“So strong!”
Solidad felt dazed inside. As expected of the Coordinator ranked second in fame. Only by facing them personally could one truly feel that overwhelming pressure.
This battle made Solidad keenly realize the gap between herself and most Top Coordinators.
After the judges each gave their comments on the match, the two Coordinators left the stage, and the next battle began immediately.
“Second match, Marina versus Daisy Oak!”
As soon as the announcer’s words fell, discussions in the audience surged like a tide, unending.
One was a genius rookie, the other a top Coordinator—would the situation be just as one-sided as before?
“There’s still a gap between a rookie and the top tier. I’d guess Miss Marina will probably be stopped here.”
“Yeah! Miss Daisy Oak’s strength is obvious to all.”
Amid the discussions, Marina and Daisy Oak stepped onto the stage.
Both Contestants were formidable, and their respective supporters shouted themselves hoarse.
Facing the highly motivated Marina, Daisy Oak wore a constant smile, giving the impression that she was very relaxed.
“That Blissey isn’t simple,” Terrance recalled their earlier performances and wasn’t very optimistic about Marina.
On the stage.
As the countdown began, both Pokémon made their moves.
Marina’s Misdreavus shuddered, releasing several Shadow Balls. Each Shadow Ball was wreathed in a ghostly purple aura, which seemed to link them together into a single whole, forming something like a shadowy whip that swept powerfully toward the Blissey in front of it.
Misdreavus’s use of Will-O-Wisp created a solid interference effect.
“The Shadow Ball training is good, the power is very well controlled. With so many Shadow Balls, dodging won’t be easy. If they’re shattered head-on, the Shadow Balls will ignite the Will-O-Wisp, unleashing a fierce flame attack.”
“She might be setting the stage for Hex. Will Miss Daisy Oak allow her to succeed?”
The contestants eliminated in the first round discussed animatedly. Though they couldn’t take part, they refused to miss the chance to comment. Listening to the speculation reaching his ears, Terrance looked toward the stage. Blissey didn’t dodge; before it, a gravity field slammed down in an instant.
Both the Shadow Balls and the Will-O-Wisp were pressed straight into the ground, triggering a fairly large explosion.
The shockwaves didn’t affect Blissey at all. Safeguard shimmered around it as it suddenly dashed forward, moving far more nimbly than anyone had expected.
With her attack thwarted, Marina immediately calmed herself and ordered Misdreavus to use Psywave to blow away the smoke and locate the opponent.
“Where’s Blissey?”
But when the smoke cleared, Blissey’s figure had vanished from everyone’s sight. Marina’s expression immediately turned grave. Soon, however, people realized that Blissey had used psychic power to float into the air. Having used Minimize to shrink itself, no one had clearly seen its movements.
“Marina has lost.”
With a whistling whoosh, Blissey came crashing down. As the fully charged Psychic engulfed the area, little Misdreavus was blasted away!
“A rookie is still a rookie. The techniques are decent, but the experience is lacking.”
Just as everyone was discussing this unsurprising outcome, the third match began right away.
Chaz versus Yuma—another clash between a genius rookie Coordinator and a Top Coordinator. Although Chaz’s Machoke performed admirably, he still lost the match quickly, just like Marina, leaving Chaz extremely frustrated.
The fourth match was Chisana versus Lisia.
Watching Crobat and Altaria facing off on the stage, Terrance observed for only twenty seconds before already offering silent condolences to Chisana.
That Altaria’s sound-based techniques were far superior to Crobat’s. Chisana’s Crobat had its Supersonic prediction technique completely shut down.
In the end, Chisana realized in shock that he had lost to Lisia without even forcing her opponent to reveal Mega Evolution.
“This rookie is different from the previous two. Her strength is already on par with a Top Coordinator. What she lacks is just the process where you gain reputation.”
Terrance spoke up. As Wallace’s junior, Lisia had accumulated a foundation vastly different from that of ordinary rookies.
With four matches concluded, the Grand Festival entered a brief intermission.
After that would come the battles among the final four.
The first match would be Terrance versus Daisy Oak. The second would be a clash between Top Coordinator Yuma and Lisia.
“Brother Terrance…” After his defeat, Chisana wasn’t discouraged, though he still felt a bit embarrassed about losing to a rookie.
“Here to cheer for me?” Terrance said with a smile.
“Uh… I guess so.” Chisana scratched his head, even though he didn’t really think Terrance would lose.
Among the top four of this Grand Festival, three were former Top Coordinators—an incredibly luxurious lineup. The remaining one was a junior of the Contest Master. Being able to watch such a competition was the greatest treat for the audience.
As for the judges, their excitement for this Pokémon Contest was also very high.
“The prestige is indeed very high. Winning this Saffron tournament is no less difficult than dominating Pokémon Contests across four regions,” Raoul Contesta said to Mr. Sukizo.
“Indeed. Next, we’ll see whether Lisia can defeat Yuma,” Mr. Sukizo replied.
As his words fell, the two looked toward the stage. The semifinals were about to begin. Terrance and Daisy Oak walked onto the stage together. After being introduced by Vivian and Lilian, they exchanged courteous greetings, then each threw their Poké Ball!
Ninetales vs. Blissey!
“The opponent is a Top Coordinator, theoretically more skilled than Solidad. Additionally, as Professor Oak’s granddaughter, Miss Daisy shouldn’t be underestimated,” Terrance thought to himself. In the original series, this granddaughter of Professor Oak was rarely mentioned, but she likely wasn’t a conventional Coordinator. Perhaps, like himself, someone with a diverse range of professions.
But people like that weren’t necessarily weak.
“Mr. Terrance, I’ve heard about you from my grandfather. Please go easy on me during the battle,” Daisy Oak said with a sly smile, revealing an attitude completely different from her previous matches. Perhaps a form of acknowledgment of Terrance’s strength.
“Alright.” Terrance grinned. As the countdown began, Daisy Oak’s gaze sharpened. With a crisp, decisive command, Blissey seized the initiative, using Fling move to hurl streaks of red liquid.
In response, Ninetales swept its nine tails, sending nine Ice Shards in a probing attack.
The next moment, the Ice Shards melted outright!
At the same time, vividly colored gases began to drift through the air.
“A specially created Toxic? Fire poison?” Terrance thought to himself.
This kind of fire poison wasn’t rare, and it wasn’t the first time Terrance had seen it, so he showed no particular reaction. As the Ice Shards melted, an even more powerful blizzard surged up.
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