"That's it, Champion Julian. Take them down!"
"Why does this feel like I'm the one competing in the Sky Challenge?" Julian Yan muttered to himself.
"Isn't this stage supposed to be the one others challenge me at?"
"I can't believe it. Someone finally cleared the third stage!"
"Lin's breeding ranch has really made a name for itself. You could already call it an elite level facility now."
"It looks like the third stage won't hold for much longer. I wonder how far Champion Julian's Charizard can go."
Amid the surrounding chatter, Lin Feng looked at the towering Charizard standing at the center of the field, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Even elite level trainers were coming to challenge the Sky Trial now?
That was right. The challenger standing in the middle of the crowd was Julian Yan, currently the youngest elite Fire type trainer in the League.
Charizard's Flamethrower tore through the sky, leaving scorched marks on each Pidgeot with terrifying precision.
Once hit, the Pidgeot fell helplessly from the air.
What most people saw as an extremely difficult third stage was almost effortless for this Charizard.
Yet at the same time, Julian Yan, standing in the arena, was deeply shaken inside.
Do not mistake how easily Charizard defeated the Pidgeot.
That was because these Pidgeot were heavily restricted.
They could not fly too high, nor could they leave the designated zone. For wild Flying type Pokémon, this was almost like having their wings clipped.
Even so, these Pidgeot were still hiding their true strength.
What shocked him even more was how similar that hidden strength was.
Their evasion rate, attack frequency, and attack speed were almost identical.
It was as if they had all been carved from the same mold.
This did not just show exceptional control over their energy. It suggested their mastery of skills had reached an extreme level.
If there had only been one, Julian would not have found it strange.
From his experience, Pokémon raised by powerful trainers could indeed reach such heights of skill control.
But to have so many Pidgeot with nearly identical levels of mastery?
That was unheard of.
Even Pokémon of the same species had individual differences.
To cultivate so many Pidgeot with synchronized rhythm and precision was simply unbelievable.
The third stage ended quickly.
The fourth stage followed, with eight Pidgeot attacking together. At this point, they had nothing left to hide.
Their energy levels were all above level 30.
Relying on sheer technique, Charizard defeated all of them within two minutes, leaving forty eight seconds on the clock.
Julian did not continue the challenge immediately.
He looked around, then shook his head.
If he kept going, he might still succeed, but Charizard would need to release large scale flames.
With forests nearby and so many spectators around, Charizard might not be able to fully control the fire.
"Huh? He's not continuing?"
Seeing Charizard and Julian stop, the crowd erupted.
"Didn't he clear the fourth stage?"
"Another round! One more round!"
"Fourth stage! My god, I can't even imagine what the reward for clearing that would be!"
Despite the noise, Julian shook his head and shouted back, "There's no real meaning in continuing. This mode is designed for newer trainers. It doesn't offer much to Charizard."
Someone immediately shouted back.
"Champion Julian, don't say that! You haven't challenged the final stage yet. The last one, the enhanced Sky Challenge, is unbelievable!"
Julian smiled and shook his head.
These Pidgeot were not weak, and their skill mastery was exceptional, but there was still a vast gap between them and Charizard.
"Has anyone gone to tell Lin that someone cleared it? Oh, he's already here."
Earlier, when Charizard began the challenge, no one paid attention to what was happening nearby.
But now, with the challenge over, someone immediately spotted Lin Feng watching from behind.
"Lin, what are the rewards for the third and fourth stages?"
"The third stage, the fourth stage…"
Lin Feng stepped forward and looked at the flame wreathed Charizard.
Pokémon: Charizard
Gender: Male
Ability: Blaze
Talent Grade: Gold
Nature: …
Strength: Level 82 to 83
Moves: Ember, Flamethrower, Flash Burst, Dragon Claw, Heat Wave, Fire Fang, Slash, Scary Face…
Compared to last time, almost nothing had changed. Only its energy level had risen slightly.
The reward for the third stage was higher quality chemical energy cubes.
As for the fourth stage, to be honest, he had never really planned it out.
Thinking of this, Lin Feng let out a small laugh.
Then he said, "The reward for the fourth stage depends on the Pokémon's type."
He looked at Julian. "It mainly depends on what kind of reward the challenger wants. Charizard is both Fire and Flying type, so you can choose either a Flying type reward or a Fire type reward."
"Flying type rewards can greatly improve a Pokémon's skill proficiency in a short time. Fire type rewards work the same way."
By the fourth stage, the reward was already A tier.
Even though Lin Feng had made it casually, it would still be extremely valuable elsewhere.
"Do energy cubes like that really exist?" Julian stared at Lin Feng in shock.
An item that could directly improve skill proficiency sounded completely unreasonable.
Yet the evidence was right in front of him.
Those Pidgeot had just shown him what finely controlled skills truly meant.
The farther they flew, the faster their quick attacks triggered, as if they could manipulate them at will, allowing sharp turns in midair.
They could even change direction twice within less than three meters.
Time and time again, Charizard's attacks missed when Julian was certain they would land.
It was absurd.
Lin Feng explained seriously, "The key lies in mobilizing the circulation speed of energy within the Pokémon. If you follow it up with targeted skill training right after consumption, the effect should be even better."
"Uh…"
Julian looked at Lin Feng with suspicion.
That explanation…
Even though he was not a breeder, something about it felt off.
But he could not pinpoint exactly what.
The people around them whispered among themselves.
"It can even raise skill mastery? Is that real?"
"It sounds ridiculous, but then again, it's Lin's energy cubes. When you think about it that way, it kind of makes sense."
"Yeah…"
"I really can't imagine how Lin even makes these energy cubes."
Amid the murmured discussions, Julian thought for a moment and said, "I'll choose the Fire type."
"Please wait a moment…"