Watching as the little Tinkatink's body was gradually shrouded by a glowing light, Lucas took a deep breath. Instinctively, he reached for his camera, ready to enter video mode.
But, beyond his expectations, the petite Tinkatink trembled. The white light seemed to be absorbed by it, instantly receding.
It looked—just like Ash's Bulbasaur—resisting evolution.
Could it be that Tinkatink doesn't want to evolve?
That thought flashed through Lucas's mind.
But in the next moment, he dismissed it.
From everything he'd observed about Tinkatink's behavior, it had never shown any reluctance to evolve. That didn't make sense.
Still doubting, Lucas watched the Tinkatink, who was fighting to resist the urge to evolve, and noticed it seemed to be searching for something.
His eyes landed on the little hammer in Tinkatink's hand—and suddenly, inspiration struck. Lucas immediately realized what Tinkatink was looking for.
Perhaps evolution would allow its weapon to change with it, but as a bit of a perfectionist, it obviously hoped to personally forge its new weapon.
So now, Tinkatink was searching for suitable materials!
When Tinkatink evolves into Tinkatuff, the hammer doesn't undergo huge changes—just welded with two pieces of curved steel or other metal—so right now, what it needs most is…
Lucas's eyebrow twitched. Glancing at the nearby Larvesta, who had just defeated the last Bisharp with Ember, he called out quickly, "Larvesta, use String Shot to collect the armor from those Bisharp!"
He remembered the Pokédex explaining in detail: to forge a large, sturdy hammer, Tinkatuff would attack Bisharp and collect their metal.
The armor on those Bisharp—that's exactly what Tinkatink needs!
"Baa!"
Larvesta also sensed the urgency, raised its body halfway, and spat out sturdy silk, skillfully stripping the armor off the fallen Bisharp and tossing it before Tinkatink.
As expected, Tinkatink began examining the pieces one by one, enduring the urge to evolve.
But no matter which set of armor, none seemed satisfactory.
Yet resisting the urge to evolve was becoming unbearable—it felt like ants crawling all over its body. Tinkatink was starting to think it should just settle for whatever was on hand.
It let out a stifled groan of frustration.
At that moment, Lucas shouted, "Just hold on a bit longer!"
"Ka-nu..."
Tinkatink opened its eyes, surprised, and looked at Lucas.
Lucas offered a reassuring look, then turned his gaze to the area where Ogerpon and Kingambit were fighting.
While Tinkatink and Larvesta were busy taking out Kingambit's subordinates, Kingambit's power had increased even more—enough to tussle with Ogerpon on equal footing.
Yet, this power boost was temporary. Over time, it'd fade away, while Ogerpon's strength remained steady. It was only a matter of time before Ogerpon regained the upper hand and won.
In a regular battle, Lucas might just wait for it to play out. But today was different.
Tinkatink was still holding back, and Kingambit had evolved successfully after snatching the hammer from Tinkatink.
Did that mean Kingambit's armor also contained the same metal that had been in that hammer? If they stripped off its armor, would Tinkatink finally be satisfied?
Lucas didn't waste time pondering. He did one thing—
He pulled a Terastal Orb from his pocket and threw it with perfect aim at Ogerpon, who had just bashed Kingambit away.
Terastalize!
Click—!
Under the falling Terastal light, Ogerpon's own head didn't transform, nor did a Terastal Crown appear.
Instead, the "Hearthflame Mask" it wore on its face flew off, underwent crystallization, grew a pair of ghostly horns, and its golden hair flared like fire, becoming a flame-red ghost face wrapped in crystal.
Ogerpon's body, shrouded in a strengthening red light, felt even greater power.
While wearing the Hearthflame Mask, Ogerpon's Ability would be "Mold Breaker."
But upon Terastalizing with the Hearthflame Mask, its Ability changed—Lucas called it "Mask Resonance," with four different mask forms, each with unique boosts.
The Terastalized Hearthflame Mask's "Mask Resonance" effect was—
Attack up by one stage!
Not to mention the basic Fire-type Terastal boost—Ogerpon's offensive power was now over thirteen thousand!
Kingambit, for all its general-like appearance, wasn't one for strategy—preferring brute force.
It tried using the Dark move Abyssal Lunge. Yet, at the moment its move collided with Ogerpon's Ivy Cudgel, Kingambit's face changed drastically.
That power... not good!
This was a whole different dimension compared to before—a crushing force! Kingambit was now getting the treatment once reserved for that first Bisharp squad leader Lucas and Ogerpon ever fought.
Bang!
Ogerpon's Ivy Cudgel, wreathed in powerful fire, slammed into Kingambit's face. Its head snapped back and its feet staggered. It toppled to the ground, unable to get up for a long while.
Its mind was dazed, and the burning pain on its face kept reminding it—it'd been beaten.
"Tsen—!"
Kingambit tried to get up. But just then, a sticky, slightly warm strand of silk twisted around its armor.
The next moment—
A massive force yanked its armor right off!
Clang! The sound of armor hitting the ground was crystal clear.
Before Kingambit could react, three more silk strands removed the armor from its shoulders and legs. The pieces were then dragged away.
Now Kingambit finally realized it had been disarmed!
Even if it could grow new armor after eating more metal, it would never be as good as the old set.
More than that, for a general to be stripped of his armor by the enemy—what a humiliation!
Kingambit felt mortified, but didn't throw a tantrum. Instead, it silently gathered its strength, trying to get up.
Luckily, nobody seemed intent on attacking further. Instead, they simply dragged the spoils of war away to somewhere nearby.
