Lian himself was eager to participate in the Extreme Speed Conference, as the rewards were quite enticing. Apart from cash prizes, there was also a Custap Berry at stake.
In the game, the Custap Berry is a one-time consumable item, but in this world, it enhances a Pokemon's reaction speed and is highly sought after due to its rarity.
Reaction speed should not be confused with overall speed; typically, most Pokemon have similar reaction times. A faster-reacting Pokemon can more easily dodge attacks and strike first, making the Custap Berry particularly valuable for combat effectiveness.
Originally, the Extreme Speed Conference reward was supposed to be the Sand Qilin Fruit, which boosts speed. However, the Sand Qilin Fruit is even rarer than the Custap Berry, often unavailable despite high demand, leading to its monopolization by the League.
After agreeing to evolve Julian's Charmeleon, Lian decided to strive for evolution within the remaining time. Over these three days of battles, his Pokémon had already reached level 15. With four more days left, there was still a significant chance for evolution.
***
At the Pokemon Center, Kalia gathered Rosa and Julian together. Previously, after posting Poison Jab on the Pokemon forum, numerous Trainers had responded, expressing interest in obtaining the Poison Jab Move Disk and offering several other Move Disks in exchange.
Kalia aimed to discuss which Move Disk they should choose, as everyone had contributed to acquiring Poison Jab.
"Currently, there are four Move Disks that would be particularly useful for us: Fire Spin, Rock Tomb, Swift, and Thunder Punch," Kalia explained.
"Fire Spin is a move Fire-type Pokemon typically learn much later. If mastered earlier, it could provide significant help," Julian said. If his Charmeleon learned Fire Spin, its strength would undoubtedly improve substantially. Moreover, since Kalia also had a Charmander, he believed choosing Fire Spin would be most suitable.
"I think Thunder Punch is better. With it, tackling the Flying Type Gym would likely become easier," Rosa stated. His Flaaffy was Electric-type, and learning Thunder Punch would greatly enhance its capabilities.
Thunder Punch is a signature Electric-type move, highly sought after and rarely available; missing this opportunity might not present itself again anytime soon.
Noticing their differing opinions, Kalia suggested, "Since both of you want moves beneficial to your Pokemon, why not choose Swift?"
"Swift is a Normal-type move. Although it's not the best, all three of our Pokemon have a chance to learn it, making it more fair."
Choosing either Fire Spin, Thunder Punch, or Rock Tomb would inevitably leave one dissatisfied between Rosa and Julian due to not obtaining their desired move. Instead, opting for something less optimal but useful to everyone seemed preferable.
Ultimately, they decided on the Swift Move Disk. As a Normal-type attack, Swift has broad applicability, with many Pokemon capable of learning it.
Moreover, Swift's exceptionally high speed ensures absolute accuracy, proving effective against evasive Pokemon during battles.
Lian felt slightly disappointed when he heard Kalia and the others chose Swift. He thought Fire Spin would have been excellent. As a Fire-type move, although not particularly powerful in-game, it caused sustained damage over time.
In reality, Fire Spin had a similar effect, trapping Pokemon within a swirling vortex of flames, continuously inflicting harm.
However, Swift was no less valuable, matching Dragon Breath's power with its unique guaranteed hit ability. The downside was being a Normal-type move, which lacked effectiveness against many attributes due to type advantages.
After making their decision, Kalia initiated a trade with the Trainer who owned Swift, arranging for both Move Disks to be mailed directly to each other's addresses.
Within half a day, the Swift Move Disk arrived, and the other Trainer confirmed receiving the Poison Jab Move Disk, expressing great satisfaction.
Eagerly, Lian, Kalia, and Rosa headed to the Pokemon Center, releasing their Pokemon from their Poké Balls. They gathered together to watch demonstration videos of Swift.
Once again featuring the familiar Smeargle, but this time against a Patrat on a grassy field. As Smeargle unleashed Swift, numerous star-shaped beams of light rapidly condensed around it and swiftly shot towards the Patrat.
After the demonstration, there was a detailed explanation about Swift, primarily intended for Trainers.
Lian watched it repeatedly, gradually feeling like he understood, yet still unsure. Clearly, understanding through observation alone required extensive practice.
Having viewed the video over ten times, the trio decided to take their Pokemon for some training sessions. However, whether they could successfully learn the move would depend on each Pokemon's comprehension ability.
