Fiery Dance—though it's often called the budget version of Fiery Dance's "big sister," Fiery Dance isn't that at all. Before that absurd move ever showed up, Fiery Dance was already one of the strongest Fire-type signature moves out there.
Its base power of 80 isn't overwhelming, but it has a 50% chance to raise the user's Special Attack by one stage!
And Quiver Dance is even more notorious—one of the rare, god-tier setup moves Bug-types can claim as their own.
But right now…
"Tail Glow, huh? You really went and learned something seriously illegal."
『Bug-type energy—gathering as countless motes of light—converged onto Volcarona's body!』
Across the entire move pool, it's the one and only move that can "drastically raise Special Attack."
Staring into the flickering light, focusing one's mind—drastically boosting Special Attack!
It can raise the user's Special Attack by three stages in a single shot!
In the Pokémon world, only three Pokémon can learn this move through normal gameplay!
A Bug-type divine technique that usually doesn't end up being learned by Bug Pokémon—now that's black comedy.
And "morale" is a special mechanic from the spin-off Pokémon Conquest, same as "hot weather."
"So… pretty. A myth of the sun…"
Grusha forgot to issue commands for a moment. He just stood there, dazed, staring at the Volcarona that lit up the entire snowy mountain—like a sun given form.
The flame god from three thousand years ago.
A Pokémon that illuminated the world—one that could be called "divine."
It wasn't actually a Legendary Pokémon, but the power it displayed was legendary in every way that mattered.
"Metamorphosis… I can metamorphose too?"
"A newborn Fire Cocoon… a Snow Cocoon?" Grusha murmured—until Hikaru's voice snapped him back to reality.
They were still in the middle of a battle.
"Frosmoth! Quiver Dance, then Blizzard!"
A fifth Quiver Dance!
Frosmoth's stats surged upward. The chill around its body condensed again, and it exhaled a sky-filling Blizzard!
Its eyes stayed locked on the blazing Volcarona. They were opposing each other… and yet Frosmoth's heart was full of yearning.
A fire god that shines on the world, driving away bitter cold—what a beautiful figure.
If it were a Pokémon meant to answer it…
Then what would it take to become a snow myth?
At this moment, Frosmoth found something new—an ideal, small but bright. Could a new myth be born on Glaseado Mountain?
Starting with me?
Then… how about starting by imitating the flame god?
So it had to show the fire god its power!
"Mora!"
"Uur!"
On Volcarona's side, its wings beat slowly, radiating searing heat as it evaporated the howling snow into mist.
"We begin."
At Hikaru's command, Volcarona's blue eyes erupted with dazzling brilliance.
"Volcarona, use Tail Glow!"
"Become… the god of the new world!"
Not just an ordinary Pokémon—
But the fire god, the incarnation of the sun—
Kami da!
Tail Glow—one use, Special Attack up three stages!
Volcarona's flames exploded outward. The flashing firelight and the almost tangible force of focused will surged—pushing its power to the limit in a single breath.
Then its three pairs of wings began to beat.
Roaring, majestic flames wrapped its entire body as it launched itself forward—wings blazing—striking the opponent!
Within the vaporized snow, as that mental power continued to gather, a band of rainbow light appeared—faint at first, then clearer.
The rainbow arced over the snowy peaks, cutting across a night that had been forced into daylight.
A one-hundred-percent increase in Special Attack—let it happen!
"Behold… the rainbow of battle!"
The rolling inferno shredded the Blizzard in an instant. Firestorming flames scorched the starry night.
With a soft, helpless thud, the white Frosmoth fell out of the sea of fire and hit the ground, its body covered in charred burn marks.
Frosmoth still couldn't become the incarnation of a snow god.
It still couldn't forge a myth.
I'm still missing something…
"Mora…"
Frosmoth struggled to flap its blackened wings. It thought, then looked up again—still longing for the flame god—before finally lowering its head.
The road to becoming a snow god was still very long.
"Frosmoth is unable to battle!" Rika declared.
"Next one!" Grusha's voice cut through her call.
Cetitan returned to the field. Grusha didn't hesitate for even a second—like he was trying to prove something, or like something had finally clicked into place.
"Thank you, Frosmoth. I'm going to keep fighting!"
"Metamorphosis… losing isn't the end. Forward—keep moving forward!"
"Cetitan, use Belly Drum! Max out your Attack!"
"Bounce—jump, as high as you can!"
Fully unleashing its strength, massively cutting its own HP in exchange for a do-or-die strike, Cetitan used a Flying-type move—
Bounce!
With a thunderous boom, Cetitan actually launched into the air!
