On the battlefield, Torracat was wracked with pain, but through sheer willpower it had not fallen.
The sight made every spectator, whether in the arena or watching through the live broadcast, hold their breath.
They were waiting—for a miracle.
Under the gaze of thousands,
Torracat slowly stood back up.
Then, a torrent of blazing flames erupted from its body.
Ash froze for a moment.
This scene—he had seen it before.
Blaze!
It was Blaze!
Torracat had triggered the Blaze ability!
"Torracat!"
…
[Leon: Such moving determination. This Torracat is truly remarkable!]
[Ash: Hehe, you're making me blush.]
[Gary: No one's praising you now! We're talking about your future Pokémon!]
[Flint: So it has Flash Fire and can activate Blaze? What a terrifying little monster!]
Most people couldn't tell, but Flint saw it clearly.
As a Fire-type Elite,
he instantly recognized the flames Torracat was releasing—
it was unmistakably Blaze.
Blaze—when a Pokémon's stamina falls low, the power of its Fire-type moves surges.
In other words, it was a full-powered outburst.
But Torracat had already shown Flash Fire earlier…
and now it has triggered Blaze as well.
Two abilities in one?
This was… terrifying!
[Professor Professor Kukui: Ash, your Torracat is illegal! Having Flash Fire is one thing, but Blaze too?!]
Professor Kukui was one of the only two people who could immediately see what was happening.
First, he was a Trainer of Incineroar himself.
Second, as a professor, he knew Pokémon abilities inside and out.
What he saw now was nothing short of hacking the system.
No—Ash hadn't just "turned on cheats."
He'd never turned them off!
[Ash: I don't know either! But wait, can a Pokémon even have two abilities?]
[Professor Oak: What do you think?]
[(290) Ash: Before, I would've said no. But after seeing Torracat, I think yes!]
[Professor Oak: …When your journey ends, I'm sending you to Trainer School to relearn the basics. If the world finds out I gave you your Pokédex, I'll be laughed out of the academic community!]
[Professor Birch: Too late, I already know.]
[Professor Sycamore: Same here!]
Professor Oak: …
It was over. His academic reputation had just gone up in flames!
…
On screen—
Seeing Torracat rise once more,
Incineroar's gaze sharpened.
That last Malicious Moonsault!!! had been full power—
and yet Torracat had survived.
This little guy really wanted to win.
"Ash, you've amazed me again," said Professor Kukui, as both a Trainer and a man who respected Ash's indomitable spirit.
"Of course! Until we've beaten Incineroar, neither Torracat nor I will ever lose!"
"Torracat!"
Ash and Torracat answered in unison.
At this moment, they were one in heart and soul.
Blazing fire burst out of Torracat,
but instead of dispersing,
The flames were drawn into the bell at its chest.
The professors, Fire-type specialists, and Gym Leaders watching all froze.
Was this… bug abuse?!
Blaze amplified the flames, which Flash Fire then absorbed—
maximizing power, while also healing wounds.
Even Professor Kukui felt his teeth ache at the sight.
Again.
Ash was hacking again!
Torracat's injuries visibly faded,
its strength returned even as its firepower spiked further.
With this setup,
unless Incineroar could land a single, decisive blow,
Torracat was practically unkillable.
A cockroach that refused to die.
And worse—
Torracat's Flame Charge boosts had already made it blindingly fast.
That last grapple had been a golden chance, but failing to finish it meant it would never be caught again.
In speed, Incineroar couldn't compete.
If so… then overwhelming power was the only path.
"Come, Ash and Torracat—you've grown so much. I'm proud of you.
But this is a battle. I won't hold back!"
Professor Kukui raised his wrist, revealing the Z-Ring beneath his sleeve.
Ash smirked, raising his own.
"Of course! I'll give it everything too!"
The crowd exploded in cheers.
Two Fire-type Z-Crystals gleamed red and black in the light.
"Let's settle this with Z-Moves!"
"Together!"
The audience roared their names—
"Ash!!!" "Professor Kukui!!!"
This was the romance of Alola: Z vs. Z!
[Nando: Sorry, but… what's that? Some special item I've never seen?]
[Kiawe: You don't know? This is Alola's Z-Move! A system that unleashes power far beyond ordinary moves!]
[Lana: Yes! And from their stance, it looks like Ash and Professor Professor Kukui will finish this battle with Z-Moves. So exciting!]
