Lian immediately stepped out of the sunlight's range, as the Solar Power side effect was becoming uncomfortable. He couldn't continue exposing himself to direct sun until the Sunny Day weather subsides and returns to normal.
The activation of Solar Power occurs with the first use of a move, subsequently causing continuous discomfort due to its side effects until Sunny Day dissipates.
Lian felt a growing anticipation; combining Weather Ball with Flamethrower would undoubtedly be his strongest attack so far. Once unleashed, it could likely defeat any non-Fire-type resistant Pokémon.
Kalia was thrilled, knowing that Ninetales' Drought Ability would significantly impact future battles. The Sunny Day condition created by Drought has various special effects, such as weakening Water-type moves, strengthening Fire-type moves, eliminating the need for charging Solar Beam, and preventing freezing, among others.
In summary, Sunny Day greatly enhances Fire-type Pokémon, and Kalia had long wanted to purchase a Move Disk for Sunny Day but never managed to find one. Now, with Ninetales' Drought Ability, there was no longer a need, saving her some Alliance Coins.
"Charmeleon, practice your Weather Ball more," Kalia instructed, turning towards Lian. With the Drought Ability, Weather Ball becomes highly significant, serving as a trump card.
Lian nodded in agreement. Practicing Weather Ball was indeed essential. With Ninetales' Drought, Weather Ball would become his ultimate move, crucial for defeating stronger Pokémon and earning more Combat Points in the future. It would heavily rely on the combination of Weather Ball and Flamethrower.
***
As Kalia continued directing the Pokemon's training, more students gradually entered the training grounds. However, she noticed they were not from Haley's group but rather trainees from the Ellie Region.
At the Ruby Pokémon Academy, there were distinct differences between students from the Ellie and Sebas regions. Firstly, their uniforms varied; Ellie Region students wore darker navy blue attire, while those from Sebas had lighter shades.
Secondly, Ellie Region students sported a unique badge on their chests featuring the iconic Legendary Pokémon of their region, Rayquaza.
Rayquaza is the most renowned Legendary Pokémon of the Ellie Region, rumored to reside within the ozone layer, considered as one of the strongest Legendaries.
Tensions between Ellie and Sebas region students have always been high, yet the academy does not intervene, recognizing this rivalry fosters healthy competition and encourages growth among both regional groups.
Competition drives improvement.
As the Ellie Region students arrived at the training ground, pupils from the Sebas Region also appeared, all belonging to the mid-level classes. This particular training ground was exclusively designated for mid-level students.
Haley led the way, clearly recognized as the head of the Sebas Region students, with others following closely behind her.
"Haley, how's your preparation going? Don't even aim for third place this time," chuckled the leading student from the Ellie Region.
Haley, known for her fiery temper, retorted loudly, "Charlie, care to have a battle right now and see if I can beat you effortlessly?"
"Still dreaming of beating me? You'll find out my true strength during tomorrow's competition," Charlie laughed dismissively, showing no interest in battling Haley.
"Hmph, just a coward hiding behind words," Haley responded fearlessly. Although Charlie had secured second place last time, she believed it was merely due to luck; her actual abilities far surpassed his.
Charlie likely feared losing face by potentially being defeated by her. In the previous academy tournament, Haley had underestimated the top contender's strength, aiming for first place but ending up only securing third. Had she challenged the second-place holder instead, she could have at least achieved that position.
"Where are your external recruits? Heard most fled due to their weakness, leaving you with just one?" Charlie shifted the topic.
Haley snorted; truthfully, she felt they didn't need any external help at all. If not for Teacher Axel's intervention, preventing her from taking action, Kalia would have been driven away long ago.
"You mean her? With such weak Pokemon, I heard even Cassia lost to her yesterday—ha ha." Charlie glanced towards Kalia, noticing her three Pokemon, and burst out laughing.
"Teacher Harvey also secured two outsiders for your team. Why not have a match? They might be even weaker than our recruits," Haley suggested.
Although Cassia had underestimated her opponent yesterday, during subsequent training sessions, Haley observed that Kalia's strength was quite impressive. The apparent weakness stemmed from having only two non-final evolved Pokemon.
If the Ellie Region's outsiders underestimate Kalia, they could face a crushing defeat, providing ample opportunity to mock Charlie afterward - a delightful prospect indeed.
"I'd like to see a match too, just to witness your outsiders getting defeated. Too bad, though; they're not here right now," Charlie expressed with a hint of disappointment.
"Well then, we'll meet tomorrow at the competition. This time, I won't take anyone lightly - first place is mine," Haley declared confidently.
"You excel at dreaming..." Charlie muttered under his breath.
Kalia paid no heed to the conflicts between regional students; she was merely an ordinary Trainer with no intention of staying at the Pokemon Academy. These disputes held no relevance for her.
Her goal in this tournament was simply to give her best and achieve a respectable ranking. It was a rare opportunity to battle against top students from the academy, so all she needed to do was patiently await the start of tomorrow's competition.
***
"Kalia, has your Charmeleon consumed an Everstone?" asked a female student curiously after being defeated by Kalia.
Although Kalia was not particularly talkative, she had a pleasant demeanor. Responding to the question, she shook her head, "No."
"How is it so powerful then? Normally, such a strong Charmeleon would have already evolved," the female student wondered aloud. During their battle, she felt that even many Charizards might not match up to this Charmeleon.
Kalia didn't quite know how to answer, as she too was curious about the reason behind its strength. However, regardless of the explanation, having a formidable Pokemon like her Charmeleon was undoubtedly beneficial.
"After the competition, do you plan to stay at the academy?" the female student inquired. Typically, external participants were selected by teachers from outside sources, often promising Trainers with potential.
Several students in the mid-level class were former trainers who participated in competitions and chose to remain at the academy afterward. It was rare for any Trainer to decline joining the prestigious Ruby Pokémon Academy.
"I don't think I'll stay. My goal is to challenge gyms along the way and eventually compete in the League Competition," Kalia replied, shaking her head to indicate her intention not to remain.
"Not staying?"
"Nope."
As they trained and chatted, time swiftly passed, quickly turning into evening.
With the competition tomorrow, Kalia went to bed early to ensure she had adequate rest and maintained optimal mental focus for the upcoming day. She felt a mix of anticipation and excitement about battling against the academy's top students.
Lian had already retreated into his Poké Ball to sleep. His luck today was quite good; despite being his first battle with new trainers, their Pokémon were decent. Since it was just a regular practical training session, neither side went all out, allowing Lian to win effortlessly.
In the middle of the night, Lian entered system space. With the competition looming, he hadn't managed to increase Weather Ball's proficiency yesterday. Now armed with fresh Combat Points from today's battles, it was time to enhance it.
Today's Combat Points significantly exceeded yesterday's total, thanks to encountering a Musharna with impressive Stamina base stat values—a stroke of luck.
Although Musharnas are rare, one must remember that this is the Ruby Pokémon Academy, backed by the might of the Pokémon League. Even Pseudo-legendary younglings can be found here, let alone Musharnas.
Currently, Lian's Combat Points once again surpassed three thousand, reaching 3,563 points.
Despite not hitting the exact target of 3,360 Combat Points, Lian wasn't disappointed. He knew enhancing Weather Ball's proficiency was crucial, which would promptly consume five hundred Combat Points.
Apart from improving Weather Ball's proficiency, Lian also planned to upgrade Explosive Power slightly, as it had been a while since its last enhancement.