A World-Shattering Clash! (Best Read With Hype BGM Playing)
As Tapu Koko's song echoed out,
three more figures descended above Manalo Stadium.
[Professor Kukui: What's going on? Why are the other three island guardians here too?!]
[Leon: Those three… are also guardian deities? Now that I look closely, they do resemble Tapu Koko.]
[Diantha: Why did Tapu Koko call the other three Tapus over? Is it… Calling backup because it's losing?]
[Professor Kukui: N-No way, right? The guardian deities wouldn't be that petty… right?]
Kukui suddenly felt a bit unsure.
Other guardian deities might not—
But capricious, unpredictable Tapu Koko?
He could totally imagine it doing something like that if it felt like it.
If it really did call in three more helpers mid-battle,
then his side would definitely be ruled as the loser.
Two Pokémon are fighting just fine,
and you call three friends to jump in—
What's that supposed to be?
Even if you win four-on-one,
it's basically the same as losing.
Under everyone's gaze, Tapu Koko flew up
to join the three other Tapus in the air.
The four guardian deities chanted in harmony,
launching into a mysterious dance.
Countless motes of light
rained down upon the stadium.
Ash, Pikachu, and even the surrounding audience
all closed their eyes—
From their expressions,
Those drifting lights felt incredibly soothing.
The minor damage Pikachu had taken
from the Electro Ball's recoil
vanished instantly.
But the outrageous part—
Tapu Koko's injuries
were completely healed as well.
…What was that supposed to mean?
A full reset?
You can't just call a reset here, can you?
That was way too unfair to Pikachu.
They hadn't taken anywhere near the same level of damage—
Tapu Koko had also been hit
by Naganadel and Lycanroc earlier.
And now you're telling them:
"We'll restore both sides' health and stamina to full,
then fight again from the top, okay?"
No matter how you looked at it,
It seemed unfair.
Even if ninety-nine percent of viewers had bet on Kukui to win—
If he won like this,
Ninety percent of them wouldn't be satisfied.
On the screen—
After finishing the song,
Tapu Koko floated down to Kukui—
A small, brilliant golden light
drifted into Kukui's hands.
"This is… Tapunium Z?!!"
The moment he recognized the crystal,
Kukui couldn't help crying out.
[Hala: What?! That's Tapunium Z!
The exclusive Z-Crystal only the Tapus can use!]
[Hala: Legend says that long ago,
The Tapu and a human hero
used this special Z-Move to save Alola.
It's also said that if all four Tapu
unleash their Z-Move together,
They could destroy an entire quarter of Alola!]
[Cynthia: …So you're telling me
Tapu Koko not only summoned its fellow guardians
to heal all of its stamina—
It's also planning to use a move
that could save Alola… or wipe out a good chunk of it…
on Ash?]
[Steven: Yikes.
If Ash wins, does Alola get blown up in the process?
Why do you need something that scary
just to fight him?]
[Professor Kukui: Uh… I think…
Tapu Koko just wants to fight Ash at full power.
But… you can only use one Z-Move per battle,
So my Z-Ring should've run out of energy already…]
Just as real-world Kukui typed that—
On-screen Kukui lifted his left hand.
The silver Z-Ring on his wrist
burst into dazzling golden light.
"That mysterious dance just now…
Aside from healing us,
it recharged the Z-Rings, too?"
"Don't tell me…
You actually plan to use your Z-Move here?"
"Hey~haa!!"
Tapu Koko raised both hands excitedly in answer.
"You're unbelievable…"
Kukui glanced around
at the packed stadium.
He knew the legends about Tapunium Z.
If he used that terrifying power here—
Forget Pikachu—
Even the spectators might not survive the shockwave.
"Hey-ha!"
Tapu Koko seemed to understand Kukui's concern.
With a loud cry,
the other three Tapu moved into position,
forming a triangle around the stadium.
Then tremendous power
erupted from each of them.
Pink light wrapped around the entire arena—
forming a shimmering barrier.
Ash stared, dumbfounded,
having no idea what the guardian deities were doing.
"Hey-ha!"
"You're saying…
With this, we don't have to worry anymore.
But are you sure Pikachu can—"
"Hey-ha!"
"I see…
They're people you've acknowledged, huh…
All right then—let's test it.
Let's see the true power
of Tapunium Z!"
Kukui was finally convinced.
With three Tapu shielding the battlefield
and Pikachu's strength is on full display—
He also wanted to see
just how strong this Z-Move really was.
"Ash! Let's decide this with our Z-Moves!"
Kukui raised his glowing Z-Ring, shouting across the field.
Ash only now realized
his own Z-Ring was shining as well.
"We can use a Z-Move again?"
"That's right!
