Pokemon Battle System: I Reincarnated As A Charmander

In the afternoon,

Lian accompanied Kalia back to the competition venue. Although Grovyle had already secured its advancement, the Extreme Speed Conference itself was highly captivating. With Tina's engaging commentary, many spectators were willing to spend the entire day on the grasslands, watching the races.

The afternoon matches proved even more thrilling than those in the morning, featuring several rare Pokemon, including a Scyther.

Scythers are exceptionally rare, possessing immense power from birth and notoriously difficult to capture. Typically, novice trainers have little chance of taming one. Surprisingly, this particular Scyther belonged to a beginner trainer.

Among trainers, Scythers hold significant popularity due to their high speed and formidable attack capabilities. Owning a Scyther garners envious glances from other trainers wherever you go.

During the tenth group race, this Scyther showcased crushing speed, leading throughout and finishing nearly a hundred meters ahead of the second-place contender.

Witnessing this Scyther, Lian mentally added another formidable opponent. With a base speed stat of 105, it surpassed even the previous Emolga. If the Scyther reached Level 25 or higher, its speed ability might be comparable to his own.

Most importantly, Scyther's base stat total is exceptionally high at 500, making Lian uncertain if he could defeat it. A level-25 or higher Scyther not only boasts impressive speed and attack capabilities but also has decent defense attributes, showcasing an excellent distribution of its base stats.

Lian had yet to master powerful Fire-type Special Attacks. If unable to instantly take down a Scyther, he would likely be one-shot by its Wing Attack.

With comparable speeds but a difference of around seven to eight levels, Lian stood no chance against such a Scyther.

In contrast, none of the other Pokemon from different groups posed significant threats; their highest speed abilities reached approximately 500, similar to Grovyle's capability.

By evening, after the completion of Group 18's race, the first day of the Extreme Speed Conference concluded, set to continue the following day.

At the Pokémon Center's battle field:

"You're Julian! I challenge you!"

"Me too!"

Several Trainers approached Julian, all of whom were defeated earlier that day during Group 4's competition by Lian's Pokémon.

As beginner trainers, losing to Julian's Charmeleon felt embarrassing to them, prompting them to seek out Julian for a proper rematch.

Facing multiple trainers' challenges, Julian initially wanted to decline. However, considering Charmeleon's impressive performance earlier, refusing would damage his reputation.

"Fine, let's do this," Julian accepted the challenge.

Watching this unfold, Lian felt a sudden unease. The strength gap between his Pokémon and Julian's Charmeleon was vast. His victories at the Extreme Speed Conference relied heavily on genuine skill.

"I'll go first," said the Trainer with Murkrow, eager for redemption since without Charmeleon, his Murkrow would have advanced. What should have been a certain victory turned into dust, leaving him deeply frustrated.

Lian inwardly thought it was not looking good. Murkrow's level appeared high, estimated at least Level 24 based on its speed during the competition. In contrast, Julian's Charmeleon seemed no more than Level 17-18, clearly outmatched.

There was nothing he could do but watch as Julian entered the battlefield with his Charmeleon, ready for battle.

Naturally, the opponent sent out Murkrow. As soon as the battle commenced, Murkrow used its signature Wing Attack. To everyone's surprise, Charmeleon had little defense against it. Although not immediately incapacitated after being hit, it was close to defeat.

The battle ended swiftly; after Murkrow's second Wing Attack, Charmeleon couldn't withstand it and lost its fighting capability. The opposing Trainer, though still classified as a beginner, possessed significant strength compared to Julian, who was a newcomer with no match for such skill.

Lian grimaced, covering his face with a wry smile. "Come on, hold out longer! Losing in just two moves? That's way too weak."

Even the Trainer with the Murkrow appeared stunned, thinking how effortless it was. Throughout the entire battle, Charmeleon managed only one Dragon Breath before being defeated by Murkrow.

Could this mediocre level Charmeleon truly be the same one that defeated all other participating Pokemon at the Extreme Speed Conference?

Kalia, observing from the sidelines, now wore a suspicious expression. In fact, she had been harboring doubts for some time, feeling that during the competition, the Charmeleon did not resemble Julian's at all.

She glanced sidelong at Lian, her suspicions growing stronger. As she recalled the Charmeleon from the conference and compared it to Julian's current Charmeleon, more clues emerged. Although initially not considering this possibility, once suspicion arose, many things began to make sense.

