The battle festivities continue at the debut of Alola's first-ever Pokémon League! The tournament began with the hectic Battle Royal 151 Elimination Round where one hundred and fifty-one trainers and their Partner Pokémon competed in an all-out rumble of talents and battle expertise to be ranked among the Top 16 to compete in the main tournament. The Quarterfinal battles were fierce but eventually, Gladion, Sarah, Ash, and Guzma emerged victorious in their respective matches. Then, the Semifinals came into play where Ash won against Gladion in the first match while Sarah triumphed over Guzma in the second match, earning their respective spots in the Finals. Now, with only Alola's Top 2 trainers left in the running, who will be crowned as the new Alola League Champion between them?
June 16th; the eve of the Alola League Finals between Ash and Sarah. For this occasion, Ash, Pikachu, Burnet, Kukui, Sarah, Doug, and Delilah were waiting over at the docks for two special guests to watch the Kanto trainer battle against Alola's princess. The guests that they were waiting for were none other than Ash's Mother, Delia Ketchum, and the world's greatest Pokémon Researcher, Prof. Oak.
"Mom, Professor Oak!" Ash screamed excitedly as he saw them disembarking the ferry they were riding on to get to Manalo Stadium.
Delia and Prof. Oak turned and to their surprise, they saw Ash, Sarah, their Pokémon, the Alola Professors, Doug, and Delilah waiting for them at the dock.
"You made it!" Pikachu cheered happily.
"Alola!"
"Alola!"
"Welcome to Manalo Stadium, Mrs. Ketchum, Prof. Oak!" Rotom-Dex greeted.
"Oh, Ash! Congratulations on making it all the way to the Alola League Finals!" Delia congratulated, feeling proud of her son.
Ash just grinned, "Thanks a lot, Mom!"
Delia nodded as she turned to Pikachu, "And, how are you doing, Pikachu?"
"I'm great! Thanks!" the Kanto Mouse Pokémon beamed.
"Thank you so much for traveling all this way," Kukui thanked the pair.
"It's such an honor for you and Lady Ketchum to grace us and our region's Pokémon League with your presence, Prof. Oak," Doug spoke up as Delilah shared a thankful nod.
"The pleasure is all ours, Your Highnesses. I just hope Ash hasn't been too much of a bother for you and your daughter," Delia giggled, much to Ash's chagrin and embarrassment over her continuing to baby him.
"Mom!"
"It's the very least we can do to cheer Ash on and to be able to meet Meltan, Your Majesty. And, it's a greater honor for us to meet the two Paradox Pokémon belonging to Sarah, of course," Prof. Oak replied warmly.
"I'm sure they won't mind meeting you and Mrs. Ketchum, Prof. Oak," Sarah replied kindly as she turned to Link and Zelda. "Hey! Link, Zelda, come over here! I want you to meet a few friends of ours!"
The Walking Wake and Iron Leaves in question stepped forward to meet Professor Oak and Delia as they bowed to the pair in greeting with friendly smiles.
"Prof. Oak, Mrs. Ketchum, meet my Walking Wake and Iron Leaves from the Paldea Region: Link and Zelda."
"Oh, yeah! And, Meltan's right here!"
"Feast your eyes, Professor!" Ash and Pikachu grinned brightly as they showed Prof. Oak Meltan who was sleeping along with Rowlet inside of his backpack.
"Say, what a fascinating creature! Nice to finally meet you, Meltan," Prof. Oak smiled as he grabbed Meltan and petted him which irked the Hex Nut Pokémon as he woke up from his beauty sleep.
"Ah! Wait, Professor! Meltan doesn't like that if you-!" Sarah panicked as Meltan fired his Flash Cannon at him before she could finish. "...…Too late."
"Dear! Are you alright?" Burnet questioned as the rest of the group could only wince at Prof. Oak.
"Oh, Ash, honestly! We know tomorrow's a big day but could you please teach your chaotic little hex nut to mind where, what, or who he shoots his Flash Cannon at so we don't get kicked out by the other league officials?" groaned Asha, getting only a sheepish giggle from Ash and Pikachu.
"Best beware of Meltan's Flash Cannon for it gives you quite a scare," Prof. Oak replied, coughing from the blast.
Then, something grabbed Meltan's attention before he suddenly became ecstatic and jumped off Prof. Oak's hand, shouting excitedly, "Hmm? …..They're here! They're here, they're finally here! Yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay!"
"Hmm?"
"What?" Torracat and Lycanroc pondered as they watched him stop in front of the port station and spin his head around rapidly, letting out the same strange call he made following Sarah and Aqua's battle with Hau and Decidueye.
This intrigued Prof. Oak and he went over to examine him and was surprised by what he saw, "WAH! This must be Meltan's strange behavior that I've heard so much about!"
"What is he doing?" questioned Mimey.
"He's been like that since Aqua's battle with Decidueye in the Quarterfinals," Blitz replied.
"But, who exactly is he calling?" pondered Curly before the others joined the little Steel Type until the horde of Meltan that appeared at the end of the previous episode finally arrived as they climbed out of the ocean or dropped down from the station's rooftop.
Everybody was baffled by what they had seen but the sight of several Meltan appearing all at once filled Sarah and her family with a lingering feeling of dread, the little princess remembering what they had suffered through when Ash's Meltan and his friends made themselves known to the world.
"Oh, no!"
"It can't be!"
"Are they really-?!"
"It's an ambush!" Sarah, Blitz, Curly, and Silvally gawked in horror.
"AAAAAHHHHH! AAH, AH, GET THOSE HORRIBLE THINGS AWAY!" Magearna panicked as she ran behind Sarah and tripped before Delilah quickly set her upright and held onto her daughter's guardian to calm her down.
"What the devil-?" Doug blinked, flabbergasted.
"Look at that!"
"There are tons of Meltan!"
"Ah!" gasped Prof. Oak. Ash, and Delia, bewildered by the Meltan horde.
