On Empoleon's massive wings, metallic light gleamed as sharp edges spread across the surface.
Facing the incoming Stone Edge, Empoleon swung its wings and effortlessly slashed the rocks apart.
Empoleon not only had a double advantage against Lycanroc—
It also doubly resisted Rock-type attacks!
As Empoleon charged straight toward him, Lycanroc's movements slowed for just a beat.
Despite looking bulky, Empoleon's speed was terrifyingly fast.
In just a blink, it was already in front of Lycanroc!
"Accelerock!"
Ash had no time to think, only to order a quick counterattack.
But would Professor Kukui give him the chance?
Of course not!
Whirlpool!
The moment Kukui's command rang out, Empoleon beat its wings.
Water surged around its body, and at its feet a massive vortex took shape.
Even as Lycanroc tried to lunge forward with Accelerock, his movements froze in place.
"Now's our chance! Metal Claw—finish it!"
With Lycanroc immobilized, the battlefield became Empoleon's stage.
Its gleaming wings swept forward like twin blades.
Before Lycanroc could react, his body was flung high into the air.
Lycanroc's eyes widened in disbelief.
Come on! Isn't this Empoleon way over-tuned?!
The situation was clear—
Lycanroc couldn't keep fighting.
Ash quickly recalled him into his Poké Ball, sparing him from crashing onto the ground and taking more damage.
That was the beauty of a 6v6 full battle.
You never knew what would happen next.
Even though Lycanroc had fallen, he wasn't out for good.
He could return later when the time was right.
Now—
"I choose you!"
[Mallow: So cool! Empoleon is so cool!]
[Misty: Fr, Empoleon is seriously one of the most handsome Pokémon ever!]
Even the Water-type specialists in the audience had stars in their eyes.
Even Wallace couldn't help but agree—though, as Champion, he kept his thoughts to himself.
With looks like that, Empoleon could waltz into a Contest and sweep the entire stage without even trying.
On the battlefield—
Ash hurled out his next Poké Ball.
There was no time to regret Lycanroc's loss.
A green little owl burst out of the light—
Ash's future star, carrying the hopes of Toucannon and Pikipek.
Rowlet!
And to add to his charm, his bird companions had even sewn him a cosplay outfit resembling Decidueye!
Rowlet!
Rowlet flapped his tiny wings gracefully, spinning in the air.
To the audience, though, this looked like nothing but a Stage 1 baby Pokémon.
Could this really take on a fully evolved Empoleon?
"Haha! Rowlet's Grass-type, Empoleon's Water-type! This time, no one can call me the 'Master of Type Disadvantages'!"
Ash puffed out his chest proudly.
The audience: ???
Wait—you actually knew about type matchups?!
But… wasn't Empoleon Water/Steel?
Grass/Flying Rowlet had no advantage at all!
"Ohh, Ash… that's just like you."
Even Professor Kukui couldn't hold back a smile.
Clearly Ash hadn't paid much attention in Trainer School.
Even Empoleon looked exasperated.
Come on, man. Beating up a baby Rowlet? How am I supposed to show my face in Alola after this?
"Since that's the case… Empoleon, Metal Claw!"
Empoleon shot forward like a launched torpedo, wings shining with steel light.
With its wings held before it like twin drill bits, its entire body became a living lance.
Rowlet froze, wide-eyed.
He glanced around—
There was nowhere to hide.
Oh no, I'm toast!
Just as Rowlet was about to throw his wings up in surrender, Ash's voice rang from behind him.
"Rowlet—take to the skies!"
Rowlet couldn't win in a head-on clash of power.
If he was going to score a point here, it had to be through guile.
And Rowlet had one overwhelming advantage:
He could fly!
Rowlet was an owl.
Empoleon was a penguin.
Penguins don't fly.
They just make you spend more coins in gacha.
And so—
The battlefield fell silent in awkwardness.
Empoleon had dashed forward with all his might, only to find… no target.
Of course.
Rowlet was in the air, flapping high above.
Now, with the skies as his domain, Rowlet's nerves vanished.
He became a predator, quietly waiting for his trainer's command.
"Rowlet, Seed Bomb!"
"Empoleon, knock it back with Metal Claw!"
Their voices overlapped, perfectly in sync.
The crowd blinked in surprise.
