With around twenty thousand Combat Points, Lian planned to increase his Fire Element Mastery. He felt that being stuck at the second step was due to insufficient control rating and needed to enhance it further.
Quickly, his 41% Fire Element Mastery rose to 45%, gaining 4% for a cost of sixteen thousand Combat Points.
Although he could have increased it to 46%, stopping at 45% seemed more visually pleasing. Additionally, Lian intended to boost other mastery ratings, such as Normal-type Energy Control.
Now with 4,625 Combat Points remaining, Lian turned his attention to Steel Mastery. Through recent practice, he had acquired an additional 2% Steel Mastery, which could be converted into Combat Points.
This yielded another 400 Combat Points, bringing his total to 5,025 points, just enough to raise the Normal-type Energy Control to 20%.
Shortly after, Lian's Normal-type Energy Control reached 20%. Instantaneously, he gained god-like mastery over this energy type, not only able to perceive surrounding energies but also effortlessly manipulate them.
Within the system space, Lian now had complete control over three types of energy: red, cyan, and white attribute energies swirling around him. Feeling like a deity, he effortlessly manipulated these energies, shaping them into any desired form.
The Normal-type energy was remarkably stable, lacking the fiery intensity of Fire-type or the overpowering dominance of Dragon-type. However, it possessed great versatility, allowing for diverse moves to be executed using Normal-type energy.
Normal-type moves were abundant due to their wide applicability; virtually any Pokemon could learn them without requiring exceptional innate talent.
"Let's start practicing Wrath of Fire."
Lian began working on Wrath of Fire but got stuck at the second step. Both Kanron and Lian were actively researching solutions, making some progress but still unable to grasp the necessary sensation.
Lian felt that to make flames descend, they needed a driving force, which must originate from the flames themselves—essentially, an explosion. Flame energy is inherently unstable, prone to detonation with minimal guidance.
The crucial challenge was how to harness the explosion as propulsion for the descending flames. Lian could split each flame into two parts, with one part exploding to propel the other rapidly downward. However, performing such precise control on every individual flame would be immensely exhausting and impractical.
Explosion, explosion.
The instability of fire could serve as a source of power, and explosions were undoubtedly key to the second step. The question remained: How to utilize these explosions effectively?
Wait.
Why start by forming such small flames? Instead, if larger flames were initially created, allowing them to burst and fragment into smaller ones, the explosive force could drive them towards the ground.
Lian decided to give it a try. He positioned himself at the center of the system space and began the first step of Wrath of Fire, focusing on creating flames.
Soon, medium-sized flames appeared in the air, roaring fiercely. As they gathered together, their combined weight increased, causing them to gradually descend towards the ground.
At that moment:
Boom! Boom!
With just slight control from Lian, the flames burst apart like scattered explosions. The medium-sized flames fragmented into smaller ones, dispersing in all directions before rapidly plummeting towards the ground.
Each small flame impacted the surface with considerable force due to the intense energy released during the explosion. It resembled a meteorite shattering mid-air, scattering countless fragments that forcefully descended onto the earth, each piece carrying significant destructive power.
Lian realized that upon impact, there was no need for further explosion; the sheer force of the falling flames alone could cause substantial damage. Wrath of Fire is designed as a sustained consumption move, not a single burst type.
Combining this powerful impact with the high-temperature burning effect would undoubtedly inflict notable harm on Pokemon.
As Lian pondered, he concluded it might be feasible to skip the final explosive step. Achieving dense clusters of flames descending already posed a challenge, and adding an explosion seemed nearly impossible unless his Control Rating significantly improved.
The next day.
At the Fire-type Gym's battlefield.
Kanron appeared somewhat worn out, clearly having spent the entire night researching how to achieve the second step. Sheer force control was not feasible; thus, he needed to modify the first step.
"Gym Leader, don't push yourself too hard. We'll find a solution eventually," Kalia advised, concerned by Kanron's tired state and need for rest.
"I'm fine." Kanron waved off her concern, determined to seize this opportunity after waiting so long.
Lian emerged from his Poké Ball, noticing Kanron's exhausted appearance with slight disbelief. This middle-aged man truly went all out. However, there would be no need for such strain now, as Lian planned to test the results of his practice from the previous night.
Stepping onto the battlefield, Lian took a deep breath and began the first step of Wrath of Fire: condensing flames.
Contrary to forming small flames, creating larger ones proved easier due to less time consumption. Several clusters of fire materialized in the air.
Lian didn't create too many, just five or six, then following his practice within the system space last night, instantly controlled all the flames to explode simultaneously.
This step was relatively straightforward, as it involved simultaneously detonating five to six flames. With his Control Rating at 45%, Lian could already split and control up to seven or eight separate flames using Flame Splitter.
Boom... Boom...
The series of explosions caught everyone's attention. Kalia looked towards the sky, instantly awestruck.
Kanron also gazed upwards, witnessing the fiery explosions akin to fireworks. The orange-red flames burst into countless smaller embers, cascading downwards like rain.
From a distance, the falling flames created powerful impacts upon hitting the ground, producing a continuous barrage of booming sounds, resembling a true shower of fire.
Numerous small craters dotted the battlefield, evidence of the intense force exerted by these flaming impacts.
"This..." Kanron was initially stunned but then his eyes lit up with realization. Although this version of Wrath of Fire differed from his simulations, he suddenly understood that it was more suitable for actual combat. His previous simulations had been too idealized.
Firstly, compared to his simulated version of Wrath of Fire, this execution was significantly faster, bypassing the need for distinct first, second, and third steps.
It now consisted of only two stages: condensing flames and detonation. After initiating these steps, there was no further need for control; once the flames exploded, they would naturally descend with impressive impact force.
However, Charmeleon's Wrath of Fire still required further enhancement and refinement. Lian aimed for sustained damage, not just a brief shower of fire.
Kanron's eyes sparkled brightly, as if he had discovered an extraordinary treasure. He then turned to Kalia, his voice tinged with excitement, "This is it! This version of Wrath of Fire aligns even better with reality than my previous simulation, but we still need to make some adjustments in detail."
Kalia felt somewhat bewildered; how could a long-standing problem be solved so suddenly, jumping straight to the final stage in one go?
The recent fiery rain was truly mesmerizing, resembling fireworks as individual flames descended gracefully towards the ground.