Chapter 140: Braviary

Lian felt the temporary surge of pure fire energy within his body. This additional fire energy could be fused with his moves, significantly enhancing their power.

For instance, when using Flamethrower, which normally deals 10 damage, by consuming this extra fire energy, it could deal 13 points of damage instead, acting as a one-time boost.

Moreover, this energy served as supplementary Fire-type fuel, allowing Lian to execute certain moves prematurely. He sensed that he could now directly perform Inferno, despite not officially learning it yet and the system not showing its availability. However, having practiced it hundreds or even thousands of times in the system space, he had become highly proficient. With confidence, he believed he could unleash Inferno, albeit just once for now.

Lian was intrigued by how the fire energy in the Fire Gem was generated. If he could master this process, it might accelerate his ability to precisely control energy.

For others, the Fire Gem's primary use was during battles as a one-time consumable item, making it quite expensive.

However, for Lian, its utility was significant. He could practice various moves within the system space and learn them prematurely. Although his personal capabilities had not yet reached the required level to execute these moves, with the Fire Gem, he could temporarily unleash them once.

Lian found a secluded spot and began meticulously observing the thread-like fire energy within his body. While his current Energy Control Rate wasn't sufficient to separate this energy, simply studying it would still be beneficial.

Comparing his observations, Lian felt that he needed at least a 40% Control Rating before attempting to extract such thread-like energy. Once achieved, he could then prematurely cast unlearned Fire-type moves. However, it would take some time, and each move could only be used once.

"Never mind, let's focus on finding Camerupt first."

After a brief moment, Lian resumed his search for solitary Camerupts. It proved challenging; there were many Numels around, but no trace of Camerupts. He estimated that he might need to venture further away.

***

At the edge of the mountain peak,

Kalia strained to gaze towards the volcano's mouth. The intense heat made her parched and caused continuous evaporation of moisture from her body.

"Let's forget it; we'll wait back down," Kalia said, feeling overwhelmed. Although concerned for Charmeleon, there was nothing she could do at this point. Her only hope now was that Charmeleon would return safely.

In hindsight, she wished she hadn't let Charmeleon go alone.

"Kalia, look!" Julian shouted from below, pointing towards the sky. In the distance, a flying-type Pokémon approached Steel Fire Mountain.

As it drew closer, they could clearly see the full form of the flying-type Pokémon—a Braviary. Additionally, beneath the Braviary, there was another figure visible.

The person seemed to be wearing a special garment with a circular ring on their back, which the Braviary had hooked onto its claws, carrying them both towards Steel Fire Mountain.

Upon closer inspection, Kalia noticed it was a short-haired boy, spreading his arms wide as if soaring alongside the Braviary. As the duo flew nearer, it appeared that the boy spotted Kalia and Julian from above.

The corner of the boy's mouth curled up, his eyes filled with arrogance and smugness as he flew overhead directly into the volcano's crater.

"What a jerk! His expression is just asking for a punch!" Julian felt annoyed; this cocky youngster seemed to invite trouble, making anyone want to teach him a lesson.

"Kalia, that Braviary indicates the boy must be quite powerful," Kalia observed, focusing more on the Braviary than the young man himself.

Braviary was not native to the Sebas region but rather from the Ellie Region, so possessing one was no small feat. The juvenile form, Rufflet, is known for its lengthy growth period, but once evolved into a Braviary, it becomes exceptionally strong.

This suggested that despite appearing close in age to Kalia, the boy might already have achieved Silver Star rank level 3 or possibly even Gold Star status.

***

"Can't find it anywhere. Looks like I won't be able to accumulate enough Combat Points today." Lian slumped onto the ground, frustrated after searching fruitlessly for hours. He had no idea where the Camerupt could have hidden.

"Forget it, let's head back. Maybe we can find a Trainer at the Pokémon Center; reaching one thousand Combat Points shouldn't be too difficult."

With that thought, Lian decided to return. Kalia must be anxious waiting for so long, and as for Julian's Charmeleon, it had visited several times already, so there was no need for concern.

Just then, Lian sensed something flying towards him from afar. Looking up, he spotted a Braviary approaching.

"Why is a Braviary here?" Lian found it peculiar but soon realized why when he noticed a figure beneath the bird—a Trainer clearly visible.

It seemed evident that this Trainer intended to visit Steel Fire Mountain to observe Heatran, as the Legendary Pokémon was the main attraction for Trainers in the area.

As Lian observed the Braviary, the bird also spotted him. With a sharp gaze, the Braviary swiftly dove towards the volcano's crater.

Initially dismissing it, Lian continued walking. However, he quickly realized something was amiss—the Braviary was rapidly heading straight for him, seemingly aiming to collide directly.

"Wild Charmeleon, lucky find! Braviary, use Wing Attack!"

The young Trainer above noticed the fiery red Charmeleon below, narrowing his eyes as if spotting prey.

Subsequently, he leaped from the air, and his specially designed clothing inflated during descent, significantly cushioning his fall.

Lian felt a surge of anger watching the diving Braviary. He was peacefully preparing to leave when suddenly, out of nowhere, a Trainer targeted him without any warning, immediately commanding their Pokemon to attack.

With its impressive speed, especially aided by the downward momentum, the Braviary charged towards Lian like a shooting star, seemingly leaving no chance for evasion.

Boom!

At the critical moment, Lian explosively sprang to the side, narrowly avoiding Braviary's Wing Attack.

As Braviary's wings struck the volcanic rocks on the ground, simultaneously, the young Trainer landed nearby.

His hand paused momentarily while reaching for a Poké Ball, taken aback that this Charmeleon had managed to dodge Braviary's Wing Attack.

Is this for real? Am I seeing things?

The young Trainer had striking features with short black hair and wore heat-resistant clothing. As he confirmed that Charmeleon genuinely evaded Braviary's Wing Attack, his eyes widened in astonishment.

To him, dodging such an attack seemed as unlikely as winning the lottery, yet it happened.

"Pure luck," the youth muttered to himself.

He then turned towards Lian and commanded, "Braviary, use Wing Attack again, defeat the Charmeleon."

However, just as the command was issued, Lian unleashed his move. With Braviary already attacking, there was no way Lian wouldn't counter. He had been prepared to respond even before Braviary swooped down.

Strike first to gain advantage; the opponent had made their move, clearly mistaking him for a wild Pokemon. At this moment, showing any mercy would be unwise. The priority was to defeat the opponent swiftly.

Lian wasn't worried about being captured, but if he fell unconscious, Kalia couldn't enter to help, which could lead to complications. Being taken away by this young Trainer would pose problems, given the uncertainty of who they might be. In an instant, Lian decided to quickly overpower Braviary.