Betting is just gambling—
No one can ever guarantee a 100% win on the next round.
If you manage to earn some points,
and it just so happens to be enough to buy something you want…
Then, of course, you go shopping first.
That's what Ash and his friends, and even Team Rocket, did—
They all spent their points on things they needed.
Serena was different.
It wasn't that she had nothing she wanted to buy.
Ever since Ash appeared on the Heavenly Tally,
his figure had completely taken over her heart.
Right now, her mind was full of Ash.
How could she have the mood to browse the shop?
Even if Ash never found out,
she would still quietly support him from the shadows.
That's just Serena.
That's just… the fated childhood friend.
All over the world, people started placing their bets.
Under the influence of the Champions,
and with all the traps the Heavenly Tally had laid so far…
The final support ratio for Ash and Professor Kukui came out to:
99% vs 1%.
Kukui: 99%.
Ash: 1%.
Kukui had practically unanimous support.
It was second only to that very first match against Brandon,
When Ash had been hopelessly underestimated.
But this time, Ash's odds were only 14-to-1,
even lower than in that first god battle.
Originally, this match-up should've had odds similar to the Brandon fight.
But then a certain rich lady yeeted 9 million points onto Ash's side.
Ash put in 250,000.
Misty and Brock: 100,000 each.
Leon and Alder, as always, bet on Ash with 50,000 each.
Team Rocket tossed in another 100,000.
Gary put down 30,000.
Cynthia emptied her balance and shoved it all in.
All that combined heavily distorted the pool.
The support percentage for Ash stayed low,
but the payout on his side dropped hard
because his side already had so many points stacked.
Everyone else only had 600 points to play with.
Just Serena's 9 million alone dragged Kukui's payout much higher.
Never mind Gary and the others.
Five minutes later, betting closed.
The match… finally began.
"Now then, the Alola League Exhibition Match officially begins!"
"On one side, Professor Kukui!
Just yesterday, his true identity was revealed—
He turned out to be none other than the undefeated star of the Royal Dome,
The Masked Royal!"
"That alone would make today's battle legendary—
But his opponent is no slouch either!"
"He's a Top 16 finisher at the Indigo Plateau!
Top 8 at the Silver Conference!
Top 8 at the Ever Grande Conference!
Top 4 at the Lily of the Valley Conference!
Top 8 at the Vertress Conference!
Runner-up at the Lumiose Conference!
Champion of the Manalo Conference!
And the very first Champion of the Alola League—
Ash Ketchum!!"
The barrage of titles left the world stunned.
This… was Ash?
Damn—how many conferences did he enter?!
Seven full leagues.
And he only became Champion on the seventh.
Judging from Pikachu's and Charizard's strength,
what kind of monsters did he lose to in the earlier ones?
Besides the Lily of the Valley Conference, where he met a guy with a legendary Pokémon,
the others should have been free wins, right?
So how did he lose?
(Answer: stat resets and writing, that's how.)
More importantly—
This Ash was clearly his final-form version.
The timeline was already past his legendary battles.
In other words…
This was a fully evolved Ash.
Alola, meanwhile, was in utter chaos.
It wasn't just the bombshell that Ash would become their Champion.
There was another bomb:
Professor Kukui was the Masked Royal.
Ash, being the future Champion, was still a "someday" thing.
The Masked Royal, though, was a living, present, brightly spandexed reality.
In the Pokémon School, the students were staring at Kukui
with very, very strange eyes.
Under their gazes, Kukui could only laugh awkwardly
and inch backwards—
"Bang!"
The classroom door flew open.
A lightly tanned, beautiful woman appeared at the doorway,
her eyes filled with disbelief, awe, confusion, and adoration
As she locked onto Kukui.
"Kukui… You… you're actually…"
"Burnet, I can explain!"
Seeing the woman he liked suddenly appear—
and remembering how he'd lied about the Masked Royal—
Kukui panicked.
Whoosh!
Burnet rushed forward and threw her arms around him.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?!
My idol was right beside me this whole time!"
Kukui's dark cheeks instantly flushed red.
The students, well-trained, quickly covered their faces—
But of course, left little gaps between their fingers to peek through.
We'll leave the chaos in Alola there for now.
On the screen, after the introduction of both battlers,
The match finally moved to the first send-out.
Kukui took out a Poké Ball.
On Ash's side…
"Alright then, I've decided who's going first!"
"Pika pika!!"
Pikachu's fighting spirit exploded.
The stronger the opponent,
the less chance he'd need to "act" as a jobbing mascot.
This was his kind of match.
He was ready to take this entire thing.
This match—
He, Pikachu, would CARRY.
"Sorry, Pikachu.
You're not going first.
You're up a bit later~"
"Pi…? Pika!!"
Pikachu stared blankly for a second—
then collapsed backward in disbelief.
Not leading with him??
