InNumero Uno Articuno,Ash andhis friends spottedArticuno flying through the night sky, accompanied by a biplane. After meeting up with Noland, he explained that he had been cruising with Articuno the previous night.Max was impressed on how Nolandcaught such a powerful Pokémon, but Noland further explained that Articuno iswild, and a friend of his. Noland revealed that, on his biplane's maiden voyage, he was surprised to find an Articuno flying beside him. Thelegendary bird had trouble flying due to an injured wing. The Factory Head managed to get theFreeze Pokémon to land on top of his plane and brought it down. Noland helped it to heal, and ever since then, Articuno had been regularly visiting him.
When Noland told Ash to select one of the Head's Pokémon tobattle, Ash decided on Articuno. Noland asked it if it agreed to battle under his command, which it did. Soon after,Ash's Charizard made a return from theCharicific Valley to battle Articuno.
Noland battled Ash and Charizard with Articuno inThe Symbol Life. Even though Charizard had the type advantage and had also learnedOverheat prior to the battle, he still struggled against Articuno. Eventually, after a fierce battle, Charizard defeated Articuno with a devastatingSeismic Toss, earning Ash theKnowledge Symbol.
Articuno vs Charizard
Articuno reappeared in a flashback inGathering the Gang of Four! when Ash was recalling memories of his Charizard.
Despite not being caught by Noland, Articuno formed a friendship with him after Noland treated its injured wing. As a result, it returned every now and then for a visit. It was close enough to Noland that it agreed to battle under his command, followed his commands in battle without hesitation, and trusted Noland's strategy.
A† shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.
In the games
Although Noland always uses random Pokémon when battled inPokémon Emerald, Articuno is one of the possiblerental Pokémon he can use. Like with the other rental Pokémon at theBattle Factory, itsheld item and moveset may vary, but it will always be set tolevel 100.
Noland's Articuno appeared inOff To The Battle Frontier!!. It played the same role as in the animated series, battlingAsh's Charizard and faring pretty well, despite the type disadvantage, but ultimately losing.
