After getting official confirmation from both Johto Champion Lance and Alola Professor Kukui,
Everyone became even more curious about Ash's Torracat.
If it doesn't have Flash Fire as an Ability,
then how on earth did it swallow that Blast Burn?
Did it… remodel its own flame sac into a fire-absorbing engine or something?
Right then, Torracat on the screen started to act strangely.
The bell-like flame sac at his throat,
which had previously only been glowing faintly,
was now beginning to emit thin wisps of black smoke.
Torracat's expression was twisted in pain.
Kukui stared for a moment,
then chuckled.
"Looks like your Torracat still isn't ready to absorb Incineroar's Blast Burn.
Force-feeding yourself that much fire… you're just going to burn yourself from the inside out."
He'd already seen through Torracat's plan—
Torracat wanted to use Incineroar's fire to boost his own power.
But that was a starter-line ultimate move,
unleashed by his Incineroar of all things.
How could it be so easy to absorb?
Right now, Torracat has managed to pull the flames in,
but had no way to properly digest them.
If this continued, he really would go up in flames.
"Meow…"
The smoke from the fire sac thickened,
and Torracat's face contorted further.
At last, he turned his head,
gave Ash a pained cry.
Ash immediately recalled him into the Poké Ball.
If he kept going, it would just be a free KO.
Torracat wasn't that stubborn.
Might as well go back inside, recover a bit,
and fight again later.
"Looks like the battle between Torracat and Incineroar will have to wait for next time."
"Of course! Torracat's just taking a short break.
Next up is him!"
Ash's excitement didn't decrease in the slightest
As he pulled out his second Poké Ball.
Click.
Ash's next Pokémon appeared—
an orange-and-white wolf-like Pokémon.
Four stone spikes circled his neck like a rocky collar,
and his raised white mane bristled upward,
with a sharp stone jutting from the crest.
His emerald eyes burned with a deep fighting spirit.
Ash's Lycanroc—Dusk Form.
"W–what… That's Lycanroc, right, Professor?"
Kiawe stared at the Lycanroc on the screen, stunned,
and turned to the man currently shoulder-to-shoulder with Professor Burnet—
Professor Kukui.
Ever since his identity as the Masked Royal was revealed,
His relationship with Burnet had sped up dramatically.
At this point, the two of them were basically openly dating.
Right now, Kukui himself was staring at the screen, equally dumbfounded.
He had never seen this Lycanroc before.
In fact, all of Alola had never seen a Lycanroc like this.
Normally, Lycanroc came in two colors:
A brown Midday Form and a red Midnight Form,
depending on whether they evolved during the day or at night.
But Ash's Lycanroc—
It was a never-before-seen orange Dusk form.
This…
Suddenly, Kukui remembered a rumor.
It said that beyond day and night,
there was a third transition time—
Dusk.
That brief sliver of time between day and night,
bathed in a dim orange glow.
And Ash's Lycanroc's coloration was very close to the color of dusk…
If it really only evolved at that exact moment,
then this Lycanroc would be nearly impossible to replicate.
After all, in Alola, dusk lasted for merely an instant.
And even if you timed it perfectly,
who knew whether there might be other hidden conditions on top of it?
Which meant this orange Lycanroc
was very likely a Pokémon only Ash could have.
For this future first Champion of the Alola League,
Professor Kukui's interest deepened even further.
Not that he wasn't already very interested before…
Back in the footage—
After Ash sent out Lycanroc, Kukui still didn't recall Incineroar.
But because Incineroar had just used Blast Burn,
he was currently unable to move.
This was Ash's best chance to strike back.
"Lycanroc—Stone Edge!"
A powerful Rock-type move—
Lycanroc's bread-and-butter STAB skill
and super effective twice over.
Same level, same stats—
Incineroar would just have to eat it with his face.
Under Ash's command,
Lycanroc lifted his front paws.
His emerald eyes shifted to a fierce crimson—
Then he slammed his forepaws down.
Huge, jagged pillars of rock erupted from the ground,
all of them are spearing directly toward Incineroar.
Incineroar still couldn't move.
He could only watch helplessly
as the stone spikes pierced him.
BOOM!
The rocks smashed brutally into his body, launching him backward.
A pained grimace crossed Incineroar's face.
Stone Edge left a nasty gash across his abdomen,
with thin lines of blood seeping out.
It didn't knock him out, though.
Part of that was because Incineroar's level
was quite a bit higher than Lycanroc's—
And also because he'd already used Bulk Up,
increasing his physical Defense.
So in the end,
the attack "only" left a significant but non-fatal wound.
Ash moved to press the advantage at once.
"Lycanroc, another Stone Edge!"
"Incineroar—Darkest Lariat!!"
Facing the second wave of jagged rocks,
Incineroar had finally recovered.
Flames flared along both of his arms,
and he started spinning like a blazing top again.