Ash had changed.
In the past, Pikachu was always his opener!
"Alright then—
I choose you, Torracat!!"
"Let's go, Incineroar!!"
"ROAR!!"
"Meow!!"
A red-and-black, upright tiger with wrestler's muscles
stepped out onto the field.
Just one look at those bunched muscles
and anyone could tell
this thing was fully developed.
Incineroar—
sometimes called the Number One Pokémon in the Universe.
It can hit, it can tank, it can support—
A complete all-rounder.
Across from it was a smaller, feline Pokémon.
Torracat looked fierce, sure,
but a cat… was still a cat.
Just as the Champions had previously analyzed—
Aside from his two legendary-tier Pokémon and Pikachu,
Ash's team was basically a line-up of baby forms.
A second-stage fire starter.
A first-stage grass starter.
A mid-tier wolf.
They simply weren't on the same level as Kukui's side.
Now that the match had actually started…
Seeing third-stage Incineroar and second-stage Torracat stand together
only emphasized the difference.
Ash…
couldn't win this.
"Want to know the story between these two?"
"Yes.
Torracat definitely wants to defeat Incineroar with his own paws!"
"Haha. Then bring it on!"
"Then we'll be taking the first move!
Torracat—Flame Charge!"
Ash struck first.
In the next instant, Torracat's body was wrapped in blazing fire,
His figure shot forward like a fired bullet.
Flame Charge boosts speed—
And Torracat's base Speed wasn't low to begin with.
With that boost stacked on,
he held a clear speed advantage over Incineroar,
whose Speed had dropped upon evolution.
Just like Pikachu vs. Raichu back then—
If you can't win in raw power,
you win in speed.
Not evolving has its own way to victory.
"Meow!!"
Torracat shot forward in a streak of flame,
closing in on Incineroar in the blink of an eye.
Kukui finally gave his order.
"Incineroar, Bulk Up!"
"ROAR!"
Incineroar struck a bodybuilder pose,
orange light pulsing over its frame.
Bulk Up successful—
Attack +1, Defense +1.
Boom!
Torracat slammed into Incineroar's rock-hard muscles.
The damage was minimal—
And the recoil alone flung Torracat backward.
That rebound…
probably hurt more than what Incineroar took.
[Flint: The gap's a bit too big.
Aside from Speed, Torracat has no advantage at all.]
[Leon: Stat-wise, that's true.
But in terms of fighting spirit…
Those two are dead even.]
Leon agreed with Flint—
but only partially.
Torracat was absolutely at a disadvantage.
But still—
The same old line held:
You trust Ash.
In Ash, Leon saw a reflection of his younger self.
A Pokémon's strength isn't everything.
The power of Trainer and Pokémon together—
can create the impossible.
"Torracat, Flame Charge again!"
Ash was all-in on speed.
At his voice, flames burst from Torracat once more,
His speed kicks up yet another gear.
"Darkest Lariat!"
"ROAR!"
Incineroar roared,
both arms igniting with brutal fire.
He watched Torracat's path,
then suddenly spun like a flaming top.
If that move landed,
Torracat would pay dearly.
But—
Torracat slipped past Darkest Lariat
by a hair's breadth,
darting to Incineroar's back.
"Now! Fire Blast!"
"Meow!!"
Ash seized the opening.
Flames burst from the bell-like sac at Torracat's neck,
then, with a paw-swipe,
The blaze spread into the shape of the kanji "大"
and roared straight toward the spinning Incineroar.
"Break through it directly!"
Hiss—!!
The Fire Blast struck the whirling Incineroar,
making a vicious grinding sound—
Then…
was shredded apart by Darkest Lariat.
"What?!"
"Now—Hell Thrust!!"
While Ash and Torracat were still stunned,
Kukui's order came sharp and fast.
Incineroar stopped spinning abruptly,
clenched his fingers together into a spear-hand,
and a deep violet aura wrapped his right arm, focusing at the fingertip.
He drove the glowing point
straight into Torracat's unguarded belly.
"Meow!!"
Torracat's eyes bulged from the pain,
His body rolled across the field for several meters
before finally skidding to a stop.
That Hell Thrust hit flush.
"Torracat!!"
At Ash's shout,
Torracat slowly pushed himself upright,
but his face was twisted with pain.
That one blow wasn't something he'd shake off quickly.
"Sigh, can't do it.
He's still just a second stage.
If Charizard were here, this would be a different story."
"Don't force it. This has nothing to do with evolution stages, okay?
Pikachu is still a second stage—do you think he's weak?
Torracat just isn't high enough level yet.
Honestly, now's the time to switch him out…"
Plenty of "experts" began dissecting the battle.
But this situation didn't need analysis.
Ash was behind.
Simple as that.
The footage continued—
Ash watched Torracat sway uncertainly,
then took out a Poké Ball, intending to recall him.
