The system prompt popped up:
[Do you want to continue to the next tier?]
Caleb glanced at the opponent for the second tier:
[Tier 2: Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon! Attack, Legendary Birds! (Challengeable)]
Then he selected 'No' and exited the Extreme Realm Instance with Celebi.
Mewtwo happened to be in the living room watching Pokémon Anime series with Mimikyu.
Seeing Caleb and Celebi return, Mewtwo proactively asked: >..Do you need my help?..<
"I do." Caleb nodded.
Later, he would need Mewtwo's help to clear the Battle Arena. The Battle Royale event would start in two days. Before that, he wanted to raise his rank as much as possible.
Hearing this, Mewtwo immediately stood up, ready to set off.
"No rush, we'll go after lunch." Said Caleb.
Mewtwo had no objections and obediently sat back down.
Celebi, on the other hand, saw Mimikyu and excitedly flew over to her and began animatedly recounting how it had just defeated a powerful enemy.
Mimikyu: "..."
After intensely commanding Celebi through several fierce battles, Caleb felt a bit thirsty.
The attentive Gardevoir noticed her master's state and immediately brought a glass of chilled sour plum juice from the fridge to quench his thirst.
"Thank you." Caleb said habitually, took a sip, placed the cup aside, and then checked the items obtained from the first tier of the Extreme Realm.
[Miracle Seed: A standard item. A seed that nurtures life. When held by a Pokémon, the power of Grass-type moves increases by 20%...]
[Character Card (Celebi): A card filled with mystical power. Using this card summons the corresponding Pokémon to aid in battle! Number of uses: 5...]
[It's been detected that the player's inventory already contains Celebi. This Character Card overlaps with it. The player can choose to fuse the Character Card with Celebi. After fusion, Celebi will permanently gain some of the card's abilities...]
[Fuse?]
«Fusion effects overview:
1. Darkification, Active Skill: Celebi enters a darkened state, greatly increasing its Special Attack, but it will lose rationality and become extremely dangerous, with a high likelihood of attacking the trainer.
2. Giantification, Active Skill: Celebi harnesses the power of the forest, summoning vines and branches to transform into a Forest Giant. In this state, its Physical Defense and Special Defense are greatly increased, while its Speed is greatly reduced...»
Caleb scanned it roughly.
A summoning card with only five uses versus a permanent active skill... anyone with a functional mind would choose the latter.
Leaving aside the Darkification skill for now, the value of Giantification alone was worth more than those five uses.
Leech Seed, Toxic, Recover, Heal Bell…
Coupled with the massive boost to Physical and Special Defense from Giantification, it was practically an enhanced version of Toxic Stall.
Caleb was eager to test how Celebi's new ability would perform in battle. He asked Gardevoir to prepare lunch and, in the meantime, took Celebi to the Battle Arena via teleportation.
*Ding!*
[Welcome, player Caleb Chase, to the Battle Arena!]
[Here, you can engage in tense and exciting Pokémon battles with players from all over the world. This is your first time entering the Battle Arena, would you like to hear the rules?]
"Yes."
«..The Battle Arena operates on a matchmaking system. When you step onto the trainer's designated spot on the battlefield, you can immediately start matching with an opponent.
Pokémon battles follow 6v6 rules. The match only ends when all Pokémon on one side lose their ability to battle. The winner receives corresponding ranking points. When you accumulate a certain number of points, your rank will increase...»
«..In this Battle Arena, player ranks, from low to high, are: Poké Ball Class, Great Ball Class, Ultra Ball Class, and Master Ball Class. Each major rank is divided into five minor tiers, e.g., Poké Ball Tier 5.
When a player accumulates 100 ranking points, they will enter a rank promotion match. If victorious, they will rise from Poké Ball Tier 5 to Poké Ball Tier 4. When the promotion match for Poké Ball Tier 1 is won, the major rank will increase to Great Ball Class...»
[You are currently unranked.]
[Would you like to hear the rules again?]
"Too long, I'm not going through that again." Caleb refused the offer and walked to the trainer's position on the battlefield.
The moment he stood there, the clock above the battlefield began to spin rapidly.
Soon, a figure wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts appeared on the opposite side of the field.
[Your opponent for this match is "Sven Thijs" (Unranked)!]
Caleb glanced at the opponent, then looked down to adjust his Pokémon's held item.
He equipped the newly obtained Miracle Seed to Celebi and took out Celebi's Poké Ball from his inventory.
[The match officially begins. Please, both contestants, send out your first Pokémon!]
The mechanical voice of the system referee rang out.
Caleb looked up, about to throw the Poké Ball, when he saw the opponent's rather dramatic expression.
'What's wrong?'
Caleb frowned slightly, pausing his movement. Just as he was about to send out Celebi, the young man named Sven spoke, cautiously asking, "Are you... are you that Caleb, the number one on the leaderboard?"
Caleb nodded, "That's me."
Having his suspicion confirmed, Sven's expression suddenly darkened.
The opponent had Mewtwo, so how could he possibly defeat him? He was just a newbie who had just gathered six Pokémon and was entering the Battle Arena for the first time!
Seeing his opponent's lack of response, standing there in a daze with a look of despair, Caleb vaguely guessed his thoughts and offered solace, "Don't worry, I won't use Mewtwo. I'll only use one Pokémon. If I lose, I'll concede immediately."
Sven's expression improved slightly, but he was still somewhat skeptical, "Really?"
Caleb hummed in agreement, "I never lie."
Sven took a deep breath and said heavily, "Alright then, I'll begin!"
With that, he threw his Poké Ball. With a flash of white light, a Snorlax, massive as a small hill, appeared on the battlefield.
Caleb also sent out his Celebi.
Celebi hadn't yet snapped out of the excitement from defeating a powerful opponent. Seeing the massive figure ahead, its eyes immediately lit up.
"Leech Seed!" Caleb started.
Sven's expression turned grave, "Snorlax, use Yawn!"
"Bi!" Celebi let out a crisp cry.
Green light surged before it, rapidly forming an emerald green seed that flew straight toward the opposing Snorlax.
Due to Snorlax's enormous size, the small Leech Seed easily hit it and sank into its body.
At the same time, Snorlax let out a big yawn.
An intangible drowsiness spread through the air. Celebi immediately felt a wave of sleepiness wash over it.
Sven clenched his fist in excitement upon seeing this. Although the opponent's Leech Seed hit successfully, as long as Celebi fell asleep next, his Snorlax could use Heavy Slam and Giga Impact, easily finishing off that Celebi within seconds.
- Heavy Slam: A Steel-type move. The user slams into the target with its heavy body. The heavier the user is than the target, the greater the move's power...
Without a doubt, the weight difference between Celebi and Snorlax was enormous. This gap could maximize Heavy Slam's power.
But just as Sven was confidently envisioning the upcoming scene in his mind, he suddenly heard the opponent ask, "Your Snorlax's ability is Immunity, right?"
Sven glanced at the sleepy Celebi and figured since he was about to win anyway, it wouldn't matter if he told him. He nodded and said, "That's right!"
"In that case, I won't use Toxic on you." Caleb thought for a moment, then commanded Celebi, "Use Giantification!"