"Oh, brother... I hate to say it, Ash, but it's your fault for wanting to keep that thing when it first appeared," grumbled Race as he facepalmed in annoyance.
"Where did they all come from?"
"And, how did they all get here to Manalo Stadium?"
"D-D-Do you think A-Ash's Meltan m-might've d-d-d-done something about t-t-this?" Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie questioned, also looking astonished.
"Do you think when he was spinning his head like that, he was calling for his friends?" Kukui blinked in realization.
"Now, what are they doing?" Burnet quizzed, taken aback as the other Meltan began circling their old friend while chanting.
"Evolve, Evolve, Evolve! Evolve!"
(Theme Song: Pokémon League Arc - Moon Pride (Sailor Moon Crystal ft. Momorio Clover Z))
MOON PRIDE! Anata no chikara na naritai (I want to be your strength)
The opening begins with an overview of Sarah, her friends, Asha, and Race standing together with their Partner Pokémon in the midst of a floral field and the full moon before the camera pans forward and passes Sarah upward before the main titles appear in a flurry of light, electricity, and snow.
POKEMON SUN & MOON: Pokémon League Blues!
Nine lights (red, gold, yellow, green, blue, white, crimson, cyan, and an orange/yellow/violet mix) flew around the main titles before passing by and the final light showed Asha, Race, Ash, Kiawe, Lillie, Lana, Mallow, and Sophocles standing in a circle with their backs to each other and looking out on the horizon (with the Alola girls having a tear fall from their eyes, the boys looking determined as they glared hard, Race looks contempt yet determined as a flash of lightning streaks by him, and Asha looks out to her right worriedly and with heartache)
Namida wa hono wo tsutai (Tears roll down my face)
Hitomo wa akaku moeru (My eyes are burning red hot)
Inazuma no yo ni hageshiku (Being just as violent as lightning)
Dareka ga ai wo sakeru (Someone cries out for love)
We then quickly pan over to Sarah as she holds her hands in a prayer position with her eyes closed as if she's in some sort of slumber before she eventually wakes up and the camera pans to the moon in a blissful space of wonder.
Tatoe Don'na (No matter what) Kurayami Demo (Dark it is)
Hitori janai yo ne? (You're not alone, you know?) Watashitachi Wo (We're together)
Terasa Moonlight (Shining in moonlight) (AH)
Sarah is then shown in Ula'Ula's Malie City on a rainy day (while in a hand-painted/CGI background and holding an umbrella over her head) where she turns and suddenly sees a person that looks like Dia with a Shiny Zeraora at a tree while holding an umbrella over his head and reading a book before they took notice of her. The little princess gave a brief yet nostalgic sigh before she was joined by Blitz and Curly and then her boyfriend, sister, and friends as they got together and cheered, throwing their umbrellas up in the air.
On'nankoko ni mo yuzurenu kyoji ga aru (Girls, don't give away your self-respect)
Sore wa ouji-sama ni unmei nagazu (Don't throw away your destiny for a prince)
Mizukara Tatakau Ishi (Fight for yourself)
Soon, Sarah's friends and Asha along with their Partner Pokémon start to fight against other trainers in the Alola League's elimination and quarter rounds as they climb their way to the Top 16 spots for the official tournament. Sarah and Race stand together as their Pokémon fight before they face each other and they order Blitz and Robbie to go at each other and see who's the better trainer and Pokémon between them.
Shiny Make-Up! Kagayaku yo hoshizora wo atsumete (Keep shining as you collect the starry sky)
Tada mamorareru dake no kayowai sonzai ja nai wa (We aren't weak girls who need man's protection)
In the midst of the competition, Team Skull appears to crush the competition and win in their own right with the most prominent of its members showing themselves as follows: Tupp, Zipp, Rapp, Plumeria, and Guzma (the main head of Team Skull preparing to compete himself). Kukui, Lusamine, Wicke, Faba, Burnet, Doug, Delilah, David, and Doug are shown together as they nod to wish everybody participating in the Alola League good luck and we even get a glimpse at an unknown Pokemon appearing from an Ultra Wormhole. Sarah reappears and draws Cosmic Grace before she holds it out and its light shines for all of Alola to see.
Shiny Make-Up! Tatakau yo hoshizora wo matotte (I will fight in the starry sky)
Atarashii densetsu ga ima koko kara hajimaru (A new legend begins from here)
La la, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
The opening ends with quick shots of the main group of nine as they and their Pokémon reappear together and do poses, ready to face the Alola League head-on and have fun no matter who wins or loses the entire tournament.
(Pokémon League Arc Opening Ends)
"It looks like they're all having fun!" Ash chuckled.
"You must have a strange taste in Pokémon given how you see those metal-eating maniacs," Prinplup remarked.
The Meltan horde continued to chant and dance along with Ash's Meltan until they started to spark, leaving everybody confused. Then, much to everyone's surprise, the sparks from the wild Meltan horde were being sent to Ash's Hex Nut Pokémon and they all began to glow. A familiar blue light coated them until they all merged and Ash's little Steel Type grew into a much larger version of itself.
Everyone was shocked as they were greeted by a large silver Pokémon that had a vaguely humanoid build mostly consisting of liquid metal with dark-gray hexagonal nuts embedded or attached to its body (one nut around each shoulder, one nut around the center of both arms, one nut making part of both hands, and a small light grey nut making up the center of its torso). The Pokémon's head was a golden hexagonal nut encircling its neck with a smaller nut of the same kind making as its head and floating inside the smaller head is a small dark-gray ocellated sphere. And, to top it all off, it had a small red tail resembling an electric wire.
"What the-?"
"Mel...tan?" Ash and Pikachu gasped in complete shock.
"...O...…M...…G," Asha gulped quietly, aghast.
"...Bloody hell," Tsukumaro added softly, also taken completely aback.
"I don't believe it..." gawked Race, unsure of what to make of the new Pokémon.
