For Lian, the first battle was just the beginning. From now on, he didn't need to worry about combat ratings; his sole focus would be winning each match.
Battles accelerate a Pokemon's growth, and victories further expedite this process. All Lian needed to ensure was continuous triumphs.
In the second round, pairs of trainees were randomly selected for battles until they suffered two losses. Points would then be tallied, with only the top twenty trainees advancing to the third round.
After her match concluded, Kalia returned to watch other trainees' battles attentively. This time, it was crucial as she might face any of them soon. Having prior knowledge of opponents' Pokemon could significantly aid in future battles.
However, this applied mainly to Kalia, as most mid-level class trainees already had insights into each other's Pokemon.
Time swiftly passed, and almost every trainee had participated at least once. The second wave of battles commenced.
This phase was critical for those who had already lost once. Another defeat would result in zero points, considered the most embarrassing outcome for any Pokemon Academy student.
Trainees were naturally proud and unwilling to suffer consecutive defeats, ending up with zero points and ranking at the bottom. Consequently, the second round of battles became exceptionally intense as every participant fought fiercely for victory.
Soon, it was Kalia's turn to enter the arena. Her opponent this time was a girl from the Ellie Region, not among the top ten trainees but rather an external participant named Jessie.
"An external versus another external, this should be thrilling!"
"The Ellie Region's Jessie is quite strong, although seemingly not enough to reach the top ten. It'll be interesting to see if she can defeat Kalia."
"I doubt it. Kalia's Ninetales has the Drought Ability, which is incredibly rare."
The encounter between two external participants piqued curiosity, as spectators eagerly awaited to witness who held greater strength.
A battle between external trainees from different regions essentially represented a clash between those areas. If Kalia won, it would bring honor to the Sebas region, and vice versa.
On the grassy field, Kalia faced off against the external participant from the Ellie Region, both holding their Poké Balls, awaiting the start of the match.
"I will defeat you," Jessie from the Ellie Region declared confidently. When Kalia defeated Murata Chihiro, many trainees from the Ellie Region felt somewhat embarrassed.
Jessie believed that as fellow foreign competitors, her strength should be on par with Kalia's. As a Trainer with four badges, she considered the Ellie Region's gym badges more prestigious than those from Sebas.
Now finally facing Kalia, Jessie was determined to decisively beat her and prove her own prowess, having previously lacked the opportunity.
"Strength speaks for itself," Kalia responded calmly. She welcomed her opponent's confidence; fear of defeat did not concern her, but fear of weak opponents did. Engaging with evenly matched adversaries allows for greater skill improvement.
As the referee announced the start of the battle, both Trainers simultaneously released their Poké Balls. Two Pokémon landed on the grass, separated by a narrow stream.
Naturally, Kalia sent out Ninetales, leveraging its Drought Ability to intensify sunlight, transforming the weather into a bright sunny day.
Jessie seemed well-prepared, sending out a Ground and Rock-type Rhydon.
As a Rock and Ground-type Pokémon, Rhydon could resist Fire-type moves effectively. Moreover, both Rock and Ground-type moves perfectly countered Fire-type Pokémon.
Rhydon's imposing stature resembled an iron tower, its body predominantly gray with a sharp horn on its forehead—a formidable weapon allowing it to execute powerful moves like Megahorn, Drill Run, and Horn Drill.
Seeing Rhydon, Kalia felt somewhat challenged. If Jessie had chosen a Water-type Pokémon, she wouldn't have been concerned, as Sunny Day weakens Water-type moves. However, neither Ground nor Rock-type moves are affected by this weather condition.
With Rhydon's high attack power, a single Earthquake or Rock Blast move would be too much for Ninetales to withstand.
Kalia had no choice but to command Ninetales to initiate combat. It was clear that Jessie came prepared, having thoroughly studied Kalia's Pokémon.
"Ninetales, use Incinerate!"
Currently, Ninetales had not yet mastered Flamethrower; its strongest move was still Incinerate. Although Kalia had provided Ninetales with a Move Disk for Flamethrower, it wasn't as easy for it to learn compared to Charmeleon, and thus, it hadn't acquired the skill yet, likely needing more time.
Nevertheless, even with just Incinerate, under the amplification of Sunny Day, its power remained significant. A large wave of flames surged towards Rhydon.
Simultaneously, Jessie issued her command, instructing Rhydon to unleash Rock Blast, a long-range Rock-type attack move.
Rhydon gathered individual rocks and hurled them at Ninetales. While individually, Rock Blast's power is moderate, its continuous nature makes it formidable, especially amplified by Rhydon's immense strength.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In quick succession, Rhydon threw three rocks at Ninetales. Having just released Incinerate, Ninetales swiftly attempted to dodge, but Rhydon clearly had undergone specialized training.
Although thrown at different times, the three rocks targeted the same spot, converging on Ninetales simultaneously, leaving little room to evade effectively.
In the end, Ninetales barely managed to dodge one rock but was brutally struck by the other two.
"Ninetales, are you okay?" Kalia asked with concern, but Ninetales couldn't respond; Rhydon's powerful throws were too much, and even just being hit by two rocks defeated it.
Inside his Poké Ball, Lian heard the sound of rocks impacting Ninetales and knew the outcome instantly. With Rhydon's attack base stat at 130, enduring two consecutive Rock Blast hits was unsurmountable for Ninetales' defense capabilities.
Ninetales fell swiftly, despite its opponent being a slow Pokémon. However, Rhydon's ability to use Rock Blast as a ranged attack effectively compensated for its speed disadvantage.
Apart from being quadruple weak against Water- and Grass-types, having relatively low speed and Special Defense, Rhydon is indeed a formidable Pokémon. Against opponents skilled in offensive moves, Rhydon can effortlessly overpower them.
Fortunately, before falling, Ninetales successfully used Incinerate and hit Rhydon. Thanks to Sunny Day's boost, the damage inflicted on Rhydon wasn't insignificant.
"Go, Charmeleon!"
Kalia had no choice but to send out Charmeleon; Ninetales' offensive capabilities were still lacking. Once it learned Flamethrower, things would improve significantly.
"Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!" Kalia promptly commanded as soon as Charmeleon entered the field, feeling relieved with its presence.
Although Rhydon is resistant to Fire-type moves, under the boost of Sunny Day, Charmeleon's Flamethrower far surpasses Ninetales' Incinerate in effectiveness.
"Rock Blast!" Jessie continued her order, sticking with the Rock-type move due to Rhydon not yet mastering Earthquake; otherwise, she would have opted for that instead.
Lian swiftly responded, unleashing a standard Flamethrower from his mouth. Using Special Attack moves against Rhydon proved most effective, despite its resistance to Fire-type attacks. However, Rhydon's actual Special Defense base stat stands at only 45, which might usually suffice to withstand such attacks.
But now, facing Flamethrower amplified by both Sunny Day and Solar Power, even with fire resistance and being fully charged, there could be only one outcome: instant defeat. Notably, considering Rhydon had already endured Ninetales' Incinerate earlier, surviving this attack seemed impossible.
Lian's Flamethrower was significantly faster than Ninetales' Incinerate. Before Rhydon could solidify its Rock Blast, Lian's Flamethrower reached it swiftly.
Enhanced by Sunny Day, the flames resembled a raging pillar engulfing Rhydon's body like a torrential waterfall crashing down fiercely upon it.
The single Flamethrower caused the newly formed rocks to instantly disintegrate as Rhydon lost concentration.
In the next moment, with a loud thud, Rhydon collapsed onto the ground, its heavy body impacting with a dull sound.
Defeated in one move - Flamethrower!