Kalia also brought her two Pokemon, attempting to teach them Swift through practice. Despite spending an entire evening, neither of her Pokemon showed any signs of mastering the move.
It seemed that learning Swift wasn't achievable in a short period; it necessitated frequent viewing of demonstration videos combined with prolonged practice.
***
Within System Space.
Over the past few days, Lian accumulated a significant amount of Combat Points, earning around three to four hundred daily. Currently, he had amassed approximately one thousand five hundred Combat Points.
Lian planned to invest all these points into enhancing his speed ability before evolution, ensuring it would reach a high level once evolved.
Since he had decided to participate in the Extreme Speed Conference, aiming for first place was naturally his goal. Besides, increasing his speed ability value was essential in the long run.
To Lian's disappointment, Fire Fang did not appear at Level 15, indicating that it could only be learned after evolution.
"Huh."
Suddenly, Lian noticed an additional move listed after Dragon Rage - Swift. However, Swift appeared dimmed, clearly showing that he hadn't yet mastered it, hence its subdued state.
This meant he could now use Combat Points to illuminate Swift and quickly learn the move.
"This is incredible." Lian was astonished; sometimes the system's capabilities were truly astonishing. Initially skeptical about Pokemon learning moves from recorded Move Disks, he now eagerly wished to obtain every available Move Disk, planning to watch one each day and subsequently unlock them using Combat Points.
With this approach, Lian's move repertoire would become virtually unbeatable. He'd be able to counter any type of Pokemon with a corresponding effective move.
However, it was clear that this scenario was highly unlikely. Move Disks were not readily available on every street corner, and Lian couldn't expect Kalia to purchase large quantities of them.
Next, Lian activated Swift but chose not to spend Combat Points to increase its proficiency. Swift wasn't his primary offensive move, so there was no need to waste Combat Points; using it once or twice during battles would suffice.
Currently, Dragon Rage remained Lian's strongest attack, followed by Dragon Breath and Ember.
Lian planned to quickly master a powerful Fire-type move after evolving. As he leveled up, Dragon Rage would become increasingly weaker, and since Dragon Breath isn't from his base typing, ultimately, his damage output would rely on Fire-type moves.
There were numerous potent Fire-type moves, with Flamethrower being Lian's top choice as the signature Fire-type attack. However, following the usual progression, he would need to reach level 30 post-evolution to learn it.
Of course, with the system, he might be able to learn it in the mid-20s, but currently, he was only at level 15, which meant there was still quite some time ahead.
"Take it slow," Lian consoled himself, "At least after evolution, I'll have Fire Fang." Fire Fang's power far surpasses Ember, although not specifically categorized as a Special Attack move, with Lian's Attack ability reaching its peak, it would still prove formidable.
After spending some time in the system space, Lian returned to his dream and continued sleeping.
Early the next morning, Kalia brought Lian and Treecko to the Pokémon Center, where they joined Julian to watch recordings of Swift demonstrations.
Following the viewing, the trio discussed their progress in learning Swift. However, neither Rosa's nor Julian's Pokémon had yet mastered the move, highlighting the difficulty in acquiring new techniques.
Generally, Pokémon excel at learning moves that align with their type or have high compatibility. Consequently, Rosa's Pidgeotto and Flaaffy were more likely to learn Swift easily due to their electric affinity.
At the battle field within the Pokémon Center:
"Flaaffy is already starting to form stars," Rosa said, slightly proud, as Flaaffy was an Electric-type Pokémon, making it highly compatible with Swift.
"Well done! Unfortunately, my Charmeleon isn't doing well," Julian responded, sounding somewhat disheartened.
Although Teddiursa is Normal-type and hasn't learned Swift yet, Charmeleon, with its psychological issues, had even less chance of mastering the move.
"Learning new moves isn't something that happens overnight. Take your time," Kalia comforted him. Although neither her Charmander nor Treecko had mastered Swift yet, she remained patient. It typically takes Pokemon some time to learn from Move Disks; if they haven't grasped it within a week, it becomes significantly harder.
So, only after a week would their progress become clear. Based on her knowledge, most Charmanders can indeed learn Swift—a conclusion drawn from analyzing large datasets—so she wasn't overly concerned.
To Kalia's surprise, just after lunch during their afternoon practice session, her Charmander suddenly comprehended Swift. Although not yet fully proficient, mastering the move was a significant milestone.
