Before Vulpix had even grown up, Terrance had already conceived an ultimate move for it.
A combo move that integrated offense, defense, and debuffs all into one!
However, when Vulpix first participated in a Pokémon Contest, its strength was not yet sufficient to perfectly display this technique. Now, though, it possessed the necessary foundation.
This time, Ninetales did not unleash this ultimate move simply in the form of an Ice Moon.
As Blizzard howled, it seemed to sweep up Hail as well, fully outlining the majesty of Snowy Weather. Using wind to control ice and snow. This was another core of the Snowy Weather secret technique created by Terrance!
“The resonance between Hail and the Snow Warning Ability has made Snowy Weather even more violent, and then he uses Blizzard to provoke Snowy Weather further… Is he really this confident in his coordination skills?” Lisia was filled with disbelief. The stronger a Coordinator was, the more they should delve deeply into perfecting a single move. Terrance’s approach of fusing multiple moves together showed Lisia a style completely different from that of her uncle, Wallace.
Wind power and ice and snow—fully controlling all these details was extremely difficult, yet the Coordinators could see how effortlessly Ninetales handled them.
“And then…”
Terrance and Ninetales took a small step back. The buildup was complete. Next came the most crucial step: shaping!
The final step consumed the most energy. This time, it wasn’t just about creating a single Ice Moon, but about sketching an entire starry sky. Terrance and Ninetales steadied themselves, their minds calm as still water. With Terrance using Fairy Mark to assist, he strove to let Ninetales perfectly shape every single star.
Before long!
Within the vast venue, countless crystalline stars shimmered with light, like innumerable silver beads densely inlaid across the sky. Not only had the star-filled sky been formed, Ninetales had further fixed their positions!
Reflected in the surging snowstorm, the stars seemed to leap up and down, appearing and disappearing in turn.
“He upgraded that technique?!”
Raoul Contesta immediately recognized it. On the stage, a silver moon shone brilliantly, and around it, countless stars created from ice and snow twinkled with starlight.
One, two, three… As the audience began counting, their shock grew immeasurable.
“Impossible…” Lisia stared at the dozens of stars in disbelief, rendered speechless. What level of control was required to evolve Snowy Weather into an ocean of icy stars?!
Originally, Ninetales couldn’t reach this level. However, the Hundred-Year-Old Never-Melt Ice gifted by Lorelei and Articuno had helped tremendously. Although Ninetales’ overall strength had not yet crossed into the Elite Four level, its control techniques, honed through hard work, had already reached an exquisite level.
“If my guess is right, next…”
Mr. Sukizo murmured. This level alone shouldn’t be what Terrance wanted to showcase. The coordination was undoubtedly master-level, but Ninetales’ own charm and practical combat value had yet to be revealed.
Sure enough, the very next moment, the entire hall was swallowed by endless starlight and moonlight.
Amid the audience’s cries of astonishment, under Ninetales’ control, the sea of stars seemed to move, slowly spreading outward, not only covering the sky above the venue, but gradually approaching the spectator stands as well…
“So dark…” At some point, this thought suddenly arose in the audience’s minds, puzzling even themselves. It was clearly morning, and the venue was brightly lit, so why did it feel dark?
“It’s the light. Again, it’s the light!” Raoul Contesta shouted.
Once more, Terrance used the guidance of light itself, making everyone instinctively feel that the entire venue was shrouded in darkness, with only the Ice Moon and the stars shining brightly!
As this thought surfaced, the sensation grew even stronger. People felt as though everything around them had been swallowed by pitch-black darkness, leaving only the slanted sea of stars in their vision.
On the stage, after Ninetales let out a soft cry, it drew everyone’s gaze. Its nine beautiful tails began to dance, completely coating those stars, once merely reflecting the venue’s lights, with its own colors.
White, blue, pink, purple… Under the influence of moves such as Aurora Beam, Ice Beam, Dazzling Gleam, Moonblast, and Confuse Ray, irresistibly enchanting colors were painted across the sky.
Beyond that, a torrent of rainbow light flowed like primordial chaos between the moon and the stars, turning the sky into a vast starry sea.
“That is… Aurora Veil?” Nurse Joy covered her mouth. From the judges’ panel, she instinctively closed her eyes, and upon reopening them, the Nurse Joy of Saffron City felt as though she were immersed in the beauty of a starry sky.
In that moment, it felt as though only the stars remained in the entire venue to keep her company, utterly tranquil. As if she were personally standing beneath the sky, Nurse Joy gazed at the beautiful starlight and the warmly comforting moonlight, then unconsciously looked toward the stage, toward the center of the sea of stars, and revealed a captivating smile.
