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Even inside the Poké Ball, Lian could hear the discussions outside and had a rough idea of what was being tested in the first round of the competition. Although he couldn't see, based on the surrounding chatter, he managed to make some educated guesses.
From the sounds around him, it seemed that the 204 score belonged to Aurora from the Pokemon Academy, who unexpectedly used a Chandelure.
In the game, Chandelure's special attack base stat is exceptionally high at 145, making it one of the strongest Fire-type special attackers. Currently, Lian's own special attack base stat stands at only 169, highlighting just how formidable this Chandelure must be.
As a student from the advanced class at the Pokemon Academy, this Chandelure's level would undoubtedly not be below Level 50, significantly higher than Lian's Charizard at Level 38.
Normally, Lian's Flamethrower might not match up against a Chandelure's power, possibly even falling short compared to the previous Typhlosion. After all, his level is relatively low.
However, there's one advantage: Lian now has a Control Rating of 50% and exceptional mastery over energy, allowing him to directly enhance the potency of his moves.
For instance, transforming Flamethrower into Flame Spiral increased its panel power from at least 90 to around 120, based on Lian's estimation using system data.
While Flame Spiral's power still fell short of matching Chandelure's Overheat, it would undoubtedly surpass Typhlosion's score.
In regular battles, Lian relied heavily on Sunny Day and Solar Power enhancements to unleash astonishing flame strength.
The level disparity was a significant challenge; Lian lacked sufficient time to bridge the gap. With more time, he could effortlessly outperform these Pokémon.
"Let's see my ultimate burst potential."
After considering his options, Lian decided to test his strongest move. According to the panel power, his most potent attack was Overheat, which releases all Fire-type energy simultaneously for an explosive effect.
However, Lian didn't plan to use the standard Overheat, as its panel power alone wasn't enough for him. He aimed for even greater potency, hoping to reach his current maximum burst potential.
Apart from Overheat, Lian didn't have any higher panel-powered Fire-type moves available. However, he could temporarily enhance the move's potency.
Lian never neglected practicing energy purification and stripping. Although he frequently visited the Dream World, during downtime in the real world, he would often retreat into his Poké Ball to gradually refine strands of energy, making it purer and more orderly.
He hoped there was still time before Kalia's turn.
Taking advantage of the remaining moments, Lian swiftly began purifying energy. His speed had significantly improved over time, allowing him to complete the process quickly with sufficient time at hand.
As time passed, more Trainers were eliminated, but some achieved impressive scores above 100 points, indicating they were mid-level trainers.
Among beginner trainers, the highest score observed thus far barely surpassed 90 points, falling significantly short compared to the mid-level trainers.
The distinction between becoming a mid-level trainer and remaining below that level marked a substantial divide. It was only because these mid-level trainers were under fifteen years old; otherwise, the gap would be even wider.
"Julian."
As time passed, it was now Julian's turn to be called.
"It's my test." Julian promptly stopped chatting with Kalia, feeling slightly excited as his moment had finally arrived.
Although he couldn't match the mid-level trainers, he firmly believed that his Charmeleon would certainly meet the passing threshold.
"Good luck," Kalia encouraged him.
With a nod, Julian stepped out from the crowd, approached the referee, and released his Charmeleon.
Upon seeing just a Charmeleon, the audience felt instantly disappointed, assuming it wouldn't be very strong. Some even predicted it might score the lowest of the day.
The Trainer who previously scored only forty-something points secretly rejoiced, knowing there would finally be someone with a lower score than himself. After all, he at least had a fully evolved Pokémon, while Julian only had a Charmeleon.
Lian, hearing Julian's turn, wasn't optimistic about his Charmeleon's performance. Based on standard base stats, Julian's Charmeleon likely had a maximum special attack ability value of around six or seven hundred. With such low abilities, even using Inferno, reaching the passing threshold seemed challenging.
"Charmeleon, use Fire Blast."
Julian noticed the skeptical gazes around him, clearly doubting Charmeleon's ability to meet the passing threshold. With a snort, he confidently issued his command.
"Fire Blast is indeed a powerful Fire-type move."
"A Charmeleon mastering Fire Blast? That seems unlikely!"
The audience expressed their skepticism upon hearing Julian's order. Learning such a high-powered move was challenging for even a fully evolved Charizard, let alone a Charmeleon.
Following Julian's instruction, Charmeleon roared, positioned itself in front of the blue apparatus, and unleashed a Fire Blast—a massive, flame-shaped inferno slowly advancing towards the target.
Once formed, Fire Blast typically moves at a slower pace. However, unlike Lian's earlier execution, Julian's Charmeleon released the flames directly from its mouth, achieving a decent forward speed.
Controlling Fire Blast is already difficult, and increasing the speed of the flame's progression is no easy task.
Boom!
The Fire Blast hit the blue instrument with a loud explosion, and the energy released from the massive blast was absorbed by the device.
Beep beep.
A score promptly appeared on the display:
60 points.
Just barely reaching the passing threshold.
Julian felt slightly disappointed, wondering why only 60 points, but then his excitement returned as he had successfully passed the first round. Even if it was just scraping by, he still made it through.
"I actually passed."
"A Charmeleon capable of using Fire Blast, passing seems quite reasonable."
Julian's score of 60 surprised some observers, yet overall, it wasn't unexpected. The most unfortunate was the Trainer with the forty-something score, feeling distraught—why couldn't any other Trainers have scored lower than him? It seemed truly disheartening.
"Kalia, I passed!" Julian rejoined the crowd, excitedly announcing to Kalia.
"You actually passed?" Lian expressed surprise, having expected Julian's Charmeleon to be close to evolving into a Charizard.
"Congratulations," Kalia offered her well-wishes. Although her own Charizard was stronger than Julian's Charmeleon, mastering a move like Fire Blast showcased its exceptional abilities nonetheless.
"Now it's your turn. I'm confident you'll pass too, just wondering how many points you'll score." Julian's eyes sparkled with excitement. As a newly promoted beginner Trainer, he couldn't compare to the experienced Trainers present, but successfully passing the first round was undoubtedly a source of pride for him.