[Kiawe: Inferno Overdrive, number one in the world!]
[Leon: Z-Moves? Are they like Dynamax?]
[Professor Professor Kukui: Not quite. Dynamax is more like Mega Evolution—boosting a Pokémon's overall power. But Z-Moves amplify a single move. Any Pokémon that knows a move of the right type can use it with the matching Z-Crystal.]
[Flint: That broad? It better not be weak.]
[Professor Burnet: ???]
Of course Z-Moves weren't weak.
That was why they stood as one of the Three Great Systems.
Unlike Dynamax, locked to Galar,
or Mega Evolution, limited to special Pokémon,
Z-Moves were universal.
Any Pokémon, any type—so long as you had the crystal.
If you collected all 18 Z-Crystals,
you could unleash 18 different Z-Moves in one match.
No other system could compare.
And their power? Terrifying.
Because a Z-Move scaled with the original move's strength—
The stronger the base, the stronger the Z-Move.
(except for special signature Z-Moves)
…
On screen—
Both Trainers performed the dance,
their bodies moving in unison, channeling the crystals' power.
Flames burst from their Z-Rings,
surging across the arena,
pouring into Torracat and Incineroar.
The two Pokémon roared,
absorbing the inferno,
their bodies glowing with violent fire.
A colossal fireball formed in front of each of them.
"Inferno Overdrive!!!"
Both shouted as one.
The two fireballs collided midair—
and detonated in a cataclysmic explosion.
The vortex of flame consumed the battlefield,
swallowing both Pokémon at its core.
"Don't lose, Incineroar!"
"Hold on, Torracat!"
Fans of both shouted themselves hoarse.
The flames raged higher—
but all eyes stayed locked on the silhouettes within.
Then, a miracle.
From within the inferno,
Torracat shone with a blue evolution glow.
In the midst of the clash,
it was evolving!
Still instinctively drawing in the surrounding flames,
it absorbed the vortex itself,
pulling the raging fire into its body.
"Unbelievable… to evolve here, now. Torracat, you've done wonderfully!"
The words came not from Ash,
but from his opponent, Professor Kukui.
To him, Ash and Torracat were family.
And now, he was watching a family member grow before his eyes.
When the flames cleared,
it was no longer Torracat standing there—
It was Incineroar!
"IncineTyranitar!!"
Its roar shattered the last of the fire,
the fragments drawn into its body,
forming the blazing belt around its waist.
From fire, it had been reborn.
But the battle wasn't over.
Two Incineroar now stood on the field,
locked in each other's gaze.
They roared in unison—
a thunderous, world-shaking sound.
Yet before the final clash could erupt—
Professor Professor Kukui's Incineroar collapsed.
The victor was decided.
Ash's Incineroar had triumphed!
But it, too, was exhausting.
Barely upright, breathing hard,
it managed to lift an arm and wave proudly to the crowd.
The audience erupted into thunderous cheers.
"You did it, Incineroar!"
"Incineroar!"
Ash recalled it with a smile.
Though both had nearly fallen,
Professor Kukui's Incineroar had gone down first.
And so, the score stood at 3–2.
Professor Kukui had lost three Pokémon,
while Ash had only truly lost two.
The match wasn't over yet.
[Professor Oak: Something feels wrong. From the start, when they showed us the lineups, was this… a setup?]
[Professor Oak: I thought Ash had no chance, but now… his Alola team is insane. Dual-ability Torracat, a Rowlet with "Feather Dance as Disguise," and even the mythical Melmetal!]
[Cynthia: Excuses won't save you, Professor Oak. I've believed in Ash from the beginning.]
[Serena: Same here! He's Ash!]
[Professor Oak: Bitter as wine, hard to swallow… bottoms up!]
Yet even with Ash's advantage,
the match wasn't decided.
Professor Kukui still had a god on his side: Tapu Koko.
Ash's legendary, Melmetal, had already fallen.
It would all come down to the final rounds.
On screen—
With the arena repaired, both Trainers threw their Pokéballs again.
"Go, Lucario!"
"Go, Dusk Form Lycanroc!"
The two Pokémon landed with a flash.
Dog vs. dog.
Professor Kukui grinned wide.
Lucario—his second ace,
and a brutal counter to Rock-type Lycanroc.
Ash's eyes narrowed.
He realized instantly.
He'd walked right into Professor Kukui's trap.
This was going to be rough.
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