//------------------------------// // First Rival // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. Ponyville. Twilight's Lab. PokePark. Arbor Area. Day. A question was lingering with Twilight. After the revelation f BigTime Ben being somewhat of another Rift Creation, Twilight had to wonder if PokePark was one as well, considering that Ben's past never existed before. But thanks to Rift alteration, reality in the Pokemon World had been warped to change it, making his past seem real. She appeared before Queen Serperior alongside Fluttershy who was there to translate. "So...Queen Serperior. I was wondering..." Twilight wasn't sure how to put this as she rubbed her hoof. But she had to be upfront about her question. "Are you all real?" "Serperior?" "Thats' a funny question, Twilight," Fluttershy replied. "I know. It's weird. But since BigTime Ben is a Rift Creation, does the same go for you and every Pokemon here in PokePark, Queen Serperior." "Serperior." She shook her head. It was obvious that they had no clue about them being Rift Creations or even if they knew they were at all. Twilight didn't need Fluttershy as a translator to receive this answer. "Guess that makes sense..." Twilight chuckled, feeling let down. It was hard to tell if they were now that there wasn't a clear answer. "Thanks anyway, Queen Serperior." "Guess this means we can explore the rest of PokePark without worrying about too much. As long as everyone is okay." Fluttershy reassured. "I want to know more about what happens here. Oh, maybe they have a special day here?" "I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. Right now, I've got some new trainers to help get started. Oh and...Spike wants a Charmander. Since he found out about Charizard's Mega Evolution. And I'm also itching to visit Professor Oak's lab for...reasons." "Is it because of the other Twilight?" Fluttershy leaned in, speaking rapidly and startling Twilight. "It is not because of the other Twilight!" Twilight slid back. "It's fine, Twilight. Audi and I know already. I'm sure that Ash and the other Twilight are good friends." Fluttershy smiled before pondering. "I think. I haven't seen much of her, honestly. Oh, now might be a good chance for me to see her now that I think about it." "R-Right...I need Cadence's help again through all of this..." Twilight sighed, feeling somewhat perplexed as she, Fluttershy and their Pokemon had left PokePark, returning to Ponyville. But upon returning to Ponyville, they were met with a surprise. Standing before the gateway that led to Canterlot were Ash and the rest of his friends. "Oh, hey. You're just in time. We got something from Professor Oak. Someone important is coming through right now." Ash said to them. "He didn't tell me who though." "Pikachu." "Is it one of your friends, Ash? Who am I kidding? You have a lot of friends." said Goh. "A new visitor to Ponyville? That's always nice." Fluttershy replied, standing next to Pinkie Pie. "I wonder who it could be? Maybe another Gym Leader you know about?" "I was thinking the same thing." Pinkie chimed in. "Which Region?" They would get their answers very soon as a figure was appearing. A familiar silhouette. It reminded them of someone that used to be alongside Red. From how they were facing it, something or someone was going to pass through. If it was someone they already knew, they wouldn't be so fixated on it. But that wasn't the case right now. "Hang on...Is that Blue?!" Twilight and Applejack both exclaimed. "No...it's..." Ash took a closer look, recognizing who it was. While the person resembled Blue, it was someone Ash knew more than Blue. A wide smile met with his and Pikachu's face as it was one of Ash's oldest friends ever. His first ever rival from the same town as him. Gary Oak. "I was wondering if Grandpa was telling the truth. Looks like he was." Gary Oak spoke after appearing before the ponies in Ponyville. "Turns out it really is you, Ashy Boy." "Ah! Gary!" Ash gasped. "Haha! I just said that for old times' sake." He chuckled at Ash. "It's been a long time, Ash. Pikachu." "Pikachu!" "Yep. Sure has been a while. But what are you doing here? You were doing Pokemon Research in the Sinnoh Region, right?" "Those days are over. Now I'm on a long journey researching Pokemon all over the world. Certainly a step-up, don't you think? And in the middle of it, I came up with a goal that brought me to Kanto and soon to this