Incineroar—there was no need to say much. Dylan had one, Selene had one, Kukui had one… and now Kieran had one too.
Not to mention the wave of Trainers who, ever since Dylan's Incineroar became famous, flocked to Alola just to find a Litten of their own.
As soon as Incineroar entered the field, it let out a low, threatening growl at Frosmoth. An aura of dominance radiated from it.
Intimidate!
A white light shimmered around Frosmoth—it had its physical attack lowered by one stage. Not that it mattered much. Frosmoth was a special attacker through and through.
"Bug Buzz!"
Dylan narrowed his eyes slightly. If he remembered right, Kieran's Incineroar knew Fake Out.
Frosmoth was a poor match into Incineroar, being 4x weak to Fire. Honestly, it was lucky Incineroar was also part Dark, otherwise it would resist Bug moves too.
Frosmoth's wings started to hum rapidly, preparing the Bug-type attack.
"Fake Out!" Kieran called, just as expected.
Incineroar lunged forward, its broad form slicing through the snowy battlefield like a red streak.
Priority move: Fake Out!
In a blink, it was beneath Frosmoth—its paw slammed upward. Frosmoth's shimmering Aurora Veil pulsed.
Smack!
The attack landed clean. Frosmoth gave a sharp cry, flinching back—the Fake Out had done its job.
"Flamethrower!" Kieran didn't hesitate.
He knew the combo well. If Incineroar weren't falling from the air at that moment, he might've gone with Flare Blitz for maximum impact.
As Incineroar descended, flames erupted from its jaws. A blazing pillar tore through the snow, crashing into Frosmoth.
The Aurora Veil shimmered again, halving the damage. And thanks to its Ice Scales ability, Frosmoth took even less from special attacks.
Combined with its decent Special Defense, the hit was manageable.
"Aurora Veil's damage reduction is insane, and then there's Ice Scales on top…" Carmine frowned. That combo had neutered what should've been a devastating follow-up.
"Not to mention, Mr. Dylan's counterattack is coming," Lacey noted, eyes flicking toward the dying fire.
"Bug Buzz!" Dylan commanded.
Frosmoth forced itself to endure the flames. Its majestic snowflake wings pulsed—bright rings of sound exploded outward, shattering the lingering blaze.
BZZZZZ—!
The wave of sound barreled toward Incineroar, who had just landed.
A swift counter.
"Fire Punch!"
Incineroar roared, its paw bursting into flames as it punched toward the oncoming sound waves.
Boom!
Fire met sound in mid-air, but Incineroar's face twisted. It had forced the punch—but the Bug Buzz was too powerful.
Flames shattered, and the sonic wave slammed into Incineroar, making it growl in pain.
"That special attack power is no joke…" Kieran looked at the elegant moth.
This icy beauty's Sp. Atk stat had to be on par with Volcarona. Dylan had trained it extremely well.
"The snow's about to end." Kieran glanced upward. The snowy clouds were thinning. No snow meant Aurora Veil would vanish soon.
"Close in—Bug Buzz," Dylan said calmly.
Frosmoth lowered slightly, wings humming again. The sound waves shimmered like ripples toward Incineroar.
"Flame Charge!"
Kieran gave the order. Fire-type Flame Charge—a move that raised Speed every time it landed.
Incineroar burst into flames and charged through the snow, trying to avoid the attack—but it wasn't fast enough yet.
BOOM!
The Bug Buzz caught up, slamming into Incineroar's back. The big cat roared in pain, its body sent flying.
That Bug Buzz had been even faster than before!
Kieran was sure of it—no way Incineroar should've been hit otherwise.
Above, the clouds finally broke. The snow ended.
"Another Bug Buzz!"
"Protect!"
There was no escaping—Incineroar had just been hit. It couldn't dodge.
Waves of sound surged forward. Incineroar braced, forming a green shield just in time.
The sound exploded against the barrier but couldn't break through.
"Flare Blitz!"
"Dazzling Gleam!"
As the shield faded, Incineroar let out a furious roar, igniting in red-hot flames.
Flare Blitz—a reckless, full-power Fire move.
It launched toward the airborne Frosmoth with all its might.
Frosmoth rose higher, pink light flickering around its body.
Fairy-type Dazzling Gleam—a beautiful beam of light shot toward Incineroar.
But Flare Blitz tore through it. Incineroar's brute strength burned right through the beam.
Still… it couldn't fly. And it wasn't fast enough.
Frosmoth outpaced it easily with its wings.