"No way...!"
"I-It, it's huge! It's even bigger than a fully-grown Mamoswine!" Nikki and Craggeon spluttered.
"What in the samhill is this leaning tower of molten liquid?!" put in a shocked James.
"...Are you...ARE YOU KIDDIN' ME?!" Silvally screamed as his eyes bugged out.
"Amazing! This is Melmetal!" Prof. Oak cried in astonishment.
"What/Huh/Melmetal/'Scuse me?" Sarah, Ash, Race, and Asha replied, turning to him in confusion.
"This unique Pokémon has been mentioned in several ancient writings! Ancient people back then have always referred to it as Melmetal but never did I suspect that it might have to come from a large group of Meltan."
"A massively important discovery! Update data, update data!" Rotom-Dex buzzed in astonishment as he and Rotoscope took photos of the now grown-up and evolved Meltan.
"Professor Oak, could Meltan have just evolved from what we've seen?" Burnet asked her fellow professor, still shocked.
"I think one might be justified in calling it that! This calls for a poem, 'Melmetal might! Nerves of steel and heart of light'!"
"Whoa!" Kukui and Burnet grinned.
"You know, that...…actually does make sense, kinda," peeped Arctozolt, impressed.
"Hmm... Not a bad poem for the iron giant there, doc," smirked Dracozolt with a wink as an ecstatic Melmetal flexed his new muscles.
Then, without warning, as if to demonstrate his new power, he spun around and splashed water from the left before he spun again and splashed water from the right onto Ash and his team. Luckily, Sarah managed to manipulate the water before it could touch her and her family and the adults took a big step back to avoid getting wet as well.
"That's, uh... Wow! What an awesome punch! It's gotta be an Ultra Twirl Bam Punch!" Ash breathed, amazed.
As the adults rejoined Ash and his team, Sarah groaned as she retorted, "Ugh, that name is so lame, Ash. Can't you be more creative than that?"
"Hey, you just made a pun out of that rhyme, Sis," chuckled Asha, as she and Sarah got an annoyed pout from Ash.
"Moving on, what do you make of that, Kukui?" Race questioned the Alola Professor, knowing that his specialty is Pokémon moves.
"This is astounding! It's just like two Power-Up Punches being thrown by a giant robot from what he showed us! I got it; I think we should call his new move: Double Iron Bash!" Kukui proclaimed, giving the new attack an official name.
Ash was more than happy as he approved the name, "Double Iron Bash?! That's awesome!"
"An excellent move name!" agreed Professor Oak with a nod of approval.
"Wicked! Sick name for our Pokémon of the hour, my man!" Rotoscope grinned as he did a fist bump with Kukui and he and Rotom-Dex registered the name of the new move into their databanks. "And, bada-bing, bada-boom, one Double Iron Bash entry complete!"
Melmetal continued to pose in his new form excitedly and this time, his excitement woke his big brother up as Rowlet flew out of Ash's backpack and turned to find his little brother in his new form, catching Ash, Sarah, Race, and Asha's attention as they looked at him. The young and aloof Arrow Quill Pokémon looked confused at the new Pokémon before he saw the hex nut head, seeing Meltan before his vision cleared and he saw Melmetal in his place.
"MELTAAAAAAN?! W-wha, how did-?! Is it really you, little bro?" Rowlet screeched as he looked him all over.
"Yep! It's me, Big Bro!" Meltan grinned as he flexed his muscles again. "When did you-?!"
"I just evolved, he-he!" Rowlet was surprised, "No way!"
"Way!" Melmetal grinned as he did a Superman pose.
"SWEET! Awesome! Way past cool!" Rowlet grinned happily as he flew into Melmetal's hex nut torso, fitting perfectly in it.
"It's a perfect fit!" Delia gasped.
"Oh, brother! Now, I've seen everything!" blinked Race.
Ash grinned excitedly as he then said, "Assemble! Mel-Rom-Tal!"
"We rock!"
"We rule!" Melmetal and Rowlet cheered, approving of the team name between them.
"YES! Tomorrow, we're gonna give this all we got!"
"YEAH!" agreed his entire team, feeling just as ecstatic as him.
Sarah smirked as she shook her head and crossed her arms at him as she reminded him, "You'll have your work cut out tomorrow, Ash. My Pokémon and I have been working twice as hard as you guys do leading up to the Manalo conference and we're gonna knock your blocks off if you can't hold your own against us on the field."
"You better get ready, too, Pikachu! 'Cause Mom and I and two others from our crew are going all out, especially since you're fighting on our home turf," added Blitz, giving his Kanto counterpart a daring smirk.
"You're on!"
"Bring it, kid!" Ash and Pikachu smirked back.
The next morning, the crowd cheered loudly as the moment of truth had arrived; it was finally time for the last match of the inaugural Alola Pokémon League between its two remaining contestants: Ash Ketchum and Sarah Tomoe. The heroes waited excitedly in the stands along with the Pokémon, the Mythicals, and the dragons from their shared spot in the audience while Turtonator and Kiawe's family's Marowak added to the festivities by shooting Flamethrower and spinning his bone in a celebratory manner.
They were going to see Ash and Sarah battle at their full strength in a traditional 3-on-3 Pokémon match and whoever wins it will not only be crowned as Alola's first-ever Pokémon League champion but also partake in a special exhibition battle against the Masked Royal (essentially becoming the first-ever Alola Champion in the process).
"The time has finally come, folks! Today, we will decide on the Alola Pokémon League's very first champion! The sparks are sure to fly so let's hear it for our two finalists!" Caster announced.
The crowd cheered again as Ash and Pikachu entered the stadium first from the left, the Kanto trainer adjusting his hat while he took his position and remembered all of the battles he went through that got him into the Finals.