The high-speed rotation shattered the incoming stones into rubble.
Ash's eyes narrowed as he shouted his next command.
"Lycanroc, Accelerock!"
Incineroar's spin was powerful, yes—
But after slicing apart Stone Edge,
there was no way Darkest Lariat still had its full force.
Right now, Incineroar only looked terrifying.
Ash was no longer the clueless rookie
who'd stumbled through the Indigo Plateau—
He was a fully qualified Champion-level Trainer,
The first Champion of Alola.
He wasn't about to let such a chance slip by.
He immediately ordered Lycanroc to use his fastest move: Accelerock.
(Accelerock is Midday Lycanroc's signature move in the games.
Like Quick Attack, it has +1 priority.)
Lycanroc's Ability was Tough Claws,
which boosted contact moves by 30%.
Dusk Lycanroc charged forward,
orange fur blurring as he launched like a bullet.
BANG!
He rammed into Incineroar,
driving the sharp stone in his mane straight into the tiger's spinning side.
Just as Ash had anticipated—
Incineroar's whirling move was only for show now.
The seemingly intimidating Darkest Lariat
was shattered in an instant by Lycanroc's Accelerock.
Incineroar's heels carved furrows into the ground
as he was forced backwards,
only stopping after sliding several meters.
Taking the full force of a super-effective STAB move boosted by Tough Claws,
even a Bulk Up–powered "Number One Pokémon" was starting to buckle.
Kukui had no choice but to recall Incineroar
and let him "regenerate" on the bench.
("Regenerator" joke: Every time Ash recalls a Pokémon,
it somehow comes back later like it healed,
so the fandom nicknamed this phenomenon "Regenerator Ability.")
"What a strong Lycanroc!
And it can use Accelerock just like a Midday Lycanroc!"
Sophocles, the orange-haired, chubby kid,
watched Ash's Lycanroc with sparkling eyes.
He'd always liked Electric types the most,
But after seeing this Lycanroc…
He suddenly felt like catching a powerful Rock-type, too.
Kiawe, beside him, was just as fired up.
He also wanted a Lycanroc like that.
Lillie, meanwhile, was certainly shocked by Lycanroc's strength—
But she found her gaze drawn even more
to Ash himself.
To be able to command such a powerful Lycanroc so freely,
to read the battlefield so clearly…
That boy on the screen,
who looked only a bit older than she was—
Did he really have such incredible Trainer ability?
Out on the streets of Alola,
Gladion watched Ash's Lycanroc, thoughtful.
Then he took out his own Lycanroc's Poké Ball and glanced at it.
"Ash, huh…
The first Champion of Alola, and the one who defeated me…"
"I want to see for myself if you're really that strong."
In the stands, even though he hadn't seen himself on camera—
When Ash sent out Lycanroc,
the footage had cut briefly to a shot of Gladion.
So he knew,
without a doubt,
that Ash's Lycanroc was connected to him somehow.
And of course, there was no way he wouldn't compete in the Alola League.
But the Champion turned out to be Ash.
Which meant—
He had lost to Ash.
For someone like Gladion, who pursued strength above all,
Ash naturally became a rival.
Someone who had defeated gods,
and even defeated him—
Gladion, at least,
could now acknowledge Ash's strength.
Back to the battle—
After recalling Incineroar, Kukui sent out his next Pokémon.
A large black penguin emerged,
with a crown-like trident crest on its beak.
The final evolution of Sinnoh's Water-type starter—
Empoleon.
Both its Water typing and Steel typing
posed a serious threat to Lycanroc—
And it resisted Rock fourfold.
For Lycanroc, this was an extremely nasty match-up.
"Empoleon, huh?
Now would be the perfect moment to send in Pikachu."
Cynthia watched the screen and calmly analyzed.
Ash's two "gods," Melmetal and Naganadel,
still had unknown typings to most viewers.
Rowlet was still a first-stage baby who'd just get KO'd for free.
The previous two (Torracat and Lycanroc) were both badly matched against Empoleon.
Given all that, Pikachu was clearly the best pick.
But—
Ash was the one who would show the world
what it meant to be a reverse-matchup master.
Double disadvantage?
The advantage is still his.
On screen, Ash made absolutely no move
to recall Lycanroc.
Lycanroc's momentum had just started burning bright.
He was the one who had forced down the Masked Royal's ace, Incineroar.
"Ash is going to keep Lycanroc in?
Of course he is. That's just his style."
"Lycanroc, Stone Edge!"
Ash chose to continue attacking with Stone Edge.
So what if Empoleon resisted Rock fourfold?
Hit enough times and it'll still add up!
Lycanroc stomped the ground again,
summoning another forest of stone spires.
"You're not switching?
That's so like you, Ash.
But this attack won't do anything to my Empoleon!"
"Empoleon—Metal Claw! Cut them to pieces!"
"Empay!"
The edges of Empoleon's wings gleamed with a metal sheen.
