Kalia also noticed this phenomenon; Ampharos's Electric Barrier seemed to provide resistance, not just a typical ability boost. Clearly, it was some unknown technique she hadn't encountered before.
The Charge move enhances the power of the next Electric-type move. Kalia promptly instructed, "Charmeleon, dodge Ampharos's next attack and continue using Flamethrower!"
At the same time, the short-haired boy commanded, "Yellow, use Thunderbolt!"
Hearing the short-haired boy's order, Kalia felt concerned. This Ampharos had already learned Thunderbolt, likely through a Move Disk.
Charmeleon, you must evade! A doubled-power Thunderbolt is no joke. If we can't avoid it, things will get tricky.
Lian's expression grew serious as well. Dodging this Thunderbolt was crucial. Although he had already used his combat rating, making victory or defeat less important, he still feared the pain that could come from taking the hit.
Zap!
Ampharos began accumulating massive amounts of lightning around its body, crackling with energy. As it leaped, the concentrated lightning swiftly gathered momentum and charged directly towards Lian at high speed.
Facing Ampharos's Thunderbolt, Lian opened his mouth, gathering intense flames within before unleashing them.
The orange-red flames collided with the Thunderbolt, causing a fierce explosion and massive energy fluctuations.
As soon as he released Flamethrower, Lian swiftly dodged to one side, seemingly aware that his flames alone couldn't withstand Thunderbolt.
With surprising ease, Thunderbolt obliterated the scorching flames.
However, due to Lian's preemptive evasion and the temporary barrier provided by his flames, the lightning missed him entirely and struck the ground instead.
But just then...
Boom!
Ampharos suddenly encountered a fiery impact. A burst of orange-red flames directly hit it, shattering its Electric Barrier and dispersing the energy.
"Wasn't Flamethrower defeated?" The short-haired boy displayed surprise for the first time. While it was unfortunate that Ampharos's Thunderbolt missed, where did this new burst of flames come from?
Lian inwardly smiled, knowing his plan had succeeded.
After achieving a Control Rating of 22%, he mastered a technique specific to Flamethrower. The principle involved splitting the released Flamethrower into two separate parts.
In regular battles, this technique wouldn't be particularly useful and could even weaken the overall power. However, during direct move clashes, it proved highly effective. One portion of the flame neutralized the opponent's move, while the remaining part targeted the adversary.
Lian named it Flame Split, though its practicality was limited. Nevertheless, it marked his achievement of reaching a 22% Energy Control Rating—a feat most ordinary Fire-type Pokémon couldn't accomplish, as it involved altering the release form of a move.
The split flame, although not exceptionally powerful, surprised Lian by successfully breaking through Ampharos' Electric Barrier.
He surmised that maintaining the Electric Barrier required continuous Electro-type energy, which had likely depleted after Ampharos used Thunderbolt, leaving the barrier vulnerable to the flames.
Seeing the Electric Barrier destroyed, the short-haired boy felt frustrated. Clearly, reestablishing such a defensive layer would necessitate using Ion Deluge and Charge moves again, making it quite cumbersome.
Kalia's eyes widened with astonishment. How did Charmeleon manage to split Flamethrower into two parts? She had never witnessed this kind of move application before.
After her initial surprise, Kalia felt nothing but excitement. This innovative move showcased exceptional skill; mastering such a technique would undoubtedly add versatility to Charmeleon's future battles.
The short-haired boy was equally astonished, wondering what kind of move this was. If it weren't for Kalia's command specifically calling for Flamethrower, he might have suspected it was another Fire-type attack altogether.
"Yellow, use Thunderbolt!" The short-haired boy decided against using Charge again, as it wasted too much time.
Just as he gave his command, Lian unleashed Dragon Rage, sending a powerful shockwave directly at Ampharos.
With another direct hit from Dragon Rage, Ampharos faced relentless forceful impacts.
Using Dragon Rage immediately after Flamethrower had become second nature for Lian. Although slightly delayed this time due to evading Thunderbolt, he still managed to release it promptly.
The short-haired boy looked grim, overwhelmed by Charmeleon's fierce onslaught and rapid succession of moves. Such swift execution left most Trainers struggling to react effectively.
"Go, Charmeleon! Use Flamethrower!" Kalia quickly shouted, aware that the opponent's Ampharos was about to unleash Thunderbolt.
Kalia swiftly gave her command, aware that Ampharos was about to unleash Thunderbolt. She hoped Charmeleon would manage to counter with Flamethrower in time.
Lian observed as Ampharos released Thunderbolt without any concern. Although Flamethrower couldn't be cast as quickly, against an unenhanced Thunderbolt, it wasn't overly powerful for his Charmeleon, making direct confrontation feasible.
Thunderbolt's release was swift, crackling as lightning streaked towards Lian's position.
He immediately burst into motion, leaping backward just as the lightning struck the ground ahead, creating a large crater amidst the sand.
"I almost forgot, Charmeleon can pull off such maneuvers," Kalia remarked, relieved to see Charmeleon dodge the Thunderbolt effortlessly.
As Lian landed from his jump, he opened his mouth, gathering flame energy in his throat, which intensified before erupting outward.
This time, it was a standard Flamethrower move. Having already avoided Thunderbolt, there was no need to use Flame Split, which sacrifices power for division.
Originally, Flamethrower had a power of 90, but after using Flame Split, each divided flame's strength was only slightly stronger than Ember, effectively releasing two Embers simultaneously.
Unless engaged in direct move clashes, Lian preferred not to waste energy dodging opponents' moves and instead relied on Flame Split for defense. Otherwise, he would typically unleash Flamethrower combined with Dragon Rage to instantly defeat his opponent.
The primary purpose of Flame Split was to serve as a defensive measure while still inflicting damage on the opponent. Although the flames weaken when split, even against powerful opposing moves, the energy collision creates a brief momentary block. This delay, however short, allows Charmeleon easier opportunities to evade subsequent attacks.
The Electric Barrier could not completely resist enemy moves; it only mitigated some of their impact. At this point, Ampharos had already sustained damage, and if this Flamethrower connected, Lian estimated that Ampharos would likely be defeated.
"Ampharos, dodge!"
With his rhythm disrupted, the short-haired boy appeared flustered, even misnaming his Pokémon momentarily.
Previously, he had relied on the unique Electric Barrier to deflect opponents' moves, coupled with the devastating Thunderbolt after charging up, resulting in instant knockouts.
Unless a Pokemon had resistance to electric-type moves, it was nearly impossible for them to avoid defeat, which also explained how Lian reached the sixth floor.
Unfortunately, this time he encountered Lian, who dodged Thunderbolt and shattered the Electric Barrier. Most other Pokemon would have been unable to both defend and evade simultaneously.
Boom!
The Flamethrower accurately struck Ampharos, causing intense flames and searing heat that inflicted continuous damage.
Ultimately, Ampharos couldn't withstand the Flamethrower, fell unconscious, and lost its ability to continue battling.
After defeating Ampharos, the short-haired boy switched to another Pokemon, but compared to Ampharos, it was significantly weaker and swiftly defeated by Lian once again.
This battle remained quite effortless for Lian. However, Ampharos's Electric Barrier sparked an idea: If electric energy could form an Electric Barrier, could fire create a Flame Barrier?
Lian felt compelled to explore this concept further.