Chapter 10: Breaking the Special Attack Limit

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With 382 Combat Points, following the ratio of five points for each ability point increase, Lian could potentially boost his abilities by a total of 76 points. If he allocated all these points to Special Attack, it would directly surpass two hundred, which is undeniably astonishing.

Considering Lian was only Level 6, as his level increases, he will become progressively stronger—just thinking about it gets him slightly excited.

Eagerly, Lian focused on his Special Attack ability value and raised his claw... furiously clicking the plus sign!

Click-click-click-click-click!

Feeling like a Gatling gun, Lian rapidly fired inputs, watching the Special Attack ability value jump swiftly.

142...152...162...172...

Next, Lian glanced at his remaining Combat Points, noticing they were decreasing just as quickly. Now they had dropped to...127?

Wait!

Something's not right!

Lian abruptly stopped, observing that his Special Attack ability now displayed 183, indicating a 41-point increase.

However, his Combat Points unexpectedly totaled only 127. That doesn't make sense; did the system swallow some points?

Regaining his composure, Lian surmised that ability values might not be infinitely upgradeable. Once reaching a certain threshold, it seems the cost of increasing abilities with Combat Points escalates.

That made sense.

In other words, from now on, each increment in Special Attack would consume more Combat Points. After some calculations, Lian discovered the new cost was 15 points per increase.

Originally, only 5 points were needed, but now to raise Special Attack by one point required 15 Combat Points. This change seemed less efficient for enhancing Special Attack; instead, allocating Combat Points to improve other ability values could potentially maximize their utilization.

It's possible that the system aimed to prevent him from excessively boosting his Special Attack output using Combat Points, thus increasing the consumption rate.

Alternatively, given Lian's current level, his Special Attack may have reached its limit. Further enhancements exceed his inherent potential, necessitating a higher expenditure of Combat Points.

Regardless of which possibility, Lian felt continuing to spend Combat Points on upgrading Special Attack...remained the best choice.

Lian preferred pushing things to extremes, focusing solely on Special Attack. It was all about having fun and embracing the extreme.

Why bother with balanced development when instantly defeating opponents is more thrilling? Without maximizing offensive power, what's the point of being a Charmander? A low health Charmander is when it truly shines.

Without hesitation, Lian continued clicking the plus sign for Special Attack, raising it directly to 191. Although he spent over a hundred Combat Points for just an increase of 8 points, Lian remained ecstatic.

With only 7 Combat Points left, he didn't want to waste them on other abilities and decided to save them until his next batch arrived.

The exhilarating experience of rapidly allocating points made Lian feel like cheating in a game, especially after boosting his Special Attack to 191 in one go. Now, his offensive capabilities were explosively powerful.

Lian felt invincible.

Of course, this was an illusion, but if faced against Nuzleaf again in a one-on-one battle, he could undoubtedly defeat it with two Ember moves.

Having nearly depleted his Combat Points, Lian chose not to linger in the system space any longer. With a thought, he returned to his sweet dreams.

As the morning sun rose, its first rays brought a gentle warmth.

Early summer mornings were pleasantly cool but quickly turned sweltering. However, Lian wasn't awakened by the heat; it was hunger that stirred him.

Having gone without food for an entire day, Lian felt close to fainting, his body aching and desperately craving nourishment.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he sensed some changes within himself, although he couldn't pinpoint exactly what they were.

Overwhelmed by hunger, Lian didn't dwell on it further. He continued camouflaging with vines, preparing to search for sustenance.

After wandering around for half a day, Lian indeed found something edible, not fruits or berries, but rather, spotted a travel bag.

The bag likely belonged to someone who seemed to have left temporarily, as no one was visible nearby.

Hiding behind a tree, Lian eyed the partially exposed sandwich inside the travel bag. He had a nagging feeling it might be a lure, causing him to hesitate.

Just as Lian was wavering, the owner of the travel bag returned - a young man wearing sunglasses. Holding a Poké Ball in hand, he approached the bag.

The man picked up his backpack, took a big bite of the sandwich, and headed towards the forest.

Lian felt a pang of regret, but the man had already walked far enough to lose any chance he might have had.

Determined not to give up, Lian decided to follow him, hoping for another opportunity to secure some food. After all, that large backpack likely contained plenty of delicious treats.

Stealthily trailing behind the man, Lian accompanied him to the edge of the forest where they entered through a hidden path.

This entrance was different from the one Lian initially emerged from. Before entering, the man released a Poké Ball, revealing a Normal-type Zigzagoon, which landed on the ground.

As Lian cautiously followed them into the forest, he discovered that the man had brought the Zigzagoon here for a picnic. He laid out various tasty foods on a prepared picnic blanket, sharing the meal with Zigzagoon.

"Zigzagoon, these treats are all for you. Make sure to train hard later," the man chatted while enjoying his drink, sandwich, and the company of Zigzagoon.

The Zigzagoon, known for its gluttonous nature, eagerly squealed and hopped beside the man, burying its head to devour the prepared food on the picnic blanket.

Watching from afar, Lian's mouth watered, feeling an urge to dash over, snatch some treats, and make a quick escape. However, he knew it would be too easy to get caught.

"Are you full yet?" The man finished his last bite of sandwich, wiped his mouth, and asked after swallowing.