world. Right here in Equestria." "He really does look like Blue, doesn't he?" Starlight uttered as everypony could see the striking resemblance between Gary and Blue. "Weird...But those are counterparts for you." Twilight accepted the bizarre nature of it. She was used to this by now after seeing counterparts of herself and her friends constantly. "But first thing's first...Aren't you gonna introduce your friends to us?" Gary then turned to Twilight and everyone else. "Oh, yeah. Naming them all's gonna take a few seconds. But there's Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Goh, Spike, Starlight and a whole bunch of their Pokemon. Goh here's a research fellow of mine. Twilight's a Pokemon Professor over here at Ponyville. Rarity's a...model, I think?" "Fashionista, Ash." Rarity raised her hoof. "But thank you for the compliment." "Right. Then there's Applejack who's a farmer, Rainbow Dash who's a Wonderbolt and a Trainer shooting for the Equestria League, Spike who's a Dragon Trainer and doing the same and Starlight who's a student and helping out of Twilight. Whew... That's a lot to keep track of, huh?" "Pika-Pikachu." "Guys this is Gary. We grew up together and we've been rivals forever." Ash started reminiscing about all his experiences with Gary. From them departing on their own Pokemon Journeys on the same day to their fated battle at the Pokemon League. "You've been busy making all of these friends, haven't you? Especially in a completely different world. Nice to meet you all. Gary Oak here." Gary pointed at himself. "Oak? Are you Professor Oak's...s-son?" Twilight theorized. "Nope. Grandson." He revealed his actual relation to Professor Oak, wagging his finger at the son response. "I started to get interested when I heard Ash had all-new buddies. And I wondered what you'd all be like. You all look like you've seen a ghost by the way you're looking at me." "Well, we're not 'like' anything. We're just us." Goh replied. "I'm not talking about your personalities. The only thing about you all that interests me are your skills as Pokemon Trainers." Gary chuckled. "If someone's gonna be Ash's buddy, I want 'em to be a great Pokemon Trainer at my level or above." "Huh...W-Wait, what's that supposed to mean?" said Rainbow Dash. "Are you saying we're not strong enough?" "I just wanna make sure you all deserve to be Ash's buddies. Understand?" Gary gave off a smug smirk, shrugging. It took a while, but after a few seconds, everyone soon knew what Gary meant. "Oh! You are saying we're not strong enough!" Rarity pointed her hoof at Gary vigorously. "Maybe." Gary turned his head, whistling afterwards. "Well, we are strong!" Rainbow Dash got close to him as Gary simply put on that smile of his, acting unphased from this shouting and berating. "You should know about all the stuff that happened here in Equestria!" "Can't say I do~" Gary sang. "Gonna have to do some Grade-A convincing for that. I'm a hard person to please sometimes, ya know." "Gah! What's with this guy?!" Goh also pointed at Gary as he didn't give off a great first impression to many of them. "If you don't believe we're strong then take a look at this!" Twilight, Rarity, Spike, Rainbow Dash and Applejack gathered around to show off their strength to Gary. And once they stood on one spot, each of them had shown their Mega Stones. The keystones had been revealed to Gary, allowing him to feast his eyes on them. He also saw how Rarity owned two Mega Stones. One for Ampharos and the other for Lopunny. Speaking of Mega Stones, they had sent out their Pokemon that could Mega Evolve. Immediately after sending them out, the group had activated Mega Evolution. Sparks of Infinity Energy flew out of their keystones before covering the Pokemon. Rarity only used one since using two Mega Evolutions at the same time can be draining. And with the lights going off, the Mega Pokemon had been revealed. "See?" Twilight and her friends showed off their Mega Evolved Pokemon as they also posed next to them, feeling confident in their strength. "Fluttershy's got one too. And Pinkie's got a special Z-Move you'll never expect. How's that for strength?" "You could've just told me. Bragging about it is just callow, don't you think?" Gary shrugged as the group then twitched. Just like that, Gary had aggravated them some more. All that buildup for Gary to act casual and unbothered by it all. "S-Seriously?!" Spike's jaw