Such an overwhelming impact—
It made the entire venue—along with all the viewers beyond the light curtain—burst into wild excitement.
They had seen Z-Moves clash before, sure.
But none were ever this direct, this visceral, this blood-pumping!
Tapu Koko's Z-Move wasn't something ordinary people ever got to witness up close.
Not exactly… practical reference material.
But Ash and Kiawe's Fire Z-Move clash—that was something anyone with a Z-Ring and the right Z-Crystal could use!
How could anyone not be tempted by this?
Word had it that after Ash and Professor Kukui's highlight reel aired…
Alola had started promoting their Z-Move system like crazy.
Who knew—maybe in a few years,
Z-Moves could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Mega Evolution as a top-tier combat system!
The passion radiating from those Z-Moves had already moved countless Trainers.
Many had already chosen Alola as their next destination.
That's the influence of Alola's very first Champion.
Ash's name value just kept rising!
[Alder: Betting time! Who's winning this one—Ash's Incineroar or Kiawe's Turtonator?!]
[Bertha: I was already annoyed at work. Now you ask something this stupid? I'm more annoyed.]
[Steven Stone: Obviously Ash. Kiawe's Turtonator is strong, and with a Fire Z-Move it can barely scrape Champion-level power. But Ash's Incineroar is already Champion-tier on its own. The gap is huge.]
[Wallace: For once, I'll agree with Steven. Ash himself is strong, and his Alolan team is basically all Champion-level. There's no suspense here.]
[Kiawe: I…]
[Professor Kukui: Don't get discouraged! Ash is the Alola Champion—losing to him is normal.]
[Kiawe: That… really doesn't make me feel better!!]
[Alder: What the heck—was I possessed by Gengar? How did I even ask something that dumb?!]
Alder felt like his brain had melted.
Ash beating Kiawe was obvious.
He was dazzled by the Z-Move explosion, that's all!
To be fair—
Explosion IS art.
"Super Blazing Dynamax Fireball" fit his aesthetics perfectly.
"Maybe I should trick Denji into taking a trip to Alola someday?"
Alder began seriously evaluating this plan.
Denji definitely wouldn't say no… right?
On screen——
The clash of Z-Moves had the entire audience on edge.
After all, Z-Move battles were an Alolan flagship spectacle!
A blazing heatwave swept across the beach.
And in the very center of that explosion—everyone stared intently.
What was there?
Incineroar.
Standing tall in the heart of the flames, letting the remaining fire wash over its body.
From within the inferno, Incineroar slowly grinned.
That smile made Turtonator instinctively want to back away.
This guy… was he a demon?!
It was literally at the center of two colliding Z-Moves—
and yet Incineroar looked completely unharmed!
"Awesome! I knew you could do it!" Ash pumped his fist excitedly.
As expected—whenever he was in Alola, he could fully immerse himself in battle.
Not caring whether the opponent survived or not.
(Sympathetic Kiawe: Excuse me??)
"That's it! Let's settle this with one last strike!"
"Incineroar—Flare Blitz!"
Ash flipped his cap backward in full finale mode.
Meanwhile, Kiawe's palms were sweaty…
Such pressure!
So this was Ash after becoming Alola Champion?!
Strong.
Terrifyingly strong.
"F-fine! We're going too—Explosion!"
If victory was already impossible… then he'd use his final move to decide the ending!
If he lost, he'd at least drag one down with him!
The flames lingering on the field didn't dissipate.
Instead they gathered around Incineroar's body.
Flare Blitz—being a powered-up version of Flame Charge—was something Incineroar mastered instantly after evolving.
Turtonator was honored to be its first target.
Facing Explosion, Incineroar didn't flinch.
As long as it moved fast enough—
it could take Turtonator out before it detonated!
"Sorry, Kiawe. This one's mine."
Ash said with absolute confidence.
And he was right.
Wrapped in crimson fire, Incineroar looked like a demonic beast.
It bared its fangs, hungry for prey.
Turtonator's shell just barely started glowing white—Explosion only beginning to charge—
and Incineroar's attack had already landed!
