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Caleb, who stood tall and muscular, didn’t feel frustrated or defeated after losing the first round of their battle. Instead, his blood was pumping with excitement and anticipation. Hawlucha was merely the first Pokemon he had acquired at the beginning of his trainer journey. It didn’t possess exceptional potential or abilities, so he had expected that it wouldn’t be able to defeat such a powerful Charizard.

Looking at the magnificent and formidable Charizard hovering above the battlefield, Caleb displayed a bright, determined smile on his face as he looked directly at Jacob. Only such a powerful and skilled opponent was truly worthy of all the hardships and struggles he had endured during his long journey to become a Pokemon trainer.

The enthusiastic cheers from the audience surrounding the battlefield further stimulated his nerves and heightened his excitement. Born into an ordinary, working-class family, Caleb was already twenty-five years old this year. At this age, many trainers had already achieved Gym Leader-level status and recognition, but he was still only a Lord-level trainer, despite having put in countless hours of effort and dedication to reach even this level.

He came from humble beginnings and had been forced to drop out of school as a teenager to work in various jobs to support himself. He had worked in factories as a manual laborer, tightening screws on assembly lines, and had performed back-breaking construction work at building sites. He had experienced firsthand the harsh realities and difficulties of life, but through it all, he had never given up hope for a better future.

He had been carefully saving every Pokédollar he could manage, and after working tirelessly for two years, he had finally accumulated tens of thousands of Pokédollars in savings. With all of his hard-earned money in hand, Caleb had resolutely quit his stable job, purchased his very first Pokemon, and embarked on the challenging path toward becoming a professional Pokemon trainer.

During the past five years since beginning his trainer journey, he had endured countless hardships and had nearly died in the wilderness on several occasions. He had invested enormous amounts of effort, time, and resources into his training, but even now he remained only a Lord-level trainer, unable to break through to the next tier.

This unfortunate situation represents the harsh reality faced by most trainers who come from impoverished backgrounds. Without access to excellent resources, high-quality training equipment, or naturally powerful Pokemon with exceptional potential, they can only wander from place to place, desperately searching for every possible opportunity to become stronger and advance their skills. Many of these trainers might even die unexpectedly in dangerous wild areas, and no one would ever know what happened to them.

Caleb had come to challenge Jacob today with one clear and specific purpose in mind – to prove himself and his abilities to the world. Although he came from a poor family and was still only a Lord-level trainer after all these years of struggle, he was absolutely confident that at his current level, both he and his ace Pokemon were completely invincible against any opponent of the same rank and experience.

“Jacob, I’m going to send out my strongest partner next,” Caleb declared, looking directly into Jacob’s eyes with unwavering determination. “I hope you’ll also send out your trump card Pokemon and fight against me with complete seriousness!”

Jacob listened carefully to Caleb’s passionate words and frowned slightly with concern. To be completely honest, he felt that given Caleb’s current level of strength, the challenger didn’t really need to face his Sceptile at all. “Wait until you can defeat my Charizard first,” Jacob replied matter-of-factly. “Then you’ll have earned the right to see my trump card Pokemon.”

“Alright! Don’t worry about that,” Caleb responded confidently, his voice filled with determination. “I will definitely make you recognize and acknowledge my true strength!”

Upon hearing Jacob’s challenge, Caleb didn’t try to force the issue or argue further. He understood that reputation and respect are always earned through one’s own actions and achievements, not begged for or demanded from others!

Caleb reached up and took a red and white Poke Ball that was hanging from a cord around his neck. He looked up at the black Charizard soaring gracefully through the sky above the battlefield, then threw the Poke Ball high into the air with a dramatic flourish.

“Go, Infernape!”

Watching this impressive display, Jacob couldn’t help but think to himself with a touch of admiration, Caleb’s Poke Ball throwing technique is really quite stylish and cool. I should definitely study and practice my own ball-throwing form more carefully in the future.

The Infernape appeared on the battlefield in a burst of blazing flames, and it immediately captured Jacob’s complete attention from the moment it materialized.

The reason was quite simple – this Infernape’s natural talent and potential were absolutely extraordinary. The Champion level potential made Jacob’s eyes widen in shock and surprise. This was the very first time he had ever encountered a Pokemon with quasi-Champion level talent in the hands of an ordinary, everyday trainer.

A typical Infernape usually stands about 1.2 meters tall, but Caleb’s Infernape measured approximately 1.75 meters in height – nearly the same height as Caleb himself standing behind it.

Its muscular arms hung down almost to its knees, and brilliant fiery red flames burned constantly behind its head, flowing and billowing like a magnificent crimson cape or battle cloak.

For some inexplicable reason, this particular Infernape gave Jacob a very unusual and distinctive feeling. Jacob found himself vaguely seeing the shadows and echoes of Ryan and his Lucario in both Caleb and this remarkable Infernape. When Infernape appeared on the battlefield, Caleb’s entire demeanor and presence seemed to change dramatically.

