Chapter 385: Switching Venues

Baimu waited for Happiny and Mawile to return to the preparation room with him.

The gazes of the many contestants had already shifted from their initial wariness into reverence.

"Clap clap clap…"

Scattered applause rang out, coming from a few contestants whose faces were full of admiration.

Very few people could maintain a high standard of performance the whole time, let alone a score above 29.5. The more famous and skilled a Coordinator, the higher the judges' expectations; correspondingly, if the performance fell short, points would be deducted without mercy.

On the other hand, the judges and even the audience were very willing to give newcomers "encouragement points," so under such demanding standards, outstanding veteran Coordinators tended to be at a disadvantage.

Therefore, to be frank, there were plenty of people who believed Baimu's current fame far exceeded his "actual strength."

Where there is praise, there is also criticism. Some people, without having been there in person, lost all those firsthand experiences and found it hard to feel the charm of Mawile's performance through video; most of the time they would even look at the performance through a pair of tinted glasses.

They would often arrive at the verdict "nothing special."

So Baimu, reappearing after a full month, was not favored.

Having won two consecutive Contests and already past his newcomer protection period, could he still score that high? Would his true colors finally show?

Feelings of worry or schadenfreude, once they left the online space, were rather visibly reflected in this small preparation room.

But in the end.

Baimu, Happiny, and Mawile proved with their strength to everyone that even with a repeated theme, even on their first attempt at a combination performance, the highest score was still theirs!

Any professional Coordinator who watched that performance would no longer believe Baimu's high score was due to the newcomer protection period.

Besides, the very proposition of "getting a high score because of the newcomer protection period" is unrealistic in itself. The judges aren't fools; with their discerning eyes, they would never casually hand out scores above 29.5.

Every high score could withstand scrutiny.

Thus.

This little farce that had no effect on Baimu at all—he wasn't even aware of it—began for no apparent reason and ended without a sound.

Having weathered the storm, he gained more and more people's recognition, officially advancing from a flash-in-the-pan newcomer to a rising star surrounded by admirers, only waiting to compete against the various powerhouses at a future Grand Festival.

Of course.

He had to win this Autumn Leaf Contest first and earn his third Ribbon.

Because combination performances were quite difficult, the number of Coordinators who came to participate wasn't especially large; by around three in the afternoon, all the contestants' scores were already out.

Baimu was still at the top, except there was also one other contestant who had received the same score.

Most of the contestants in the preparation room who knew they couldn't advance had already left; the ones remaining stared at the TV screen.

Beep.

A soft chime.

Four portraits appeared on it.

Let us congratulate these four contestants on passing the first round of judging!

Vivian's sweetly delicate voice came through the speakers.

The contestants who failed to advance left the preparation room with their Pokémon partners, some with gloomy expressions, others with helpless wry smiles, but a few encouraged Baimu before they left.

The latter, while thoroughly bewildered by their words about "not being affected by online public opinion," still politely thanked them.

Online public opinion?

What online public opinion?

He immediately turned to search for the relevant content, and found those comments that didn't think highly of him—

Honestly speaking, they weren't aggressive at all.

People in the Pokémon world mostly preferred to stick to the facts, and unlike real Neon internet, it wasn't filled with all sorts of passive-aggressive sniping and reverse-trolling tones.

Not thinking highly of someone was simply, openly, not thinking highly of them.

So after reading them, Baimu actually breathed a sigh of relief.

Lucky Scales ultimately wasn't so overwhelmingly powerful as to make everyone like him; it seemed its ability still had its limits.

Beep!

Another soft chime.

Baimu looked up and saw that, after a random shuffle, the order of appearance and the opponent assignments were finalized.

He was clearly going up in the first round, and his opponent was a blond guy in a blue suit; he recalled that this person's first review score was only 0.2 lower than his.

The Pokémon he used were…

"The only one who can be mentioned in the same breath as Miss Liuqi is me! In the upcoming Contest Battle, I'll make you clearly realize that!"

The blond guy suddenly spoke, gripping a Poké Ball in his palm and pointing a finger over, his brows brimming with thick confidence, then strode with great swagger toward the player tunnel.

Baimu: "…?"

What is he talking about now? How did "mentioned in the same breath as Miss Liuqi" even come up?

Why did it feel like the days he'd spent in Meteor Village were like being offline?

Well, he really hadn't used his phone much.

Under the gaze of the other two, he recalled Mawile and Happiny and hurried after him.

Whatever he said didn't matter.

He just needed to bring out the full strength of his two Pokémon.

—

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Ladies and gentlemen! The Contest Battle is about to begin! Let us welcome Mr. Baimu and Coach Ge Man!"

