POKEMON : STARTING WITH FLASH METAGROSS

Beldum was ecstatic to be back in the cave. It darted around, bumping into rocks and greeting Pokémon it had once sparred with. At one point, it even floated over to a Nosepass for a cheerful hello, leaving Rax too embarrassed to even consider capturing it.

After some thought, Rax decided on a new approach.

"Beldum, is there anyone in this cave you really don't like? Let's teach them a lesson!"

It was a rather shameless suggestion, but Rax justified it as standing by his partner's side.

Beldum's single red eye blinked, as though recalling something, before it zoomed deeper into the cave with purpose.

"Cubone, follow me!" Rax called out, breaking into a jog.

"Kara!"

With Beldum leading, Rax didn't worry about offending any other cave-dwelling Pokémon. They turned several familiar corners before Rax noticed the markings he'd left on his last trip.

"Wait, Beldum... are we going to—"

Before he could finish, Rax froze.

His flashlight revealed a group of sleeping Aron, their sky-blue eyes beginning to open. Confusion turned to fury as they realized who the intruders were.

'Is this the group you hate?'

Rax didn't need to ask. Beldum answered immediately, charging headlong into the closest Aron with a resounding clang!

Dust filled the air as the unfortunate Aron tumbled back into its herd.

"Beldum, no!" Rax covered his mouth and nose, his heart sinking.

So reckless! Why are you like this? You're not a Metang yet!

The enraged Aron stampeded toward them, intent on retaliating.

"Cubone, use Stomping Tantrum—now! Beldum, retreat!"

Rax barked orders as he scrambled backward.

Despite its nerves, Cubone followed through, slamming the ground repeatedly. Waves of ground-type energy rippled forward, hitting the charging Aron with devastating force. The rock-and-steel types, weak to ground moves, were knocked out one by one.

The cave erupted in chaos, but the immediate threat subsided.

Beldum floated cautiously behind Cubone, its red eye gleaming with what seemed like smug satisfaction. Cubone, meanwhile, stared at its little feet, as though surprised by its own power.

In that moment, Cubone's aura flared as it reached a new threshold—breaking into the Good tier.

"You did it!" Rax cheered, his joy momentarily replacing the tension.

The remaining Aron froze at the display of strength, hesitating to attack further.

From deeper within the cave, heavy footsteps echoed ominously. Rax's breath caught. The leader's coming.

His flashlight revealed the source: a Lairon, the evolved form of Aron. Its massive, armored body radiated authority, and its hard, protruding back plates gleamed menacingly.

The Aron regained their confidence, rallying behind Lairon. They glared at Rax and his Pokémon, but Cubone stepped forward with its bone club raised. The Aron faltered, instinctively retreating a step.

The tension was palpable, and even Lairon seemed thrown off by its herd's sudden cowardice.

Seizing the moment, Rax stepped forward. "Lairon, Aron, listen up! Beldum here says it had a disagreement with you in the past. I brought it back to settle things—fairly this time!"

Beldum glanced back at Rax, its expression almost incredulous. In truth, it had simply provoked the Aron before and been chased out.

Lairon seemed to realize this too, but after a moment's thought, it nodded, agreeing to resolve things through battle.

"Here's the deal," Rax continued. "We'll settle this with a one-on-one fight. If we lose, we'll leave you alone for good. But if we win, you'll teach both Cubone and Beldum the Iron Head move. Deal?"

Lairon considered the terms before rumbling its agreement. However, it added one condition: Cubone couldn't use Stomping Tantrum.

"No problem!" Rax agreed readily. Cubone's bone club was its real strength in single combat.

The Aron retreated to clear the area, while Beldum and Rax stepped back as well.

---

The battle began without a referee. Cubone and Lairon charged at each other simultaneously.

Lairon's head gleamed with silver light as it unleashed Iron Head, while Cubone swung its bone club with precision.

Clang!

The clash sent a resounding echo through the cave. For a moment, they were evenly matched, but Lairon's superior weight and power forced Cubone back.

Cubone tumbled but flipped mid-air, landing on its feet. Lairon, meanwhile, staggered, momentarily dazed from the impact.

"Cubone, again!" Rax commanded.

Cubone charged once more, spinning its club as it closed the distance.

Lairon, learning from its mistake, stomped the ground. Massive rocks erupted to block Cubone's path—a Rock Tomb!

Undeterred, Cubone smashed through the boulders with its club, but the delay gave Lairon time to summon another attack.

Rocks fell from the ceiling, aiming to trap Cubone between falling debris and the remnants of the Rock Tomb.

"Cubone, use Bone Boomerang!" Rax shouted.

Cubone hurled its club with all its strength. The spinning weapon cut through the falling rocks, clearing a path before returning to its grasp.

The way was clear, and Cubone dashed forward.

Lairon barely had time to react before Cubone leapt, swinging its club down with all its might.

Clang!

Lairon staggered again, its legs buckling under the force. This time, it didn't recover. With a groan, it collapsed, unable to continue the fight.

Rax pumped his fist in victory. "Well done, Cubone!"

The Aron group fell silent, their leader defeated. After a moment, Lairon grumbled its acknowledgment, signaling the herd to stand down.

True to the agreement, Lairon began guiding Beldum and Cubone through the steps of Iron Head, its grudging respect evident.

Rax smiled. Sometimes, all you need is a little bluff—and a lot of luck.