After finally arriving at Fire Island, Aiden and Lorelei could immediately feel the difference.
From afar—
The entire island resembled a living volcano.
A colossal volcanic mountain stood proudly above the sea, endlessly releasing waves of scorching heat.
Feeling the intense temperature, Aiden immediately expanded his psychic barrier around himself.
At the same time—
He extended another layer around Lorelei.
As for Articuno—
The moment it sensed the presence of its ancient rival, its mood became noticeably excited.
There was an old saying:
If your fellow sufferer can suffer too, your own suffering feels much better.
Now that Articuno had already been captured by Aiden—
It naturally hoped Moltres and Zapdos would soon experience the same fate.
Nothing would make the Ice God happier than watching its two lifelong enemies get dragged into the same situation.
That was precisely why Articuno had rushed all the way here.
It could hardly wait.
Meanwhile—
Aiden briefly scanned Fire Island with his psychic power.
To his surprise—
The island contained quite a few rare Fire-type Pokémon.
Entire populations of:
GrowlitheArcanineCharmanderCharmeleon
could be found throughout the volcanic region.
Normally—
These Pokémon were incredibly difficult to encounter in the wild.
Growlithe and Arcanine were traditionally associated with the Officer Jenny families.
Most wild populations were protected.
As for Charmander—
One of the Fire-type starters—
They were even rarer.
Outside of Charizard Valley, encountering a natural population was extremely uncommon.
Aiden hadn't expected Fire Island to host so many.
Of course—
He already possessed both Arcanine and Charizard.
If he wanted any of them, he'd probably only capture a few Charmander to strengthen the Charizard population inside his System Space.
The next moment—
Space distorted.
Aiden and Lorelei teleported directly onto Fire Island.
And the instant Articuno's aura appeared—
The island reacted.
Deep within the largest volcano—
The magma began boiling violently.
RUMBLE!
The mountain shook.
Then—
A sharp, piercing cry echoed across the entire island.
Every Pokémon living there trembled.
Because they knew exactly who that cry belonged to.
The true ruler of Fire Island.
The Fire God.
Moltres.
BOOM!
Lava exploded skyward.
A gigantic bird wreathed entirely in flames burst from the volcano.
Its blazing eyes locked onto Aiden, Lorelei, and Articuno.
The look on its face was pure annoyance.
"Stupid ice bird."
"You came back to Fire Island?"
"Looking for another beating?"
The moment Moltres spoke—
Articuno exploded.
"Hmph!"
"Stupid fire bird!"
"Today I'll show you my REAL strength!"
Before anyone could stop it—
Articuno immediately launched a Water Pulse.
The attack surged toward Moltres.
Moltres sneered.
Its flaming wings spread wide.
"Overheat!"
A massive flaming character-shaped blast erupted.
Water and fire collided.
BOOM!!!
A tremendous explosion followed.
Thick steam instantly covered the battlefield.
Visibility vanished completely.
While the two ancient rivals exchanged greetings the only way they knew how—
Aiden calmly checked Moltres' status.
Pokémon: Moltres
Divinity: Fire God
Level: 90
Ability: Pressure
Type: Fire / Flying
Potential: Red
Bond Evolution: Locked
Mega Evolution: Locked
Moves:
Gust, Agility, Safeguard, Air Slash, Roost, Heat Wave, Sunny Day, Burn Up, Sky Attack, Fire Blast...
Affinity: 0
Background:
The strongest Moltres in existence.
Supreme deity of the Moltres race.
Bearer of the title Fire God.
Possesses power capable of destroying heaven and earth.
Once joined forces with the Ice God and Thunder God to defeat Lugia.
Extremely powerful.
Extremely arrogant.
Likes:
Fighting Articuno and Zapdos.
Aiden nodded.
As expected.
Just like Articuno—
Moltres was also Level 90.
The original Three Legendary Birds were clearly far stronger than ordinary members of their species.
The same principle applied to many legendary groups.
Not every legendary Pokémon was equal.
Take Suicune, for example.
The one captured by Goh wasn't necessarily the strongest Suicune in existence.
It was simply one member of the species.
Nothing more.
A short while later—
Articuno and Moltres simultaneously used Gust.
The powerful winds dispersed the steam cloud.
Visibility returned.
Moltres stared suspiciously at the newcomers.
"Stupid ice bird."
"Why exactly did you bring humans onto MY island?"
Articuno puffed out its chest proudly.
"Simple."
"I came to get revenge."
"Today you're absolutely getting beaten up."
Moltres burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"You brought humans to help you fight?"
"Articuno, you've truly gotten weaker."
Then its fiery gaze shifted toward Aiden and Lorelei.
"These humans?"
"What can they possibly do?"
"You think they're like the girl who awakened the Sea God?"
Hearing that—
Aiden immediately became interested.
The girl who awakened the Sea God.
That could only refer to Flura, the chosen maiden from the legendary incident involving Lugia.
It seemed Moltres still remembered being captured by that collector all those years ago.
The experience had clearly left scars.
Aiden stepped forward.
"Moltres."
"I came here for one reason."
"To capture you."
"Also."
"The Articuno standing beside me?"
"It already belongs to me."
The moment those words landed—
Moltres' expression changed.
It disliked Articuno.
It disliked Zapdos.
But it fully acknowledged their strength.
If someone could defeat and capture Articuno—
Then that person likely possessed the ability to capture it as well.
Suddenly—
Things became troublesome.
Moltres immediately glared at Articuno.
"You traitorous ice bird!"
"You got captured and actually brought the human here yourself?!"
Its voice was filled with outrage.
Compared to becoming someone's Pokémon—
Moltres would much rather continue ruling Fire Island in freedom.
Unfortunately—
Reality was often cruel.
At that moment—
Aiden casually took out a Master Ball.
A flash of white light followed.
The next second—
A massive emerald dragon appeared.
Its body stretched across the sky.
Its presence instantly surrounded the entire island.
The moment Rayquaza appeared—
Silence.
Complete silence.
Moltres froze.
The Fire God stared blankly at the legendary dragon.
Then slowly looked back at Aiden.
Then at Articuno.
Then back at Rayquaza.
Its flaming wings twitched.
A single thought surfaced in its mind.
"Wait..."
"I'm fighting Rayquaza?"
Feeling the overwhelming aura radiating from the Sky God—
Even Moltres—
A legendary being that had once helped defeat Lugia—
Couldn't help but feel a chill run through its heart.
And finally—
It understood.
It completely understood.
Why Articuno had been captured.
With a monster like Rayquaza backing this human—
What second-tier legendary could he not capture?
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