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With Froslass's defeat, Kalia emerged victorious amidst the silent spectators. Her win against the eleventh-ranked Cassia demonstrated her strength, proving at least she deserved to be considered as external support.
However, most observers believed that Cassia's overconfidence played a significant role; otherwise, Cassia would have likely triumphed over Kalia. Consequently, they assessed Kalia's abilities to be average within the mid-level class, still far from matching the top ten.
Kalia looked at Cassia and the other students, asking, "Since I won, do I now have the right to stay?"
Cassia remained silent, and so did the rest of the group. Haley spoke first, "Although luck was involved, you did defeat Cassia. I acknowledge your capabilities."
Kalia nodded slightly. As the strongest among them, Haley's acknowledgment meant there were no further issues. She could now smoothly remain and participate in the competition two days from now.
"What is the format for this tournament?" Kalia inquired. Having secured her place, it was time to prepare for the upcoming event.
Kalia aimed to reach the final rounds, allowing her to battle against the top ten students and accelerate her Pokemon's growth.
"The mid-level class competition involves over a hundred participants. Our Sebas region has around fifty students, and so does the Ellie Region," Haley explained. "The first round consists of individual elimination matches between competitors from both regions."
"After the eliminations, about fifty contestants advance to the second round: a wilderness-based ranking tournament. Participants randomly draw opponents for battles. Winning earns one point, while losing twice without scoring any points leads to immediate elimination. The final standings are determined by total points earned."
"However, it's not over yet. The last round is a challenge phase. Lower-ranked students can challenge higher-ranked ones; if they lose, they cannot continue challenging, but winning allows them to swap ranks and proceed to challenge even higher-ranked students. This continues until the top ten are selected, marking the end of the competition."
Listening to Haley's explanation, Kalia grasped that the contest comprised three rounds: elimination, ranking, and challenges.
Kalia felt confident about passing the first elimination round since she only needed to win once. However, the key challenge was the second ranking round with its random matchups and multiple battles. If unlucky enough to face a top-ten student early on, she could risk being eliminated.
With a clear understanding of the competition format, Kalia joined the training sessions alongside other students. The focus was primarily on practicing moves and engaging in battles to accelerate her Pokemon's growth. At the academy, there was no concern for potential injuries, as the training grounds had facilities to fully restore Pokemon.
Training can be monotonous, but for Kalia, battling against fellow academy students provided valuable learning opportunities.
For instance, she gained insights into type resistances and weaknesses. Students at the Pokemon Academy undergo systematic education in these areas, achieving a deep understanding.
Kalia discovered that even some lesser-known facts, which she was unaware of, were effectively applied by these students during battles, greatly enhancing her knowledge.
Lian also actively participated in every battle. His current level was still too low compared to the Pokemon here, most being above Level 30 and often in their highest evolved forms.
To rapidly increase his level, not only did he need frequent battles, but engaging with Pokemon having high base stats would also prove beneficial.
He had already utilized today's combat rating during the battle with Cassia earlier. Lian anticipated earning significant Combat Points, considering mid-level class students typically have three Pokemon each.
***
The training atmosphere among students was exceptional. Kalia found that battling each of them provided valuable insights, as every student's Pokemon team had been meticulously researched by the academy. These teams showcased effective synergies between Pokemon and coordinated moves.
After dinner, Kalia returned to the accommodation arranged by Axel, feeling somewhat weary from a full day of training. She planned to rest for a bit.
Lian voluntarily emerged from his Poké Ball, recognizing the upcoming Pokémon tournament in a few days as an excellent opportunity. He aimed to excel not only to earn more Combat Points but also to accelerate his leveling process.
The elimination rounds held little interest; each participant would have just one battle, advancing if victorious. Lian focused on the second round, the ranking matches, where multiple battles per individual were possible due to its round-robin format.
If he could secure several wins in the second round, defeating three opponent Pokémon each time, Lian estimated he could swiftly reach Level 29.
To prepare for the ranking matches, Lian decided it was time to learn the move stored on the Move Disk Kalia had purchased earlier. With battles taking place outdoors, this seemed like an ideal opportunity to utilize it.
The Weather Ball move adapts its type and power based on weather conditions. As battles in the wilderness would undoubtedly be influenced by the environment, this skill could prove highly advantageous.
Lian retrieved the Weather Ball Move Disk from Kalia's backpack. It was evident that the Pokemon Academy had substantial resources; even basic rooms were equipped with disc players, making it convenient to watch the tutorial.
Kalia, busy exercising, paid no attention to Charmeleon's actions and continued her workout undisturbed.
Carefully, Lian inserted the Move Disk into the player, pressed play, and began watching the demonstration of Weather Ball.
This was his first time viewing the Weather Ball Move Disk, but he felt confident about mastering it tonight. After all, Weather Ball isn't considered a particularly challenging move.
After watching the video more than twenty times, Lian paused, sensing signs that he might have grasped it. He decided to check what the system said later that night. For now, it was time to sleep. Turning off the player, Lian entered his Poké Ball.
Later at night...
Upon entering the system space, Lian checked today's combat rating score and noticed a significantly high reward, reaching approximately 2,600 Combat Points.
Cassia's Pokemon did not have exceptionally high Physical Ability Values. Considering the combined efforts of all three, minus Ninetales' contribution, achieving around 2,600 Combat Points was quite impressive.
During the day, Lian observed several students with Pokemon possessing remarkably high Stamina values, such as Chanseys and Miltanks.
In this competition, encountering Pokemon with exceptionally high Stamina values was highly likely, but it would depend on luck. Ideally, facing such opponents early in the tournament would be advantageous.
Lian checked his current total Combat Points. Despite the incident on the ship where he didn't defeat Staraptor, he ensured not to waste any combat rating points. Eventually, at the ship's battlefield, he casually challenged another Trainer and earned over a thousand Combat Points.
As a result, his current Combat Points stood at 4,276, which was still commendable.
Lian decided against hastily increasing his Control Rating, as there wouldn't be much improvement at this stage. Instead, upgrading ability values required fewer Combat Points, allowing for more enhancements.
"Let's increase my defense," Lian decided. Currently, he wasn't concerned about Water- and Rock-types but feared Ground-types. Encountering a Ground-type Pokémon would highlight the importance of his defensive capabilities.
If Lian couldn't instantly defeat a Ground-type Pokémon, being able to withstand its attacks would give him a chance to counter effectively.
With only 750 points in defense currently, Lian calculated that with over four thousand Combat Points, it was enough to maximize his defense ability value to +30.
He opened the plus sign next to the defense ability value and skillfully started tapping, increasing his defense.
750...760...770...
At level 28, each additional 10 base stat points typically required raising the corresponding ability by 56 points. When Lian reached 806 defense points, it indicated he had achieved the maximum limit of +30 for defense.
This upgrade cost him 3,360 Combat Points. Compared to enhancing Special Attack or Energy Control, which often consumed thousands to tens of thousands of Combat Points, improving other abilities proved much more economical.
With 916 Combat Points remaining, Lian looked at the moves section, eager to check if Weather Ball had been learned.