Chapter 172:Flareon vs Meltan!
Added 2025-01-13 10:07:21 +0000 UTC“It’s really cold here.”
Natsume blew out a puff of cold air.
Although it was still only the end of August, the temperature at Towada Lake had dropped to single digits.
Gardevoir approached Natsume and waved her hand.
Immediately, a circle of flames surrounded Natsume's body.
This was Gardevoir’s Mystical Fire.
“Eevee.”
Arcevee jumped into Natsume’s arms, wishing to evolve into Flareon.
“No need to change.”
Natsume smiled at Arcevee and said, “This is already plenty warm.”
“I’ll check to see where the Meltan are.”
As Natsume spoke, he took out his phone and opened the map of Towada Lake.
Search: Meltan.
The map showed that all the Meltan were gathered together.
“Wait?”
Natsume looked at the map in surprise.
“Why are they all in one place?”
“They’re not too far from us.”
“Gardevoir, let’s go check out the situation.”
Gardevoir nodded slightly.
Whoosh~
Teleport.
Natsume and the others vanished from their location in an instant.
Bam~
Flash Cannon!
As soon as Natsume completed the teleport, he heard a loud explosion ahead.
At that moment, a group of Meltan was rushing toward a machine.
They were climbing all over it.
Soon, the machine was completely absorbed by the Meltan.
Nearby, in a bush,
One Meltan quickly jumped in front of a man with a Rayquaza tattoo on his arm.
“Meltan~”
Meltan poked its head out.
Headbutt!
Bam~
A dull thud echoed.
The man fell straight to the ground.
Natsume looked at the data for that Meltan.
Name: Meltan
Type: Steel
Level: 67
Ability: Magnet Pull
Individual Values: HP 31, Attack 31, Defense 31, Special Attack 31, Special Defense 31, Speed 31
Moves: Harden, Thunder Shock, Tail Whip, Headbutt, Zap Cannon, Thunderbolt, Acid Armor, Flash Cannon, Rest, Protect, Sleep Talk, Iron Defense, Gyro Ball.
Potential: Godly Level
Natsume stared in astonishment at this Meltan.
“Come out, Magmar.”
Among the three, the man in the baseball cap quickly threw out his Poké Ball.
“Magmar, use Flamethrower quickly!”
Bam~
Before the flames even burst forth,
Meltan’s Thunderbolt struck down, hitting both the trainer and the Pokémon.
“Damn it, get up quickly!”
Ano kicked at the Cyclizar beneath him.
“Cyclizar!”
Cyclizar’s body was already smoking.
But at that moment, it actually managed to stand up again with effort.
Meltan watched this scene, putting its hands on its hips in annoyance.
“Cyclizar, take care of it for me!”
“You useless creature, don’t make me regret taking care of you for so long!”
Meltan glared at Ano.
While it had held back during previous attacks, Meltan wasn’t going to show any mercy now.
The white light began to condense again.
Meltan’s target this time was not Cyclizar.
Whoosh~
Flash Cannon!
“Cyclizar!”
Despite being battered and bruised, Cyclizar attempted to charge toward its trainer.
Natsume's eyes flickered with Inner Focus at this scene.
Cyclizar was immobilized.
In that instant, Flash Cannon infiltrated Ano’s body.
“Cyclizar!”
Cyclizar looked at Ano, who was lying on the ground, charred and motionless, letting out an angry cry as it glared at Meltan.
Its eyes began to turn red.
This was Outrage.
Bam~
A capsule exploded near Cyclizar's feet.
Sleep Powder enveloped Cyclizar's body.
Cyclizar fell into a deep sleep.
In the sky, Gardevoir let her hand down.
Natsume’s figure flickered and instantly appeared in front of Meltan.
“Meltan~”
This Meltan waved its hand at Natsume.
It was greeting him.
Natsume looked at the Meltan and hesitated, “Are you... Melmetal?”
“Meltan~”
Meltan nodded and then showed Natsume its form.
The personality of this Meltan was exactly the same as when Natsume first met Melmetal.
For Meltan to evolve into Melmetal, it needed to merge with its fellow Meltan.
Four hundred Meltan, all different individuals.
But when they merged into one, they transformed into a new individual.
The leading individual would be the Meltan initiating the evolution.
Clearly, the Meltan before Natsume was the leader at that time.
“Meltan, actually, I’m here to capture you all.”
Natsume looked at the Meltan and stated his intentions directly.
“Apart from the Meltan here, all the others have already gone to my farm with me.”
“Meltan, would you like to come with me too?”
Hearing this, Meltan hugged its arms, appearing deep in thought.
It had always lived here and hadn’t considered leaving.
However, changing locations didn't seem bad either.
Meltan was a bit conflicted.
“Meltan!”
Meltan made its decision.
It jumped back and then gestured to Natsume.
