Chapter 483: This Is Our Bond!

Yes, that's it.

At this moment, Wallace felt nothing but immense excitement surging through his emotions.

How magnificent was the figure of the Mimikyu before him; it was a gem-like, exquisite, and adorable appearance completely different from that of a Milotic.

Terastallization—is this the unique phenomenon of the Paldea region!? For many years, those who could rival him in Contests lacked battling strength, while those capable of rivaling him in battle had no interest in Contests.

This was the first time Wallace had completely immersed his own spirit into this magnificent contest, holding nothing back.

"Dancing like a spring breeze one moment, thrusting like lightning the next—"

Let us have such a charming and magnificent battle! Aqua Tail!"

The Milotic let out a soft cry and launched its attack without the slightest delay.

Glistening blue water coiled around its tail, transforming into a gushing pillar that lashed toward the Mimikyu like a gigantic whip.

Amidst the splashing spray, the Milotic's movements remained utterly elegant; every move and every strike was like a dance, displaying its breathtaking beauty.

Had this been earlier, the Mimikyu might have deliberately avoided engaging the Milotic in close-quarters combat, after all, it did not wish for even a single drop of water to stain its precious attire.

Fortunately, now that it had Terastallized, a crystal-like shell covered its entire body; before its Terastal energy was exhausted and before its stamina ran dry, this layer of protection would never shatter, allowing it to wield its power with greater peace of mind.

"Shadow Claw!"

A Shadow Claw, vastly larger than when it first appeared, extended outward; the Mimikyu showed not the slightest awareness of being much smaller than the Milotic, brandishing its Shadow Claw to clash directly against the Milotic's Aqua Tail.

However—

Compared to the Mimikyu's broad and sweeping attacks, the Milotic's movements were clearly far more magnificent; its body was perfectly coordinated, having almost integrated its own elegant demeanor into the motions of its attacks.

In this regard, Wallace, the Master of Coordination, still held the advantage.

As expected, the points beneath Luo Mu's portrait were deducted once again.

"The points are about to drop below half—"

In the spectator stands, Shizuka spoke with worry.

In truth, regarding raw power, the Mimikyu and the Milotic were perfectly evenly matched.

Yet mere strength alone cannot make a competitor invincible; what the Contest wishes to see is coordination achieved through more aesthetic movements and actions that fit one's own species.

Even if strengths are similar, if your movements are not as magnificent as your opponent's, unless you can directly crush the opponent's defenses, you will absolutely suffer a slow death.

Shadow Claw and Aqua Tail collided once more, causing both sides to retreat a certain distance.

Many scars left by the Shadow Claw appeared on the Milotic's body.

Meanwhile, the Mimikyu's Disguise had been broken due to the close combat, and it had also taken several hits from the impact of the Aqua Tail.

Fortunately, the Terastallization phenomenon on its surface still protected its clothing, putting the Mimikyu somewhat at ease.

This time, it was Luo Mu and the Mimikyu who took the initiative to attack.

"Play Rough!"

Boom—

Centered on the Mimikyu, Fairy-type energy gathered madly like stars; accompanied by the dazzling light of Terastallization, surging white shockwaves exploded outward like tidal waves, dragging pink trails of light and colorful stars, causing the ground beneath the Mimikyu's feet to instantly shatter as it shot toward the Milotic like a cannonball.

Seeing that the Milotic seemed to be overpowered in terms of momentum, Wallace timely shouted his command: "Do not fear! Hydro Pump!"

A torrent of water transformed into a thick pillar and blasted forth, creating the most fierce collision with the Mimikyu, but a mere Hydro Pump was insufficient to stop the Mimikyu, whose Fairy-type power had been elevated to unprecedented levels after Terastallizing.

At this moment, the Mimikyu was like a pink meteor streaking across the sky; it pierced through the Hydro Pump with unstoppable force, carrying a dazzling radiance as it crashed down irresistibly before the Milotic.

Bang bang bang bang—

Sounds resembling a beating echoed from within the exploding pink smoke; moments later, the Milotic's figure flew out of the smoke in a wretched state, collapsing onto the stage, taking several seconds before it slowly rose again.

"Oh oh—"

What a breathtaking Play Rough! The points beneath Master Wallace's portrait have decreased drastically, leaving only half remaining!"

Vivian shouted loudly, announcing the Mimikyu's achievements.

But very soon, Wallace demonstrated the perfect qualities of a Coordination Master.

