[Professor Kukui]:
"In the Alola region, there exists a unique kind of move known as a Z-Move."
[Professor Kukui]:
"It's an extremely powerful technique that can only be used after completing the Island Challenge and being acknowledged by the guardian deities."
*"To unleash a Z-Move, three conditions are required:
A Z-Power Ring,
The corresponding Z-Crystal,
And performing the specific Z-Move pose."*
"It's somewhat similar to Mega Evolution. If Mega Evolution is a sustained power-up, then a Z-Move is an explosive, one-time burst of power."
"Although you need to wait for the Z-Ring to recharge before using it again, if timed correctly… a single Z-Move can completely turn a battle around."
Kukui gave a brief explanation of Z-Moves.
But most people still felt like they were listening through a fog.
They'd probably only truly understand once they saw a Z-Move with their own eyes.
"Professor Kukui, if Ash has a Z-Power Ring… doesn't that mean…"
Kiawe, the only student in this classroom who had actually completed parts of the Island Challenge, immediately understood what that ring represented.
"Yeah. Ash has already earned the guardian deities' recognition."
"In fact… is that really so surprising? He is our Alola's first Champion."
Kukui smiled as he watched the boy on the screen.
From the very first time they met, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with Ash.
Now, he finally understood why.
In the future, their relationship would definitely be something special.
[Steven]:
"Professor Kukui, what exactly is that 'Z-Power Ring' you mentioned?"
[Professor Kukui]:
"The Z-Power Ring is what allows a Trainer to use exclusive Z-Moves. Ordinary Z-Rings can't activate them."
[Steven]:
"Exclusive Z-Moves, huh… fascinating. Truly fascinating. Those shining crystals… they're calling to me!"
"I must visit Alola someday."
[Professor Kukui]:
"Haha, you're welcome any time!"
The stone-addicted Steven had instantly locked onto the Z-Crystals.
Not only were they valuable collectibles, but they were also powerful tools for turning battles around—
just like Mega Stones.
Perfectly his thing.
While they were talking, the footage moved on.
Ash removed the golden crystal from his Z-Power Ring and slotted in a red one instead.
Thanks to Kukui's explanation, everyone now knew—that was a Z-Crystal.
They just didn't yet understand what the colors meant.
Different attributes? Different move types?
On the other side, Kukui also removed the red crystal from his own Z-Power Ring—
Except that the crystal embedded there had a carved Incineroar's head inside it.
Everyone instantly knew:
That must be what he meant by an exclusive Z-Crystal—
A Z-Move that only that specific Pokémon could use.
But then… why was he now swapping that out for the same red Z-Crystal Ash was using?
Did that mean the red Z-Crystal was stronger than Incineroar's exclusive Z?
"Ash, looks like everything will be decided in this one strike."
"Right! Let's burn this battlefield down to the very end!"
As they spoke, both of them crossed their arms in front of their chests.
Their Z-Power Rings shone with brilliant light.
Ash spread his arms wide, then hooked them in a "come at me" motion.
He thrust out his left arm and laid his right hand across it.
A scorching aura burst from his body.
He looked like he was wrapped in living flame.
"This is… our full power!!"
With a shout, that fiery power flowed out of Ash and into Torracat!
"Burn bright, Incineroar!
Use your strongest flames—and incinerate the battlefield!!"
Kukui, too, summoned blazing energy—
Which then surged into Incineroar's body.
The poses, the dramatic lines—
a lot of spectators were getting goosebumps.
What was this? Peak shonen cringe?
Weirdly embarrassing…
Yet somehow… undeniably cool.
At the Indigo Plateau—
All the Champions slowly turned to look at Diantha.
The pose, the shout, the over-the-top aura…
Why did it feel… strangely similar to what she did earlier?
Did all-powerful techniques inherently come with the risk of social death?
"Why are you all looking at me?! Watch the battle!!"
Diantha exploded.
They almost triggered her PTSD flashbacks to her Mega Evolution speech.
"Ahem. Right. Battle. Let's watch the battle."
The Champions forcibly turned back to the screen.
Ash, though, never looked away for even a second.
To him—
That line.
That pose.
That blazing power.
It was all just—so cool.
Even Diantha's cheesy Mega lines from earlier?
Also cool.
Unfortunately, the current him had neither a Key Stone nor a Z-Ring,
so he couldn't pull off something that flashy yet…
On Screen—
Violent fire-type energy erupted from both Trainers' sides.
"Inferno Overdrive!!"
"Inferno Overdrive!!"
At their synchronized shout—
Flames surged from Torracat's bell,
forming a massive fireball high in the air.
At the same time, Incineroar's hands curled into claws,
fire spiraling and compressing between them—
Until he raised his arms, holding a gigantic, deep-red fireball overhead.