In the world of Pokémon, when unable to make a decision, battle is the answer.
The victor claims all.
“So you want to battle.”
“That’s the best way.”
Natsume looked at Eevee beside him and said, “Arcevee, I’ll leave this battle to you.”
“Eevee~”
Arcevee stepped into the battle arena.
As it faced Meltan, its body began to change.
Arcevee’s skin gradually turned red, resembling flame.
Its large, fluffy tail swayed slightly.
Whoosh~
A puff of Ember emerged.
Eevee evolved into Flareon.
Steel-type Pokémon have resistance to most types.
However, they are countered by Fire, Ground, and Fighting types.
“Flareon, Fire Spin!”
“Flareon!”
As the battle began, a circle of fire formed at Flareon's feet.
The fire quickly spread, igniting the surrounding trees.
Natsume looked at Gardevoir beside him and said, “Gardevoir, help control the area, don’t let the fire spread.”
Gardevoir nodded slightly.
Meltan wasn't a speed-oriented Pokémon.
Therefore, it didn’t escape the range of Fire Spin’s enveloping flames in time.
“Meltan!”
Meltan jumped up from the heat.
Crackle~
Boom~
In midair, Meltan used Thunderbolt directly at Flareon.
Natsume quickly commanded, “Protect!”
A layer of energy protective barrier appeared around Flareon.
Bam~
The lightning struck down.
Cracks formed in the energy protective barrier.
White smoke rose, shrouding Flareon.
As Meltan landed, its body spun rapidly.
Gyro Ball!
Meltan raced toward Flareon while spinning.
“Flamethrower!”
Flareon stood its ground without moving.
Whoosh~
Flareon took a deep breath.
Boom~
A fierce blaze erupted forth.
Meltan didn’t slow down.
It charged through the flames, breaking through the fiery dragon!
Flareon’s Flamethrower was scattered by Gyro Ball’s spin.
Bam~
Meltan’s Gyro Ball successfully hit Flareon.
“Meltan!”
Meltan stood with its hands on its hips.
Though it was already scorched red.
Natsume watched and smiled slightly, “Arceus, turn into Vaporeon now.”
“Flareon~!”
Flareon quickly stood up, and its body began to change.
The fiery red body gradually turned into a watery blue.
“Vaporeon, Hydro Pump!”
Whoosh~
Boom!
This time, it was a surging torrent of water!
Meltan couldn’t continue showing off and prepared Gyro Ball once more.
However, as Hydro Pump hit Meltan, there was suddenly a loud explosion.
Meltan’s body emitted a violent explosive sound.
Under the force of the explosion, Meltan tumbled away.
High temperatures can cause explosions when meeting water.
Especially with the powerful destructive force of Hydro Pump.
Natsume looked at the fainted Meltan and marveled once again at the wonders of Pokémon.
If it were an ordinary human, they would likely not withstand Flareon’s Flamethrower.
“Go.”
Natsume threw the Poké Ball.
Bang~
The Poké Ball opened.
A red light enveloped Meltan’s body, capturing it inside the Poké Ball.
Meltan was successfully captured.
Natsume released Meltan and restored its energy.
“How about now?”
Natsume smiled at Meltan, “Admit defeat?”
“Meltan!”
Meltan stood with its hands on its hips.
Even though it lost this battle, it vowed to win next time.
“No problem.”
“If you like battling, there are plenty of Pokémon on the farm who love to battle.”
Meltan looked toward the other Meltan.
It signaled for the others to gather around.
After a brief exchange, they all looked at Natsume.
They decided to follow Natsume to the farm.
Natsume took out his Poké Balls.
Easily, a great number of Meltan were captured.
Meltan Big Gathering complete.
Quest Reward: Treasure Draw3; Rare Candy3.
“Finally completed this task.”
Natsume looked at Arcevee, who had turned back into Eevee, and said, “Thanks for your hard work in the battle.”
“Eevee~”
“Pidgeot~”
From the sky, the cry of a Pidgeot was heard.
A Pidgeot carrying a person quickly approached.
Gardevoir said to Natsume, “It’s Sugimoto Ken.”
Pidgeot landed and stopped in front of Natsume.
Sugimoto Ken jumped off Pidgeot.
“Natsume?”
Sugimoto Ken said in surprise, “What are you doing here?”
Natsume replied, “I’m here looking for Meltan.”
“Meltan, have you already captured them?”
Meltan was standing by Natsume's leg at that moment.
“Meltan~”
Even though it lost this time, it would win next time.
Meltan showcased its body to Arcevee.
Arcevee rolled its eyes and ignored it.
Natsume chuckled, “Yeah, it’s already captured.”
Sugimoto Ken sighed in relief, “When I was patrolling, I saw such a huge fire here and thought something had happened.”
“Sorry, sorry.”
