Chapter 38: Blaze

"It appears that Wulfrock is not pulling back any punches this time, ladies and gentlemen!" Eccho announced. "This sandstorm is obstructing BlazeTiger's efforts, and slowly eating away at him."

"Unless BlazeTiger comes up with a brilliant countermeasure, the odds are not looking too good for him," Yamatochi replied.

Team Calibur are left to scour through the sandstorm in their efforts to try and spot me. But just when it seemed that poor visibility might be a problem, the barrier to the battlefield itself suddenly started glowing a bright blue, providing an x-ray vision view of the arena, giving them all a chance to see what's happening. Already, they could tell that I was on the ground as Wulfrock was charging in from behind.

"Achtung!" Nolan yelled. "Keep your guard up, Adam!"

"Don't just stand there!" Chris shouted.

"DODGE IT!" Cross exclaimed with passion.

Meanwhile, Team ESP were just looking at how invested Team Calibur had become with the battle thus far. Lucian gave a smile as he adjusted his glasses and returned his attention to the battlefield. "I do enjoy a good battle every once in a while," he said. "It really puts the mind into focus."

"Do you think that Adam has a chance?" Sabrina asked her brother. "After all, he's at a disadvantage here."

Lucian smiled as he stared down at me in the battlefield. "I think he has come so far to back out now. He just needs a little extra kick in the right direction."

"And…how do you suppose he does that?" Sabrina questioned.

Lucian tapped at his head for a bit, and then said "The brain is a muscle that can move the world."

While the battle is waging on, Volt and Rin are surprised to see how far the battle was willing to escalate to such a high degree. Rin was looking rather concerned as she placed her paws up to her mouth with a gasp over how intense it all got. Volt, on the other hand, was just staring at the screen wide-eyed, not even saying a single word.

Rin looked away from the screen for a bit, and mentioned "I don't know if I can watch this anymore…"

"You were the ones who agreed to Nick's terms," Volt said in a quiet voice. "Still… What will you do, Puss?"

The moment I got back up, the sandstorm that surrounded me already felt like it was causing problems with my combat. I felt the blood that my chest seemed to trickle out, and the fear of this scenario is what made me so tense and defensive. Unfortunately, I could then feel another slash coming from behind me as Wulfrock landed another Crush Claw onto me, knocking me forward.

Dammit! I can't fight what I can't see! What do I do? I struggled to stay up, and I ended up resorting to using Bulk Up to raise my defenses. Bulk Up can only help me so much. That Crush Claw is going to sap all of my defense away if I'm not careful. I've gotta act fast!

Anticipating another attack, I decided to parry using Darkest Lariat, which surprisingly worked. Wulfrock was forced back by the attack, and as he stared at me spinning around like a twister, he smirked. "Desperate to stay fighting, I see," he taunted. "Unfortunately, you can only last so long with that attack." He then stomped his foot and used another Stone Edge attack, which struck hard against me.

If it weren't for the fact I mitigated the damage using Darkest Lariat, that attack could've been too damaging to me. I got to stop spinning as I was knocked onto my back from the attack, but as I struck the ground, I was in a near-panicked state. I was still active, but I was afraid that I was close to losing.

"That Stone Edge did some serious damage," Yamatochi described. "BlazeTiger is only lucky that he was able to block any critical damage with that Darkest Lariat."

"But judging from the looks of things, does BlazeTiger have any tricks up his sleeve to turn the tables on his foe?" Eccho replied. "He's going to need a miracle if he wishes to turn the heat of the battle into his favor."

Heat… Heat, like in a vast desert. I got back up, and unfortunately for me, Wulfrock charged straight at me, and began to try a flurry of Crush Claw attacks to chip away at my health. I gritted my teeth as I braced myself for every attack, using Bulk Up when I needed to in order to try and hold off the attack as much as possible. I can't stand sandstorms. They're always so irritating to navigate through.

I had to think of a strategy in order to avoid getting diced apart. The sandstorm itself was a pain, but ultimately, I had to think carefully on what I had to do with regards to this scenario. My visibility was greatly reduced because of the sand blasting in every direction, and moreover, I was not sure what to do with regards to Wulfrock. He was already too tough for me to be up against. I'm back to being in a losing battle again.

As the winds of the sandstorm blew into my face, I could feel my scarf getting blown up to my nose. Well, that's one idea, I thought to myself. I then adjusted my scarf so that it was covering up my face to avoid sand flying into my mouth and nose. My eyes, however, were still not as lucky. But hey, at least it gave me a chance to speak. "Wulfrock!" I yelled out in desperation. "I'm warning you, I am not finished yet! Why don't you cancel out the sandstorm before you get yourself hurt?"

Wulfrock laughed at my comment, and judging from the direction, he came directly from behind me. "I won't stop until one of us can't battle anymore," he taunted. "So why don't you just accept the fact that you're going to lose?"

I turned to the source of his voice, attempting to land a Fire Punch on him, but unfortunately, I missed my mark. I lowered my guard. Crap! Wulfrock made his move and released another Stone Edge, which I was careful of as I leapt out of the way. I made the attempt to see where I was inside of the sandstorm as I saw the direction where the Stone Edge came from. I even saw how some of the sands seemed to practically glow while my fist was on fire.

That was when an idea hit me. I thought back to the battle with Team Calibur just the other day. I recalled the strategy we implemented, lighting Rose's Petal Blizzard attack with my flames to create a flaming series of petals for offense and defense. I then thought about Rose giving me that Firium Z before the start of today's battle, and that I only had one shot to use it. It was a gamble, sure, but the strategy I came up with was the best I could utilize to give me even a chance of winning.

Wulfrock was fast approaching, and I had to act fast if I wanted to make this crazy idea work. So naturally, I acted fast, lit my hands on fire, and spun around in a circle. Wulfrock chuckled as he approached me. "Don't you ever learn?" he taunted. "A Darkest Lariat can only help you so much!" He then fired another Stone Edge at me, waiting for me to fail on dodging it.