"Alright then, let's begin. Today's goal is to practice Tackle one hundred times." He stood up, leaving the picnic blanket untouched, and guided the Zigzagoon to an open clearing nearby.

As Lian observed the man instructing Zigzagoon to repeatedly practice the Tackle move, he saw an opportunity - there were still some vegetable salads and cookies left on the blanket.

Stealthily approaching, Lian cautiously moved towards the picnic area, using tree cover to remain undetected by both the man and Zigzagoon.

Gurgle.

Suddenly, Lian's stomach loudly growled, drawing attention despite being close to the pair, ensuring they heard the sound.

Damn it!

Lian froze, nearly going insane as his stomach chose this precise moment to rumble loudly.

The man and Zigzagoon were immediately drawn towards Lian's direction. Despite being partially concealed by vines, at such close proximity, anyone could tell he was a wild Pokemon.

"A wild Tangela, perfect opportunity!"

It was unclear if the man had poor eyesight or simply lacked knowledge about Pokemon, but he mistook Lian for a Tangela.

"Zigzagoon, use Tackle on that wild Tangela!" The man pointed at the 'Tangela' before him, shouting commands for Zigzagoon to attack.

Wild Pokemon in this area were generally not very strong, making it ideal for novice Trainers to train their skills. However, due to the high number of people capturing Pokemon here, encountering a wild Pokemon had become increasingly rare.

Additionally, venturing deeper into the forest posed significant danger, so the man dared not take his Zigzagoon too far. Spotting a wild 'Tangela' now filled him with excitement; he couldn't pass up such a valuable training opportunity.

Caught!

As their eyes met, Lian instantly reacted, darting swiftly towards the picnic cloth and grabbing the cookies he had been eyeing all along.

Upon receiving its Trainer's command, the Zigzagoon swiftly charged forward. Well-practiced with the Tackle move, it aimed directly at the Tangela before it.

Lian hastily stuffed the cookie into his mouth, fully aware that the Zigzagoon was attacking him. However, he remained unfazed, knowing that even if this Zigzagoon practiced Tackle moves, allowing three strikes wouldn't be an issue.

Once satisfied, he planned to make a swift escape.

As the Zigzagoon approached Lian, it prepared to collide with him but noticed the tail of the 'Tangela' right behind.

Feeling the impact from the Zigzagoon, Lian only took a single step back, experiencing slight discomfort.

He quickly finished swallowing the cookie and grabbed the vegetable salad while casting a glance at the Zigzagoon, seemingly unaffected by the previous collision.

"Don't interrupt my meal; do you want a beating?" Lian yelled, hoping to intimidate the Zigzagoon. He had no desire to fight and intended to eat one more cookie before leaving.

However, seeing Lian consume its cookie enraged the Zigzagoon. Unfazed by Lian's threats, without waiting for further commands from its Trainer, it charged again.

The man also approached closer, finally getting a full view of the Pokemon. The blazing flames were unmistakably attention-grabbing.

"Is that not Tangela?" The man was both surprised and delighted, feeling as if he had discovered a new wild Pokémon. Clearly, the one before him was a Fire-type Pokémon, with the vines merely serving as camouflage.

The Zigzagoon charged angrily, infuriated by the audacious thief who dared to steal from it.

Lian, no longer holding back, unleashed a burst of Ember from his mouth. However, almost instantly, he regretted it, realizing he had forgotten about the bystanders nearby. Now, there was a high chance his true identity would be exposed.

A fiery ball shot out, striking the incoming Zigzagoon perfectly. With Lian's exceptionally high Special Attack, the Ember appeared significantly stronger, even momentarily halting the Zigzagoon's charge.

In the next moment, a large patch of the Zigzagoon's fur was singed, causing severe direct damage. It collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.

"Charmander!" The man finally recognized the move - Lian's fire-breathing matched exactly with the Charmander image in his mind, further confirmed by the flaming tail.

"How is this possible? A wild Charmander here?" The man was astonished, knowing well that Charmander is a highly renowned Fire-type Pokémon.

While Charmanders aren't rare, many populations thrive in the Ellie Region. However, they are not typically found in the Sebas Region.

Rarity adds value; Charmanders were scarce in the Sebas Region. With their gentle nature and immense potential to evolve into powerful Charizards, they became highly sought-after starter Pokémon for novice Trainers in this area.

In fact, numerous movies and TV shows in the Sebas Region featured Charmanders as main characters.

The status of a single Charmander in the Sebas Region was exceptionally high. Recently, there had been chaos when an organization captured a large number of Charmanders from the Ellie Region, prompting the local Charizard population to cross the sea in search of them.

Ultimately, it took intervention from the Pokemon League to recover those stolen Charmanders, allowing the Charizards to return to the Ellie Region without causing further disruption.

The man hastily pulled out his phone, aiming to capture an image of the Charmander. Although he didn't have any spare Poké Balls to catch it, sharing news about its sighting would undoubtedly garner him significant attention.

Click.

Hearing the sound, Lian turned and noticed the man's actions, fully aware of what he intended to do.

"Oh crap, busted! I've been photographed."

He must stop this guy at all costs; if the photo gets shared, hordes of Trainers will flock here, forcing Lian into constant evasion.