"The first finalist to step into the arena is Finalist Number One: Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! After coming out of the Battle Royal 151 with flying colors, in the Quarterfinals, he defeated Faba in the first round and crushed Asha in the second! Then, in the Semifinals, he defeated Gladion by the skin of his teeth to make it to the Finals!"
After Ash and Pikachu took their place in the stadium, they and Prof. Kukui (being the referee for the Finals) looked over to find Sarah and Blitz entering the stadium from the right while the crowd cheered the loudest for her. As she joined them, the princess recalled all of the battles she went through following the Battle Royal 151 against Raine, Hau, and Guzma, knowing that her becoming Alola's Pokémon League champion was all riding on her and her Pokémon's rematch with Ash and his team.
"And, Finalist Number Two, entering from the right, is none other than Sarah Tomoe! Our plucky little Alola Sun Princess and her Pokémon had gone through hell and back throughout the Pokémon League with her first win being against Raine and her second against Hau in the Quarterfinals. Then, in the Semifinals, she was able to defeat Guzma! And, now, she's standing before us in the final round! The battlefield can hardly contain their fiery spirits as they prepare for the match of a lifetime! Now, let's all sit back and watch as our final match is about to begin!"
Meanwhile, back on Melemele, Stufful and Bewear decided to get out of their hot spring just as the Oranguru robot came towards them only to react strangely as it began to go haywire and its eyes were spinning wildly.
"Hmm?"
"Funny robot!"
"How very peculiar," they reacted as the robot suddenly stopped going crazy and all was silent.
"Our final match will be a traditional 3-on-3 battle. I want you two to give it your all and make it a fair battle for all to enjoy!" Kukui announced to Sarah and Ash.
"Right," the pair nodded in agreement.
Ash took the lead as he revealed his first contestant for the final match, "Okay, I choose you!"
Sarah hummed as she narrowed her eyes, seeing that Ash was immediately going with Melmetal as his first Pokémon to kickstart the final match between them. Even Blitz glared at the evolved Hex Nut Pokémon, knowing that after evolving the previous night thanks to his old friends, the young Steel Type was now much stronger than compared to when he was only a Meltan.
"Who's that Pokemon?!" gawked Kiawe as he and the others looked on in bewilderment at Melmetal.
"I've never seen it before!"
"It looks like a giant blob of metal with nuts all over it!"
"But, it does look kinda familiar," Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Lana pondered in surprise.
"Oh! You didn't know?" grinned Rotom-Dex. "That's Melmetal and he's just evolved from Meltan!"
The heroes gasped in shock as they couldn't believe their eyes with Hiccup and Astrid voicing everybody's thoughts, "No way! It evolved?!"
"Who would've guessed Ash's tiny metal bobblehead would become something like that?"
"Not me, even I didn't see it coming," Liberty admitted.
"Wow!"
"Cool!"
"He's a giant!" Nani, Mini, and Tot grinned excitedly, seeing Meltan in his new form.
"Okay, I did not expect that coming..." Budderball blinked as his siblings just nodded.
"Are you sure?" Sophocles questioned Rotom-Dex doubtfully.
"He does kinda remind me of Meltan a little bit," Lillie admitted, impressed.
"All those muscles of steel!" Lana gushed, her eyes twinkling in admiration.
"Go get 'em, Melmetal!" grinned Mallow excitedly.
"It's Ash and Melmetal for Round 1! I can only imagine what kind of battle they're planning but we can't start yet! What Pokémon will our princess choose to square off against that Steel Type powerhouse?"
"So, you want to go Steel Type with Melmetal after he evolved last night, huh? Alright... Silvally, show him your metal!" Sarah began, sending her Synthetic Pokémon out first to battle against the evolved Hex Nut Pokémon.
"*And, from Sarah, it's her Silvally! Let's see how this fares out as we begin the match to end all matches!*"
"Battle, begin!" Kukui declared, starting the match.
"First move wins the match, Melmetal!" grinned Ash only to stare in surprise as Melmetal ran ahead.
"Heads up, Silvally! He's coming for us!" Sarah warned Silvally.
"Got it!" the Synthetic Pokémon nodded, bracing himself.
"Uh... WHAT?" Pikachu balked as he blanked out in disbelief while Ash grinned and took advantage of his Steel Type's renewed eagerness for battle.
"Awesome, Melmelta's raring to go now that he's evolved! Now, use Double Iron Bash!"
Heeding his trainer's orders and raring to show off his improved battle prowess, Melmetal flexed his muscles before he spun his body like a top, building up power before he extended his arms to bash Silvally and claim victory off the bat.
"Silvally, dodge with Quick Attack and use Iron Defense after! Let's go!" Sarah countered, having her Normal Type dodge the first strike with Quick Attack before he boosted his Physical Defense Stats with Iron Defense, tanking the second hit as he skidded to a stop and gritted his teeth.
"And, charging head-on into battle, Melmetal bursts onto the scene with Double Iron Bash! Silvally stopped sliding but how much damage did he take despite using Iron Defense in time?"
"Good going, Melmetal! Do it again and take him down, Double Iron Bash!"
"Not this time, Ash! Air Slash, go!"
Silvally fired his Air Slash attack to gauge Melmetal and wear him down a bit for another chance to attack. But, being a Steel Type, Melmetal easily resisted the Flying Type move and swung one of his fists at Silvally as he used Double Iron Bash a second time, forcing him to dodge the first hit as he jumped up.
"Your Melmetal's got power, Ash, but it's worthless to you if his only attack doesn't connect! Silvally, dodge him again and close in once he's open!"
Silvally nodded as he braced himself and charged at Melmetal once more just as Ash sneered arrogantly at his friend, "When it does, this round's mine! Melmetal, Double Iron Bash!"
Spinning to build up power again, Melmetal went on the attack again as he swung his left arm at Silvally and he dodged it, then swung his right arm after and he dodged it again before he repeated with his left and he dodged it a third time.
"Use Tri Attack!" Sarah issued, having her Silvally fire Tri Attack at Melmetal as he roared.
