Crack-crack-crack-crack—
Ice-blue frigid air surged out of the Altered-color Milotic's mouth, instantly turning the braced Machoke and Breloom into one big and one small snowman.
Frozen status!
"That powerful Blizzard has completely locked down Machoke and Breloom! Coordinator Trainer Ge Mann and his partners are in huge trouble now!"
Vivian's excited voice echoed across the field.
The score under Ge Mann's portrait was slashed straight down to only one-third remaining!
Whoa!
Cheers kept erupting from the stands.
What really thrilled them was the Altered-color Milotic's practically transcendental Water Flow Ring.
Long-time fans of the Gorgeous Competition all know this way of using Water Flow Ring was first created by Adam, then continuously refined by Mikoli into the current offense-and-defense-in-one version.
It's clearly a self-healing Technique, yet even many high-power offensive Techniques can't do anything about it.
Countless Coordinator Trainers have tried to imitate it, but Naihe this thing isn't like learning a Technique; it needs long-term polishing and a certain degree of talent.
It's just way too hard to master.
Now that the Special Water Flow Ring has been fully replicated by Baimu and the Altered-color Milotic, and even used in a Gorgeous battle on a large-scale festival stage, how could they not be hyped?
All the more so when the situation right now is clearly telling them the match is already decided!
"Don't let it end like this! We still have a chance!"
Ge Mann's head of golden hair was blown into a complete mess by the Blizzard, but he couldn't care less, shouting with all his strength, "Haozi! Breloom! Break free!"
Crack!
With a crisp sound, fine cracks spread across the surface of the one big and one small snowman.
The very next instant.
Bang!
Snow exploded in all directions!
"Guuuh!"
"Nasa!"
Machoke and Breloom burst out from the snow one after another!
The duration of the Frozen status was so short it only lasted a mere instant!
Vivian exclaimed in excitement, "Unbelievable! Ge Mann's passionate call has gotten a response from Machoke and Breloom!"
On the big screen.
Baimu's score was docked due to the performance of the two Pokémon.
"Nice!"
Ge Mann pumped his fist, then quickly ordered, "Poison Powder! Haozi—Close Combat!!"
The two Pokémon moved in unison.
Not far away.
The Altered-color Milotic had already retreated to a safe distance, its watery eyes filled with surprise.
"Mi~lo?"
Expanding Blizzard's range would obviously disperse its power, but even if it couldn't double KO, at least it should have taken down the Breloom, right?
And this is all it did?
The Altered-color Milotic couldn't help starting to doubt its own damage output.
"Don't get spooked! It's just forcing itself to stay standing!"
Baimu shouted a reminder.
This guy wasn't just dumb, it also got super easily discouraged. If he didn't keep cheering it on, it would definitely spiral into self-doubt and its performance would tank.
And based on his observation, Breloom only looked sturdy; in reality it was just barely hanging on under its Trainer's encouragement, locking in that last sliver of HP, at most having one Technique left in it.
This kind of thing isn't rare at all in the anime.
"Tide Spin!"
He gave the order quickly, his eye catching Blissey, which had run back near the Altered-color Milotic after the Exchange Field.
In an instant.
A large mass of violet powder billowed up across the field.
Its source was the two orange vents atop Breloom's head, but before it could reach the enemy, the Poison Powder first wrapped around the nearby Machoke.
"Guuuh!"
Machoke's face twisted in pain, a layer of ghostly violet spreading across its features.
Poisoned!
Vivian cried out in shock, "What's going on? Breloom's Poison Powder is affecting Machoke! Did Ge Mann just make a mistake?!"
Just as the words left her mouth—
Machoke suddenly let out a thunderous roar, its whole body shrouded in a brownish-red glow as an overwhelming Momentum burst out from it!
"It's the Perseverance Trait!"
The shock on Vivian's face turned into excitement. "So that's it! Ge Mann is deliberately triggering Machoke's Trait!"
The stands reacted explosively to her commentary.
Is this going to be a shocking comeback upset?
Everyone craned their necks, wishing they could pop their own eyeballs out and toss them down onto the stage for a closer look.
At that same moment.
"Mi~lo!"
The Altered-color Milotic, noticing something off about Machoke, snapped its long tail, stretching the swirling water wrapped around it into a whip-like thin stream, then lashed it out sideways!
"Nasa!"
Breloom proactively jumped to Machoke's side, trying to help block the attack.
Bang!
With a dull thud, Breloom was sent flying high amidst the exploding spray, then crashed down to the ground not far away, tumbling over and over, getting covered in dust.
Seeing this, Machoke's eyes went blood-red, the brownish-red radiance around it growing even thicker.
"Guuuh!!"
It let out a roar and swung a fist straight at the incoming Tide Spin!
Boom!
The vortex shattered, and amid the spraying water Machoke suddenly leapt, tracing an arc through the air before landing right in front of the Altered-color Milotic.
"Guuuh-li!!"
Eyes blazing crimson, Machoke drove forward and unleashed a flurry of punches!
Sss-sss-sss—
Its fists were so fast they made the air shriek, leaving streaks of inky afterimages!
Its partner's sacrifice was turned into the fuel driving its eruption, giving Close Combat a terrifying power far beyond its usual, and Ge Mann couldn't be more delighted.
The gap between their remaining scores was way too big, and just having the Altered-color Milotic stand there doing nothing kept bleeding his points, while Breloom's condition was extremely precarious. Ge Mann had long since stopped hoping for some dramatic reversal based purely on Machoke's Gorgeous Techniques.
Only by taking the Altered-color Milotic down outright did he have that sliver of a chance to win!
This is it!
Ge Mann's gaze trembled as he shouted with everything he had, "Give it everything you've got—"
Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang—
The rainstorm of punches blasted out ring after ring of milky-white shockwaves, the drum-like booming pounding at the eardrums of the two closest on the stage, showing just how terrifying Machoke's punching power was.
However—
There was no joy at all on Ge Mann's face, only deep, bone-chilling dread and despair.
Because in front of the Altered-color Milotic, at some point, a shimmering blue, honeycomb-patterned Spherical Light Shield had unfolded.