In the games, Pokémon with the Sturdy ability can't be knocked out in one hit, always leaving at least 1 HP when at full health. But in reality, such a feat would be impossible. After all, there's no way a Graveler could rely on its Sturdy ability to withstand Groudon's Precipice Blades, right?
The greatest enhancement Sturdy provides to a Pokémon is reinforcing its durability. Pokémon like Graveler are already incredibly tough, and with Sturdy, most ordinary Pokémon would struggle to break through their defenses.
However, this posed no issue for Mawile—after all, she practically came with the Sheer Force* ability built-in!
The passage had a slight incline, making the Graveler rolling down even more menacing. But under Maki's command, Mawile stood her ground without a hint of fear, exuding an aura of unshakable confidence—"No matter how strong you are, I'm stronger."
As Graveler approached, Mawile slightly tilted her head back before smashing forward with a powerful Headbutt!
Boom!
Sound good? If it sounds good, it's a good headbutt.
"Gra!"
"Maw!"
The once-intimidating Graveler was sent flying backward, though Mawile took an unprecedented step back as well.
The momentum from Graveler's prolonged rolling was truly terrifying. Even with Cottonee's support, Mawile couldn't help but take a step back.
Still, the fact that Mawile only took one step back was a testament to her immense strength.
The Graveler, now lying some distance away, let out a confused cry. What just happened? It had simply been rolling around as usual—how did someone suddenly knock it away?
It reached out with its longer arm, feeling the dent where Mawile had struck.
Ouch... It had been a long time since it had suffered such a heavy blow.
"Graveler!"
Graveler roared angrily at Mawile, as if to say, I was just rolling here—what's your problem?!
"Maw!"
You're the one who rolled into our faces, okay?!
Despite having feet, Graveler preferred rolling to move around, likely due to its short legs and heavy body.
They never cared about what they crushed along the way—forward was the only direction.
Unsurprisingly, this made them far from popular among traveling trainers.
Imagine walking down a path only to see a lone Graveler—or worse, a whole group—rolling towards you. Not exactly a pleasant sight.
"Graveler!"
Why don't you just move out of the way then?
Clearly, reasoning with Graveler was futile. The only way to deal with them was through brute force.
The real problem? Graveler were social creatures. If you saw one, there were likely many more behind it.
And if you saw a whole group... well, now it was time to panic.
Luckily, Graveler wouldn't actively chase their targets—they simply kept rolling forward.
But fleeing wasn't Maki's style.
Sure enough, before Maki could order Mawile to finish off the first Graveler, loud rumbling echoed from deeper within the cave. The ground beneath Maki's feet began to tremble.
He looked up and roughly counted four or five Graveler rolling down toward them. Even Mawile hesitated for a moment.
She glanced back at Maki.
"Maw?"
I don't think I can stop them all...
Two or three might have been manageable—but this many? Not so much.
"Cottonee, Leech Seed and Cotton Spore! Charmeleon, Dragon Dance!"
Mawile couldn't handle this alone, so Maki immediately called in reinforcements.
Cottonee launched both seeds and cotton spores at the incoming Graveler. The Leech Seeds clung to the Graveler's uneven rocky surfaces, beginning to grow.
While Leech Seed needed time to take effect, Cotton Spore was there to slow them down.
The spores spread across the narrow passage, right in the Graveler's path, reducing their speed significantly. As they slowed, the Leech Seeds began wrapping around their bodies.
Of course, the goal wasn't to drain them completely—Leech Seed wasn't that powerful. The plan was simply to stall them.
Mawile charged forward with Iron Head, targeting the first Graveler.
Meanwhile, Charmeleon rushed into battle. Though he lacked Mawile's raw power, a single Dragon Dance brought him close to her level.
Fire-type moves were out of the question—they might burn Cottonee's seeds and spores. But even without his flames, Charmeleon's Crunch packed a punch.
Ultimately, Mawile remained the team's main damage dealer, thanks to her type advantage.
As Mawile and Charmeleon attacked, Cottonee provided crucial support, using Prankster to boost both allies with Helping Hand.
Even after two Helping Hands, Cottonee wasn't done.
Don't forget—they were in Mt. Moon, where Rock and Ground-type energy was abundant. This allowed Cottonee's Nature Power to transform into Power Gem or Earth Power.
Cottonee focused on guiding Nature Power toward Earth Power, knowing it would deal massive damage to the Rock/Ground-type Graveler.
While Graveler's physical defense was formidable, their special defense left much to be desired—making Cottonee's Earth Power a surprisingly effective weapon.
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TL/N:
The raws says Huge Power, not Sheer Force. However, Mawile can only gain Huge Power ability after Mega Evolving, thus I corrected it in case the author made a mistake here.
Or maybe, Mawile can gain Huge Power even when not Mega Evolving? I don't know. I am not a devoted fan of Pokémon. I stopped watching the anime at the Alola region.
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