A chilling wind brushed against Mina's pale skin, carrying with it a sense of foreboding. Her situation was as desperate as a trainer watching their Pokémon faint from Sheer Cold.

  Before her eyes, the Mega Starmie's bizarre yet imposing demeanor tightened its grip on her throat.

  After all, the only information she had was a strange rumor from Kalos about something called "Mega Evolution."

  Without a single command from Misty, the Mega Starmie began moving erratically on the ice stage, performing figure skating maneuvers.

  However, Mina appeared to be its target from the very start. The creature swung one of its limbs in a wide arc, aiming directly at Mina as she stood deep in thought on an ice floe.

  “Damn it! So we’re just doing whatever we want now?"

  Mina barely dodged the appendage's attack. Adjusting her sunglasses, she began to analyze the Starmie.

  Mega Starmie

  Ability: ???

  IVs: V V V V V V (6V)

  EVs: A252 S252 C6

  Moveset: Aqua Jet / Superpower / Triple Axel / Thunderbolt

  Unlike the original Starmie, its ability is unknown. Mina was baffled. However, after looking at the moveset, she seemed to realize something and spoke to the Ditto inside her.

  ‘First off, this guy is a typical mixed attacker. But Starmie is originally a special attacker. Did its physical attack stats get an awkward boost during Mega Evolution?’

  ‘Then how about using that one?’

  ‘That Pokémon?’

  Upon hearing the Ditto's reply, Mina took out a Poké Ball. Without missing a beat, she effortlessly parried the Starmie’s limb that was trying to strike her again. As the Starmie faltered in confusion, she threw the ball.

  “Come out! Clodsire!”

  Moving at a speed invisible to the naked eye, the Ditto slipped out of Mina’s body, entered the Poké Ball, and emerged transformed into Clodsire.

  Clodsire let out a cry that sounded like a yawn and wore a cute, relaxed expression.

  However, unlike in the first battle, Clodsire looked anxious and lacked confidence against the Mega Starmie.

  At that moment, Ditto-transformed Clodsire used telepathy to speak with Mina, whose confidence was lower than expected.

  ‘Boss? You shouldn't be so nervous. Your body is already in bad shape, and it will only get worse!’

  ‘An item... This is the best move I can make. As expected, nothing comes easily until the very end.’

  ‘Got it. Wish me luck, boss.’

  Sadly, the people in the stadium missed this bizarre spectacle. They were entranced by Luna's beautiful, refreshing song. She was a rookie whose talent was unbelievable. Before her song ended, a voice rang out in her earpiece.

  "Okay, we're starting now, so just finish this song and come back!"

  Luna wanted to sing more, but she knew an order was an order. Swallowing her tears, she finished the song. Seeing how happy the crowd was because of her, Luna bowed her head.

  She didn’t know if she would ever see such a sight again. With a tearful voice, she shouted to the crowd,

  "Thank you, everyone! Thanks to you, I can dream of being a singer whose songs will be remembered. Thank you so much!"

  After hearing her song, which conveyed her sorrow and hope, people began to idolize her. Her song spread positive energy online and offline, creating a festive atmosphere before the final Gym battle.

  As the heat inside the Cerulean City Gym rose, the referee confirmed that both Pokémon were on the field and declared the start of the battle.

  "Round two! Mega Starmie versus Clodsire! Let the battle begin!"

  The moment he said this, Mega Starmie closed the distance to Clodsire with speed-skating techniques.

  It rotated rapidly around Clodsire, performing a "Change Foot Combination Spin," a bizarre yet elegant move for a Pokémon that resembled a figure skating performance.

  Mina didn’t know what a “Change Foot Combination” was, but an idea suddenly came to her.

  She remembered that the Triple Axel was in Mega Starmie’s moveset and commanded Clodsire.

  “Clodsire, Protect!”

  As soon as Clodsire yawned and raised its shield, Mega Starmie jumped near Clodsire three times with surprising speed.

  ‘Just as I expected, it's the Triple Axel.’