"Use Flash Cannon!" Ash shouted, having Melmetal charge up his Steel Type energy and fire a more powerful Flash Cannon which (sadly) only canceled out Tri Attack's Ice Beam while the fire and electric beams struck him after.
Ash gasped before he saw Melmetal stand his ground and he grinned widely while he and his Steel Type spun their left arms, preparing to attack again, "Yeah! Come on, Melmetal, let's keep it up!"
"Amazing!"
"Melmetal... He took on massive amounts of power as soon as he evolved!"
"Seems like a great teammate!"
"His primeval force could win it all!"
"Hmm, primeval... Primarina," Lana thought, her eyes continuing to twinkle as Mallow and Kiawe stared at her and wondered what she was talking about.
"I wouldn't count my girl and Dr. Frankenstien out just yet, fellas. We don't know much about Melmetal and he only appeared recently. Plus, he's only got two moves to play with while Silvally has a grand total of twenty-six," Liberty replied, not worrying about Sarah and Silvally at all.
"She's right!"
"Yeah!"
"Melmetal can't win with just two moves," the Poms beamed.
"Hey, she is right!"
"He can't win with only two moves and what else do we know about him?"
"He looked pretty slow despite using that Flash Cannon quickly."
"And, he spins fast to gain power," the Buddies added.
"Meow-wow, there's not much we know about the guy, after all."
"And, it looks like Sarah and Silvally are gonna exploit that Achilles heel of his," Wild and Shade noted as they, Rory, and Leo watched Sarah planning her and Silvally's next move.
"Hmm, so Melmetal retained his Flash Cannon even after learning Double Iron Bash. But, I wouldn't count on them for long if I were Ash; he may not know this but despite the experience he gained from battling when he was a Meltan, Melmetal is still a mystery. He's got the power and strength but there's one thing Silvally and I have that he lacks from the get-go. Time to see how fast he is with all that power on him," Sarah thought as she looked at Melmetal and nodded, having an idea that could turn the tables on Ash and Melmetal.
"Silvally, let's rocket! Use your Quick Attack while moving sideways and close in!"
"Ooh...… I gotcha!" grinned Silvally as he rushed forward and moved sideways with Quick Attack, surprising Melmeltal as he tried and failed to keep up with him as he darted around.
"Just look at that fancy footwork by Silvally using Quick Attack for a speed boost! How will Melmetal be able to follow those movements if he can't keep pace with our mismatching speedster?"
Now, Melmetal was getting worried as he started to panic, unsure if he could catch up with his more experienced opponent and hit him, "Uh... Oh, man!"
"Melmetal! Just catch him and stop him dead in his tracks with Double Iron Bash!" Ash called out reassuringly, having him prepare to use Double Iron Bash again.
"Now, Silvally! CHARGE!" Sarah boomed, signaling Silvally to jump above the powerful attack and have his sights set on taking him down. "Right! Now, use Crush Claw!"
"Yeah! Rock 'em, sock 'em, and CRUSH 'EM!" Silvally smirked as he attacked Melmetal with a powerful Crush Claw attack to the face (twice in a row), lowering his Defense Stats by two stages.
"YEOW!" wailed Melmetal.
"Hey! Just chill out, Melmetal!" Ash cried.
"Ash, I should've warned you but since we're rivals, I felt it only natural to let you see how limited you were regarding Melmetal and his move set at hand. Due to his sheer size and weight, the only moves he knows so far are Double Iron Bash and Flash Cannon; they're two obvious choices which made it extremely easy for me and Silvally to counter using speed," Sarah replied matter-of-factly, shocking Ash as he widened his eyes at her before she brought out Silvally's Fighting Type Memory Drive.
"And, this will be the end for him as Silvally and I fight fists with fists just as we'd fight fire with fire and claws with claws! Now, my Silvally, accept your Fighting Type Memory Drive and reemerge as the legendary beast of unbridled fighting fury!"
She threw the Fighting Memory Drive at Silvally who accepted it into his RKS System and became a Fighting Type, making Ash and Pikachu gasp in shock as his head scales, eyes, and tail fin turned a shade of dark orange.
"With one Memory Drive, Silvally changed from a Normal Type to a Fighting Type! That spells bad news for Steel Types as their sturdy and unshakable prowess is no match for the unmatched fighting potential of Fighting Types! Will Ash and Melmetal be able to find a loophole around his and Sarah's trap and take back control of the match?"
"Use Multi-Attack!" Sarah began, having Silvally jump into the air and engulf himself in a dark orange aura as he went to take down Melmetal.
"Melmetal, look out! Use Flash Cannon!" Ash cried in alarm, seeing Melmetal get up and fire his Flash Cannon but missed Silvally in the heat of the moment.
"Missed me!" Silvally shouted as he sliced at Melmetal with his Multi-Attack (charged with Fighting Type energy), the power of his attack causing the evolved Steel Type to become unsteady as he wobbled.
"OH, NO!"
"Hang in there, Melmetal!" screamed Ash and Pikachu, aghast.
"Win it/Hang on, Little Bro!" Torracat and Rowlet encouraged, not wanting Melmetal to lose.
Hearing the cries of his family (with Rowlet's cheer hitting a nerve and making him remember his big brother watching him), Melmetal quickly steadied himself, showing everybody that despite the damage he took, he was not ready to call it quits just yet.
"And, Melmetal shows his incredible strength and durability by standing his ground! This round could go on for a while but already, the sparks are flying between him and Silvally."
"Not bad, Kid. Not bad, at all, but even a beefed-up metalhead such as you has his limits and you're making yourself even more like a moth drawn to an open flame," chuckled Silvally with a smirk, enjoying the battle he was having with Melmetal before he turned to Sarah. "Mother, this first round has been fun but I think it's time for us to put an end to the kid's last chapter in this competition story."
Sarah nodded as she continued the fight with her next order, "Right, here we go! Silvally, close in on Melmetal again and keep up with the assault!"
