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Condensing flames is the first step to completing Wrath of Fire, requiring strong control power. Alternatively, with immense psychic strength, one can forcefully condense flames; however, Lian lacks such Psychic-type capabilities. Therefore, he must rely solely on his mastery over fire energy.
Looking up at the sky, Lian's 41% Control Rating was insufficient to visually perceive surrounding fire energy, but he could still sense its presence.
The area teemed with dense fire energy due to Sunny Day, pushing out other types and making non-Fire-type moves slower to execute.
Lian had excellent command over his own fire energy, but controlling external fire energy would be more challenging.
He decided to give it a try, unsure what allowed him this level of control—it might be related to Inner Focus, typically exclusive to Psychic-type Pokemon, so he couldn't pinpoint the exact reason.
Attempting to manipulate the ambient fire energy, Lian found it surprisingly manageable. After all, when executing regular moves, the source of fire energy often comes from absorbing it directly from nature.
Under the Sunny Day conditions, condensing flames proved effortless for Lian. With high temperatures already present, a burst of flame suddenly appeared in mid-air.
"Excellent!" Kanron exclaimed with delight, as the first step was successfully achieved - truly forming flames in mid-air. This had stumped him for ages, since no Fire-type Pokémon could forcibly create flames at such distances.
However, this Charmeleon effortlessly accomplished it, generating flames high above and maintaining control over a vast range.
Creating flames nearby would have been relatively simple due to proximity aiding control. But forming flames at such a distant altitude is exceptionally challenging.
After the initial ball of flame coalesced, it slowly drifted towards the ground, moving leisurely rather than swiftly.
Lian could accelerate its descent, but doing so would require intense focus on controlling the flame, defeating the purpose of Wrath of Fire's wide-area effect.
"Just let them fall naturally; there's no need for control," Kanron advised. "Continue forming more flames." The ultimate goal of Wrath of Fire is to allow the Pokémon to multitask, using other moves simultaneously, effectively turning it into a pseudo-weather type ability.
The aim is to create an illusion of countless falling flames, resembling a fiery rainstorm, where any opposing Pokémon touched by these flames would sustain damage. Kanron acknowledged the difficulty, but years of research were not in vain. The special training's objective precisely targeted overcoming these challenges.
Lian disregarded the flames' speed and continued concentrating on their formation. This approach made the process significantly easier, allowing him to gather flames at a quicker pace. In no time, countless flames condensed in the sky.
However, consolidating such a large number of flames took considerable time. Lian had been at it for quite a while, and attempting this during battle would be highly challenging, even with the flames automatically drifting downward.
As the flames continuously descended, Lian found himself unable to control their explosions due to sheer busyness, not just his Control Rating limitations.
Upon reaching the ground, the flames lacked significant impact, extinguishing with a soft pop upon contact, scattering only a few sparks.
"Finally, success!" Kanron was visibly thrilled, as this marked the first time he witnessed the release of Wrath of Fire, albeit incomplete. Nevertheless, it still stirred great excitement within him.
Feeling somewhat exhausted, Lian acknowledged that despite his high control power, maintaining focus for such extended periods remained demanding, let alone controlling the flames' detonation.
"Don't worry, take your time. Rest for a bit." Observing Lian's state, Kanron was unsurprised; mastering a self-created move inherently posed numerous challenges.
After taking a brief rest, the intensive training resumed. The first step focused on mastering the concentration of flames, which required practice and skill development rather than control power alone.
Repetition breeds mastery; by refining each step of the Wrath of Fire until it becomes second nature, Lian aimed to seamlessly execute them as one cohesive move.
Following Kanron's guidance, Lian diligently practiced concentrating flames. Meanwhile, Kalia didn't idle around either. She utilized the sunny weather, equipping Grovyle and Ninetales with Strength Lenses obtained from the Pokemon Academy, to commence their own training sessions.
The Strength Lenses accelerated the growth of special attack capabilities, even sought after by Charlie himself, making them highly valuable items.
Training in moves can be monotonous, but Lian, already possessing a high Control Rating, progressed rapidly. His improvement was visibly noticeable.
In the sky, clusters of flames appeared, gently drifting downward. Unconcerned with their slow pace, Lian concentrated solely on increasing his speed in concentrating flames.
He felt that this tedious training could enhance his control over fire energy, although not overnight. Even if he improved by just 1% per week, it would equate to gaining an additional 4,000 Combat Points.
***
The specialized training was monotonous, but Kanron remained undeterred. After years of hard work, witnessing Charmeleon gradually improve its flame concentration speed filled him with excitement and anticipation.
Time flowed swiftly, and five days passed in the blink of an eye.
During these five intensive training days, significant progress was made, yet they encountered a bottleneck at the second step - achieving a rain-like descent.
Lian had become highly proficient at concentrating flames, effortlessly creating over ten in mere moments. However, the second step posed a challenge.
Flames are inherently light; hot air rises while cold air descends. To make the flames fall like rain, their weight needed to be increased significantly, which proved difficult.
This was the current hurdle that required careful strategizing to overcome. From what Lian observed, making the flames descend like rainfall necessitated adjustments during the initial stage of flame concentration.
Meanwhile, Lian continued his regular training while Kanron delved into the research lab to study ways of making flames descend naturally. Simply forcing them down with brute control would not serve the intended purpose.
Late at night,
Lian entered the system space.
After several days, he had accumulated a significant number of Combat Points. With Kalia's special training nearing completion, she would soon engage in practical combat sessions with Fire-type Gym students, eliminating the need for daily combat ratings due to her absence.
Currently, Lian's total Combat Points exceeded 20,000, reaching 20,625 points.
For Lian now, 20,000 Combat Points didn't seem substantial. Increasing his Fire Element Mastery by just 1% required 4,000 points, so aiming for 50% mastery would demand around 30,000 to 40,000 points. Consequently, 20,000 points could only boost his mastery by approximately 5%.