The crater erupted into an arena of blazing fire and shattered stone.
At Cynthia's command, giant, razor-sharp slabs of pale-blue rock burst violently from the blackened ground, hurtling toward the sky like jagged ballistic missiles.
Moltres shrieked, beating its burning wings to carve through the volcanic draft. It barrel-rolled past the spires of the Stone Edge, ribbons of incandescent flame trailing in its wake. Diving straight toward Garchomp, Moltres cloaked itself in an overwhelming, blinding crimson inferno—a full-throttle Brave Bird!
"Dragon Dance, then intercept with Dragon Claw!" Cynthia called out, her voice slicing through the gale with icy calm.
Garchomp roared, spiraling upward as a crimson draconic aura surged around its muscular frame, boosting its speed and ferocious attack power. In a heartbeat, its scythe-like fins flared with vivid green energy.
BOOOOOM!!
The burning bird and the dragon collided mid-air, unleashing a violent shockwave of superheated wind and sparks that rippled across the crater basin.
A safe distance away on a high, ruined stone balcony, Alex watched with wide eyes behind Victini's transparent protective barrier.
"Hit it again! Don't let it breathe!" Alex cheered loudly, pumping his fist.
Beside him, Victini waved its tiny paws, squeaking with wild excitement. But the most enthusiastic spectator was definitely Gold Bar. The little Shiny Latias hopped around the ancient tiles, flapping its golden wings, squawking and cheering on Garchomp like an overzealous fan getting sweet revenge on a schoolyard bully.
In the skies above the ruins, the clash turned into a dazzling storm of high-tier moves.
Moltres whipped up fiery hurricanes with Heat Wave and spat concentrated torrents of Fire Blast. But Cynthia's ace was an untouchable phantom of sheer destruction. Garchomp spun mid-flight, its heavy, scaled tail glowing with dense teal light—Dragon Tail!
WHAM!
The devastating tail strike smashed directly against Moltres's wing joint, knocking the flaming titan off balance and hurtling it toward the lower terraces.
"Call the heavens down," Cynthia raised a hand with a confident, triumphant smirk. "Draco Meteor!"
Garchomp opened its maw wide, launching a blazing sphere of orange dragon energy straight into the center of the crater's sky. The sphere detonated, raining down dozens of glowing meteors that pulverized the surrounding rock faces, completely walling off Moltres's escape routes.
Cornered, battered, and pushed to its absolute limits, Moltres let out a defiant, desperate cry, igniting its final embers into a soaring spiral of flames.
"End it. Giga Impact!"
Garchomp's entire body enveloped into a colossal, spiraling cone of purple and gold destructive energy. It shot forward like an unstoppable railgun, tearing through Moltres's flames and slamming dead-center into the Legendary bird's chest with earth-shattering momentum!
KABOOOOM!!
The impact shook the entire volcanic mountain. A massive cloud of smoke and ash billowed up, before slowly drifting away on the hot wind.
Moltres tumbled heavily onto the soot-covered ledge, wings splayed, eyes swirling in total exhaustion. It had completely lost the ability to battle.
"Alright, prototype... do your job," Cynthia muttered, pulling out the sleek Devon capsule.
With a fluid, practiced flick of her wrist, she hurled the prototype Ultra Ball.
The sphere arced through the smoky air and tapped Moltres's head. The ball popped open, instantly transforming the massive bird of fire into a beam of scarlet light and pulling it inside.
The capsule snapped shut, dropped to the blackened stone, and began to wobble.
Wiggle...
BEEP.
Wiggle...
BEEP.
Alex, Cynthia, Victini, and Gold Bar all held their breath, completely fixated on the flashing red indicator.
Click!
A crisp, mechanical chime echoed across the ledge.
The capture was complete!
"YES!!" Alex jumped into the air, while Victini cheered and high-fived his hand. Gold Bar practically did backflips in mid-air, thrilled to see its former kidnapper locked behind bars.
Cynthia picked up the heavy sphere, tossing it lightly in her hand with a smug grin. "Ha! Steven, your shiny little prototype actually pulled through."