Scarlet firelight painted the entire stadium.
Even before the moves collided, the spectators of Manalo Stadium were drenched in sweat.
Just feeling that heat was enough to terrify them.
The entire arena felt like a furnace.
Both Pokémon narrowed their eyes—
And hurled their blazing suns forward.
Two blazing meteors howled through the sky and slammed into each other.
The collision triggered a titanic explosion.
Flames roared skyward, an infernal heatwave blasting outward in all directions.
Everyone in Manalo Stadium was literally risking their lives to watch this fight.
Fire scorched the battlefield.
The two giant fireballs merged into an even larger spinning inferno.
For a moment, it felt like that power could shake the entire world.
Sand and ash billowed, obscuring everything.
Torracat and Incineroar could barely keep their eyes open against the raging winds.
Watching from across the world, the audience was stunned silent.
Was this really something ordinary Pokémon could do?
Holy shit.
This was insane.
This wasn't just a flashy move.
It carried the weight of heaven and earth—
on par with the power of a Legendary Pokémon.
[Mikuri / Wallace]:
"Lance, when you fought that Moltres with divine authority… was its fire ever this strong?"
[Lance]:
"…Maybe… probably… I think… it might've been… a little weaker than this."
Despite all his hedging, everyone understood:
Compared head-to-head, even a Divine Moltres's flames might not match this Z-Move.
The world was in an uproar.
Z-Moves were that terrifying?!
If a Pokémon was strong enough to handle it—
Just one Z-Move might be enough to threaten a weaker god with divine authority.
Champions and Elites worldwide suddenly felt a deep, burning desire.
If they could obtain Z-Moves—
Then, even fighting above their weight class,
even turning hopeless battles around—
would no longer be impossible.
On Screen—
The swirling inferno still raged at the center of the field.
But both sides were finished waiting.
Almost simultaneously, the two Trainers gave their next orders:
"Torracat—Retaliate!"
"Incineroar—Darkest Lariat!"
"ROAR!!"
"MEOW!!"
Both of them plunged straight into the blazing vortex.
No one could see what happened inside.
Several seconds later, the blazing fireball finally began to dissipate.
Sand and smoke slowly fell away.
Torracat and Incineroar's silhouettes reappeared on the battlefield.
They were both still standing.
A brief silence—
Then Torracat let out a low cry, its body swaying…
But it did not fall.
Instead—
Incineroar gave one last roar—
Then crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Victory: Torracat.
"This little kitty really did it! Sure, Incineroar had fought a lot earlier, but when Blaze activated, that meant they still had roughly the same HP threshold!"
"Yeah! Which means, in that final clash, Torracat beat Incineroar in a straight-up 1:1 trade!"
"You think any random housecat could pull that off? This is Ash's Torracat! The same guy whose Blaze literally has stages!"
"Ash's team are all walking hacks!"
The audience argued loudly.
But the majority agreed—this win had hefty weight behind it.
Sure, Incineroar had been worn down.
But both Blaze effects triggered at roughly the same time.
That meant both sides were around one-third HP towards the end.
Under those conditions—
Torracat defeating Incineroar spoke volumes.
Then—
A blue glow surrounded Torracat.
Its body expanded, muscles surging.
It rose from four legs to two—
The bell at its neck flared like a belt of hellfire.
Torracat had evolved—
Into Incineroar.
Now, Ash also had—
The Universe's No. 1 Wrestler Cat.
[Gardenia]:
"Wooo! It evolved! Now Ash has an Incineroar too!"
[Diantha]:
"Personally… I kind of liked Torracat more. Incineroar's a bit too… muscle-heavy."
[Lorelei]:
"Agreed."
[Flint]:
"No way, no way, no way. Are there really people who don't like the Universe's No. 1 Wrestler Cat?!"
"Incineroar has power, style, AND cuteness. What's not to love?!"
[Acerola]:
"…So in the end, Elder Flint only cares about power, huh…"
"ROOOOAR!!"
Freshly evolved Incineroar let out a victorious roar, arms flung wide—
as if finally releasing everything it had carried up to now.
Ash ran up to him, excitement written all over his face—
But the closer he got, the more wrong it felt.
"Incineroar… you…"
Its eyes were rolled back, pure white.
Its body had gone completely stiff.
He was—
Standing while already unconscious.
"You did amazingly, Incineroar. Thank you. The rest… leave it to your teammates."
Even though Incineroar was out cold, Ash was still genuinely happy for him.
Not only did he defeat his goal—
He evolved into his strongest form at the very end.
This battle… truly was perfect.
Ash and Kukui returned their Incineroars at the same time.
