"The Pokémon Gorgeous Competition, the Kanaz Conference has finally reached the final battle of the Gorgeous Match!"
Amidst the host's introduction, the audience let out a passionate cheer.
The final.
No matter where it takes place, the final represents the peak of a competition, symbolizing the highest level, and it's the moment everyone eagerly anticipates.
When Baimu stood at the Trainer's seat, looking around at the excited and expectant faces, he felt a bit nervous, his heart pounding fast.
He wanted to win.
He hoped to end his debut match with a perfect conclusion.
Just one step away from ultimate victory; he must not be careless or underestimate his opponent, but carefully consider which Pokémon to send out.
Baimu knew that Wula La, who owned the Garchomp, was powerful, even if she, as a Coordinator Trainer, had not participated in Gym challenges or League Conferences.
But years of experience in the Gorgeous Competition also taught her how to significantly deduct the opponent's points.
He looked across at Wula La in a black dress, their gaze meeting hers confident and proud eyes, both seeing an emotion in each other's eyes—
"Victory!"
"The Gorgeous Match Final! Begin!"
With a shout from the host, both Baimu and Wula La simultaneously threw their Pokeballs!
Bam bam!
In front of Wula La, red flames surged, and Flareon burst forth through the blaze, its fluffy fur fluttering like the elf of the flame.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
A blood-red light glowed within the black mist.
Soon, sparkling silver claws tore through the fog, unveiling its majestic and towering figure like a cloak.
"Roar..."
Aggron puffed out the remaining black mist, not bellowing at the sky to intimidate its opponent as usual.
It knew the stage of the Gorgeous Competition differed from past battles, ensuring it must look cool without appearing too fierce or brutal.
So what to do?
The Trainer taught it a trick—stay silent.
So now, exposed to the audience and judges, stood a mountain-sized yet always serene silver giant beast.
Its silver armor reflected splendid light under the sun, the scars like the most honorable medals, eliciting constant admiration from the audience.
The judges exchanged glances, openly showing appreciation on their faces.
A crucial aspect of the Gorgeous Competition is observing how well a Pokémon is raised; often, not scoring higher is due not to dazzling move combinations but to the Pokémon's external appearance and spiritual presence being subpar.
How strong Aggron truly was remained unknown, but it was undoubtedly very well raised.
Of course.
Flareon was likewise, its fur under the wind resembling the form of leaping flames, proving its excellent state.
"Flame Vortex!" Wula La decided to take the initiative.
"Fwoosh!"
Flareon took a deep breath, its fur seeming to inflate and tremble violently, then a bright tongue of flame spiraled out!
But Wula La's command wasn't finished, "Flashing Flame Charge!"
In an instant, Flareon's fur ignited with sky-blue flames, rapidly charging forward, diving into the Flame Vortex, transforming it into a twisting tunnel of fire.
Blue flame balls appeared faintly, the blend of red and blue presenting immense beauty and visual impact!
What amazed Baimu wasn't just Flareon's swift execution of a Combined Skill, but also the ability to boost move power to normal levels by combining two moves.
Lowering power to create flashier effects, then using move combination to achieve normal power levels.
From a battling perspective, such showy performances were insignificant, yet in the Gorgeous Competition, this move would undoubtedly earn high scores.
If Aggron couldn't break it successfully, substantial points would be lost on his side.
"Meet it! Use Metal Explosion!"
Baimu shouted.
Aggron paused momentarily at the command, recognizing the unique aspect of this directive as the Pokémon closest to its Trainer.
During Mawile's week of practicing for the Gorgeous Competition performance, it expressed no interest in it, but secretly practiced lowering power to enhance change for its Trainer's better grasp in the gorgeous battle.
The time to test the result was now!
Aggron moved its heavy steps, silently charging forward, silver light enveloping its body, confidently colliding head-on with Flareon.
Boom!
Red and blue flames splashed across Aggron's body as Flareon pounced back like a homing swallow.
Flames surged up, engulfing it, forming a horrifying scene like a giant torch!
Instantly, Baimu's points decreased by almost one-fifth.
Yet facing a scorching temperature over a thousand degrees, Aggron's face showed no pain, instead fiercely gripping Flareon attempting to withdraw.
"Throw it up!"
"Roar!"
Aggron gave a low growl, tossing Flareon into the air!
The flames on its body, like living beings, merged with the silver glow into a silver orb.
"Smoke Spray!"
Wula La did not panic, promptly issuing her command.
No matter what move Aggron uses, the black mist from the Smoke Spray would diminish the move's grandeur, making it a good hindering move.
But it was clear she underestimated Aggron a bit.
Only seeing the silver orb carry air currents spinning skyward, exploding just before Flareon spewed hot black smoke.
Yet.
Released in the explosion wasn't smoke, but an incredibly brilliant silver firework!
Flareon, dizzy from the blast, was lifted again by the explosion rather than falling with gravity, its mouth instinctively using Smoke Spray, splattering hot black smoke.
"Quicksand Hell!"
Baimu shouted.
Aggron raised both claws, a narrow but dense vortex of quicksand surged skyward around it, forming a sandy flower appearance that not only dispersed the black smoke but also supported Flareon, keeping it aloft!
Wula La's points were deducted twice in succession, reducing by nearly a third.
Meanwhile, only two and a half minutes remained on the five-minute countdown.
"Use Energy Storage Flame Strike to accelerate! Break free!" Wula La nervously clenched her fist.
In mid-air, Flareon immediately transformed into a red flame ball, stubbornly rotating and accelerating following the Quicksand Hell's direction, causing it to be flung out, regaining freedom.
This move was quite skillful, causing Baimu's score to be significantly deducted.
But Flareon didn't anticipate Aggron had been waiting for it to break free from the Binding for a long time.
"Rock Seal!"
As it sought its landing spot, Aggron also pinpointed its descent location, stomping the ground to raise it, instantly imprisoning Flareon with numerous rocks.
This move, strictly speaking, lacked beauty but was decisive.
Wula La wished to counter the move again, but as the rocks turned to gravel and disappeared, Flareon stumbled and fell.
Evidently.
It fainted.
In creating gorgeous scenes, Aggron might not surpass it but in combat power, it was enough to be admired.
"Flareon has lost its ability to battle! The winner of this year's Gorgeous Competition—Kanaz Conference is Mr. Baimu!"
The host shouted, announcing the victory of the match.
Wula La stood stunned for a while until the surrounding judges began reviewing the battle, then she revealed a helpless smile, "Lost, huh."