I smirked at Wulfrock after he fired the attack. "Who said I was using Darkest Lariat?" I stopped spinning, my fists still lit ablaze, as I punched at the Stone Edge attack, shattering it as chunks of rock were blasted towards Wulfrock's direction.

The Lycanroc shielded himself as he saw the rocks flying towards him. By the time he looked over at me, I held my flaming hands out, and I decided to spread the flames onto the sandstorm itself. If this works, then I should be able to get the edge against him. The spinning I did was to spread the flames among the sands, heating them up. I even felt as my own body was being lit on fire as a result of me attempting to use this strategy, as small flames encased my body.

"What are you doing?" Wulfrock questioned as the heat from my attack slowly started to reach him. "Grrr… What's your plan here?"

"My plan?" I argued. "I just thought about some battles from my past, that's all. And one of those battles was like a blazing inferno of flower petals, raining down like pieces of the sun! So, I figured I'd do the same with this sandstorm!"

Wulfrock couldn't even move towards me as I ended up overheating the exact area that I was spreading the flames from my Fire Punch attacks, which slowly spread out to the entire arena. The sand itself even gave a partial glow before they soon became so hot that it was now a field of blazing sands…literally.

"Whatever BlazeTiger is up to here, he seems to be turning up the heat!" Eccho exclaimed. "It's like watching a furnace warming up!"

"I'll bet that Wulfrock is just as stunned as we are about this," Yamatochi said. "Even Infernick made the wise decision to fly away from the sandstorm before BlazeTiger started lighting it ablaze."

Infernick, much like the announcers said, was able to avoid the sandstorm once Wulfrock activated it. He flew up above the stadium, watching as the brown sands started to heat up and glow a bright orange, especially in the center where I was at. Smiling to himself, he muttered "That's the fire I saw in you, Adam. Go for it."

The blazing sands ended up hurting Wulfrock just as much as it was hurting me. However, my end goal with this strategy wasn't to take us both out. Rather, I was hoping that this strategy would benefit me in some fashion.

Thankfully, Wulfrock got pelted with so much burning sand that he staggered back, before he suddenly saw small flames begin to emerge and eat away at his body. "W-what!?" he shouted in disbelief. "Impossible!"

He was so distracted by the sudden burn status he's been given that he failed to notice me charging towards him with a Fire Punch. I smacked him hard in the face, and I ended up sending him flying all the way to the other end of the stadium. The moment that Wulfrock was knocked back down to the ground, the sandstorm disappeared.

Wulfrock grunted as he struggled to get back up, suddenly feeling the burn status begin to affect him. The crowd was cheering as I managed to land a solid strike against Wulfrock in a creative and strange way. I panted as I could feel my own body giving off a few flashes of flames as my own drive to win started to burn within my own body. In a way, I was feeling more confident with myself, determined to push through and declare victory in this bout.

"Folks, I don't know what happened, but I think that BlazeTiger is starting to fight back against Wulfrock with everything he's got," Eccho announced to the audience. "This is suddenly anybody's match, and it won't be long until one side is taken down!"

"Though judging from that last attack, it unfortunately left Wulfrock with a nasty burn status," Yamatochi brought up. "His offense is going to take a big hit from that alone, so he'd better act fast if he thinks he's going to win."

"Either way, neither side is giving up! This is just what we'd expect from a fight between two heavy hitters!"

As the crowd was cheering, Josh and Rose saw that there were flash fires emitting from my own body as I readied myself for my next attack. Rose was quick to mention "Adam had flames like that during our fight with Team Calibur. Josh, do you know what that is?"

"Yes," Josh answered. He then gave a grin as he brought up "That's Adam's fighting spirit shining through. It's been so long since I've seen it."

Wulfrock grunted as the burns started to eat away at his health. Irritated, he opted to use Swords Dance once again, to which I responded in kind with Bulk Up. Wulfrock then charged at me with Crush Claw, intent on lowering my defense again. This time, I chose to take a different approach, as I decided to duck under his attack. I then grappled at his waist, before I lifted him up and spun him around in circles. He began to start getting dizzy from my spinning him around, so I let go of him and tossed him further away from me.

"Now that he's all dizzy, time for the finale," I muttered, as I activated the Firium Z on my scarf.

All at once, my body began to glow a bright orange color, and I began to summon flames onto my hands as I raised them up into air. The flames themselves soon merged into one massive ball of fire above me as I could feel the intense heat forming on my hand, ready to be launched. I soon held the flaming ball on one hand, and I yelled out "Hey, Wulfrock!" This got the Lycanroc's attention as he soon noticed I had just activated the Z-Move known as Inferno Overdrive. With a grin, I yelled "Catch!" And just like that, I threw the massive fireball towards Wulfrock's direction.

The flaming ball reached a surprising high speed as Wulfrock didn't have time to react properly to my ultimate attack. Once the flaming ball managed to hit Wulfrock dead on, a massive explosion of flame emerged as Wulfrock was engulfed in more fire than anything I'd even imagine.

"Would you look at that!" Eccho announced. "BlazeTiger isn't messing around here!"

"Though, that was his only use of a Z-Move in battle," Yamatochi responded. "Without question, though, that attack would've done massive damage to Wulfrock. I don't see how he could survive this."

The crowd roared with applause as I landed the attack. I panted out of near exhaustion as I stared at the direction of the super attack I unleashed. This should do the trick, I'm sure. There is no way that he could still fight after something like that.

Up in the audience, Team Calibur were all screaming with sheer excitement as I landed a solid strike. Cross especially was all too happy to witness me rising up to meet the challenge. With unrestrained enthusiasm, he stated "I just knew he had that spark inside of him! Didn't I tell you guys!?"

"Ja! Herr Adam ist wunderbar!" Nolan exclaimed. "I have never seen such a skilled Fire-type like that in a long time!"

"It just makes you think that perhaps he was holding back for our sakes considering you are still stuck in this world like he is, Cross," Chris mentioned as he eyed Cross with a smirk.