“Arcevee, start putting out the fire.”
Sugimoto Ken took out a Poké Ball and said, “Golduck, come help too.”
Golduck and Vaporeon sprayed Water Gun together, extinguishing the flames around them.
Gardevoir used Psychic to contain the spreading fire.
As a result, it didn’t cause too much impact.
“By the way, who are these people?”
At that moment, Sugimoto Ken noticed the three men lying on the ground.
“They should be poachers.”
Natsume said as he pointed to the backpack.
All the Poké Balls from the backpack floated out.
Bang~
The Poké Balls opened.
A large number of Steel-type Pokémon and Durant were released.
There were also several Forretress and Magnemite.
They were all still in a state of sleep or paralysis.
Sugimoto Ken looked at the Pokémon lying on the ground and exclaimed angrily, “Those bastards.”
He kicked Ano, who was lying there.
“Get up!”
Natsume said, “This one should be dead.”
“Ah?”
Sugimoto Ken paused for a moment.
“Dead?”
Natsume nodded, “It was killed by Meltan.”
“Meltan~”
Meltan agreed.
Meltan felt that this guy had gone too far.
“Well, what about them?”
Natsume was observing the captured Pokémon at that moment.
Natsume casually remarked, “The two should just be knocked out.”
“Well, that’s good.”
“If all of them died, it would indeed be quite a hassle.”
Sugimoto Ken said as he picked up his phone and began calling for help.
The potential of these Pokémon was average.
Natsume didn’t have a strong desire to capture any of them, so he simply checked their condition to ensure they were not in any life-threatening danger before turning his attention to the Cyclizar.
Name: Cyclizar
Type: Dragon/Normal
Level: 38
Ability: Shed Skin
Individual Values: HP 31, Attack 31, Defense 31, Special Attack 29, Special Defense 30, Speed 31
Moves: Tackle, Growl, Rapid Spin, Quick Attack, Shed Tail, Dragon Claw, Shift Gear, Outrage
Inherited Moves: Iron Tail
Potential: Elite
This Cyclizar's potential had reached Elite level.
Cyclizar’s potential had surprisingly reached Elite level.
However, its previous trainer didn’t seem to realize this.
There are often exceptional horses, but competent trainers are rare.
The world is not lacking in high-potential Pokémon.
But not everyone can correctly identify a Pokémon's potential.
Natsume looked at the man lying on the ground.
He was clearly a Pokémon hunter, yet he didn’t know that his Pokémon was worth millions.
However, if he did know, he would likely choose to sell this Cyclizar instead.
“Strange, why are there only Steel-type Pokémon?”
Sugimoto Ken looked at the group of Ferroseed and Magnemite curiously.
Natsume raised his head and said, “These Pokémon seem to have been attracted by the machine.”
“We can ask them about the details later.”
Just as the two were speaking, the sound of a helicopter’s roar echoed in the sky. “Sugimoto Ken, Gym Leader Natsume.”
A ranger who looked relatively young jumped down from the helicopter with a Machoke.
Sugimoto Ken, Golduck, and the others quickly carried the unconscious people and Pokémon into the cockpit.
After handling the situation, Sugimoto Ken invited, “Gym Leader Natsume, would you like to return to the base with us and look into the background of these people?”
Natsume glanced at the time.
It was still not even ten o’clock.
Natsume's original plan was to spend the entire day capturing Meltan.
But unexpectedly, due to the poachers, he had completed his plan early.
Though this wasn’t a bad thing.
“Sure.”
Natsume replied, “It’s just that I don’t have anything else to do today.”
Natsume and Gardevoir took their seats inside the helicopter.
Arcevee quietly rested on Natsume's lap.
Meltan wandered its eyes, looking around.
Seeing its expression, Natsume immediately understood its thoughts.
Natsume cautioned, “You can’t eat anything around here.”
“Meltan~”
Meltan pouted and then sat down with its arms crossed inside the cockpit.
Meltan thought, I’m not that hungry.
Natsume thought to himself that this Meltan had quite the tsundere attitude.
Natsume sat by the window, looking outside.
The morning forest was still lively.
Natsume saw a Shiftry moving quickly between the tree branches.
A flock of Spearow flew by, sticking close to Morimachi.
Natsume also noticed a clearing in the woods where a traveling trainer was engaged in a Pokémon battle.
“This is really nice.”
Sugimoto Ken looked at Natsume, puzzled, and asked, “What do you mean?”
“The weather is lovely today.”
“That it is.”
Sugimoto Ken chuckled, “But really, it’s only been nice these past few days.”
“However, in about half a month, we’ll be seeing snow.”
“When the snow arrives, all sorts of Ice-type Pokémon will be out.”
Natsume and Sugimoto Ken chatted casually.
Up ahead, they arrived at the ranger base.