Tapu Koko gave me Tapunium Z,
and I'm going to use it to attack!
Ash—use your Z-Move to meet it head-on!"
"Tapunium Z, huh…
Interesting.
That's really interesting!"
"Pikachu—let's do this!"
"Pika!!"
Ash's excitement was infectious—
Pikachu stood firm in front of Tapu Koko,
fighting spirit overflowing.
Exclusive Z-Move?
Power that could destroy all of Alola?
Pika-sensei feared nothing.
As long as he was with Ash,
he could bring out their true power.
Together—
They were invincible.
[Lance: They're really going to clash Z-Moves?! Uh… I hate to say it, but isn't this basically guaranteed?
If it's a move strong enough to wipe out a quarter of Alola,
Pikachu can't possibly withstand it, Z-Move or not, right?]
At this point, Lance didn't care about flags anymore.
If you could still lose this situation,
he'd throw his cape away on the spot.
[Diantha: …Look, I don't care how cursed Lance's predictions are,
even he can't jinx something of this scale.
We're talking about a move that can obliterate a chunk of a region.
Pikachu can't possibly tank that.]
[Wallace: If he survives more than three seconds, that's a win.]
[Leon: Tapu-exclusive Z-Move…
And it even needs three Tapu to shield the stadium?
Just how powerful is this thing…
I am eager to see it.]
[Alder: I mean, yeah, but… this is kind of cheating, isn't it?
Tapu Koko's stamina was probably below half just now.
Now it's been fully healed…
That's way too unfair to Pikachu!]
[Cynthia: Forget it.
Ash hasn't complained at all.
Whether it's fair or not… isn't really our place to judge.
More importantly—
It's starting.]
On-screen, the final 1v1 showdown had begun.
Both sides slotted their Z-Crystals into their Z-Rings.
From the footage, it was clear—
Ash's Z-Crystal was the standard Electric one,
while Kukui's was engraved with a Tapu visage.
Just from the Z-Crystals alone,
Ash was already at a disadvantage.
Kukui crossed his arms in front of him—
the silver Z-Ring blazing with golden light.
As the Z-Crystal activated,
he began to move his body as he chanted:
"Passed down from the distant past—
The legendary technique!"
"The power born from the harmony
of Pokémon, humans, and nature!"
"Forged by all things
weathering storm and tide—
the ultimate Z power!"
Kukui spread his arms like a bird taking flight—
Golden light burst from both him and Tapu Koko.
The light vanished in an instant.
For a few long seconds,
there was only silence—
Then the entire stadium—
No, the entire Alola region—
began to shake.
Under Ash and Pikachu's stunned gaze—
The ground of Manalo Stadium split apart.
Two gigantic golden hands
burst up from the fissure,
grabbing the edges—
Then slowly,
they began to pull a massive body up.
The fractured earth trembled wildly—
Huge chunks of rock jutted upward and fell away.
Compared to this scene,
Lycanroc's Stone Edge from earlier
was an ant standing beside an elephant.
KRA-KOOM!!
With a deafening roar,
a golden giant over ten, nearly twenty meters tall
rose from the arena floor.
Everyone—
whether sitting in Manalo Stadium
or watching from the real Pokémon world—
was completely stunned.
Was this… really something? Could a Pokémon unleash?
What was this terrifying giant?
This was the power
of the fabled Tapunium Z?
No wonder the legends said—
If this giant really wanted to,
Reducing a quarter of Alola to rubble
wouldn't be a problem.
[Leon: This move…
Even my Charizard in Gigantamax form might struggle to block it.
It's insanely powerful.]
[Lance: I compared it to the legendary birds and…
If that fist lands, I feel like it could one-shot Moltres.]
[Cynthia: Tapu Koko isn't… actually trying to kill Ash, is it?!]
[Diantha: The power that once protected Alola
is now being used to stop Ash from winning a friendly exhibition match?!
Hey, this is just a show battle!
Isn't this a bit much?!]
[Steven: If Pikachu survives, that's already a miracle.]
[Alder: Come on, Satoshi! Beat it!
You're Alola's Champion—
You represent its strongest.]
[Hala: Mr. Alder, even if he is the Champion,
that just means he's beaten other humans.
What stands before him now
is a god.
And this…
Is that god's ultimate strike?]
"Ash… is he really supposed to fight that?"
Lillie's mind went blank.
Just from appearances alone,
no matter how strong Pikachu was,
there was no way he could win.
The sheer pressure
of that giant
was overwhelming.
"Ash… good luck…"
Serena closed her eyes,
hands clasped in prayer.
"Ash, can you really win this one?"
Misty stared at the massive golden giant,
feeling chills race down her spine.
