Although he had already witnessed it many times…
Seeing Incineroar absorb all of Turtonator's Flamethrower—
Kiawe still felt it was downright absurd.
How could there be an Incineroar this strong?!
Other Incineroar were already powerful, sure, but Ash's Incineroar was clearly beyond the normal scale.
Even Professor Kukui's Incineroar—
Back then, it had lost to Ash's Torracat before it even evolved.
Just that fact alone was enough to make one question reality.
A second-stage Torracat defeating a Champion-level Incineroar, even with help from other factors, was insane.
And that was Professor Kukui's Incineroar—
The Royal Mask's trump card!
Now—
Having absorbed the full blast of Turtonator's Flamethrower, Ash's Incineroar radiated a blazing red aura.
That glow was the boost granted by its activated Ability—Blaze.
"Roooaaar—!"
A deep bellow shook the entire battlefield.
It wasn't even a loud roar, yet it caused Turtonator to freeze for a split second.
[Gardenia: Wow… timeline-wise, it should be about a year after Ash became Alola Champion. Hard to believe this Incineroar has grown this strong in just one year!]
[Flint: Elaborate. You're the Fire-type Elite Four member here.]
[Gardenia: Every Fire-type Pokémon has unique traits—Charizard's tail flame, Typhlosion's mantle vents… these represent the intensity of their fire power.
Look closely at this Incineroar's belt flame. See how much brighter it burns compared to when we saw it in the ranking video?]
[Denji: …Now that you mention it, yeah.]
[Professor Kukui: It's true. Compared to mine, Ash's Incineroar has far greater control over its fire power.]
[Kiawe: No way—Ash's Pokémon can't surpass the Royal Mask's Incineroar that quickly!]
[Professor Kukui: Kiawe, nothing is impossible. Ash is the Alola Champion. With him, anything can happen.]
[Gary: I agree. Ash has this weird magic—any Pokémon he trains always ends up shining in a way you never expect.]
Like Pikachu.
Gary still remembered the first time he met that Pikachu.
Back then, it was troublesome—
But still just a regular Electric Mouse.
Looking at it now?
There's nothing "regular" about it.
That thing is a Zapdos wearing a Pikachu suit.
No—sometimes even Zapdos isn't as ridiculous as Ash's Pikachu!
[Gardenia: Just keep watching. Incineroar is about to give you all a surprise.]
Gardenia stared intently at the screen.
The moment she saw Incineroar's flame belt glowing such a vivid crimson,
She felt the Fire-type power swelling.
With Blaze fully ignited,
Incineroar was at maximum output.
A year ago, it defeated Professor Kukui's Champion-level Incineroar before evolving.
So now, a year later…?
Gardenia could barely contain her excitement.
On screen—
Seeing Incineroar radiating that overwhelming aura—
Kiawe suddenly regretted challenging Ash.
Ever since Ash left Alola,
Incineroar had been staying in Professor Kukui's backyard.
And naturally—
As an Incineroar, it sparred with Kukui's own Incineroar every single day.
From evenly matched—
To slowly gaining the advantage—
To now, surpassing Kukui's Incineroar entirely.
And Kukui was the strongest Trainer in all of Alola.
"Gulp…" Kiawe swallowed nervously.
Then—
Ash's voice rang out from behind Incineroar.
"Incineroar, Flame Charge!"
Unlike Kukui's Incineroar, which specialized in Dark-type techniques,
Ash's Incineroar clearly preferred Fire-type moves.
From its days as a Torracat, Flame Charge was its specialty.
Even after evolving, it had never forgotten—
It had only mastered it further.
Flame Charge increased speed during battle.
The moment Kiawe heard Ash call it, he felt a chill.
He remembered clearly how Ash commanded Torracat back then—
Use Flame Charge to accelerate—
Then end the battle in an instant.
"I won't let you! Turtonator, Iron Defense!"
Kiawe ordered urgently.
Flames erupted from Incineroar's belt, wrapping around its entire body—
It shot forward like a flaming tank.
With Incineroar's massive frame and terrifying acceleration,
The pressure alone was overwhelming.
Turtonator turned sharply,
Its shell shimmering with a metallic silver glow—
Iron Defense raising its defenses just in time.
BOOM!
The impact echoed across the beach.
Sand flew everywhere, spectators covering their hats to avoid them being blown off by the shockwave.
Even with sand stinging their eyes,
No one looked away—
This was exactly the kind of clash they wanted to see.
"Let's go, Champion Ash!"
"Kiawe, don't lose!"
Cheers rose like waves.
But neither Trainer relaxed.
Incineroar's glowing fist slammed into Turtonator's shell—
And thanks to Iron Defense, Turtonator held firm.
Flame Charge wasn't as strong as Flare Blitz,
So it was reasonable that Turtonator endured.
But Ash wasn't done.
"Fire Fang!"
Incineroar didn't even need Ash to finish the sentence.
It already understood.
Fire Fang was another move it had trained since its Torracat days—
Its control over it was unmatched.
Just as Turtonator was relieved at surviving the first strike—
Fiery fangs clamped brutally onto its neck.
Turtonator froze.
Thankfully Iron Defense softened the blow—
Otherwise, that one bite might have ended the fight instantly.
Fire spread from its neck across its whole body—
A roaring blaze engulfed the entire shell.
"Kutonutur, Iron Head!"
