It was still the same stage, but also different from before. Since the Contest Battle was a two person battle, the audience in the stands was clearly more excited.
First match… Terrance vs Alex.
The matchups in Pokémon Contests are really unpredictable…The first Contest Battle was a face-off between the top two contestants who received the highest scores in the primary judging.
“That young man in the blue clothes is just one Ribbon away, isn’t he?”
On the panel of judges, Raoul Contesta recalled Alex’s information.
With four Ribbons, he’s just one away from qualifying for the Grand Festival, completely different from those Coordinators who are just participating to make up the numbers.
As Terrance threw out his Poké Ball, a high-pitched cry immediately followed, and Altaria began to flap its cottony feathers, dancing in the air above the arena.
“Woo~~” Flames erupted instantly, countless sparks shimmering, embellishing a Vulpix as it elegantly ascended into the arena.
With Vulpix and airborne Altaria taking up their position, Alex commanded Vulpix to take the initiative, unleashing a Fire Blast.
“Interesting.” Terrance snapped his fingers, softly saying, “Dragon Dance.”
Terrance had seen Alex’s first performance; it was a dazzling display combining Extrasensory and Fire Blast, where Vulpix manipulated the flames with Extrasensory, controlling their direction, showcasing a dance with fire.
That performance scored over 29 points; if it wasn’t for Terrance, Alex would have been the first.
Even without evolving, Vulpix could still demonstrate control over psychic power… and even the intangible flames. That ability is worthy of such a score.
“Dragon Dance!”
As Terrance expected, the moment Altaria dodged, the 大-shaped flame suddenly veered towards Altaria.
“Let’s see who wins.”
The Fire Blast manipulated by psychic power and the Altaria relying on its dance moves to dodge began a chase.
The Fire Blast closely followed behind Altaria, one chasing, the other dodging, creating a beautiful visual.
“Alex is losing.”
Someone watching suddenly remarked.
Although the Fire Blast was controlled by psychic power, it couldn’t prevent energy from dispersing. While the speed of Fire Blast soared with Vulpix’s psychic power input, Altaria’s speed was also constantly increasing.
“Alex didn’t expect Terrance to have Altaria use Dragon Dance to dodge. If it was just a normal dodge, the Fire Blast controlled by Vulpix would have caught up quickly. But under the Dragon Dance state, Altaria seems to be toying with this Fire Blast… No matter how Vulpix’s psychic power erupts or its speed increases… it still can’t catch up to Altaria, whose stats were also continually increasing.” Someone explained.
“Vulpix’s explosive power can’t match Altaria’s growth.” Someone else pointed out the key point.
“The Fire Blast has dissipated, and Altaria hasn’t been injured.” Vivian shouted.
As the appeal points dwindled, Alex shook his head slightly. The Fire Blast manipulation that had never failed him before had indeed failed here. The opponent before him was different from any he had faced before, requiring a more serious approach.
“Vulpix, use Fire Spin!!”
“Woo~~” With a flick of its tail, Vulpix whipped up a heatwave, creating a flame tornado that transformed the arena into a purgatory. The flame tornado raced across the arena, seeming like it wanted to engulf the Altaria in the sky.
“It shouldn’t be that simple, right?” Terrance raised an eyebrow slightly. As expected, the next moment, Alex smiled and exclaimed loudly, “Turn Fire Spin into Flame Burst!”
Bang!
The swirling Fire Spin shattered into countless fire serpents that surged upwards under immense pressure, resembling a reverse meteor shower, hurtling towards Altaria.
“Wow!! Contestant Alex has used Vulpix’s psychic power to disrupt Fire Spin and formed Flame Burst…Amazing, with such a wide-range attack, can Altaria still dodge it?”
The answer was no.
The sudden explosion of flames, accompanied by countless fire serpents, nearly covered the entire arena. Altaria would inevitably be hit, and then according to Alex’s expectation, Terrance’s appeal points would plummet directly.
“But…why would it dodge?” Terrance issued instructions to Altaria.
“Devour them, use Dragon Rush!”
Whoosh~~~~~~
In an instant, countless blue-purple flames erupted out from Altaria.
“Chirp~~~~~~~”
The high-pitched cry shook the hearts of all who heard it. As Altaria’s body was enveloped in these blue-purple flames, it was as if a chain in Altaria’s bloodline had snapped!
Faced with countless surging fire serpents, sparks, and embers, Altaria’s aura was astonishingly calm. The blue-purple flames seem to bestow upon Altaria tremendous momentum. What was initially a predicament surrounded by fire serpents, now, under Altaria’s current form, had completely disappeared.
Instead…
The blue-purple flames surrounding Altaria transformed into a huge dragon-shaped wave, using its sturdy front claws to cleave through the oncoming sparks. Countless fire serpents were engulfed by the blue-purple energy wave without causing the slightest ripple. With its astonishing power, Altaria continuously weaved through the “Flame Burst,” turning the move upside down.
The “Flame Burst” evolved from Fire Spin itself was not as powerful as the original one, and coupled with Altaria’s strengthening through Dragon Dance, and the Dragon Rush spurred by its formidable Dragon Type bloodline, the splattering fire serpents in front of Altaria were like loaches, unable to do anything.
Terrance suddenly realized.
A year ago, he was like this Alex, relying on changing moves to reduce the opponent’s appeal points, then finding the opponent’s flaws to win.
But now…with Altaria in the arena, he didn’t need to do that.
Vulpix’s coordination skills were indeed not bad; any contestant facing this Vulpix would be in for a tough battle.
However, in terms of real strength, Vulpix is far inferior to Altaria.
Firstly, Altaria’s parents, one is an overlord-level Pokémon and the other is a top-level Breeder’s carefully nurtured Pokémon. Combined with their strong points, and then through the hands of a top-level Breeder and with the use of countless precious materials, a nurturing fluid was concocted to stimulate its Dragon Type talent…This starting point wasn’t something any Pokémon could have.
Later on, under the meticulous care of Breeder Terrance, Altaria grasped the formidable Dragon Type move, Dragon Rush, at a young age. Furthermore, resources were never lacking, with the Crown Academy serving as a significant backing. It can be said that for the past two years, Altaria’s food and training have been optimal. With two years of careful nurturing… it can be said that Altaria is the Pokémon on which Terrance has spent the most effort. So, how can it still not suppress the opponent?
You can read ahead upto 10 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon.
Become a Patron!