Episode 174: Brawl-Stars

Ash, Brock, and Brenda have gathered outside of the Cosmic Conference stadium. Ash has done it! He's become the first-place finisher of the Tenno League Cosmic Conference! But, if you thought that would be the end of his time at the Cosmic Conference, then you'd be wrong. Having impressed even the Tenno Champion, Galileo, Ash now has his hardest battle yet ahead of him.

Brenda exclaims, "That battle was amazing, Ash! I can't believe you won it all!"

Brock nods. "I'm really proud of you, Ash. You've come such a long way from that kid with who brought a little electric mouse Pokémon to battle against my Rock and Ground-Types. Sometimes I can't believe you're that same trainer who walked completely unprepared into my gym."

Ash laughs at the memory. "Sometimes, I can't believe it either. Everything I've done since then has brought me to this point." He shakes his head in disbelief. "I really did do it, didn't I?"

"Pik!"

Ash rubs Pikachu's head. "We really did do it."

"Chu!"

Brenda adds, "And tonight you'll do even more when you beat Galileo!"

Ash grins. "As much as I'd love that, I'm not as certain as you."

Brenda looks shocked. "Ash? Since when are you so humble?"

Ash laughs. "I'm not trying to be humble. It's just that…" He trails off as he tries to explain his thoughts. "I've battled champions before. And I've seen them in battles against other powerful trainers. They're always on a whole different level. It's impossible to believe how powerful they are until you see it firsthand. And remember, we've seen Galileo battle. He completely defeated Ryu with almost no effort."

Brenda nods. "I guess you're right So, you don't think you can win?"

Ash laughs. "Hey! Don't put words in my mouth! I never said that. It's just that if I want to win, I have my work cut out for me. I have to put absolutely everything I have into the battle…" This causes him to pause as he considers something. "Everything I have…"

Brock is about to say a comment on Ash's perspective, when a Nurse Joy runs by. Instantly distracted, Brock runs off after her and shouts, "Hey! Nurse Joy! Did I ever tell you that I'm the best friend of the Cosmic Conference winner?" He's quickly out of sight.

But as he leaves, he is replaced by Goh who runs in with Scorbunny. "Wow, Ash! That battle was amazing! One of the best I've seen!"

Ash smiles. "Thanks, Goh."

"I just wish I could stick around to watch your battle tonight."

Ash is taken aback. "You're not going to stay to watch tonight?"

Goh shakes his head. "Sorry, Ash. Since Professor Cerise didn't know about the battle tonight, he already booked me a ticket to return to Kanto for today. But hey, you don't need me here to cheer you on. I know you can do it. And I'll be watching you on TV for sure."

Ash nods. "Thanks for coming out, Goh. It was great to see you again."

Goh nods back. "You too, Ash. But it won't be long before we see each other again, right? Once you're done in Tenno, you're going to continue as a research fellow and enter the World Coronation Series, right?"

Ash nods. "You can count on it. Bye for now, Goh."

Goh is about to return the goodbye, when he spots a pile of rocks starting to move nearby. "Is that a Pokémon!?"

The pile of rocks, covered in moss, stack up on top of each other in a precariously balanced fashion to form a cairn. The topmost stone has two eyes on it, making it appear similar to the Pokémon Mosstone. It's actually the evolution of Mosstone, Bryolith. The Pokémon moves by using its bottommost stone like a ball and rolling on it.

Goh chases after it as he pulls a Pokéball out. "Another Tenno Pokémon! Great!" Scorbunny chases after him.

Ash chuckles, then realizes, "Oh, I guess Goh isn't going to have a chance to meet Brock. That's too bad."

Brenda asks, "So, what are you going to do now, Ash?"

Ash grins as he holds a fist up. "If I'm really going to put everything into this battle then I've got some phone calls to make and favors to call in."

Who's That Pokémon!?

It is said to have dwelled on land before. However, this Pokémon is thought to have returned to water because the leaf on its head grew large and heavy. It now lives by floating atop the water.

Night has fallen, and Ash and Galileo have taken their spots on the battlefield. The night sky is absolutely breathtaking. The Moon has yet to rise, allowing the stars to twinkle at their brightest. The Milky Way shines brightly as a path of light across the sky.

