Pokemon : The Master of Dragon-Types

Just as Jacob was seriously talking with Edwin, already thinking ahead to how they'd split the spoils, a sudden gust of wind tore through the air.

A roar swept past his ears, and a huge twister, coiling like a long dragon, came sweeping in from the distance, slamming straight into the Gigantamax Centiskorch hidden in the lava.

Max Airstream!

The surging gale plunged directly into the lava, punching a wind tunnel through the scorching magma. Then the lava surged back up through that same tunnel, twisting the hurricane into a crimson lava twister spinning wildly in the air. In an instant, steam billowed, and lava sprayed outward and bloomed like fireworks, painting the sky a furious red as molten rock scattered everywhere.

"Watch out! Take cover!"

Watching the lava rain down, it looked like the end of the world.

Jacob and Edwin were forced to fall back again, putting more distance between themselves and the volcano to dodge the flying magma. At the same moment, they both turned toward the direction the Max Airstream had come from, and saw a huge fireball in the distance — and standing atop it was a white, humanoid rabbit.

It was Cinderace. Its white ears trailed behind it like flowing hair, and the blazing fireball beneath its feet seemed almost alive, carrying Gigantamax Cinderace toward the volcano.

Gigantamax Cinderace?!

A third Gigantamax Pokémon?!

A flicker of surprise crossed Jacob's face — this was the first time he'd ever seen a Secret Realm Gap hold three Gigantamax Pokémon at once. What exactly was going on here? Was it because all three happened to be Fire-type Gigantamax Pokémon?

"Is that... a third Gigantamax Pokémon?" Edwin turned to Jacob.

"Mm. This is my first time seeing three Gigantamax Pokémon in one Secret Realm Gap too," Jacob said, nodding — this situation was new to him as well. He lowered his voice. "These three clearly don't get along. Let's hold off for now and let them fight each other. We'll keep watching."

"Mm." Edwin nodded.

....

By now, the three Gigantamax Pokémon were sizing each other up, eyes burning with open hostility. Gigantamax Centiskorch held the advantage of terrain, its crimson body coiled beneath the surface of the lava, the molten rock churning and bubbling around it. Gigantamax Charizard and Gigantamax Cinderace, meanwhile, could only stand at the lava's edge, watching it.

"Roar!"

Just as the tension became unbearable, Charizard broke the silence with an angry roar and struck first. Rock-type energy surged from its body once more, a brownish-gold light blazing brilliantly. The earth shuddered as thick slabs of rock rose from the ground, quickly gathering into one massive stone wall before it.

Max Rockfall!

"Boom!"

The slab collapsed, crashing down toward the Gigantamax Centiskorch buried in the lava.

At the same time, Gigantamax Cinderace unleashed its own burst of Fire-type energy, spinning its body as flame coiled tightly around its raised right foot, before kicking the fireball beneath it with tremendous force — like a striker driving home a goal.

G-Max Fireball!

....

"A Fire-type move?" Edwin frowned, turning to Jacob. "Doesn't Centiskorch have Flash Fire? Won't a Fire-type attack just feed it strength?"

From the brief clash so far, and how effortlessly Gigantamax Centiskorch moved through the lava, it was clear its ability was indeed Flash Fire. Pokémon with Flash Fire take no damage from Fire-type moves — and are instead boosted in both Attack and Special Attack when struck by one, making them the natural bane of any Fire-type opponent. To Edwin, Cinderace using a Fire-type attack against Centiskorch looked like nothing more than charging up the enemy, which was exactly why he'd asked.

"Not quite." Jacob shook his head. "Centiskorch's ability is Flash Fire, that's true, but Cinderace isn't using an ordinary Fire-type move — that's its exclusive Gigantamax move, G-Max Fireball."

"G-Max Fireball is Fire-type, yes, but its added effect is what makes it dangerous. It strikes without regard for the target's Ability, much like a move used by a Pokémon with Mold Breaker. It bypasses Centiskorch's Flash Fire completely."

Edwin's eyes widened at the explanation. He'd come across Gigantamax moves like G-Max Resonance and G-Max Freefall before, but he didn't know much about them in general — and he'd certainly never heard of G-Max Fireball.

"Whether it's a Max Move or a G-Max Move, they all carry powerful extra effects," Jacob went on, using the moment to explain further. "G-Max Moves especially — every Gigantamax Pokémon has its own exclusive G-Max Move, each with a unique effect all its own. Take Centiskorch, for instance — its exclusive move is G-Max Centiferno."

"G-Max Centiferno doesn't just deal damage — it traps the target in a raging firestorm for several turns. Unless there's a serious gap in power, the target can't escape. And here's the important part — even a Gigantamax Pokémon can be caught in it."

"Charizard's exclusive move, on the other hand, is G-Max Wildfire." Jacob pointed toward the Gigantamax Charizard beside them. "G-Max Wildfire leaves a raging blaze behind on the battlefield after it hits, one that keeps burning every Pokémon on the field except Fire-types for several turns."

"Three Pokémon, three completely different G-Max Moves. When you're deciding which Gigantamax Pokémon to take, you need to weigh more than just strength and type — their exclusive move matters just as much." Jacob glanced over at Edwin. "So, which of the three do you want? No need to rush — take your time, and keep watching them fight first."

"Mm." Edwin nodded.

As the two spoke, Charizard's and Cinderace's attacks bore down on Centiskorch at the same instant. It looked less like a three-way battle and more like Charizard and Cinderace had teamed up against Centiskorch together.

Faced with both attacks bearing down on it, Gigantamax Centiskorch's body twisted beneath the lava like a swimming serpent, coiling tight as it gathered its focus, Poison-type energy building within it.

"Coil!"

Coil ranks among the finest status moves in the game, capable of raising the user's Attack, Defense, and accuracy all at once.

"Boom!"

Even as Centiskorch used Coil, Max Rockfall and G-Max Fireball slammed into the lava together, striking it and sending great gouts of magma spraying up out of the volcano and across the ground. Though the lava had absorbed part of the blow, and Coil had already bolstered its Defense once, the four-times-effective Max Rockfall combined with the overwhelming force of G-Max Fireball still managed to land real damage on Gigantamax Centiskorch.