"We're right in there with you! Use Double Iron Bash!" Ash countered as Melmetal used his signature attack on Silvally yet again only to miss as he dodged him.
"Use Fire Fang!"
Aiming for Melmetal's right arm as he swung at him again, Silvally opened his mouth wide as flames appeared over his fangs and he used Fire Fang, biting down on his right arm hard and holding on to it tightly. Obviously, given that his secondary weakness is focused on Fire Types and Fire Type moves, Melmetal squealed in pain as he used his left fist to hit Silvally and try to make him let go but to no avail.
"You can do it, Melmetal! Use Flash Cannon, huh?" Ash cried out with a grin only to realize something was wrong as he saw Melmetal panting after he failed to make Silvally let go of his right arm.
"I guess you realize this now, Ash! All of those Physical Attacks Silvally and I threw wore Melmetal out, and now, he's left himself wide open for a final attack! Silvally, Spinning Flamethrower Multi-Attack!"
"Spinning what?!"
"No way!" Ash and Pikachu gawked as they watched Silvally let go of Melmetal and jump high into the air before he pointed himself straight down, activated Multi-Attack, and used Flamethrower before spinning himself like a top.
"Incredible! Sarah and Silvally are fighting with fists and fire together as they combine Flamethrower and Multi-Attack to form a flaming Multi-Attack while he spins," Caster gasped as he watched Silvally transform into a flaming tornado infused with Fighting Type energy from Multi-Attack.
"Use Flash Cannon!" Ash countered as Melmetal charged Flash Cannon but was too late to fire as Silvally collided with him and they got lost amid an explosion which covered them in smoke. "Melmetal! Huh?"
When the smoke plume cleared, everybody saw that Silvally was the only one standing tall and unharmed while Melmetal was on the ground, his only eye forming an X as he groaned in defeat (unable to handle the Synthetic Pokémon's Flamethrower and Multi-Attack moves combined).
"Melmetal is unable to battle!" Kukui declared, handing the first round to Sarah and Silvally as the crowd cheered loudly for their princess and her most versatile Pokémon yet.
"And, Ash's Melmetal has gone down! The King of Beasts, Silvally, has triumphed over his powerhouse as our first round between Ash and Sarah goes out with a bang!"
Satisfied with his work, Silvally returned to Sarah as she caressed and hugged him while taking back his Fighting Type Memory Drive.
"How'd I do?" he asked, smiling softly at his human mother.
"You did great, buddy, I'm very proud of you. Go ahead and take five, you deserved it," Sarah smiled back, getting a nod from Silvally as he laid himself down beside her from her left while Ash returned his defeated Steel Type.
"You were great, Melmetal," he praised before he turned to his best friend. "'K, buddy, let's show Sarah how strong we are now."
"Gotcha!" Pikachu smiled knowingly as he took his place on the field.
"And, Ash chooses Pikachu as his second Pokémon for Round 2!"
"Figures, he and Pikachu trust each other that much so it's no wonder why he'll want to go for him next," Sarah chuckled, knowing where their next battle was going before she turned to Blitz (who was still on her right shoulder). "Well, Blitz, it's up to you now. Fight hard for us, especially your parents, Curly, and everyone back at Pikachu Valley."
"Never fear, Mom. I'm here for you and them, always," smiled Blitz knowingly as he took to the field and faced his fellow Mouse Pokémon.
"And, it's Sarah's Pikachu, Blitz, as we're treated this time to a Battle of the Pikachus! Alola vs. Kanto, which Pikachu will reign supreme between them?"
Sarah, Ash, and their Pikachus braced themselves as they watched and waited to see who would make the first move again until Ash decided to take the initiative this time, "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"
Pikachu charged at Blitz with Quick Attack but Blitz remained calm as he smirked and Sarah issued his order to him, "Blitz, go ninja with Double Team!"
"Ha!" Blitz shouted as he flexed and positioned himself, forming a series of clones that encircled a surprised Pikachu, making him stop and look around, wondering which clone was his real counterpart.
"Thunderpunch!"
"Pikachu, dodge and use Thunderbolt!" cried Ash just as the Blitz copies jumped into the air and lunged at Pikachu with Thunderpunch.
Pikachu jumped up just in time and performed one of his most powerful attacks on the clones as Blitz stood strong amongst them, the clones being destroyed as Ash and his partner smirked, thinking they managed to get him. But, to their surprise, Sarah's Pikachu son shook himself and he smirked at their pair as he glowed orange for a moment.
"Huh?!"
"What?! How is it possible?" Ash and Pikachu gawked.
Sarah laughed as she replied, "I thought you and Pikachu would remember by now, Ash! My Blitz has a different ability on him instead of the usual Static!"
"Different ability...…? Ah, Lightning Rod!" Ash gasped in horrified shock, realizing his and Pikachu's blunder too late.
"Now, Blitz, use Volt Tackle plus Dig!"
"Okay! Ready or not, here I come, Pikachu!" smirked Blitz as he charged at the flabbergasted Pikachu with Volt Tackle, sending him tumbling toward Ash before he dug underground.
"Pikachu! Grrr...! Oh, man, why did I have Pikachu attack using Thunderbolt? Volt Tackle's much more powerful now because of Blitz's Lightning Rod ability, I can't fight him and Sarah like this!" Ash growled in self-loathing.
"That was unexpected," Kiawe blinked in surprise.
"What happened? Blitz's Volt Tackle was much more powerful now and he didn't give Pikachu an inch," asked Mallow in confusion.
"Dah! Now, I remember," cried Rotom-Dex in alarm as he recalled Sarah and Race's match with Tapu Koko when Blitz unveiled his new Lightning Rod ability that allowed him to withstand Electric Type attacks and absorb power. "That's Blitz's Lightning Rod ability!"