The beauty of the night is amplified by the battlefield that Galileo chose for the fight. The entire floor is built from polished mirror-like panels, reflecting the sky so that the stars can be seen whether looking up or down. Another unique feature of the setting is the various floating square platforms above the battleground. They are transparent, so as to not obscure the view of the stars.

In the audience, Team Rocket is once again vending wares, but this time it seems that they have an entirely Ash-based stock, such as replicas of his various hats, toys based on his various Pokémon, T-shirts with phrases such as "Gotta Ketchum All!" and foam fingers that say, "I Choose You!" James calls, "Twerp-enirs! Get your officially licensed Twerp-enirs!"

One girl calls, "Oh, give me a Pikachu plushie please!"

Jessie rushes over to her and hands her a stuffed Pikachu.

The girl hugs it tightly. "It's so cute! I love it!"

Jessie whispers mischievously, "Don't let its cuteness fool you, that's thing's a monster. You wouldn't find it cute if it electrocuted you and sent you blasting off hundreds of times."

"Wobbuffet!"

The girl slowly backs away.

As Jessie returns chuckling, Meowth comments, "This was a great idea. Who else is more qualified to sell Twerp-based merchandise than us? We have the inside scoop. And with the Twerp winning the Cosmic Conference, this stuff is selling like hotcakes."

James grins as he comments, "Especially the Snorlax hotcakes!" He holds up a plate of pancakes shaped like Snorlax.

Down on the battlefield, Galileo is using his handheld telescope to observe the stars. After a moment, he telescopes it in and pockets it. "Ash, battling beneath the stars is an old Tenno tradition. It is one that I uphold in every one of my battles. You should know, I only challenge to battle those who I think can create a battle that will stand out, even against nature's greatest beauty. Will you prove me right? Will this be a battle worthy of being written in the stars?"

Ash nods with fierce determination. "I'm going to show you the greatest battle I've ever had."

Galileo nods back. "Then, I trust that you will not let me down. Let us begin this battle. This Pokémon shall be your first opponent. Reach for the stars!" He throws a Pokéball and a Shamoon appears. The Pokémon is wearing a mask representing the wanning gibbous lunar phase, with most of the mask showing the silver face of the Moon, except for a sliver of black on the right side.

Ash grins as he pulls out his own Pokéball. "And this one will be yours! Infernape, I choose you!"

"Fernaaaaape!"

Team Rocket instantly freeze mid-sale. They all ask together, "Little Chimmy!?" They force three people out of their seats to sit down themselves.

Elsewhere in the audience, Brock nods to show his approval. "Starting off with one of his most powerful Pokémon. Ash really is committed to doing his best."

Galileo thrusts an arm forward as he kicks off the battle by ordering, "Shamoon, use Cosmic Blast!" A swirl of star-like points of light are absorbed into Shamoon, creating a silvery aura, which then explodes out from its body in a shockwave of twinkling cosmic energy.

Ash promptly shouts, "Flare Blitz!"

"Infeeeeeernape!" Infernape cloaks itself in white-hot flames and charges forward, using the flames as protection as it passes through the Cosmic Blast.

Galileo orders, "Light on your feet, Shamoon!"

"Sha sha moon!" Shamoon bounces from foot to foot in a rhythmic dancing-like motion. When Infernape closes in on it, it nimbly sidesteps to avoid the charge.

Ash orders, "Fire Punch!" With adept control over its movement, Infernape quickly skids to a halt as it cancels the Flare Blitz, pivots about, and lunges at Shamoon from behind to attack with a burning fist.

But Shamoon maintains its agility and easily tilts its head to the side to avoid the attack. Infernape throws a punch with its other hand, but Shamoon just leans away from it as well. This seems to frustrate Infernape.

"Fernaaaape!" It throws a flurry of punches with both hands, but Shamoon moves its body to avoid each and every one, without even turning around to look at Infernape.

Meowth shouts, "No fair! It's toying with Infernape!"

James says with sadness, "This is just demeaning…"

Galileo at last orders, "Dark Pulse!"