Vivian spread her hands toward the player tunnel on both sides.

Under the audience's expectant gazes, Baimu and the blond guy named Ge Man walked out slowly and took their respective positions.

The arena instantly erupted.

The cheers and encouragement once again drowned out everything.

The Gorgeous Battle Contest.

Even though All Baimu and Mawile had undergone numerous strengthening drills, this could still be considered their weak point. Performance was another matter — making moves that were both powerful and highly entertaining to watch was no easy task.

However.

Winning this match wouldn't be a problem.

"Time limit: five minutes. Through exquisite performance — that is, coordinated technique, the Pokémon's movements, the way moves are unleashed, and even the degree of gorgeousness — you can deduct points from your opponent. The trainer with the higher remaining score wins!"

Vivian explained the rules of the Gorgeous Battle Contest, her gaze shifting between the two, "Then the second assessment, first round, first match — begin!"

Ding!

A crisp prompt tone.

The countdown on the venue's large screen began to change.

Both sides swiftly hurled Poké Balls forward!

Bang bang!

Amid countless scattered blue and red confetti, Lei Mu and its pre-evolution Meditite took the field. The two Psychic- and Fighting-type Pokémon each stood on one leg, one hand held in a fist-palm salute, their necks flexibly moving horizontally.

"Ah-sha!" "Jii!"

On the other side.

Pale pink cherry blossoms fluttered and fell, as Mawile and Blissey emerged from the pile of illusory petals scattered on the ground.

"Chido~" "Happy!"

The four Pokémon gazed at each other, creating an atmosphere of a great battle about to begin.

"Hmph, I'll show you right now what the best coordination means!"

Coach Ge Man snorted lightly, "Double Yoga Pose!"

Lei Mu and Meditite struck first. The two leapt from the ground, their eyes covered in blue light as they sat cross-legged in mid-air. A pale blue circular membrane of light enveloped them, like a protective barrier.

All Baimu's score began to be deducted with the opponent's actions.

Fortunately, not by much.

"Gravity. Mist Terrain."

He spoke.

The next instant.

As Mawile tapped its tiptoe on the ground, countless pale blue mists spread outward, and a wave of weight slammed into Lei Mu and Meditite's bodies like a giant hammer, shattering their cross-legged posture.

The pale blue membrane of light that resembled a protective barrier collapsed on its own, and their bodies teetered and fell into the mist.

Coach Ge Man's score was immediately deducted by about one-eighth!

His expression changed. "Double Awakening Power!"

Lei Mu and Meditite quickly regrouped. Their bodies were coated in pale green light, and countless pale green light points formed energy spheres of various sizes, attempting to fire them out.

But at this moment, the mist before them was already full of Mawile's dancing figures, while Blissey had vanished.

When was that command given!?

Coach Ge Man frowned: "Attack!"

Lei Mu and Meditite, under their trainer's command, fired their Awakening Power.

Unfortunately, all of these energy spheres hit empty air — or rather, hit illusory Mawiles — which caused Coach Ge Man's score to be deducted by another one-eighth.

"Mawile successfully used Mist Terrain and Shadow Sneak, causing Lei Mu and Meditite's attacks to fail!"

Vivian loudly narrated the situation unfolding on the field.

Cheers kept coming from the audience seats.

"In that case — Lei Mu, Heart's Eye! Meditite, Acupressure!"

Coach Ge Man waved his hand sharply.

Lei Mu pressed its hands together, its eyes releasing a flash of blue light that swept across the many Mawiles on the field like a searchlight. Meditite stood behind it, continuously poking various parts of Lei Mu's body with its fingers. The orange light rising continuously symbolized that one of its stats was rapidly increasing.

Suddenly.

Its gaze locked onto one of the Mawiles!

Found you!

Lei Mu's momentum surged dramatically, and its overwhelming fighting spirit caused All Baimu's score to be deducted once again.

But not a trace of panic could be seen on the latter's face, as if everything was entirely within his expectations.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, but since you're so fond of giving me openings, I won't hold back! Meditite, Helping Hand! Lei Mu, Force Palm!"

Coach Ge Man raised his hand and shouted.

In an instant.

Meditite poked Lei Mu's head with another finger. A blinding white light instantly enveloped the latter's body, causing the brown-red stream of energy it had been brewing between its hands at chest and abdomen to emit an incomparably dazzling radiance!

"Jii!"

Lei Mu forcefully pushed this stream of energy out!

Whoosh—

Where the terrifying stream of energy passed, the pale blue mist was violently pierced through, and the Mawile illusions along the way vanished in an instant. Vivian's shriek further highlighted the immense power!

"What astonishing power! Mawile is in danger!"

