Chapter 25: Natural Gift

As the referee announced the start of the match, Kalia and Gym Leader Mina sent out their chosen Pokémon.

Naturally, Kalia deployed Treecko, her primary combatant for this battle, while Mina countered with Cubone to face off against Treecko.

Cubone is a Ground-type Pokémon, sharing common traits with most Ground-types: high defense but slow speed.

Facing Cubone, Treecko held a significant advantage. With both Pokémon on the field, the battle officially commenced.

"Treecko, maintain distance and use Mega Drain," Kalia commanded promptly, leveraging Treecko's speed advantage without hesitation.

"Cubone, charge forward and use Headbutt." Mina issued her command almost simultaneously with Kalia.

However, as soon as she saw Treecko move, Mina was slightly taken aback—not because of anything else but Treecko's astonishing speed. This was her home turf, surrounded by sand, yet Treecko still managed such swiftness.

"This Treecko has remarkably high speed potential; this battle won't be easy."

One move from an expert reveals their skill level; Mina immediately recognized that Kalia was far superior to most novice Trainers. Just being able to raise this Treecko showcased her exceptional talent.

The speed disparity between Cubone and Treecko was significant. As Cubone began its charge, Treecko swiftly distanced itself, clearly avoiding close combat.

In the next moment, Treecko extended its arms, generating a powerful force that surged towards Cubone - it was using Mega Drain.

"Cubone, dodge!" With her extensive experience, Mina knew there were subtle signs preceding Mega Drain's long-range attack.

Unfortunately, Mina's warning came too late. The Mega Drain affected Cubone, causing nutrients within its body to form into beams of light, involuntarily drawn towards Treecko.

As these energy beams entered Treecko's body, they provided additional power. However, since Treecko was already at full health, much of this energy went wasted.

Cubone let out a pained sound. Being a Grass-type, it felt double the effect of losing energy due to Ground-type's advantage, making the experience visibly uncomfortable.

"Cubone, seize this opportunity while Treecko is using its move and attack!" Mina promptly commanded. With Treecko momentarily defenseless, it was the perfect moment for Cubone to strike, which must not be missed.

Despite being affected by Mega Drain, Cubone continued advancing towards Treecko. Upon hearing the order, it ignored the pain caused by the draining process and charged directly at Treecko.

If dealing with an ordinary Pokemon that paused to use a move, Cubone might have already closed the gap. However, the recent training had paid off; Treecko not only perfected Mega Drain but also significantly reduced its casting time.

As Cubone approached, Treecko ceased Mega Drain, swiftly distancing itself and preventing Cubone from getting too close.

Brilliant!

Lian took a bite of an energy cube, savoring it delightfully as he watched Treecko's impressive performance. The better Treecko performed, the higher tonight's combat rating would be, potentially accumulating a significant amount of Combat Points in one go.

Even though the consumption of Combat Points kept increasing, Lian could still utilize large amounts to steadily boost Treecko's special attack stat.

"Treecko, maintain distance and don't rush to attack," Kalia instructed while calculating the timing for Treecko's next Mega Drain move.

Two days were indeed too short, but even with that limited time, her training managed to reduce the interval between Treecko's Mega Drain attacks to ten seconds.

This highlighted how astonishing it was that Lian's Ember could be cast every two and a half seconds.

To shorten Treecko's Mega Drain cooldown to five seconds would require at least half a month of rigorous training, unless aided by special items.

For instance, a Miracle Seed, containing potent Grass-type energy, not only enhances Grass-type moves' power but also provides significant energy to Pokemon.

However, such items are extremely rare and costly, making them difficult to obtain.

Treecko steadily maintained its strategy, engaging in a game of cat-and-mouse with Cubone across the battlefield. Although the arena wasn't large, protruding rocks obstructed visibility around the edges. Consequently, Cubone often lost sight of Treecko, relying on Gym Leader Mina's cues.

Gradually, Cubone's energy was depleted by repeated Mega Drains and reached its limit.

Mina felt helpless; there was genuinely nothing she could do. Despite her extensive battle experience, Kalia held her own with comparable tactical prowess. Mina believed she had performed admirably under these circumstances.

However, Kalia outperformed her, or perhaps it was due to Treecko's exceptional speed. Although Cubone boasted high defense, its sluggishness made it seem rather clumsy.

Against other Pokemon, Mina would have confidently landed attacks, but facing such a swift opponent stretched her abilities thin.

Part of this stemmed from Cubone's low level, as most learned moves were close-range combat skills. If Cubone had mastered Bonemerang, it might not have been so vulnerable.