dropped. "Unbelievable..." Rarity crossed her arms as did Lopunny. "Well that was a bust...return." Twilight sighed before recalling Absol. The rest of her friends did the same. "But at least I know you're not pushover trainers. You seem pretty strong from what you've shown and told me about the other two. But what about you? Goh. Starlight." Gary then turned to Goh and Starlight. "Do you have something to prove?" "Uhh...I'd prefer to just stay out of this." Starlight backed away, not having much to say to Gary at all. In her mind, it was probably for the best. "I-I don't need anything to prove!" Goh scoffed as he took part in it instead of backing away. "What's with this weird test anyway?" "Woah, Woah, Woah." Ash stood between them, trying to calm things down while laughing a bit. "He always acted like this with me. Hey, by the way. What's the goal you were talking about?" "A Legendary Pokemon. Grandpa told me about how you went to Mt Molteau in the Kalos Region. And I'm searching for that same Pokemon that goes to rest there on rare occasions. A Moltres." "A Moltres?!" Goh and the others said. "I analyzed temperature, humidity, wind direction everywhere it shows up. And I determined it's likely to appear somewhere near here. At least in Equestria." "Moltres is in Equestria?!" Ash and everyone gasped. "Right, right. So I'm checking it out." "Awesome! You thought about all of that just to track Moltres down?! That is so cool!" Ash's eyes flared up with absolute amazement at what Gary had accomplished to track a Legendary Pokemon down. "I-I could've done that easily." Trying to seem impressive, Goh crossed his arms. "Oh, right. One last thing about Moltres. The moment you brought it up back at the lab, your Infernape wanted to head over and battle Moltres. It left on a whim." "Infernape is gone?" said Ash with his energy calming down. "That's another reason why I showed up here and gramps wanted you to know about a surprise via that phone thing you've got. That Infernape of yours has some spirit wanting to go up against a Moltres on its own." "Yeah. He sure does. But that means Infernape is somewhere in Equestria right now. And if you're here searching for Moltres whose also here...that can only mean one thing." Ash grinned with a glint in his eye. "Glad you're on the same page, Ash. But I'm not too surprised by that. Since Inferape's going for Moltres, we'll go to where he is right now. No time to waste." Gary already got a move on with Ash walking alongside him. They had a designated location as Gary turned to face the rest of Ash's friends. "Aren't you all coming along?" "O-Of course we are! If Ash can handle then I know we all can." Goh scrunched his face. While everyone felt somewhat respected by Gary, Goh was the only one left out as he had noticed. "Just stay on your hooves and toes, okay?" Gary chuckled as everyone followed afterwards. Mainly to see another Legendary Pokemon. "So, Gary. What kind of adventures have you been getting up to?" Ash asked, curious about Gary's current ventures compared to his. He was hoping that Gary could share that with him and all of his friends. "Too complicated to explain. And what about you? I hear you're famous in this world." "Me? Uh... let's see um..." Ash was struggling to find a place to start. His adventures were plentiful. It would probably take ages to list everything he has done. "Anyway, I've had lots! But I bet you're interested in what Twilight and everyone have done." "I am a bit. Why don't you tell me all about what you little ponies have done?" Gary asked. This time, he was being sincere instead of taunting them. "Oh, we can do that. Uh, Pinkie Pie, will you do the honours. You're the expert at starting stories." Twilight requested that Pinkie Pie started things off and everypony would handle everything else. "Sure can! How about we tell you about the time we saw you! But it wasn't actually you! It was another you from another world!" Pinkie Pie rambled on, referring to Blue when he showed up with Red. They began sharing stories while making their way towards Moltres and Infernape. All the while, Goh was the only one left out so far. Mainly from his own volition. Their designated location was at a ravine located in the western portion of Equestria. And along the way, they went through quite a bit to make it there. Climbing up hills that would put their legs through the hard effort minus those that could fly. And Goh was feeling