Shamoon spins about on one foot and attacks with Dark Pulse directly into Infernape's face. The pointblank attack is enough to send Infernape tumbling back. It slides across the polished surface of the floor.

Galileo follows, "Lunatic Dance!"

"Shamooooon!" Shamoon jumps and performs a backflip in order to land on one of the floating platforms. It begins to dance to an unheard beat, but only for a few moments before a rhythmic drumbeat begins to sound in time with its steps. "Sha sha moon, sha sha moon, sha sha moon!" As it dances, an ethereal gibbous Moon to match its mask manifests behinds it, and from it, streams of energy rip out, also in cadence with the dance. They leave silvery trails as they travel toward Infernape

Ash shouts, "Infernape! Get up and use Flamethrower to repel it all!"

"Fernaaaaaaape!" Infernape musters the strongest flames it can to attack each of the incoming energy streams. For the first few, it's able to put a stop before they get to close, but each new stream makes it just a little closer to Infernape. It's soon clear that there's no way Infernape can keep up with the onslaught.

As Ash realizes this, he changes his strategy and orders, "Add a spin!"

Infernape starts a continuous Flamethrower as it twists about on the floor, creating a whirling wall of Flamethrower about it, which repels the incoming attacks.

Brenda cheers, "That's the Counter Shield!"

But even with the Counter Shield technique, it looks like only a matter of time until one of the moonlight streams makes it through to hit Infernape.

Ash quickly realizes this too. "Turn your fire to Shamoon!"

Brenda gasps. "But Infernape will be hit for sure!"

"Infernaaaaaaaape!" Infernape quickly stands back up without stopping the Flamethrower and changes its aim to attack the dancing Shamoon. Almost as soon as it stops trying to intercept the Lunatic Dance streams, four of them converge on Infernape and strike consecutively.

But, at the same time, Shamoon, absorbed in its dance, is struck by Infernape's Flamethrower and flung off the panel.

Brock slowly nods. "Ash knew Infernape would take the hit but decided it would be worth it to manage his first hit against Shamoon. It's unfortunate, but necessary."

Infernape, looking scraped up, stands back up and rubs at its face briefly. Ash declares, "Get in there fast, Infernape! Mach Punch while it's still down!"

"Feeeeernape!" With a glowing blue fist, Infernape lunges forward so fast, it becomes a blur.

Shamoon is just getting up from its fall. Galileo quickly commands, "Cosmic Blast!" Shamoon is gathering energy as Infernape lands a punch in its stomach. Shamoon is flung back by the force of the attack, but as it flies back, it unleashes the Cosmic Blast.

Infernape, having fully committed to the Mach Punch, has no chance to dodge or counter the blast and is caught in it. Now both Pokémon are forced back in opposite directions, the polished floor adding to their movement as they tumble.

Ash orders, "Infernape, get control and use Flare Blitz!"

"Fernape!" Infernape thrusts its arms down, redirecting its momentum upwards, where it kicks off from a panel and now hurtles towards Shamoon. It becomes cloaked once again in harsh white flames.

"Shamoon, use Moonblast!" Shamoon transforms its tumble into a cartwheel and uprights itself. As it does, it summons another phantom Moon, this time full. From the Moon, an orb of pink and silver light is launched at the incoming Infernape. The attack explodes on contact, and the Flare Blitz is interrupted, flinging Infernape away.

Brenda observes, "Ash is playing this way too risky, even for his style. He keeps overcommitting and leaving Infernape open for attacks."

Brenda's comment makes Brock realize something. "I see what he's going for. You're right, he is allowing Infernape to take damage."

Galileo follows, "Now use Dark Pulse!"

"Shamooooon!" Shamoon raises its arms and flings the beam of dark energy rings at Infernape, hitting the Pokémon while it's still down.

When the smoke from the resulting blast clears, Infernape is looking incredibly beat up.

Jessie whimpers, "Chimmy… Are you okay…?"

Ash declares, "Galileo, you have yet to see even a fraction of Infernape's real power! Are you ready Infernape!?"

