Because Melmetal is purely Steel-type,
its weakness is obvious—
a double weakness to Fighting.
That was Braviary's one chance at victory.
Braviary could use Fighting-type moves.
Even if Superpower wasn't STAB for it,
The sheer strength behind the attack couldn't be ignored.
Chunks of rock fell like meteors,
crashing down from Braviary's wings!
But since the move wasn't STAB,
the Rock Slide stones were laughably small—
barely basketball-sized.
Still, the rain of boulders from above
looked like a meteor shower
as they hurtled toward Melmetal.
"Melmetal, smash them all apart!"
Ash instantly gave his order.
Thanks to its special training the night before,
Melmetal was in excellent condition.
Its two massive bolt-like arms swung,
shattering every falling rock with a single punch.
Those glowing stones were as fragile as chocolate in its hands.
Sure, Rock Slide had the advantage of quantity,
but as long as Melmetal destroyed them mid-air,
they couldn't even scratch it.
So the current battlefield became this:
Braviary, exhausting itself in the air,
kept pelting Melmetal from above.
And Melmetal?
It only needed to casually swing its giant bolts
to nullify every strike.
After several rounds of this exchange,
Professor Professor Kukui realized the problem.
This freshly evolved Melmetal…
was far stronger than he had imagined.
And its fighting spirit burned high.
It wasn't going to be an opponent that could be taken down easily!
If that was the case—
"Braviary! Dive down—use Brave Bird!"
Professor Professor Kukui clenched both fists
and swung them forward with force.
Braviary let out a piercing cry in the sky,
then transformed into a blazing yellow meteor,
plummeting straight toward its foe.
With the rain of falling rocks still streaking the sky,
Braviary's massive body stood out all the more,
like a lone comet among countless shooting stars.
Naturally, this caught Melmetal's attention.
"Now's our chance! Use Flash Cannon!"
Ash shouted excitedly.
The scene mirrored when Rowlet once dodged Empoleon's Hydro Pump.
But this time—
could Braviary evade the beam the way Rowlet had with Feather Dance?
Professor Professor Kukui felt a flicker of déjà vu.
Before he could recall why…
Melmetal had already finished charging its cannon.
Flash Cannon—
a devastating beam focused at one point,
sometimes lowering the target's Special Defense.
For Melmetal, the charging point was its head's central bolt.
Arms spread wide,
the giant let loose.
A blinding white beam
erupted skyward like a pillar of light,
enveloping the diving Braviary mid-charge.
What was supposed to be a fearless assault
instantly became a death trap.
The moment Braviary was caught in the Flash Cannon,
its mind flashed with memories—
The day it first hatched,
when Professor Kukui gently cradled it in both hands.
The times it perched proudly on his shoulder
as they traveled along the coast.
The day it finally learned to soar,
wings spread wide against the sky.
The battle where, victorious,
it evolved from a Rufflet into Braviary.
Scene after scene blazed through its mind.
And at last, it recalled last night's words—
Professor Kukui tells it, You must win this battle.
Sorry, Professor…
This time, I'll have to disappoint you.
When the pillar of light finally faded,
Braviary's body was scorched,
feathers curled, eyes blank.
The Pokémon tumbled weakly from the sky.
"Ahh…"
With a sigh, Professor Kukui raised its Poké Ball,
recalling his fallen partner mid-descent.
He had hoped to recreate the dramatic clash
of Rowlet versus Empoleon.
Instead, reality had shocked him.
Even freshly evolved,
Melmetal's power was monstrous.
"You did well. You fought bravely."
Professor Kukui pocketed the ball,
then drew another.
[Darkrai-Trainer Dakdo: So this is the power of a god! Incredible! I've decided—I'll become the messenger of the gods!]
[Steven: Don't daydream, kid. Gods aren't so easily captured. Be careful before you get burned.]
[Brandon: Exactly. It took me ten years just to gain the Regi trio's recognition. Legendary Pokémon don't show themselves so easily.]
[Dakdo: Oh? I already found a Darkrai.]
[Brandon: ???]
…You brat, you're trolling me, aren't you?!
That's Darkrai, the god of nightmares!
And you say you "found one" just like that?!
Dakdo! I, Brandon, will remember this!
When you step into Hoenn,
you'd better watch your back!
——
On the battlefield—
Professor Kukui hurled his Poké Ball.
A burst of crimson light,
and Empoleon's figure returned to the field.
The black-armored penguin's eyes gleamed sharply.
Clearly, it had steadied itself while inside the ball.
Its gaze swept the arena.
Not seeing Rowlet, it finally relaxed.
As long as the opponent couldn't fly,
Everything was manageable.
Then, its steely eyes locked on Melmetal.
So, you're my opponent?
Fine. I'll pound the guts out of you.
Relying on its sharp instincts,
Empoleon immediately sensed Melmetal's typing.
Pure Steel. Nothing else.
Perfect.
Steel was what Empoleon feared the least!
With a quadruple resistance to Steel moves,
how could it possibly lose?!
The moment Empoleon appeared,
Ash already called out:
"Melmetal! Spin—Double Iron Bash!"
The giant's 2.5-meter frame
whirled like a colossal top.
The wind pressure from its rotation
made nearby spectators cover their ears.
Double Iron Bash, like Arm Thrust,
used spinning momentum to strike with both fists.
Professor Kukui barked his counter:
"Empoleon! Meet it with Metal Claw!"
With quadruple resistance to Steel backing it up,
Empoleon charged without hesitation.
"Empoleon!"