that pressure on his legs. More than anyone. Compared to the rest of his friends, he was the least physically fit. Everyone was fit for this due to what they had gone through in their past adventures. Even before the two worlds crossed over. But Goh, not so much. He's certainly been with them through harsh events, but not by much. Even Spike, who was considered a baby in Dragon biology was outpacing him. Cliffs and mountains were being scaled along their journey to this one ravine. "I went over to Mt Molteau first before anything to see if Moltres would show up. But everything I analyzed didn't lead to that mountain. So if Moltres ended up here, that must mean it found a new resting spot. Right over...there!" Gary pointed ahead as he and the group had arrived at the ravine. But beyond this ravine was a volcanic area. It clashed with the beautiful ravine from what everyone had seen. That area would definitely be a new resting spot for Moltres. "Is it always volcanic areas that it goes to rest at?" Goh asked. "Take a look for yourself." Gary showed his Pokedex data of Moltres to Goh and everyone else. "Moltres. The Flame Pokemon. Moltres is a legendary bird Pokémon that has the ability to control fire. If this Pokémon is injured, it is said to dip its body in the molten magma of a volcano to burn and heal itself. Its appearance is said to indicate the coming of spring. This legendary Pokémon scatters embers with every flap of its wings. It is a thrilling sight to behold." "Spring? Spring's pretty close, now that I think about it." Starlight said. "Can Moltres make it happen instantly?" "Pokemon made Summer and Winter last longer so I think a Legendary Pokemon can definitely do it," Twilight replied to the unicorn's question. "Exactly. Take a gander at what Moltres has already done." Gary pointed his thumb and nudged his head over at an array of flowers that blessed the ravine. "The flowers bloom here before surrounding areas. And I've used that to deduce the time and place of Moltres' appearance. But there's one last clue I need to add. Your Infernape, Ash." "Huh? My Infernape?" "As I've gone to and from the Oak Lab, I've observed Infernape a lot of times. He's always making an effort to prove himself and get stronger. Since it's probably coming for the Legendary Fire-Type Moltres to get stronger, it should be seen here. Do you see it by any chance?" "Infernape!" Right on time, the cry of Infernape could be heard nearby. It certainly didn't come from the volcanic area, but here in the ravine. "Oh! I hear him!" Ash and everyone's ears were drawn to the sound of the Flame Pokemon. "It's calling Moltres...Up there!" Gary then bombastically pointed to the higher parts of the ravine. And right there, hanging on a tree was the Pokemon that had left Oak's Lab to challenge stronger Pokemon. Infernape. "Infernape! Infernape!" He kept calling for Moltres. "Ah, Infernape!" Ash cried out for his Pokemon. Infernape's call eventually ended once he heard the familiar sound of Ash, turning his head. "We were worried, buddy!" "Fernape!" Excited to see Ash as always, Infernape jumped off of the tree, leaping from the other side of the ravine, just to pounce on Ash and give him a mighty hug. "Infernape!" "Guh!" Ash uttered whilst being pinned. "Y-You sure seem healthier than before! So you wanna battle Molltres?" "Infernape?" "This Pokemon. Moltres." Ash showed the Pokedex image of Moltres to the Flame Pokemon. Upon looking at it, it was certainly the Pokemon that Infernape wanted to challenge. "Infernape!" "Audi? Audino." Audino's ears started picking up on a nearby sound. A large one too. The sound of wings flapping. "Dino!" "Audi hears something! Large wingbeats." Fluttershy alerted. "And it looks like it's getting closer." "Then we're right on time," Gary smirked. "Infernape's challenge has been accepted. Here comes Moltres." Indeed. The Fire-Flying-Type had arrived. Soaring above the clouds was one of the Legendary Birds. It had departed the clouds just from its wingbeats alone. It didn't come here to rest. It came here to battle due to Infernape's call. Afterwards, the Flame Pokemon roared, appearing before everyone. From human, pony, dragon to Pokemon. "Moltres!" They all cried out. Most of them took out their Pokedexes to immediately scan this Pokemon and get the data down. "Infernape!" Infernape roared at his fellow Flame Pokemon, alerting its attention to him. "Yeah, I really