"Drapion!"
In the monitoring room, the examiners' faces were tense.
No one expected Ethan to run straight into the strongest Pokémon in the entire Secret Kingdom.
However, Ethan's route passed directly through that zone, so he was bound to encounter the Drapion located in the center of the Secret Kingdom. Surprising, yet also somewhat predictable.
"If his team were in top condition, he might still have a chance. But now... probably only Meltan and Slowking are still at full strength."
The examiners frowned. Although every Pokémon in the Secret Kingdom was categorized by safety levels—and Ethan was not weak—his physical safety was not at risk. What was almost certain was that he would fail the test.
At that moment, inside the black thicket...
Ethan was facing off from a distance against the Drapion that had suddenly appeared.
Drapion, a dual Poison/Dark-type Pokémon, had a body covered in dark purple plates, with massive and razor-sharp pincers on its head. Its tail stinger glowed with a violet sheen—clearly saturated with venom.
A normal Drapion was already over a meter tall, but this one exceeded three meters. Combined with its aggressive appearance, the whole scene was simply terrifying.
"The so-called 'sand devil,' Drapion?"
The corner of Ethan's mouth lifted slightly as he recalled the Pokédex entry.
Right after using the Desert Terrain tactic, he ran into the sand devil. It almost felt like fate. And having a good Drapion wouldn't be a bad idea: he happened to be lacking a Poison-type.
"Too bad. Pokémon inside the island can't be captured, otherwise this Drapion would be an extremely valuable catch."
Ethan shook his head and his expression became solemn. Since it had come to this, he had no choice but to fight.
"CHHAA!"
Drapion stared at the intruder in its territory with bloodthirsty eyes. Its sharp fangs clacked, and its pincers twitched, as if it were already imagining tearing Ethan apart.
"Seriously... the Pokémon in this Secret Kingdom really are cruel."
Ethan felt a chill and stepped back, allowing Slowking to cover his flank.
Then he sent Meltan into battle. Against a Poison-type Pokémon, Meltan's Steel typing held a massive advantage.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!!
In the next instant, Drapion opened its mouth and fired a burst of Poison Sting directly at Ethan.
Its speed was extremely high, and the killing intent was obvious. It was an experienced predator, used to striking with lethal force.
Meltan rose and used Acid Armor, turning its body into a sort of shield. Then it reinforced itself with Harden and Iron Defense.
Clang, clang, clang.
The needles struck, but were completely blocked. With three defensive moves and Meltan's impressive steel body, they didn't even leave a mark.
"Go, use Air Slash!"
Hearing the command, Meltan's body changed rapidly, transforming into a long sword.
Drapion, seeing its ambush fail, didn't stay hidden. With its huge pincers—capable of crushing metal—it charged straight in: those pincers were its greatest weapons.
Meltan didn't hesitate. Its body vibrated and vanished, reappearing beside Drapion, slashing fiercely.
Shhh!
The steel blade, boosted by the speed of magnetic levitation, was extraordinarily sharp. Even Drapion couldn't ignore it. Even so, its armor was so durable that the blade only left a pale streak; it didn't manage to break it.
"CHHAA!"
Drapion, who had already regarded Ethan as prey, roared furiously—how could that little creature have hurt it?
It was the absolute ruler of that Secret Kingdom. Except for a few massive Pokémon groups, no one dared provoke it.
And now it had been wounded.
With a skyward howl, both pincers clashed together thunderously, ready to rip its enemies apart.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
In the air, Meltan—still in sword form—began moving with increasing speed, leaving behind afterimages and bursts of impact.
"The armor is tough... but how long can it hold?"
Ethan smiled slightly.
Meltan rose into the sky, its body rippling and transforming again—this time into a long spear aimed at Drapion.
"Go, Meltan—ELECTROMAGNETIC RAIL CANNON!"
With the command, electricity wrapped around the metallic spear. Sparks and crackles rang through the air; electric arcs spread in all directions as terrifying energy condensed.
Swoom!
In an instant, the spear vibrated violently and Meltan vanished, turning into a streak of light that tore across the sky like a meteor or a beam of energy.
Drapion lifted its pincers the moment it sensed the attack. But before the acceleration of an electromagnetically propelled spear, its defense was meaningless. The pincers shattered, the armor exploded, and the spear pierced straight through its body.
...
"W-What—?!"
"Impossible!"
In the monitoring room, the examiners stood up simultaneously.
"This has to be a joke!"
"That power in a single instant... not even Drapion's armor could withstand it!"
The examiners stared at each other in shock, and even the chief examiner was stunned.
Drapion's defense had been tested by themselves. Among Pokémon of that level, it was nearly impenetrable. But that dazzling thrust from Meltan had utterly demolished it.
(End of chapter)