  With a sharp impact, ice shards deflected from Starmie’s limbs, grazing Clodsire and Mina.

  ‘Using Protect twice in a row is a huge risk. For the next turn, what move should I—’

  Starmie didn't give Mina time to think. As it prepared to unleash another Triple Axel attack on Clodsire, Mina had an idea and shouted a command:

  “Clodsire, break the ice with Earthquake! Throw the broken ice at Starmie!”

  Upon hearing the command, Clodsire extended its spikes and flipped upside down. It anchored its spikes firmly into the ice below and used Earthquake, channeling the power through a single spike.

  Fortunately, it wasn't a massive earthquake, but rather a minor tremor.

  However, thanks to the tremor, the solid ice on the water stage began to crack. Because of Clodsire’s unexpectedly fast Earthquake, Mega Starmie lost its balance, flailed about, and eventually crumbled along with the shattered ice.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Starmie fell from the stage as if sliding off a cliff. Seizing the opportunity, Clodsire threw the massive chunks of ice attached to its spikes straight down onto Starmie.

  The crowd responded to Clodsire’s actions with a roar bordering on a scream. Despite the unfavorable type matchup, no one had imagined Clodsire would counterattack Starmie with Earthquake.

  “Wow, shit, that’s crazy.”

  “I never thought it could lift the ice with its spikes.”

  Once again, debates erupted, with people online and offline marveling at Mina’s battle sense.

  However, With a tremendous crash, Starmie, who had been buried under the ice, shot high into the sky and landed on the ice-free stage. Mina could see its limbs trembling. Clearly, the creature had used "Superpower."

  But Mina couldn’t fathom Mega Starmie's monstrous strength.

  ‘The ice Starmie was buried under was at least three times its size. Even though Starmie isn't affected much by Ice- or Ground-type moves, breaking through that much ice should be impossible considering the damage it took.’

  Before her thoughts could settle, Starmie skated toward Clodsire with blinding speed. Clodsire didn't even have a chance to use Protect before Starmie landed a Triple Axel with unimaginable velocity.

  It happened in an instant. Neither Clodsire nor Mina could react in time, and Clodsire took the full impact.

  Strangely, even though Starmie's Attack and Defense stats should have decreased as a side effect of Superpower, Clodsire—who had excellent natural bulk—seemed to have taken significant damage. The relaxed look vanished from its face.

  ‘Don't tell me...’

  The Ditto-transformed Clodsire spoke telepathically to Mina.

  ‘It's still just conjecture, Boss, but it seems Mega Starmie's ability is Huge Power.’

  Mina replied to Ditto, feeling a headache coming on.

  ‘That's just great. A high-speed mixed attacker with Huge Power?’

  Mina had no choice but to order Clodsire to buy time.

  “Protect!”

  Starmie began pressuring them with Triple Axel, trying to break through Clodsire’s defense. With little time left, Mina quickly assessed the situation.

  ‘Clodsire's Earthquake broke the ice, but not all of it. About 10% of the stage, including the area around Clodsire, is still made of ice. In that case...’

  Then, struck by a wicked idea, Mina smiled.

  “Clodsire, use Toxic on the ice stage you're standing on!”

  Everyone was shocked because Toxic didn't seem like the right move for the situation. But Mina was thinking far beyond that.

  Since Clodsire is a Poison-type Pokémon, the Toxic attack was guaranteed to hit. It spewed a sticky, viscous liquid onto the ice stage, which began to corrode the surface. The heat generated by the reaction slowly melted the ice, turning it into water.

  As a result, Starmie lost its balance and fell into the water. The flow of the battle instantly shifted to Mina’s side, and people began to whisper.

  "Clodsire is a Poison/Ground type, but it has the ability Water Absorb, which neutralizes Water-type attacks. This was well thought out!"

  "Real genius."

  "Truly great! My Queen! Mina! Mina! Mina!"

  Contrary to the fans' cheers, however, Starmie was a Water-type Pokémon, meaning it was confident in underwater combat.

