Chapter 576: Dragon vs. Tiger

"Blaziken is unable to battle!"

"Blaze, send out your next Pokémon!"

After confirming that Blaziken was down, the referee raised his flag and turned to Blaze.

"Come back, buddy."

Blaze grimaced as he recalled Blaziken.

He then pulled out another Poké Ball and looked across the field at Braveon.

"You sneaky bastard. So you brought a counter just for me, huh? Fine. Let's see how far that gets you."

"Come out, Incineroar!"

Blaze shot Braveon a glare and hurled his Poké Ball.

A flash of light burst forth, and Incineroar appeared on the battlefield.

"ROOOAR!"

The moment it entered the field, Incineroar roared up at Noivern.

Noivern visibly tensed as its Attack and Defense dropped by one stage.

This was Incineroar's Ability.

Tiger King Intimidation: When Incineroar enters battle, the opposing Pokémon's Attack and Defense fall by one stage. Close-range moves gain 30% power.

"NOI-VERRRN!"

Noivern was also a King-class Pokémon. It quickly regained its composure, glared down at Incineroar, and answered with a thunderous roar of its own.

Dragon King versus Tiger King.

The clash between dragon and tiger was about to begin.

...

"Noivern, use Dragon Pulse!"

Braveon seized the initiative.

"NOI-VERRRN!"

Noivern roared. It had already decided it didn't like Incineroar.

A powerful surge of red energy erupted around its body and gathered inside its mouth.

"Incineroar, interrupt it!"

"Use Fake Out!"

Blaze grinned and immediately gave the order.

"RRAAGH!"

Incineroar grinned, then launched itself into the air in a blur.

Before Noivern could react, the tiger was already in its face.

Incineroar swung one massive palm straight across its cheek.

SMACK!

The sharp slap echoed across the battlefield.

The blow interrupted Dragon Pulse before Noivern could fire it.

At the same time, a piercing hum rang from Noivern's enormous ears.

Sonic Resistance activated, cutting Incineroar's Speed by two stages.

Noivern froze for half a beat, then glared at Incineroar with pure fury.

"Noivern, calm down."

"Use Dark Dragon Pulse!"

Seeing Noivern on the verge of losing control, Braveon's eyes glowed faintly blue as his Aura reached his partner.

The same blue light flickered in Noivern's eyes, and its rage quickly subsided.

"NOI-VERRRN!"

Noivern roared as black-and-red energy erupted from its body.

The energy gathered in the air and formed an enormous black-and-red dragon.

The massive energy dragon opened its jaws and dove toward Incineroar below.

"Incineroar, use Blazing Darkest Lariat!"

Blaze's grin faded as he got serious.

"GRRRAAH!"

Incineroar roared as raging flames erupted around its right arm.

At the same time, bands of black energy coiled around the limb.

Its right arm now looked like a massive blazing gauntlet.

Incineroar drove a powerful punch straight at the dark dragon descending from above.

KRAKOOM!

A violent explosion erupted.

A powerful shockwave swept outward in every direction as the two attacks collided and canceled each other out.

"Noivern, Dragon Hurricane!"

Braveon kept up the pressure and immediately issued another command.

"NOI-VERRRN!"

Noivern threw back its head and roared.

Powerful energy surged around its body as a fierce hurricane suddenly formed.

The raging winds twisted together into the shape of a dragon.

A massive Hurricane Dragon emerged and swept toward Incineroar.

Loose rocks and dust were ripped from the battlefield and hurled high into the air as the enormous dragon of wind surged forward.

"Incineroar, Super Flare Blitz!"

Blaze refused to back down and ordered Incineroar to unleash its own ultimate move.

"ROOOAR!"

Incineroar roared as fierce flames erupted all around its body.

The flames surged around it with terrifying intensity.

The raging fire completely enveloped Incineroar before taking shape around its body.

In an instant, it transformed into an enormous flaming tiger crouched low on all fours.

"ROOOAR!"

The gigantic tiger of flame raised its head and let out a mighty roar.

Then it charged straight toward the Hurricane Dragon ahead.

A dragon of raging wind.

A tiger of blazing fire.

The two massive forms collided head-on in the center of the arena.

KRAKOOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the entire arena, making the battlefield tremble violently.

The blast engulfed the arena as fierce gusts tore through the stands.

The spectators raised their arms to shield their faces.

Several grabbed for their hats, but a few were ripped away and sent spinning into the air.

The collision was on an entirely different level.

This didn't look anything like a battle between Gym-level Pokémon.

If someone had claimed these were Champion-level Pokémon fighting, everyone present would have believed it.

...