In the next instant—
A blazing punch slammed into Turtonator's chest.
Even with its shell, Turtonator was nearly pierced straight through!
"Turtonator is unable to battle!"
Finally, the Rotom Dex, who had been OB'ing (observing from the sidelines), flew over to check.
Turtonator's body practically had the word "tragic" written on it.
Even Rotom was sweating.
Incineroar really was a same-type executioner.
Viewers agreed completely.
With its two bug-tier abilities, Incineroar held a monstrous advantage in Fire-type mirror matches.
As for comparing it to Leon's Charizard…
Let's not.
Because no one could explain why Leon's Charizard somehow knew Thunder Punch and Ancient Power.
[Leon: Hahaha! What a fantastic battle! I'm really looking forward to fighting Ash someday—whether it's his Charizard or this Incineroar, he never stops surprising me!]
[Alder: Speaking of which, Ash also has an Infernape at Professor Oak's lab. I wonder if his Infernape is strong? Mine hasn't had a good same-species fight in ages.]
[Diantha: And none of Ash's Pokémon are normal. That Gible earlier—two evolutions in ten minutes? What even IS that?]
[Steven Stone: Now that you say that… there's a bunch of weirdly strong Pokémon at Oak's place. Remember when Tyranitar first arrived? It was super arrogant.
But on the next visit, it was weirdly well-behaved. Hard not to suspect it got beaten senseless.]
[Drake: Oh, right—Bulbasaur! I remember it silenced Oak's entire backyard the moment it appeared. Does that mean it's even stronger than the rest?!]
[Bruno: Not impossible. They're Ash's mentor's Pokémon—nothing is too absurd.]
Kanto, Professor Oak's Lab.
Ash scratched his head in confusion.
Would he really catch that many crazy-strong Pokémon in the future?
And Bulbasaur… stronger than Charizard?!
He looked at Bulbasaur lying lazily by his feet.
A weird feeling washed over him.
He'd always aimed to become a Pokémon Master…
But what if he already was one without realizing?!
On screen——
Kiawe retracted his defeated Turtonator, sighing helplessly.
Incineroar's strength was undeniable.
He just hoped he wouldn't lose too miserably.
So his second Pokémon—
Transport Mount: Charizard!
Seeing Charizard appear, Ash cheerfully waved.
Charizard waved back, equally friendly.
Ash regretted not bringing his own Charizard.
He really wanted the two Charizards to spar—
a warmup before facing Leon's Charizard!
(Kiawe: Bro please… don't compare me to LEON.)
Once Kiawe sent out Charizard, Ash recalled Incineroar.
Incineroar raised both arms to salute the crowd as it exited.
Spectators gasped—how could a Pokémon be this cool?!
Seeing Incineroar leave, Kiawe finally breathed again.
Thank goodness he didn't have to fight that monster any longer.
His whole team was Fire-type—Incineroar alone could probably wipe them all out.
Especially since it looked completely unscathed.
Kiawe watched Ash expectantly.
Who would he send next?
Who?
"Ash, who's coming out?"
"Pikachu! Wanna go?"
Ash looked at Pikachu—whose eyes were already sparkling.
For several battles now, Pikachu hadn't even used ninety percent of its strength.
As Ash's self-proclaimed ace, Pikachu felt terribly unsatisfied.
Couldn't it prove itself for once?!
Hearing Ash call its name—
Pikachu leapt off his shoulder decisively.
Time to restore the honor of the Alola Champion Team!
Pikachu accepted the mission!
"Pika! Pika! Chu!"
Kiawe, right? Prepare yourself!
The Pikachu facing him radiated overwhelming aura.
Kiawe felt like he was about to be bullied again.
He knew better than anyone what terrifying power lay inside that yellow electric mouse.
Even Incineroar wasn't as scary as Pikachu.
He'd rather Incineroar came back and swept his whole team—
that would at least make sense!
At this point, Kiawe had only one thought:
Mom, I don't wanna play anymore.
The moment Pikachu appeared, the audience erupted with thunderous cheers.
