As Ash and his friends made their way through the rugged terrain, they suddenly spotted a Skarmory soaring overhead. Below it, three Magnemite were suspending a struggling Torkoal midair using Thunder Wave, surrounding the poor Fire-type with blue static currents.
Torkoal writhed in pain, desperately firing bursts of Flamethrower in every direction—but the attacks failed to connect. In retaliation, Skarmory struck with a barrage of Swift, hitting Torkoal hard and drawing a pained cry from it.
Then, without warning, the Magnemite ceased their Thunder Wave, causing the Torkoal to plummet from the sky!
"Oh no!" Ash cried out, bolting toward it.
But as soon as he entered the valley, the Magnemite turned their attention to him and fired off a surge of electricity.
"Ash, look out!" Brock, May, and Max shouted in alarm.
"I choose you—Electrike!" Ash yelled.
"Woof!" Electrike leapt in front, its Lightning Rod ability drawing the electricity away from Ash entirely. Ash seized the moment to catch the falling Torkoal in his arms.
"Nice job, Electrike! Now let's finish this! Pikachu, Electrike—Thunderbolt! Eevee, Shadow Ball!"
"Pika-chu!""Woof!""Eevee~!"
The twin Thunderbolts struck down the Magnemite, while Eevee's Shadow Ball collided with Skarmory, knocking it out of the sky. Just then, the rest of the group arrived.
"Are you okay, Torkoal?" Ash asked with concern, gently placing it on the ground. He recalled Electrike, who had done a great job.
In response, Torkoal's eyes welled up with tears—and with a hiss, thick black smoke blasted from its nostrils, instantly blackening the faces of Ash and his friends.
Cough! Cough! They staggered back, choking and coughing.
Suddenly, a deep roar echoed from within the valley. Before anyone could react, Torkoal dashed toward the sound with surprising speed.
"He's fast!" Ash exclaimed, lighting up. "Come on, let's follow him!"
The group chased after Torkoal deeper into the valley, Ash using his Aura to stay close behind. Soon, more battling could be heard up ahead. They arrived to see Torkoal engaged once again—fighting the same group of Skarmory and Magnemite.
The Skarmory swooped above, preparing to strike from the air, while the Magnemite swirled around Torkoal.
Ash acted immediately. "Electrike, Discharge! Quilava, Lava Plume!"
Electrike's blue electricity halted Skarmory mid-dive, and Quilava's wide-range Lava Plume blasted the Magnemite out of the air.
"Torkoal!" With perfect timing, Torkoal hit Skarmory with a direct Flamethrower, finishing it off.
"Nice!" May and Max cheered. May blinked in surprise. "Why are there so many Steel-types around here?"
Brock furrowed his brow. "If I'm right… we've wandered into Steel Valley."
Max's eyes widened. "That's the place Nurse Joy told us to stay away from before we entered the forest!"
Brock nodded grimly. "Exactly. The Steel-type Pokémon here are highly territorial. Looks like Torkoal accidentally wandered into their domain—and got attacked for it."
Torkoal lowered his head and nodded in agreement.
"What should we do now?" Max asked. "Should we go back and find a safer path?"
Ash clenched his fist. "No—we've come this far. We'll go through it together."
"Pika!""Eevee~""Woof!""Boom~"
"Torkoal, would you go with us?" Ash asked gently. "We'll make it through together."
Torkoal's eyes teared up again—and another cloud of black smoke burst from its nostrils. But this time, Ash shielded himself with Aura, avoiding the usual smog clouding.
The group prepared to continue—but just then, the ground trembled violently.
ROAR! A massive Steelix burst from the earth and loomed before them.
Steelix
Strength: Gym Leader – Early Stage
Clearly, this was the ruler of Steel Valley.
"Torkoal~!" Torkoal stepped forward, fire in its eyes.
"You want to fight it together?" Ash asked. Torkoal nodded firmly.
Torkoal
Gender: Male
Type: Fire
Ability: Drought (Summons harsh sunlight when entering battle)
Strength: Superior – Peak
Known Moves: Flamethrower, Overheat, Lava Plume, Withdraw
Dynamax Type: Fire
Steelix roared and launched a Dragon Pulse, the green beam shooting directly toward them.
"Torkoal, Withdraw!" Ash commanded.
Torkoal tucked into its shell just in time—the Dragon Pulse struck, but did no damage.
Ash grinned. "Finally, your shell works in our favor! Torkoal, Flamethrower!"
Torkoal retaliated with a blazing pillar of fire, which hit Steelix directly. But Steelix powered through and countered with a brutal Iron Tail, slamming Torkoal hard.
"Its attack's too strong... Torkoal, use Flame Wheel!"
Steelix suddenly disappeared beneath the earth—Dig.
"If Torkoal knew Earthquake, this would be over fast," Ash muttered.
He closed his eyes, using Aura to track Steelix's position. Then his eyes snapped open.
"Now! Torkoal, jump—and use Overheat midair!"
Torkoal leapt into the air, just as Steelix burst out of the ground—and unleashed a scorching white-hot blast of Overheat straight down.
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the valley. Steelix let out a roar as the intense flames overwhelmed its steel body. With a heavy crash, it collapsed.
"Torkoal~!" Torkoal squealed in triumph, celebrating with bursts of Lava Plume.
Ash stepped forward, holding a Poké Ball. "Torkoal... would you like to come with me?"
Torkoal, eyes brimming with emotion, let out a snort of smoke that knocked Ash flat onto his back. It then tapped the Poké Ball with its head.
Click.Capture complete.
"Man, Torkoal sure wears its heart on its shell," Max said, sweatdropping.
"I caught Torkoal!" Ash declared, holding up the Poké Ball."Pika~!""Eevee~!"
The Poké Ball shrank and transmitted to Professor Oak's Lab.
May's eyes sparkled. "That's amazing! I didn't know Pokémon could capture themselves like that!"
As for Steelix, it groaned, got back up, and silently retreated, followed by the remaining Skarmory and Magnemite. It seemed to acknowledge Ash's group—and their right to pass through Steel Valley.
With the threat behind them, Ash and the others finally located the right path out of the valley. Mauville City was now visible in the distance.
A few days later, Ash and his friends returned to Mauville City, continuing their journey toward Petalburg City.
To be continued...