"Incineroar's nearly spent…" Lillie murmured. The tiger's speed was dropping—it was already starting to fall.
"Bug Buzz." Dylan's eyes glinted.
He glanced briefly at Kieran's focused expression, then gave the order.
He wasn't too keen on striking right now—Incineroar could still retaliate. But hey, it was a Gym battle, not a deathmatch. A little mercy wouldn't hurt.
Frosmoth descended a bit, hovering just above Incineroar's range. It hummed again, sending another wave of sound pulsing outward.
"Fire Blast!"
Kieran was waiting for this.
Incineroar roared. Flames erupted from its belt—forming the shape of a massive kanji character for "big." Fire Blast!
BOOM!
Frosmoth's Bug Buzz landed, sending Incineroar tumbling—but the Fire Blast struck back.
Frosmoth's wings glimmered—it activated Ice Scales, halving special damage.
A move that should've been 4x super-effective instead only hit for 2x—and Frosmoth, while clearly injured, held on.
Kieran's frown deepened. That wasn't worth it.
Incineroar hit the ground, its breath labored.
It had taken three Bug Buzzes. Even though they weren't super effective, Frosmoth's raw power was too high.
"Return, Incineroar."
Kieran hesitated, then recalled the tiger. Intimidate was too valuable to waste. He didn't want to lose it here.
He couldn't afford for Frosmoth to take it down.
"Grimmsnarl!"
Kieran tossed his third Poké Ball.
A hulking, hairy Pokémon landed in front of him—its body covered in long fur, with sharp fangs and pointed ears. Grimmsnarl.
Bzzt~ Grimmsnarl, Dark/Fairy type, the Bulk Up Pokémon.
Ability: Prankster
Moves: Hammer Arm, Foul Play, Play Rough, Nasty Plot, Spirit Break, Fake Out, Sucker Punch…
"Grimmsnarl, huh…" Leaf eyed Kieran curiously. Despite his clean appearance, his team choices were... bold.
Incineroar and Grimmsnarl? Very "bro energy."
As expected from a boy Dylan personally believed in. Plenty of promise.
"Grimmsnarl? Not bad," Dylan said, giving the Pokémon a once-over. Solid choice.
"Thank you for the praise, Mr. Dylan. Now, let's keep going!"
Kieran grinned—clearly pleased to be acknowledged, but focused on the battle.
"Grimmsnarl—Fake Out!"
The goblin snarled and rushed forward. Frosmoth tried to retreat, but Grimmsnarl was too fast.
Its claws slammed down—Fake Out connected clean.
Frosmoth cried out and flinched, driven back.
"Now—Burning Jealousy!"
Grimmsnarl descended, its body flaring with flames before blasting a fiery shockwave toward Frosmoth.
Frosmoth's Ice Scales shimmered, but the hit was still powerful.
It was thrown back, crashing into the ground.
Its icy wings glistened… but its eyes had turned into spirals.
"Frosmoth is unable to battle. Grimmsnarl wins," Leaf declared from the field.
From Politoed, to Incineroar, to Grimmsnarl—it had taken three to do it, but Kieran had finally taken down Frosmoth.
He exhaled, a smile spreading on his face.
"Nice one, Kieran! First win secured!" Carmine pumped her fist, cheering her brother on.
"True. Cost him a bit, but taking down one of Dylan's team is still big," Lacey said with a smile—though deep down, she knew Kieran didn't hold the advantage yet.
Politoed had been frozen, Incineroar heavily wounded… and that had only been Dylan's first main attacker.
On the field.
"Well done, Kieran. That was a solid takedown," Dylan said, withdrawing Frosmoth. His tone remained gentle, full of praise.
He quickly sent out another ball.
Alolan Ninetales appeared again, its cry ringing through the field.
Snow began to fall once more.
"Will he use Aurora Veil again?" Kieran eyed the stunning fox.
He couldn't stop the weather change—his Politoed was still frozen. But would Dylan go for the screen again?
"Baton Pass."
"Grimmsnarl—Bulk Up!"
Kieran didn't waste time. He couldn't stop Ninetales's retreat, but he could at least use the opportunity to set up.
Grimmsnarl roared, striking a few flexing poses. Its body swelled with power.
Tch… Dylan chuckled inwardly. Smart plays, as always.
Ninetales vanished in white light. Dylan tossed another Ultra Ball.
"Then Kieran—your next opponent… is this one."
He tossed his fourth Pokémon.
"Weavile, ready for battle!"
(End of Chapter)