Several days later.
At Rockcliff City's Pokémon Center.
On the battlefield, Grovyle darted swiftly, effortlessly circling around a Miltank as if playing a game. Despite its efforts, Miltank could not even touch Grovyle once.
Equipped with the Float Stone, Grovyle's weight decreased significantly, enhancing its speed and jumping capabilities. Although it might not surpass Lian's sheer velocity, in terms of agility, Grovyle was undoubtedly superior.
Grovyle excelled at extreme close-quarters evasive maneuvers that Lian simply couldn't match due to his lack of flexibility. Only through bursts of high-speed movement could he manage such dodges effectively.
However, Grovyle, with its nimble and lightweight frame, could effortlessly execute rapid short-distance movements, easily evading attacks from clumsier Pokémon like this Miltank. It had already avoided countless offensive moves, each time with remarkable ease.
As Grovyle weaved and dodged, its three sharp wrist blades sliced through Miltank's body. The attacks seamlessly integrated with its evasive actions, executed with incredible fluidity.
Kalia watched, captivated by Grovyle's beautifully precise offensive movements.
With the Float Stone, Grovyle's combat movements became akin to an art form. Each dodge was executed with precision, devoid of unnecessary motions. An elegant turn not only evaded attacks but also initiated a perfect counteroffensive.
Grovyle's exceptional close-quarters combat prowess stemmed primarily from its Fighting-type training, enhanced further by the Float Stone's effects. During the double battle competition in Totem City, facing formidable opponents without the Float Stone, Grovyle couldn't fully showcase its superior melee capabilities. However, upon returning to Rockcliff City, Grovyle's mastery of close combat shone brightly.
This unique aesthetic of high-speed agility belonged exclusively to swift and nimble Pokemon. Although Grovyle excelled at Special moves, in this moment, it embodied the essence of a melee fighter.
As Grovyle repeatedly dodged Miltank's attacks, it effortlessly sliced through its opponent, causing continuous damage. With each successive Fury Cutter strike, the power increased until reaching maximum potency. Finally, unable to withstand any more, Miltank lost its ability to continue battling.
As Grovyle paused momentarily, slightly panting, Kalia suddenly felt a strong premonition that her Grovyle was about to evolve.
"Grovyle, evolve now!" Kalia exclaimed confidently, believing her intuition was correct. Grovyle's imminent evolution seemed certain after this nearly flawless battle, defeating the formidable Miltank without sustaining any damage.
At this moment, Grovyle's confidence had reached its peak, making it the perfect time for evolution.
Hearing Kalia's voice, Grovyle clenched its claws, and within seconds, its body began emitting a radiant glow.
"It's evolving!"
"I've never seen such an exceptional Grovyle; once it evolves into Sceptile, it will undoubtedly be even stronger."
"As one of the starter Pokémon, Sceptile typically has average power, but its speed is truly remarkable. That battle was absolutely thrilling."
The radiance intensified, gradually enveloping Grovyle until only a dazzling sphere of light remained, pulsating continuously.
"Finally evolving." Lian sat on the ground, watching as Grovyle underwent its transformation.
Upon reaching level 36 and evolving into Sceptile, all its ability values experienced significant enhancements.
However, Grovyle's evolution wasn't the most crucial aspect for Lian; he was more concerned about reaching level 40 today. Achieving level 40 might trigger an upgrade of the system.
If the system could indeed upgrade tonight, it would truly be a double celebration.
As the light continued to shimmer, the form of Grovyle gradually transformed beneath it. Its body grew larger, and its slender leaf tail began to thicken, much like Treecko's had before, making the tail once again a formidable weapon for Sceptile.
When the glow dissipated, Grovyle had fully evolved into Sceptile. Apart from the increase in size, the leaf on Sceptile's wrist split into two, becoming significantly harder and sharper.
Additionally, six yellow spheres appeared on its back, containing unique nutrients that promote easier growth of plants. In the wild, Sceptiles often use these nutrients to cultivate trees, enhancing their lushness.
Sceptile swung its large tail, causing the leaves on it to rustle softly, with eyes now even more piercing than when it was Grovyle.
The Grovyle species has exceptionally high base stats at 530, with only defense being relatively weaker. Its other abilities are quite impressive, making it a typical high-speed Pokemon.
Honestly, Sceptile excels more in close combat, and the Grass-type move Leaf Blade perfectly suits its capabilities. Additionally, it can learn moves like X-Scissor (Bug-type) and Night Slash (Dark-type).
However, Sceptile's base stats destined it as a special attacker, with higher values in the special attack category. In the future, mastering Grass-type moves such as Solar Beam, Energy Ball, and Grass Knot will enable it to unleash formidable power.
It would be best to primarily focus on developing its special attack aspect while not neglecting physical attacks. Although its attack ability value is slightly lower, sometimes a Pokemon's base stats do not fully represent its ultimate potential.
Lian believes that what works best for each individual Pokemon should be prioritized, which makes sense. However, it ultimately depends on how Sceptile decides its own path.
If Sceptile prefers close combat in the future, Lian wouldn't mind assisting it accordingly. While the system cannot surpass a Pokemon's base stat limits, enhancing its abilities to their maximum still proves sufficient.
***
Late at night, Lian entered the system space and noticed changes to the previously white void.
"The system has finally upgraded."
Smiling, he glanced at his attributes panel, confirming that Charizard had indeed reached level 40, triggering today's system upgrade.
After waiting eagerly, the upgrade completed, and Lian promptly checked the updated attributes panel.
This time, apart from minor improvements for a cleaner interface, the main change was the addition of Z-moves under the moveset section.
Charizard
Type: Fire/Flying
Gender: Male
Level: Lv.40
Ability: Solar Power/Blaze
Moves: ... Flamethrower, Wrath of Fire, Overheat, Fire Pledge
Z-Moves: Inferno Overdrive (0/100), Z-Sunny Day (0/100), Z-Will-O-Wisp (0/100)
Ability Stats: Stamina 1740, Attack 1098, Defense 1290, Special Attack 1778, Special Defense 1346, Speed 1626
Explosive Power: 2 (+)
Rock Resistance: 2 (+)
Water Resistance: 1
Energy Control Rating: Ordinary: 12%, Dragon-type: 30%, Flying-type: 20%, Fire-type: 50%, ...
Battle Assessment: ...
Total Combat Value: 57,390
Lian reviewed the data panel, noticing the new Z-moves after the system upgrade. Since Kalia currently only possesses a Fire Z-crystal, there were three available Z-moves - one offensive move and two support moves.