"Hey, I'll have you know, he was against you two and not me," Cross pointed out. "And besides, Josh went all out during the battle, and he chose to spare me."

"Right, right, I get it," Chris tried to brush aside. "But look at him now, though."

"There's no doubt that Adam's clearly improved since we first met," Nolan added. "I couldn't have been happier."

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet," Lucian pointed out, grabbing Team Calibur's attention. "Just because Adam has shown signs of growth does not automatically mean he wins."

Cross and his team started to look a little concerned as Lucian pointed this out. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean that the battle isn't even over," Lucian stated. "Infernick hasn't even given the official judgement, yet."

Looking above them, they noticed that Infernick was slowly lowering himself down to the battlefield, but still remained airborne as a precaution in case something else was going to happen. Cross looked nervous, but he optimistically stated "I'm only guessing that he's trying to make sure Adam's victory is secured?"

Lucian adjusted his glasses as he looked up at Infernick as well. "If that's the case, why isn't he lowering himself down to the battlefield?"

All at once, Team Calibur realized that something isn't right. As all three of them drew their attention to the battlefield, they saw how I was close to relaxing as the small flash fires around my body slowly vanished. I kept my caution as I eyed the spot where the Inferno Overdrive struck against Wulfrock, waiting for the dust to settle.

My heart was racing as I stood there, waiting. Waiting for a sign that told me that it was over. Please tell me that I'm done, I thought. Please be defeated. That was my most powerful attack. I looked up and saw that Nick was hovering above the battlefield, eyeing the blast zone from a distance. Why isn't Nick announcing I'm the winner yet? I mean…I gave my everything into this battle, didn't I? I've proven that I have what it takes to carry my own weight, right? It's over…isn't it?

I recalled when Wulfrock and I took part in a sparring match during our down time. Josh was busy studying in the library of the guild, all the while I fought against Wulfrock with everything I could muster. Despite feeling pressured from both him, and some of the trauma of my own past, I did what I could. I gave him a burn status from a single Fire Punch attack, and I believe I knocked him down nice and good with a Throat Chop.

I panted as I stared at my opponent. He didn't stand back up. I thought I was in the clear. Sighing to myself, I turned around and said to Wulfrock "It's been fun, Wulfrock. Thanks for training me."

"Never…keep your eye…off of your foe," Wulfrock mentioned to me.

The sudden response from him shocked me as I turned around and saw how he got back up. He then launched a Stone Edge attack towards me, which struck me hard in the chest and sent me flying back. I groaned as the pain hurt more than I would've thought.

Wulfrock chuckled as he walked towards me, still suffering from a burn status. Holding out a paw towards me, he mentioned "Close, but no cigar. Better luck next time."

I huffed in frustration, but I soon grabbed his paw as he helped me back up to my feet. Once the both of us were back up on our feet, he saw how frustrated I seemed to be, and asked "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I mentioned. "It's just… I thought for sure I would've beaten you this time."

"Adam, the main point of this sparring match is to help refine your skills, remember?" Wulfrock said with a smile. "And besides, remember that one time after I beat you so badly that you locked yourself in your room out of embarrassment?"

How could I forget? I averted my gaze from him at the mention of that day, and rubbed the back of my head. Awkwardly, I chuckled and said "Yeah… Not one of my big highlights…"

"Yes, but you must remember, every defeat brings with it new knowledge on how you can battle your opponent," Wulfrock advised. "That's the whole reason we have training matches to begin with."

I chuckled slightly as I walked with Wulfrock out of the battlefield and towards the benches. "You know, you were pretty tough. But I feel like that eventually, I think I might be able to beat you in a proper duel."

"Heh, I wouldn't really count on it," Wulfrock mentioned. "You saw how I act when competing in the stadium, didn't you?"

I nodded as I sat down on the bench. "It was like you were a completely different person. That you were unafraid of who you were. One day, I want to be like that."

"Woah, seriously?" Wulfrock stated with surprise. He then dug out a Rawst Berry from his bag and began to eat it to cure his burn status. "You want to be more like me?"

Unable to find the proper words, I simply nodded before lowering my head to avoid his gaze.

Wulfrock sighed as he sat down beside me. Once he finished his Rawst Berry, his burn status was healed up. After that, he rested a paw on my shoulder as he gave me a comforting smile. "Adam, I know you still feel bad over what happened when training with Josh, but you need to get over that," he said. "It's already been a few years since that incident, anyways. Surely, you must've gotten over it by this point!"

"I wish that was the case…" I said as I leaned forward and stared at the ground. "Josh looked so sad once I hurt him. I don't want him to feel that way anymore. I want to go all out, but…I'm afraid of what'll happen. I just wish I could actually give a confident smile on the battlefield. Just once! But I'm afraid of losing myself to the Incineroar inside of me."

Wulfrock patted my back and looked right at my face with a smile. "Adam, I know for certain that you are not going to lose yourself if you decide to go all out," he mentioned. "If anything, I'm more than encouraging for you give your everything once you actually take part in a real battle. Josh can't be taking on these challenges all by himself, you know. He needs you."

I grimaced as I heard that phrase once again in my life. The fact that I was to be given this opportunity to rise up and fight back was something, but the big problem for me was that I was unable to gain the confidence to carry it out. Josh, Wulfrock, and Rin all gave me the same exact advice time and time again over the past three years, and I was just being stubborn because I was afraid of what would happen if I took a battle too seriously.

I still didn't remember all of the details regarding the aftermath of when I injured Josh during training. I only remembered my mind being in a bad funk, and unfortunately, this wasn't the only time. The other time something like this occurred was when Josh and I first got trapped in this place. I didn't recall every detail regarding the incident that led to the both of us being trapped here, but I knew for certain that Josh would recoil if the topic was ever brought up. So, I chose to simply keep quiet about it.