"Aqua Ring, Refresh, and Safeguard!"

The scarred Milotic mobilized its energy, enveloping its body in a translucent ring of water; immediately after, the moves Refresh and Safeguard were used almost simultaneously, and while recovering from its injuries, the Milotic used Refresh to restore itself to its pristine, dust-free appearance from its entrance, all enhanced by the extremely brilliant visual effects of Safeguard.

For a moment, under the perfect superposition of these three moves, the Milotic's charm ascended to yet another level!

"What beauty is this! This is the Milotic, hailed as the world's most beautiful Pokémon; its charm is irresistible to anyone!"

Vivian commented with passion.

The points beneath Luo Mu's portrait were deducted once again, stabilizing in a range nearly identical to Wallace's, meaning that both sides had only half their points remaining.

Backstage.

Among the work team responsible for operating and maintaining the Contest, not a few staff members wore expressions of surprise.

They looked in astonishment at the closely contested point scores; this was the first time they had ever seen Master Wallace unable to quickly decide the victor.

Although this even result was achieved by relying on various items, was that Trainer named Luo Mu, a Champion-level expert, really participating in a Contest for the first time?

If so, his talent was simply too good.

"Mm, this feels right—"

Watching the Milotic rapidly recover its stamina, its scars continuously disappearing, Luo Mu sighed in admiration within his mind.

In the end, Pokémon like the Milotic mostly follow the tanky build path.

Fortunately, the burn from the Flame Orb, which could trigger Marvel Scale, was banned right from the start; otherwise, this battle would have been somewhat harder to fight.

It is still not enough! A gleam of planning flashed in Emperor Yan Di's eyes; the Mimikyu did not possess that many magnificent moves, nor had it undergone corresponding specialized training.

To seize an opportunity, the only path forward was to attack.

Next.

Under the surprised expressions of many spectators, Luo Mu changed his previously cautious battle style, having the outwardly adorable Mimikyu launch a fierce assault using Fairy-type moves.

He acted with a plan that prioritized inflicting damage on the Milotic as much as possible, almost disregarding the reduction of his own points.

Anyone with even a hint of battle intuition sensed something was off and began pondering Luo Mu's intentions on their own.

Was he relying on steady damage accumulation to end the battle before his points were completely deducted? No, that would be slightly difficult.

On the judges' podium, Geeta exchanged a glance with Clavell, stroked her chin, and began to think; Luo Mu was not a reckless character, so there must be a purpose behind his actions.

Given Milotic's durability, even with the power boost from Fairy-type moves after Terastallizing, defeating it before the points ran out remained somewhat difficult.

Or perhaps—

Luo Mu was confident enough to simply overwhelm Milotic with raw damage?

Wallace also realized Luo Mu's intention.

But so what? He had confidence in Milotic, in his signature Pokémon.

Even Metagross, belonging to his closest friend Steven, could not possibly defeat him on a Contest stage under current conditions, with less than half its points remaining!

"Wood Hammer!"

Mimikyu's wood-like tail was instantly enveloped in green light, transforming into a massive emerald hammer that whistled down toward Milotic.

Unable to dodge in time, Milotic's serpentine body was struck squarely by the giant wooden hammer; after a muffled groan, Milotic endured the pain, coiling forward to wrap tightly around Mimikyu's petite frame while metallic luster glowed upon its forehead.

Wrap combined with Iron Head! devoid of any flair, this was simply Milotic's counterattack against Mimikyu's Wood Hammer.

"Terablast!"

At this moment, Luo Mu uttered a move name that Wallace and Milotic were hearing for the first time.

A brilliant pink pillar of light erupted; bolstered by the Fairy Tera Type and Mimikyu's STAB bonus, this Terablast appeared to be an energy attack but was in fact a physical strike specialized by Mimikyu, blasting Milotic away and leaving countless sparkling crystalline lights in its wake.

It had to be said that regarding special effects alone, Terastallization granted Mimikyu numerous advantages, and the sharp decline in points beneath Wallace's portrait was the best proof.

Although Terastallization was not born specifically for Contests, its inherent radiance served as the ultimate weapon to enhance charm within them.

Wallace began contemplating whether having Milotic undergo this so-called Terastallization might allow him to break through his limits and deliver an even more spectacular Contest battle.

However, before that—

Wallace's gaze shifted to the top of the large screen, where the points beneath Luo Mu's portrait were nearly depleted.

