Lian's sudden intervention elicited dismissive smiles from the three high-level Trainers. It was clear that this Charizard had come to assist Celebi, but relying on just one Charizard seemed overly naive.
These three were elite high-level Trainers within the League, not mere newcomers with only a year or two of experience. They had been high-level Trainers for over five years now.
In their second year as high-level Trainers, Noras recruited them to serve as combat advisors for his films, earning them substantial wealth and resources.
Although Noras wasn't a Trainer himself, money talks, and as a major player in the film industry, he certainly had no shortage of it.
Exchanging glances, one tall Trainer spoke up, "Leave this Charizard to my Pokémon."
"Agreed," the others nodded, continuing to command their Pokémon against Celebi. Perhaps sensing they needed more firepower, fearing Celebi might still have energy left, they released two additional Pokémon from their Poké Balls.
Typically, a high-level Trainer's main team consists of five Pokémon, although some opt for six. However, the standard remains at five, primarily due to tournament regulations limiting participants to five Pokémon per battle. Only those who have competed in such tournaments consider training a sixth Pokémon.
The League Competition rules allowed for only five Pokemon per participant; hence, high-level Trainers who had competed in these events typically focused on training six Pokemon.
Before entering the League Competition, nurturing five meticulously trained Pokemon versus six could yield significantly different results.
Given the limited human energy and focus, cultivating five Pokemon simultaneously is more manageable than handling six, resulting in stronger individual Pokemon within that group.
Pokemon primarily evolve and strengthen through combat experiences, becoming more powerful as they grow. With six Pokemon, it's likely that one or two may not participate in each battle, relying solely on regular training to enhance their abilities.
Having too many Pokemon often means some cannot engage in every battle, whereas with just five, this issue is considerably mitigated. It mainly boils down to resource allocation and time management—thus, high-level Trainers, especially those newly promoted, usually stick to five primary Pokemon.
The taller Trainer glanced at Lian and released three Poké Balls, summoning three Pokemon onto the ground. A flying-type Scyther took off towards the sky, its wings flapping audibly.
The remaining two Pokémon were a Raichu and Feraligatr. The opponent did not deploy all their Pokémon, clearly believing that three would be more than enough to handle a single Charizard.
Had they known Lian was only a mid-tier Trainer, they might have even used just two Pokémon.
As the Scyther charged towards him, Lian remained unfazed. With a subtle tremor, he released a surge of intense fire energy around his body, amplifying the surrounding fire elements.
The advancing Scyther abruptly halted, sensing imminent danger. Being highly fearful of fire energy, the increased concentration near Lian naturally caused unease and hesitation for the Scyther.
With a Control Rating now at 70%, Lian's mastery over fire energy had significantly improved, allowing him to employ such small tactics effortlessly.
Observing the hesitant Scyther, it was evident that the Pokémon felt intimidated by the heightened fire energy surrounding Lian, deterred from further attacking.
"Return, Scyther! Feraligatr, use Rock Slide; Raichu, Thunderbolt!" commanded the opposing Trainer while preparing to recall their Scyther.
As a high-level Trainer, Kalia well understood that Scyther had no advantage against Charizard. Both Fire and Flying types effectively countered Bug-type Pokemon; thus, Scyther's moves would have minimal impact on Charizard.
Seeing the fear in Scyther during its attack, she knew it couldn't continue battling effectively.
With Raichu and Feraligatr stepping up, their combined Electric and Rock-type abilities were strong counters to Charizard. The only concern was if Charizard attempted to escape, as neither Raichu nor Feraligatr could fly, making pursuit difficult.
However, even if Charizard fled, it wouldn't be a major issue since their primary objective wasn't the Charizard but Celebi.
Due to his speed, Lian had already engaged in battle while Kalia and Sceptile were still rushing towards him. Kalia leaped onto Sceptile's tail, and together with their third Pokémon, they swiftly approached Lian.
Following orders, Scyther immediately flew back down, lacking confidence to face Lian head-on.
Lian remained undeterred by the incoming attacks from Raichu and Feraligatr. Although facing a high-level Trainer, he felt confident given just these two opponents.
Raichu and Feraligatr have moderate base stats, falling within the middle tier. Raichu lacks exceptional Special Attack capabilities, while Feraligatr does not possess outstanding Attack abilities.
Although following the Trainer's command seems optimal, aside from Thunderbolt, Lian is unbothered by Rock-type moves like Rock Slide. He has already increased his Rock Resistance to double effectiveness.
Despite having a four-fold weakness to Rock-type attacks, due to the system-provided resistance protection, any Rock-type move hitting Lian would be weakened, reducing its power by three-quarters.
Thunderbolt, however, could still cause some damage, making it slightly concerning for Lian. After all, this is a high-level Raichu, undoubtedly strong, as expected of a key Pokémon for a high-ranking Trainer.
Zap!
The yellow body of Raichu sparkled with electricity, accumulating electric energy before abruptly releasing it towards Lian in the sky.
A brilliant yellow lightning bolt swiftly charged at Lian, filled with potent electrical energy, moving incredibly fast.
As soon as Raichu finished casting Thunderbolt, Feraligatr initiated its Rock Slide attack, hurling chunks of rock toward Lian.
Feraligatr's movements were highly skilled, forcefully launching the condensed rocks with great speed.
In the sky, Lian calmly faced the incoming Thunderbolt attack. Deciding to resist, he confronted the yellow lightning bolt head-on.
Just as the Thunderbolt was about to strike him, Lian unleashed a burst of scorching flames.
Both fire and electricity belong to the plasma state, and when they collided fiercely, it created a powerful impact.
The flame from Lian's Ember mixed with Raichu's Thunderbolt, resulting in a dazzling display of light.
Electric and fire energies continuously clashed, generating immense brightness and heat akin to a miniature sun radiating its glow.
Ultimately, Lian's flames proved superior. The energy of Thunderbolt gradually weakened until completely neutralized by the flames, which also began dissipating shortly after.
In reality, the flame Lian released earlier was just his Ember move.
However, for a Pokemon with a 70% Control Rating, most moves become significantly similar in effect.
At this level of mastery, ordinary moves can be transformed, enhancing their power dramatically. For instance, the Ember Lian used could have been mistaken for something other than a standard Ember.
To the spectators, Ember typically appears as a small flame, but Lian altered its size, releasing an Ember with exponentially greater potency.