Using raw muscle power to leap high overhead, then smashing down at the opponent—sometimes even leaving the target paralyzed!
With Thick Fat as its shield, charging into flame, the massive white whale stared at the Volcarona beating its wings in the air, like a pilgrim worshiping at an altar.
It was overwhelmed. In the mountains of snow, you'd never see a Pokémon like that.
To fight a Pokémon like that… a battle against a Pokémon called divine—
What an honor.
The coldness vanished from Grusha's eyes, replaced by blazing passion.
"Icicle Crash—bring it down!"
Boom!
A brutal Fire Blast lit up the western face of Glaseado Mountain.
Under that intense sunlight, even the wild Pokémon lurking nearby began to lose track of time.
"Cetitan is unable to battle!"
"Fourth one—down!"
Aerodactyl circled in the sky, then drew its wings in and perched on a nearby ridge.
It watched as the little bug on the team evolved into something that looked almost divine.
For a backwoods ancient from sixty-five million years ago who'd never seen much of the world, it was utterly mind-blowing.
Still… Aerodactyl thought, didn't I used to have a similar form?
A body stained with black Dragon Crystals…
With its memories missing, it couldn't even tell if that had been its true shape.
Either way, it couldn't use it now.
It kept watching. When the white whale was crushed by its partner—the "fire god"—with a single Fire Blast, the Altaria with pristine white feathers returned to the field.
Aerodactyl's gaze sharpened.
Lately, it and Dragonite had been fighting that Altaria often, so it knew the bird had an owner.
At the beginning, Altaria took three punches from "Little Grey Bear," and Aerodactyl thought the fight was over.
But somehow, it endured.
If Aerodactyl had to guess, it used—
Cotton Guard.
Ugh. Such a scummy move—swelling feather-fluff like cotton to absorb the shockwaves of punches and impacts, while massively boosting Defense.
Aerodactyl grew impatient. It looked at the battlefield. Volcarona didn't seem to plan on switching out, so Aerodactyl beat its wings and let out a roar.
After getting bonked by Fatty-sensei's axe for days, even when I sleep, that stupid axe is chasing me!
Now's the time to see what I've got!
As the ruler of the skies, is Glaseado Mountain really a no-fly zone for Dragon Pokémon?
I don't think so. Let's see what you've got!
"Uur~"
Volcarona heard the roar—it was asking for a switch.
Aerodactyl's temperament was impatient, but it got along fine with the team. Friends and prey were two different things, and the longer it spent in the modern era, the more it understood that.
It had friends back in ancient times too.
So when Aerodactyl flew over, Volcarona looked to Hikaru.
The opponent only had one Pokémon left!
A Bug-type had already taken down three!
Bug is strong!
A sun god!
So now, should it hand the battlefield over to the immortal ancient dragon?
"I got you. Switch!"
"Aerodactyl wants to show off a new move too?"
Volcarona rose into the sky. Under everyone's eyes, it continued lighting up the mountain with heat and radiance—though it reined it in compared to earlier.
A happy development.
That carefree little bug had finally become a god.
Its level broke past 59 and reached 60.
Hikaru considered it for a moment.
Hmm. It's insanely strong, and its entrances and moves are ridiculously cool… but purely in terms of growth and level, this "little bug" might actually be among the lowest on the team.
60 is just the team's average. Some of the stronger partners were already looking toward 70!
Of course, there were also those with lower levels but strength beyond the average—like Deoxys. In terms of age, that Warrior of Light was basically still a baby.
As for level… after multiple power-ups, plus starlight absorption and cosmic energy siphoning, it was probably close to 50?
If they went to Area Zero and then into space, it could probably surge straight to 60 in one go.
As Volcarona left the field, the hot weather gradually faded. Glaseado Mountain's cold reclaimed some of its strength.
Altaria panted, and the moment it saw Aerodactyl, it immediately puffed its feathers up.
"So it's that rock dragon, huh? Use Cotton Guard!"
Soft, fluffy down wrapped around its body for protection—drastically boosting Defense!
Defense up three stages!
Seeing Aerodactyl take the field, Grusha's passion flared even higher. He turned past failures and scars into fuel.
Even after losing four Pokémon, he didn't feel bitter or hurt.
In that earlier battle, it was like he'd been transported back to when he ruled the slopes as a snowboarding king—back when he was full of heat and strength.
The sun had melted the ice and snow.
Even the ice sealing his heart cracked, turning into drifting vapor.
Before he realized it, a faint smile had lifted the corners of his mouth.
How many failures come before metamorphosis?
Maybe success comes smoothly—maybe it doesn't.
But either way, it turned out he'd been wrong to declare his life's "result" so early.
He still hadn't spun his cocoon.
