Chapter 26: One Thousand Four Hundred Combat Points

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******

Lian put down the energy cube and sighed with relief upon seeing Treecko's appearance.

Fantastic!

This battle was now secure. Phanpy's speed is quite slow; even if its level were significantly higher than Treecko's, it would still be sluggish, only slightly faster than Cubone.

With Natural Gift failing to defeat Treecko, Phanpy had no chance left. As long as Kalia maintained control without taking unnecessary risks, she could effortlessly defeat Phanpy once again, securing victory.

Kalia possessed extensive combat experience, unlike passionate novice Trainers seeking thrilling battles. Her primary objective was simply winning, nothing more complex.

For her, challenging red-star Gyms offered no real growth opportunity. As a former Gym Leader herself, her battle expertise surpassed even Mina's; all she needed was another badge.

As time passed, Phanpy weakened under Mega Drain, nearing defeat. Mina realized that Kalia was not an ordinary Trainer due to her impressive display of skill.

Several times, Mina saw opportunities for Phanpy to close the gap with Treecko, but Kalia's commands consistently thwarted them. This keen observation and decisiveness were qualities even Mina lacked.

Although Mina was a high-ranking graduate from the Ruby Emerald Pokemon Academy, she had only recently completed her studies. Honestly, since becoming a Gym Leader, she hadn't encountered such intense battles before; most new Trainers couldn't match Kalia's prowess.

Finally, Phanpy's last bit of energy was drained, and it collapsed, unconscious and unable to continue fighting.

"Phanpy is unable to battle. The winner of this match is Trainer Kalia!"

With the referee's final verdict, the gym battle concluded with Kalia's victory. Gym Leader Mina recalled Phanpy and calmly approached Kalia.

"You're quite exceptional. Are you really a newcomer?" Mina asked, genuinely curious about Kalia's true identity.

Despite losing, Mina acknowledged that Kalia's skills surpassed hers, not just due to the difference in Pokémon but also between their levels as Trainers.

Mina felt no disappointment, knowing well that after years as a Trainer, her actual strength far exceeded what was displayed during these gym battles. Cubone and Phanpy were merely her guardian Pokémon for the gym.

Kalia nodded but hesitated to delve into her past. She simply informed Mina that she was indeed not a new Trainer; however, due to certain reasons, she had decided to start anew from red-star Gyms, gradually working her way up to earn eligibility for the League Competition.

Mina admired Kalia's courage, as not everyone could abandon their high-level Pokémon and begin afresh. Moreover, starting from a red-star Gym and progressing through each level to challenge the strongest golden-star Gym, collecting all eight badges, and ultimately qualifying for the League Competition was no easy feat.

In fact, it was incredibly challenging. Each time the League Competition commenced, fewer than thirty Trainers typically participated, with some spots even reserved by the League itself.

"Since you've defeated me, this Firm Earth Badge belongs to you now." Mina handed over a circular, earth-toned badge—the Firm Earth Badge of Kana City Gym.

"Thank you." Kalia solemnly accepted the badge, understanding that each badge symbolized a Gym Leader's recognition of a Trainer's strength. Although the Firm Earth Badge is only a red-star badge, it marked a significant step closer to challenging Rhine City Gym.

With this, the battle at Kana City Gym officially concluded.

***

Back at the hotel,

Lian noticed Treecko's ego had inflated even more after the gym battle, as it immediately challenged him to a fight.

However, Lian couldn't agree just yet. The day's combat rating results were not finalized, and once they were released, he would ensure Treecko questioned its existence during tomorrow's training session.

Lian eagerly anticipated this gym battle's combat rating. His investment in Treecko seemed justified, but moving forward, he decided against further enhancing its strength.

The ungrateful creature, with only a slight increase in speed ability points, already became arrogant enough to challenge him today. If Lian continued upgrading it, who knows how insufferable it might become next time?

At midnight, Lian entered the system space and promptly checked the day's combat rating.

In the following moment, he nearly exclaimed aloud, though doing so wouldn't have mattered much.

He quickly skipped over the Pokemon data; there was nothing particularly interesting about it. Still Level 8, no changes—what truly mattered was the combat rating.

Combat Rating: B-

Level Difference Reward: 103

Racial Difference Reward: 3

Ability Difference Reward: 76

Output Difference Reward: 960

Outputs: Charmander (0), Treecko (960), Cubone (0), Phanpy (0)

Victory: Kalia

Combat Reward Settlement: 1,142 points

Total Combat Points: 1,407

This time, Lian achieved a remarkable B- combat rating, earning him over a thousand Combat Points. Adding these to his accumulated points from the past two days, he now had a total of 1,407 Combat Points.

Undoubtedly, this was the highest single reward of Combat Points Lian had ever received. With such a significant amount, he could substantially enhance his strength, making it effortless to dominate Treecko tomorrow.

However, what surprised Lian was the Level Difference Bonus totaling 103 Combat Points, which seemed unusual.