Kalia became increasingly convinced of her Charmander's exceptional ability to learn new moves rapidly. Even Flaaffy, with its high affinity for Swift, hadn't managed to execute the move, but her Charmander had already succeeded.
In the late afternoon, nearing evening, Kalia concluded the Swift training and headed back to the battle arena. This time, she aimed to challenge the beginner Trainer who had previously defeated her.
The beginner Trainer had a Yanma proficient in Double Team. As a Bug and Flying Type Pokemon, Treecko couldn't effectively engage, while Charmander, despite having the type advantage, struggled to land attacks due to its opponent's frequent use of Double Team.
Now that Charmander learned Swift, it presented an opportunity to defeat this Yanma and force the opponent to switch to their second Pokemon.
The battle swiftly commenced, with Kalia naturally sending out her Charmander to face the opposing Yanma.
The Trainer, wearing a blue cap, looked at Kalia and smirked, "Kalia, your Pokemon are too weak. Unless your Charmander evolves, it won't stand a chance against my Yanma."
Lian felt an urge to punch back at the Trainer's arrogance. During his previous loss to Yanma, Charmander was only level 12, with underdeveloped speed abilities. Now, at level 15, its strength has significantly increased, making Yanma potentially no match for him.
Yanma boasts a base speed stat of 95, considerably faster than many other Pokemon. Combined with its high level, its speed is undoubtedly impressive.
Lian suspected that this Yanma likely possesses the Ability 'Acceleration,' which continuously increases its speed as the battle progresses.
Additionally, Yanma's combination with Double Team could create unpredictable effects, making it effortless to dodge various moves.
However, with Swift at their disposal, locating Yanma's true form would be straightforward, rendering Double Team less concerning.
The battle quickly commenced.
"Yanma, use Detect," commanded the blue-capped Trainer, immediately employing the Detect move.
Detect is a defensive move that allows foreseeing the opponent's upcoming attack, enabling complete resistance against it.
Clearly, this strategy aimed to swiftly activate Yanma's Speed Boost Ability, increasing its speed continuously.
"Charmander, hold off on attacking for now," Kalia anticipated this but felt helpless, as Charmander lacked any moves capable of countering Detect, including supportive ones like Smokescreen.
Since Lian didn't initiate any moves, Yanma's Detect failed; however, regardless of the outcome, the blue-capped Trainer had already gained an advantage.
Yanma rapidly flapped its thin wings, leveraging its Speed Boost Ability to steadily increase its velocity—an incredibly potent trait.
"Yanma, next, use Double Team." The blue-capped Trainer remained composed and refrained from using Detect again.
Kalia's eyes lit up, waiting for this precise moment. She commanded, "Charmander, use Swift!"
Yanma had relatively weak resistance against Special moves, and although Swift didn't deal as much damage as Ember, it still inflicted notable harm.
Upon hearing Kalia's command, Lian swiftly activated Swift, generating multiple star-shaped beams of light around Charmander. These stars circled its body before rapidly shooting towards Yanma.
Simultaneously, Yanma flapped its wings, creating numerous illusions, resulting in six distinct duplicates, making it nearly impossible to discern the true form.
The most crucial aspect was that all seven Yanmas continuously shifted positions, which the blue-capped Trainer took great pride in, showcasing his meticulous training results.
With Double Team and exceptional speed, not only was it difficult for opponents to identify the real Yanma, but even hitting the clones proved challenging.
However, in the next second, the blue-capped Trainer froze in disbelief as Charmander unleashed Swift. The barrage of star-shaped beams swiftly approached at incredible speed.
Yanma's clones were unable to evade completely; each one was sequentially struck by Swift, including the true form itself.
Continuous impacts from Swift left Yanma significantly damaged, primarily due to Lian's exceptionally high Special Attack, far surpassing its peers.
"Did Charmander learn Swift already?"
"I thought my Flaaffy would be the quickest to master it; turns out Kalia just didn't want to discourage me earlier."
Rosa and Julian, observing from the sidelines, were stunned. They had only watched the Swift Move Disk yesterday, yet Charmander had already learned the technique by the next day.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Rosa blushed, realizing his premature pride.
"Your Charmander has indeed mastered Swift. No wonder you felt confident enough to challenge me again," remarked the blue-capped trainer, surprised as his prized Double Team strategy was countered effortlessly.
"Of course, I won't lose this time," Kalia confidently replied. She never allowed herself to fail twice without being fully prepared for a rematch.
