Pokémon: Rebron as Red, The Strongest Champion - 299

Chapter 299: The Legendary Birds Take the Field

“As expected of Lord Red’s carefully trained Sylveon. It has defeated Ryden Wataru’s Dragonair and Gyarados back-to-back. What a sight for everyone here!”

“Of course, Dragonair also deserves immense credit. Without Dragonair’s earlier effort, Sylveon’s victory would not have been nearly so smooth.”

The announcer explained excitedly. He was one of Red’s most devoted fans, so seeing Red seize the momentum first naturally put extra joy in his voice.

Sylveon’s stunning performance also made many Trainers in the stands who raised Eevee set a new goal. They wanted to train their own Eevee into a Sylveon, hoping that one day they could reach Red and Sylveon’s level.

As for whether they would ever get there, that would depend on the bond between them.

“Thank you for your hard work, Gyarados.”

Ryden’s expression stayed calm as he recalled the fainted Gyarados into its Poké Ball.

He ignored the questioning looks from part of the crowd. After a brief pause, he lifted his eyes with steady resolve. Under the audience’s expectant stares, he reached to his waist and took out a brand-new Ultra Ball.

The instant they saw the Ultra Ball, the spectators realized Ryden was about to send out something truly powerful.

“Show them your divine might, Moltres!”

Ryden shouted, then hurled the Ultra Ball with all his strength.

The dazzling light faded. A Legendary bird appeared, its feathers blazing red, its beak straight and sharp, a sleek crest crowning its head, and a tail of surging flame, as if it were made entirely of fire.

“That Pokémon is?!” Ash gasped, then pulled out his Pokédex. The device immediately spoke in its mechanical voice.

“Moltres, the Flame Pokémon. Fire and Flying type. One of the Legendary bird Pokémon. When it flaps its blazing wings, even the night sky will glow.”

(The sacred flame that serves the Fire God.)

Moltres, soaring high above, ignored the crowd’s shock. Its gaze locked onto the torch stand not far away. It could sense a powerful energy faintly emanating from the sacred flame there, a power it did not possess but desperately desired.

(I want to absorb that power.)

“Incredible, truly incredible! Ryden Wataru’s Pokémon is Moltres, one of the three Legendary birds, and the source of the sacred flame used in the Indigo Conference!”

“Ryden Wataru, last year’s Silver Conference Champion, is actually a Trainer of Legendary Pokémon!”

The announcer yelled, overwhelmed by what he was witnessing.

“A Legendary!”

“It is Moltres!”

“Am I dreaming?!”

Moltres’s arrival set the stadium ablaze with excitement. This was a Legendary Pokémon, something ordinary people would never see in their lives.

Cameras immediately came out all over the stands as spectators tried to capture Moltres’s majestic figure.

Some people even questioned whether it was real. They simply could not believe someone around their age, like Ryden, could earn Moltres’s acknowledgment on his own.

But after feeling the oppressive pressure radiating from Moltres, they ultimately accepted it. Their eyes turned to Ryden with pure longing, wishing they could become someone as extraordinary as he was.

“So it is the Moltres we ran into at the crater on Cinnabar Island. I did not expect you to capture it,” Red said calmly.

When Moltres stared at him with open battle intent, Red finally recalled its origin. This was the wild Moltres that had once been completely overwhelmed by Zapdos back then.

“Earning Moltres’s acknowledgment was luck,” Ryden said with a hint of embarrassment. “Even though Dragonite and I defeated Moltres, I think the bigger reason was you and Zapdos.”

Ryden was not wrong. He had not truly gained Moltres’s recognition in the purest sense.

Why had Moltres agreed to become Ryden’s partner? The reason was simple.

Moltres wanted to meet Zapdos again. It wanted to defeat Zapdos with new strength and reclaim its pride as a Legendary bird.

That was why Moltres chose Ryden. Moltres believed Ryden would one day face Red again and that a fierce rematch would happen.

(Good. I did not bet wrong.)

Thinking that, Moltres quietly let out a breath, which only made Ryden even more confused.

“What is with Moltres? Why is it sighing out of nowhere?” Ryden muttered.

“Really. So Zapdos and I were the key reason you two became partners,” Red said with a teasing smile.

As he spoke, Red slowly took out an Ultra Ball of his own. Under Ryden and Moltres’s excited gaze, he threw it firmly.

The intense white light faded. Above the battlefield, pitch-black thunderclouds suddenly rolled in. A pillar of lightning slammed down from the sky, scorching the ground below. Blinding arcs of electricity flickered and flashed, stinging the spectators’ eyes.

“When the sky turns dark, and lightning falls without end, this Legendary Pokémon will appear…”

Ryden stared, murmuring in disbelief.

(This entrance is as arrogant as ever.)

Moltres watched Zapdos’s appearance with obvious disdain, yet jealousy seeped through its eyes. It had been shaken by that dramatic arrival, and it wanted an entrance just as overwhelming.

When the towering lightning pillar finally dissipated, Zapdos’s form emerged clearly before everyone.

Bzzzt.

A Legendary bird with bright yellow feathers and a long orange beak took the field. Its wings and tail bristled with sharp, spiky plumage, and black feathers lined the back of its wings and the inner side of its tail.

“It is here! The second Legendary Pokémon of this year’s Indigo Conference has appeared!”

“And Lord Red does not disappoint. He has sent out Zapdos, one of the three Legendary birds as well. This round is a battle between Legendary Pokémon, a civil war among the three Legendary birds!”

The announcer shouted, thrilled beyond words.

A Legendary showdown was the kind of phrase that drew eyes like nothing else. The crowd practically held its breath. Nobody dared leave their seat, afraid someone else would snatch it.

“Jackpot!”
“Business is booming!”
“We’re rolling in it!”

Of course, Team Rocket’s trio, weaving through the stands, was comfortably making a fortune.

They never missed Red’s matches. Red’s battles always drew the biggest crowds.

“So even you, a descendant of the three Legendary birds, have chosen to become a human’s pet?”

Zapdos mocked, throwing Moltres’s old arrogant words back in its face and turning them into a sharp insult.

“…”

Moltres froze in pure embarrassment. Those were the exact words it had once used at the volcano crater, mocking Zapdos. Now Zapdos had returned them perfectly.

Zapdos did not care about Moltres’s discomfort. It beat its wings once and held itself at the same altitude, staring Moltres straight in the eyes.

Crack crack crack.

Zapdos did not need to do anything else. A single flap produced explosive cracking sounds, like thunder breaking overhead. That was one reason ancient people once called Zapdos the “Thunder God.”