  It began to swim, spinning its limbs, and attacked the submerged Clodsire with Thunderbolt. However, since Clodsire was a Ground-type Pokémon, it took zero damage.

  Instead, the attack inflicted massive damage on Starmie, which shared the conductive water.

  The distance between Starmie and Clodsire widened significantly. The remaining ice melted, leaving only enough electrified water to wet their feet. Mega Starmie shot toward Clodsire with Aqua Jet for the final blow.

  Mina knew it was time to play her final card and commanded without hesitation.

  "Clodsire, use Chilling Water!"

  Clodsire gathered the surrounding electrified water in its mouth and sprayed it directly at the Mega Starmie charging in with Aqua Jet. Everyone, whether online or offline, marveled at Clodsire’s moves and strategy.

  “So, Clodsire has Water Absorb, and its moves are Protect, Toxic, Earthquake, and Chilling Water? That’s crazy."

  “Why hasn’t there been a trainer like this until now? It’s so entertaining!”

  "Agreed. The moveset itself seems designed specifically to counter that Mega Starmie."

  Chilling Water is a move that lowers the opponent's Attack stat by dousing them in cold water. Starmie, approaching blindly with Aqua Jet, essentially suffered the equivalent of two Thunderbolt attacks.

  Mina noticed that Mega Starmie’s movements had slowed down, perhaps due to paralysis, and realized that Starmie was almost out of health.

  “Clodsire, use Toxic on Starmie!”

  At Mina’s sudden command, everyone fell silent. After Clodsire successfully hit Starmie with Toxic, it shuddered violently, unable to muster any strength due to the accumulated damage. Knowing that Starmie would soon collapse, Mina shouted to Misty, who stood expressionless in the distance.

  “Are you going to surrender? This Starmie is finished! If I alternate between Protect and Chilling Water, you can’t win, even with a Mega-Evolved Pokémon!”

  Misty wore a strange expression. It was unclear whether she was happy or sad. Tears began to flow, visible only to the two of them. Admitting her defeat, she slowly raised her arm to signal the referee.

  The referee acknowledged her signal and announced to everyone watching the battle online and offline:

  "Due to the Gym Leader's surrender, the winner of this match is the challenger, Mina!"

  Everyone across the internet and in the stadium erupted in joy, witnessing such an intense Pokémon battle. Huge fireworks exploded behind Mina—BOOM!—seemingly celebrating her victory.

  However, Mina felt no joy in her victory. Instead, nausea-inducing disgust filled her heart.

  At a time when she should have been happy, the fireworks sounded like exploding missiles. To her, the people’s cheers rang like condemnation filled with curses, distorted by her disgust toward humanity's contradictions.

  After announcing Mina’s victory, the referee handed her the Cascade Badge, which resembled a teardrop. As Mina raised the badge high into the sky, the fireworks exploded again, celebrating her win.

  To Mina, the fireworks and cheers felt like the bombardment and screams of a battlefield. She tried to calm her slowly boiling anger.

  The referee raised her hand and announced once again that Mina had won the badge. As people cheered, Mina forced a smile and thought,

  "Eventually, they'll forget all of this..."

  Meanwhile, Serena and Ash, having moved to a safe spot, found themselves hugging and jumping up and down like fans whose team had just won the World Cup.

  They were thrilled by Mina’s hard-fought victory. Serena was happy for her friend, but Ash's excitement knew no bounds. Caught up in the thrill of Mina’s dramatic win, he hugged Serena tightly once again and shouted,

  "Mina is not an ordinary trainer! She’s amazing—the best!”

  Seeing that Ash’s gaze were fixed on Mina, Serena wondered if Mina held a special place in his heart. A shadow of loneliness briefly crossed her face.

  "Yeah, that's true."

  However, Serena fidgeted with something in her pocket, then called out to Ash with a determined look.

  “Ash, there’s something I want to tell you.”

  Ash, realizing that he had been too distracted by Mina’s victory, looked at Serena sheepishly.

  "Huh? What is it?"

