Kalia didn't focus on how many points her Charizard would score; she just aimed for advancement. Although her Charizard was indeed powerful, comparing it to Aurora's advanced-class level seemed unfair, given its relatively short growth period.
Aurora's Chandelure evolved from Lampent. According to records, evolving a Litwick into Lampent takes a considerable amount of time, and subsequently, only with a Dusk Stone can a Lampent evolve into a Chandelure.
This meant that Aurora's Chandelure had significantly more development compared to Kalia's Charizard, much like Sunny's Typhlosion, which likely evolved early as well, explaining its mastery over Eruption at this stage.
By now, several Trainers had been eliminated due to failing scores, returning to the spectator seats to watch the remaining competition.
"Kalia."
Finally, the referee called out Kalia's name. Only a few untested Trainers remained, with Kalia being among the last ten to undergo evaluation.
Upon hearing her name, Kalia stepped forward, retrieved a Poké Ball, and released it with a loud pop.
Her Charizard flapped its wings, landing gracefully on the ground, its tail flame blazing fiercely.
Lian's imposing stature caught everyone's attention, as he was significantly larger than average. Typically, a Charizard would be around the height of an adult, but this one stood at over two meters tall.
Just in time.
Lian glanced around, relieved that he had completed the evolution process just before releasing any moves here. Now, with the burst of pure energy from his flames, each attack would gain enhanced power, similar to the amplification provided by a Fire Gem.
He gently touched the Charcoal accessory on his chest, which still offered him some amplification effects. The Charcoal passively absorbed surrounding flame energy, maintaining its fiery potency.
"Charizard, use Overheat," Kalia commanded. This test wasn't about combat; instead, she aimed to unleash her strongest move possible. Compared to Flamethrower, Overheat was undoubtedly the superior choice.
Although Overheat has significant drawbacks, with proper rest, a Pokémon can quickly recover without affecting their performance in the subsequent second round of competition.
Lian approached the blue apparatus. Currently, the highest scores were achieved by Fire-type Pokémon, notably Typhlosion and Chandelure, both exceptional within their type category.
Now, what level of power could Lian achieve with his Overheat move?
Facing the blue apparatus, Lian folded his wings. During the previous battle against the Dark Guild, Lian primarily used Overheat to break through the siege by enveloping his entire body with flames, resulting in less concentrated energy and reduced potency.
However, this time, Lian didn't need to replicate that strategy. Instead, he focused on fully releasing all his flame energy from his mouth, aiming for maximum concentration onto the blue apparatus.
Lian opened his mouth, gathering intense orange-red flames within it. He condensed all his energy at once, as Overheat involves a one-time, overloaded release, leading to inevitable side effects.
In the next moment, Lian unleashed the entirety of his flame energy, including the pure flame energy recently extracted from the Poke Ball, along with the energy stored in the Charcoal pendant around his neck.
Instantaneously, Lian channeled and released these combined flame energies, creating a dazzling inferno illuminating the surroundings. A burst of fire surged towards the blue apparatus.
Intentionally altering the form of the Overheat release, Lian transformed the typically dispersed energy burst into a concentrated deep red flame.
Unlike the usual orange-red flames, this deep crimson blaze contained terrifying heat as it swiftly approached the blue apparatus.
"Is that Overheat? It seems quite different."
"I'm not sure, but it likely is Overheat. Look at its intense color."
The crowd began discussing animatedly. Earlier, when Chandelure released Overheat, the flames were dispersed, typical for such high-energy fire moves, making them difficult to control and resulting in a standard Overheat maneuver.
However, Lian's exceptional Control Rating allowed him to forcibly alter the move's form, effectively enhancing its power.
Overheat normally involves burning and explosive flames, but Lian compressed it into a concentrated deep crimson inferno, adding a burst effect. While the increase in power may not be as significant as transforming Flamethrower into Flame Spiral, it still commanded respect.
Boom!
Upon contact with the blue apparatus, the deep red flame erupted, generating a powerful energy shockwave and fiery explosion. The deafening blast forced everyone to cover their ears.
"What immense power!"
With a resounding roar, the terrifying force of the Overheat flames was directly absorbed by the blue apparatus. This device recorded the peak intensity of the eruption before absorbing the remaining energy, preventing any further impact on the surroundings.
Lian felt curious about what material could withstand such intense energy burst and absorb it without any damage.
Next, he glanced at the display's score with anticipation, knowing this was likely his strongest peak performance so far, without the amplification of Sunny Day.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The numbers on the display rapidly fluctuated before settling down.
223!
Lian grinned widely, revealing sharp teeth. Although Overheat is highly restricted and challenging to unleash during combat, achieving a staggering 223 points exceeded his expectations.
This showcased the power of Control Rating; compared to ordinary Pokemon, Lian could significantly alter the potency of moves through exceptional control, transforming mundane techniques into extraordinary feats.
Similarly, Legendary Pokemon achieve their immense strength due to their terrifyingly high Control Ratings, enabling them to surpass the typical boundaries of standard moves.
"Am I seeing things?"
"Nope, it's definitely 223 points!"
The spectators were astounded. Initially, they thought Typhlosion's performance was impressive enough, but then Aurora's Crystal Chandelure broke the record with a shocking 204 points, leading them to believe no other Pokemon could surpass that.
Now, a Charizard had shattered Aurora's record with a terrifying score of 223 points, once again setting a new high for this competition.
Kalia covered her mouth, eyes wide with disbelief. Although she always felt her Charizard was immensely powerful, she hadn't fully comprehended its capabilities. Subconsciously, she expected it to score above one hundred but thought surpassing Sunny's score would be challenging, let alone Aurora's.
However, reality proved that her Charizard's strength far exceeded her imagination. With just one Overheat move, it achieved a staggering 223 points, 19 points higher than Aurora's score.
The most stunned among the Trainers was undoubtedly Aurora herself. The idea that someone else's Pokémon could outscore her Chandelure seemed utterly inconceivable.
Moreover, it was merely a Charizard using the same Overheat move. This implied that her Chandelure's special attack prowess might actually fall short compared to this Charizard—a shocking realization.
"Looks familiar somehow." At that moment, Aurora noticed Kalia seemed recognizable, as if she had seen her before, but couldn't quite place where.
After recovering from her initial shock, Kalia recalled her Charizard and returned to the crowd. Her face appeared calm, but internally, her emotions were turbulent.
"K-Kalia, your Charizard..." Julian stuttered, almost unable to articulate his shock.
Kalia managed to compose herself, knowing that the first round was merely a test. The upcoming double battle competition would truly showcase her strength.
However, internally, Kalia felt a mix of delight and excitement. Her Charizard's power surpassed even the Chandelure. Previously, she had always considered herself inferior to mid-level Trainers.
But now, aside from having too few badges to officially become a mid-level Trainer, Kalia realized she was not weaker than most mid-level Trainers; rather, she might even be stronger.
Filled with anticipation, Kalia believed she had a chance to reach the semi-finals or possibly even the finals.
The referee ahead was equally stunned and even considered banning the use of Overheat due to its potential lethality against weaker Pokemon.
After some thought, the referee announced, "Due to exceptional circumstances, the Overheat move is prohibited in this competition to prevent any fatal harm to Pokemon!"
This decision was crucial as moves with over 200 base power were incredibly destructive. Encountering such attacks could easily exceed the endurance of vulnerable Pokemon, leading directly to their demise, which was no laughing matter.
Most spectators did not oppose this ruling, recognizing it as the right call. Many Trainers feared facing off against Chandelure or Charizard, knowing that one Overheat could potentially incinerate their own Pokemon.