I guess after the training accident with Josh a few years ago, I chose to block almost every recollection of that event from my mind. I wanted to get better at my combat training, but for some reason, I just clam up and hesitate when I'm supposed to take a battle seriously. I hated the fact I was being too soft. I didn't want to be soft, especially since Josh and I have a long way to go in order to escape from this world.

My own self-doubt and paranoia that I could lose myself to my Incineroar instincts was more than enough to break me, and I hated it.

I sighed, turning to face Wulfrock with a smile. "Thanks for the advice, Wulfrock," I said kindly. "I'll try to keep pushing myself."

Wulfrock smiled and gave me a nod. "That's the spirit, Adam!" He then stood up and turned to face me. "One thing you made the mistake of, however, during that practice session was that there's usually an indication when I've been beat."

"There is?" I questioned. "And what's that?"

"Well, to put it simply, during a battle, whether it's an actual fight or if it's a practice bout, the only indication when someone is defeated is an in-game notification that reads 'XXX has fainted.' Of course, the X's are to emphasize the player's name."

"Oh, I see," I nodded in understanding. "I've never fainted in battle before, so I wouldn't know."

"Wait, are you serious?" Wulfrock questioned with a smile. "You and Josh fought alongside each other before you got trapped, right?"

"Yes, but it was primarily on easy missions," I pointed out. "Josh knew I couldn't properly adjust to being on all-fours, so he picks the easiest missions for us so that I could adjust."

"Right, I forgot… You start off on all-fours before becoming bipedal with your final evolution," Wulfrock said as he placed a paw on his head. "You seriously can't stand being a quadruped?"

"Hey, I'll have you know, I'd rather hold on to something that reminds me of being human!" I said with fervor. "The moment I became an Incineroar, I was so overjoyed that I hugged Josh until his face was blue! Well…bluer than usual because…you know…"

Wulfrock laughed as he looked at me. "You and Josh are so lucky to have never fainted before," he mentioned. "He must be quite the experienced player if that's the case."

"Yeah… That's exactly it," I said.

Wulfrock then placed a paw on my shoulder and stared into my eyes. "In that case, just remember, the battle itself isn't over until you see the marker of a fainted player. Once that is brought up, that's a sign that the battle is over for them."

I nodded with a smile. "I'll be sure to remember that, thank you!"

I was nervous, because I needed that indication that Wulfrock was done for. The audience was in bated breath over the results of my Inferno Overdrive attack. The dust of the explosion was settling down as I stood there, hoping that I didn't have to go through another intense part of the battle.

What instead happened was that I began to feel the ground beneath me start shaking. With worry, I was afraid of what was happening as I nearly lost my footing. It was then that I saw the reason why the ground beneath me shook.

Once the dust cloud surrounding Wulfrock cleared up, I saw that the Lycanroc was still up and active, battered and bruised and covered with burns as he was panting out of near exhaustion. He was glaring at me, ready to finish me off. My eyes shot wide as I began to panic. "What!?" I yelled out of shock.

"This is a sudden turn of events, ladies and gentlemen!" Yamatochi announced. "It would appear that the Inferno Overdrive wasn't enough to finish Wulfrock off after all! He's still standing, with barely enough strength to carry on."

In the audience, Team Calibur were looking at the battlefield with sudden fear shown across their faces as they were all at the edge of their seats, waiting for what was about to happen next. Cross was almost at a loss for words. "This is bad," Cross muttered to his team. "Adam's in no position to keep going, is he?"

"Judging from our battle yesterday, I don't know if he even can carry on," Chris brought up. "He's even used up his Z-Move as a last resort. I don't know if he can win."

Josh and Rose, meanwhile, were standing there in the access tunnel as they could feel the ground shake slightly beneath the both of them as well. Rose almost tripped over but grabbed on to Josh's arm for support, asking "What's happening?"

As Rose looked up at Josh's face, however, she could see that Josh gave a fearful look. His eyes were wide as he realized what was happening. "Wulfrock kept Stone Edge for a good reason," he muttered. "This is that very reason…" With a guttural scream, he yelled out to me "ADAM! GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE! RUN!"

I heard Josh's screams, and yet despite wanting to run, my legs were frozen stiff out of fear. My own eyes were wide with horror as I could see that Wulfrock was about to unleash his own ultimate move against me to finish the battle. Wulfrock unleashed a vicious howl as the ground beneath him started to break apart, and massive rocks started to rise up around him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think Wulfrock is intending to finish off this battle with his most powerful attack!" Eccho exclaimed. "The upgraded Z-Move form of Stone Edge for all Lycanroc: Splintered Stormshards!"

"Given how BlazeTiger's been taking too much damage as it is, his chances of surviving this are too slim to count," Yamatochi replied. "This will be the move that ends the battle, ladies and gentlemen."

Crap! CRAP! I CAN'T AVOID THAT! I'M DONE FOR! In an attempt to make a last-ditch effort to avoid further damage, I used Bulk Up once more to try and boost my defense. Unfortunately, I was afraid it wasn't going to be enough as the large chunks of rock that Wulfrock lifted up were already stacked far above his head as he stood on top of a large rock spire that emerged beneath his feet.

It appeared to be too late for me to try and defend myself any further, sad to say. Wulfrock looked at me with a pitying look, and said "I'm sorry about this, Adam. No hard feelings, alright?" He then leapt into the air as the stone chunks all pointed directly towards me. Releasing another howl as he then leapt off of one of the floating rocks towards me, all of the floating stones began to fire straight into me.

I braced for impact as best as I could, holding my arms in front of me as I winced and prayed that this was going to be over quickly. Josh… I'm so sorry… I don't think I can win…

Wulfrock landed behind me as the floating rocks all crashed into my body. The only thing I could even describe the pain I felt upon the impact was that it was enough to make getting bit by a bullet ant feel like child's play.

The blast of the attack sent shock waves onto the audience as Wulfrock turned to face me and see the results of his attack. The moment the dust settled a short while later, I was standing there in a broken heap. Bloody, bruised, beaten to within an inch of my own life. My eyes were almost glazed over because my mind was broken and I was about ready to faint.