There was an unmistakable feeling of perfect mental unity and deep spiritual connection between Caleb and his Infernape. Their eyes held the same level of firm determination and sharp focus, and both displayed complete confidence in themselves and their abilities.

Jacob put aside any contemptuous or dismissive thoughts he might have had, and a serious, focused expression appeared on his face. He looked up at his Charizard flying above and said earnestly, “Charizard, this opponent is extremely strong and skilled. You absolutely must give this battle everything you’ve got.”

“Charrr,” Charizard responded with a determined nod. It could clearly sense and feel the powerful aura radiating from the opposing Infernape. Charizard stared intently at its new opponent, preparing itself mentally for the upcoming assault.

“Battle begin!” the referee announced loudly.

“ROAAAAR!”

This time Jacob didn’t need to give any commands whatsoever. Based on his deep understanding of Charizard’s personality and battle preferences, he knew with absolute certainty that it would launch another surprise attack!

Sure enough, Charizard didn’t disappoint Jacob’s expectations in the slightest. It opened with another expertly executed sneak attack, and surging flames flew toward Infernape like a massive fire dragon, roaring through the air with tremendous force and heat.

“Infernape, charge straight through those flames and get in close!” Caleb commanded with remarkable calmness and composure, directing his Pokemon to withstand the incoming Flamethrower attack and close the distance for a melee assault.

Faced with the powerful stream of scorching flames rushing toward it, there was absolutely no hesitation or fear visible in Infernape’s determined eyes. It charged directly forward through the fire attack without slowing down. The flames dancing around its head flowed and rippled like wind-blown fabric, resembling a magnificent scarlet battle robe.

Infernape burst through the wall of scorching flames with incredible determination, its fists beginning to glow with intense red energy. Bathed in fire and radiating blazing heat from every part of its body, it rushed straight toward the hovering Charizard with unwavering purpose.

Jacob could immediately tell that this Infernape possessed the Iron Fist ability, which would significantly increase the power of all punching-based attacks. He certainly wasn’t going to wait around foolishly for Infernape to close the distance and land a devastating blow. “Charizard, fly higher!” he commanded urgently.

Seeing the seemingly reckless Infernape charging directly toward his Pokemon, Jacob didn’t even need to finish giving instructions before Charizard took to the skies, gaining altitude rapidly.

“Infernape, use Rock Slide to force it back down!” Caleb called out with a slight frown creasing his face as he watched Charizard soar higher. His Infernape was virtually unbeatable in close-range combat, but when facing a Pokemon like Charizard that possessed excellent flight capabilities, it became much more difficult for him to utilize his primary advantages effectively.

He immediately adapted his strategy and commanded Infernape to use Rock Slide! Charizard, with its dual Fire and Flying typing, had a devastating four-times weakness to Rock-type attacks. If it took a direct hit from Rock Slide, it would most likely be defeated in a single blow. Even if it could somehow barely survive one Rock Slide attack, it definitely wouldn’t be able to withstand a second one.

Infernape drew back its powerful fist and punched the ground with tremendous force, causing the earth to crack and creating spider-web patterns of fractures spreading outward. It suddenly dug out an enormous boulder from the cracked ground, lifted the massive rock high above its head, tilted its muscular body slightly backward for maximum throwing power, then hurled the boulder with all of its considerable strength. The huge rock flew toward Charizard like a cannonball, cutting through the air at incredible speed!

“Charizard, use Metal Claw to smash those rocks apart!” Jacob commanded decisively.

Although Jacob’s Charizard was primarily built and trained for special attacks, he had still insisted on maintaining its physical training regimen. While its physical capabilities weren’t quite as impressive as those of Pokemon specifically trained for physical combat, it could still handle emergency situations like this when necessary.

Looking at the rapidly approaching boulder flying toward it, Charizard spread its wings wide and let out a powerful, echoing roar. Steel-type energy wrapped around its dragon claws, manifesting as huge silvery metallic energy extensions that sliced cleanly through the massive rock!

The enormous boulder instantly shattered into countless smaller rock fragments that scattered in all directions across the battlefield.

“Infernape, use Stealth Rock!” Caleb commanded, immediately following up with another strategic move.

Rock-type energy surged powerfully throughout Infernape’s body, and it suddenly raised both fists upward toward the sky. The rock energy within its body exploded outward in a controlled burst, and the tiny rock fragments scattered across the ground from the destroyed boulder were suddenly controlled by Infernape’s power. They all rose into the air simultaneously, floating and hovering around the airspace surrounding Charizard, covering both the area around it and the sky above. Then, in perfect coordination, all of the floating rocks became completely invisible and disappeared from sight, creating a hidden trap that would damage any Pokemon trying to switch out or re-enter the battle.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep