Chapter 113: Special Training

Ruby City, Steel Fire Mountain.

After breakfast, Kalia arrived at Steel Fire Mountain. With only one day available, she opted not to climb it but instead chose an area near its base.

The reason for visiting Steel Fire Mountain was due to the abundant fire energy present, making it highly suitable for training Fire-type Pokémon.

Lian voluntarily emerged from his Poké Ball and surveyed the surroundings. The rocks of Steel Fire Mountain had a reddish hue, and the dense fire energy felt quite comfortable to him.

In such an environment, combat would significantly benefit Fire-type Pokémon, accelerating their recovery of fire energy and enhancing the potency of their Fire-type moves.

Charcoal enhances the power of Fire-type moves precisely because it carries a large amount of fire energy, amplifying their effect. Naturally, being near a volcano has a similar impact.

However, the enhancement here is subtle; as one approaches the volcanic crater, the boost to Fire-type moves becomes stronger. In fact, when the concentration of fire energy reaches a certain level, it can even influence the weather.

"Charmeleon, let's conduct our special training right here," said Kalia as she released her other two Pokémon, Grovyle and Vulpix.

Grovyle struggled with this environment initially, but enduring it served as valuable training, fostering resilience and progress.

Vulpix, being a Fire-type Pokémon, also enjoyed this environment immensely, bounding around with great enthusiasm.

"Vulpix, Grovyle, practice your moves independently," Kalia instructed the two Pokémon. Neither Grovyle nor Vulpix had fully mastered their respective moves yet, making them unsuitable for participating in this specialized training session.

Grovyle's growth rate was already commendable, considering it had been only about two months since its evolution; however, Charmeleon's progress was exceptionally rapid.

Lian followed Kalia to another area, eagerly awaiting her explanation of the special training content.

"Charmeleon, can you simultaneously use Smokescreen and Will-O-Wisp?" Kalia asked, knowing that Charmeleon understood her commands.

Hearing this, Lian prepared to give it a try. Typically, executing multiple moves at once is not possible due to insufficient control over energy, allowing only seamless transitions between them.

However, with stronger energy mastery, one could multitask and release moves concurrently. For Lian currently, having just a 15% Flame Energy Control Rating and a 3% Normal Energy Control Rating, achieving this feat seemed quite challenging.

Lian attempted it but was unsuccessful.

After releasing Smokescreen, he couldn't simultaneously control fire energy to cast Will-O-Wisp. Instead, he had to release Smokescreen first and then follow with Will-O-Wisp separately.

"It seems too challenging," Kalia frowned, realizing she may have underestimated the difficulty of executing moves concurrently.

This wasn't surprising, as very few Pokemon could manage simultaneous move casting. Throughout her tenure as Gym Leader, Kalia had never encountered such a feat.

"Try again," suggested Kalia after some thought. "Release Smokescreen first, quickly followed by Will-O-Wisp, hiding the flames within the smoke." Since concurrent casting proved impossible, they needed to adapt their approach.

Will-O-Wisp is a crucial move, capable of weakening an opponent's attack strength. Ensuring its accuracy during battles would significantly aid against Pokemon with exceptional offensive capabilities.

Initially, Kalia planned for Lian to release both Smokescreen and Will-O-Wisp together, concealing the flames amidst the smoke, which would then attach to the opponent upon impact. However, this method was impractical, so they decided to modify the strategy: release Smokescreen first, then hide Will-O-Wisp within it, gradually approaching the opponent.

Lian first unleashed Smokescreen, generating thick billowing smoke, and immediately followed with Will-O-Wisp, concealing it within the dense black haze.

Normally, this wouldn't work, but Lian's Smokescreen was exceptionally dark and thick, making it nearly impossible to see inside, which made it perfect for hiding Will-O-Wisp.

"The speed of Will-O-Wisp is not fast enough." Kalia observed from the side. Although Will-O-Wisp successfully hid within the smoke, its slow speed remained the biggest drawback.

Lian's Will-O-Wisp had not yet reached its maximum potential; if he could enhance it further, it might become quicker and potentially develop unique effects.

Ideally, Will-O-Wisp can be released through the mouth, but due to its ethereal nature, unless at close range, it tends to lose momentum over distance, resulting in decreased speed.

Combining it with Smokescreen works well, but without simultaneous release, it becomes ineffective.

Instead of emitting Will-O-Wisp from the mouth, spontaneously conjuring it provides better concealment and increases the likelihood of catching opponents off guard when combined with Smokescreen.

"Never mind, I guess this is as far as we can go," Kalia shook her head, realizing she may have been too optimistic.

Kalia aimed for her opponent to fall victim within the shortest possible time, achieving true synergy between moves rather than just basic coordination.

There are numerous examples of move coordination, such as combining Light Screen with Recover, which forms a defensive strategy. Another instance is pairing Sunny Day with Fire-type moves, also considered move coordination.

Move synergy differs; it involves rapidly executing two distinct moves consecutively or simultaneously, allowing them to blend seamlessly, while the opponent barely has time to react.

"Charmeleon, keep practicing hiding Will-O-Wisp within Smokescreen. It's okay if you're slow at first, but focus on maintaining secrecy. Take your time and gradually improve," Kalia instructed.

Lian stood nearby, continuously releasing Smokescreen followed swiftly by Will-O-Wisp, ensuring the eerie flames were concealed within the dense black smoke.

This move combination had its drawbacks, primarily because it relied heavily on Smokescreen. If the opponent used moves like Gust, it could easily render this tactic ineffective.

While practicing, Lian pondered whether he could release Will-O-Wisp first and then Smokescreen, aiming to hide the flames before his opponent noticed.

However, once Will-O-Wisp is released, it appears as a cluster of eerie purple flames. For any normal Trainer with functioning eyesight, they would promptly spot it. Hence, using Smokescreen first remains advantageous.

Lian planned to experiment with these combinations tonight in the system space, aiming to find the optimal sequence. For now, he could only practice steadily.

After training for half a day, there was some improvement in synchronizing Smokescreen and Will-O-Wisp. However, due to insufficient proficiency with Will-O-Wisp, further progress was limited.

"Charmeleon, let's make a deal. From now on, whenever I say 'use Smokescreen,' immediately follow it with Will-O-Wisp after releasing the smoke, without needing a separate command. Can you understand?" Kalia suggested.

This concept was similar to Tanner's Zangoose during their battle; after Quick Attack, Nobu didn't need to give another command as Zangoose autonomously used Comeuppance.

It reflects the communication between Trainers and their Pokemon. When a strong bond is established, even without verbal commands, just thinking about a move can convey the intent to the Pokemon, enabling them to execute the appropriate attack.

"This afternoon, let's try quickly chaining Flamethrower with other moves."

With half a day remaining, Kalia decided to focus on specialized training for Charmeleon's Flamethrower technique.