The terrifying aftermath even caused the arena floor to shift, but the two captains remained rooted, unwavering.
Their Spirit Beasts collided in a furious storm of dust, and when the dust uncovered both of the Spirit Beasts has been fainted.
...
On the second round, both of them summon their spiritual energy once again.
"Let's go, Thornagon!"
"Let's go, Glacisnow!"
Suddenly, the blinding light of evolution burst forth.
A massive white dragon with a wingspan spanning tens of meters soared into the sky, unleashing a freezing breath upon the battlefield.
The dragon sprawled on the ground responded instantly, its long tail diving into the earth to dodge the incoming attack from above.
"Dragon Dive!"
"Gaia Jump!"
As the Beast Masters' commands rang out, the Glacisnow stomped the ground and the previously flat ground surged like waves, pushing up toward the white dragon in the sky.
The Thornagon beat its wings and rapidly ascended beyond the reach of the ground waves, until it was out of sight of the cameras.
The audience could only watch as freezing tornadoes descended from the heavens, colliding with spear-like spikes shooting up from the earth, creating blinding flashes as they clashed.
"Thornagon, Frostflame Breath!"
Under the fluttering red-and-white team uniforms, the beast mark that was representing Thornagon gleamed with a soft, icy light.
Simultaneously, mysterious patterns appeared along the Thornagon's scales, mirroring its Beast Master's energy.
"So, you want a head-on fight?" Hope smirked. "Then let's do this—Glacisnow, Starlight Breath!"
The gray dragon on the ground sprang upward at its beast master's command, unfurling the fins on its back and charging energy skyward.
The world seemed to hold its breath, filled with a sizzling hum as the Glacisnow unleashed a brilliant purple-red beam, a destructive force that shot skyward and collided with the intense ice-flame beam from Thornagon.
"BOOM!"
With a blast that was like no other, silence fell over the world as all eyes fixated on the smoke-covered arena, waiting to see what remained after the clash.
...
The Next Day.
When Ash arrived at school, she noticed that her classmates seemed unusually downcast, as if they were immersed in some kind of collective sorrow.
She had no idea what had happened and felt too awkward to ask them, so she just quietly made her way to her seat, hoping to glean some information from their conversations about what she had missed during her absence.
"Ash, are you feeling better now?"
Before long, a girl with a ponytail approached Ash's desk.
Ash sifted through her memory, then mustered an apologetic smile. "I'm fine now. Thank you for asking, class rep."
"That's good to hear." Anaya nodded her head, her tone full of concern. "Make sure you eat breakfast next time. You really scared us yesterday when you fainted in the class."
"I'm sorry..." Ash's face flushed with embarrassment. "I woke up late yesterday and skipped breakfast because I didn't want to be late. I promise I'll remember it next time!"
Anaya nodded again and placed a few notebooks on Ash's desk. "These are the notes from yesterday's lessons. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."