"I was already planning to capture some Pokémon that evolve through the move Ancient Power. And now I run into them precisely in this Secret Kingdom. It really is an incredible coincidence."
"Besides, I've gathered so many Ice-type resources in this Secret Kingdom that they are already more than enough to raise a Mamoswine."
Ethan turned his gaze toward the depths of the cave, and a smile slowly appeared at the corner of his lips.
Thanks to Lucario's aura power, they quickly located the herd of Swinub and Piloswine, and headed rapidly toward them.
After passing through the long tunnel, a light suddenly appeared in front of them.
Following that light, Ethan ran out and discovered that he had arrived in a valley.
Snow had accumulated around the valley, and some crystal-like fruit trees rose amid the whiteness.
In the distance, inside the valley, several dark brown silhouettes could be seen watching him cautiously.
Those figures were precisely the Piloswine: Pokémon with very long and thick fur, a red nose, and two tusks, their eyes covered by their hair.
At the same time, behind those Piloswine, Pokémon covered in thick brown fur with stripes and a pig-like pink nose could be seen; they hid behind them, occasionally poking their heads out to look at Ethan, the intruder.
"Swinub and Piloswine!"
"And besides, judging by their size and development, they've all grown quite well."
Ethan examined the group of Pokémon in front of him from top to bottom and quickly formed an idea.
"Piilossww!"
At that moment, the youngest Piloswine in the group suddenly let out a roar.
Although Ethan could not understand what it was saying, he perfectly understood its intention from the tone of the roar.
In the next instant, the Piloswine opened their mouths and expelled a gale, transforming it into a blizzard that charged directly toward Ethan and his group.
"Zzzt!"
Facing the Piloswine's attack, Melmetal directly stepped forward to stand in front of everyone.
Then it could be seen how its entire body began to flash with lightning, concentrating all its power in the large nut on its chest.
Next, a terrifying electric current shot out like a laser cannon and collided in the air with the blizzard coming head-on.
Boom!
A violent rumble resounded throughout the valley.
Amid a cloud of dust and snow, the electric radiance and the blizzard dissipated in the air.
Seeing that, all the Piloswine froze in place.
They knew better than anyone how powerful the blizzard they could generate by joining their strength was.
And yet, the enemy before them had been able to stop their combined attack all by itself. A power like that... probably not even the dominant Pokémon of this Secret Kingdom could accomplish it.
"Now, can we talk calmly?"
Ethan smiled as he looked at the Piloswine on the other side.
When it came to facing wild Pokémon, demonstrating one's own strength was undoubtedly the best method.
Once you obtained their recognition, dialogue became much simpler.
"Piilossww!"
The Piloswine's expressions remained serious.
"Still not convinced?"
"Melmetal, go and show them your strength."
Seeing that, Ethan smiled slightly.
Since those Piloswine wanted to fight, that was perfect for testing Melmetal's strength.
Hearing Ethan's words, Melmetal roared and immediately charged toward the Piloswine.
Each of its heavy steps made the ground beneath its feet tremble, giving off an overwhelming pressure.
But just as Melmetal reached the center of the field, its body suddenly stopped, as if it had crashed into something invisible.
Seeing Melmetal approach, the Piloswine also reacted. One of them stomped the ground, and immediately a rock wall rose in the middle of the field, directly blocking Melmetal's path.
"The move Rock Tomb... and used well, too. It seems that Piloswine has very good talent for the Rock type."
Seeing how that Piloswine used the Rock-type move, Ethan's eyes shone.
His intention in capturing the Piloswine was, in large part, to teach them the move Ancient Power so they could evolve into Mamoswine.
And through the change of "returning to the origin" that this evolution represented, he could better research Mega Evolution.
Now, that Piloswine had just displayed outstanding talent in the Rock type, and that meant learning the move Ancient Power would probably be much easier for it.
"A truly excellent Piloswine!"
While Ethan reached that conclusion, Melmetal had already launched its attack.
It was a simple punch.
The rock wall in front of it shattered instantly, and the powerful shockwave from the blow swept stone fragments along like shrapnel, firing them toward the Piloswine as if they were projectiles.
"PIILLOOSSWW!"
The Piloswine roared in pain.
And right at that moment, Melmetal was already in front of them.
Its fist, tightly closed around one of its black nuts, shot out and struck a Piloswine directly.
It had not used any special move. Just a direct and simple blow.
And yet, the Piloswine was unable to withstand it. Its body was violently sent flying and crashed into a rocky wall.
"What terrifying strength!"
"With just one punch, it was able to send a huge and fairly powerful Piloswine flying. If it were to enhance that blow with a move as well, I'm afraid even a Quasi-Elite-level Pokémon wouldn't be able to endure it."
"As expected, Melmetal's correct way of fighting is still to rely on physical combat. However, Melmetal also has a very clear flaw: its lack of speed."
"That can be completely solved through its magnetic levitation ability. Although its weight is incredible, electromagnetic force is capable of even lifting maglev trains! Compared with that, Melmetal's weight is nothing."
Suddenly, the image of Melmetal moving through the air at full speed and then delivering a devastating punch appeared in Ethan's mind.
If someone received a full blow from Melmetal in that state, even an Elite-level Pokémon would probably have to suffer greatly. It would not be impossible for it to be seriously injured or directly knocked out.
"Fighting-type moves and close-combat techniques..."
While Ethan continued reflecting, Melmetal had already defeated all the Piloswine with its bare fists.
Only a few dozen Swinub remained trembling in the back, looking at Melmetal with true terror.
"I think now we can indeed talk calmly."
Ethan smiled toward the Piloswine, who were trying with difficulty to stand up in the distance.
(End of chapter)