So what right did he have to talk about becoming a butterfly?
"You've changed a little," Rika-onee-san said, keenly catching the shift in him.
Grusha looked at her. After a moment, he suddenly smiled.
Eyes curved, soft and bright—cute and beautiful even on a man.
"Yeah. I figured it out."
"From now on, I'll take being a Gym Leader seriously."
His words were concise.
The battle wasn't even over… but he'd already found what he needed to understand.
"I've found my answer—and my result."
Grusha looked at Hikaru.
"Fighting the new Elite Four… fighting you… I was happy."
"Thank you."
"I'll take this defeat—truly—as nourishment for my cocoon."
Even if nothing was fully settled yet—
Grusha knew, deep down, that Aerodactyl wasn't some ordinary Pokémon either.
He glanced toward the far horizon, where a silvery glow was rapidly approaching.
"Aooh!"
Aerodactyl was about to leave the training grounds.
Its wild teacher—Tera Steel Fatty-sensei—needed to come help support the scene!
Hey!
You, the Glaseado Mountain Gym Leader—you're in the middle of a fight!
Where's my student?
I said—where's my student?!
Impact!
A Tera Steel Dragonite dropped to the ground at blinding speed. With big, innocent eyes, it looked left and right, arms crossed, arriving to witness the king-of-the-mountain showdown.
Of course, no matter which of you wins, around here, it's the Axe Gang Dragonite who calls the shots.
That's Tera Steel for you—pure, shameless logic. You say you're Tera Fire? I say: where the hell did Glaseado Mountain get a Tera Fire?
Rika: "A Tera Steel Dragonite?! A wild Tera Pokémon… so it's you, huh? The one that's been coming here to fight all the time lately?"
"Aooh." Dragonite nodded proudly at Rika.
Then it stared at the battlefield, fully focused, and started shouting instructions like a coach.
Bring out all your Dragon power!
What are you scared of—Cotton Guard?
Every time you lose because it blocks you with that move. Show some backbone. Show some grit!
"Roar!" Aerodactyl beat its wings and nodded at Fatty-sensei.
I don't understand a word of this "backbone" and "grit" stuff!
But whatever—just smash it!
It's cotton! Let's see if I smash it or not!
Fatty-sensei gave a thumbs-up.
"Aooh!"
Even if Altaria's Cotton Guard is already at +6—
Don't throw with Dragon Rush. Land a critical hit for me.
Ignore its stat boosts and punch straight through!
"How is this Dragonite so bloodthirsty?" Rika muttered.
Watching Dragonite flail and gesture on the sidelines, even she felt a little awkward. That big axe on its head might be a Tera jewel, but it looked terrifying.
If that Iron Head comes down, it looks like impact damage—but it's basically a cleaving strike.
Grusha, though, raised his Tera Orb.
"Push Ice power to its extreme…"
Rika blinked. "Hey, Grusha, you—"
Grusha shook his head.
"It's fine! Tera Ice really does put you at a huge disadvantage defensively, but in exchange, Ice-type moves get boosted!"
"And since this is an assessment, of course I should Terastallize."
"Even if I lose, the experience stacks up. I'll take it all in—and someday, I'll metamorphose!"
"Altaria, Terastallize!"
This was the final curtain.
The Tera jewel burst above Altaria's head. Tera Ice formed a hexagonal crown of ice crystals—sky-blue, stunningly beautiful.
Tera Ice changes its type to Ice, and it also dodges Altaria's original 4× weakness to Ice.
And Aerodactyl's Rock/Flying typing is 2× weak to Ice.
"No matter what, with Defense up six stages, even if Ice is fragile, it won't get one-shot."
"But that immortal stone wyvern might get dropped by a single Ice Beam."
"So both sides are thinking: decide this within a few moves?" Rika studied the field.
By now, the battle was still lopsided overall, yet it had her excited too.
Ah… I want to jump in and fight right now.
When did I get this battle-crazy?
Fighting a tangible rival—someone you can measure, someone who can lift the entire atmosphere—really does make you grow. It really does make your blood run hot.
It's about time it's my turn, isn't it?
Time for me to "spoil" him?
That kind of line works in normal battles, but saying it about a terrifying opponent like this just makes it sound like I'm talking big… and begging to get clapped.
Rika grumbled inwardly, then refocused on the field—
Only to have her attention seized by a fierce surge of draconic aura!
A deep, powerful Dragon energy rose around Aerodactyl. It beat its wings and shot into the sky—faster and faster!
"That's… Dragon Dance!"
A mysterious, strong, vigorous dance—raising Attack and Speed!
