The pungent smoke was blown away by a gentle wind.
But the battlefield remained hazy and indistinct.
The entire sky was covered in clouds of smoke, dark and gloomy like the precursor to a violent storm, with poison gas filling the surroundings.
Inside the arena, an enormous crater, as if hit directly by a missile, gradually became visible to everyone.
The crater's shape was like a fist print magnified countless times, its edges fractured and jagged, its center still glowing hot like residual magma, covered in burning cracks.
The acrid smell of scorched smoke and crystallized particles filled the air around the pit.
Under the dim sunlight, the scattered crystals sparkled faintly.
Not far away, Incineroar maintained its punching pose, breathing steadily and powerfully, experiencing the brief muscle fatigue that followed an explosive burst.
A dull, magma-like glow surged over its body, constantly consuming its stamina with every passing second. Large amounts of white mist surrounded it, like the ethereal cloud robes of a celestial being.
A life-draining offense, indeed.
But this apocalyptic scene, though not entirely real, seemed coated in a thick layer of gauze, creating an exceptionally visually striking image.
Everyone held their breath, silently watching the spectacle.
At their level, it was rare to witness such terrifying move power. When the flames erupted, they had even affected the area outside the field, scorching the defensive barriers until they crackled loudly.
The flash from the blazing flames outshone the sun, so blinding that even a quick glance made one's eyes sting with pain.
With such power, if Pokémon moves didn't usually concentrate their energy in one spot, the two trainers in the field would have been caught in the explosion's blast.
Many present had battled Li Xiang before.
But this was the first time any of them had seen this from Incineroar.
In the past, Li Xiang had never revealed this trump card in front of others.
That form, as if forged from molten lava, exuded a suffocating flame with every movement, both fearsome and awe-inspiring.
Who wouldn't love a powerful Pokémon?
For a moment, the onlookers' gazes toward Incineroar burned with intense admiration.
Of course, they also kept an eye on Togekiss.
Such a powerful punch, even if Togekiss was one of the most durable Pokémon on Su Xi's team, would certainly not come out unscathed.
It might even have fainted outright.
After all, that was such terrifying fire!
And Togekiss had already taken damage earlier.
They began to anticipate the referee's whistle, but on the field, after throwing that punch, Incineroar, feeling the heat searing its body and the hot currents swirling around it, raised its head in dissatisfaction.
It knew the punch hadn't taken down its opponent.
So, during those few seconds of easing its fatigue, it regretted its earlier choice.
To conserve stamina, it had opted for Fire Punch, which consumed less energy and had lower power.
As a result, after breaking through the shield, the high-temperature air currents and the fiery light and heat had failed to fully hit Togekiss.
One of the drawbacks of moves "expanding" was that it gave the opponent an opportunity to absorb only part of the damage instead of all of it.
Moreover, colliding with its Fire Punch had been a peculiar, sudden surge of energy.
—Future Sight.
Incineroar knew that the high-powered energy impact was the fundamental reason Fire Punch hadn't landed squarely on Togekiss.
When had Gardevoir used Future Sight?
That was already an unknown, unnecessary answer to dwell on.
With the help of Protect, Future Sight, its own endurance, and exceptional mastery of air currents, Togekiss had managed to hang on by a thread.
The earlier Intimidate copied was also part of the setup.
Although the Magma Form was powerful, Incineroar had used it in too few real battles. Its most frequent opponent had actually been Mewtwo.
It should use it more often in the future. Hoarding abilities with no practical combat experience was pointless.
Fortunately, the black smoke from the explosion had blotted out the sky. Togekiss, hiding up there, couldn't even use Morning Sun without sunlight, and had to rely on other methods to recover its stamina.
Its weakened body, clearly at odds with the surrounding temperature, looked to Incineroar like a meal waiting to be served.
Save time!
Take it down!
A glint flashed in Incineroar's eyes. Its body shifted slightly, and with a roar, it spewed a blazing stream of fire from its belt!
"ROAR!"
The flames instantly tore through the smoke, shooting straight up!
In the sky, Togekiss's body flickered with starlight and colorful clouds. Its once pristine white feathers were now scorched black, looking as if it could collapse at any moment.
Faced with the surging flames, Togekiss appeared helpless to dodge.
No recovery?
Incineroar frowned, intensifying its output.
It refused to believe that a Pokémon that had fought so hard to survive that previous attack would just give up.
Therefore, it must have done something subtle that Incineroar hadn't noticed!
The flames closed in!
The heat made the air groan, and the continuous roar kept the defensive barriers active.
"Uu..."
Togekiss, on the verge of collapse, endured its pain. No command came from its trainer.
However, its usual training had already taught it its purpose.
Or rather, from the moment it was sent out to take the opponent's attack, its fate was sealed.
