Chapter 315: The Divine Metapod Appears!
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander
"Pidgeot!"
Soon, the wail of pain of a Pidgeot echoed from Miyazaki Mountain.
With its double type weakness, the Iron Fist Ability, and the difference in level, even three more Pidgeots probably couldn't have withstood that!
"Pidgeot..."
Ash sighed, gaining a deeper understanding of the caliber of an Elite Four-level Trainer.
During his journey across the eight Gyms, he had already encountered many powerful opponents, from Legendary Pokémon to Koga, the ninja at the Fuchsia Gym, who possessed the strength of an Elite Four member.
But Elite Four Bruno before him was on another level of raw power.
"I still have a long way to go to become a Pokémon Master."
He probably hadn't even made it halfway; this was just the beginning.
Ash's expression quickly regained its determination. He took out a Poké Ball to recall Pidgeot, but unexpectedly, another Poké Ball on his belt suddenly opened, and a red light shot out.
The red light coalesced into the shape of a butterfly-like flying bug, landing near the body of the defeated Pidgeot.
It was the Pink Butterfree, Pidgeot's little admirer.
"Freefree~"
The Pink Butterfree lay before Pidgeot, nudging him with its small claws. Its adorable large eyes curved into arcs, its little face filled with worry.
"Pidge..."
As if smelling the aroma of food nearby, Pidgeot's body twitched, and while unconscious, its tongue lolled out.
It wasn't dead yet.
"A Pink Butterfree? That's quite rare."
Bruno looked at the suddenly-appeared Butterfree and asked with a serious expression:
"Do you intend to continue challenging me? With this Butterfree?"
Hitmonchan also beckoned with its hand.
Ash's eyes lit up. Although the Pink Butterfree was mostly for show, if it could unleash the power of love, perhaps it could have a miraculous effect?
"Freefree~!!"
However, the Pink Butterfree merely shuddered, immediately flying to the other side of Pidgeot's body, hiding and not daring to meet the gazes of Bruno and Hitmonchan.
If even her brave and handsome Pidgeot couldn't win, what the heck could she do?
I'm just here to be cute!
Ash: "..."
Helpless, he had no choice but to ignore the bird and the bug at the edge of the arena and consider his next move.
"Youth, do you wish to continue the challenge? If this is the extent of your strength, then today's battle is over," Bruno said, making a motion to leave.
If the gap was too large, there was no point in the training.
"Yes, one more round!!"
Ash quickly interrupted. How could one round be enough when an Elite Four-level sparring partner had just fallen into his lap for free?
But which one should he send out?
The bird was out. He didn't have his mainstay Starter Pokémon Trio with him. Pikachu was just being a spectator in the back, showing no desire to battle at all.
Gengar would have been an excellent choice, as its Ghost Type would make it hard for the opponent to touch. But then again, most Fighting-type Pokémon carried the move Foresight, which would make it no different from any other Pokémon.
But as soon as Gengar returned to Pallet Town, it had gone off in search of wild female Gengars and hadn't returned to this day.
By the time the flowers bloom in its hometown, who knows if it'll even remember the way back.
"Use Tauros?"
He had brought along the sturdiest of his thirty Tauros, but with the Fighting Type having a Type Advantage over the Normal Type, he felt it probably couldn't even block a single Mach Punch.
"Use that one, Ash."
Suddenly, a calm and steady voice, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, emerged in Ash's mind. Ash instantly felt a great sense of stability.
No matter what earth-shattering crisis he faced, this voice could always calm him down.
"Brother Red, are you sure it's okay? Didn't you say it was still in the experimental stage?" Ash asked doubtfully after a moment.
"It's ready," Red gave a definitive answer.
He had been training this Pokémon for some time now. As he had expected, it was exceptionally talented, having completely mastered everything in that Secret Manual, understanding it to perfection.
Although its level was insufficient, in terms of its Realm alone, it had already reached the Ultimate State.
However, the Ultimate State was not the end.
It was still one final step away from true perfection, the Realm beyond the Ultimate State.
Even Red didn't know what this final step was, but he knew it couldn't be achieved by working in isolation. So, he decided to let it out to battle. Perhaps fighting an Elite Four-level opponent could be the key to breaking through that final barrier.
"Awesome!"
Ash was overjoyed. It seemed Brother Red had no intention to take control, which meant he could still hold the steering wheel. His face immediately flushed with excitement.
"Does Ash have another Secret Weapon?"
"He's not going to borrow Brother Red's Pokémon, is he?"
"That's no fun. Couldn't my Grandmother just do that?"
"Bro, who is this Brother Red?"
Brock and the others discussed amongst themselves.
It wasn't just Brock and his friends; Bruno was also quite curious to see what else Ash had up his sleeve.
After witnessing the power of his Hitmonchan, how could he still wear that "I've got this in the bag" expression?
This youth...
"I choose you!! Rayquaza!!"
Tugging down his hat, Ash suddenly threw a Poké Ball forward.
Those words nearly made Bruno jump out of his skin.
Rayquaza? The Giant Dragon of the Sky from the Hoenn Region???
A red light flashed, and a green Pokémon appeared on the Rocky Area. Its body was curved and emerald green. Etched upon its hard, green skin were black markings that seemed to carry a hint of mystery.
Its eyes were calm and emotionless, unmoved by anything around it. It simply stood there quietly, as immovable as a mountain.
"Pod~"
It was none other than the Bug Pokémon from Kanto—Metapod.
Bruno: "?"
You're calling that Metapod, Rayquaza?
He wanted nothing more than to punch Ash in the face for making him, an Elite Four member, lose his composure. But when he recalled how his full-power My Thunder Bomb had no effect earlier, he restrained himself.
A Metapod?
Hmph, what can a Metapod do? Absolutely nothing.
Although its size was indeed quite large.
A normal Metapod is only between 50 and 70 centimeters, but this one's size was already over a meter tall, about two-thirds of Ash's height.
"A Metapod? What's the use of that?"
Unlike Bruno, Brock and the others knew it inside and out. The Metapod usually just ate, spaced out, and grew; it hadn't been in a battle for a long time.
The only remarkable thing about it was that when Brother Red was out and about, he would often treat the Metapod like a Tumbler Toy, rocking it back and forth.
It could be said that aside from being a handy boomerang, this was a failed Bug Pokémon. Everyone even thought Ash had ruined this Metapod by raising it improperly.
Seeing the youth's confident expression, Bruno asked tentatively:
"Youth, are you sure you want to use this Metapod? Did you send out the wrong one?"
But Ash just gave a confident smile, even beckoning with his finger in a taunting gesture.
"Master Bruno, you can attack whenever you're ready."
He was very confident.
It was no wonder he was so confident, because Ash knew that this Metapod could no longer be called a Metapod.
It was a Divine Metapod!
(end of chapter)