know how you feel, Infernape. Hey, Moltres! Why don't we have a battle?!" Ash requested. "If you're going up against Moltres, then I want in!" Rainbow Dash offered to battle against the Legendary Bird. "It's a Legendary Pokemon so it won't mind some tag-teaming, right?" "You can do that. But Infernape's not gonna make it easy for you to get to Moltres, Dashie." Ash chuckled before everyone was graced with Moltres' cry. A cry strong enough to create wind pressures. It was ready to battle as Rainbow Dash had sent out Luxray. "Luxray!" "Now's your chance." Goh turned to the others. "I know you're strong, but how strong are you in front of Legendary Pokemon? Your friend Rainbow Dash looks confident right about now." "We all are. But I guess I'm going to have to show you myself." Twilight replied as she and Spike chose to help Ash and Rainbow Dash out. But the others would stay out of it, only aiming to watch this battle. "Let's go! Infernape, Flamethrower now!" "Luxray, use Discharge!" "Eve, Shadow Ball!" "Axew! Transform into Haxorus and use Dragon Claw!" "Infernape!" Infernape had beaten his chest before jumping into the air. At the same time, Axew had transformed into Haxorus for this battle, giving Gary the chance to see this special Haxorus in action. Infernape had unleashed a scarlet stream of flames, Luxray had unleashed a flare of electricity from his body whilst Espeon shot out blobs of shadows. Moltres had taken Flamethrower head-on before dashing forward, evading the rampant flares of electricity from Discharge with only some of them grazing its wings. Moltres had also used Fire Spin, shooting out a spiral of flames that had pierced through Shadow Ball. The flames had also blown Haxorus back the moment he got close. "That looks like Fire Spin!" Gary cried out as the flames hit the ground, encircling everyone else in a spiral of fire, blocking their surroundings. "Infernape, Dig!" "Eve! Blow away the fire with Psychic!" "Fernape!" The best way to get around Fire Spin and avoid it was by digging. Infernape dug a hole in the ground in an instant by jumping through it. Espeon had used Psychic around herself, creating an invisible blast of Psychic energy that had targeted the surrounding flames. "Dragon Claw, one more time, Haxorus!" "Haxorus!" Haxorus casually ran through the flames due to him resisting it. He and Infernape had then approached Moltres with glowing green claws. "Xorus!" Haxorus swung his claws, only for Moltres to evade it by swooping around the Axe Jaw Pokemon. "Mach Punch!" "Infernape!" But that allowed Infernape to emerge with Mach Punch, hitting Moltres in the side once Dragon Claw had been evaded. The Fire-Flying-Type had been pushed back before shaking its head. Afterwards, Moltres had used Air Slash, sending them towards all four opponents. This Air Slash was bigger than anything anyone else had seen so far. They were just as large as a bed at best while tearing the skies and atmosphere. "Now, Flare Blitz!" "Dazzling Gleam!" "Iron Tail!" Both Spike and Rainbow Dash said to Haxorus and Luxray. "Infernape!" Infernape and his teammate did what they could to counter Air Slash. Infernape engulfed himself in an aura of fire that soon turned blue as Espeon did the same with a sphere of rainbows. Haxorus and Luxray both crushed the blades of Air Slash with Iron Tail while Infernape and Espeon unleashed their respective auras, blowing away the blades. "Nice, nice, nice." Gary liked what he was seeing. "Now that I think about it, what am I doing just standing here?" He was getting excited watching this battle take place. He wanted a piece of the action. "Let's go! Blastoise!" "Blastoise!" "Move aside and let me steal all the action! Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" "Blast!" Blastoise got on all fours as it blasted powerful jets of water out from the cannons in its shell, passing Infernape, Espeon, Haxorus and Luxray. The blast of water had then struck Moltres the instant it got close. Moltres had been pushed back, taking super-effective damage. In response, it had used Fire Spin once more. The same spiral of flames had surrounded Blastoise, only they had been intensified for the Water-Type. "Now use Rapid Spin!" "Toise!" Blastoise quickly got in its shell, spinning at insane speed immediately. Upon spinning, the Water-Type started rapidly moving from side to side before picking up enough speed to jump into the air while still