Pokemon Battle System: I Reincarnated As A Charmander

Compared to the previous Bellsprout encounter, this Nuzleaf was undoubtedly several times stronger. Firstly, it knew at least five moves, with Razor Leaf being its most proficient.

Razor Leaf is a signature move for Grass-type Pokemon, widely used by many of them. Being primarily an attack move, as Lian had surmised, Nuzleaf could likely unleash it multiple times consecutively.

Given the significant level disparity, if Lian were hit twice by Razor Leaf, he would surely lose, with little room for error.

Lian's low level posed a major challenge; his abilities paled significantly compared to Nuzleaf's. The only reason he wasn't instantly defeated was due to Fire-types' strong resistance against Grass-type moves.

Thus, Lian could afford no more than one mistake, ideally none at all. A single hit from Razor Leaf could inflict severe damage.

Nuzleaf let out two shrill cries, clearly impatient and eager to commence battle, seemingly aware of its considerable advantage over Lian.

For the first time, Lian displayed a serious expression. His sole advantage might be that his opponent underestimated him, possibly intending to toy with him during the fight.

Nuzleaf wouldn't miss such a perfect opportunity for mischief and might even taunt him during the battle.

The fight commenced.

Nuzleaf was well-prepared from the start, launching its most proficient move, Razor Leaf. With a swift flick of its head, the leaf atop seemed to create a duplicate. The once soft leaf, now infused with Grass-type energy, transformed into a sharp flying blade. It whistled through the air, tracing an arc directly towards Lian.

Just as anticipated, Razor Leaf indeed.

Lian had no time to ponder further. Facing a Nuzleaf significantly stronger than himself, his primary strategy must be evasion, feigning weakness while waiting for an opportune moment to counterattack.

Although Razor Leaf is fast, Lian was prepared. Disregarding any potential embarrassment, he swiftly executed a somersault roll to dodge.

The razor-sharp leaf narrowly missed, slicing past a nearby branch, cleanly splitting it in two before falling down.

Lian glanced back, still feeling unsettled. Meanwhile, observing Lian's disheveled state, Nuzleaf emitted peculiar sounds from its long nose, seemingly mocking him.

Wait, the long nose!

Observing Nuzleaf's appearance, Lian had a sudden realization. He recalled that Nuzleaf's weakness was its nose; by pinching its nose, it would temporarily lose strength.

Feeling more confident, Lian knew he still needed to adapt based on the situation as danger persisted around him.

Whoosh!

Seeing the beleaguered Charmander dodging, Nuzleaf shook its head again and unleashed another Razor Leaf attack.

Time passed swiftly.

From the start of the battle, Lian continuously ran, evading one Razor Leaf after another, growing increasingly weary.

He couldn't keep fleeing like this.

After narrowly avoiding yet another Razor Leaf, Lian stopped. Although not injured yet, at this rate, his stamina would be depleted first.

It was time to go on the offensive. Based on his assessment, he could withstand one Razor Leaf strike, even if it meant sustaining severe injuries. This would provide an opportunity to use Ember at least once.

Moreover, being severely injured might not be entirely bad. Lian hadn't forgotten about Charmander's Ability, Blaze - when its health drops significantly, hidden potential is activated, temporarily enhancing the power of Fire-type moves for a short duration.

With determination, Lian charged towards Nuzleaf while preparing his Ember attack.

Throughout their encounter, Nuzleaf appeared relaxed, casually swaying its head to effortlessly evade Lian's frantic attempts.

As Lian unexpectedly launched another offensive, Nuzleaf grew even more excited and continued unleashing Razor Leaf, sending sharp-edged leaves whizzing through the air once again.

Having dodged Razor Leaf multiple times, Lian gained some experience with it. Nuzleaf's Razor Leaf attacks lacked variation, often following predictable trajectories. With ample distance between them, he had enough time to anticipate and avoid the incoming leaves.