He swung his bladed wings sharply,
slicing the incoming stones to rubble.
"Lycanroc, grab one of the broken stones—
Then go in again!"
"Rao!!"
Lycanroc bounded into the air,
snatched a broken stone chunk with his jaws,
and dove straight at Empoleon.
Leon blinked.
For a moment, a blue figure seemed to overlap with Lycanroc's form—
"A… Zacian?"
"Ah? Leon, what did you say?"
Ash was closest to Leon and heard his murmur,
So he couldn't help asking.
"Oh, nothing.
I must've just been seeing things.
Haha, let's keep watching."
Leon waved it off and forced a smile,
pushing the image from his mind.
Zacian turning into Lycanroc?
What kind of random hallucination was that?
On the screen—
Lycanroc slashed across Empoleon with the stone in his jaws,
leaving a shallow mark across its dark armor-like skin.
But—
"Rao!!"
As Lycanroc passed by,
Empoleon's Metal Claw smashed into him in turn.
Lycanroc almost lost his footing,
but just barely managed to land upright.
"Hang in there, Lycanroc!
Use Accelerock!"
"Empoleon—Whirlpool!"
Empoleon swept both wings upward,
forming a massive vortex of churning seawater between them.
Lycanroc's Accelerock smashed into Empoleon's torso,
driving the sharp stone on his mane into the emperor penguin's gut.
But—
"Empay."
Empoleon gave a cold grin.
Accelerock, even boosted by Tough Claws,
barely scratched him.
Then Empoleon kicked Lycanroc upward,
sending him into the air,
and hurled the Whirlpool after him.
The raging vortex swallowed Lycanroc whole.
He spun helplessly inside it,
like a helpless pup tossed into an ocean tornado.
The scene made Ash, watching, feel a strange déjà vu.
Hadn't his Kingler gone through basically the same thing
just recently?
"Come back for now, Lycanroc!"
Seeing this bad situation,
Ash tried to recall Lycanroc.
But when the red beam struck him—
It bounced right off.
"Haha, Ash—
You can't recall a Pokémon trapped in Whirlpool."
Ash scratched his head, embarrassed.
"I, uh… kind of forgot about that."
"In that case—
Lycanroc, use Crunch and tear that Whirlpool apart!"
"Rao!!"
Lycanroc opened its jaws wide,
dark energy forming a set of black fangs.
He bit down hard on the swirling water.
The once-intact Whirlpool
suddenly split open—
Lycanroc used that opening
to leap out.
Professor Kukui: ???
What the heck?
You can break Whirlpool like that?!
Even though the Whirlpool had been dispelled,
Lycanroc was clearly dizzy and disoriented now.
If Empoleon landed a Hydro Pump in this state,
it'd be a free KO.
Ash had no choice but to recall him this time.
And as for why Whirlpool suddenly allowed recalls?
Don't nitpick.
It's not Whirlpool anymore—
Lycanroc just bit it to pieces.
"Take a rest, Lycanroc…
Now it's up to you!
Melmetal!"
"METAL!!"
A gigantic silver giant appeared on the field.
Its arms, head, and legs were made of massive hexagonal nuts,
while the rest of its body looked like molten silver metal.
In the center of the golden hex nut that formed its "face,"
a small silver sphere floated—
Its eye.
The Mythical Pokémon, Melmetal.
One of the "legendary-class" Pokémon listed by the Heavenly Tally.
Judging from appearance alone,
this god-tier Pokémon was definitely intimidating.
As for how strong it actually was in battle…
We'd have to see.
[Cynthia:
Melmetal… kind of feels a little similar to Regigigas, doesn't it?]
[Brandon: Hey now—
Don't lump it together with Regigigas.
That's a Pokémon that can shift continental plates.
Comparing Melmetal to it is a bit disrespectful, don't you think?]
A veteran Regi fanatic like Brandon
couldn't tolerate anyone casually comparing other Pokémon to his sacred golem.
[Cynthia:
Fair enough.
Let's see how Melmetal performs first.]
[Brandon:
It better not be all looks and no punch—
a silver spear with a wax head.]
Brandon clearly still had a bias against Melmetal's Regi-ish look.
If Cynthia hadn't brought it up, he might've been fine.
But now, the more he looked at it,
the more it resembled Regigigas.
Unacceptable!
Regigigas would never look like that!!
Back in the footage—
Ash, having just sent out Melmetal, wasted no time.
"Use Flash Cannon!"
"METAL!!"
A blue-white beam of light blasted forward.
Kukui quickly ordered Empoleon to block with its wings.
Facing a Water/Steel type,
Ash was actually using a Steel-type move?
Did he not know Empoleon quadruple-resisted Steel?
But the result was completely unexpected.
Empoleon was blasted backward by the Flash Cannon,
skidding and scraping more than ten meters across the arena floor
before landing on its backside.
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