Soon enough, the sound of hammering filled the air—no one knew what they were doing.
Not bothering to check if Kingambit was fully beaten, Lucas, knowing Larvesta wasn't strong enough to drag all four armor pieces, called Ogerpon to help. He himself lent a hand, moving the armor to Tinkatink.
Unsurprisingly—
Tinkatink's eyes lit up at the sight of the armor, and it couldn't wait to start forging a new hammer.
These pieces weren't just imbued with materials from the "best hammer in the village," but also included rare alloys Kingambit had plundered from countless travelers.
As forging material, they were the best!
Combining these with the feathers of Corviknight—Tinkatink's old hammer—the new one would surely become even harder and tougher!
Seeing Tinkatink was about to get to work, Lucas had Larvesta and Ogerpon help out.
With the two Pokémon providing heat, Tinkatink's plan was simple:
Hammer the shoulder guards flat, fuse them together, heat them up using the flames from Larvesta and Ogerpon, then hammer until they fused and formed the new shape.
The leg armor followed the same steps. As Tinkatink rhythmically hammered away, the discomfort from resisting evolution faded.
Tinkatink worked faster and faster.
Larvesta and Ogerpon kept up the firepower, helping to weld the pieces in place.
About ten minutes later, a larger, longer hammer took shape in Tinkatink's hand.
Admiring its handiwork, Tinkatink beamed with satisfaction.
Finally releasing its hold, the urge to evolve, now stronger than ever, overtook it. It basked in the dazzling evolutionary light.
Inside the brilliant white glow, Tinkatink's body began to transform—like a child growing overnight.
No matter how many times he witnessed it, Lucas always felt the same bittersweet pride—like watching your own kid grow up.
Tinkatink's little pigtail transformed into a more girlish ponytail. The light purple diamond on its chest split, extending to the sides; its height shot up from 40 cm to 70 cm—already almost three-fifths as tall as Ogerpon!
As the evolutionary light faded away, the new Tinkatuff swung its heavy hammer with heroic flair in its eyes.
"Ka-nu!"
Looking at Lucas putting down the camera, Tinkatuff knew how much effort he, Larvesta, and her good friend Ogerpon had put in. Gratefully, she thanked each one.
"Congratulations, you've grown taller."
Lucas smiled gently, knelt down and patted Tinkatuff's head. The pale pink hair was silky-smooth, making him a bit reluctant to let go.
Tinkatuff squinted her eyes, thoroughly enjoying Lucas's pats.
But suddenly, there was a rustling sound behind them.
Glancing back, they saw Kingambit shakily getting to its feet.
Now missing all its armor, its gray body exposed, it looked rather ridiculous—having lost any trace of general-like dignity.
"Boni!"
"Ka-nu!"
"Baa!"
The three Pokémon tensed. Ogerpon and Tinkatuff gripped their weapons; the temperature around Larvesta shot up.
The temporary boost from [Boss] was fading quickly from Kingambit.
It knew, in this state, it couldn't hope to defeat Ogerpon—let alone if Tinkatuff and Larvesta joined in.
So, instead, Kingambit did something utterly shameful for its kind.
Thud.
With Ogerpon and Larvesta both surprised, Kingambit fell to its knees in a "dogeza" pose—head and limbs outstretched—begging for mercy.
"Chili, ligi?" (Please spare me?)
Tsk, trying for a truce now?
Ogerpon almost burst out laughing.
First it bullied the bamboo forest, then robbed travelers and even stole Tinkatuff's old hammer—yet not once had it thought to apologize, even when defeated. You're not sorry for your actions; you're just sorry you lost!
The fiery ghost mask floated before Ogerpon, flickering like a little star, moving closer as Ogerpon marched ahead.
Clutching its Ivy Cudgel, Ogerpon readied itself to finish Kingambit.
But it didn't see the sly smile on Kingambit's face—clearly playing a trick while "dogeza-ing."
Having fought Kingambit before, Lucas immediately realized what was about to happen, even if he was momentarily distracted by the kneeling gesture. He quickly warned: "Ogerpon, that's—!"
But before he could finish, Tinkatuff was already moving—rushing forth in a flash.
Clearly, Tinkatuff was all too familiar with Kingambit and its dirty tricks!
At that same moment—
As Ogerpon drew close, Kingambit, who'd been gathering strength, suddenly struck! Its blade erupted with a harsh black-red glow. Using the move "Iron Head," it struck fiercely at Ogerpon.
Ogerpon's expression didn't change for a second. It quietly let the attack fall—because its Terastalized Hearthflame Mask possessed extraordinary durability, withstood Kingambit's sneak attack effortlessly.
The next second—
Tinkatuff, wielding her brand new hammer—paint still unfinished, the color of Kingambit's old armor—charged up with blazing momentum.
"Ka-nu!!!"
Both hands clutching the glowing orange-red hammer, her eyes sharp, Tinkatuff screamed, whipping up a storm of shattered stone as she smashed Kingambit square in the face.
Boom!
The super-effective [Rock Smash] hammered Kingambit's face, sheer personal vengeance and brute force unleashed.
Kingambit couldn't keep consciousness anymore—like a kite with its string cut, it was sent flying far into the distance, sliding across the ground, completely fainted.
Thus ended the battle.
Among the battered Bisharp tribe, legends of the twin sisters—and the sheep that spat fire and went "baa"—circulated far and wide.
The Bisharp tribe no longer dared to rule the bamboo forest—let alone rob travelers.
As other wild Pokémon slowly returned to the bamboo forest—
The legend became, over time and through word of mouth, a taboo shared by all wild Pokémon in the area.
…