Looking up swiftly, Lian leaped high, grabbed onto a branch, and swung, using momentum to flip one and a half rotations mid-air.

The Razor Leaf narrowly missed below him as Lian successfully evaded. Upon landing, the gap between Lian and Nuzleaf significantly decreased.

Perfect opportunity!

Now much closer to Nuzleaf, Lian opened his mouth and forcefully exhaled, releasing the well-prepared Ember spell. A blazing ball of fire rapidly shot towards Nuzleaf.

Facing its innate fear of flames, Nuzleaf displayed panic, attempting to dodge. Unfortunately, it hadn't anticipated Lian's swift attack and was unprepared to evade. There was no time to release Razor Leaf for defense or even move out of the way.

The fiery blast collided with Nuzleaf's body, scorching it as sparks flew around.

Lian couldn't determine the exact damage caused by Ember, nor did he have time to ponder it. Capitalizing on the momentary distraction from the hit, he prepared another Ember while maneuvering strategically, observing Nuzleaf's movements.

Nuzleaf clearly sustained significant injury, though thankfully not burned directly by Ember, which was somewhat disappointing. However, it visibly became enraged, waving its fists aggressively at Lian.

Instead of launching more Razor Leaves, Nuzleaf swiftly sprinted towards nearby trees. With monkey-like agility, it climbed up the branches effortlessly.

The forest served as Nuzleaf's natural battleground, filled with abundant foliage perfectly suited for its combat style.

It was evident that Nuzleaf had stopped playing around with Lian. The previous Ember strike instilled some caution, prompting it to now engage fully.

Nuzleaf had participated in more battles than Lian, otherwise, it wouldn't have evolved from Seedot to Nuzleaf. Leveling up was already challenging; Lian defeated numerous Pokemon just to gain one level, making evolution even harder.

Lian wasn't adept at climbing trees, and as he saw Nuzleaf hide among the dense foliage, his chances of victory seemed to diminish further.

Surrounded by greenery, if Nuzleaf concealed itself, it would be nearly impossible for him to locate it. Meanwhile, Nuzleaf could easily launch attacks from hiding.

The situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for Lian.

Once atop the tree, Nuzleaf swiftly began moving, using the leaf cover to its advantage. Launching surprise attacks or startling opponents with sudden appearances were its specialties, also one of its favorite pranks.

Lian tried tracking Nuzleaf's movements but quickly lost sight of it. Deciding to stand still, he focused on any surrounding sounds, adopting a passive stance to counteract Nuzleaf's unpredictability, waiting for it to reveal itself.

Rustle! The sound of leaves shaking echoed briefly before fading away. Lian couldn't pinpoint Nuzleaf's exact location, but he remained calm. Defeating him wouldn't be easy for Nuzleaf; at least he could withstand one attack without losing combat capability.

Of course, if this Nuzleaf employed high-power moves of other attributes, Lian could only blame his luck, but the chances were slim.

Leaves rustled, and suddenly from behind a dense tree near Lian, a black shadow emerged—it was unmistakably the Nuzleaf.

Lian sensed movement, but it was too late. The Nuzleaf let out a piercing shriek while lunging at him, unleashing a flurry of strikes on his back.

The unexpected scream startled Lian, causing him to flinch momentarily. As Nuzleaf's attack hit, intense pain surged through his back, nearly knocking him off balance. However, prepared for such an encounter, Lian quickly regained his composure.

Now's my chance!

Swiftly turning around, he opened his mouth and unleashed an Ember move without hesitation. Face-to-face, the Nuzleaf had no opportunity to dodge.

Nuzleaf clearly didn't anticipate Lian's swift reaction; typically, its sudden shriek would leave opponents stunned for much longer, providing immense satisfaction as they appeared bewildered—a source of joy for the Pokemon.

For the second time, Lian's Ember struck the Nuzleaf directly, hitting its long nose at such close range.

Gasp!