"Oh, of course! Thunderbolt didn't do any damage to Blitz and instead, it boosted his Special Attack Stats which is why his Volt Tackle became stronger," Sophocles gasped in realization.
"So, that means if Ash uses any Electric Type moves on Blitz, they'll just increase his Special Attack strength and that means Pikachu's left with only two moves to use against him," Lillie realized, growing worried for Ash.
"That's exactly what happened with Hapu and Mudella!" Lana added, also stunned.
"This match between Blitz and Pikachu is one-sided already because of the former's Lightning Rod ability."
"Unless Pikachu and Ash find a way around that, they're trapped between a rock and a hard place," nodded Race and Asha.
"Boy, Sarah thought about her team well, not only thinking about their Types and moves but also considering their abilities based on circumstance. She's directly challenging Ash and his Pokémon and pushing them to their limits in this battle," Kiawe deducted.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail and aim it on the ground!" Ash cried, having Pikachu slam his Iron Tail attack on the ground and forcing Blitz to jump up in response. "Now, use Quick Attack!"
Seeing his chance, Pikachu darted at Blitz with Quick Attack and forced him to the ground, sending him tumbling back to Sarah as he skidded on the field by his back.
"You okay?" Sarah quizzed as Blitz answered by getting back up on his feet.
At that moment, Ash and Pikachu gritted their teeth in frustration as knew they were in a tight spot and they had to come up with a new game plan. Because Blitz knows Lightning Rod and any Electric Type attacks they use won't do any damage on him and boost his Special Attack Stats as a result, that means they're stuck with using Quick Attack and Iron Tail and neither attack is of much use to them given what they've seen. Pikachu, in particular, knew would have to come up with a new plan and that meant having another member of their team take over for him.
"Pikachu, return for now!" Ash decided, knowing what his partner was thinking.
"Got it!" Pikachu agreed, quickly returning to his side as Ash turned to his friends in the audience and spotted Torracat and Rowlet.
Kukui also turned his attention to the two Pokémon and he couldn't help but smile knowingly, realizing that like Sarah, Ash was going to pull off all the stops to prove that he was Alola's best trainer in his own right.
"Hey, Torracat, Rowlet! You want to battle?" he asked his Alola Grass and Fire Starters.
"You bet we do!"
"Definitely!" Torracat and Rowlet grinned.
"Then, come over here, and let's go! Torracat, I choose you!"
This unexpected development got the audience cheering as the match got more interesting with the inclusion of Torracat and Rowlet, the two Alola Starters coming from their spot in the audience and joining Ash and Pikachu with the Fire Cat Pokémon replacing Pikachu as he would be the one to take on Blitz and his Lightning Rod ability instead.
"Well, now, looks like Sarah and Blitz have already got Ash on the ropes and that's forced him to tag Pikachu out and substitute him for Torracat as he and Rowlet are preparing to join in on the fun! But, can Torracat break through Blitz's Lighting Rod ability and turn this match around for Ash?"
"Yeah, that's it, Ash! You, too, Sarah! Now, show us all what the best of Kanto and Alola have to offer with you and your Pokémon's creative battling liberties!" Kukui thought as he smiled proudly, eager to see how the battle changes with Torracat and Rowlet at play.
"Torracat, Ember! Let's go!" Ash began, having his Fire Cat Pokémon make the first move as he shot his Ember attack.
"Come on, Blitz! Thundershock!" Sarah countered as Blitz shot Thundershock at Ember and both made a small explosion as they met.
"Use Flame Charge!"
"Catch him with Electroweb!"
Then, Torracat shot at Blitz with speed and power as he increased his speed with Fire Charge while Blitz cleverly used Electroweb to trap him without warning before he could touch him.
"Now, use Thunderbolt and shock him hard!"
"Use Revenge!"
The crowd cheered louder as they took in the sight before them; before, after Melmetal was defeated and Blitz and Pikachu took the field, the battle was one-sided thanks to the former's Lightning Rod ability and he and Sarah had control of the fight then. But, now, with Torracat substituting for Pikachu, the playing field was leveled again as the determined Fire Type broke free of his Electroweb prison, dodged Thunderbolt, and struck Blitz with Revenge, sending him back to the ground.
"Are you okay, Blitz?" Sarah shouted to her downed partner, seeing him standing back on his feet again with a smirk and giving his human mother a thumbs-up.
"Alright! Now, we're getting somewhere! Torracat, use Flame Charge!"
"You use Volt Charge, Blitz!" Ash and Sarah shouted as their Pokémon lunged at each other with Blitz making another combo attack with Volt Tackle and Wild Charge.
Blitz and Torracat roared and screamed as they poured all of their hearts and souls into their attacks before they soon collided with each other. At that moment, a large explosion was set off, the two Pokémon immediately being thrown back toward their respective trainers before they crashed into the ground.
"Torracat!"
"Blitz, no!"
Sarah and Ash were shocked to find that after they collided, both Torracat and Blitz were knocked out cold. The power of Flame Charge and Volt Charge was so intense that as soon as they met, neither of them had the strength to endure the blast and they were both forced to take it head-on, leaving them battered and bruised as they were unable to battle further.
Noticing this, Kukui looked between them and nodded before he made his announcement, "Both Torracat and Blitz are unable to battle!"
"And, that's all she wrote for those two champions! Torracat and Blitz's Flame Charge and Volt Charge combo attacks have cleaned their clocks out, resulting in a double KO!"
Ash returned Torracat to his Pokeball as the crowd cheered for him and Sarah while he told him, "Thanks a lot, Torracat. Take a good rest, you were great."
Sarah went over to Blitz and gently picked him up before telling him as he woke up, "Thanks, Blitz, I'm very happy with the way you battled today. Your Mom, Dad, Curly, and everyone at Pikachu Valley, even Pikarla and Presley, would be very proud of you."
Blitz gave a pained chuckle as he smiled softly, "Thanks, Mom..."
