"Milotic, it's our turn."
Theo gently raised his hand, and Milotic gracefully manipulated the surrounding water vapor as it glided into the battlefield. Its milky-white body hovered slightly above the contest platform, the golden tail fin swaying gently with each calm breath. It carried an unhurried, composed presence, as though it were a born protagonist of the stage itself.
Laura stared at Theo nervously, her fists clenched tight.
She had watched Theo's battle footage from Rustboro City before and knew very well that even when it was still a Feebas, his Pokémon had already been extremely troublesome in combat.
Laura herself leaned more toward being a performance-oriented Coordinator Trainer. If she were facing Feebas, she actually would have had a fair amount of confidence.
After all, Electric-types naturally held an advantage over Water-types.
But now, Feebas had already evolved into Milotic, and this battle inevitably made her feel nervous.
Still, when she lowered her head and looked at the Blitzle beside her, she silently encouraged herself once more: no matter what, her Blitzle was the best.
"Blitzle, use Shock Wave!"
Taking a deep breath, Laura was the first to issue a command.
The white lightning-like mane atop Blitzle's head instantly stood on end, gathering streaks of yellow electrical current. A dense arc of electricity lashed out like a living whip, accompanied by sharp crackling sounds as it cleaved toward Milotic. It was so fast that it nearly left afterimages in the air, its offensive power fierce and relentless.
Yet in the face of this sudden, aggressive attack, Milotic showed not the slightest hint of panic.
It tilted its body slightly to the side, and in the next instant, frigid air burst from its mouth.
The cold rapidly condensed in front of it, forming a semi-transparent ice shield. Delicate frost patterns bloomed across the surface, making it look like a finely crafted piece of art as it fully blocked the frontal assault.
Crack!
The Shock Wave struck the ice shield head-on, exploding into fine cracks that spread outward like a spiderweb, yet it still failed to pierce through the solid barrier.
Electricity sizzled across the surface of the ice shield before finally dissipating into tiny sparks.
"Now—Water Pulse!"
Seizing this fleeting opening, Theo gave the order in a deep, steady voice.
Milotic lightly flicked its tail fin, and a blue ring of water shot forth from its mouth. The water ring spun with even, controlled force as it surged toward Blitzle, its trajectory elegant yet concealing tremendous power.
"Blitzle, dodge it!"
Laura shouted urgently, her heart leaping into her throat.
Blitzle reacted with lightning speed, springing backward in a powerful leap. Its four hooves traced several afterimages through the air as it narrowly avoided the water ring.
The attack skimmed past the tips of its hooves and slammed into the ground, bursting instantly into countless droplets that splashed all over Blitzle's body.
Laura felt her heart finally loosen as she was just about to rejoice that Blitzle had avoided Milotic's attack.
But before she could even shout her next command, she saw Milotic gently part its jaws as a chilling breeze quietly swept across the battlefield.
It was Icy Wind!
The water droplets that had just splashed onto Blitzle instantly froze under the influence of the cold air.
From its hooves to its body, in the blink of an eye, Blitzle was encased in ice, transformed into a crystal-clear ice sculpture.
Its gaze was still frozen in a moment of shock, its body completely immobilized, with only a faint trace of electric light lingering along the stripes on its forehead.
Lilian hurried forward to check the situation, then announced loudly, "Blitzle has lost its ability to battle! Contestant Theo is the winner!"
Thunderous applause erupted across the entire venue. Even the other contestants backstage couldn't help but stand up, cheering for such a clean and decisive victory.
The livestream audience exploded as well:
"That was way too fast! I was just about to go to the bathroom and come back—how did it already turn into an ice block?!"
"Milotic is insanely strong, this execution was absolutely god-tier!"
"Laura was already amazing, but Theo and Milotic are just straight-up dimensional reduction strikes—"
Laura looked at her frozen Blitzle. Though disappointment flickered across her face, she quickly composed herself and gave Theo a solemn bow. "Thank you for letting me see what a stronger Coordinator Trainer looks like. After this, I'll be leaving Mauville City to continue training and improving with Blitzle. I'll keep working hard."