To think about Ash in the future
would fight something like this…
"…Pikachu, we can win this… right?"
"Pika-pi!"
Pikachu's gaze was unwavering.
He would win.
His future self was that strong—
And Ash was right beside him.
If they used that special Z-Move…
They might not lose to that golden giant.
"I think…
We can win too!"
Future me—
Go for it!
On the screen—
This was Ash's first time
seeing Tapu Koko's exclusive Z-Move.
Compared to everyone watching through the screen—
Standing here,
staring up at the golden giant in person—
The pressure was on a completely different level.
Just its presence
was enough to make Ash feel like
He could barely breathe.
So this was…
The ultimate Z-Move
that had once defended Alola.
"Crackle!!"
While Ash was still frozen—
The black Z-Ring on his wrist
suddenly began to spark violently with electricity.
On the original Electric Z-Crystal—
A new mark appeared—
A jagged symbol shaped like Pikachu's tail.
This was… a special exclusive Z?
But even Tapu Koko's special Z
only changed the symbol in the center.
Ash's Z-Crystal—
The tail mark had grown so large that
it broke past the edges of the crystal itself.
Other exclusive Z-Crystals just changed the icon inside.
Ash's exclusive Z-Crystal…
changed the shape
of the entire crystal.
"Is this Pikachu's exclusive Z?
Why did it suddenly change like this…?"
Ash stared at the Z-Crystal for a second—
then broke into a wide grin.
This was the Z-Move that had appeared
When he and Pikachu
risked everything to save Lillie's mother.
Now, sensing their resolve—
It had returned.
Unlike the standard Pikachu-exclusive Z-Move,
This was a Z-Move
Only his Pikachu could use—
Theirs alone.
Nickname: SatoPika-Z.
"Okay! Let's do it, Pikachu!"
Ash took off his cap
and gently set it on Pikachu's head,
then crossed his arms.
"Let's show everyone our full power!"
"Pikachu!"
The light of SatoPika-Z flashed—
Pikachu adjusted the cap,
then sprang into the air.
His right paw bumped Ash's fist,
His tail tapped Ash's other fist—
Golden lightning flared
around both of them.
As Ash moved through the pose, he shouted:
"Stronger than Thunderbolt—
a hundred times the voltage!"
"Pika!"
"No—
even stronger than that!
Our ultimate power!!"
"Pika pika!!"
At the same time—
The golden giant began to move.
Tapu Koko folded its shells together,
forming a bird-like mask—
Which settled onto the headless golden giant,
becoming its face.
Kukui and Tapu Koko were now one in spirit—
Their movements synchronized.
"Tapu Koko—
Giant Guardian: Alola!!"
With Kukui's shout,
he swung his fist down toward the ground—
And the towering golden giant
mirrored him,
Driving its colossal fist downward
like a falling meteor.
The air rippled around the punch—
even boulders suspended mid-air
were pulverized into dust
by the sheer pressure.
And on Ash and Pikachu's side—
"Pikachu—
10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt!!!"
"Pi—ka!
Pi—ka!
Pika—!!"
The clear blue sky
darkened in an instant—
Thunderclouds churned overhead,
golden lightning weaving between them.
At Pikachu's cry,
blinding divine thunder
came crashing down onto him.
His whole body
erupted in golden flames of aura—
Super Saiyan Stage One!!
In front of the giant's fist,
Pikachu looked like a tiny insect.
But now—
That small insect was about to challenge a god.
After accepting the sky's thunder,
Pikachu leapt,
flipping once in mid-air,
then spreading all four limbs wide—
The power built up within him
exploded outward.
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—
seven-colored lightning
shot forth like leaping fish—
Each bolt forms a pillar of light,
bracing itself under the giant's fist.
The two sides
fell into a deadlock.
Terrifying energy waves rippled out—
The earth split apart,and
the sky roared in fury.
Cracks appeared
even on the barrier
formed by the three Tapu.
If they weren't there—
Everyone in the stadium
would probably be dead already.
"Crack… crack… crack…!!"
The clash raged on.
The giant tried to force its fist down.
Pika-God tried to drive his lightning
straight through that fist.
Neither yielded.
"Haaaaaaah!!"
Kukui roared—
The power of a Z-Move
was bound tightly
to its Trainer.
The stronger the Trainer's will and resolve—
The stronger the Z-Move.
Under Kukui's roar,
the giant's fist
slowly pressed down
against the rainbow thunder—
Bit by bit.
*(Side note: in the anime, this Guardian of Alola punch looked so absurdly strong
that if we went by game mechanics,
it wouldn't just take "three-quarters HP"—
Pikachu would lose ten thousand lives on the spot.
So yeah—definitely not using in-game balance here.*
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