As Sarah brought Blitz over to Silvally and placed him with the Synthetic Pokémon so he could have a rest, Ash grinned as he was ready to send Rowlet to do battle with another of Sarah's Pokémon. At this point, he was finally beginning to match Sarah despite having to adjust the odds to make them work in his favor but he knew that's what Sarah would've wanted. He even felt that's what Kukui wanted as well since he wanted to see how passionate they and their Pokémon were in their battling skills.
"Okay, we may not have won that one but Torracat managed to get us closer since we no longer have Blitz to worry about. Rowlet, I choose you! Let's win it!" Ash said, now allowing Rowlet to fight Sarah's next Pokémon.
"You're good, Ash. You're the first trainer to ever beat my pride and joy in battle and that's coming from me. Lucky for you, apart from Silvally, I have another contender and friend who's interested to see how much you've improved throughout your time in Alola. I choose you, Keldeo!" Sarah smirked as she brought out the Colt Pokémon, getting knowing smiles out of Cobalion, Virizion, and Terrakion as they watched their former student take to the field.
"Holy smokes! Get a load of this, folks, we have another Mythical Pokémon on the field and it's a member of the legendary Swords of Justice: Keldeo the Colt Pokémon! Legend has it that this special Pokémon was taken in by the Swords of Justice after a war from long ago broke out and it got separated from its parents, taking it upon themselves to train it and teach it how to survive in the wild including how to master its ultimate technique: Secret Sword. Now, in this classic match-up of Water vs. Grass, Rowlet has the Type advantage but as always in Pokémon battles, you never know the outcome of it all until it's over!"
Ash had to grin as he would be facing one of his old friends in battle, "I thought you might have one of your masters battle me. And, ever since Cilan, Iris, and I first met Keldeo in the Unova Region, I've always wanted to battle him. Now, let's see what he can do under your wing!"
"I'd be glad to! Keldeo, start things off with Hydro Pump!" Sarah replied, issuing her first order to Keldeo.
"Alright! Here I come, Ash and Rowlet!" grinned Keldeo as he turned around and lifted his back hooves, shooting Hydro Pump at Rowlet.
"Rowlet, dodge it and use Razor Leaf!" Ash countered, having Rowlet fly up in the air to dodge Hydro Pump and fire Razor Leaf straight at the Colt Pokémon.
"Freeze the leaves with Icy Wind! Then, send them back with Double Kick!"
The Colt Pokémon breathed a chilling breath of Ice Type power as his Icy Wind attack froze all the leaves coming at him. Then, as they were falling to the ground, Keldeo went over to them and used his Double Kick attack to fire the frozen leaves back at the young Alola Grass Starter who didn't have time to dodge as they all managed to hit him. As they were also covered in ice, his leaves struck him back at twice the power once they made contact with him as he cooed in pain.
"Rowlet!" Ash gawked in alarm.
"Whoa, I can't believe it! Keldeo used Icy Wind to only freeze Razor Leaf and use Double Kick to send them back at Rowlet!"
"Rowlet didn't have time to dodge as they were coming at him!" Mallow and Lillie gasped, wincing in pain for Rowlet.
"Amazing!" Lana gasped.
"I knew the Swords of Justice were strong but I didn't expect Keldeo to be that tough thanks to Sarah!"
"She must've trained him well in return for everything he, Virizion, Terrakion, and Cobalion did to help her improve on her fighting including her swordplay. Should've known she'd teach him techniques on how to deal with Flying and Grass Types," Sophocles and Kiawe breathed in awe.
Feeling dazed from the damage he took from his own attack but undeterred, Rowlet shook himself off and cooed with determination, ready to continue fighting (greatly inspired by his little brother during his battle with Silvally).
"Rowlet, can you keep going?" Ash asked, getting a reassuring "I am!" from his Grass Type. "Okay, Seed Bomb! Go!"
As Rowlet used his Seed Bomb attack (the attack itself mainly comprising of a powered-up Everstone that he had found and swallowed sometime ago thinking it was food (preventing him from evolving as a result)), Keldeo watched the attack coming at him as Sarah gave him his next plan of attack.
"Kick it back, now!" she shouted, having Keldeo send the Everstone back at Rowlet as he quickly swallowed it.
"Use Leafage and encircle Keldeo! Don't let him escape!" Seeing what Ash had in mind, Rowlet used his Leafage attack to trap Keldeo and prevent him from escaping, leaving Ash with a big grin on his face as he saw how their latest plan was working out. "I gotcha now, Keldeo, Sarah! Rowlet, Brave Bird!"
"Sorry, Ash, but you've forgotten that Keldeo's a master of deception because of one thing! Keldeo, use your Double Team!" Sarah countered, seeing Keldeo making copies of himself in the process.
Seeing the copies, Rowlet became confused as he tried to pinpoint the real Keldeo. But, because it was too late for him to stop and cancel Brave Bird, he was forced to take out a fake Keldeo and take the full brunt of the attack himself through recoil damage.
"No, Rowlet!"
"Hang on, buddy!" cried Ash and Pikachu, astonished as they saw Rowlet staggering onto his feet, still feeling dazed.
"Ouch! That's gotta hurt, fellas; looks like Rowlet's Brave Bird backfired on him as Keldeo used Double Team to escape his Leafage attack, effectively saving himself from what would've been a super effective move! Sarah may be down a Pokémon right now but she's regaining her ground with Keldeo and it looks like it's back to square one for Ash unless he can find a way out of his latest rut!"
"What's wrong, Ash, starting to slip up after coming across a Mythical Pokémon now? If you want to keep it going for us, Keldeo and I are more than welcome to entertain you!"
"We're waiting~!" Sarah and Keldeo smirked, which made Ash growl in frustration as he realized that Keldeo was much tougher than he had previously imagined.
The battle to declare the Alola Pokémon League Champion rages on between Ash and Sarah! We'll see who's lifted on the wings of victory between them once the excitement ends as the journey continues!