The clash of steel rang through the stadium.
Empoleon had blocked the blow!
Using its wings and its own typing advantage,
it stopped Melmetal's whirling fists head-on.
"Ash, your Melmetal is strong," Professor Kukui declared confidently.
"But against my Empoleon, you stand no chance at all!"
He was certain.
From where he stood,
This was a ten-to-zero matchup.
Melmetal was hard countered.
…But Professor Kukui had overlooked one thing.
His opponent was Ash.
The king of unpredictability.
"Empoleon is amazing!" Ash praised.
The sentimental penguin flushed red instantly.
Flattery won't make me go easy!
Empoleon!
That was its creed as a Pokémon!
But then—
"Now, Melmetal—Flash Cannon!"
Ash struck at the opening created
the instant Empoleon answered back.
Empoleon, still locking down Melmetal's fists,
suddenly found its wings gripped tightly in Melmetal's hands.
In the blink of an eye,
attack and defense had reversed.
Empoleon struggled desperately,
but Melmetal's strength was overwhelming.
And the Flash Cannon was already fully charged.
"Hydro Pump!" Professor Kukui yelled, caught off guard.
His freshly-declared advantage
was already collapsing into a flag.
Empoleon opened its beak wide,
summoning a torrent of water.
But it was hopeless.
Melmetal's Flash Cannon tore through,
swallowing the water before it even formed.
Even with quadruple Steel resistance,
a direct hit to the head
left Empoleon reeling.
When the beam faded,
Melmetal lifted Empoleon
and hurled it to the sidelines.
The battle had become one-sided.
In Melmetal's grip,
Empoleon was nothing but a shield—
no chance to counter at all.
Dazed, Empoleon shook its head,
trying to rise.
Ironically,
The throw itself had done the most damage.
Why… Why do I always get these kinds of opponents?
[May: Poor Empoleon… it didn't even get to fight back before being smashed around.]
[Wallace: May, this isn't a contest. In battle, victory is everything. The moment Empoleon entered, it should've been ready.]
[Ash: Exactly! Pokémon battles are about pure love and passion! Fighting alongside your partner—what could be more thrilling?!]
[Gary: Hmph. I'll admit that much. Only when I battle with my Blastoise do I feel the real joy of combat.]
Everyone had their own view of battling.
But one thing was the same:
with your Pokémon at your side,
Even in defeat, there was joy to be found.
That was the true spirit of Pokémon battles.
——
The match dragged back into a deadlock.
Professor Kukui had hoped to leverage Empoleon's 4x resistance.
But Melmetal didn't play fair.
It simply relied on raw force—
overwhelming quantity and power.
No matter the resistance,
Empoleon couldn't keep up.
Even a simple throw,
not even a proper move,
was devastating in Melmetal's hands.
The logical choice was to switch Pokémon.
But Ash gave him no chance.
He was determined to take this point.
"Go! Thunder Punch!"
Ash's eyes blazed with excitement.
"Melmetal!"
Melmetal's bolt-face betrayed no emotion,
but the molten metal at its core sharpened fiercely.
A colossal titan, sprinting forward,
fist crackling with thunder—
Who wouldn't feel fear?
Even Empoleon involuntarily stepped back.
But with Professor Kukui behind it,
it braced itself.
"Empoleon! Whirlpool!"
At this point, it couldn't win head-on.
Better to trap Melmetal in a vortex
and buy time to swap out.
Water spiraled from Empoleon's wings,
forming a twisting inverted cone.
It hurled the vortex forward—
and Melmetal was engulfed.
Professor Kukui reached for a Poké Ball—
—but too late.
Melmetal tore through the whirlpool instantly,
its massive body impossible to restrain.
A sigh escaped Professor Kukui's lips.
This Melmetal was simply too big,
too powerful.
The golden fist came crashing down.
"BOOM!"
One punch.
Lightning exploded as Thunder Punch landed,
electricity paralyzing Empoleon mid-step.
The blow hurled its body backward—
straight toward Professor Kukui himself.
"Wait—Lucario: What?! Why don't I?!"
Professor Kukui tried to dodge,
but fate was cruel.
Empoleon's body slammed into him,
smashing both trainer and Pokémon into the wall.
"KRASHH!"
The sound alone was terrifying.
"Ash, you hit way too hard…"
Pinned beneath his own Empoleon,
Professor Kukui's voice trembled with pain.
That hurt.
A lot.
If he weren't as sturdy as he was,
that might have ended his career permanently.
With a shaking hand,
he recalled Empoleon.
Not to switch—
but because Empoleon was completely knocked out.
Only once the crushing weight was gone
did Professor Kukui stagger to his feet again.
On the field,
Melmetal raised its massive arms high,
soaking in the thunderous cheers of the crowd.
From its entrance until now,
barely ten minutes had passed.
And already,
It had taken down two opponents single-handedly.
It had truly earned this ovation.
"…It's really grown up," Professor Kukui murmured with a smile.
Ash's Melmetal had grown into something incredible.
That made him happy.
But this was still a Pokémon battle.
He would never hold back.
"Then come, Ash! Let's see what you've really got!"
"You bet! I've been going all out from the start!"
Ash shouted, full of fire.
Melmetal too raised its arms again,
showing off its unrivaled strength.
[Dakdo: As expected! This is a god! Such overwhelming power—how I long to have one!]
[Brandon: …This guy isn't serious, is he?]
[Cynthia: Maybe he is. There are rumors of Darkrai sightings in his region. If his skills are strong enough… perhaps it isn't impossible.]
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