Pokemon Battle System: I Reincarnated As A Charmander

Lian had been eagerly waiting for Flamethrower to appear within the system, and now it finally did. With this powerful Fire-type move, he gained an exceptional special attack capability.

Without hesitation, Lian activated Flamethrower, disregarding the cost of Combat Points. He immediately upgraded it to its maximum level, consuming 610 points.

"Perfect."

Lian had long been troubled by not having a strong Fire-type move. Now with Flamethrower, boasting a power of ninety, he possessed a truly formidable offensive ability.

Facing any Bug-, Grass-, Steel-, or Ice-type Pokemon, Lian could essentially overpower them regardless of their level. A single Flamethrower, even against Pokemon twenty levels higher than him, would instantly eliminate them if they were vulnerable to fire.

Next, Lian checked his Combat Points. Today's combat rating disappointed him greatly; it was exceptionally low. Despite Starmie using Recover multiple times, the final score was only B+.

The low rating stemmed from swiftly defeating Grovyle combined with Lian sustaining severe injuries himself. This directly resulted in a reduction of over one thousand output reward points.

Moreover, Starmie's Light Screen significantly weakened Lian's Dragon Rage attacks, resulting in much lower damage output. Excluding the Dragon Rage used against Gyarados, the remaining two instances of Dragon Rage only contributed around 200 points each. The other instances were not counted towards output due to missing their targets.

Additionally, his Dragon Breath was also diminished by the Light Screen twice, causing half the expected damage and failing to induce Paralysis. This led to a loss of approximately four to five hundred Combat Points for Lian.

As a result, the final output reward amounted to a pitiful 1516 Combat Points. Including all other rewards, the total combat value earned from this battle rating was just 1873 points.

Adding this to his previous balance, Lian now had a cumulative total of 3145 Combat Points. However, after spending 610 Combat Points earlier, he was left with only 2535 points remaining.

"This is heartbreaking."

Lian felt despondent; despite encountering a Pokemon that had mastered Recover, the resulting Combat Points were disappointingly low.

The main issue during the battle was Grovyle's minimal contribution. Not only did it cost him 500 Combat Points, but it failed to provide any significant output.

Grovyle was simply too weak; its speed advantage proved futile due to insufficient damage output. Only upon evolving into Sceptile would it likely possess considerable strength.

Originally, this battle should have earned at least an A+, with a reward of over three thousand Combat Points. No one anticipated Sia would specifically switch to Gyarados to counter Grovyle.

Had Grovyle faced Starmie instead, it wouldn't have lost its combat effectiveness so quickly and could have dealt significant damage using Giga Drain.

With just over two thousand Combat Points remaining, Lian decided to use them all up before heading to Ruby City, where beginner Trainers abound. Kalia was sure to challenge many trainers there frequently.

By maximizing his strength now, he could potentially earn more Combat Points later. With Flamethrower in his arsenal, Lian's offensive capabilities were sufficient unless facing Fire-resistant Pokemon.

Lian examined his Rock Resistance and Water Resistance stats. Currently, Water Resistance was the only one he hadn't yet increased; without relying on Combat Points, enhancing Water Resistance required consuming the rare Passho Berry or training methods like those available on Fossil Island.

He opted to boost his Water Resistance using Combat Points, estimating it would be similar to increasing Explosive Power—one hundred Combat Points for a 0.01 increase in Water Resistance.

Upgrading Water Resistance offered good value for cost, especially since Lian currently had only two resistances that could be improved.

Lian clicked on the plus sign next to Water Resistance, instantly changing '2' to '1.99'. Simultaneously, his Combat Points decreased by 100, leaving him with 2435 points.

At this rate, Lian would need ten thousand Combat Points to increase his Water Resistance to '1'.

However, there was a concern for Lian - once he evolves into Charizard, he will face quadruple damage from Rock-type moves. If he now raises his Water Resistance to '1', how much will it be after evolution?

After considering this issue, Lian concluded that reaching '1' should be the maximum limit, indicating normal one-fold damage. After evolving, if his Water Resistance is already at '1', it should become '3' instead of remaining at '2'.