(In the original anime, Kukui's Incineroar actually struggles back up after Ash's Incineroar evolves, pretending it's fine. It's hard not to think they're "acting" it out for drama. The performance was a bit too much, so that part has been cut —otherwise it'd be too ridiculous, )
"Right now, both Ash and Professor Kukui still have four Pokémon left each—but Ash has already lost two heavy-hitters. That leaves only Pikachu and that Naganadel who can still carry the game!"
Lance gave his assessment, but Alder immediately disagreed.
"Hey now, what about Lycanroc? Who said Lycanroc was just 'on Mightyena's level'? That's not even close! Ash's Lycanroc is absolutely not to be underestimated!"
"You guys aren't mentioning Rowlet at all. I think Rowlet's pretty cute~."
Cynthia tapped her phone, swiping through images of Rowlet, smiling.
The other Champions just gave her a look.
Cute? Yeah, it's adorable.
But since when did cute equal strong?
The cuter it is, the more likely it's weak as hell, no?
"Let's just keep watching. Ash's chances of winning are slim, but… I still think he'll manage to exchange at least a few blows with Tapu Koko."
Ash gave Steven a deeply wounded look.
Why was everyone just assuming he'd lose already?
Sure, Tapu Koko was strong. But his Pikachu wasn't exactly a pushover either!
"Pika! Pika pika!!"
Pikachu pumped his paws in front of the screen, cheering for his future self.
He hadn't been sent out yet. That could only mean one thing—
He was saving his strength for the upcoming god fight.
He, Pikachu, was the number one Pikachu in the world!
The footage continued.
After both sides recalled their Incineroars, they each drew their next Poké Ball.
"Alright—your turn, Rowlet!"
"Go, Braviary!"
Kukui's side sent out a large bird with red back feathers and a blue chest,
three white head feathers forming a crest on its head—
The fierce war eagle of Unova: Braviary.
Ash's side—
A cute little round owl.
Its brown body was wrapped in a green hooded cloak,
with X-shaped leaves crossing in front of its chest—
A feature belonging to Decidueye, the final evolved form of Rowlet.
The visual contrast was incredible—
One side: peak ferocity.
The other: extreme cuteness.
This was clearly an aerial battle.
"Did Ash, uh… send out the wrong Pokémon?"
"So that's what Rowlet looks like, huh? Super cute, but… bringing Rowlet into a match at this level is just feeding it to the wolves, right?"
"There's a freeloader in this battle, not gonna say who."
"…"
The audience acknowledged Rowlet's cuteness—
But not its combat capability.
In terms of size, presence, raw intimidation…
The two birds weren't even in the same category.
How was this supposed to be fair?
[Lance]:
"Sending Rowlet into a top-tier battle… that really is Ash."
[Alder]:
"You're underestimating the opponent too much. Braviary is one of Unova's fiercest birds. Its base capabilities are way above your standard regional bird line. If Rowlet fights it head-on…"
[Leon]:
"Hahaha, and that's exactly why it's Ash. He always comes up with things we never expect. Let's just see how he uses Rowlet."
The battle had already started.
Braviary opened with an Air Slash—
a move that's super effective against Rowlet's Grass typing.
But Rowlet—
Dodged it with ease.
That first movement immediately made some people narrow their eyes.
This Rowlet… seemed a bit too fast.
After avoiding the blow, Rowlet counterattacked with a Seed Bomb.
"Hoo-guh!"
A gray stone shot out of Rowlet's beak,
glowing orange as it crashed straight into Braviary's forehead.
"WHAM!"
Braviary failed to dodge in time and took the hit full-on,
a huge bump swelling on its head as it tumbled from the air.
Everyone watching was dumbfounded.
What kind of Seed Bomb was that?!
Does Seed Bomb normally do that much to a Flying-type?
The gray "seed" bounced off Braviary's skull—
And flew straight back into Rowlet's mouth.
[Lance]:
"…Did I see that right? Was that an Everstone?"
[Steven]:
"You saw correctly. As a professional stone enthusiast, I can say with absolute certainty—
That was an Everstone."
[Steven]:
"Rowlet used an Everstone as the projectile for Seed Bomb. That move wasn't just infused with Grass-type power—
It was also carrying Rock-type power."
"So against Braviary… that Seed Bomb was double super effective."
[Roxanne]:
"Seriously, Mr. Steven? I didn't study much, but you're not trolling me, right?"
Roxanne, the Rock-type Gym Leader, slowly typed out a question mark.
Using Everstone to alter move typing was something she'd never heard of.
Not just her—
Every Grass- and Rock-type Trainer in the world was confused.
"Can… can you even do that?"
Just how legal was this Rowlet supposed to be?!
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