Pokemon Battle System: I Reincarnated As A Charmander

Five thousand Combat Points seemed substantial at first glance, but Lian anticipated that using all of them to maximize his Special Attack Attribute to +40 would leave very little remaining.

He started by focusing on the Attack Attribute. Due to limited Combat Points earlier, although he had significantly increased it, it hadn't yet reached its maximum potential.

Currently, he needed 24 more points to reach the Attack Attribute's limit. Therefore, Lian decided to prioritize enhancing his attack capabilities first.

After spending 120 Combat Points, the Attack Attribute rose from 303 to 327. The number behind the Attack Attribute no longer displayed as digits but changed to the word "Max."

Lian looked with satisfaction at the Maxed Attack Attribute. Although not obsessively perfectionistic, achieving this felt immensely rewarding.

"Next is the Special Attack Attribute."

The current Special Attack Attribute stood at 438 points. Now, increasing it by just one point required 120 Combat Points, which was considerably high. This increase affected not only the ability value but also the base stat.

Initially, Lian planned to spend 480 points incrementally across six upgrades. However, it appears things were different due to leveling up, as ability increases now depended on the base stats.

With increased base stats, each level-up would result in greater ability value growth. Previously, Lian only needed around two thousand Combat Points to reach the maximum +40 for Special Attack Attribute. However, now to achieve the same limit of +40, he requires significantly more Combat Points compared to when he was at Level 12.

It seems the System imposes this restriction: as levels increase, upgrading the same amount of base stats consumes more Combat Points.

Nevertheless, Lian doesn't mind. Despite the limitation, he intends to enhance his Special Attack Ability further. If not now, then certainly once his level increases, he will still need to upgrade it eventually.

In the end, Lian spends 2880 Combat Points, raising his Special Attack Attribute from 438 points to 462 points. Consequently, the "+31.7" also changes to "+40." To continue increasing beyond this point, each additional point will cost 240 Combat Points.

Currently, Lian has 2004 Combat Points remaining, enough to keep enhancing, but he decides against further boosting his Special Attack. Instead, he plans to accumulate sufficient Combat Points and upgrade it directly to the maximum +50 next time.

Lian turns his attention to the Speed Ability. Interestingly, his initial speed base stat was superior to his initial Special Attack base stat; however, due to focusing on enhancing Special Attack previously, his Speed Ability is considerably lower than his Special Attack.

With two thousand Combat Points remaining, he decided to enhance his Speed Ability.

Currently at 420 points, Lian clicked on the plus sign to increase his Speed Ability.

420...422...424...

21...22...23...

The Speed Ability steadily rose, along with the corresponding limit increment from +20 towards higher values. Lian stopped when it reached Limit +30.

Now, his Speed Ability stood at 448, indicating an overall increase of 28 points and consuming 1680 Combat Points.

His initial five thousand Combat Points rapidly dwindled, leaving him with only 324 Combat Points, roughly equivalent to the reward for one ordinary battle's combat rating.

"Still have over three hundred left; I'll save them for now." Lian didn't use all the points, as even if applied to skill proficiency, it wouldn't be enough to reach Limit Proficiency. He planned to wait until accumulating more Combat Points before considering further skill enhancements.

There wasn't much else to do at this point, so Lian exited the System space. This upgrade was significant, and he felt that once Pikachu evolved, there would be a remarkable leap in potential.

***

With only seven days remaining until the Extreme Speed Conference, participating Trainers were diligently training their Pokemon's speed, hoping to stand out during the event.

However, due to the presence of the Pokemon trafficking gang, many Trainers feared letting their Pokemon out of sight and avoided training in the wilderness.

Fortunately, Falcon City had made significant progress in locating the gang's hideout, thanks to information obtained from the masked man.

The crime of Pokemon trafficking was severe, and the Pokemon League imposed strict penalties on those involved. Fearing harsh consequences, the masked man eventually revealed the group's whereabouts.

Three days later, Falcon City's investigators discovered the underground entrance, conducted a thorough search, and ultimately apprehended the gang members. In the process, they also recovered most of the missing Pokemon.

This news brought joyous celebrations among Falcon City's Trainers, as many were reunited with their Pokemon, shedding tears of happiness.

Unfortunately, when Julian's Charmeleon was found, it suffered severe psychological trauma. Even the doctors at the Pokemon Center could not fully heal its emotional wounds.

To treat Charmeleon's condition, they would need to visit a Pokemon Center in a major city where higher-level Pokemon could use Heal Bell technique. Falcon City's Pokemon Center lacked this capability.

However, few Pokemon can learn Heal Bell, let alone at such high levels. Reaching a large city would require traveling through Pearl City's port and purchasing a ship ticket, making it quite challenging.