Despite the pain, Turtonator forced its head forward, coated in metallic light—
And smashed into Incineroar even while being bitten.
You might wonder how a neck-bitten Turtonator could land Iron Head.
Well—
It is a turtle.
It can extend its neck however it likes.
The impact blasted Incineroar away,
Giving Turtonator a moment to gasp for breath.
"You've gotten stronger, Ash."
Kiawe exhaled.
Even though Ash hadn't been beside Incineroar for months,
The coordination between them was still unreal—
Something most Trainers could never achieve.
Ash smiled. "You've gotten stronger too, Kiawe!"
He wasn't just being polite.
In the past, Kiawe was about Gym Leader level—
But now, Ash estimated Turtonator was at least Elite Four-tier.
For a region as small as Alola, that was extremely rare.
[Gardenia: Impressive kid. Using teamwork with Turtonator to withstand Incineroar's assault—this fire-type talent is no joke.]
[Malva (Kalos Fire Elite Four): His potential is excellent. That opening Flamethrower was already powerful—if only he weren't fighting a bug-level monster like Ash's Incineroar.]
[Raihan: As far as strength goes, that kid Kiawe is barely touching Elite Four level. With more training he could be Champion material.]
[Brock: A… a genius?]
[Drake: Yes. He's around fifteen, right? Reaching even the threshold of Elite Four at that age means astounding talent.]
[Steven: As Ash's rival, Kiawe definitely qualifies.]
[Ash: I'm fired up! Kiawe, when I get back to Alola, battle me again!]
[Kiawe: I'll win next time!]
Whether he wins is another question.
But one thing is certain—
If Kiawe fought Ash right now, he'd be in for a world of suffering.
On screen—
After the two Pokémon separated,
Neither attacked immediately.
Incineroar even wore a mocking smile—
Though maybe that was just its face.
It always looked slightly… villainous.
Kiawe was deep in thought.
He had realized just how wide the gap was.
He should've known—
Ash's Incineroar defeated Professor Kukui's as a Torracat.
A whole year had passed since then.
How could Ash's side possibly stagnate?
Kiawe began to doubt himself.
Had he been slacking this entire year?
If he wanted to shock Ash—
There was only one move that could do it.
A Z-Move.
"Turtonator, Dragon Pulse!"
Turtonator gathered multicolored draconic energy—
A swirling spectrum forming at its snout—
Then fired a massive dragon-shaped blast.
Incineroar didn't panic.
It had already heard Ash's command.
"Incineroar—Darkest Lariat Thrust!"
Incineroar grinned.
Its palms pressed together into a knife-hand stance—
Engulfed in a hellish purple flame.
The Dark-type aura was malicious, suffocating—
As if from the underworld itself.
Facing the incoming dragon—
Incineroar crouched, launched,
Its body forming a red streak
With a violet spearpoint at its tip—
Infernal Thrust — Triple Palm Pierce!
Under the audience's stunned gaze—
The purple strike cut through the multicolored dragon cleanly.
But—
A voice rang out.
Accompanied by faint, rhythmic music.
"Supernova Inferno Overdrive!!!"
Kiawe's voice.
The Dragon Pulse was merely a distraction—
The real attack was Alola's secret weapon—
A Z-Move.
The dragon dissipated.
Beneath Incineroar, a gigantic fireball surged upward—
Large enough to engulf the entire field.
This was Kiawe's specialty—
The Fire-type Z-Move: Inferno Overdrive.
Ash had suffered from this attack many times in the past.
[Cynthia: Interesting. Using Dragon Pulse to divert attention, masking the Z-Move for a lethal strike?]
[Gardenia: But Ash's Incineroar has Blaze. It can absorb fire. The attack won't work.]
[Professor Kukui: No—this is smart. Z-Moves contain more than elemental energy. They're fused with a unique power that cannot be absorbed.]
[Malva: Meaning Kiawe found the only possible win condition in mere seconds.]
Maybe he stole a Time Stone,
Searched a million futures,
And found the single winning path—
End the fight with maximum power.
On screen—
Kiawe's strategy was sharp.
Using the Z-Move to counter Incineroar's Ability was ingenious.
And using Dragon Pulse to keep Incineroar suspended in midair—unable to dodge—
Was brilliant.
Did it work?
Kiawe stared at the massive fireball.
This was his final hope.
If this didn't land, the match was over.
Fire-types only take half damage from Fire attacks.
If even a Z-Move failed…
What would Ash do?
He chose—
To clash head-on.
Lillie stared wide-eyed at Ash.
What happened in that single second?
She almost thought her vision blurred.
Right as Incineroar shattered the Dragon Pulse—
Ash sensed Kiawe's intent—
And instantly pulled a Firium Z from his pocket,
Slotting it into his Z-Ring.
Then—
He performed the entire Z-Move dance
At a speed Lillie could barely comprehend.
Her eyes could hardly keep up—
Ash looked like he was twitching through space—
And then—
It was done.
"What… what was that?!" Lillie gasped.
Ash raised his glowing Z-Ring high.
"INCINEROAR! WE'RE USING IT TOO!"
"INFERNO OVERDRIVE!!!"
In midair, Incineroar twisted its body into position—
Facing Turtonator's enormous fireball—
It placed both hands on its flaming belt—
Receiving Ash's blazing Z-energy.
Fire surged around its waist—
And just one second before Turtonator's Inferno Overdrive struck—
Ash's Inferno Overdrive detonated as well!!
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