I feel really dumb, but am I missing something? Not long after the first checkpoint there's a location where you need to break some blocks, but there's a fire creature between you and the blocks. So when I dash towards the blocks, I lose my metal powerup. I feel like I'm stuck, but seeing as I can get metal or water in the previous screen, I'm sure it's solvable.
Edit: I am confirmed dumb. Ducking is low enough for the creature to just fly over me. Not my proudest moment.