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Time flew by like a white steed that galloped past a crack in the door.
In the blink of an eye, the day of Torracat's evolution arrived.
Over the past few days, Li Xiang had frequently used a level-checker on Torracat, worried that it might level up unnoticed and cause him to miss the moment. Even without evolution, the time between each level-up was worth recording.
But life was always full of surprises.
Just as Li Xiang had collected his daily candies from Lin Feng, returned home with his Pokémon, taken off his coat, and grabbed juice from the fridge—
Torracat, who had been meowing at his feet, urging him to hurry up, was suddenly engulfed in a blue light.
There was no warning at all. Its level instantly increased, and the conditions for evolution were met.
A dazzling radiance illuminated the entire kitchen.
Li Xiang had turned around with a smile, about to ask what it wanted to drink—maybe some "water of life" or something—
Only to drop the Moomoo Milk in his hand at the sight before him.
Then, stumbling and scrambling as if a tiger were chasing him, he rushed to his backpack to grab his camera and camcorder.
Fortunately, Greninja and Riolu were quick-witted and had already retrieved them.
Thus, Li Xiang was able to fully document Torracat's evolution.
Like Greninja, Torracat underwent a massive transformation upon evolving.
First, it broke free from being a quadruped, standing upright on two legs. Its upper body became muscular and robust, with thick, black-and-red-striped arms that ended in massive, fan-like hands.
Its height shot up from 70 cm to around 190 cm—tall enough to match the family's double-door refrigerator.
Its actual head wasn't very large, but its mane—a fiery red and wildly untamed—grew thick around its neck and jaw, making its head resemble a blooming flame.
The long cowlick on its head shortened, and the crimson "king" character on its forehead merged with its eyebrows, contrasting sharply against its black fur and giving it a fierce appearance.
Further down, its chest and abdomen were covered in dense gray fur, hard as iron, with black fur forming a dividing line that accentuated its pecs and abs—almost like it was wearing a gray tank top.
Its tail had also thickened, resembling a massive baseball bat.
Its legs might have seemed short, but that was only an illusion caused by its overly muscular upper body.
Most importantly—the flame bell around its neck was gone.
In its place was a belt of solidified fire, orange and red, flaring like real flames. The largest "flame" at the center of its abdomen radiated intense heat, distorting the air around the fridge.
This was a complete metamorphosis—the disappearance of Torracat and the arrival of the one and only…
Incineroar, the Competitive World's Strongest!
In the history of competitive Pokémon battles, Incineroar was the only Pokémon to ever reach the #1 spot in Legendary-tier formats/rosters purely through its support capabilities. It was also the most universally compatible team player in Generation 7.
Back in its heyday, it stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Xerneas, Primal Kyogre, and Primal Groudon, competed with Therian Landorus for the title of the "Bug King," and clashed with the Island Guardians.
This Pokémon, once at the pinnacle of the competitive pyramid, was now standing right before Li Xiang's eyes!
"ROOOAR!!!"
Incineroar let out a deafening roar that shook the entire house, signaling the dawn of a new era!
Li Xiang's fingers became a blur as he snapped photo after photo from different angles.
Out of everyone, he was the happiest about Incineroar's evolution. As his first Pokémon, Incineroar held an irreplaceable place in his heart.
Even as his team grew and diversified, if asked who his favorite was— He wouldn't hesitate.
He'd smash the "Incineroar" option without a second thought.
"Little Kitty!"
Once he had taken enough photos, Li Xiang tossed the camera aside and leaped at Incineroar.
Standing by the fridge, Incineroar laughed heartily and caught him in a hug, its blazing belt instantly extinguishing to avoid burning him.
"ROAR!!!"
'Your big bro Big Kitty has evolved! Happy now?!'
"You look freaking AWESOME!"
Overjoyed, Li Xiang pinched Incineroar's cheeks, poked its nose, pried open its jaws to inspect its sharp teeth, and finally locked eyes with its deep blue irises.
At first glance, they seemed as calm as still water—but upon closer inspection, hidden within was an inferno of ambition!
Clearly, the newfound power of evolution had inflated this big cat's confidence a hundredfold!
"This is amazing!"
Li Xiang couldn't resist squishing its face.
'Ah… of course, the face-pinching doesn't end even now.'