within its shell. Blastoise had escaped from Fire Spin, landing on a nearby rock. "Skull Bash! Use the momentum of your distance against its attack! Go!" "Blastoise!" Blastoise went in with a silver aura covering its body. The Shellfish Pokemon had reached high velocity, only for Moltres to fly to the side, evading it. "Alright then! Use Water Pulse!" "Blastoise!" Blastoise could still act in the air. While falling, it had fired a pulsating blast of water from its shell that had smacked Moltres directly in the face. A second Water Pulse came out, hitting Moltres in the stomach. "How's that?" Gary smirked. "Alright, fine. I can see why you're so obsessed with knowing how strong others are." Twilight replied with a shrug. "But then again, we knew this much since you and Ash are rivals." "Thanks. Guess I was wrong about you all too. You're pretty strong. And you tell great stories too. Hm?" Gary attention then turned to Moltres after noticing its next movement. "What's it doing now?!" Rainbow Dash shouted as Moltres got higher into the air. Moltres would use a move that only Ash and Gary would know about but everyone would see for the first time. And that was Burn Up. The flames on Moltres's wings, crest, and tail grew larger and illuminated bright yellow and orange. Moltres then flaps its wings, releasing a massive wave of fire from them at the opponent. It lit up the entire ravine with a crimson light that was stunning to behold in every angle. It resembled the insignia of Fire Blast while also appearing as a mini-sun. "That's Burn Up!" Gary gasped. "Burn Up?!" Twilight and the others turned to him, shouting in unison. After using the move, Moltres loses its Fire-typing and the flames on its body burn shorter and duller. "Blastoise! Meet it head-on with Hydro Pump!" "Toise!" Blastoise utilized its strongest move once more. It had managed to score a hit with Hydro Pump, smashing it onto the Legendary Bird, but Burn Up still went off. The massive wave of fire had been unleashed right after Hydro Pump had hit as Blastoise gazed at the incoming flame. "B-Blastoise!" "W-What just happened?! What's Burn Up?!" Pinkie Pie asked. "It's a move where a Pokemon uses all of the fire up in its body. Afterwards, it stops being a Fire-Type. Now it's just Pure Flying." "Releasing all of that fire in its body can do that?! That can happen?! I thought something like Soak and Electrify could change types..." Rainbow Dash was flabbergasted by this revelation as was everyone else. "The ecology of Pokemon is limitless and varied..." Gary shook his head. There was heavy truth to his words. Even to this day, Pokemon continue to show an infinite realm of possibilities with what they are capable of. Moltres then used Hurricane, creating a violent storm of wind in everyone's direction. Their hairs all blew with this fierce wind as the water was even being pushed away. "Haxorus, Giga Impact!" "Eve, Get on Haxorus' back and use Shadow Ball!" "Espeon!" Espeon hopped onto Haxorus' back, opening her mouth to summon Shadow Ball. At the same time, Haxorus charged upwards with a mighty leap, leaving a large aura as he and Espeon approached Moltres. However, the force of Moltres' Hurrican was so strong that it had prevented Haxorus from going any further, knocking him and Espeon back to the ground. "E-Esp!" "Eve!" Twilight gasped as Espeon fell first with Haxorus landing on her. She quickly ran to her partner's side as Moltres had used Hurricane once more. "Go on defence and use Rapid Spin!" "Toise!" Blastoise got into its shell, using it as the ultimate defence while also deciding to try and approach Moltres. But much like Haxorus, even Blastoise's hard shell was powerless against the overwhelming wind of Moltres' Hurricane. It had blown Blastoise so far back that it made a heavy impact on the cliff walls. Afterwards, Blastoise came out of its shell once landing upside down. With its head poking out, the Shellfish Pokemon had fainted. "Blastoise..." "Excellent battling, Blastoise. Go and take a rest," Gary recalled Blastoise to its Poke Ball after its defeat. "It isn't over yet! Ash! Spike! Get Infernape and Haxorus to throw Eve and Luxray!" Twilight commanded as Moltres was still approaching, raring for some more action. "You got it! Infernape!" "Infernape!" Infernape and Haxorus got together as they both picked up Espeon and Luxray with their superior sizes. Afterwards, the two of them launched the Sun