With increasing certainty, Kalia concluded that the Charmeleon present at the Extreme Speed Conference was indeed hers, not Julian's.

However, she couldn't understand why her Charmeleon would have competed in place of Julian's.

Julian suffered a devastating loss, as his opponent was merely a beginner Trainer with vastly different skill levels.

"That Charmeleon seemed incredibly weak. Do you think during our battle between Murkrow and Voltorb, both got severely injured, and coincidentally, Charmeleon stumbled upon them?" speculated the Murkrow Trainer.

"It's possible!"

"What terrible luck."

With that, the group of Trainers departed.

Upon hearing their conversation, Lian sighed in relief. It appeared he had managed to bluff his way through this situation.

"Julian, I'd like to talk to you."

At that moment, Kalia approached Julian, her tone serious. She sensed there was more to this incident and needed to find out why the two Pokemon switched identities—whether it was Julian's plan or the Pokemon's initiative.

Oh no.

Lian's face paled; Kalia had finally discovered the truth. He wondered what her next move would be. If she prevented him from continuing in the Extreme Speed Conference, obtaining the Custap Berry would become impossible.

"What do you want to discuss?" Julian asked, puzzled.

***

A while later, at a park in Falcon City.

"How is this possible? Two Pokemon switched places, and your Charmeleon competed instead?" Julian exclaimed, sounding incredulous.

"Yes, it was actually my Charmeleon participating today. Take a closer look at this video for comparison," Kalia said, pulling out her phone and playing the footage from Group Four's race in the Extreme Speed Conference.

"It seems true." Julian quickly noticed the differences. Earlier, he hadn't considered such a scenario, making it hard to discern any discrepancies. However, upon comparing the videos, subtle signs became apparent.

If a Trainer isn't familiar with their own Pokemon, they cannot truly be considered a qualified Trainer.

"I see, but why would your Charmeleon replace mine in the Extreme Speed Conference? That's quite peculiar!" Julian looked puzzled, gazing at his Charmeleon.

"Based on my analysis, I suspect it might be for the conference prize money," Kalia proposed. "I think when my Charmeleon realized yours was sick, possibly after hearing me mention needing funds for the S.S. Ticket to get treatment, it decided to take its place in the Extreme Speed Conference to win the prize."

Lian couldn't help but admire Kalia's imaginative thinking. Although he hadn't considered it before, upon reflection, winning first place at the Extreme Speed Conference would indeed provide enough money to purchase an S.S. ticket for the big city.

"It's possible!" Julian slapped his thigh, realizing suddenly. Since both Charmeleons belonged to the same species, having a close bond was natural. With his Charmeleon sick, Kalia's Charmeleon undoubtedly wished for its recovery.

This explanation made sense of everything.

"Kalia, what should we do next?" Julian asked. The question now was whether to let his own Charmeleon compete or continue with Kalia's Charmeleon.

If his Charmeleon competed in the second round, it would likely be eliminated, forfeiting any chance of winning the prize money.

However, allowing Kalia's Charmeleon to proceed further would violate the rules of the Extreme Speed Conference. If discovered, not only would they lose their competition eligibility, but the League might also record this misconduct, tarnishing their reputation and potentially deducting points during future beginner trainer assessments.

"In fact, continuing with the mistake might not be such a bad idea," Kalia suggested. Even if her Charmeleon continued competing, there wouldn't be any issues as long as neither of them revealed the switch. No one would know that a different Charmeleon had participated.

Furthermore, switching to Julian's Charmeleon for the second round posed risks as well. Since his Charmeleon had already competed once, a sudden decline in performance would seem highly suspicious.

Most importantly, if Kalia noticed something amiss, others could also detect it after Julian's Charmeleon participated in the second round. This would ultimately reveal that the Charmeleons in both rounds were not the same Pokémon.

Therefore, it seemed better to stick with the mistake and treat her Charmeleon as if it were indeed Julian's from this point forward, committing fully to the deception.

"So, you want your Charmeleon to continue participating in the competition?" Julian asked hesitantly.

"Yes."

Lian let out a sigh of relief at the end of their conversation. Not only was Kalia unangry, but she also agreed to let him keep competing, which he hadn't anticipated.

This outcome was truly the best for him. He could now participate in the Extreme Speed Conference without any burden, no longer needing to worry about being discovered.

With this decision, he could unleash his full potential without constantly hiding from cameras. Upon reflection, trying to consistently conceal his true abilities would be futile against evenly matched opponents; exposure was inevitable sooner or later.