A sky-blue light shimmered, and its charred wings flapped.
Togekiss neither defended nor counterattacked. Instead, it launched a suicidal strike!
Light flowed around its body!
Then, as the wind picked up, Togekiss's body was completely engulfed in flames!
BOOM!
A ball of scorching fire exploded in the sky, smoke and dust billowing away.
Then, a Togetic fell from the sky.
Thud.
The sound was light.
It had found its opening.
Incineroar looked at the wind that was everywhere on the field.
Even though not much time had been wasted, and its stamina was still relatively high, the two moves had been executed back-to-back with maximum speed and effort. Yet, it still felt a surge of immense anger.
The dark red glow on its body deepened.
"Beeeeep—"
The whistle sounded.
In the distance, Su Qian stumbled to her feet after being thrown back by the blast.
She looked at the devastated field and the pitiful, fallen Togetic, a relieved smile on her face as she recalled it.
"You did well."
Su Qian's soft voice carried a hint of gratitude.
Despite not receiving encouragement from her trainer, it had stayed faithful to the end, enduring its pain to complete its duty.
Togekiss had seemed utterly defenseless, ruthlessly defeated by Incineroar.
It hadn't even dared to attack head-on, using moves stealthily instead.
But Su Qian knew that victory in battle came from every piece of the foundation laid by her teammates.
Big or small, tall or short.
Togekiss, with its perseverance and tenacity, had paved the way for her to turn defeat into victory, sounding the horn of counterattack against an opponent that radiated invincibility.
She took a step forward.
A light breeze stirred her clothes.
Su Qian looked up at Incineroar, shrouded in white smoke, its figure towering and terrifying, almost suffocating, like a demon god incarnate.
The real battle was just beginning!
She took a deep breath, raising the trembling Poké Ball.
"Hiss—"
The counterattack begins!
BANG!
The Poké Ball opened!
In a flash of light, Gardevoir landed on the field!
Sky-blue air currents swirled around it, enhancing its movement speed.
As it straightened up, its Trace ability activated a second time, wordlessly lowering Incineroar's Attack again.
The anger within this beautiful and elegant creature was no less than Incineroar's.
But in an instant, the berserk Incineroar moved!
It stomped the ground with one foot and leaped into the air amidst the sound of shattering earth.
BOOM!
A sky-blue, nearly white, ultra-high-temperature flame suddenly expanded, blazing fiercely, transforming it into a spinning fireball that crashed toward Gardevoir!
No holding back!
It would not make the same mistake again!
"ROAR!!"
A soul-shaking roar echoed across the field!
BOOM—!!
Like a comet striking Earth!
The massive fireball slammed into the ground, white light engulfing everything!
The intense heat pulverized the rubble into dust. The shockwave, like a milky white ring, swept through the arena like a typhoon, dispersing the lingering smoke!
The earth-shattering explosion deafened everyone. The towering flames and black smoke formed a mushroom cloud, devouring the sky.
The world dimmed instantly, more terrifying and suffocating than before.
If not for the barriers still holding, and only the shockwave reaching them, the escaping power would have been far more devastating.
The onlookers shielded their eyes from the blinding glare, not daring to look directly.
This Flare Blitz was even more terrifying than the earlier Fire Punch!
Especially since this was the result of Gardevoir's second Trace of Intimidate, lowering Incineroar's Attack again!
Could Gardevoir really withstand this move?
Many watched the field with concern, but the team's regular members had immense faith in Su Qian.
Because they knew, a fully serious Su Qian was absolutely formidable!
As if confirming their thoughts, a wind suddenly swept across the field.
The vision-obscuring smoke was cleared, revealing the two Pokémon standing apart like an ocean between them.
On one side was Incineroar, wreathed in white smoke. On the other was Gardevoir, floating ethereally in the air, gently brushing the dust from its body.
A blue light faded before it, and countless shining stars spun around it, as if it were the center of its own world.
"Wish... Wish?"
Someone's incredulous voice broke the silence.
They say onlookers see the game clearly, but in grand spectacles like this, most onlookers are often blind.
They couldn't see inside the smoke, nor did they know if one side had quietly used moves beyond ordinary understanding.
Li Xiang, standing on the other side, remained silent.
He knew the blue light before Gardevoir was the psychic barrier that Metagross had always relied on.
And this barrier was far thicker than Metagross's, which was why it had partially blocked Flare Blitz's power.
Su Qian also knew psychic barriers; he had long realized this, but he hadn't expected it to hold up so well.
Of course, the two Attack drops were also key factors in the "insufficient damage."
After Flare Blitz dealt partial damage to Gardevoir, Wish restored its stamina.
Li Xiang felt his heart twitch.
Su Qian naturally understood the Magma Form and knew it was a life-draining technique. The longer the battle dragged on, the greater her chances of victory.