"That's not guaranteed! Yanma, use Sonic Boom!" The blue-capped trainer swiftly issued another command, shifting tactics towards direct attacks.
Now, the real battle began. For Kalia, once she prevented Yanma from stacking its shadow clones, the threat posed by the Pokémon diminished significantly.
"Charmander, use Dragon Rage!" commanded Kalia. Without the advantage of Double Team, despite Yanma's speed, it no longer held the upper hand.
Upon hearing the command, Lian swiftly unleashed Dragon Rage while simultaneously observing the opponent's Sonic Boom for potential evasion.
Both Sonic Boom and Dragon Rage deal fixed damage, which even with Lian's current Special Defense, would still be quite painful upon impact.
Fortunately, his combat rating had already been assessed today, so he didn't need to worry about it decreasing further.
Yanma flapped its wings, targeting Lian with Sonic Boom, sending an invisible shockwave towards him.
As both Dragon Rage and Sonic Boom are shockwave-type moves, their waves met in mid-air, colliding fiercely.
Boom!
Unsurprisingly, Lian's Dragon Rage proved more powerful. Yanma's Sonic Boom couldn't withstand it for more than two seconds before being shattered by the force of Dragon Rage.
The Dragon Rage continued unabated towards Yanma, undeterred by the brief obstruction from Sonic Boom, maintaining its impressive might.
"Yanma, quickly dodge!" the blue-capped Trainer hastily warned. After just a few days, Kalia's Charmander had unexpectedly become much stronger, catching him off guard.
Upon hearing the command, Yanma narrowly evaded Dragon Rage, only feeling its residual effects.
"Return, Yanma," the blue-capped Trainer said. Realizing that Double Team was ineffective and his Pokemon's moves couldn't match Charmander's power, he knew it was time to switch Pokémon.
Kalia smiled as she observed the blue-capped Trainer preparing to recall Yanma. In their previous battle, her carelessness allowed Yanma's Double Team to create numerous illusions across the field, ultimately leading to her defeat without even facing the opponent's second Pokémon.
Today, she was determined to emerge victorious.
"Go, Mightyena!" The blue-capped Trainer released his second Pokémon, revealing a fierce-looking, gray-bodied Mightyena.
As a Dark-type Pokémon, Mightyenas are notoriously difficult to capture. Most Trainers typically start by capturing Poochyenas and gradually evolving them over time.
Mightyenas possess exceptional strength, despite not having exceptionally high base stats. However, they can learn a wide variety of powerful attack moves.
As Lian faced the menacing Mightyena, he felt an involuntary surge of fear, almost beyond his control.
He quickly realized this was due to Mightyena's Intimidate Ability, which, upon entering the field, instills dread in its opponent, lowering their Attack ability value.
However, the decrease in Attack didn't affect Lian significantly since he currently relied more on non-attack moves for output.
"Charmander, return," Kalia promptly instructed, indicating her intention to switch to Treecko.
Lian hesitated; it seemed unlikely that Treecko could match up against Mightyena. Although Mightyena is primarily Dark-type, there's a high chance it has learned Triple Fang—Ice Fang, Thunder Fang, and Fire Fang—and possibly even mastered Crunch, a signature Dark-type move.
With Treecko's low defenses, being caught by either Fire Fang or Ice Fang would likely result in an instant knockout.
Despite his concerns, after knowing Kalia for so long, Lian trusted that she wouldn't make such a switch without reason. There must be something strategic behind it.
Lian returned to his sideline and casually sat down, eager to see how Kalia would strategize Treecko's battle next.
"Go, Treecko!" Kalia tossed her Poké Ball, releasing Treecko as it materialized from a beam of red light onto the ground.
The blue-capped Trainer was puzzled; with Charmander being stronger, why did Kalia choose to send out Treecko?
"Treecko, evolve now!" Kalia commanded. Treecko had already been on the brink of evolution, and facing the more formidable Mightyena signaled to her that it was time for its transformation based on her experience.
Seeing Mightyena, Treecko felt a slight pressure, not overwhelming but enough to trigger its evolutionary impulse.
As this urge intensified, a surge of power erupted from deep within its body.
In the following moment, Treecko began transforming, emitting a brilliant glow illuminating the surroundings.
"It's evolving?" Lian realized why Kalia switched to Treecko—she intended for it to evolve during the battle. Considering Treecko's recent evolution, he anticipated his own transformation soon, likely within the next few days.
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