Time flew by as Lian dedicated his days to intensive training; practicing during the day and studying move discs at night.
In the blink of an eye, five days had passed, bringing them closer to the double battle competition with only less than two days remaining.
Totem City was not far from Rockcliff City, almost like neighboring towns, with frequent travel between the two. It would take just about an hour to walk to Totem City.
Kalia remained relaxed since she had already received her invitation. When the time came, she could directly participate, as the League had her detailed information on file, allowing them to verify her age and Trainer status easily.
As long as one met the requirement of being under fifteen years old, they were generally eligible for the double battle competition. However, those lacking sufficient strength would quickly be eliminated.
On the outskirts of Rockcliff City, amidst barren land,
The scorching sunlight beat down relentlessly, raising the temperature around and increasing Fire-type energy continuously.
Kalia sat nearby, sipping a refreshing cold drink under the shade of an umbrella. Despite these measures, she still felt the heat, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Thankfully, the prolonged Sunny Day weather seemed close to ending.
At this point, the practice session for Fire-type moves had concluded, transitioning now to training various transformational moves.
Kalia had been quite delighted these past few days as both Ninetales and Grovyle mastered the Protect move, showcasing significant progress from their intensive training.
Soon, the sunlight began to soften, losing its intense heat, and the surrounding temperature quickly cooled down, returning to normal levels.
Lian paused his Fire-type move practice and faced off against Ninetales, with Grovyle appearing beside him. This setup mirrored their recent special training, focusing on mastering newly learned moves.
Ninetales used Protect to block incoming attacks while Grovyle initiated offense. Lian supported them by employing Assist, aiming to rapidly enhance Grovyle's power.
With sufficient practice, they aimed to ensure that Assist could be effectively utilized before any other moves were released.
Unfortunately for Lian, neither Grovyle nor Ninetales seemed capable of mastering Assist, ironically, it was Torchic who managed to grasp it—a rather amusing twist.
Only Lian and Torchic could utilize Assist proficiently, which felt somewhat disappointing. Without this ability, coordinating support between Ninetales, Grovyle, and Lian during attacks became unfeasible.
"Begin the battle!" Kalia commanded from the sidelines, accompanied by Torchic. Although Torchic didn't participate directly in this specialized training, it diligently practiced moves to improve its strength alongside them.
As soon as training commenced, Lian swiftly used the Assist move. Through this technique, he channeled energy from his connection with nature to Grovyle, enhancing its Special Attack capabilities.
Grovyle's body immediately emitted a glow, and it felt an immense surge of power. The strength conferred by the Assist move depends on the releasing Pokémon; the more powerful the releasing Pokémon, the greater the boost received by the benefiting Pokémon.
This differs significantly from video games, where Assist provides a fixed 50% increase in Special Attack ability value. In reality, the enhancement is determined by the energy provided by the releasing Pokémon, potentially resulting in a higher increase in Special Attack ability value.
In that instant, Grovyle distinctly sensed an overwhelming boost, reflecting Lian's formidable Special Attack prowess, which was already more than double Grovyle's. With Lian's Assist, Grovyle's Special Attack dramatically escalated.
While unsure of the exact increase, Lian estimated it to be no less than 60-70%, possibly even doubling. However, despite this doubling, Grovyle's Special Attack still fell short compared to Lian's.
Without delay, Grovyle unleashed Giga Drain, currently its strongest Special Attack move. Grass-type Pokémon typically have limited move options, making Giga Drain an exceptionally useful move for them.
After casting Giga Drain, Ninetales successfully activated Protect, creating a transparent shield that safeguarded it against incoming attacks.
While there is only one Protect move, several other moves have similar effects. Though their visual manifestations may differ, they all aim to resist or evade opponents' attack maneuvers.
For example, Detect allows a Pokémon to anticipate its opponent's move, enabling precise evasion. However, repeated use diminishes the evasion capability, much like with Protect; continuous casts of Protect might fail during the formation of the protective shield.
Upon releasing Giga Drain, clear ripples appeared on the shield, indicating that the move's force was effectively resisted. Judging by the intensity of these waves, Giga Drain displayed impressive power.
Next, Lian initiated his attack while Grovyle defended, and Ninetales countered with Fire-type moves.
The three Pokémon began their training session earnestly. Although neither Ninetales nor Grovyle could master Assistance moves, this did not hinder their special training. At most, it meant they couldn't boost their Special Attack during battles using Assistance.
***
Meanwhile, in Ruby City.
"I must participate in this double battle competition!" Julian's eyes sparkled with excitement as he read the promotional flyer.
The organizers of the double battle competition in Totem City had invested significant effort into advertising, reaching nearly half of the cities in the Sebas region.
While there were many fifteen-year-old Trainers scattered across various cities, Totem City had relatively few due to most not yet achieving mid-level Trainer status and thus not attending competitions there.
A month ago, Julian directly headed to Falcon City Gym, effortlessly obtaining his third badge based on his current strength. Additionally, he spent half a month studying diligently for the beginner trainer assessment, barely scraping by with a pass, which officially made him a beginner Trainer.
Currently, Julian had not yet challenged the Fire-type Gym, still preparing himself. Upon seeing the advertisement for the double battle competition in Totem City, he felt compelled to give it a try.
Most importantly, he believed Kalia would also participate, increasing the chances of encountering her during the event.
If he could meet Kalia, they might discuss the Dream World together. Even if she didn't know much about it, they could gradually search for someone who does, eventually finding their way into the Dream World.
Once inside the Dream World, Julian could seek out Zapdos. With its assistance, he would have a better chance of recovering little Zapdos.
"I wonder which city Kalia is currently in. I'm still at Ruby City, while she must be heading towards Rhine City by now, preparing to challenge the Grass-type Gym. Given her Pokemon's strength, she'll likely move on to the next city quite quickly," Julian murmured, with a hint of envy in his eyes.
Kalia was always very strong, and previously, when they were in the same city, their abilities were comparable without a significant gap between them. However, unexpectedly, she has now far surpassed him in no time.
"Tomorrow, I set off." Having made up his mind, Julian continued with practical combat training for his Pokemon, aiming to emulate Kalia's approach of fostering faster growth through battles.
Kalia had become Julian's benchmark; he aspired to match her efforts and strive to become an exceptional Trainer like her.