Considering Cubone's and Phanpy's levels—Cubone at level 17 and Phanpy at level 15—their combined levels were thirteen levels higher than those of Lian and Treecko.

It appeared that once the level difference exceeded ten, the Combat Point bonus increased significantly; otherwise, there would be no reason for the system to specifically award 103 Combat Points.

This suggests that if the level difference surpasses twenty levels, the bonus would be 200 Combat Points, following a similar pattern where each additional ten-level gap increases the Combat Point reward progressively.

Although Lian couldn't confirm this with certainty, it seemed highly likely. After all, errors in the system are rare, and if indeed it was a mistake, he'd have gained an extra 90 Combat Points unexpectedly.

The Racial Difference reward, unusually, did not deduct Combat Points. This was because both Cubone and Phanpy had base stats above 300, with Cubone even boasting a remarkable 330.

Lastly, the Ability Difference reward was also decent at over seventy points. The highest reward came from Output Difference, totaling nine hundred sixty points, as Treecko defeated two Pokemon without sustaining any damage.

Lian checked his stats: Special Attack Attribute remained at 260. Although he hadn't yet reached level nine over these past two days, it felt close, anticipating that battling Treecko tomorrow would finally get him there.

"First, let's increase my speed."

With a battle against Treecko scheduled for tomorrow, Lian knew he needed to boost his speed. Relying solely on his current one-hundred-plus speed wouldn't be enough against a level eleven Treecko with a Speed Ability of 307; he couldn't afford to take chances.

In this upcoming fight, he aimed to firmly establish his dominance over Treecko.

Glancing at his Speed Ability, currently at a pitiful 154, considering Lian's level, it wasn't particularly slow. However, compared to Cubone, who stood at level seventeen with a Speed Ability of 169, Lian fell short.

It's simply too slow.

Previously, when Lian focused on extreme special attack training, he had considered speed as well. However, feeling his own speed was adequate, he prioritized enhancing his special attack abilities.

But now it became apparent that his current speed is indeed lacking. Lian had already planned to improve his velocity, especially after noticing the Combat Point cost for upgrading special attack increased to sixty points just days ago.

"Firstly, let's boost my speed above two hundred."

To enhance his speed, it must not significantly lag behind Treecko's pace. Lian is determined to break through his speed barrier.

With practiced ease, he taps open the Speed Ability interface and starts clicking the plus sign while closely monitoring the Combat Point consumption.

154... 164... 174... 184...

The Combat Points rapidly deplete as the Speed Ability swiftly increases, quickly surpassing two hundred. Interestingly, the Combat Point consumption has not yet escalated, allowing Lian to continue upgrading.

Finally, when Lian reaches a Speed Ability value of 230, the Combat Point consumption suddenly jumps to fifteen points.

This indicates that the speed limit at Level 8 for Lian is approximately around 229, requiring additional Combat Points for further enhancement.

At this point, Lian had only 1017 Combat Points remaining, indicating that the recent upgrades consumed 390 points.

Although reaching over two hundred speed seemed significant, it was still relatively slow, especially compared to Treecko's capabilities. Lian needed to further enhance his Speed Ability Value.

The subsequent Combat Point expenditure increased even more, but Lian was mentally prepared; after all, Combat Points were meant for improving strength.

Now, Lian began to discern some patterns. He continued upgrading his Speed Ability until it reached 245, at which point he paused.

If Lian's prediction was correct, any further increase would require consuming 30 Combat Points, based on the trend observed with Special Attack Attribute consumption.

With a Speed Ability of 245, Lian hesitated, considering the remaining 792 Combat Points.

At this moment, Lian's potential speed had already surpassed Treecko's, as he could break through base stat limits while Treecko could not. The only reason he appeared slower currently was due to his lower level.

Based on base stats alone, Treecko's maximum speed base stat was seventy, whereas Lian now stood at seventy-five.

Once Lian reached the same level as Treecko, his speed ability would undoubtedly surpass it.

Should he continue using Combat Points to enhance his speed? After some deliberation, Lian decided to proceed. If not now, he'd still need to boost it eventually.

As the levels progress, upgrading the Special Attack Attribute becomes increasingly costly. Without comparable high-speed capabilities, faster Pokemon could still land attacks first.

Having sufficient speed ensures that Lian can strike first, combined with explosive special attack output, potentially defeating opponents in one hit. This maximizes the combat rating increase.

Experiencing these benefits firsthand, Lian realized that engaging in Trainer battles is key to accumulating more Combat Points. Continuously enhancing Treecko's abilities alone would be counterproductive.

After calculating, Lian increased his Speed Ability to 261. Further enhancement would require consuming 60 additional points, leaving him insufficient Combat Points for boosting Special Attack.

Now, he had a meager 312 Combat Points left. Upgrading the Speed Ability from 245 to 261 consumed a staggering 480 Combat Points, making Lian slightly regretful.