"Be careful, Staryu," Misty warned.
"That Metapod knows Thunder Wave."
"Sha—shi!"
Staryu twisted its forked limbs inward, flexing as if it were showing off muscles.
The battle begins!
"Strike first! Staryu—use Swift!"
"Metapod—use Harden!"
No matter what the opponent did, Ash's strategy was simple:
Boost Defense first.
"Tat-tat-tat!"
Dozens of small golden stars slammed into Metapod's shell, bursting on impact.
The damage was minimal—not even enough to push it back half a step.
"Then use Water Gun!" Misty ordered.
Harden only increased physical defense—it didn't boost special defense.
Staryu tilted forward and fired a thin but focused stream of water straight into Metapod's face.
This time, it worked.
Metapod—and even the floating platform beneath it—were pushed backward across the pool.
"Metapod, use String Shot—defensive formation!"
Metapod shook off the water droplets and spat out a massive amount of white silk.
Pshhh!
Instead of flying forward to bind the target, the silk spread outward midair, rapidly forming a large, flexible web shield.
Metapod hid at the center of the web, its body glowing once again with a metallic sheen.
Defense increased again.
Ash intended to max out Metapod's Defense in one go.
Misty panicked.
If this continued, Metapod's Defense would reach absurd levels.
That silk shield was surprisingly resilient—Staryu's Water Gun couldn't break through it at all.
She immediately switched tactics.
"Staryu—use Rapid Spin!"
Staryu leapt upward, spinning violently and transforming into a razor-sharp projectile.
Within seconds, it shredded the silk shield apart.
But the moment the shield split open—
What lay inside nearly made Staryu panic so hard its water leaked out.
Metapod's mouth was glowing with a concentrated yellow mass of crackling energy.
Electric sparks snapped violently through the air.
Ash's eyes shone. He raised his arm high and shouted:
"Now—Thunder Wave!"
The yellow energy exploded outward, forming a net of electricity at point-blank range.
Staryu had no room to dodge.
ZZZZT!!
Electricity surged through its body.
The type disadvantage made Staryu cry out in pain.
Ash pressed his cap down and delivered the finishing command.
"Finish it—Tackle!"
With its Defense boosted to absurd levels, Metapod charged forward like a tank.
BANG!
It slammed directly into the red gem at the center of Staryu's body.
The impact sent Staryu flying, embedding it straight into the wall with a heavy crash.
Its core gem began flashing.
Beep… beep… beep…
Its energy was depleted.
"Staryu is unable to battle! Metapod wins!"
Daisy announced promptly as the referee.
Ash puffed up proudly, nose practically pointing at the ceiling.
"Well? Misty, you see the power of a future Pokémon Master now?"
"..."
Sweat trickled down Misty's forehead.
This idiot, she thought.
His battle brain really is completely different from his normal one.
Because Metapod couldn't move freely, he forced Staryu to approach instead—
creating the perfect opportunity.
Sharp tactics.
On the sidelines, Brock stared intently at Metapod.
It stood there blankly, completely indifferent to its victory.
…Something felt off.
Normally, a Metapod should evolve after a few days.
But Ash's Metapod was clearly strong enough—its experience should've been more than sufficient.
Yet it stubbornly refused to evolve.
All that premium food wasted, Brock thought bitterly.
From a man with the will of a Pokémon Breeder, no less.
Unable to hold back during the break, he shouted:
"Hey—bro! Where'd you even get that Thunder Wave Metapod?"
Ash replied without thinking:
"A friend gave it to me."
"…Which friend?"
"Not telling."
Brock: "..."
Kid, you're really asking for it today.
But Ash had every reason to be smug.
Because just now—he had finally realized the truth.
A Caterpie, no matter how much it trains,
cannot evolve directly into Rayquaza (as Caterpie).
That Bug Catcher—James—
had definitely been lied to by his so-called "good friend."
The normal evolution line was:
Caterpie → Metapod → Butterfree
That much was obvious.
But—
If a Metapod stayed locked in its cocoon form, refused to evolve, and reached the maximum level—
Then it could transcend and evolve into a sky-soaring dragon:
Rayquaza (as Caterpie).
After all—
As the saying goes:
"Break the cocoon and become a dragon."
Not "break the bug and become a dragon."
Ancient wisdom had already hinted at this truth!
That "friend" who only told half the story was clearly a villain of history.
Misty: "..."
Watching Ash standing there deep in thought—
For some reason, she suddenly felt a powerful urge
to shove his head straight into the pool.
But the battle wasn't over yet.
Her expression hardened as she released her second Pokémon.
A flash of red light—
This time, a larger, purple star-shaped Pokémon appeared.
It looked like two Staryu stacked slightly off-center, its structure far more complex.
"Beep.Starmie, the Mysterious Pokémon.
Water/Psychic type.
Recommendation: mercy killing."
Misty: "???"
What did Water/Psychic ever do to your ancestors?!
"Starmie—go all out!"
she snapped angrily.
"Starr!!"
Starmie raised all four limbs at once, its presence far more imposing than before.
Ash showed no fear.
"Enough talk! Metapod—hit it with the full slow-down combo!"
Metapod immediately spat out a massive amount of sticky silk.
Starmie didn't dodge at all—it took the hit straight to the face.
Misty smiled confidently.
"Useless. Starmie—Rapid Spin!"
WHRRR—!
In an instant, the spinning Starmie shredded all the silk wrapped around it.
"Tch… that's some serious power," Ash muttered.
He waved his arm again.
"Then use Thunder Wave!"
This time, as the electric net rushed forward, Starmie remained calm.
Spinning at extreme speed, it carved a rainbow arc in the air—
And sliced the Thunder Wave cleanly in half.
ZZT!
Without a structure to sustain it, the electricity fizzled into harmless sparks.
"Keep spinning—Rapid Spin!"
Starmie slammed into the immobile Metapod.
Its heavy star points scraped violently against Metapod's shell,
sparks flying as the grating sound echoed through the arena.
Even so—
Metapod's Defense was still incredibly high.
Suddenly, Misty's eyes sharpened.
"Then—Hydro Pump!"
Starmie stopped spinning.
Its central red gem locked directly onto Metapod.
The next instant—
A massive, roaring column of water erupted forward.
BOOOOM!!
Metapod was blasted off its platform like a cannonball,
leaving a long streak across the air.
Its hardened shell smashed into the far wall—
Creating a huge crater.
Thud.
Metapod fell limply to the ground.
"Metapod is unable to battle! Starmie wins!"
Daisy declared.
Then she added cheerfully:
"Oh, and the repair costs will be deducted from your allowance~"
Misty: "..."
What a teammate.
Not only was she useless—she even killed morale.
Are we really related by blood?!
"If I could hear your thoughts,"
Daisy would probably reply,
"Honestly? Not guaranteed."
—
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/FinalArcHero789