The moment Skitty lost its balance on the slippery ice, Feebas had already locked onto its true form, which had no time to adjust its stance.
A blue Water Pulse suddenly surged, with a blurry rainbow halo entwined within the rushing waves. The two skills intertwined into a powerful force, pouncing straight toward Skitty with a light whistling sound through the air!
The thin ice beneath its feet severely restricted its dodging speed. Skitty hurriedly twisted its body, trying to avoid it, but was still hit squarely by the attack carrying double Confusion energy.
The Confusion effect of Water Pulse and the Confusion effect of Confuse Ray stacked instantly. Upon being hit, Skitty's pupils immediately lost focus, and its limbs spun uncontrollably on the spot, falling completely into a state of Confusion.
"Skitty, wake up quickly!" the girl's voice carried a sob as she shouted anxiously toward the center of the arena.
But the confused Skitty had already lost its senses; its pink body spun in place, waving its claws wildly toward an empty direction.
It looked like it couldn't hear any commands at all, appearing both disheveled and pitiful.
Feebas's eyes were focused as blue Water Pulses surged out one after another, precisely locking onto the out-of-control Skitty and hitting it repeatedly without error.
Under the continuous impact, Skitty shook its fluffy head and finally couldn't hold on any longer, collapsing on the stage. Its pink tail drooped slightly, and it became completely still.
Watching Lionel's clean and decisive victory on the battle stage, Contest turned to Wallace and remarked with a sigh:
"Wallace, this kid's battle style actually coincides perfectly with your philosophy.
He performed the combination techniques flawlessly during the appeal stage, and when it came to the actual battle, he could defeat his opponent cleanly.
He's so different from those old-school Coordinators."
Contest paused, recalling past competitions as he spoke:
"Coordinators in the past always thought about attacking each other with flashy moves during battles, or they would just dodge around, treating the battlefield like a display stage, caring more about the visual appeal of skills than their effectiveness.
But look at Lionel; when it's time to be flashy, he can stun the whole crowd, and when it's time to fight, he never drags his feet."
Hearing this, Wallace smiled gently: "That's how it should be. It's not that Coordinators can't fight; it's just that many people have separated flashiness from combat power.
Isn't the most perfect Trainer one who stacks flashiness with combat power? Being able to showcase the beauty of skills while also winning in battle—that is the true essence of Coordinator training!"
Sukizo nodded repeatedly while listening from the side, his chubby hand patting the table:
"Well said! I used to feel that battles in a Pokémon Contest were nothing more than seeing who dodged more cleverly or whose skills were more dazzling.
But under your influence, many Coordinators have started to value combat strength.
Take Grace, for example; I remember three years ago when she was just starting out in Pokémon Contests, she was so nervous she cried during the third round of the Contest Battle.
But look at Lionel; he hasn't neglected his Pokémon's combat abilities from the very beginning. This is only his first competition, I really can't imagine what kind of performance he'll have later!
The number of viewers following Pokémon Contests has been increasing over the years, isn't it precisely because of the added appeal of these battles? This is truly a great thing!"
Nurse Joy covered her mouth and chuckled, her gaze falling on Lionel as he walked off the stage, her tone full of praise:
"Speaking of which, this Lionel really is this year's strongest dark horse. And Wallace, don't you think he looks a lot like you!
The same clean temperament, green hair, and a preference for white clothes, even his starter Pokémon is a Water-type. He's practically a 'Little Wallace'!"
Wallace was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then laughed heartily, his appreciative gaze toward Lionel growing even stronger.
On the battle stage, the referee's voice rang out again: "Skitty is unable to battle! The winner is Number 86, Lionel!"
The girl with twin tails held her groggy Skitty, her eyes red, yet she still held back her tears and bowed to Lionel:
"You are very strong, I concede. But I will work harder in the future, and next time I will definitely beat you!"
Lionel looked at the stubbornness in her eyes and nodded seriously:
"Your Skitty is very cute, and your teamwork is very well-coordinated. If you keep it up, you'll definitely become stronger."
The girl was stunned for a moment, then showed a faint smile. She turned and left with Skitty, her steps light but revealing a resilient spirit that refused to admit defeat.
As Lionel walked off the stage, he happened to see Armani and Grace finishing their battles one after another.
Armani's Flareon ended the opponent with a perfect Flame Charge.
Grace's Medicham secured the victory with a combination of Confusion and Fire Punch; both of their performances were equally impeccable.
Finally, the ownership of the five Ribbon Medals was settled.
Lionel, Grace, and Armani occupied the top three spots without any suspense.
And that twin-tailed girl who used Skitty, relying on the high score stack from the first two rounds, actually took fifth place by a narrow margin and successfully obtained a Ribbon Medal.
When she received the medal from Nurse Joy's hands, she was so excited that tears fell. She bowed repeatedly while holding Skitty, and a wave of kind applause erupted from below the stage.
At the award ceremony, Wallace personally distributed the Ribbon Medals to Lionel.
The cool metallic touch landed in his hand, carrying a heavy weight.
Wallace's voice was gentle yet powerful:
"This Ribbon is only the starting point; the Grand Festival in Lilycove City is the true stage. I look forward to seeing even more brilliant performances from you and Feebas there in the future."
"We will." Lionel looked up, meeting Wallace's gaze, his smile sincere and firm. "We definitely won't let you down."
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. The live stream's bullet chat was already flooded with blessings like "Congratulations to the streamer" and "The first step toward the Grand Festival." The number of online viewers surpassed two million.
Grace and Armani stood not far away, looking at Lionel with different expressions.
Grace's gaze was calm, carrying a hint of recognition for the strong. Armani, on the other hand, frowned slightly and clenched his fists, clearly regarding Lionel as a future rival... Outside the Pokémon Contest venue, the setting sun was slowly sinking into the distant mountains, plating the entire sky with a layer of warm orange-red.
Today's Pokémon Contest took quite a long time. After all, with Wallace's presence, it attracted many spectators. The organizers in Rustboro City had specifically added many exciting segments.
Coupled with the meal break and various Pokémon warm-up performances interspersed throughout, it actually took nearly seven hours. Yet no one felt it was too long; instead, they were left wanting more.
Among the dispersing crowd, many spectators were still excitedly discussing the match just now, waving newly bought commemorative merchandise, while others held up their phones to take photos as keepsakes.
Wallace was crowded at the very center of the throng. He patiently signed his name for every fan who handed him a signature book and would occasionally smile and take photos with those holding cameras.
His Milotic stayed docilely by his side, its blue and red scales shimmering with a soft luster under the light, drawing small gasps of amazement from many children.
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