Aerodactyl's speed climbed higher and higher, and Altaria's massively boosted Defense from Cotton Guard was gradually being caught up!
Ice Beam blasted again and again through the air, but it couldn't hit Aerodactyl at this speed!
"Besides Steel, I've also dabbled a bit in Rock's specialties—Fire and Fighting."
"And the weather shift is only just beginning…"
"Use Sandstorm!"
A violent sandstorm cyclone swallowed the battlefield. The snow across the area vanished completely.
Rock and grit howled into a dome, blotting out the sky!
The weather changed to Sandstorm.
Each turn, Pokémon that aren't Rock-, Ground-, or Steel-type take damage.
Rock-types get a 1.5× boost to Special Defense!
This is Rock's exclusive method of reinforcement!
Ice may be a weakness of Dragon… but Ice doesn't resist Dragon. Ice only resists itself.
And in any case, Aerodactyl isn't even Dragon-type.
But the move it was about to use was.
A bright blue aura formed around Aerodactyl, wrapping most of its body.
As it expanded, black shadowy energy flickered within that blue light.
"Dragon Dance, six stages."
"Ancient martial arts."
Through their psychic link, Hikaru understood how far Aerodactyl had taken this technique.
"Forceful — Dragon Rush!"
It unleashed terrifying killing intent, then slammed into the opponent with colossal power!
And once a Pokémon fully masters a move, it can unleash it in a Forceful or Agile style, spending double PP.
Forceful boosts the move's power, dealing massive damage—usually increasing base power by around 15–20!
Tera Ice Altaria gathered an icy blue beam.
Ice Beam—against Dragon Rush!
The blue ice crystals shattered on impact.
In Altaria's shocked gaze, Aerodactyl slammed straight into it!
Within that crushing killing intent, the immortal ancient dragon's claws flashed with razor-sharp sheen.
Its held item—
Razor Claw.
Aerodactyl is classified as a carnivorous Pokémon due to its sharp fangs. It's said to use sharp claws to capture prey.
A Pokémon holding this item has its critical-hit ratio raised by one stage!
Dragon Rush lands a critical hit!
"Welp. That's the match," Rika said, watching Altaria "Tera burst." She closed her eyes briefly, exactly as she'd predicted.
Then she turned back toward Grusha. He wasn't depressed at all—if anything, he looked like a knot inside him had finally been undone.
She couldn't help smiling softly.
"But hey, isn't this a good outcome?"
"No need for Rika-onee-san to do any emotional counseling."
"When the strongest Gym Leader also has the strongest mindset, reaching Champion level—or becoming a future Elite Four candidate—is only a matter of time."
Rika waved her hand.
"Altaria is unable to battle! The winner is Elite Four Hikaru!"
Then she looked at Hikaru.
"The Gym assessment… what's your result?"
"Even though you won overwhelmingly, you still need to give a comprehensive evaluation."
"An evaluation?" Hikaru laughed. "If we're calling it that—then I already gave it."
"A true strong one is someone who can turn failure into strength and keep moving forward. That's Grusha."
"For Geeta-kaichou's report, write it like that."
"Rika-onee-san, you can write it for me, yeah?"
"Hmph. Since you called me onee-san, I guess I can write it," Rika chuckled, humming under her breath, in a very good mood.
"Then next—it's your battle with me!"
"Even though I prepared a new partner…" Rika thought.
It's not as strong as that Little Grey Bear though—huh? Maybe not!
Believe in your partner!
With that, she threw a Poké Ball.
"Gallade!"
Gallade—the evolution of Kirlia.
Only male Kirlia can evolve into this form.
And honestly, from an aesthetic standpoint, it matched the androgynous, handsome Rika pretty well.
If it could Mega Evolve too, it'd be even more beautiful—and even more imposing!
Of course, the partner that suits Rika best would probably be Iron Valiant, wouldn't it?
Well… it's all the same family anyway.
After recalling Altaria, Grusha muttered a few words under his breath.
His expression was calm—every snag in his heart finally smoothed out. Then he walked over.
"Even though I already said it…"
"Thank you. In this battle, I found the answer I wanted."
"Metamorphosis… I'll remember those words."
"If you ever have time, come ski on Glaseado Mountain. And Mount Lanakila, too—I'll go."
"I'm looking forward to the day I step onto that distant sacred mountain."
Hikaru nodded, chatting with the newly passionate Grusha.
But after light comes—inevitably—darkness.
[Marker: Volcarona's evolution produced an enormous amount of light. Under the influence of Prism Star, it has been noticed by Necrozma. Current alert level: Observation (If danger is reached, Necrozma will appear and attack!).]
[GX Power (Forbidden Light) resonated!]
(End of Chapter)
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