Infernape slowly puts in the effort to stand back up. Its eyes are clenched shut. Once it's standing again, its eyes snap open to reveal that they're glowing red. "Infernaaaaaaaaaaaaaape!" A burning red aura surrounds Infernape's entire body, and a massive red column of fire explodes upwards from the flames atop its head. This column is so massive, that it extends well above the stadium's height and transforms the night into day.

Galileo raises a brow. "What's this?"

Brenda gasps, "What is that!?"

Brock grins. "That is Infernape's true power. That's Blaze."

Brenda looks to Brock critically. "Blaze? As in the ability? No way. Blaze doesn't do that!"

"Infernape's does. It's its special power. This is no small part of why Infernape is one of Ash's strongest Pokémon."

Jessie chants in cheer, "Here comes the fire, it's time to amaze, Infernape's burning, it's ready to Blaze!"

James continues, "Fists like fury, flames so bright, Infernape's power will win this fight!"

Meowth goes on, "With a spark and a roar, it's heating the floor, Infernape's got you—you can't ignore!"

They all cheer together, "So feel the heat, don't try to run, Infernape's blaze is second to none! Go, Infernape!"

"Wobbuffet!"

Deciding not to take any risks, Galileo quickly orders, "Lunatic Dance! Don't let Infernape get close!"

Shamoon leaps to the platform above it once again for another dance. Quickly, it's sending streams of lunar energy at Infernape again.

Although the column of flames has died down, Infernape's fire still burns larger, hotter, and brighter than normal. Ash orders, "Block them with Fire Punch!"

"Infeeernape!" With two burning fists and movement barely visible to the eye, Infernape uses Fire Punch after Fire Punch to completely negate the first wave of the Lunatic Dance's onslaught. This time, it does so with ease.

Once Ash notices the slightest break in the attack, he orders, "Flare Blitz! Go!"

Infernape propels itself forward like a rocket, the most intense flames yet cloaking its entire body. It completely ignores the strikes of the Lunatic Dance as it crashes straight through them. Shamoon attempts to pick up the pace of its dance, but even the increased frequency of attacks does nothing. Infernape crashes into Shamoon, creating a massive explosion.

As Shamoon tumbles back, Galileo orders, "Dark Pulse!" Even while moving uncontrollably, it manages to fire a Dark Pulse at Infernape.

Ash counters, "Flamethrower!" From its perch where Shamoon once stood, Infernape spits a blindingly intense stream of flames at Shamoon, which is momentarily halted by the Dark Pulse, until it overpowers the attack and continues on to strike Shamoon unhindered.

Shamoon attempts to roll out of the way and partially manages. Galileo shouts, "Moonblast!" Shamoon, despite the damage starting to rack up, quickly stands back up and summons the phantom Moon to power its attack.

Ash swings a punch of his own as he shouts, "Mach Punch!" Infernape punches straight through the lunar orb and lands its punch directly on Shamoon.

"Sha!" Shamoon's legs give out underneath it and it falls to the floor.

"Shamoon is unable to battle!"

Ash says to himself in disbelief, "We beat a Champion's Pokémon…"

Brenda leaps up and cheers, "Yeah! Ash takes the early lead!"

Team Rocket all erupt in cheer, "That's our Little Chimmy!" James is crying tears of pride and joy. They stand back up and pull out their merchandise. They all press a button on the side of their packs, causing something to flip and swap all their regular merchandise with Infernape toys.

Meowth calls, "Come get your Infernape action figures!" There's an immediate clamor to buy the new product.

Somewhere else in the world, Paul and his Electivire have interrupted their training to look at a TV broadcasting the match. Paul mutters under his breath, "Not so pathetic after all."

Electivire hears this and chuckles. "Vire." They refocus on their efforts.

It's Lotad!

Back at the stadium, Infernape is firing off Flamethrower after Flamethrower into the sky in celebration.

As Galileo recalls Shamoon, he says, "Most impressive, Ash. Your Infernape has power the likes of which I've never seen before. Truly astronomical. And the fact that you can control this power. Incredible." He pulls out his next Pokéball. "Reach for the stars, Galapaglobe!"

The incredibly massive and bulky world turtle Pokémon slams onto the ground after emerging from the Pokéball. It alone takes up a large chunk of the battlefield.