Feeling the searing pain in his back, Lian sucked in a sharp breath, realizing one more hit might render him unable to continue fighting.

The significant gap in ability values allowed Nuzleaf to inflict substantial damage on Lian even with ordinary moves.

However, soon Lian broke into a smile as it became evident that Nuzleaf was also struggling. This time, he had specifically targeted its long nose, recognizing it as a clear vulnerability and seizing the opportunity to exploit it.

Nuzleaf appeared severely distressed after directly taking the Ember hit, especially on its nose. It covered its injured snout with one hand, emitting frantic cries, clearly suffering from a heavy blow.

Considering the previous Ember attack, Nuzleaf likely couldn't withstand much more assault at this point.

Of course, these were just Lian's rough estimations; the actual situation remained uncertain. The only way to validate his assessment was through direct action.

Suddenly, Lian felt his body heating up rapidly, as if an unending surge of flame energy was coursing throughout him. His originally orange-red skin turned deep scarlet, and the flame at the tip of his tail blazed brighter and hotter.

Is this... Blaze Mode? Lian rejoiced internally. Apparently, Nuzleaf's recent attacks had reduced Lian's stamina below the threshold required to activate his Blaze Ability. As a result, Charmander entered Blaze Mode, tapping into hidden potential and significantly enhancing his fire-based power.

Now, Lian's Ember would transform into a super-sized version, not doubling its power but certainly making it unbearable for Nuzleaf to withstand another hit.

Initially at a disadvantage, Lian now stood evenly matched with Nuzleaf. Whoever struck first would claim victory.

As soon as he entered Blaze Mode, Lian noticed that Nuzleaf had vanished again, clearly hiding among the trees, preparing for another ambush.

This time, Lian couldn't simply wait passively; he had to actively search for Nuzleaf's position. However, this proved challenging, as every leaf seemed like a potential hiding spot for his opponent.

Lian tried to calm himself, knowing he had just one chance. With the enhanced Ember from Blaze Mode, he held the opportunity to turn the tide. All it took was hitting Nuzleaf once-more precisely, just one more hit.

He relied solely on anticipation.

Conventional attacks were no longer sufficient to win, given that Nuzleaf operated stealthily and always had the initiative. Only by anticipating Nuzleaf's moves could he seize the chance for a counter-kill.

At this moment, prediction was his only path to victory.

Entering Blaze Mode instilled some confidence in him. He prepared his Ember attack, ready to unleash it at any moment.

Knowing Nuzleaf favored sneak attacks from behind, there was a high likelihood it would strike from that direction. Lian focused most of his attention rearward, while keeping a cursory watch on other angles.

Rustle.

The sound of Nuzleaf's movement echoed again, causing Lian's heart to tense up momentarily. However, he remained still as the noise did not originate from behind him, indicating a low likelihood of an immediate attack by Nuzleaf.

Around them, other Pokemon observed the battle between Charmander and Nuzleaf without interference. They all sensed that this confrontation was reaching its critical point, nearing a decisive outcome.

Wave after wave of rustling sounds occurred, but Lian didn't budge. The noises were never coming from behind, confirming his judgment. As expected, Nuzleaf refrained from attacking each time, boosting Lian's confidence further.

Eventually, Nuzleaf could no longer contain itself due to the prolonged standoff.

Rustle.

Lian's mind instantly registered the distinct sound originating directly from behind him-this time, there was no mistake.

Unless Nuzleaf possessed telepathy, knowing Lian's thoughts, it couldn't intentionally create noise from behind just to lure him into attacking. Despite possessing some intelligence, Nuzleaf's cognitive abilities could never match those of humans.

It's now or never!

With unwavering determination, Lian swiftly turned around and unleashed Ember towards the large tree behind him, anticipating that if Nuzleaf intended to strike, it would likely hide among the foliage.

A significantly larger flame burst forth from Lian's mouth, enhanced by Blaze Mode, transforming it into what could be aptly described as a fireball.