Lycanrock Fire Form

The moment Rei set foot in the Divine Beast Realm, a wave of intense heat crashed against him. The air was thick with smoke and sulfur, and rivers of molten lava cut through the blackened rock.

"A volcanic zone, huh?" he muttered, scanning his surroundings. This place was dangerous, but danger often meant opportunity.

Then the ground trembled.

A figure emerged from behind a jagged boulder, its body radiating waves of heat.

Magmortar.

A wild one.

That shouldn't have been possible—Magmortar needed a Magmarizer to evolve. But this one had somehow thrived and evolved naturally, most likely influenced by something powerful. Maybe Moltres.

Before Rei could think further, Magmortar attacked.

Magmortar roared and launched a Fire Blast. A spiraling inferno surged forward, its searing heat distorting the air.

"Staraptor, dodge and use Aerial Ace!"

Staraptor swooped low, gliding just above the molten ground before slashing across Magmortar's shoulder with blinding speed. Magmortar grunted, then retaliated.

"Lava Plume!"

The ground erupted, sending waves of molten rock flying in every direction. The air grew even hotter, suffocating.

"Wooloo, Dragon Rage—counter it!"

Wooloo inhaled deeply and fired a spiraling blue flame, cutting through the smoke and colliding with the lava, forcing it back.

"Rockruff, Hot Rocks!"

Rockruff's paws glowed red-hot as it kicked superheated stones at Magmortar's exposed chest. The rocks exploded on impact, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. Magmortar staggered.

Rei prepared for his next move, but then a deep roar shook the volcanic wasteland.

A new challenger had arrived.

A Typhlosion emerged from the haze, its blue flames burning fiercely across its back.

"Another one…?" Rei narrowed his eyes. A wild Typhlosion was rare, but even rarer was the fact that Johto starters were only given to families with deep ties to the Pokémon Alliance.

There was no time to think. Typhlosion attacked.

"Eruption!"

An explosion of molten rock and flames engulfed the battlefield. The heat was overwhelming, and Rei barely managed to shield himself.

Staraptor dived at Typhlosion, wings slicing through the smoke as it met the fire-type head-on. Wooloo's Dragon Rage clashed against a Flamethrower, flames twisting and coiling as they struggled for dominance. Rockruff dashed between the chaos, targeting Magmortar's weak spots with precise strikes.

The battle raged on, each attack shaking the ground and filling the sky with embers.

Then the sky slowly darkened. Showing that while there is no sun and moon, day and night still exist.

Darkness spread across the realm. A space realm shouldn't have a night cycle, but the world had suddenly dimmed.

Then Rockruff's body began to glow.

Flames coiled around its fur, and the ground beneath it cracked as raw energy surged through its body.

"It's evolving—now?" Rei clenched his fists. The timing was dangerous, but he had prepared for this moment.

Earlier, he had harvested a rare stone from Magmortar's corpse. It radiated fire energy, but something about it felt ancient. He had crushed it into a fine powder and mixed it into a potion infused with volcanic minerals.

Now, Rockruff needed it.

Rei tossed the potion into the air, and the evolving Rockruff instinctively drank it.

A surge of energy exploded outward.

Then visions flooded Rei's mind.

A massive bird soared through the sky, its wings igniting the heavens.

A Moltres.

But not just any Moltres. This was the first Moltres.

Its blood had seeped into the land. Its essence had fused with the stones. Its power had shaped the fire-types of this realm. The magmortar must have evolve due to it.

Rei gasped as the vision faded. The truth hit him all at once.

"The stone wasn't just a mineral… it was the First Moltres' blood."

And Rockruff had absorbed it.

As the evolution completed, Rockruff transformed.

It had become Lycanroc in its Midnight Form, but fiery tribal markings now swirled across its body. Its fur shimmered like molten rock, and flames burned along its mane. A new power had awakened—Earth Fire, a rare spiritual flame.

Its aptitude had risen to blue, and it had officially gained the Fire-type.

Lycanroc howled, the flames around its body surging, challenging the very sky above. It's power have become gym level.

The battle wasn't over yet. But now, Rei had a new trump card.