Meltan

It melts particles of iron and other metals from underground and absorbs them into its liquid-steel body. Metal circulates through its interior and generates the energy it needs. It lives in groups, and each specimen communicates with the others by spinning the nut on its head. When the time comes, the strongest Meltan absorbs its companions and evolves into Melmetal.

Its body is 0.2 m tall and weighs 8 kg, but its compact appearance gives no indication of how much metal it can process. The hexagonal nut serves as its head and also plays a part in its expressiveness. The Steel type suits its metallic nature, while its Electric-type moves reflect the energy it produces by melting materials.

Meltan belongs to the Hex Nut Pokémon category and occupies the first stage of its evolutionary line. It is a singular species from Generation VII, associated with ancient documents even though its existence was not understood until recently. Its group behavior has a specific purpose: accumulating matter and strength until one of them gathers the others into a new form.

Meltan has no defined competitive role. Its base stats total 300: 46 HP, 65 Attack, 65 Defense, 55 Special Attack, 35 Special Defense, and 34 Speed. Attack and Defense are acceptable for an early stage, but its HP, Special Defense, and Speed leave little room to take hits or act before the opponent.

Its Magnet Pull ability prevents Steel-type Pokémon from fleeing. This gives it some use against opponents of that type in single battles, especially if they need to switch out to avoid Thunder Wave or Flash Cannon. Protect helps scout the opponent’s move, while Thunderbolt provides special damage with coverage different from that of its primary type.

The Steel type lets it hit Rock-, Ice-, and Fairy-type Pokémon effectively, as well as resist many common attacks. Its weaknesses to Fire, Fighting, and Ground are highly relevant, and its 35 Special Defense makes it easy for special attackers to knock it out. Its 34 Speed makes the problem worse: it usually takes the hit before it can respond.

In a normal playthrough, it works best against Trainers who rely on Steel-type Pokémon or weak physical attacks. In competitive formats, its limitations weigh too heavily, and the absence of its evolution from the main-series games reduces its appeal even further.

It cannot breed: it belongs to the Undiscovered Egg Group and has no gender. As a result, there is no distribution between males and females and no applicable hatching chain for eggs obtained at the Day Care. The 120 cycles associated with the species amount to approximately 30,855 steps using the usual hatching formula.

Its acquisition is tied to Pokémon GO. In the main-series games, it is added through transfer from Pokémon GO, and it also appears in the transfer chain connected to Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!. Its catch rate is 3, so catching it is difficult when it appears in the wild.

Meltan evolves only in Pokémon GO after gathering 400 Meltan Candies. In the main-series games, there is no level, item, or trade that triggers this evolution. This condition sets its evolutionary line apart from most singular species and makes obtaining Melmetal dependent on Pokémon GO.