She pressed the release button, wanting to check on her new catch. In a burst of white light, Moltres materialized on the ledge, looking completely battered, with its plumage ruffled and its flames reduced to a sluggish simmer.
The moment Moltres appeared, Gold Bar darted forward like a streak of gold, landing right in front of its beak.
With its little chest puffed out and its tiny wings planted firmly on its hips, Gold Bar began chirping, scolding, and barking at the giant bird in a rapid barrage of angry Latias language: "Lati! Lati-lati-AS! Hmph!!"
Moltres slowly cracked open one eyelid, gave a single, dismissive snort through its nostrils that puffed a wisp of ash into Gold Bar's face, and deliberately shut its eyes again, choosing to ignore the tiny menace entirely.
Gold Bar squeaked in indignation, looking like it wanted to peck the bird's head off, until Alex quickly grabbed the little dragon around the middle and pulled it back.
Cynthia stepped up to the resting bird, placing a reassuring hand near its charred crest. "You fought well. From now on, you're with me. I'll make sure you're treated to the best care and meals Sinnoh has to offer."
With a soft tap of the ball, she recalled Moltres back inside to rest properly.
Just then, Alex waddled up to Cynthia's side, staring up at her with big, wide, mischievous eyes.
"Sooo... Aunt Cynthia," Alex said, rubbing his hands together like a tiny greedy merchant. "Now that you've claimed the landlord... what about the nest inside the volcano?"
Cynthia burst out laughing, reaching out and aggressively ruffling his messy hair until he looked like an Electabuzz.
"You really are a little bandit, aren't you?" Cynthia chuckled with an adventurous smile. "Fine, fine. Let's go see what this old volcano has tucked away."
She reached for her belt and tossed out several Pokéballs, releasing her Lucario, Togekiss, and Milotic to secure the perimeter and explore the sprawling ancient ruins below.
Meanwhile, Alex and Victini immediately got to work inside the molten cavern.
With Moltres captured, the oppressive heat inside the cave had lessened considerably. Alex, Victini, and Gold Bar rummaged through the nest and the glittering magma banks like treasure hunters on a mission.
They gathered handfuls of discarded Moltres feathers—pulsing with faint, lingering thermal energy—along with a treasure trove of raw, unrefined Fire Stones, radiant Sun Stones, and rare volcanic ore clusters embedded deep into the walls.
Using Alex's telekinesis and Victini's psychic lift, they hauled the entire glittering haul outside and dumped it in a neat, sparkling pile right on the stone plaza where Cynthia was waiting.
Cynthia crouched down, picking up a chunk of jagged, glowing ore and tilting her head as she squinted at its crystalline structure.
"Hmm... it has high thermal conductivity, but I honestly couldn't tell you the exact mineral composition," Cynthia sighed, rubbing the back of her neck with an embarrassed chuckle. "When it comes to identifying raw minerals, I'm nowhere near as good as that rock-obsessed Steven Stone."
Alex nodded in complete agreement. "Yeah, when it comes to stones, the real experts in the world are Steven and his dad, Mr. Stone. Everyone else is just guessing."
Suddenly, Lucario, who had been quietly standing guard along the edge of the stone terrace, walked straight over to a massive, dark ore boulder sitting near the edge of the ruins.
It tilted its head, inspecting the rock with intense curiosity.
A glowing energy staff materialized in its grasp—Bone Rush!
CRACK-SMASH!!
With a crisp, decisive strike, Lucario smashed the heavy ore boulder into pieces.
Cynthia blinked in surprise, turning around immediately. "Lucario? What's going on?"
Alex, Victini, and Gold Bar turned their heads as well.
Lucario pointed a paw directly at the rubble and let out a few short, insistent barks.
Alex leaned forward, listening as Victini quickly relayed the thought.
"Aunt Cynthia," Alex said, blinking in surprise. "Victini says Lucario was simply drawn to that specific rock. It felt like something unusual was hiding right in the center of it."
Cynthia raised an eyebrow, her curiosity instantly hooked. "Something hidden inside?"
Without wasting another second, Alex, Cynthia, and their Pokémon gathered around the pile, kicking aside the dark crust and sifting through the broken ore fragments to see what Lucario had uncovered.