  Serena took a small ring case out of her pocket and opened it. Inside were two matching rings. She looked at Ash, who stood frozen in confusion, and spoke.

  "Ash, I don't know if you know this, but from the moment I first saw you, you've meant so much to me. And you still do.”

  Serena put one ring on her own left ring finger. Feeling like this might be her last chance, she reached out and slipped the other ring onto his left ring finger.

  “So, what I'm saying is, how about we stop traveling and settle down together?”

  Ash was flustered by the unexpected question and the ring now gleaming on his finger.

  "...?"

  She trembled like a shy bride facing her groom on their wedding day. No longer holding back, Serena spoke her true feelings directly.

  "I like you. No, I love you, Ash. Let's live happily together. Just the two of us. That’s all I really want. Please think about it."

  But as they say, life isn't a fairy tale. Before Ash could respond, a bright, ominous light began to surround Serena.

  "Aaaah!"

  The shockwaves from Serena's struggle caused debris to shake and collapse, prompting people to flee in panic. In an instant, the surroundings turned into pandemonium.

  Taking advantage of the chaos, the light swallowed her whole. Ash reached out with his left hand—the ring still gleaming on his finger—in a desperate attempt to save her.

  "Serena! No!”

  As she vanished with the light, Ash howled in desperation. Witnessing the overwhelming power, he fell into despair, realizing his own helplessness.

  At that moment, Mina, now dressed in casual clothes, approached Ash, who was holding back his tears.

  "Too late."

  Ash clenched his jaw without a word. Noticing that Ash was still wearing his swimsuit, Mina spoke to him in a slightly sarcastic tone.

  "Looks like you couldn't save her, huh?"

  Mina's sarcasm triggered an explosion of rage in Ash. Acting completely out of character, he grabbed her by the collar, shook her violently, and screamed,

  "What the hell is happening?! Tell me!"

  Mina glanced at the ring on his finger and looked at him in disbelief. Seeing that his anger showed no sign of subsiding, she lifted him effortlessly with one hand and threw him to the ground. “I don’t know either. All I know is that your friend, Misty, the Cerulean City Gym Leader, was also taken by the Light.” Ash was snapped back to reality by Mina’s immense strength and clutched his head in agony. Mina stood over him and said,

  "You are too weak..."

  "What?"

  "So this is the Pokémon World Champion, Ash Ketchum? You can’t even save your friends as they disappear right before your eyes. If that’s not weakness, then what is?"

  Ash looked at Mina, stunned. He had always believed that everyone would be happy if he befriended every Pokémon and person. But he now realized that such a belief was naive.

  “Looks like you finally noticed, Ash Ketchum. You're too weak. Do you know why? Your weakness stems from your purity and ignorance. That's what makes you vulnerable."

  Ash was the best at making friends. He thought he could be friends with any Pokémon or human, no matter how bad the relationship was. However, the light he felt transcended his imagination.

  He knew instinctively that the light could not have been created by any Pokémon or human he knew. It must have been the work of a higher being. Mina grabbed Ash by the collar and pulled him to his feet.

  “Ash Ketchum, I’ve investigated everything. You’re quite the character: Six failures at the League challenge. Then, you became the Champion in Alola. You followed that up by becoming the World Champion. Impressive. I know your entire history, both failures and successes.”

  Ash asked Mina with a dark expression. His question was closer to a desperate scream than a confident statement.

  "Then what should I do to save them?"

  Mina released her grip on his collar, threw him the clothes she had brought, and said,

  "I don't know! Maybe we'll find answers in the next city. Let's go."

  Ash clumsily put on the clothes she tossed him and slapped his cheeks to psych himself up.

  "All right. Maybe I can find a clue there. I have to believe that."

  Pokémon Legends: Z-A, has not yet been officially revealed? I also had some difficulty with this detail, but based on speculation from my Pokémon friends, Mega Starmie's stat distribution shows a modest overall increase, similar to Mega Mawile's. This leads to the theory that its ability might be Huge Power. Based on that speculation, I set Mega Starmie's ability to Huge Power for the purpose of this story.