Manalo Stadium.
Facing Registeel's Heavy Slam, Ash commanded Melmetal to take it head-on.
Melmetal leaned back slightly with the force of the impact,
then rebounded with even greater strength,
landing a solid Superpower right on the indicator lights of Registeel, who was face-to-face with Melmetal and wide open.
Bang-
The blow lifted Registeel's massive, heavy body off the ground and sent them flying backward.
Regigigas crashed heavily at the edge of the field, the metallic sheen of their body fading completely as their indicator lights went out.
Melmetal stayed where they were, still flexing their muscles.
"Registeel is unable to battle!"
"Melmetal wins!"
"Great job, Melmetal!"
Ash pumped his fist.
He had secured another crucial point.
With Registeel defeated, Ash was only two points away from qualifying for the Master League Main Event.
And Melmetal still had a decent amount of stamina left.
"Ash has a huge advantage!"
"But we can't pop the champagne before it's over."
Kiawe and the others quickly calmed down.
"Come on, Ash!"
Brandon silently recalled Registeel.
He had also set up Stealth Rock.
"Ash, you really have grown incredibly fast."
Brandon couldn't help feeling a little wistful.
Two years ago, Ash had still needed him to go easy on him
to clear the Battle Frontier.
But now, with a powerful team,
solid fundamentals, and his bonds with his Pokémon,
Ash had overpowered Brandon head-on.
Brandon had also made mistakes of his own. He hadn't learned enough about Melmetal and had made some incorrect estimates.
He had assumed their weights were roughly equal,
when the difference was actually enormous.
Ash looked at Melmetal.
"Melmetal, can you keep battling?"
"Melmetal!"
Melmetal continued showing off their powerful muscles.
"How can a Pokémon be this cool!"
That came from Lana.
Lana's taste in Pokémon had always followed the same