Unfortunately, there were no ifs in reality.

Both Mina and Kalia were taken aback. At this stage, Treecko should not possess such rapid speed, far exceeding Kalia's initial expectations.

The sudden surge in Treecko's agility allowed Kalia to skillfully command it, effortlessly evading each of Cubone's attacks step by step.

Had Treecko remained at its previous speed, the battle would not have been as effortless. Ultimately, Lian might have needed to switch Charmander onto the field, allowing Treecko some rest. Even with victory, both Pokemon likely would have sustained significant injuries.

However, there were no "ifs" in this situation.

In the end, Treecko effortlessly defeated Cubone. Although Treecko's tactics may have seemed rather cunning during the battle, intelligence and bravery are integral aspects of Pokemon combat. Exploiting one's strengths, avoiding weaknesses, and capitalizing on an opponent's vulnerabilities to secure victory also demonstrate skill.

Nice job!

Cubone's Stamina base stat, while not exceptionally high, is still considerable. Consequently, the reward for this battle should yield at least 400 Combat Points, equivalent to two days of Lian's usual efforts.

If Cubone had been of a higher level, Lian would have earned even more Combat Points. However, Mina's second Pokemon holds greater potential rewards. Phanpy has an exceptionally high Stamina base stat, so if Treecko can defeat it without taking damage, the combat rating could potentially surpass C-grade and reach B-grade.

Mina recalled her defeated Cubone back into its Poké Ball. As a Gym Leader, this was her first such defeat, but it only fueled her determination further.

"Phanpy, it's your turn now." Mina tossed another Poké Ball, and a blue Phanpy emerged onto the battlefield.

Kalia noticed a tree fruit hanging from Phanpy, which appeared to be a Cheri Berry known for curing Paralysis in Pokémon.

At first glance, it seemed unlikely to have much impact on the battle, but Kalia understood Mina's strategy. This Cheri Berry could be crucial in defeating Treecko.

"Treecko, use Mega Drain," Kalia commanded, initiating a standard offensive move.

"Phanpy, employ Natural Gift!" Mina swiftly issued her order, seizing her final chance to turn the tide.

The Natural Gift move transforms the power of a tree fruit into elemental energy, and although not classified as a special attack, it can be released without direct contact with the opponent.

After Phanpy activated Natural Gift with the Cheri Berry, it transformed into a Fire-type move. If it successfully hit Treecko, the resulting damage would be substantial, likely overwhelming for Treecko to withstand.

Kalia seemed well aware of this potential outcome. As soon as Mina gave her command, she alerted Treecko, "Treecko, dodge Natural Gift at full speed!"

When used effectively, Natural Gift can be incredibly powerful, but it can only be employed once in a battle due to each Pokemon carrying just one tree fruit, which is consumed upon use.

At this moment, all Treecko needed to do was evade Natural Gift, securing victory. Failing to dodge would significantly diminish its combat capabilities.

As Lian watched the battle unfold, he was startled when Phanpy unleashed Natural Gift.

By consuming a tree fruit, Natural Gift generates a highly potent move. Based on game mechanics, Lian's Ember had a base power of 40, so using the Cheri Berry for Natural Gift increased its power to 80.

An 80-power Fire-type move, if not dodged by Treecko, would likely render it incapacitated. In that case, Lian would have to step in against Phanpy, risking potential injuries himself.

With this move, today's combat rating is likely to plummet significantly, possibly even dropping to a D grade, which would be a substantial loss.

Upon receiving the command, Phanpy immediately unleashed Natural Gift. A glow emanated from the Cheri Berry around its neck, intensifying into a dazzling beam that swiftly headed towards Treecko's position.

Lian anxiously watched, hoping Treecko would dodge; otherwise, the hundreds of Combat Points spent would be wasted.

As the energy burst of Natural Gift approached, Treecko, having received Lian's instruction, couldn't afford to stand idly by.

It sensed the imminent threat from Natural Gift—the intense fiery power made its heart race with unease.

With a loud explosion, a surge of powerful flames erupted, scattering sand and debris everywhere. For a moment, it was unclear whether Treecko had managed to evade or not amidst the swirling dust.

However, Kalia's eyes lit up as she spotted Treecko moving through the haze. It was evident that Treecko had successfully dodged Natural Gift, as otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to remain standing.

Mina also noticed Treecko's silhouette within the dust, realizing that Natural Gift had missed its target.

Without any more long-range moves like Natural Gift available, winning against Treecko in close combat seemed virtually impossible.