Ash's Melmetal

Ash's Melmetal (Japanese: サトシのメルメタル Satoshi's Melmetal) is the fifth that   in the Alola region, and his fifty-first overall.

As a wild Pokémon
Melmetal first appeared as a Meltan in Show Me the Metal!, where it and several other arrived on Melemele Island. While investigating the sewers, the Meltan were divided into two groups and one ended up at the Ultra Guardians base under the Pokémon School. After being chased out by Lusamine's Clefable, they encountered and, who decided to study the newly discovered species. During their study, the Meltan scattered, save for a lone Meltan that decided to take a nap next to Ash's Rowlet. When Rowlet accidentally startled Meltan and caused its hex nut to fall off, Rowlet retrieved the nut before a  could steal it. Taking a liking to Rowlet, Meltan chose to sneak inside Ash's backpack, causing Ash to unknowingly take it home with him.

In the next episode, another incident with a Murkrow caused Meltan's hex nut to land in 's van. After a failed attempt to replace the nut, Meltan and Rowlet encountered Team Rocket, who tried to capture them. When attacked, Rowlet defended Meltan by taking all of Meowth's attacks, leaving it unable to fight back. Rowlet's pain angered Meltan, who proceeded to defeat Team Rocket with a powerful. Afterward, Ash arrived and brought Rowlet and Meltan back to the Pokémon School. Seeing how it bonded with Rowlet, Ash offered Meltan to join his team, which it accepted after saying goodbye to its Meltan friends.

With Ash
In Drawn with the Wind!, Meltan rode Sandy's back for the duration of the group's visit to Malie City. When 's hair ornament was blown away by the wind, chased after it, and Sandy and Meltan followed Shaymin. After Sandy and Meltan helped Shaymin recover the hair ornament, the three Pokémon were imprisoned by Team Rocket. However, Meltan was able to eat a hole into the cage, allowing the three Pokémon to escape. Team Rocket then sent out their Pokémon, resulting in Sandy getting ed by 's and  easily dodging Meltan's Flash Cannons. However, Ash, Mallow, and showed up. Ash had Meltan attack Mareanie, whose Sludge Bomb was ineffective against it, allowing it to land a on the Brutal Star Pokémon before Sandy finished it off with.

In Aiming for the Top Floor!, while Ash was battling Ryuki at the Kantonian Gym, and Rowlet was losing to Ryuki's, Meltan angrily retaliated by eating away some of the decorations on Ryuki's suit. Ryuki then changed the battle into a Double Battle, with Ash using Rowlet and Meltan against Ryuki's Zweilous and. Due to its slow movements, Meltan was unable to dodge Druddigon's s and was forced to try to protect itself with. As Meltan's endurance was running low, Rowlet's suddenly evolved into, allowing it to save Meltan from being defeated. Rowlet and Meltan then launched a combination attack at Zweilous and Druddigon, defeating them and winning the battle for Ash.

In SM130, when Ash intended to use to battle  in the first round of the Manalo Conference, Faba had his  secretly use  to bring out Meltan instead, having spied upon Ash's team the previous night and assumed that Meltan would be the easiest opponent for him. However, during the battle, Meltan became fascinated by Hypno's pendulum, and eventually ended up latching onto it and eating a part of it, preventing Hypno from using. While Hypno was dismayed over losing its pendulum, Ash had Meltan attack it with Flash Cannon, defeating Hypno and advancing Ash to the second round.

In SM132, Meltan watched Ash and Rowlet's battle against Hau and his. After witnessing Rowlet's victory in the next episode, a determined Meltan climbed to the top of the Manalo Stadium Pokémon Center and started calling for the other Meltan to meet up with it.

In SM138, Meltan met up with its fellow Meltan at the Manalo Stadium docks. The wild Meltan subsequently fused with Ash's Meltan, resulting in it evolving into Melmetal and learning. The next day, Melmetal was the first Pokémon Ash sent out during his battle against, facing off against. Melmetal managed to deal heavy damage on Silvally with its newfound power, but nevertheless, it was still defeated by a.

Personality and characteristics
Melmetal is a naturally curious individual who is prone to wander off on its own. It formed a very close friendship with Ash's Rowlet after it protected it from 's. Also, Melmetal looks up to Rowlet and sees it as a mentor figure, much like Ash's Noivern's relationship with. Melmetal gets easily scared, as seen in Show Me the Metal!, where it was reluctant to follow its fellow into the sewer, only following when it was forced. Despite being scared, Melmetal will help its friends in any way it can. After joining Ash's team, Melmetal easily became close to Ash and became friends with its teammates. Melmetal also becomes very upset whenever it loses its hex nut.

Like many of its species, Melmetal consumes anything made of metal, as seen in Got Meltan?, when Professor Burnet discovered a frying pan that had been partially eaten. Frying pans, in particular, appear to be Melmetal's favorite food. In the Poké Problem segment for SM115, Melmetal was seen happily consuming the frying pan Ash and were using for target practice. In The Secret Princess!, Rowlet had to stop it from eating another one of Burnet's pans. later mused that it had already ruined three pans. This tendency came in handy in Drawn with the Wind!, when it, Sandy, and found themselves stuck in a cage made by Team Rocket. This was shown again in The One That Didn't Get Away!, when it ate the metal on a 's ship to help free a. Because of its liquid body, Melmetal cannot move very fast and is often seen chasing after friends or other things that draw its curiosity or riding on Rowlet. Melmetal's slow movement prevents it from dodging well, causing it to rely on moves like to endure enemy attacks.

Inside and outside of battle, Melmetal has a tendency to act on its own without any input from its Trainer. This was showcased in Aiming for the Top Floor!, where it attacked Ryuki because Rowlet was losing to his. Later, while battling Ryuki's, Melmetal followed up an unsuccessful with an unprompted , surprising Ash. In SM130, Melmetal was revealed to enjoy the theatricality of battling, as it enjoyed the applause from the crowd at Manalo Stadium before its battle against. In the same episode, it was also revealed to enjoy stretching after coming out of its. After evolving, it gained a lot of physical strength and durability, but still retained its tendency to act on its own accord, and will cry if hit by a painful attack.

Trivia

 * Melmetal is the first of Ash's Pokémon to:
 * be a.
 * It is also the only Steel-type owned by a main character to not be dual-typed.
 * use an move, after.
 * Melmetal is the first Mythical Pokémon owned by a main character.
 * As a Meltan, Ash's Melmetal had a darker nut than the other Meltan, a result of the nut being used in 's car for a short while. It lost this distinctive trait upon evolving.
 * Melmetal is currently Ash's only Pokémon in the that has not used a Z-Move.