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"Hariyama, use Detect!"
"Hey-cha!"
Hariyama's eyes sharpened. It read the trajectory of the Psychic beam in an instant — and rolled to the side, letting the concentrated blast pass harmlessly by.
Steven's gaze narrowed slightly as he watched. Because of Close Combat's defense drop, is it avoiding direct hits now? It was possible. Or perhaps Hara had read Metagross's attacking stance and used the earlier Knock Off to blunt the blow deliberately. Either way, Hara wasn't simply reacting — he was thinking several steps ahead.
"Now, Hariyama — let's give it everything!" Hara's voice rang out across the arena.
He crossed his arms and raised his left wrist. The Fightinium Z set into his Z-Ring pulsed with a faint, warm glow.
Here it comes. Steven shifted his stance in response, raising his own left wrist to mirror Hara's posture. The Icium Z on his Z-Ring caught the light.
On the sideline, Cynthia spotted Steven's pose and immediately pulled out her phone to start recording. Kukui could only smile and shake his head.
On the platform, Hara stomped forward in a wide, grounded stance — the deliberate, powerful motion of a sumo wrestler. He spread his arms wide. Hariyama mirrored him perfectly, every movement in complete sync, as though the two shared one mind.
The Fightinium Z blazed. Z-Power surged through Hara's body, sending visible waves of orange energy rippling outward from him. He threw a sharp volley of punches, each one scattering another burst of orange light — then swung his right palm in a wide arc, and the gathered energy poured directly into Hariyama.
"All-Out Pummeling!"
Orange energy flooded Hariyama's palms, and a tremendous aura rolled forward like a wave.
At the same moment, Steven completed the movement sequence for the Ice-type Z-Move — quieter than Hara's display, but no less deliberate. Ice-blue energy flowed from his outstretched arms and into Metagross. A deep chill radiated outward as Metagross's body began to glow with a cold, pale light. The stone platform beneath them frosted over in an instant, and both Cynthia and Kukui instinctively hugged their arms against the sudden drop in temperature.
"Metagross!"
Metagross surged forward, thick pillars of ice forming around its body as it charged — fully enveloped in ice-blue energy.
Subzero Slammer.
Hariyama met the charge head-on. It swung its palms in rapid succession, each strike sending a compressed shockwave of orange energy streaking forward — faster and faster, a relentless barrage like a Bullet Seed that never stopped.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The orange shockwaves hammered into the ice pillars and the energy surrounding Metagross, shearing away layer after layer. Fragments of ice scattered across the arena floor. Gray smoke began to rise, thick enough to swallow the field.
Hariyama finished with a two-handed strike — both palms thrusting forward simultaneously.
Boom.
The impact sent a fresh wave of smoke billowing outward. Somewhere inside it, a heavy thud rang out against the stone.
It seemed Metagross had not made it through to land Subzero Slammer on Hariyama. But that was far from the end of it — writing off a Champion's partner so easily would be a serious mistake.
"Metagross, Psychic!"
From within the smoke, a pulse of invisible psychic energy radiated outward in all directions.
Hariyama had barely drawn breath after unleashing All-Out Pummeling when the Psychic hit — sending it skidding back several meters. The sustained peak output of the Z-Move had drained it heavily. Maintaining maximum Attack through a Z-Move took an enormous toll on stamina; the drop-off was sharp and immediate.
As the smoke gradually thinned, both sides held back. An unspoken agreement passed between Hara and Steven — they gave their Pokémon a moment to recover after the Z-Moves. Though on Steven's end, Metagross had already pressed that advantage with an immediate Psychic.
"Running on empty?" Hara wiped the sweat from his forehead and called out quickly:
"Close Combat!"
"Meteor Mash!"
Both Pokémon charged. They met in the center of the platform in a collision of fists and open palms, and neither gave an inch. The shockwaves radiating from the clash cracked the stone slabs beneath their feet, sending broken fragments skidding across the arena.
For a moment, it was a deadlock.
But not for long. Hariyama's strength — already pushed far beyond its natural limits by Belly Drum, and now worn down by the Z-Move's cost — began to fail. It couldn't pull back; releasing its guard would open it to a full volley from Metagross. There was no good option left.
Boom.
Metagross erupted with a final surge of force, driving Hariyama into the ground. Broken stone flew in all directions, scattering across what remained of the arena floor.
"Hariyama is unable to battle! The winner is Steven!"
Kukui raised his hand, the call clean and clear.
Hara recalled Hariyama and held the Poké Ball quietly for a moment before speaking.
"You worked hard. You did very well."
Steven walked to Metagross and rested a hand on its metallic foreleg. "Metagross — how are you holding up?"
"Meta-grooss." Its eyes curved slightly. Even Metagross seemed to have surprised itself with Subzero Slammer — though it hadn't connected with Hariyama, the sheer force the Z-Move had channeled through it was something else entirely.
Hara approached with an easy smile. "A truly fine battle. You have remarkable talent — and a wonderful aura to match."
"Thank you for your guidance, Kahuna Hala," Steven replied with a small smile.
"As Island Kahuna of Melemele Island, I declare that Steven has successfully completed the Grand Trial!" Hala spread his arms wide, then reached into the folds of his sleeve, searching for something.
"Metagross!"
Metagross's head snapped sharply to one side. A soft rush of air passed just above Steven's head, and something small drifted downward through it.
A pink, rhombus-shaped Z-Crystal, descending slowly from above.
Steven looked up and opened his palm. It landed gently in his hand.
"Is that…" He turned it over, puzzled.
Cynthia looked up at the open sky. "Do Z-Crystals just fall from the sky in Alola?"
Kukui leaned in to look. "That's a Psychium Z." He glanced toward the tree line. "It seems Tapu Koko took an interest in you."
Hala's eyes opened wide — a genuine expression of surprise crossing his usually composed face. Tapu Koko giving a Z-Crystal to a visiting Trainer was far from ordinary.
"Even so — this is the reward for completing the Grand Trial." Hala produced a Z-Crystal from his sleeve and held it out to Steven.
It was silver. A Steelium Z.
"I would normally award a Fightinium Z for the Grand Trial," Hala said, "but after some thought yesterday, I felt this suited you better. You are a Trainer who specializes in Steel-type Pokémon, after all."
Steven accepted it with both hands. "Thank you, Kahuna Hala."
"Wonderful!" Cynthia's face lit up — then she leaned close to Steven's ear and dropped her voice. "Now you have to come back and show me the Steel-type Z-Move."
Steven responded with a quietly pained smile.
"I was going to suggest celebrating with you both," Kukui said, grinning, "but it looks like I'd be intruding on Mr. Steven and Miss Cynthia."
Cynthia, caught off guard, turned her face toward Steven's shoulder — only her eyes still visible, bright with embarrassment.
Steven laughed softly and turned back to Kukui and Hala. "Regardless — thank you, Professor Kukui, Kahuna Hala. I'm grateful for everything you've arranged for this Island Challenge."
"Happy to do it," Kukui said with a wave of his hand.
Steven glanced back at Metagross and gave it a quiet wink.
"Metagross…"
…