Unable to think, unable to move, unable to speak, I fell forward as the world around me began to fade. Wulfrock turned away from me, saying "You fought well, Adam. I'll give you that much. But it's over, now."

And then, everything went white as I fell forward.

The only thing I was thinking of in that moment was the day that I evolved into an Incineroar and saved Josh and Nick from a horde of Pokémon on the Zero Isles. I was so overjoyed once we won that battle, I gave Josh the biggest hug I could. He said he was having difficulty breathing, so I immediately let go, and he coughed as he tried to catch his breath. But the thing was, he was smiling as we both managed to evolve into stronger forms during our training.

Upon returning to Talis, Josh and I took part in daily training regiments with Volt, Wulfrock, and Rin. Every time we engaged in combat with them, we would be beaten by the superior fighters, but we were more than willing to learn about any tips of the trade while we survived in this world. As Josh and I would discuss our training together while in our room, we both had such big smiles on our faces as we were thinking that our training was going to pay off one day and we could return home.

One night, Josh and I had a campfire meeting with the other members of the Solace Guild. There was plenty of food and entertainment to go about, and as we were all enjoying the company of so many players who wanted to help us, Josh and I smiled as we knew our own strength would only be supplemented by the support of others. I was so happy to see we were going to be given all of the help and resources we needed to continue surviving.

Then, one day, I challenged Josh to a sparring match, and I ultimately emerged victorious, but at the cost of Josh being sent to the medical wing because I was too rough on him. Volt pointed out how I was an Incineroar, the Heel Pokémon, and that maybe my aggressive nature during battle was a result of the species I currently was in the game. Josh sat up and fought for me in that instant, but I didn't want to hear any more as I retreated back to my room. I stared at my reflection, angry at my own appearance, and wanted nothing to do with it anymore as I shattered the mirror in front of me.

While I cried in Josh's shoulder as I apologized to him profusely over how I acted out of line, Josh was quick to then walk towards his bed. I thought for certain that he had this sad look on his face as he decided to speak to me. "Adam, I'm not going to judge you for your actions like Volt does, alright?" he mentioned to me.

"But I still hurt you regardless," I said as I averted my gaze from him. "I couldn't help myself back then…" As I held up my hand in front of me, I then questioned "Is this what it's going to be like from now on? That I'll no longer be myself, and instead be this creature that's all focused on combat and nothing more?"

"Adam…" Josh said sympathetically. "You know for a fact that this was an accident that was bound to happen at some point."

"And that's supposed to be enough for me to forgive myself!?" I yelled in frustration as I turned to Josh with tears in my eyes. "Josh, you got us both trapped here because of something you weren't proud of, right? Tell me, is this how you felt back then!?"

"This isn't the same thing, Adam," Josh reassured me as he held a paw out to comfort me. "Just calm down and relax, alright? Everything's going to be fine."

I groaned as I clutched my legs and curled into a ball. I wept into my knees as I began to start doubting myself over my own actions. "Josh…I know that what I did was an accident. But that doesn't excuse my actions. I hurt you. And I don't want to go through something like that again as long as I live."

Josh sighed, clutching at his chest as he could still feel a slight bit of pain from the pummeling I gave to him before. He then mentioned "Adam, do you remember what you told me once we left the Zero Isles?"

Lifting my head up, I asked him "What do you mean?"

"I remembered how you stood up to protect me from that monster house, and evolved as a result," Josh said as he stared out of the window. "You mentioned how you were going to be the one to protect me from that point forward, and we both fought tooth and nail as we fought against a seemingly impossible scenario." He stifled a laugh as he then looked back at me. "I can still remember when you hugged me once it was all over. I had never seen you so happy before in my life. You were like a small child being given a birthday present. I can't help but really love your reaction at the time."

Confused on what he was talking about, I asked him "So…you're telling me that because of my Incineroar powers, we're still here?" I winced a little and looked away. "Not the comforting words I was hoping for…"

"That strength, Adam," Josh mentioned. "The one you showed off during training. That strength was not from any Incineroar, I'll tell you that."

Perplexed, I looked back at Josh with wide eyes. "Huh? But…it's because I'm an Incineroar that I have this strength, right?"

"It's not the strength of the Pokémon that's important, Adam," Josh said with a smile. "It's the heart that's inside the beast that makes a difference."

I lowered my jaw a bit, and stammered by saying "Y-you think I'm a beast!?"

Josh immediately panicked and held up both paws. "Bad choice of words! Sorry!" He sighed and lowered his paws as he continued talking to me. "What I'm saying is that it's not the strength of the Incineroar that matters. It's the person who controls that Incineroar that has the real strength to fight back."

I sheepishly grinned as I looked away from Josh again. "So, you're going to be in charge of my actions from now on, is that it?"

"Well…a little restraint should be in order, I think," Josh mentioned as he placed a paw onto his chest. "But when the time comes, I want you to realize that you can't be holding back all the time. On the Zero Isles, back when we fought against that monster house, I saw something in you. Something I thought I would never see."

Confused, I tilted my head towards Josh's direction once more. "You saw something in me? Isn't that just my aura, since you're a Lucario?"

Josh didn't know how to respond at first as he looked away briefly. But eventually, he just nodded and admitted "Yes, it was your aura that I saw in you. But before that point, all I saw was just a small ember inside of you. It was easy to distinguish once I evolved in front of you, but the moment you stood up and defended me, I saw that aura light your whole body ablaze! You seemed like you had just come back to life that day! And if I'm being honest, seeing you training made that aura burn bright even to this day. Because I know that deep down, you are solely determined to fight on and bring us both back home." His expression soon changed to a smile as he placed a paw behind my head and leaned me forward. As we touched heads, Josh mentioned "Don't give up when the situation gets tough, Adam. I want you to fight on until you have no strength left. I want you to show me just how determined you are to survive in this world like that day on the Zero Isles. Not because you're an Incineroar. But because you're you. Your strength comes from who you are as a person, and I see that one day, that strength will come out and you will inspire hope in others unlike anything you could ever imagine."