Currently, Charmeleon appeared normal, but its tail flame was exceptionally weak, almost on the verge of extinguishing. This indicated a psychological ailment; the weaker the tail flame, the poorer Charmeleon's mental state.

Julian felt anxious. Although Charmeleon could still train regularly, it had lost its previous fighting spirit, even executing moves with noticeable lethargy.

"What should I do?" Julian asked, feeling truly helpless. He had registered for the Extreme Speed Conference, intending to compete with Charmeleon, but given its current state, participating seemed futile.

Apart from the Extreme Speed Conference, Julian had also planned to challenge the Flying Type Gym. However, leaving immediately for another city to treat Charmeleon's psychological issues would be financially challenging due to the cost of boat travel alone.

"If only I could win the prize money from the Extreme Speed Conference," Julian lamented dejectedly. His family was not well-off, and training both Teddiursa and Charmeleon already strained their resources significantly.

"I think you should prioritize treating Charmeleon's condition first. Mental health issues in Pokemon must not be delayed; otherwise, they can become permanent over time," Kalia advised. Pokemon possess intelligence, so just like humans, they can suffer from mental health disorders. However, most Pokemon tend to have simpler and more optimistic natures, making them less prone to such problems.

Nevertheless, if any issue arises and is not promptly addressed, it can leave lasting negative impacts, potentially affecting the Pokemon's overall development.

"But I don't have that kind of money. Even reaching the nearest big city requires taking a boat from Pearl City, which is too expensive."

Kalia hesitated slightly. She believed that addressing a Pokemon's mental health should be prioritized without delay, but she had overlooked Julian's financial constraints, recognizing he didn't have the means to afford such expenses.

If it were Kalia, she would prioritize healing the Pokemon first and then return to Falcon City, which would merely require purchasing two S.S. Tickets. However, for Julian, he couldn't afford the cost of those tickets.

"How much do you need? I can lend it to you," Kalia considered briefly. In reality, the ship tickets weren't expensive; two tickets combined would only cost around 10,000 Pokédollars. She decided to assist Julian.

Julian had both Charmeleon and Teddiursa, both with considerable potential. Even if they didn't become high-level Pokémon, reaching mid-level capabilities should not be an issue.

A mid-level Trainer is just enough to potentially serve as a Silver Star Gym Leader, albeit barely so. Every Silver Star Gym Leader must at least be a mid-level or higher Trainer.

This was also why Kalia lost her position as Gym Leader - although she possessed Gym Leader-level Pokémon, her own battling skills did not match up.

"Thanks, but no. I'm planning to have my Charmeleon participate in the Extreme Speed Conference and see how it goes." Julian declined the offer. With no other options available, he didn't want to accept money from Kalia. Despite knowing that Charmeleon's chances in the Extreme Speed Conference were slim, he still wanted to give it a try.

"Well, it's your choice then." Kalia didn't press further, understanding that everyone has their own perspective.

Standing beside Kalia, Lian noticed the dispirited Charmeleon and felt a sense of empathy towards it, given they belonged to the same species lineage.

Lian approached and kindly asked, "Are you okay?"

Charmeleon glanced at Lian but initially said nothing. After a moment, it spoke up, "Can you participate in the Extreme Speed Conference on my behalf?"

Taken aback, Lian shook his head, "I haven't evolved yet, so how could I replace you?"

"You're close to evolving; I can tell," Charmeleon observed, having already undergone its evolution, clearly recognizing Lian's proximity to his transformation.

In truth, Lian really wanted to compete in the Extreme Speed Conference, but since Kalia had registered Treecko, he couldn't participate himself.

He was highly confident in his speed; among Pokemon of similar levels, very few could outpace him.

Even a Level 25 Weezing fell short, let alone the Pokemon from novice trainers—only those belonging to beginner trainers posed any potential threat.

However, if he were to participate in the Extreme Speed Conference as Charmeleon and got caught, it would be considered cheating. This could potentially have negative consequences for Kalia's and Julian's Trainer paths.

"Why did you ask me to replace you? If you want to participate, why not just do so yourself?" Lian questioned, puzzled.

"I don't wish to compete, but I also don't want to disappoint my owner," replied Charmeleon.

Lian was astonished; Charmeleon displayed surprisingly complex emotions. Typically, Pokemon are straightforward - they either agree or disagree without such mixed feelings.

It seemed that Charmeleon had developed a deep bond with Julian, and being captured this time likely triggered some unforeseen changes within him.

Ultimately, considering Charmeleon's sincere request, Lian decided to give it a try. However, there was one condition: He must evolve before the Extreme Speed Conference begins, otherwise, their deception would inevitably be exposed.