This wonderful Contest battle was about to draw to a close; what a pity it was.

Filled with regret, Wallace was about to issue the command for the Rain Dance plus Blizzard combination when he noticed Luo Mu seemingly confirming something as he raised his wrist.

"Oh, Mr. Luo Mu is—"

Vivian widened her eyes, refusing to miss any detail on the stage.

Many present watched Luo Mu's actions in a daze, unable to understand why he was displaying a rather plain bracelet; surely he wasn't attempting to bribe Wallace?

Luo Mu took a deep breath and then shouted, "Mimikyu!"

Having fought for so long, Mimikyu's eyes instantly sparkled upon hearing Luo Mu's voice, its spirits soaring.

Under the gaze of all teachers, students, and judges, Luo Mu lightly touched the Mimikium Z embedded in the Z-Ring on his wrist, causing both the Z-Ring and the Z-Crystal to burst forth with dazzling brilliance.

Immediately after, they were surprised to discover that Luo Mu's movements were perfectly synchronized with Mimikyu's.

Observing their interaction, they even subconsciously ignored the embarrassment of the motions, feeling only awe at the depth of bond displayed by both.

The next instant.

An ethereal pattern unique to Z-Moves materialized out of thin air as the light from the Z-Ring and Luo Mu's own stamina were fully channeled into Mimikyu.

Milky-white surging waves radiated outward from Mimikyu as the center; intuition told Wallace that something was amiss, so he shouted, "Mist, followed by Blizzard and then Mirror Coat!"

Wallace's supreme coordination technique lay in harmoniously combining moves with different effects to unleash entirely new power.

This combination was no exception.

Mist thick with water vapor rose up; under the Blizzard expelled by Milotic, the water molecules within it froze rapidly, turning the mist itself into a frozen medium for the Blizzard, forming beautiful cloud-like ice crystals that enveloped Milotic.

Simultaneously, infused with psychic power, these ice crystals became crystal clear, resembling a mirror capable of reflecting everything.

This was the most powerful defensive counterattack technique Wallace possessed, aside from Protect, which might be too fragile for such a situation.

As long as Milotic withstands Mimikyu's fierce assault, the exhausted Mimikyu will face Milotic's counteroffensive next, finally bringing this exhibition match to an end!

At the same moment, Luo Mu's voice also rang out.

"Mimikyu, Let's Snuggle Forever!"

As Mimikyu's exclusive Fairy-type Z-Move, Luo Mu had continuously researched and developed it ever since obtaining the Z-Crystal in the Alola region.

Furthermore, with assistance from Calyrex and Oranguru, Luo Mu discovered that although the games lacked such a secondary effect, factors influencing the power of Let's Snuggle Forever, besides Terastallization, included the emotion, friendship, or rather, the bond between Mimikyu and its Trainer.

At this moment, Mimikyu was enveloped in an aura of happiness; Miss Mimikyu felt that she was now omnipotent!

If one were to accurately describe Mimikyu's current state.

It would be—

Love, Unlimited!

The two real eyes on the doll erupted with dazzling light; Mimikyu's movement speed skyrocketed instantly as she leaped above the defensively focused Milotic, descending like a giant "capture net."

The next second.

After Mimikyu "devoured" Milotic along with the cloudy ice crystals, accompanied by dense collisions and rising pink mist mixed with Tera shard dust, Mimikyu's full-power attacks rained down upon the ice crystals like drops, going "Ora Ora Ora."

Gradually, everyone clearly heard the sound of shattering ice and punches landing flesh-to-flesh.

This also meant that Milotic's proud triple-layered defense had been breached by Mimikyu.

Moments later.

The smoke cleared, Mimikyu's costume returned to its normal size, and as she wearily shifted her body, she revealed the unconscious Milotic lying in the crater below.

At this point, the outcome was blatantly obvious.

Back in Alola, Mimikyu's Fairy Tera Type combined with Let's Snuggle Forever had nearly taken down the Island Guardian, the Legendary Pokémon Tapu Tapu Moumou.

Let alone now, when her strength had undergone earth-shaking changes compared to that time; under this double enhancement, defeating a Milotic that was already in poor condition contained not a single surprising factor.

At this moment, as Milotic lost the ability to battle on the large screen, Wallace's score was deducted entirely in one go.

Backstage.

Zhen Si became even more convinced that his path was correct.

As long as he forced his opponent to their knees, he would claim victory! (End of Chapter)