After all, most didn't know—
Kukui had been Ash's mentor.
Of course they'd think along the same lines.
"Coo!"
Rowlet puffed up his cheeks and spat out a glowing green orb.
But Rowlet's Seed Bomb was… unusual.
Instead of a normal Grass-type energy cluster, it was a literal Everstone!
Wrapped in a yellow glow, it plummeted toward Empoleon like a bomb.
Empoleon had already locked onto it with sharp eyes.
With perfect timing, he swung his shining wings—
BAM!
The impact echoed.
The Seed Bomb was knocked back—
Right toward Rowlet.
And to everyone's shock—
Rowlet opened his beak and swallowed the Everstone back down!
Then, without missing a beat—
"Ptoo!"
He spat it back out as another Seed Bomb!
Empoleon struck it back again.
Rowlet swallowed it again.
Then spat it out.
Back and forth, like a ping-pong rally in midair.
Empoleon! (You're a worthy opponent.)
"Coo~" (You're not bad yourself!)
The audience: Excuse me, why does this battle suddenly feel romantic?!
[Dawn: Wow, they're actually evenly matched!]
[Ruby: Wait—Rowlet's Seed Bomb is… an Everstone?!]
[Misty: No wonder Rowlet never evolved! It's because of that Everstone!]
No one really understood Ash's logic in making his Rowlet swallow an Everstone.
But it was… so very Ash.
Maybe Rowlet himself didn't want to evolve.
After all, not every Pokémon could resist evolution like Bulbasaur.
On the battlefield—
"Rowlet, climb higher!" Ash shouted.
Rowlet caught the Everstone one last time, then flapped his wings to gain altitude.
Empoleon glanced back at Kukui with a sharp cry.
Kukui's mind raced.
Rowlet wasn't strong.
He was probably the weakest in Ash's team.
His earlier win against Decidueye had been pure luck.
Switching Empoleon out now would kill its momentum.
He couldn't afford that.
But watching Rowlet soar upward, Kukui narrowed his eyes.
"Brave Bird, huh?" he muttered.
Ash confirmed it.
"Rowlet! All out—use Brave Bird!"
Rowlet tucked in his wings, his body blazing yellow, turning into a meteor descending from the heavens.
Kukui smirked.
"Empoleon, Whirlpool—aim for Rowlet!"
The audience leaned forward, holding their breath.
Empoleon raised its wings and conjured a tightly spinning water vortex—
smaller than before, but denser, faster.
It hurled the spiral upward, colliding with the falling Brave Bird.
The yellow meteor vanished into blue currents.
Has Rowlet been defeated?
But Ash was grinning.
That didn't look like the face of a losing Trainer.
"Rowlet! Spin against the current!"
That was it.
Whirlpool used centrifugal force from violent rotation to trap foes.
But if you reversed that spin—
Rowlet's body flared with fire-like energy from Brave Bird.
He gritted his beak and spun counterclockwise, pushing against the vortex.
Tiny body.
Huge determination.
And because he was small enough—
He could stay stable inside the raging waters.
The blue vortex began to warp, turning yellow, then crimson under the blazing spin.
Steam hissed as water evaporated.
The reversed currents turned the attack back toward Empoleon!
A Crimson Drill Brave Bird!
The vortex-turned-drill crashed down, surging with unstoppable momentum.
"Impressive, Ash! But my Empoleon won't fall so easily! Metal Claw—push it back!"
Empoleon crossed his gleaming steel wings before him, bracing for impact.
Ash and Kukui shouted in unison:
"Now!!!"
The drill met the steel blades—
CLANG!
The sound of metal rang across the battlefield.
To everyone's shock—
Empoleon's feet slid backward, step by step.
What?!
How did Rowlet—tiny, unevolved Rowlet—have this much strength?!
[Steven: Allow me to explain. Brave Bird is usually a low-flight charge. But Ash ordered Rowlet to dive from high altitude, greatly boosting its power. And thanks to Kukui's Whirlpool, the centrifugal force enhanced the spin even further. At Devon Corp, we use a similar principle in our centrifugal rockets.]
[Gardenia: So basically… Professor Kukui tripped himself up? If Empoleon hadn't used Whirlpool, Rowlet never would've gained this much power.]
[Gary: Yeah right! No way Ash actually understood centrifugal force. That had to be dumb luck!]
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