I had no idea how to react. I could see that Josh was being as supportive as an older brother should be in this scenario, but I still carried those doubts, even all of these years later. All I seemed to recall before my fight against Wulfrock in the stadium was the memories of Josh being hurt and how I blamed myself for putting him in that situation. And yet, despite it all, he never gave up on me. He held strong in believing that I could rise up and be the hero he believes me to be.

I then recalled what Lucian told me once I beat him in chess. "I know you can do it. Don't let the embers of Team Inferno die off, okay?"

I remembered what Rose said to me prior to the battle. "You think about others. You care for their well-being. If it weren't for you, we would've perished thinking all hope was lost."

I recalled my training and what Nolan taught me. "True strength is not what you are able to find through flashy offensive moves alone. Your true strength still lies within, so what we need to do is let it out."

When we had dinner at Chateau Damascus, Chris was one of the few who encouraged me to keep going. He said "Adam, don't back down now, especially after all of the training we did!"

I even remembered when Cross gave some advice to me during one of our chess matches. He complimented me, saying "I believe when the time is right, you will use those Incineroar impulses, and you will use them to achieve victory against a tough opponent. And when the battle's over, and Josh runs up to you, he will have tears in his eyes and a smile on his face, and he will say 'I'm so proud of you, Adam!' He will give you the biggest hug imaginable, and this in turn will reignite your fighting spirit."

My mind then flashed back to when Josh comforted me after I hurt him, to the moment he smiled at me and we touched heads together. "I want you to show me just how determined you are to survive in this world like that day on the Zero Isles. Not because you're an Incineroar. But because you're you."

I could feel tears in my eyes as I realized I was giving up, and that I was going to be letting everyone down, as everything around me suddenly became a white void. And as I looked around me, I could soon see the appearances of every one of my friends all silently rooting for me, giving me the courage to carry on.

I felt so touched that my body trembled, and then, that was when I turned to my left and saw Josh smiling at me. Turning to my right, Rose did the same thing, smiling at me.

I trembled, as the dream version of Josh told me "These three flames represent who Team inferno truly are at their core. If they go out, then the very core of our beings will let down everyone else around us."

This is then followed by the dream version of Rose following this statement with "We will rise and burn brighter like a phoenix who rises from the ashes that birthed it. No more doubts."

"No more suffering," Josh mentioned.

"No more insecurities," Rose followed.

The words of Josh's speech prior to my battle as these dream manifestations of my team are repeating to me shook me to my core. I clutched my fists tightly, as small flames began to start bursting forth from me. Slowly but surely, they began to envelop my body, as I then walked forward, as everything around me started to be lit ablaze like a fiery inferno, except for me, Josh, and Rose. As I turned back to my team in the dream, they both smiled at me, before Josh and Rose became a blue and green flame that soon managed to fly towards me and circle my body.

With renewed confidence in myself, I muttered "All of this time, I've been holding myself back. Everyone wanted me to give my all, even though it terrified me to my core. But now… Now, I have a reason to keep fighting. The battle isn't over until I draw no more strength." Held my fist in front of me, as flames slowly started to envelop my body, and as I saw the one opening among the flames, I charged straight towards it. "I promise you, Josh! I will not fail you! Not now! Not EVER!"

And then, everything started to come back into focus for me.

Wulfrock was looking away as he mentioned "You fought well, Adam. I'll give you that much. But it's over, now." He was about to walk away as well, to give the ultimate disrespect to me as a way to sink it in how much of a disadvantage we had.

But then, as I fell forward, clarity started to come back to me, and I slammed my fist into the ground and staggered down to one knee. Wulfrock stopped dead in his tracks, and I uttered to him "Never…take your eyes…off of your opponent…"

Wulfrock turned around in an instant and was just stunned silent as I steadily rose back up. Flames were starting to slowly envelop me as I turned to face him with a determined glare on my face. I then decided to motivate myself, and I gave out a mighty roar as the flames soon burst forth around me until my entire body seemed to be practically glowing like it was on fire both inside and out. As I readied myself for combat once more, my whole body was covered head to toe with an orange flame-like aura, and the whole audience was just stunned beyond belief over my own resolve.

"UNBELIEVEABLE!" Eccho exclaimed loudly. "BlazeTiger is still standing after enduring Wulfrock's ultimate attack!"

"This Incineroar is insane!" Yamatochi stated with excitement.

"I have never seen anything like this before!" Eccho replied in disbelief.

"I'm at a loss for words, myself!" Yamatochi said with surprise.

Wulfrock was suddenly terrified as he stared at me enveloped in flames, slowly backing away from me as I started moving forward towards him. "How is this possible?" he questioned. "You should've collapsed!"

"Never underestimate Team Inferno," I said menacingly, clutching my fist as it lit on fire and I charged towards him.

Wulfrock tried to parry by using a Crush Claw, but the moment his attack collided with mine, my Fire Punch ended up knocking his paw back. I then fired another Fire Punch towards his torso and it sent him flying up into the air. He soon crashed back down into the ground, and groaned as he felt how immense the pain was this time around.

The audience started to cheer once more as the battle was taking such a dramatic turn once again. Lucian and Sabrina both looked at the fight with intrigue, while Team Calibur were mostly stunned beyond belief over my sudden burst of strength that came forth.

"Ich glaube ist nicht!" Nolan uttered in disbelief. "How is this possible?"

"I don't know…" Chris mentioned. "Adam must've had more strength in him than I thought."

Cross, meanwhile, shuddered as he stared at the display before him. With a grin on his face, he said "So, this is what your true strength is, Adam. It's about time!"

Meanwhile, Rin and Volt were watching the whole display on the monitor of their waiting lobby, as they both were taken aback by what they were witnessing. Volt was the first to speak up, asking Rin "Did you ever see something like this before, Rin?"

