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"I can't believe you're still a beginner trainer," Sunny remarked, turning to Kalia with surprise evident in his voice. He had been closely observing each Trainer's battles and was genuinely astonished to learn that Kalia remained at the beginner level.
Kalia remained silent, not feeling the need to justify her status as a beginner. She had only started challenging gyms a few months ago; achieving mid-level trainer status within such a short span would have surprised even herself.
"Despite your current rank, I believe you possess the strength of a mid-level trainer. However, you won't pass this round. My goal is to become the Champion," Sunny continued, his tone resolute, noticing Kalia's silence.
Kalia looked at Sunny and calmly responded, "My goal...is also to become the Champion."
"Then let's give it our all." Sunny tossed two Poké Balls, which opened with a pair of thuds. Two Pokémon emerged as red light, landing on the ground.
It was Slowbro and Typhlosion. Considering most of Kalia's Pokémon were Fire-types, sending out Cacturne wouldn't provide much advantage. Cacturne's effectiveness was primarily against Water-type Pokémon.
Even if Slowbro used Water-type moves against Cacturne, it wouldn't have much effect due to Charizard's presence, capable of instantly defeating any opponent with its devastating flames, as evident from previous battles.
Kalia could only rely on type resistance to withstand the attacks and seize the opportunity for a counterstrike, aiming to swiftly defeat Charizard. Once Charizard was out of the picture, her remaining two Pokémon would struggle significantly against Sunny's team.
However, despite knowing the weaknesses in Kalia's Pokémon lineup, few Trainers managed to take down Charizard first; instead, they often succumbed to its onslaught.
"Go, Charizard! Go, Ninetales!" Kalia tossed two Poké Balls into the arena. She chose not to send out Grovyle because Sunny Day weakens Water-type moves, although it also enhances Typhlosion's abilities—yet, the boost is even greater for Charizard and Ninetales.
The key here was to render Slowbro's Water-type moves ineffective. While Charizard and Ninetales possess strong offensive capabilities, their defensive abilities are relatively weaker.
Although lacking Grass-type advantage against Slowbro, under Sunny Day conditions, Fire-type moves remain potent even against Water-type Pokémon.
Slowbro is renowned for its exceptional defense, but its resilience against special attacks pales compared to its physical defense capability.
As soon as the battle commenced, Typhlosion decisively unleashed its move with a direct Eruption attack. The wide-range Fire-type move emanated from Typhlosion's back, engulfing the area.
Simultaneously, Slowbro released its own move, emitting red light from its eyes. Waves of invisible Confusion energy targeted Lian, making him feel instantly restrained.
Psychic!
Just as Lian was about to counter, he sensed his body being controlled by intense psychic energy. This showcased the strength of Psychic-type moves: they are nearly undetectable upon release, and by the time one realizes it, their body is already under the powerful grip of psychic forces.
Feeling trapped by the psychic energy, Typhlosion had already launched its Eruption. Although Ninetales could use Protect to defend, being immobilized mid-air rendered it unable to shield Lian effectively; likely, they wouldn't escape the fiery blast.
This was Lian's first encounter with such a predicament, helplessly watching the scorching flames of Eruption heading straight towards him.
He tried to break free, but Slowbro's psychic energy was exceptionally strong, not easily escapable. This Slowbro was no ordinary Pokémon; Lian sensed that it might have even begun touching the realm of Energy Control.
BOOM!
The scorching flames rushed towards Lian, but fortunately, Ninetales activated Protect, shielding them from the impact. However, Lian wasn't as lucky.
Luckily, with his current Special Defense ability of 1300, he could withstand Typhlosion's Eruption move, which had a power of 150, without being instantly defeated.
Boom!
The flames struck Lian, engulfing him in their intense heat. Amidst the fiery onslaught, Lian suddenly felt something peculiar—he seemed to have control over the incoming flames?
No, not full control, but rather, his high Energy Control Rate was influencing the direction and intensity of the flames. The sensation was weak, clearly indicating that Lian's Control Rating, at only 50%, needed improvement.
Once released, Fire-type energy is no longer fully controlled by Typhlosion due to its limited Control Rating. Conversely, Lian could exert slight influence on the flames.
Although just a minor effect, it was already remarkable. With only a 50% Control Rating, Lian could influence the flames; imagine if he were to enhance this further—could he potentially halt or redirect the opponent's fire assault entirely?
As Lian endured the flame impact, the fleeting sensation disappeared too quickly for experimentation, and he was swiftly propelled away by the force.
Although Fire-type Pokémon have some resistance to fire attacks, Lian still endured significant force, causing damage to his body.
Combined with the earlier Psychic assault, this was the first time Lian had sustained such severe injuries so quickly, which caught him off guard.
He couldn't afford to be restrained any longer.
Lian grew serious; another wave of such attacks could potentially defeat him, and relying solely on Ninetales and Grovyle might not guarantee victory.
For Kalia, witnessing Charizard in such distress was unprecedented, but seeing it maintain its fighting capability relieved her momentarily, though her expression remained grave.
Despite Slowbro's lack of speed, typically staying stationary, its Psychic move proved immensely powerful, effectively immobilizing Charizard.
Indeed, her Pokémon were slightly weaker compared to Sunny's mid-level Trainer capabilities, primarily due to their insufficient experience.
If Kalia had known about Psychic earlier, she could have instructed Charizard to use Protect, mitigating the impact of Psychic beforehand.
However, there was no need for further instructions as Charizard, upon breaking free from Psychic's restraint immediately after enduring the attack, swiftly launched a counterattack.
"It hasn't lost its fighting ability yet?" Sunny was somewhat surprised. The combined attack of Slowbro's Psychic and Typhlosion's strongest Eruption failed to defeat Charizard, which caught him off guard.
However, it wasn't concerning; the next wave of attacks would surely knock out Charizard. As this thought crossed his mind, he noticed that Charizard had already broken free from Psychic and unleashed a Fire-type move.
Sunny remained unfazed, as both Typhlosion and Slowbro have resistance against Fire-type moves. With their reduced vulnerability, taking down Slowbro wouldn't be so straightforward.
After escaping the restraint, Lian decisively used Flame Spiral, aiming first to eliminate Slowbro due to the significant threat posed by its Psychic move.
Considering Slowbro's Special Defense capabilities, Lian was confident that this Flame Spiral would deal heavy damage directly to Slowbro. However, relying solely on himself wouldn't suffice, given Slowbro's impressive Stamina base stat. Thus, he needed Ninetales' assistance.
As Flame Spiral raced towards Slowbro, simultaneously, Ninetales maintained Protect to shield against the residual flames from Eruption. In perfect sync, Ninetales also launched its own move, targeting Slowbro.