Ninetales’ nine tails connected to the sea of stars. It was like the core of the sea of stars, controlling the countless stars overhead. Innumerable rays of light danced along its tails, linking the sea of stars. At this moment, Ninetales seemed bathed in starlight, as if undergoing a baptism of the starlight. One could even say that, as the master of this sea of stars, it too had transformed into a star…
At this very moment, Ninetales was endowed with charm, the charm known as starlight.
As white, blue, pink, purple, and rainbow hues shone on them, Raoul Contesta’s expression softened, as if he were savoring the moment. At this time, Vivian was the first to truly grasp this beauty, but soon every member of the audience felt it as well. And with exquisitely beautiful starlight dancing alongside them, that comfortable sensation only grew stronger.
“Indeed, it’s very beautiful…” Mr. Raoul Contesta thought to himself. Mr. Sukizo beside him shared the same sentiment. However, after remaining in such a comfortable environment for several seconds, the two of them suddenly snapped awake. Cold sweat poured down their backs, a bone-chilling chill seeping into their bodies, as they looked toward Terrance on the stage, whose smile was neither quite a smile.
“My old friend, this isn’t a comfortable bed of stars. Take one step forward, and it becomes an endless abyss that can swallow any life,” Raoul Contesta came to his senses. He raised his head, and when he looked at the sky full of stars again, the sense of beauty he had felt earlier vanished completely, replaced instead by… a profound, piercing cold.
Turning his gaze to Ninetales’ deep blue eyes, Raoul Contesta cleared his throat inwardly.
Dazzling Gleam that disrupted vision, Ice Beam that interfered with movement, Confuse Ray that muddled the mind, Aurora Beam that could lower attack power, Moonlight, and Aurora Veil that protected the entire sea of stars—one could say this was already a complete tactical blueprint.
The moment this tactical blueprint known as the Sea of Stars was activated, probably no one inside this Pokémon Contest Hall would be able to escape it.
“Just now, I actually indulged myself in enjoying such a terrifying environment?” Raoul Contesta fell silent. It seemed that the darkness and that comfortable sensation were all part of the atmosphere created by the reflected Confuse Ray… This level of planning and control…
It made Raoul Contesta look toward the gentle-looking young man beneath the stage and feel an intense sense of malice.
It was hard to imagine that such a beautiful sea of stars was in fact the entrance to an endless abyss.
“When an opponent immerses themselves in the beauty of the sea of stars, they’ve already been swallowed by the abyss…” Mr. Sukizo stammered. “Still, I like this.”
Soon, it wasn’t just the two of them. As more and more people remained immersed in the comfortable environment, perhaps because Terrance deliberately prompted them—using light to interfere with their thinking—quite a few people realized just how terrifying this seemingly harmless sea of stars truly was.
Bang.
Several veteran Coordinators, along with genius rookies including Lisia, failed to steady themselves and leaned against the wall. They were the first to fall into the sea of stars, and also the ones who sank the deepest, because this sea of stars was simply too beautiful, filled with artistic beauty. Yet when they sensed the killing intent hidden within it, they were also among those who felt it most intensely.
So much so that they unconsciously took a step back in fright. At the same time, the thought arose in their minds: “Can this performance really be surpassed?”
“Can such a complex tactical blueprint truly be controlled so easily?” Nurse Joy cast a deep look toward Terrance on the stage.
With her level of insight, she simply couldn’t imagine how one could perfectly control this entire sea of stars in order to launch an attack!
Yet precisely because she couldn’t understand it, she was shocked. Raoul Contesta and Mr. Sukizo were the same. They couldn’t determine whether Ninetales was truly capable of controlling this sea of stars, nor could they deduce the answer. This already lay beyond the scope of their own skills, and in any case, they couldn’t possibly ask Terrance to demonstrate it, because then it would no longer be a Grand Festival, but a Slaughter Festival…
“This kid has really given us a headache. How are we supposed to score this?” Raoul Contesta smiled bitterly to himself. If Ninetales couldn’t control it, then there was no talk of practical combat value. The judges hesitated greatly. This sea of stars contained far too many elements, making it extremely hard to judge.
“Forget it. Being able to put on a performance that leaves us at a loss is a skill in itself!” The three exchanged glances and finally reached a decision.
If Terrance knew what the judges were thinking, he would probably laugh. As for Ninetales… controlling this entire sea of stars was indeed quite difficult. To control it perfectly would require at least waiting until it entered the Elite Four level. For now, though, using light to fool outsiders was more than enough. After all, even if Wallace himself were present, he absolutely wouldn’t be able to see through their true depth. Moreover, Terrance had no intention of making the judges believe that Ninetales could perfectly control the sea of stars. Just the method of reflecting Confuse Ray to build the atmosphere was enough to prove that Ninetales could exert a limited degree of control over it, and that alone already demonstrated practical combat value.
Still, Terrance was happy to let this misunderstanding persist. In any case, it wouldn’t be long before that misunderstanding became reality. Ninetales would, sooner or later, step into the Elite Four level!
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