"It's the Cotton Guard!!!" Vivian kept a close eye on Altaria's movements, and as Altaria's pure white feathers began to fall off, she immediately exclaimed, loudly commenting.
The white, fluffy feathers detached slowly as Altaria flapped its wings, their extremely light weight causing the cottony feathers not to fall immediately but to slowly drift down high from the sky.
Altaria moved again, dancing as it scattered the cottony feathers. Its movements were gentle, not disturbing the cottony feathers at all. They continued to fall in their original trajectory, the pristine white feathers providing a visual delight, akin to seeing a blizzard, witnessing a white curtain slowly descending.
"Such a pleasant scent..." someone sniffed, displaying an expression of disbelief. "What's causing this delightful fragrance?"
"Mmm..." the two judges, originally weary from traveling, felt the sensation of fatigue swept away upon catching the refreshing, elegant aroma, enjoying a mental respite.
"It's perfume," Nurse Joy smiled faintly. It was rare to see a Coordinator using perfume as an item for their performance... No, it wasn't necessarily used as just an item, but also to enhance the appearance of Pokémon with it.
Smelling this perfume, Pokémon also felt relaxed and greatly enjoyed it...and that's how the friendship with their Trainer was gradually established.
Enchanted by the scent drifting down as the white curtain descended, there came a melodious song, soaring, beautiful, lingering in the ears of the audience, complementing the perfume, which evoked an urge to close one's eyes and take a momentary rest.
But it wasn't over yet... the performance still needed to be seen, but the song was indeed captivating, especially when Altaria danced before the white curtain, resembling a flowing sea of clouds.
"I…I can't see anything."
Drowning in the song and scent, the audience snapped back to reality to find the venue enveloped in a white fog. Under this floating mist, the white curtain gradually blurred, leaving only Altaria's sky-blue silhouette leaping within the sight of the audience and judges, dancing with the mist.
"Mist Move?" Vivian raised her voice, explaining to the audience, "Contestant Terrance has Altaria use the Mist!! Now, the mist has covered the cotton feathers Altaria shed. What could they be trying to show us?!"
"What scenery lies behind the Mist!?"
Pulled back by Vivian's voice, the audience, entranced, stared at the slowly dispersing white mist, swallowing nervously, afraid of missing the next moment.
Whoosh!!
As the mist dispersed, Altaria's leaping figure came to a halt with a crisp sound, leaving everyone momentarily stunned. The sound was like a forest ignited by a spark, spreading rapidly!
It was like a lake, invaded by cold, instantly blanketed in ice crystals, turning the rippling surface into a sheet of ice in the blink of an eye.
This sound was almost like that, with a burst, the crackling sound spread instantly, clear and pleasant.
The mist dispersed.
Some audience members held their breath, looking inside. Some appeared puzzled, curious about the thing before them. And some knowledgeable spectators' eyes widened, their hands trembling slightly against the railing.
On the stage, the mist had vanished, and not only did the mist disappear, but the cotton feathers did too.
The cottony feathers, which had floated down like a white curtain, also vanished from sight once the mist no longer obstructed the view.
In their place...
Was a colossal ice sculpture!!
It was a large bird Pokémon, its intricate texture outlined by ice crystals and the pristine white feathers within. The outward appearance showcased blue feathers formed by layers of ice, the feather edges at the wings perfectly formed, and a head crest composed of three deep blue rhomboidal ice crystals imparting a soul to the sculpture. Its tail, curved naturally like a flag, added to the incredibly lifelike sensation. Before their eyes, this Pokémon was alive and breathing!! An incarnation of ice!!
"What Pokémon is this?!" Blake, in the audience, exclaimed in astonishment.
He had never seen such a noble Pokémon before. The lifelike ice sculpture made him feel as if he were seeing a living, noble existence.
"Beautiful..." Many women, upon seeing this Pokémon, displayed expressions of admiration. Such elegant Pokémon...the word 'beauty' couldn't even begin to describe their awe.
Even the Coordinators fell silent. The difficulty of creating this ice sculpture for Altaria... the techniques involved... were simply terrifying!!
Ice sculptures were common in Pokémon Contests, but...appearing under Altaria's moves, it gave people a suffocating feeling.
Difficult to surpass.
"This is—"
"Kanto Region's Legendary Pokémon!! Articuno!!"
Some audience members who recognized the Pokémon finally broke the silence, shouting loudly.
"Articuno?!"
"Legendary Pokémon?!"
In an instant, the venue erupted into discussion once more.
"It is indeed Articuno..." Nurse Joy spoke up from the panel of judges.
"To form an ice sculpture of a Pokémon from legends... he is truly bold."
"However...although I've never seen Articuno, this ice truly exudes the charm of an ice sculpture...it's beautiful. It makes me want to see a real Articuno with my own eyes."
"Wait a moment!! Something's not right. To create a sculpture of Articuno using Cotton Guard... how is that possible?!" The next moment, the panel of judges also entered into debate.
The descent of the cotton feathers was witnessed by all. Although the subsequent Mist obscured the feathers, there was no way the feathers could naturally form the shape of an Articuno.
That level of intricate control... simply couldn't appear on this stage.
"Although he's very talented, but... to train Altaria's Cotton Guard to this extent... with an Altaria and his age... it's simply not possible."
"This is beyond his abilities."
"Indeed...it's also impossible to combine it with 'wind' to form the sculpture afterward. The mist was right there, if there was wind, there would definitely be ripples in the mist."
As the audience discussed Articuno, some Coordinators and judges discussed the unrealistic combination of Cotton Guard and Ice Beam...
Suddenly, there was no further development. Even Terrance's score remained undetermined.
Vivian eagerly looked at the panel of judges, only to see them in heated debate... the venue was chaotic for a while.
At that moment, Nurse Joy seemed to realize something and exclaimed, "We've been led astray. Why must it be Cotton Guard?!"
"Nurse Joy... are you saying..." the other two judges looked at her.
Nurse Joy nodded and said, "What if... instead of Cotton Guard, it was Feather Dance that Altaria performed?!"
TN: Sorry for not being able to post chapters. Got eye infection, so i wasn't able to do any chapters.
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