Ash grins. "You hear that, Infernape? We just impressed a Champion. Let's show him some more! Use Fire Punch!"

"Feeeeeernape!" Infernape leaps at the massive target ahead of it to attack with a flaming fist.

Galileo orders with composure, "Use Earth Shatter!"

Despite its bulk, Galapaglobe leaps up. "Glooooooooobe!" It uses one of its fins to slam Infernape back down into the ground. Then, when Galapaglobe lands back on the ground, the very ground beneath it is ripped open by the force of its weight. A fissure continues to form and moves outwards until it opens beneath Infernape. Infernape falls into the crack in the ground, which is now quickly filling with water.

Ash shouts in worry, "Infernape! Get out of there!"

But before it can try anything like that, it's forcefully ejected by something beneath it. When it lands back on the ground, it's massive fire dies out and the burning aura disappears.

"Infernape is unable to battle!"

Brock explains, "Not only is Earth Shatter an incredibly powerful move that only Galapaglobe can use, but it's both Ground and Water-Type. That means a Fire-Type like Infernape took massive damage from it. Galileo made the right choice on Pokémon to switch in to."

Brenda sighs. "I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise, coming from a Champion…"

Jessie, James, and Meowth have all taken a pause from selling to their throngs of customers to offer the fallen Infernape a salute.

Ash recalls Infernape. "Thanks for all your hard work. Because of you, we're already further in this battle than I feared we would make it." He puts away the Pokéball and pulls out his next. He comments, "With a Pokémon that big and strong, we're going to need another big and strong Pokémon to withstand it. Melmetal, I choose you!"

Melmetal appears and throws several punches with its stretchy limbs to warm up. "Mel! Metal!"

Brenda grins excitedly. "And keeping up his theme of powerful Pokémon, Ash has brought an actual Legendary Pokémon to this battle. I've been wanting to see it battle ever since he showed it to Gary that one time."

Brock nods. "I'll admit I've been curious as well. For Ash to actually have a Mythical Pokémon on his team is something else."

The battlefield is undergoing some sort of self-repair, and the fissure opened by Galapaglobe is closing, returning everything to its pristine state of reflections.

Ash orders, "Okay, Melmetal, let's hit it with your Double Iron Bash!"

"Melmetal!" Melmetal spins about into a blur of motion, then suddenly stops, allowing the momentum to carry its heavy yet stretchable arm directly at Galapaglobe.

Galileo orders, "Block it!" Galapaglobe raises its front fin and uses its impressive bulk to completely block the attack.

But then Melmetal pulls the arm back and uses the momentum of the return to go back into a spin, then launches its other arm at Galapaglobe. This time, things happen much quicker and Galapaglobe and Galileo don't have a chance to properly respond. The lug nut fist crashes into Galapaglobe with enough power to force it to skid backwards.

But even as it skids, Galileo orders, "Use Mud Bomb!"

"Glooooobe!" While still skidding, Galapaglobe launches a massive barrage of mud balls at Melmetal.

Ash orders, "Protect!"

"Metal!" Melmetal crosses its arms and summons a blue barrier that blocks all of the attack.

Galileo follows, "Now Heavy Slam!"

"Lapaaaaaglooooobe!" Galapaglobe pounds its fins into the ground, giving it a tremendous jump, despite its size. As it falls towards Melmetal, a metallic aura manifests around its underside.

Ash orders, "Flash Cannon, go!"

"Metaaaaal!" Melmetal fires an impressive beam of silvery light from its eye at the incoming Pokémon, but the attack seems to do little to stop the plummeting turtle Pokémon. Instead, it keeps on falling into it and crashes down on top of Melmetal.

Brenda winces. "All that weight piled up on top of Melmetal… Can it really withstand it…?"

Ash, remaining mostly calm, calls out, "Melmetal! If you can hear me, you need to use Superpower!"

There's a moment where nothing happens, then Galapaglobe's eyes go wide as it feels something strange. Slowly, it begins to be lifted off the ground. As such a massive Pokémon, it is not used to such things. It looks around with some panic. "Globe!?"

