Well, funny story regarding Incineroar. Two of my friends and I each got Sun or Moon, and we all picked different starters. We all made a bet that if the Pokémon we chose got into Smash, we chose the cool starter. I picked Litten. The one who picked Rowlet's salty to this day.

Incineroar looks like he could be incredibly fun to use in the game, especially since I myself am a big fan of pro graps.

Royal Avenue, Akala Island…

Incineroar had let out a low growl as he saw who his last opponent in this gauntlet match was: Machamp. He had already defeated a Garchomp, a Gengar, a Weavile, an Aegislash, and most surprisingly, a roaming Suicune. Machamp had been a rival of his ever since they were both a Litten and a Machop, and here he was, as his last obstacle to winning the Pokkén Cup that was held in the honor of the Ferrum region.

Machamp leapt into the ring, and started showboating for the fans, who reacted with thunderous cheers and applause. Incineroar heard a bell ring, and the match was underway.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Master Hand, back in his human disguise, watched the match in the stands, his briefcase having only three envelopes left, as he had pulled out the one that read "Royal Avenue" before he had begun to watch the match.

Incineroar began the match by lunging at Machamp with a lariat infused with Dark-type energy, which Machamp ducked by performing a split. Running off the ropes, Incineroar performed a shoulder charge and knocked down Machamp. As he showed off to the crowds, they showered him in jeers.

Machamp took this opportunity to grab Incineroar by his feet and performing a giant swing on him. Once he was finished, he threw Incineroar into a corner and began a Bullet Punch barrage, only to be stopped with a lightning fast Throat Chop from Incineroar, who then performed Crunch on one of his arms before headbutting Machamp with a brutal Iron Head.

As the audience let out a collective groan, Incineroar then struck Machamp with a Low Sweep, which brought the Superpower Pokémon down to the mat. Climbing up to the top rope, Incineroar, after a triumphant roar, leapt up and dove down, primed for a devastating Cross Chop.

Machamp rolled out of the way, causing Incineroar to crash and burn onto the mat. As Incineroar got up, Machamp started to play to the crowd as he primed himself for a comeback. Machamp began with a big punch to Incineroar, followed by another punch, and then throwing the Heel Pokémon into the ropes in preparation for a big boot, which Incineroar slid right under, before retaliating with a German suplex. As Machamp stood up, dazed, Incineroar charged at him, and managed to hit with the Darkest Lariat.

Wasting no time, Incineroar climbed up to the top rope and performed his signature Malicious Moonsault, landing on Machamp with tremendous force. He then covered Machamp for a count of 3, signifying the end of the match.

"The winner is… INCINEROAR!"

Incineroar celebrated and taunted as the audience jeered and heckled him. After being presented with the Pokkén Cup, Incineroar walked to the back.

Master Hand, thoroughly impressed with the match, decided that Incineroar would be a perfect fit for the Super Smash Bros. tournament. Now, it came to actually managing to get to the Pokémon…

As Incineroar sat in his locker room, licking his wounds in a metaphorical sense, he heard a loud knock on the door. Expecting yet another overzealous fan asking for an autograph, he was surprised to see a mysterious man in a trenchcoat, shades, and a fedora holding a briefcase.

Master Hand asked, "Incineroar, yes?" and the Heel Pokémon nodded in confirmation.

"May I speak to you in private, please?"

As Incineroar closed the door, Master Hand took off his shades and reverted to his true form. Incineroar did not appear shocked nor impressed at the large right hand before him.

"What? Isn't your sport built around theatrics?"

Incineroar rolled his eyes, and let out a growl that Master Hand translated as, "Tell me why you're here in my room. Otherwise, leave."

Master Hand asked, "Are you aware of the Super Smash Brothers tournament?"

Incineroar thought about it for a second, before grabbing a whiteboard from the back of the room and writing, "Yes, actually. Lucario told me all about the last one he went to. It sounded pretty fun, especially with all these different Pokémon and unique opponents I've heard about."

Master Hand then continued, "Well, I looked at all the matches you had in the Pokkén Cup, and I must say, I'm really impressed with your fighting style."

Incineroar felt a small twinge of pride at that, and wrote, "So, what does this mean for me? Am I going to be a Poké Ball summon, or maybe-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Master Hand laughed, and said, "No, no, you won't be a Poké Ball Pokémon. In fact…"

Master Hand pulled an envelope out of thin air, and said, "Welcome to the Super Smash Brothers tournament, Incineroar. The portal to the Interdimensional Commute System will open shortly."

As Master Hand vanished with a quick flicker, Incineroar looked at the envelope that confirmed his spot in the tournament, and his disposition brightened considerably.

The wormhole opened up, and Incineroar, with a triumphant smirk on his face, walked through, ready to heat up the tournament with his fiery fighting style.

And that's our final canon pre-DLC fighter! Incineroar, despite receiving the most hate of the starters aside from the initial reaction to Popplio, has always been my favorite because the wrestling motif was really cool, and as a pro wrestling fan and a JV wrestler (high school sophomore), seeing his moveset was super fun.

Incineroar isn't mute, he just communicates in signs because:

A) He finds it funny.

B) He's a Pokémon of few words... unless the time calls for ham and cheese.

As this is the point where the story goes into an AU, the next interlude will instead focus on the returners meeting some familiar faces. Geno, Isaac, and Banjo will receive the next chapters before the Newcomer Ceremony that ends the story until the DLC lineup is revealed. The World of Light story will follow soon after (no DLC characters in WoL, sorry).

With all of that said, Rose Town and the Star Road are our next stops in this story! Time to make some wishes come true…