Enhancing Sceptile's strength would indeed contribute to improving their combat ratings. Although Lian could typically handle all opponents alone, Kalia couldn't rely on him exclusively as it wouldn't allow other Pokemon opportunities for growth.
In several previous battles, low performance from Sceptile and Ninetales resulted in decreased combat ratings. Over time, these small losses added up significantly, impacting the overall Combat Points earned.
Losing over two hundred Combat Points per battle meant accumulating six to seven thousand points less each month. Avoiding such wastage would result in a substantial gain of Combat Points.
As the opponent Pokemon's strength increased, most encounters now featured Physical Ability Values above one thousand. Defeating three opponents without sustaining any damage easily yielded over three thousand Combat Points.
Lower combat ratings due to Sceptile and Ninetales' insufficient power would be highly disadvantageous.
After mastering fighting techniques, Sceptile had learned to use moves defensively against opponents' attacks. However, its move potency was lacking, leading to some damage during clashes with opposing moves.
Now with increased Attack and Special Attack abilities, there would be no concern about failing to withstand opponents' assaults during battles.
Sceptile's current attack ability value is already comparable to that of a typical level 40 Pokémon. Unless its opponent has undergone specialized training to significantly boost their abilities, which is rare, most encountered Pokémon fall short. Even trainers like Aurora from the Pokemon Academy haven't managed to maximize their Pokémon's ability values; typically, they only achieve less than half the potential increase.
This indicates that in this world, aside from leveling up, enhancing a Pokémon's ability values through pure training alone is challenging and likely requires months or even years of dedication.
Without Kalia obtaining the Strength Lens, Sceptile and Ninetales' Special Attack ability values would have been much lower. The effect of the Strength Lens has indeed proven beneficial.
After upgrading Sceptile's abilities, Lian decided to also enhance its move proficiency. This was crucial as higher proficiency allows for greater ease and effectiveness in combat scenarios.
Moreover, Sceptile didn't have many moves, so Lian decided to primarily enhance its Leaf Blade proficiency. As a Grass-type move, Leaf Blade had the highest power for Sceptile, making it the most cost-effective choice.
For other moves, maintaining their current level was sufficient since they were not of its primary type and thus did not require improvement. The focus would remain on utilizing Leaf Blade against opponents.
Lian checked Sceptile's Leaf Blade proficiency, noticing it had already reached 15 points, indicating that Sceptile had been secretly practicing.
He promptly increased the proficiency to the maximum, spending over five hundred points. This significantly boosted Sceptile's overall strength.
"Let's see how the bond points are doing."
After enhancing Sceptile's abilities, Lian turned his attention to the bond points, though he suspected they wouldn't be easy to increase.
As expected, the bond points remained at 35%.
"Take it slow," Lian thought, unperturbed. They hadn't even mastered Z-Moves yet, let alone Mega Evolution.
***
The next day at the Combat Dojo.
Kalia arrived to continue her unfinished challenge from yesterday. Typically, the gym opens at 8 AM, and Kalia timed her arrival perfectly.
However, she wasn't the earliest; several Trainers had already been waiting outside since dawn.
As soon as the doors opened, everyone entered. Some were there for trials, while others aimed to challenge the Gym Leader. The Combat Dojo's format, with repeated trials for many Trainers, ensured a steady stream of challengers each day.
"Today, I must earn that badge!"
"I've failed too many times already. There's no way I'll keep losing!"
Kalia followed the other Trainers inside and took a seat among the spectators. One by one, they would challenge the Gym Leader, knowing that defeat meant starting the trial anew.
She spotted the Gym Leader, Takeshi, a middle-aged man with a stern demeanor. Even when accepting challenges, he remained silent, allowing his Pokemon to perform freely.
A Trainer stepped up, and as the battle commenced, Takeshi sent out a Pokemon—an impressive Medicham.
Medicham is both a Fighting and Psychic-type, possessing immense strength primarily due to its Pure Power Ability.
Years of practicing yoga have granted Medicham extraordinary power; it's far stronger than appearances suggest, capable of unleashing tremendous force.
For instance, while normal individuals can only utilize a portion of their physical strength, Medicham can harness nearly all of its potential, showcasing the true might of Pure Power.
The battle commenced as the Trainer released a Psychic-type Pokémon. However, against Medicham, any Psychic advantage vanished instantly.
"What an incredibly strong Medicham!" Kalia exclaimed, amazed. The Gym Leader, Takeshi, seemed almost absent, merely tossing out his Poké Ball and allowing Medicham to fight freely without interference.
Takeshi sat cross-legged on the ground, appearing deep in meditation, completely still with his eyes closed.
As a Fighting-type Pokémon, Medicham naturally excels in combat techniques. Even the Pokémon encountered during trials demonstrated exceptional mastery of these skills, making the Gym Leader's Medicham even more formidable.
Apart from Medicham's impressive strength, Kalia was amazed by its combat skills as well. The opponent couldn't even touch Medicham due to the seamless integration of moves and combat techniques. Detect had become an integral part of its fighting style.
Without direct commands from the Trainer, it was impossible to predict which move Medicham would use next. By the time the opposing Trainer managed to issue instructions, Medicham had already executed numerous attacks.
Shortly after, the Trainer suffered a crushing defeat, unable to overcome Medicham throughout the battle, while their own Pokémon fell one by one.
A Fighting-type Pokémon proficient in martial arts, seamlessly blending moves with combat techniques, is indeed terrifying.
However, Fighting-type Pokémon do have a weakness: Ghost-type Pokémon. Fighting moves cannot affect Ghost-types due to their ethereal nature.
Time passed, with Trainers taking turns challenging the Gym Leader. In the end, only one Trainer successfully earned a badge by defeating Medicham.
"Too overconfident! Just defeating Medicham with three Pokémon is enough to earn the badge?" Kalia wasn't pleased; instead, she felt it was a sign of disrespect from Gym Leader Takeshi towards them. Was there no one capable of overcoming his entire team?
Most Trainers aimed only to defeat Medicham and secure the badge, but this left Kalia feeling uneasy. For a Trainer, obtaining badges should never be the sole objective; they merely served as proof of achievement. The true priority lay in becoming stronger oneself.
These Trainers, content with defeating Medicham and securing their badges, reveled in their success without ever considering challenging Takeshi himself. Perhaps in their eyes, Takeshi had already reached mid-level Trainer status, making him an insurmountable opponent. As long as they could overcome Medicham, earning the badge seemed more than satisfactory.
"I'm going to defeat the Gym Leader's three Pokémon," Kalia clenched her fists firmly. Simply beating Medicham held little significance for her. If she couldn't conquer all of the Gym Leader's Pokémon, this challenge would lack purpose. Even if she obtained the badge, Kalia wouldn't accept it unless earned rightfully.