This is because increasing resistance only mitigates the type disadvantage's effect, but does not change the inherent attribute weakness itself. Therefore, post-evolution, Lian would still be quadruply vulnerable to Rock-type attacks. However, due to his increased resistance, he can offset some of the damage, resulting in facing triple rather than double damage from Rock-type moves.

Lian continued to enhance his Water Resistance, using up all two thousand plus Combat Points, leaving him with a meager 35 points remaining. However, this significantly boosted his Water Resistance.

Water Resistance: 1.75

From now on, Lian would directly negate one-quarter of water-type damage, making it quite impressive. Facing Starmie again, he felt completely confident.

Reflecting on the final move, Slash, Lian considered himself extremely fortunate. Initially, he thought it was enough to instantly defeat Starmie, but upon reviewing the detailed combat data, he realized that the last Slash attack had critically hit its weak spot. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to take down a full-health Starmie in one blow.

With Starmie's Defense base stat at 85 and its high level, even tripling Lian's Attack ability wasn't sufficient without type advantage to achieve a one-hit knockout.

Ultimately, it was the critical effect of Slash that triggered the fatal blow, hitting the weak spot and ultimately defeating Starmie. Thinking back, Lian attributed it purely to luck; otherwise, if Starmie hadn't lost the ability to fight, it would have counterattacked and defeated him long before.

Having spent all his Combat Points, Lian didn't linger further and exited the system space. With excitement building, he prepared for tomorrow's departure to Ruby City.

***

At the Water Gym:

"What were you doing today?" A short-haired man clad in a black windbreaker sternly reprimanded Sia, the temporary Gym Leader, who stood with his head bowed, hesitant to respond.

"I've told you countless times, your job is to allow new Trainers a fair chance at earning their badges. Is this how you handle it?"

"Appointing you as the interim Gym Leader wasn't for leisure. Have you even read the Gym Leader's Handbook? Tomorrow, capture two additional Water-type Pokémon specifically for gym battles and stop using your personal Pokémon."

"But why, mentor?" Sia protested discontentedly. Capturing more Water-type Pokémon around here would likely yield weak ones due to the lack of strong options nearby. Wouldn't that just result in defeat against those novice Trainers?

"Why indeed? Read the handbook yourself to understand. Remember, my purpose in recommending you was not for you to enjoy privileges as a Gym Leader but to learn about the responsibilities and duties associated with the role."

"I understand." Faced with his mentor's rebuke, Sia felt powerless to argue and simply nodded in acknowledgment.

"For now, focus on your duties as Gym Leader and wait for the official leader to return. Don't disappoint me."

"Understood. By the way, mentor, may I ask what level of expertise would allow a new Trainer to defeat me at this stage?" Sia suddenly questioned.

"How could a new Trainer possibly beat you?" The short-haired man shook his head, expressing disbelief. A new Trainer refers to those who have not yet achieved the rank of beginner Trainer.

Sia was among the top ten exceptional students at the Pokemon Academy, with his strength already surpassing that of a beginner Trainer.

"It's true," Sia replied, still somewhat incredulous but acknowledging the reality. "She defeated my Gyarados and Starmie using only a Grovyle and Charmeleon."

"What is the name of that Trainer?" the short-haired man asked.

"I think it's Kalia."

"Oh, her! She's the former Gym Leader of Rhine City. Losing to her isn't surprising, although relying solely on a Grovyle and Charmeleon is quite unexpected." the man remarked.

"Ah, a former Gym Leader, no wonder." Sia initially felt somewhat resentful, but upon hearing that Kalia was Rhine City's ex-Gym Leader, his disappointment eased considerably.

A Silver Rank Gym Leader signifies a mid-level Trainer, making his defeat quite understandable. That Charmeleon must possess exceptional potential.

"If Kalia truly defeated you with just these two Pokemon," the short-haired man murmured to himself, "I wouldn't mind recommending her for the Pokemon Academy." He was aware of Kalia's past; had her father not passed away, she would have likely entered the academy long ago.

Cultivating talented Trainers is undoubtedly valuable. Previously, Kalia hadn't yet reached the mid-level Trainer status, which led to her defeat and loss of the Gym Leader position.

If, as Sia suggested, Kalia has indeed achieved such merit, he believes she deserves his recommendation for the Pokemon Academy.

"Let's first make contact and observe her for some time," the short-haired man decided.