But Torracat turned back,
eyes firm and unyielding.
He still wanted to fight.
Ash's hand holding the Poké Ball froze.
Then he put it away.
"If you still want to keep going…
Then we keep going!"
This Ash, after traveling so many regions,
was no longer the reckless rookie he once was.
Rotations, tactics—
He could now run them at a master's level.
But one thing in him never changed:
He always respected his Pokémon's will.
Even if the situation was bad—
if his partner still wanted to stand—
He would never drag them back.
"Torracat, one more Flame Charge!!"
"Meow!"
Fire flared over Torracat once again—
His fighting spirit is burning just as fiercely.
"Oh? No switch?"
"Torracat says he can still fight!
Let's go!"
"Meow!!"
The third Flame Charge burst forth.
At this point, Torracat moved like the wind itself.
He began circling Incineroar at high speed,
a fiery blur streaking around him.
Incineroar's gaze snapped back and forth,
his pupils whirling as he tried to track Torracat's path.
"Torracat, Double Kick!!"
Ash pounced on the opening.
Torracat darted behind Incineroar,
rear legs driving in a kick,
Then a forepaw stomped down hard on Incineroar's back.
Without even looking,
Incineroar drove an elbow backward into Torracat's jaw,
smashing him away like a ragdoll.
"How?!"
"Hahaha—
Ash, you're underestimating my Incineroar."
"My Incineroar has gone 1v3 countless times
in Royal Battle matches.
His awareness is razor sharp—
in other words…"
"He has no blind spots."
Which meant—
Speed-based tactics to exploit blind angles
were useless.
If you wanted to beat Incineroar,
you'd have to take him head-on.
"Speed is useless.
He can't win in a straight fight either.
Torracat won't retreat…"
"So we're just handing over a free KO here?"
"Yeah…
Baby squad.
No way to win."
The Champions shook their heads.
Even they weren't sure how to win from here.
Ash had grown, yes—
But they just couldn't see him leading Torracat through this.
Recalling him was the "correct" play.
"Ash, let me show you what real fire looks like.
Incineroar—Blast Burn!!"
"ROAR!!"
Blast Burn—
The ultimate Fire-type move only starter lines can learn.
Its power even exceeds Burn Up.
Incineroar spread his arms wide,
thrusting his belt-flames forward.
A terrifying Fire-type energy surged from the belt,
concentrating—
Then exploding outward.
The erupting blaze formed a massive fireball,
hurtling toward Torracat.
The heat was so intense
that spectators in the Manalo Stadium
felt like they'd been thrown into a furnace.
Scarlet light reflected off Torracat's face—
the sheer power of the attack
made people sigh in despair.
A small Torracat—
How could he possibly take that head-on?
With what, his face?
Just then, the bell-like flame sac at Torracat's neck
began to jingle violently.
Ash, who'd been grimacing with worry, froze—
Then suddenly understood.
He shouted with everything he had.
"Go, Torracat!
Just do it your way!"
"Let's take that attack head-on!!"
"MEOW!!"
By now, the Blast Burn fireball
was right in Torracat's face—
And then—
BOOM!!
Torracat didn't dodge.
He braced and smashed into it.
Blazing fire pressed against his muzzle,
and he raised his forepaws,
physically holding the Blast Burn in place.
The bell at his throat rang furiously.
"What the—?! Has Torracat gone crazy?!
He's seriously tanking it with his face?!"
"Bro, I've never seen this strat before…
Is this the 'suicide tanking' style?"
The entire world was stunned.
Even people who weren't Trainers
could tell something was off.
What kind of tactic was this?
In the footage—
Kukui was just as stunned.
He'd already planned the follow-up—
Torracat would dodge,
Incineroar would predict the angle
and follow with another Hell Thrust.
He'd actually mapped out where Torracat would evade to.
And now?
Torracat just refused to follow the script.
Torracat gritted his teeth and held the Blast Burn in place,
the bell at his throat glowing brighter and brighter—
Until finally—
With a roar,
Torracat dragged the entire Blast Burn into his flame sac.
His fire sac flared like a live torch,
glowing with compressed power.
"He… he absorbed it?!"
Kukui could hardly believe his eyes.
He'd fought countless battles as the Masked Royal.
There was almost nothing he hadn't seen.
But this—
This was new.
Since when could you absorb Blast Burn?!
What kind of hacked-in Torracat was this?
Did he have Flash Fire or something?
Was that even legal?!
The rest of the world was just as floored.
What was this?
Flash Fire Torracat?
Was there a lore expert in the chat?
[Professor Kukui:
Torracat only has Blaze or Intimidate as possible Abilities.
There is no way for it to have Flash Fire.]
[Lance:
Ash, is that Torracat of yours even legal?
Why does it have Flash Fire?!]
(Ash: I found him on the road, okay? I don't know either.)
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