From beneath its belly, Melmetal can be seen in a kneeling position, pushing up with all its strength. It glows with a white aura and its metallic muscles are bulging. After another moment, Melmetal finds a new reserve of strength and suddenly lifts Galapaglobe all the way up as it moves into a standing position. "Mel metaaaaaaal!" It stands triumphantly as it holds Galapaglobe high in the air above its head.

Galileo gasps. "Incredible raw strength!"

Ash shouts, "Throw it!"

"Meeeeeel!" Melmetal uses both arms to hurl Galapaglobe forward. Immediately after, the Pokémon flexes its muscles in a show of pride.

But Galileo quickly gets over his astonishment and orders, "Use it to our advantage! Earth Shatter!"

"Gloooooooobe!" Galapaglobe takes control of its fall and plows into the ground in order to create a fissure that stretches towards Melmetal.

Ash interrupts Melmetal's flexing by ordering, "Melmetal! Don't let yourself fall into that fissure!"

"Mel?" Melmetal freezes mid-pose to look ahead and see the fissure opening towards it. It instantly gets serious and flings both of its arms out in opposite directions as the crack opens up beneath it.

There are gasps across the audience as they realize that Melmetal has stretched out its arms as it fell and embedded each of its lug nut hands into opposite walls of the fissure, suspending itself above the bottom as well as the water filling it.

"Now let's get out of there, Melmetal!"

"Mel mel metaaal!" Melmetal uses the elasticity of its arms like a slingshot and propels itself up into the air as the projectile.

"Now Flash Cannon!"

"Metaaaaaaaaal!" From the air, Melmetal fires another explosive beam of light. Galapaglobe and Galileo are caught off guard and the attack lands. The beam grazes across Galapaglobe's shell. Melmetal lands on the ground.

As it does, Ash thrusts out an arm and orders, "Use Superpower to tip it over!"

"Melmetaaaaal!" Melmetal breaks out in a run towards the momentarily stunned Galapaglobe. As it runs, it becomes cloaked in a white aura and its muscles bulge out. It jams its hands underneath Galapaglobe's shell, and with great grunt of effort, it uses its incredible strength to lift the Pokémon's side up and flip it entirely over onto its back.

"Galaaaaaapa!" Galapaglobe struggles to upright itself.

Ash nods. "Now, while it's down, is the perfect time for my first surprise of the night!" He pulls something out of his pocket and slips it onto his wrist.

Brenda squints as she asks, "Is that what I think it is?"

Brock nods excitedly. "It is. It's a Z-Ring! We're about to see a Z-Move!"

Ash brandishes his Z-Power Ring on his wrist. Slotted into it is a silver Z-Crystal. Ash crosses his arms as the crystal begins to glow. Melmetal mimics his movements and also crosses its arms. In perfect sync, both of them put both hands out in front of them, with one over the other. Then they punch their fists together twice, then thrust them straight forward on either side of their bodies. An intense silver aura suddenly encompasses Ash and quickly spreads to Melmetal. Ash shouts, "Let's show them our full power! Use Corkscrew Crash!"

"Meeeeeelmetaaaaaaaaaal!" Melmetal leaps into the air as it begins to twist about. Quickly, its entire body transforms into a massive glowing drill.

Galapaglobe has just managed to upright itself. Galileo shouts, "Block it!"

"Glooobe!" Galapaglobe raises both of its fins to shield itself from the Z-Move.

Melmetal collides into the upraised fins and keeps on drilling. Within moments, the fins are forced away and Melmetal plows into Galapaglobe's body. The massive Pokémon is sent tumbling backwards by the impact. Melmetal lands in a dramatic pose after coming out from the Z-Move, as Galapaglobe crashes into the ground behind it.

"Galapaglobe is unable to battle!"

"Metal!" Melmetal begins flexing its muscles and posing again.

From his house in Alola, Professor Kukui is watching the match on TV with Rowlet, Incineroar, and Lycanroc. Kukui grins broadly, "Way to go, Ash. You just keep your Lock On, and no one can stop you."

Rowlet, looking at the posing Melmetal, happily hoots, "Row!"