and Gleam Eyes Pokemon at the approaching Moltres at full force, putting everything into their muscles. "It's Pure Flying now, right?! Then in that case...Discharge!" "Eve, Dazzling Gleam!" "Espeon!" Now that Moltres lost its Fire-Typing and was Pure Flying, this meant that its resistance to Fairy had been deleted and yet it was still weak to Electric at the end of the day. Eve had used the brightness of Dazzling Gleam to blind Moltres while also sending out Rainbow rays. "Luxray!" Luxray released his flare of electricity that flew alongside Espeon's rainbow rays. The rays and the flare had struck and pummelled the Flame Pokemon repeatedly, shocking and pelting it respectively as visible and considerable damage had been done. However, even after being hit by such heavy attacks, Moltres recovered. And upon recovering, it had used Ancient Power, tossing massive rocks towards Luxray and Espeon. "Mach Punch!" "Close Combat!" Coming to their rescue were Infernape and Haxorus. Infernape and Haxorus took a leap, using their respective Fighting-Tye moves to obliterate the rocks before they could hit their friends. "Throw one of those rocks back at Moltres, Haxorus!" Spike yelled. "Hax!" Haxorus had grabbed one of the fossilised rocks, throwing it back at Moltres. "Xorus!" Moltres flinched, feeling confounded from that rock to the face. On the bright side, since it wasn't a Fire-Type anymore, the rock didn't hurt as much as it would. But it was still super-effective either way. However, some of the rocks had bypassed them, going straight for the others. And they had yet to notice this. Except for Ash and Gary who both took great notice of this as they acted accordingly. Gary held out another Poke Ball, having his second Pokemni in store. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" "Electivire! Come out and use Thunder!" "Pika...Chuuu!" Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder, saving the others immediately with a burst of electricity from his body. Electivire had entered the fray doing the same from its ears. "Electivire!" The union of electricity had taken out the rocks, causing them to crumble into pebbles. Not only that but Thunderbolt and Discharge had passed through, striking Moltres and dealing twice the super-effective damage to it. Moltres certainly felt that one from both Pikachu and Electivire. And with that surprise attack, Moltres fell from above. But it didn't hit the ground or the nearby water. Instead, it managed to recover at the last second before falling into the water of the ravine. It shook its head afterwards, feeling a bit winded from the attacks it had taken. But instead of continuing the battle, Moltres simply flew away. But before flying away, it left them with a parting gift. One of its feathers had been dropped from its wings. They watched as the feather appeared to have fire around it, keeping in line with Moltres' physiology. "Guess that's the end of that. But at least it gave us this." Gary grabbed the wing once it was dropped. "A Moltres Feather. This is exactly what I was after!" "Moltres gave that to you? Did it know what you wanted?" Fluttershy flew over. "Legendary Pokemon are odd like that. But man, you battled well against Moltres. Thought we might've actually defeated it there. How wild would that have been?" "Did you get any footage of Moltres, Goh?" Starlight asked Goh. "GAH!" Goh gasped before looking at his Rotomphone. "I forgot to press record for the Moltress Battle! Curses!" "That's not like you, Goh. Are you alright?" Applejack asked, worried about Goh right about now. "Haha! Panic is your biggest enemy." Gary chuckled. "Keep it to yourself." Goh blushed, crossing his arms afterwards. Gary then got out a jar to place the Moltres feather in, containing it in its peak condition. Everyone else had their Pokemon healed up by Fluttershy and Audino after the battle they had with Moltres. They put up a great fight to the point where Moltres had to leave. Most likely at the volcanic area to rest up as that was the last direction they saw it fly at. "Alright!" Gary raised the into the air. "Now that I've got this! Corviknight, come!" "Corviknight!" Appearing to the scene was a Corviknight. But this Corviknight seemed to have a bag on it, carrying it around. Upon arriving, Gary had placed the jar within the bag of Corviknight instead of bringing it along. "It's up to you, Corviknight. To take it back. My work here's