1. Ash's Story (Part 10: Galar)

Chapter 71

I'm at the Giant's Foot with Alice and Elena. Curiosity bubbles up inside me and I can't help but ask, "What does the third Legendary Clue talk about? Can we take a look at it?"

Elena, with a slight cough, starts explaining, "When the sun reaches its zenith, it shines directly down upon a great tree with leaves that seem to burn. It is there that the legendary wings come to roost. And that's it."

Alice, looking puzzled, turns to me, "So, the great tree we saw earlier, that's the one?"

I nod confidently, "It has to be. Let's head there."

As we reach Ballimere Lake, the sight of more Fossil Pokémon takes our breath away. Alice, her eyes wide in wonder, exclaims, "Now there's Cradily, Tyrantrum, and Armaldo here too?"

I scan the area, a sense of excitement growing. "That's almost all the fossils, except for the ones from Sinnoh," I remark. Then, spotting something in the water, I point out, "And look, there's a Relicanth too!"

We're standing in front of the massive tree when Elena remarks, "This sure is a big tree."

"Yeah..." I start to reply, but my attention is suddenly drawn upwards. Something is flying above us. Alice, with a hint of curiosity in her voice, asks, "Hey, what is that?"

Squinting, we all try to get a better look. It's a blackbird, ablaze with flames, feasting on the fruit of the tree. "What the... is that a Moltres?" I ask, baffled.

Elena, just as confused, points out, "But Moltres are supposed to be yellow, not black..."

In that moment, the Moltres turns around, emitting a loud roar. We all whip our heads in its direction, just in time to see an orange bird charging at it. The orange bird launches a kick towards the Moltres, who swiftly dodges.

"And what was that? Don't tell me that's Zapdos," I exclaim in surprise. But as we all take a closer look, it's unmistakable—it really does look just like Zapdos. "I thought Zapdos is a flying creature, not a land creature," Alice remarks, her voice filled with confusion.

Moltres, now more vivid in my sight, seems to wield some sort of dark flames. It launches an attack at Zapdos, who evades effortlessly with a quick jump.

"Woah... What kind of attacks are those?" I wonder aloud, captivated by the fierce battle unfolding before us.

Just then, a purple beam zips past us, forcing us to dodge. We turn around and see a purple bird, unmistakably an Articuno, shooting beams from its eyes.

Elena, trying to make sense of it all, questions, "So, a black-colored Moltres, a running Zapdos, and a purple Articuno that shoots lasers from its eyes? Are these the Legendary Bird Pokémon that are said to gather around this tree?"

I whirl around, startled, and say, "Look, there's more!" We all turn to see the real Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres soaring through the sky. Each of them unleashes their signature moves - Blizzard, Fire Blast, and Thunder - at the trio of unusual Pokémon we had just seen. The three strange birds quickly scatter, clearly recognizing the trouble the original Legendary Birds represent.

"Are you guys hurt?" the genuine Moltres inquires, concern evident in its voice. We recognize the three birds as the one Serena and I captured back in Kanto. I can't hide my confusion as I ask, "If you're Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, then who were those three we saw earlier?"

Zapdos answers with a stern tone, "They are our Galarian form cousins. And trust me, they're not as easygoing as us."

Alice, with a tone of awe, remarks, "Galarian Form Legendary Pokémon... that's amazing to know."