"Never…" Rin uttered in disbelief. "Whatever this strength is, it's unlike anything I've ever shown off before."

Volt then turned to look at Rin, asking her "You know what this is?"

"Yes," Rin said. "However, to have this ability as enhanced as it currently is, it's unlike anything we have ever witnessed before in this game, sir."

Volt soon turned his attention back towards the screen and witnessed me charging towards Wulfrock once again with a Fire Punch. Almost in awe at what I was capable of, he mentioned "Who knew that Puss here would be so powerful…? Interesting…"

Meanwhile, as I was charging towards Wulfrock, he tried to defend himself with a Stone Edge barrier, which I ended up smashing right through without much difficulty. Wulfrock was in a panic, yelling "Stay back! I'm warning you!"

With a cocky grin, I looked towards Wulfrock, and I said "It isn't over until either of us are taken out." I then used Bulk Up and raised my current stats again as I looked at the timid Lycanroc before me. "Now, what was it you said earlier? You said 'No more messing around.' Well…" I then charged towards him, and yelled out "I AM NOT MESSING AROUND ANYMORE!"

Wulfrock tried to fight back by using Stone Edge on me, and while the strike was close to hitting me, I narrowly avoided it in the nick of time, much to Wulfrock's surprise. He grunted as he then brought out his Crush Claw attack again, yelling "Dammit! Just go down already!"

My Fire Punches and his Crush Claws canceled each other out, as we both tried to find a means to outmaneuver each other. We moved all around the battlefield, clashing our strikes, looking for a possible opening. I was focused solely on eventually earning a victory, which I knew I could only achieve if I threw him off his guard. All I really had to do was lower it.

As the clashing between me and Wulfrock was taking place, Rose and Josh were standing there slack-jawed in awe as the heat of the battlefield seemed to be going up tremendously. They both stood back and braced themselves in case something happened as they watched. Josh was the first one to speak, as he looked at me fighting off against Wulfrock, really taking in the sight of it all. "He's doing it…" he muttered. "He's really doing it!"

Rose looked at Josh, asking "But what's that fire that's surrounding him? What's happening?"

"That's the signature ability of most Fire-type starter Pokémon," Josh mentioned. "It only activates as a last resort when the player is near the brink of losing." He then smiled with a big grin and said "That ability is called Blaze."

"Blaze?" Rose questioned as she looked back towards me. "So, you're telling me that this is Adam's last stand?"

"Yes, but what surprises me is that this is the first time in years that I've seen Adam so determined like this," Josh mentioned, his eyes wide with awe. "His aura is burning so bright inside of him that he's become like a phoenix flying in the daylight." He then felt so pumped at seeing me give my all in this battle that he then yelled out "GO FOR IT, ADAM! YOU CAN DO THIS!"

Josh… I listened closely to Josh's cheers as I felt my own heart tug tightly to his words. With a grin on my face, I then returned volley towards Wulfrock, who seemed to be acting in desperation as he is suffering from his burn status. It's all thanks to you, Josh, that this game was bearable for me. I never would've made it this far without your help.

Thinking back on all of our good times together, I could feel tears flowing from my face, which would quickly evaporate from the intense heat as I kept on rushing my attacks towards Wulfrock, not even willing to give him a chance to counter me. You always believed I can stand up for myself. You even brought me this game to give me that chance, and I took it for granted at first. For that, I'm sorry. Now, I realize how much you just wanted me to give you hope in these desperate times.

Eventually, the burns affecting Wulfrock were starting to bother him immensely, and in desperation, he yelled out "Don't think you've won yet, Adam! I'm the champion of the ring! I say when it's over!" He then, predictably, tried to attack me with a Stone Edge attack from directly below me.

Anticipating this, I leapt around him, swiftly circling to behind Wulfrock as the Stone Edge attack missed its mark. I held my fist up as I was about to strike him from behind, this final punch I planned on using as a winning strike. My whole right arm glowed brightly with a bright orange aura until it looked to be completely orange in color. This was not because of the flames. But rather…it was from another form of strength I had deep inside of me.

Wulfrock turned around, his eyes wide with panic as he saw my punch heading straight towards him. As I soon connected my fist to Wulfrock's face, I roared with feeling as I poured every ounce of my strength into this one attack to finish him off.

Josh. Thank you for everything.

My punch was so powerful that Wulfrock was sent flying towards the stadium wall at blinding speed, sending shock waves towards the audience that was sitting down. Once Wulfrock collided with the wall, leaving behind visible cracks as a crater formed where he collided with it, his avatar shattered into a series of pixels. This was then followed by a small message bubble appearing above where his avatar was destroyed, where it said "Wulfrock has fainted."

I soon felt the flames around my body diminish until I was no longer glowing, and in a bout of victory, I gave a massive roar out to the waiting crowd, declaring my win in this intense battle. I panted once I was done roaring with enthusiasm in my breath, and I stared up at the sky as I could hear nothing but lingering silence follow my victory. I did it… I won…

Infernick soon lowered himself down onto the battlefield and landed by my side. Looking at me, he quietly asked "Are you alright, Adam?"

With tears coming out of my eyes, I gave a smile as I continued to stare up into the sky above. Mom… Dad… Are you proud of me? Once I lowered my head and looked towards Nick, I then answered silently with a nod.

Nick smiled as he then held my arm and lifted it up. Loudly, he declared to the audience "The win of the first battle goes to BlazeTiger of Team Inferno!"

All at once, the audience cheered loudly, the whole crowd giving a standing ovation over my performance on the field itself. Over in the crowd, Cross and his team were practically jumping with joy over my victory. All the while, Lucian adjusted his glasses and gave a gentle smile. "So, he was able to achieve victory against his greatest opponent so far," he said. "I must say, I'm thoroughly impressed."

"Right, because you knew he was going to win regardless," Sabrina mocked as she looked at her brother.

"I didn't say that," Lucian teased with a smile. "I only said that he had a small chance of victory if he didn't unlock his true potential."