Incineroar sighed in resignation. Li Xiang was perfect in every way… except for this habit of manhandling his Pokémon's faces.
Riolu and the others gathered around, congratulating Incineroar. Everyone had witnessed its hard work, so its evolution was only natural.
Unlike Ash's Charizard, which became rebellious after evolving, Incineroar remained the same cat at heart. After setting Li Xiang down, it crouched to chat with its teammates—standing at full height made the perspective feel awkward.
After a brief exchange, Incineroar stood back up and thumped its rock-hard chest.
"ROAR!"
'Come! Let me show you all what your big bro Big Kitty can do now!'
The cat turned tiger couldn't contain itself—it had to test its new strength immediately.
Li Xiang, grinning like an idiot, rushed outside and dragged out the training dummy.
.....
Post-Evolution Strength Test
Subject: Incineroar
Level: 35
Type: Fire/Dark
Objective: Test newly learned moves and assess stat improvements.
Test Begins.
Once the audience (his team) had gathered, Incineroar grinned, spreading its arms wide as if ready to embrace something—
Then, twin crimson lights ignited in its palms, blazing like miniature stars before erupting into roaring flames!
But that wasn't all.
As the flames surged, Incineroar began spinning—transforming into a whirling firestorm, tearing through the air with a terrifying howl!
Darkest Lariat—
No!
This was…TORNADO DESTROYS PARKING LOT!!!
The massive fire tornado, howling like a hurricane, crashed into the training dummy with devastating force.
BOOM!!
The dummy's high-impact absorption layer shattered on impact!
The ultra-durable composite material was reduced to scrap!
Sure, the dummy's wear and tear from frequent use played a role, but this still proved just how terrifying Incineroar's new move was!
A technique that ignored defense and evasion modifiers!
"ROOOAR!!!"
Incineroar roared at the sky, exhilarated by its own destructive power.
On the sidelines, Li Xiang clapped wildly while the rest of the team cheered, but the testing was far from over.
Darkest Lariat wasn't the only move Incineroar had learned.
Li Xiang swapped the destroyed dummy for a fresh one.
Next move—Throat Chop.
A Dark-type physical move that prevents the opponent from using sound-based attacks.
Visually, it resembled a knife-hand strike—coated in a violet-black aura—combined with Incineroar's razor-sharp claws. It struck the dummy with lethal precision.
Since this dummy was newer and sturdier, the impact wasn't as visually dramatic.
But judging by the dent left behind, Throat Chop packed serious power.
Third move.
Li Xiang hadn't expected Incineroar to learn three moves at once just from evolving.
And this one was—Close Combat!
"Wait, not Cross Chop?" Li Xiang blinked. Moves learned upon evolution were usually level-up moves. Other cases were extremely rare.
But as he watched Incineroar's muscles bulge, its body wreathed in brown-red energy, unleashing a barrage of furious strikes on the dummy—
He understood.
Beng Quan!
The shadow of Beng Quan was woven into its Close Combat!
Back when it was still Torracat, Incineroar couldn't practice Beng Quan due to its quadrupedal form. But that didn't mean it hadn't memorized every detail.
It had rehearsed the moves thousands of times in its mind, just waiting for the day its body could finally execute them.
And now, standing tall on two legs, Incineroar had finally gained the physical capability to perform Beng Quan.
The moves it had dreamed of for so long had merged with Close Combat, becoming part of its very being!
Beng Quan · Close Combat!
As the dummy trembled under the relentless assault, Li Xiang could feel Incineroar's joy in every punch.
Each "BANG!" was an explosion of happiness.
This was…The sound of its soul.
Li Xiang's mind drifted strangely. Both his master and third sister had told him before—A person's character and emotions can be seen in the way they throw a punch.
He had dismissed it as mysticism, something beyond his grasp.
But now, he saw it.
In Incineroar's fists, he saw raw emotion.
It was as if a blockage in his mind had been cleared. A refreshing clarity washed over him, lifting him into a surreal state of awareness.
His heartbeat synchronized with Incineroar's punches—
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Each thud resonated deeply within him. And in that moment, Li Xiang realized—
Just like how his third sister had described Riolu's sudden enlightenment…
He had broken through.
His Three-Blind Perception Technique had reached Minor Mastery.