The video begins.
Deep within Mount Ember, at the site of a vast lava pool.
Just like in the preview, towering peaks rose all around, and molten magma churned endlessly as far as the eye could see.
"Hey, Doroba, are you sure there's really a Moltres here?"
Ash swallowed nervously as he stared down at the surging lava below.
At this level of heat, if someone slipped and fell in, they'd probably be reduced to ashes in an instant.
Hearing Ash's question, the brown-haired boy frowned and looked around.
"It shouldn't be wrong. That photo was taken here. Even though it's been a while, everything still matches up."
Suddenly—
Something changed!
A mechanical arm shot out from nowhere and instantly grabbed Pikachu.
"Pikachu!!"
Sensing something was wrong, Ash shouted and followed the arm with his gaze—only to see three very familiar figures.
Then, the classic introduction rang out:
James crossed his arms smugly, clearly pleased—and even a little surprised—at how easily they had managed to capture Pikachu.
Seeing Team Rocket's stance, Ash's expression hardened.
From their many past encounters, he knew one thing very well—if he wanted to get Pikachu back, the only way was through battle. Reasoning with Team Rocket was completely useless.
Without another word, he threw out a Poké Ball.
"Come out, Fletchinder! Let's get Pikachu back!"
A flash of red light burst from the Poké Ball, and a fiery red bird appeared in midair.
Seeing this, Jessie and James didn't hesitate either, each throwing out their own Poké Balls.
In an instant, light flashed—and two Pokémon appeared: one resembling a pumpkin, and the other a jellyfish-like creature with eyes.
"Gourgeist, use Shadow Ball to crush it!"
"Ink… (Malamar), use Psybeam to confuse it!"
At once, the two Pokémon launched a coordinated attack toward Fletchinder.
Facing two opponents alone, and a barrage of incoming attacks, Fletchinder quickly flapped its wings, relying on its agility and speed to dodge through the storm.
The three Pokémon clashed in midair, their elemental attacks tearing through the surroundings.
Nearby mountain faces cracked and shattered under the force, and countless rocks tumbled down into the lava below, sending up bursts of molten fire.
"Wuya! Wuya!"
Suddenly, Fletchinder, which had been darting through the air, abruptly stopped. It hovered in place, looking around as if searching for something.
Noticing this unusual behavior, Ash immediately called out,
"What's wrong, Fletchinder? Did something happen?"
"Wuya! Wuya!"
At that moment, the strange cry rang out again—and this time, everyone heard it.
"It sounds like it's coming from below…"
Serena, the only girl in Ash's group, carefully listened before speaking, though her tone was filled with disbelief.
At that kind of temperature, a person would be cooked alive in seconds—how could anything possibly exist there?
"No way… Serena, are you sure you heard that right? How could anything be inside lava?"
Ash turned back to look at her, still doubtful.
"Wuya!"
But just as Ash finished speaking—
The next second, behind him, the churning lava suddenly erupted into a massive column!
Everyone turned to look.
At the top of the towering lava pillar, there seemed to be a figure wrapped within it.
Before anyone could guess what it was—
A pair of golden wings burst out from within the magma. With a powerful flap, the scorching lava was blown away in all directions.
"Moltres! It's really Moltres!"
"It's said to rest in lava to accumulate its energy… so it's true! This is unbelievable!"
Doroba looked up at the majestic golden bird—its tail, wings, and crest all composed of blazing flames, like a divine phoenix—and excitedly raised his camera to capture the moment.
But while everyone was immersed in shock and excitement, no one noticed the hostility radiating from Moltres.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket, still completely oblivious, arrogantly declared:
"Change of plans! Our new target—capture Moltres!"
Following their command, Gourgeist and Malamar immediately charged forward, launching another round of attacks.
A storm of energy surged toward Moltres—
But as a legendary Pokémon, how could it be defeated so easily?
Sure enough, Moltres folded its wings in front of itself, effortlessly neutralizing all incoming attacks. Then it opened its beak and unleashed a torrent of blazing flames in retaliation.
A sea of fire descended.
Team Rocket froze in shock, scrambling to defend with everything they had.
But they had forgotten—
This wasn't an ordinary Pokémon.
This was one of the legendary birds.
No matter how hard they resisted, it was meaningless.
With a single strike, they were blasted away.
After dealing with Team Rocket, Moltres, still filled with fury, slowly turned its gaze toward Ash and the others.
And in that instant—
Everyone felt a chill run down their spine.
They were now facing it directly.
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