The battle raged on for two rounds, stirring the audience into a frenzy.
Terrance's overwhelming dominance left everyone in awe.
"What should I do..." Sora stared at her appeal points which had been reduced to half, at a loss on how to fight back.
"Beautifly, use String Shot this time!!"
Unable to match Terrance's Beautifly in controlling the "wind," Sora shifted her strategy, aiming to use String Shot to look for an opportunity.
If there was one thing giving Sora some confidence in her Beautifly, it was String Shot.
Her Beautifly had its own unique interpretation of using String Shot.
"Zzi!!"
Speed, power, resilience, coordination—sure enough, in the eyes of the judges, this thread of silk was excellent.
Undoubtedly, Sora's Beautifly had a unique advantage either in its growth process or rather, the environment in which it lives.
Resources.
Berries, vegetation, and the external environment that are beneficial to the growth of the Pokémon itself will all promote the development of a Pokémon.
Just as a Magikarp in the ocean is more powerful than a Magikarp in a stream.
In terms of toughness, color, stickiness, and length, this thread of silk was exceptionally outstanding among its peers.
During the primary judging, Beautifly's silk was able to break through the storm, accurately sending the frisbee flying, showcasing the mastery of this move.
Under normal circumstances, this would be a move that earned extra points.
However—
Terrance's Beautifly's actions completely shattered Sora's confidence.
Seeing this, Terrance's Beautifly also used String Shot, but this thread of silk wasn't for attack, nor did it possess the same length as Sora's Beautifly's silk.
It was just a short segment, precisely enough to wrap around Beautifly itself. One, two, three, more and more threads began to wrap around Beautifly. Then, Beautifly started to spin, using Quiver Dance!
Beautifly's thin mouthparts became its hands, and the silk threads became hard whips. With a graceful, mysterious, and beautiful dance, Beautifly at this moment was like a giant spinning top, swiftly turning into an impenetrable wall.
"Snap!"
Sora's Beautifly's String Shot hit this "white spinning top," but it didn't even get a chance to entangle it before it was bent by the high-frequency rotation, losing its strength.
"How can it be...?" Sora looked at the "white spinning top" in disbelief. She never knew silk could be used like this.
"Wow!!! A very clever defense! Contestant Terrance, using the same move, has countered Contestant Sora's tactics!" Vivian looked at Terrance in marvel, finding it hard to imagine that this young man had such skill, comparable to those experienced veteran Coordinators.
The combo of silk threads and Quiver Dance.
Under the high-frequency "white spinning top," there was absolutely no possibility of Sora's Beautifly's silk breaking through.
Not to mention that the strength of Terrance's Beautifly's silk might not necessarily lose to the opponent's. Coupled with the amplification from Quiver Dance, it significantly increased Beautifly's speed.
Speed is power.
The initially soft silk, after Trainer's training, reaching this level, was already stunning.
"However...it also has a weakness." The judges noticed. While this "white spinning top" looked magnificent, it seemed it could only withstand moves like "String Shot."
If it were "Flamethrower," "Thunderbolt," "Ice Beam," or "Mega Jump Kick," there would be absolutely no chance for this "white spinning top" to endure.
But even so, the judges looked at Terrance with renewed admiration.
Because this indicated that Terrance devised this method in just a few seconds to counter the other Beautifly's move!
Outstanding awareness, calm judgment!
"Ding—"
Sora's score decreased once again, leaving only a little bit.
At this point, even a fool could see the glaring disparity. The battle between Sora and Terrance had no suspense at all.
From start to finish, it was Terrance who controlled the entire battle.
If Sora's Pokémon wasn't Beautifly, Terrance wouldn't have found it so easy, but with Beautifly as the opponent, Terrance has no reason to lose!
He didn't dare claim his understanding of Beautifly as the best, but he had dedicated considerable effort and passion to it.
The disparity in strength between the two Beautifly was too great, resulting in one side dominating the situation from the very beginning.
It's over.
After Quiver Dance, Beautifly's state underwent a profound change, elevating its strength to another level.
Originally, its strength was already greater than that of Sora's Beautifly, but after the amplification, victory became effortless.
Sora's appeal points were almost depleted. In this situation, Terrance only needed to overwhelmingly defeat the opponent, rendering it unable to fight.
Faced with Terrance's truly unleashed Beautifly, Sora had almost no strength left to fight back. With a final "ding," her appeal points were reduced to zero.
Terrance wins.
Although in the eyes of the audience, this was undoubtedly a crushing battle, the judges didn't see it that way.
When Sora's Beautifly used Silver Wind, Terrance's Beautifly countered with an even better Silver Wind.
When Sora's Beautifly attacked with String Shot, Terrance's Beautifly demonstrated superior skill with String Shot, countering while enhancing itself, thereby creating a favorable situation for the following suppression.
At the same time, constantly using the rules of the Pokémon Contest to reduce the opponent's score.
This was a guiding battle.
A guiding battle focuses on guidance rather than aiming for quick victory.
As the guiding side, Terrance consistently left openings, allowing Beautifly to slow down the execution of its moves, giving Sora ample room to perform.
The premise of a guiding battle is that one side must have a high level of skill, while the other must have sufficient perception, or else the guiding battle loses its meaning.
In the eyes of the judges, this Contest Battle contained the essence of a "guiding battle."
In terms of breeding level, Terrance's Beautifly undoubtedly held an overwhelming advantage. In terms of strength, it was absolutely incomparable to Sora's Beautifly.
But in this situation, Terrance patiently responded to the opponent's moves with the same moves, reminding them of their shortcomings. This required a dedicated investment in the battle and a high level of skill.
Whether it was the Silver Wind at the beginning or the impromptu "white spinning top," they were all pointers for Sora's Beautifly.
"Does Terrance know the opponent?" The judges were puzzled. Guiding battle, Terrance had no need to invest so much effort into this.
With Terrance's skill level, there should have been many easier ways to win.
However, the judges also welcomed this situation. From the primary judging, Sora was originally a rookie with considerable potential. A seasoned Coordinator willing to guide such a rookie was something they were happy to see.
All of this provided nourishment for the growth of Coordinators and Pokémon Contests.
Indeed, Terrance was willing to engage in guiding battle partly due to having met Sora before, coupled with her good perception and the fact that she also has a Beautifly, which reminded him of his early travels.
Both had Beautifly as rookies, both begin their journeys as Pokémon Trainers with Beautifly as their Starter Pokémon. So, meeting on the Coordinator stage, Terrance couldn't help but feel the inclination to guide this fellow rookie.
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