Theo smiled and nodded in response.
Milotic gently fanned its tail fin, releasing Blitzle from its icy prison.
Blitzle snorted, shook the water droplets from its head, and let out a call toward Milotic before following Laura off the stage. Though their retreating figures carried a hint of regret, there was also an unmistakable resilience and refusal to give up.
In the subsequent draw, Theo's next opponent turned out to be a Masquerain.
Facing Masquerain's Bubble Beam and Air Slash, Milotic responded with calm composure.
A single Icy Wind froze the bubbles in midair, followed by Ice Beam to lock down the opponent's flight path and strike decisively, securing another effortless victory.
Although Laura lost the battle against Theo, the final results of the Contest were determined by the combined scores of all three rounds.
Thanks to her outstanding performance in the first two rounds, her overall score still ranked second, successfully earning her a Ribbon.
As for Theo, with an overwhelming and indisputable advantage, he achieved a perfect total of 90 points across all three rounds, claiming the championship of the Mauville City Contest and winning his second Ribbon.
During the award ceremony, Laura deliberately walked up to Theo, holding up her medal with a smile. "Next time we meet, Blitzle and I will definitely be stronger. When that happens, you'd better be careful."
"I'll be waiting for your challenge," Theo replied.
When Mr. Contesta pinned the golden medal engraved with a lightning motif onto Theo's chest, colorful streamers rained down across the venue once again.
Milotic stood beside Theo, accepting the victorious cheers together with him.
Inside the Mauville City Contest arena, streamers and flower petals continued to drift through the air, the atmosphere thick with celebration.
As Mr. Contesta fastened the ribbon medal engraved with a lightning pattern onto Theo's chest, the cheers had not yet fully faded when large numbers of spectators eagerly surged toward the edge of the stage.
Holding up their phones, autograph books, and even sketchbooks filled with drawings of Milotic, they waved excitedly at Theo.
"Contestant Theo! Can we take a photo together? Just one!"
"Milotic is so beautiful! Can I touch it?"
"Which city are you heading to next? I'll definitely follow you there to watch in person!"
The overlapping voices washed over the arena like a tide, nearly drowning out the background music. Looking at the sea of people before him, Theo helplessly curved his lips into a wry smile.
He had already anticipated this.
After all, this was Milotic.
Wallace's signature Pokémon, and a shiny one at that—Theo had practically become the center of attention for the entire venue.
"Everyone, don't rush. Take it slow, one at a time."
Theo raised his voice as he spoke, then turned slightly and gave Milotic a subtle look.
Milotic cooperated perfectly, lowering its body. Its milky-white form glowed softly under the lights, while its blue fins gently brushed across the palms of nearby spectators, drawing bursts of surprised cries.
Milotic clearly enjoyed being surrounded and admired, its golden tail fin swaying from time to time.
It controlled the water vapor around its body, causing tiny droplets to form and precisely land in the hands of children in the crowd, making them giggle with delight.
When taking photos with people, Milotic would even discreetly manipulate the water vapor to lift those beside it slightly off the ground, adding a dreamy, ethereal touch to the pictures.
This only made those waiting in the back for their turn even more impatient.
"Everyone, make some room—let's give these two little guys some space too."
Theo laughed as he stepped back a couple of paces and tossed out two more Poké Balls.
Flashes of red light burst forth as Beldum and Tyrantrum appeared one after the other.
Beldum hovered in midair, its metallic body spinning once and reflecting a blinding gleam, while Tyrantrum strode over to Theo on its long legs, shaking its head.
Seeing so many people crowding around, it let out a deep, powerful roar from its throat, boldly declaring its own ferocity.
The moment these two appeared, the crowd's enthusiasm surged yet again, and the startled cries nearly blew the roof off the arena.
(End of Chapter)