.
Boom!
Infernape whipped its head, its fiery crest flaring. Blue flames instantly covered its body again! It launched itself forward as if stepping on empty air, bending its legs and jerking out with incredible force! The blue flames cut a brilliant arc across the sky! Infernape swooped down like a cannonball!
The smoke below had just begun to clear. Moltres hadn't even opened its eyes from the intense pain of the fall, yet it could already feel an incredibly blazing heat approaching it at rapid speed!
The forceful wind preceding the charging figure made Moltres's body feel a painful tingling sensation. Moltres endured the agony, desperate to open its eyes and fly off the ground, but it was already too late…
BOOM!!!!
The impact sounded like a massive earthquake! This time it wasn't just the valley shaking; even Professor Oak, far away in Pallet Town, felt the ground trembling!
What is going on… was there an earthquake? Professor Oak could never have imagined that this level of movement was actually created by Infernape's attack.
Inside the valley—
Gary held onto his Blastoise, and Chloe held onto her Milotic. Both trainers barely managed to stay on their feet after the powerful shockwave.
The powerful shock was so intense that many cracks now lined the surrounding stone walls. And as for the ground in the center, a large crater, dozens of meters deep, had appeared exactly where Infernape's attack had landed!
The edge of the massive pit was touching the very tips of Ash's toes. If it were any wider, Ash estimated he would have tumbled right in.
"Whew… whew…"
"That should… settle it, right?"
Unleashing that all-out Flare Blitz made Ash feel like most of his own physical stamina had been drained in an instant!
He was currently the one maintaining Infernape's energy; without his Aura support, after unleashing such an earth-shattering attack, it would be difficult to say whether Infernape or Moltres would be the first to lose the ability to battle!
But instead, Ash's own stamina was severely depleted. Even with his superhuman conditioning, he felt slightly overwhelmed.
"Pika-pika?"
Pikachu, standing next to Ash, called out to him with concern. Ash waved a hand, indicating it was nothing serious.
"This is the first time I've used my Aura on a Pokémon besides Greninja or Lucario," Ash noted, catching his breath. "The energy drain is significantly stronger than I thought…"
"But I'm starting to feel it now… the core of Infernape's spirit!"
"This battle, regardless of the outcome, has been incredibly valuable!" Ash explained his current physical state to Pikachu.
Compared to when he synchronized Aura with Lucario, using Aura to support Infernape this time resulted in a much higher energy cost.
There was clearly an efficiency issue with the transfer… If his Aura conversion rate was 100% with Greninja and Lucario, then with Infernape, it felt like it was only around 60%...
Ash didn't fully understand the technical principle behind it, but he knew that after this battle, if he used his Aura to support Infernape again, the conversion rate would definitely improve! Maybe this transfer efficiency was directly tied to the Pokémon's compatibility and the depth of the bond between them!
Boom!
While Ash and Pikachu were talking, Infernape launched itself out of the dense dust cloud. With a series of powerful backflips, Infernape landed firmly by Ash's side.
"How does that feel, Infernape?"
"Oh-Ha!! Oh-Ha!!"
Infernape was clearly quite excited now. It hopped up and down in front of Ash, its face full of sheer happiness. It had been three years without a real fight, and now, a single battle for those three years!
Today's battle was truly thrilling and satisfying enough for it! The core of Infernape's fighting spirit was now fully activated.
"Haha, if you feel satisfied then…"
SCREECH!!
Suddenly, from within the dense black dust cloud, a sharp cry echoed! Immediately afterward, a very tattered and bruised figure rushed out of the smoke!
Moltres's body was covered in more wounds, large and small, than one could count. Its smooth, elegant feathers were heavily charred across large sections. Most importantly, the flames covering Moltres's body were now flickering weakly like a candle in the wind, with only scattered sparks remaining.
But… even with all those factors combined, Moltres was far from being seriously defeated! From the looks of it, its remaining stamina was still around one-third of its maximum...
"That shouldn't be… even if Moltres took Infernape's Flare Blitz head-on, even if it didn't completely fall, it should never have this much stamina left."
Right now, Infernape's stamina was nearly gone, and Ash's own physical strength was severely depleted. They could logically continue fighting if needed, but Ash was completely puzzled. How could Moltres still possess so much energy?
Even as a Legendary Pokémon, and even in a battle against another Fire-type… it shouldn't be able to shrug off that enhanced Flare Blitz completely.
"Moltres used Burn Up," Gary said, stepping forward to answer Ash's confusion.
"Burn Up is a move that allows the user to fully consume its own fire-type energy to create a massive explosion, but in exchange, the Pokémon temporarily loses its fire typing. Just now, Moltres must have used Burn Up to neutralize most of the damage from the Flare Blitz."
"Unleashing all of its fire energy at once managed to offset the worst of the impact. So, while Moltres still has plenty of stamina, its Fire-type affinity is temporarily gone. Those weak, scattered sparks on its body are the proof of that."
"After all, even if Moltres is defeated, the flames covering its body can never truly be extinguished, much less now when its stamina is far from gone."
Ash nodded in understanding. No wonder the flames on Moltres were almost gone. It turned out it had used Burn Up to survive...
"Do you still want to battle Moltres?!"
"Eh~ wait! Now it's my turn. If you continue fighting, Moltres might actually be defeated, Ash. Have you forgotten why we came to find Moltres today?"
Gary stepped in to stop Ash, who was preparing for another round. The purpose of their visit wasn't simply to battle or capture Moltres; rather, the task was to obtain a single feather from its body to complete Gary's Project Mew trial mission.
Hearing this, Ash rubbed his head awkwardly. If Gary hadn't reminded him… he really would have forgotten what they were doing here.
"Ahem, okay, right. Over to you, over to you." Ash stepped back.
But Moltres was absolutely furious. What did this group of humans think of it? To be treated like a simple objective, as a Legendary Pokémon, its pride was completely shattered!
"Kero!" Infernape instantly hopped forward, its face full of excitement. This Moltres actually wanted to battle him some more? Amazing!
Moltres stared at Infernape, completely unamused.
SCREECH! SCREECH!!
Like a stubborn old bird, it pointed with its beak directly at Gary, signaling that it was now ready to battle Gary in a standard match. It explicitly wanted the Infernape to stay out of it!
These words made Infernape a little less interested, realizing it wasn't being allowed back in for the substitution.