done." "Cor!" Corviknight knew what to do. The Raven Pokemon took off, leaving the area as fast as it had shown up. And the same could be said for everyone. Now that they were done here, it was time to head home. Kanto Region. Pallet Town. Professor Oak's Lab. Late Afternoon. Not before they stopped by Oak's Lab to return Infernape. Infernape had reunited with his friends after going missing all of a sudden. They were worried but relieved that he had returned. "Well done bringing Infernape back. And helping my grandson get some research done. All of you." Oak spoke to Twilight and the others. "If I didn't already have a second assistant and not enough space, I would ask you all to be my assistants. But never mind that." "You already have me, Professor Oak. I-I mean my other me, that is." Twilight giggled. "Man...That battle with Moltres rocked, didn't it?" Ash sighed. "Sure did..." Spike and Rainbow Dash agreed wholeheartedly. "What about you Gary?" They swivelled, only to find that Gary was speaking to someone else on his Rotomphone. "Did the Moltres feather get to you?" Gary spoke to the person on the phone. "Yes. I was just checking it out." The voice on the phone replied. "Ah. That reminds me. This might catch your fancy." Oak snapped his fingers. "Gary is working to be a member of Project Mew. You've heard of it, right?" "Oh, I have." Goh nodded. "But uh...I kinda turned it down. So that's what this was about. The Moltres feather was a part of it. "Turning it down, huh?" Gary smirked. "Here I thought the one searching for Mew would be interested in it. Even when one of your friends has a Mew right there." "Huh?! You knew?!" Pinkie Pie pulled back, shocked that Gary knew about her Mew even though Mew hadn't been seen all day. "Hm-hm. It's for the best. There's no way wouldn't let inexperienced trainers in. It's all about that top-notch experience, ya hear what I'm saying, Goh?" "Mrrgh...!" Goh growled, showing visible signs of irritation. Starlight promptly calmed him down to avoid any further conflict. Also to prevent Hatterene from reacting to these emotions. "Anyway, I gotta gramps." Gary was ready to depart. "Or maybe I should call you Professor Oak for formalities and all that." "Take care, grandson. And drop by when you're around." "Sure. Bye Ash. You've got some funny and interesting friends here. But this isn't the last time we'll see each other." Gary held his hand out. "Thanks to this world crossing stuff, we're gonna be crossing paths more than we think." "Oh, you know it." Ash and Gary partook in a handshake. "There's a whole bunch you gotta see. When you're ready, come by Equestria some more, okay?" "He's smug but he is fun to talk to, isn't he?" Rarity said as the others could agree. Not so much Goh at the moment. "Hey, Pinkie. When I've reached a certain point in my journey, you'll let me research Mew, who has all kinds of Pokemon DNA in it, right?" Gary requested. "Seems like the best place to end things." "Sure! And stop by SugarCube Corner for some food while you're at it." "Nice. Even if the path turns out to be a dead-end, I'm gonna keep on keeping on. Smell ya later, everyone." Gary gave his signature farewell before finally departing. "Gary's something, ain't he? He's cocky but a blast to get to know." Ash chuckled, feeling a nostalgic aura flow through his heart. "Hmm...I wanna join. I'll join Project Mew." Goh spoke as he decided to join Project Mew on account of Gary's words. Just to try and 1-UP him. Gary now had a new rival in his sights and it turned out to be a rival of his friend. "I thought about it and I wanna go for it." "Wonder why..." Starlight quietly said. "But if you're up for it, then I'll cheer you on through it. I know Ash and everyone else will too. Even if it's because of your reaction Gary..." "Thanks, Starlight- Hey! What's that supposed to mean, huh?" Goh kneeled, nudging Starlight as the unicorn puffed her cheeks, staying silent. "Haha! That's just like Gary! He could've just said so, but he loves pushing others to get into stuff, doesn't he?" Ash knew Gary well. After mentioning his name a few times, Gary sneezed in the distance. A nice and nostalgic visit from an old rival. But it certainly wouldn't be the last. Gary was on his own path, much like how everyone else were as well. But eventually, all paths will come together in this vibrant and ever-expanding world of Pokemon as the journey continues. Chapter 677 End.