Back in the stadium, Brenda says with excitement, "That's two of Galileo's Pokémon down. Does Ash actually have a shot at winning this?"

Brock comments, "Ash is on the top of his game right now. I don't know if I've ever seen him battle on this level before. If he can keep it up, then just maybe…"

As Galileo recalls Galapaglobe, he says, "I should thank you for the opportunity. I've never faced off against a Z-Move before. It is truly a power worthy of its reputation."

Ash grins. "I used them a lot in the Alola Region. Since I was getting Melmetal over here from Alola anyways, I thought it would be worth it to get my Z-Ring back too."

"And I'm glad you did." He pulls out his next Pokéball. "Now, let's see if this Pokémon can melt through Melmetal's defenses. "Reach for the stars, Gigastar!"

"Gigaaaaas!" The red giant star Pokémon, looking old and wise, appears on the field.

"Gigastar, use Overheat!"

"Gigastaaaaaar!" An explosive burst of superheated flames is unleashed in the direction of Melmetal.

Ash shouts, "Protect!"

Melmetal raises its arms and summons a barrier. "Mel!"

Galileo asserts, "Keep the flames coming!"

"Gigaaas!" Gigastar pumps even more energy into the attack. Even though the flames are parted by the barrier, Melmetal quickly begins to sweat beneath it.

Brock shakes his head in amazement. "Overheat is an incredibly taxing attack. To be able to keep it up for this long is an incredible show of both power and skill."

Another few seconds pass, and Melmetal can't do it any longer. The barrier drops and the flames envelope it. "Metal!"

Ash quickly shouts, "Melmetal, use Double Iron Bash!" Melmetal, even beneath the scorching heat of the flames, begins to spin. Its rapid movement redirects much of the fire, causing it to spin about with it.

"Metaaaaaal!" It launches its first fist.

Galileo confidently and calmly orders, "Don't stop the Overheat."

Just as Melmetal's fist is about to reach Gigastar, it stops just short, as Melmetal collapses to the ground. The moment it stopped spinning to throw its punch, the flames had engulfed it once more, and it proved to be too much.

Ash shakes his head. "Dang. That gamble didn't pay off. Sorry, Melmetal." He recalls it. While putting away the Pokéball, he also repockets the Z-Ring. His next Pokéball comes out. "You're up next, Greninja!"

"Greniiin!" Greninja appears with a flourishing ninja pose."

Galileo smiles. "After watching your battle against the Guardian, I was hoping to face this Pokémon."

Brenda comments, "With that Ash lookalike form Greninja has, it has to be one of Ash's strongest Pokémon! He's pulling out all the stops!"

Brock nods in agreement, but there is hesitation on his face. "However, unlike Melmetal, which Galileo never saw battle, and Infernape, which didn't activate Blaze in its battle, Galileo has seen Greninja. Ash may not have as big of an advantage on this one."

Ash declares, "No sense in wasting time! Let's do this, Greninja!"

"Greniiiiinjaaaa!" Ash and Greninja both adopt the same stance where they hold their right arms into the air. In their mindscape, their phantom forms move in to overlay with each other.

"Gigastar, Lightray Pulse!"

In the black void, Greninja stumbles back, and both of them are ripped from their connected realm. Ash gasps. "Huh!?"

Galileo laughs. "I saw your trick before, and how powerful it made Greninja. I may want to battle against this Bond Phenomenon, but it would be unwise of me to allow you to transform unchallenged."

Ash grimaces as he glances towards Greninja, who's getting up after being knocked over by the super effective Light-Type attack. He clenches his fists as he thinks in frustration, We need to activate the Bond Phenomenon if we want any hope of winning. He looks up towards Galileo and Gigastar. We've done so well this entire battle. This can't be where we stumble…

The Narrator chimes in, Ash's battle against Galileo is going better than anyone could have expected, but now he's hit his first big snag in the road. Greninja has incredible power that could be a match for the Tenno Champion's Pokémon, but only if they can get enough time to activate the Bond Phenomenon. Will it happen? Or is this where Ash loses his momentum and the rest of the battle? Stay tuned and find out.

To Be Continued…