Upon entering the Dream World, Lian swiftly dashed away with practiced ease. Now, he was no longer vulnerable to being caught by Slaking. Watching it futilely attempt pursuit, its frustrated appearance brought him immense satisfaction.
At level 15, Lian sprinted at full speed, skillfully avoiding high-level Pokemon along the way, and quickly reached the vicinity of the river where he had previously encountered Tangela.
In this area, Lian had established himself as the dominant force, having battled almost every Pokemon once. Today, his plan was to explore a nearby forest containing a formidable Tangela.
As a level 15 Charmander, Lian not only mastered Fire Fang and Incinerate but also steadily improved his control over Fire-type moves. Additionally, he acquired Dragon Rage, providing him with a powerful burst ability.
Lian wasn't sure about the exact level of the Tangela, but it likely wasn't exceptionally strong. If it were a Tangrowth, he would have been more cautious, but a Tangela posed less concern.
He estimated that defeating this Tangela should be enough for him to evolve into Charmeleon. However, he wondered if the evolution within the Dream World would enhance his progress in reality, potentially accelerating his actual evolution.
Entering the forest, Lian didn't dare waste time. His daily access to the Dream World was limited, probably just one or two hours at most. He needed to swiftly defeat the Tangela and continue grinding against weaker opponents.
While challenging higher-level Pokemon could accelerate his leveling up, it was easier and quicker to target weaker ones, gradually accumulating progress.
If not for Tangela being relatively manageable, Lian wouldn't have sought it out; instead, he would have focused on swarms of Rattata or Patrats.
Lian knew the location of this particular Tangela, which seemed to be the strongest nearby, likely Level 20 or above. It had learned the Growth move, exclusive to Tangelas at Level 20.
Tangela's base stats were quite high, reaching 435, significantly more than Grovyle's. However, its speed was not exceptional, and its Special Defense was also low, making it comparatively easy to handle.
Shortly after entering the jungle, Lian stealthily hid behind a tree, having already spotted the Tangela concealed within a thicket. Numerous blue vines constantly swayed, making it easily noticeable.
He avoided getting too close, as detection by Tangela would swiftly lead to entrapment with its vine-like appendages. A surprise attack was clearly the best approach.
Prepared to unleash his moves, Lian kept his eyes fixed on Tangela for a moment. Once confident, he opened his mouth and released a burst of flames.
The Incinerate move was currently within Lian's grasp; he inherently knew it, and upon reaching the appropriate level, he could effortlessly unleash it. Moreover, within the Dream World, his Control Rating gradually improved, making it easy to execute Incinerate.
As Lian released the Incinerate move, Tangela remained oblivious. With Lian hidden in the shadows and Tangela exposed, there was no chance for defense or evasion.
Blazing flames pierced through the foliage, directly targeting Tangela. Instantly, its blue vines caught fire, rapidly spreading across its body.
Tangela panicked, frantically wailing as it tried to remove the burning vines, sustaining significant damage in the process.
Capitalizing on his advantage, Lian followed up with another Dragon Rage, aiming straight at Tangela's back. The powerful shockwave sent Tangela flying.
After consecutive heavy blows, Tangela clearly struggled to endure, collapsing onto the ground. The potency of Incinerate had inflicted substantial harm, exacerbated by the additional impact of Dragon Rage.
Against weaker Pokemon, Dragon Rage proved incredibly effective. Lian even felt that just one use of Dragon Rage would have been enough to defeat this Tangela.
After defeating Tangela, Lian swiftly moved on to search for other Pokemon. However, before taking more than a few steps, he felt the onset of evolution.
Within seconds...
Lian looked with satisfaction at his transformed body as a Charmeleon. Finally, he had become a Charmeleon again, although slightly smaller compared to reality, but not significantly different.
Suddenly,
A Pokemon emerged unexpectedly and launched an attack towards Lian - it was a Larvitar.
Caught off guard, Lian realized that during his evolution, a Pokemon had stealthily prepared to ambush him, and surprisingly, it was the rare Larvitar.
Larvitar used Bite, lunging aggressively. Uncertain about this Larvitar's strength, Lian instantly burst into speed, dodging to the side.
"Zapdos, use Thunder Shock!" A human voice echoed near Lian. Turning around, he spotted a handsome man with long hair approaching from a distance, accompanied by a small Zapdos.
Lian was taken aback. Unless mistaken, this Zapdos must be the youngling hatched earlier by Julian. Breeding Legendary Pokemon is notoriously difficult; otherwise, they would be commonplace by now.
This indicated that the long-haired man must be affiliated with the Dark Guild. Given his ability to forcibly capture Zapdos, he likely held a high-ranking position within the organization, possibly even being its leader.
After evading Larvitar's attack, Lian noticed Zapdos flying towards him. However, as it was still a youngling, its flight appeared unsteady and shaky.
Moreover, Zapdos seemed fearful, releasing Thunder Shocks hesitantly and generating only small bolts of lightning. Lian didn't even need to dodge, feeling confident they wouldn't hit him.
It was evident that Zapdos had been forcefully captured, resulting in extremely low intimacy levels with its trainer, hence the poor obedience to commands.
Since this man belonged to the Dark Guild, Lian decided not to hold back.
He swiftly launched an offensive, fueled by anger over the Dark Guild's abduction and forced capture of the Zapdos youngling. In reality, there might be limitations, but in the Dream World, giving them a proper lesson was absolutely necessary.
Lian unleashed a burst of flames directly at Larvitar. As a Rock- and Ground-type Pokemon, Larvitar has resistance against Fire-type moves, but no worries, Incinerate was just the appetizer.
"Useless." The long-haired man seemed visibly upset, clearly realizing that Zapdos was not obeying his commands.
After hitting Larvitar with Incinerate, there seemed little effect as it remained energetic and lively.
Just as Larvitar prepared to counterattack, Lian swiftly unleashed Dragon Rage, sending a powerful shockwave directly towards Larvitar.
"Dragon Rage!" The long-haired man appeared genuinely surprised; throughout his journey, most encountered Pokemon were relatively weak. Yet here, this Charmeleon proved unexpectedly strong.
It was peculiar how Charmeleon had managed to dodge Larvitar's attacks earlier. Typically, no ordinary Pokemon could evade such sudden assaults.
The shockwaves continuously struck Larvitar, but its robust weight and sturdy body only caused it to retreat a few steps. However, despite its resilience, the damage from the shockwaves was significant, eventually overwhelming Larvitar, causing it to collapse onto the ground.
Seeing Larvitar defeated, the long-haired man promptly threw another Poké Ball, releasing a Cyndaquil onto the battlefield.
Lian noticed that the man carried six Poké Balls: three containing Pokemon and three pink Dream Balls, clearly indicating an intent to capture rare species.
This meant the opponent had limited resources, with only three Pokemon at their disposal, one of which Lian had already taken care of.