But Mawile was not without reaction. It struck a punching pose on the spot, fearlessly watching the incoming stream of energy.

In the instant the stream of energy was less than a meter away from it.

"Ally Switch! Play Rough!"

Accompanied by All Baimu's loud shout, to the amazement of all the spectators, a Blissey suddenly appeared behind Meditite. It hugged the former, and its figure flickered sharply.

The next instant.

Behind Lei Mu, the position had become a fist-clenching, ready-to-pounce Mawile, while in Mawile's original spot, Blissey had grabbed Marshadow and was using it as a punching bag!

Boom!

The Air Wave slammed into Marshadow's body and burst into dazzling fireworks!

"Kirei~"

Mawile smiled brightly, and while Lei Mu and Coach Ge Man were stunned, it suddenly grabbed the former's hand and began frolicking beneath the fireworks as if playing around.

Pink Fairy-type energy continuously washed over the latter's body!

"Unbelievable!? Marshadow and Blissey actually swapped places with Mawile! All of Lei Mu's attacks landed on Marshadow!"

At Vivian's shriek, Coach Ge Man's score was instantly docked by more than a third.

Clearly this counter-move scored very high; the latter's score was already below half!

And what's worse, Mawile's attack power was terrifyingly high; Lei Mu, forced to take the frolic, saw its condition plummet, while Marshadow's condition on the other side was equally grim!

"Double Detect! Move closer together!"

Coach Ge Man shouted anxiously.

Lei Mu and Marshadow stared fixedly at Mawile and Blissey, blue light flickering in their eyes, dodging possible attacks while quickly moving toward their partner's position.

In an instant.

The two brothers in misfortune stood back-to-back, watching their two opponents, and just as All Baimu had predicted, they had reached the optimal attacking position.

Two birds with one stone — the perfect attacking position!

"Double Revival Blessing!"

"Helping Hand! Fairy Wind!"

Coach Ge Man and All Baimu shouted in unison; the former's choice surprised the latter somewhat — instead of using Recover to restore condition, he had chosen to go all out!

His peripheral vision caught the giant screen, and everything suddenly clicked.

There simply wasn't enough time left!

On the field.

Blissey raised its waving little hands high; a flash of Bai Guang flew from its body into Mawile, and the latter suddenly began to spin, its toes striking the ground heavily as it shot toward Lei Mu and Marshadow like an arrow from a bowstring!

A pink gale swirled around its body like a tornado, and the pale blue mist drifting across the field clung to the outer layer of the tornado, forming a giant swirling cloud of pink and pale blue.

Coach Ge Man's score was docked once again!

Facing Mawile's gorgeous yet ferocious assault, Lei Mu and Marshadow, in terrible condition, exchanged a glance and resolutely struck out at Mawile with their palms!

【Revival Blessing】— the lower the HP, the higher the attack power!

Under the stat boost Lei Mu hadn't yet lost, a massive palm-shaped energy imprint suddenly appeared and collided with the swirling cloud Mawile had become!

Bang!

Thick smoke billowed up, followed by a gale that swept it away.

Through the haze, a palm-shaped cloud drifted and tumbled above the field, its strange sight leaving the audience in awe.

Host Vivian couldn't help but sigh, "What a beautiful sight, but unfortunately…"

Beep—!

"Match over!"

On the field, Lei Mu and Marshadow still hadn't fallen; barely holding on, they quickly looked up at the giant screen, as did Mawile, Blissey, and the Trainers on both sides.

"Then the scores for both sides are—"

On the screen.

All Baimu's score had been docked by a third, while Coach Ge Man's score had only a quarter remaining.

The winner and loser were clear at a glance.

All Baimu, Mawile, and Blissey's portraits suddenly occupied the entire screen.

"Congratulations! The ones advancing to the finals are— Trainer All Baimu and his Pokémon partners!"

Vivian's spirited voice spread throughout the venue, and the audience responded with extremely enthusiastic applause.

Patstein commented: "A brilliant performance! On one side, lying in wait for the right moment, turning defeat into victory with a single strike. On the other, refusing to give up in the face of adversity — an outstanding display of resilient will!"

Yanase flipped her bangs with one hand, "Subara~shii~"

Young Lady Qiao Yin looked at Blissey with a delighted expression, "What an excellent Blissey! It performed all sorts of support measures wonderfully — simply marvelous!"

On the field.

Coach Ge Man stared up at the screen, fists clenched and teeth gritted; Lei Mu and Marshadow were downcast.

All Baimu laughed and high-fived Mawile and Blissey, who were equally beaming.

"Beautifully done! You two are amazing!"

"Kirei~"

"Happy~"