Under Charmeleon's intense flames, even a Fire-type like Marowak struggled to hold its ground. The heat was so fierce that the skull fused to its head had begun to blacken — an almost unthinkable occurrence under normal circumstances.
Although Kiawe had never instructed Marowak to use any Fire-type moves during the battle, Marowak was still a Fire Pokémon through and through. It was like a fish nearly drowning in water — utterly ironic and deeply concerning.
Watching Marowak's scorched condition, Lana couldn't help but sink into thought. If it were one of my Water-type Pokémon taking that hit… she wondered.
Well… chances are it'd turn into grilled fish, she concluded grimly.
Thank you, Kiawe~
Lana offered a silent prayer of thanks to both Kiawe and Mallow in her heart. If not for them, she might've taken that hit herself.
"Achoo~"
Mallow suddenly sneezed. She glanced around, puzzled. With Whimsicott's Sunny Day blazing overhead, it was sweltering hot — catching a cold shouldn't have been possible.
Yet despite the damage, Marowak charged forward without hesitation. Without the barrier of fire to slow him down, he advanced even faster, swiftly closing the distance with Charmeleon.
"Crunch — and throw him!"
Maki's voice was sharp as he called out the command. For a Ghost-type Marowak, the Dark-type move Crunch was still a major threat.
But Marowak didn't flinch. Swinging its bone club, it launched a strike at Charmeleon. Charmeleon dodged the first blow nimbly and then sank its teeth into Marowak's soft underbelly. At the same time, Marowak's second strike landed squarely on Charmeleon's body.
Even after using Dragon Dance, Charmeleon's raw strength still didn't match Marowak's with its bone club. But the boost closed the gap significantly. Enduring the pain, Charmeleon grabbed hold of the bone club with its claws.
"Wakaaah!"
Panic flickered in Marowak's eyes. If Charmeleon managed to take its bone weapon, Marowak would lose its greatest advantage.
Yet in terms of sheer strength, Marowak still had the upper hand. Especially since Charmeleon had poured most of its power into executing Crunch.
Realizing stealing the bone was a lost cause, Charmeleon shifted tactics and used its grip to toss Marowak away with force.
"Wak!"
Marowak crashed into the ground some distance away, propping itself up with its left hand — the one not holding the bone — and stared down Charmeleon, chest heaving with labored breaths. But the fire in its eyes hadn't dimmed in the slightest.
The situation now was clear. Charmeleon had only been struck by a single Shadow Bone, taking far less damage than Marowak, but the exertion had drained much of its stamina.
Marowak, on the other hand, had plenty of energy left, though the earlier Flamethrower and Crunch had left it with serious injuries.
"You're strong," Kiawe said seriously to Maki.
"Not bad yourself," Maki replied casually, though his eyes lifted to the sky — Whimsicott's Sunny Day was about to end.
Kiawe noticed too. In truth, he could have stalled until the weather cleared before engaging again. But he didn't — because he wanted to see Charmeleon fight at its full potential.
And he hadn't been disappointed.
"Maki, do you have a Z-Crystal?"
As he spoke, Kiawe raised his left hand to reveal the Z-Ring wrapped around his wrist, inlaid with a blazing red Z-Crystal.
Maki had already noticed it the moment Kiawe entered the classroom. As far as he could tell, Kiawe was the only one who wore a Z-Crystal openly.
"Haha, President Lusamine gave me one a while back," Maki replied with a grin, lifting his sleeve to reveal a Z-Ring of his own — one that had remained hidden until now. He'd had it crafted when he received the Z-Crystal from Lusamine herself.
Despite appearances, Maki's Z-Ring was quite different from Kiawe's. Inside it was a secret compartment designed to store a Key Stone — the very one he had obtained from the hidden realm not long ago.
However, Maki wouldn't use Mega Evolution unless absolutely necessary.
Seeing Maki's Z-Ring, Lillie was reminded of their recent conversation.
"If someone asks where my Z-Crystal came from, just say I helped President Lusamine with one of her research experiments. She gave it to me as payment."
"Huh? But why?"
"Well… it's just that carrying multiple Z-Crystals and a Mega Stone makes me kind of a walking target. Let's keep this our little secret, okay?"
"…Alright."
Mallow, Lana, and Sophocles were all surprised, but none of them made a big deal about it. They all had Z-Crystals too — they just didn't carry them around because they hadn't yet mastered their use. Kiawe was the only one who could actually wield his.
"Then let's settle this with our Z-Moves!"
Kiawe's eyes burned with resolve. He raised his left hand in front of him, and the Z-Crystal on his ring began to glow faintly — almost as if responding to his fighting spirit.
"But—"
Lillie stepped forward, as if to object, but Maki cut her off before she could finish.
"Sure. Let's do it."
"…What is it?" Mallow asked, noticing Lillie's strange expression.
"Well… Maki only got his Z-Ring a few days ago!"
"What?!"
Everyone froze.
They had assumed Maki accepted the challenge because he had mastered the Z-Move technique. But it turned out, he'd only just received his Z-Ring — while the rest of them hadn't even been able to harness a single Z-Move.
Kiawe, meanwhile, hadn't heard a word of this. All he knew was that Maki had accepted the battle. That was enough.
As for Maki's real reason — he had already mastered the power of the Z-Crystal.
Aether Paradise was quite far from Melemele Island. Even by boat, the trip took nearly a full day. During that time, Maki had taken the opportunity to secretly test the Z-Move.
Naturally, Lillie had no idea. Maki had no desire to let anyone witness the cringeworthy full-body poses required to unleash it. He'd trained in complete isolation.
His final test had been a success. The Inferno Overdrive he unleashed on the sea had nearly capsized the entire ship. Maki had quickly slipped back to his cabin, pretending nothing had happened at all.
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