Most of them had witnessed the Tapu Koko battle live.
Even those who hadn't had watched replays at home.
They knew exactly who this Pikachu was—
the one who defeated the Island Guardian Tapu Koko.
"So cute! Pikachu, come jump into big sis's arms!"
"I thought Champion Ash was going easy on Kiawe—guess not!"
"Kiawe, good luck. Even if you lose, I'll mourn for you."
Most heart-crushing of all was Lana and the gang enthusiastically cheering for Pikachu.
I'm the victim here!!
Kiawe wanted to scream.
But of course, he never considered surrender.
The battlefield was sacred—only victory or defeat. No escape.
Even if it was Pikachu—
He was still Kiawe!
"Charizard, let's go! Flamethrower!"
He roared, voice echoing across the field.
"Pikachu—Quick Attack!"
"Pika!"
In an instant—
Pure white energy enveloped Pikachu, who shot forward like lightning!
Charizard's Flamethrower couldn't track its speed at all.
Its current speed alone was jaw-dropping.
In just a blink—
Pikachu was already in front of Charizard.
It leapt up—
and slammed into Charizard's belly.
However—
Something no one expected happened.
Pikachu… bounced off.
Ash: ???
Kiawe: ???
Audience: ???
If you're gonna act—can you at least TRY?!
After three midair flips, Pikachu barely landed.
Under everyone's stare, Pikachu stood up calmly…
then shook the dirt off.
As if saying:
Ah yes, finally—a rival worthy of me.
Viewers almost died laughing.
If they didn't know better, they'd think Pikachu was just an ordinary electric mouse from Route 1.
This performance—
Coach!! I'm reporting this! Someone hired an actor!!
[Misty: I'm dying—Pikachu's talent for acting is insane. It could win a Contest ribbon EASY.]
[Jessie: Impossible! How could I LOSE in acting to Pikachu?! I refuse!!]
[Diantha: Pikachu, you have talent. Consider learning performance arts from me.]
[Brock: Now that I think about it… no wonder Ash struggled so much at the start of Johto. It was Pikachu.]
[Misty: True. Back then Pikachu's performance was unstable—one second super strong, next second losing to random Trainers.]
[Chikorita Girl: Maybe when Ash goes to other regions, Pikachu's acting improves enough to enjoy early retirement.]
[Hop: I get it now! My Wooloo must also be acting!! Wooloo! You can't do this! We need to beat my brother's Charizard!!]
[Raihan: Hop… has it occurred to you that maybe it's not acting? Maybe Wooloo is just weak.]
[Hop: IMPOSSIBLE! Wooloo is DEFINITELY acting! It loves copying Leon's Charizard!!]
Poor kid.
Still can't accept reality.
He really thinks he's Galar's Ash.
Buddy… your Wooloo is NOT Pikachu.
And in this world, there is only ONE Pikachu who can be called—
The Pikagod.
On screen——
Pikachu realized it had overacted.
It should've traded a few blows first, THEN faked being equal.
Damn!
Because of the whole Riolu situation, it had neglected acting practice.
The moment it tried performing again—it slipped up.
Unacceptable!
It had to fix this immediately!
"Pika!"
'Wow, what an evenly matched battle!'
"Roar?"
Charizard scratched its head.
Huh? What part of this is even?!
Kiawe's face went pitch-black.
He knew Pikachu was an actor the moment he met it…
But he didn't know its acting skills were THIS terrible.
"Pikachu, don't look down on me! I've improved a lot! Come at me with everything you've got!"
Maybe it was Pikachu underestimating him—
Kiawe's charcoal-black face flushed vaguely red with indignation.
Hearing Kiawe—
Pikachu's eyes sharpened.
No! It must defend its title—
the God of Pokémon Acting.
It would put on a performance NO ONE could see through!
"Charizard—Dragon Claw!"
"Pikachu—Iron Tail!"
Ash wasn't bothered at all by Pikachu's antics.
If Pikachu fainted from that earlier belly flop, he wouldn't even be surprised.
This was called trust! (…?)
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