"Right," Sabrina said as she gave a gentle nudge to her brother. "You keep saying that."

Cross and his team looked back onto the battlefield after they all hugged and celebrated together. Cross in particular shouted "WAY TO GO, ADAM! WOOOOO!"

Chris chuckled over Cross's excitement. "You are getting way to into this, Cross," he mentioned.

"Bitte, let him have this victory, Herr Chris," Nolan insisted to his companion. "He deserves it."

"Right, because Cross helped so much," Chris stated with a grin. "Let's not forget, we helped him out, too!"

"So, what are we waiting for? An encore?" Nolan asked with joy.

"Cross, what do you think?" Chris asked.

"I think we should let Adam know we never stopped believing in him," Cross insisted. "Ready?" He and his team then silently counted down from 3 as they all soon shouted at once "BlazeTiger! BlazeTiger! BlazeTiger!"

This was soon followed by the whole crowd chanting that name as I stood there over my apparent victory. This whole experience gave me goosebumps, and in the best possible way imaginable for someone like me. I chuckled as I looked at the crowd, my own excitement slowly starting to take over, as I then waved towards the crowd.

"Adam!" I heard Josh yell out as both he and Rose rushed onto the battlefield to see me.

I turned to look at Josh and Rose, and I happily greeted with "Hey, guys! I can't believe that I di- OOOOMPH!" I soon felt Josh leap up to me and give me the biggest hug I had ever received from him as he knocked me down onto the ground with the biggest smile on his face.

"I am so proud of you, Adam!" Josh said with tears in his eyes. "I knew you could do it! I just knew you could!"

"Hey! It's alright, Josh!" I said, trying to calm down his excitement a little. He soon got off of me as I was then able to stand back up onto my feet. "I just…wow! I can't believe I actually did it for once! By myself! HAHA! I can't believe I won!" This time, I ended up hugging Josh as he felt constricted by my strength once again. "Thank you so much for believing in me!"

Josh gasped as he struggled to try and breath amidst my hug, where Rose was quick to remind me "Easy there, tiger! Josh can't breathe with you hugging him like that!"

Immediately, I was made aware of how Josh was suffocating, and I quickly let go, letting him drop to the ground as he struggled to catch his breath. Sheepishly, I said "Sorry, Josh! I just got so excited, that's all."

"No… That's exactly how I thought you would react if you won," Josh said between breaths.

Just then, Nick approached us with Wulfrock in tow (whom Nick brought back using a Reviver Seed), as they both smiled at us. Nick was quick to say "That was the closest I've ever seen a battle leave me speechless. Keep up the good work, Adam! With a bit more practice, maybe you might be able to rival my strength."

I gave a chuckle at Nick's comment and shook the Charizard's hand. "I wouldn't dream of rivaling your strength, Nick. I still think you're Number 1."

Charizard smiled at the compliment, and turned his gaze towards Wulfrock. "Well, I'll leave you to it, then," he said to the Lycanroc. He then flew away to ready the battlefield for the next fight. Once he reached the construction trio of Ben, Bill, and Brett, he ordered them "Prepare the arena for the next battle, if you please."

"Yes, sir!" the Tiburr, Gurdurr, and Conkeldurr said in unison as they each gave their salute to Nick. Shortly afterwards, the trio went straight to work in rebuilding the battlefield.

Wulfrock gave a chuckle as he said "I must admit, I wasn't anticipating you to win against me." As he looked at me with a smile, he said "Congratulations, Adam."

Slightly perplexed, I then asked "Whatever happened to the 'mad dog' that ruled the battlefield I fought against earlier?"

Wulfrock laughed as he was reminded of his moniker, and rested a paw on my arm. "You took my whole stage personality seriously? Wow! I guess I need to make it more obvious that it was for show."

I was puzzled, since I also saw that Wulfrock was also hiding some sort of anxiety deep inside of him, which he seemed to be masking pretty well with an upbeat attitude. Regardless, he then shook my hand, and I couldn't help but hold Wulfrock up to some newfound respect. With a smile on my face, I mentioned "I guess you and I are rivals now, right?"

"No, I'm not in the mood for a rival," Wulfrock brushed aside. "Besides, this was only the first match." He then turned to face Josh and Rose, and with a nod, he said "I wish you both the best of luck. If I know Rin and Volt, those two are no pushovers. Be on your guard."

"Of course, Wulfrock!" Rose said with eagerness for her next battle.

"You can count on us, Wulfrock!" Josh said with a thumb's up.

The Lycanroc smiled as he nodded his head. He then mentioned to the three of us "Please, just call me John. You've all more than earned the right." He then turned and walked away towards the access tunnel, waving his goodbyes to us as he does so.

As all three of us waved back at him, I couldn't help but feel my body shake and tremble. The crowd was chanting my name, and the fact it made me feel so excited was something I never once considered. This must be what an Incineroar must feel when they earn a win, right? No… I don't think that's the case. I don't feel like following what an Incineroar wants out of all of this.

Josh and Rose both noticed I was trembling a bit, and Josh asked me "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," I stammered as I lowered my hands and clenched them into fists. "I'm just…thinking things over…"

"About what?" Rose asked.

Don't act like what you believe an Incineroar should act like. I looked at my teammates, and I said "About how I would react to this cheering crowd." I should show them all how I truly feel in this situation.

I turned away from my team, and I raised my fists high up into the air, giving a victory roar to the crowd. The crowd responded with a loud cheer back towards me. I felt so moved, that I gave an even louder roar just to show how much I appreciated their support. The crowd in turn responded with an even louder cheer.

I was so full of excitement over my own victory that Josh and Rose both were practically moved by my performance on the battlefield. My victory was a message. It read that no matter what happens next, if a person like me, who for so long had no motivation to push himself beyond his limits up until now, could pull a victory like this, then anything is possible.

The only question is: Can Rose carry on with that mentality when she faces against Rin in the second match?