The opponent before him was on a completely different level from all the trainers he had crushed on his way here.
This was not a battle that could be won casually.
This was a true powerful opponent!
"Charizard, calm down. This opponent won't be easy to deal with!
Use Thunder Punch first as a probing attack."
Mega Charizard X turned its head and glanced at its trainer.
The moment it saw the rare seriousness on Alain's face, it immediately understood.
It took a deep breath.
Then its dragon claws suddenly spread wide open.
Blazing energy surged violently from within its body, condensing before its claws into half-meter-long azure energy blades that radiated terrifying sharpness.
In the next instant, a harsh crackling sound of electricity exploded through the battlefield.
"Zzzzzzt——!"
Violent lightning wrapped itself around the energy dragon claws, dyeing both giant claws in dazzling blue-white brilliance.
Mega Charizard X violently flapped its wings, its body shooting downward like an arrow released from a bow as it dove straight toward Milotic in the water.
Yet in the face of the incoming Mega Charizard X, Milotic showed no panic whatsoever.
It merely raised its elegant head slightly and gently opened its mouth.
A highly condensed blue water sphere suddenly shot upward toward the sky above the battlefield.
This had already been a water battlefield to begin with, and the air itself was filled with dense moisture.
The moment the water sphere ascended, the entire sky seemed to explode instantly.
Dark clouds gathered violently.
Lightning surged wildly through the clouds.
Then torrential rain crashed down without warning, instantly enveloping the entire battlefield.
After using Rain Dance, Milotic twisted its body and plunged directly into the water, rapidly diving toward the depths below.
Mega Charizard X's massive lightning-covered claw smashed fiercely into the water's surface.
"ZZZZT!!"
Electric currents spread wildly across the surface, causing dazzling waves of electricity to ripple outward everywhere.
But against Milotic, which had already dived deep underwater, the attack was completely meaningless.
Alain's eyes tightened immediately.
"Charizard, Sunny Day!"
Charizard's tail flame exploded upward.
Blue flames condensed within its mouth into a blazing sphere of energy before being violently launched toward the sky.
The energy sphere rose higher and higher as layers of flame rolled endlessly around it, shifting from deep blue into blazing crimson like a miniature sun suspended high above the battlefield, attempting to disperse the torrential rain with scorching sunlight.
However, the rain was not completely driven away.
Instead, an extremely rare phenomenon appeared across the battlefield.
Half sunshine.
Half rain.
What made Alain's heart sink even further was the fact that the area covered by sunlight was noticeably smaller, nowhere near as expansive as the rain-covered region.
During the momentary weather stalemate, Milotic had already silently swum beneath the water and circled to the opposite side of the battlefield.
By the time it emerged once more, it was no longer within the water.
Using the abundant moisture in the air, it floated gracefully in midair while stretching its long and elegant body amidst the endless rain curtain.
Seven or eight clearly visible translucent pale blue water ribbons circled around its body, sometimes drifting freely, sometimes sinking back into its scales.
Red and blue light continuously flowed across Milotic's body, while the brilliant golden glow of its tail fin made it incomparably beautiful.
Alain stared at the shiny Milotic before him, then glanced toward the battlefield where the weather remained locked in stalemate.
His heart slowly sank.
He had only arrived in Hoenn less than a month ago. Most of his understanding of Theo came from videos portraying him as "a coordinator trainer with astonishing techniques and genius creativity in Contest battles."
He had watched Milotic's Rain Pause, Ice Crystal Water Tornado, Dragon Gate Leap, and other gorgeous combination techniques. He fully acknowledged that its skill control was indeed top-tier.
But Theo had only officially begun training Pokémon for one year.
No matter how talented he was, how strong could he really be?
That was what Alain had originally thought.
But the result of this weather clash clearly told him otherwise.
Milotic's strength was absolutely not inferior to Mega Charizard X.
How could this possibly resemble a Pokémon raised by a trainer who had debuted only a single year ago?
He and Charizard had undergone years of bitter training to obtain their current strength.
A realization gradually formed within Alain's heart.
No wonder they had agreed so easily to let him participate in the Ever Grande Conference...
So this was the true test.
Meanwhile, as Alain's thoughts raced, Mega Charizard X could no longer restrain itself and launched another fierce assault.
It violently flapped its wings, breaking through the border of the sunlight area and charging into the rainstorm.
Its gigantic lightning-covered claws slashed repeatedly, each strike aimed directly at Milotic's vital points.
Yet Milotic remained calm.
Its body twisted gracefully through the air, elegantly evading every attack.
Each dodge occurred at the final possible instant.
Although Milotic relied on water vapor to float and therefore could not match Charizard's long-distance flight speed due to lacking wings, when it came to short-range reactions and evasive maneuvers, it was not inferior in the slightest.
Still, constant defense would eventually lead to mistakes.
Fighting in aerial close combat was ultimately disadvantageous.
After consecutively dodging five or six fierce attacks, Milotic was finally struck directly by the lightning claw.
Violent electric currents instantly surged throughout its entire body.
But at the exact moment it was hit, Milotic's figure suddenly transformed into a cloud of white smoke and exploded apart.
"What!"
The entire stadium fell silent for a brief instant before erupting into chaos.
"Holy sh—!"
Ota subconsciously blurted out a shocked cry.
The audience stands exploded with alarmed exclamations.
Even Mega Charizard X froze briefly in confusion.
For a moment, it was genuinely dazed.
Had it become this strong?
Did that attack just directly obliterate that beautiful "little white snake" into nothingness?
Right then, Alain suddenly snapped back to reality.
His eyes sharpened intensely as he stared fixedly at the water below.
There, a tiny sharp horn was barely protruding above the surface.
It was the small horn atop Milotic's head.
"...Good. Good. GOOD!"
Alain gritted his teeth, speaking word by word through clenched jaws.
"Substitute!"
Before the words had even fully fallen, two figures simultaneously burst upward from the water.
One from the left.
One from the right.
Two completely identical Milotic rose high into the sky at the same time.
Both opened their mouths.
Two freezing beams of icy light carrying terrifying cold shot directly toward Mega Charizard X.
"Not good!"
Mega Charizard X violently beat its wings and retreated at top speed, narrowly avoiding both Ice Beams before rapidly withdrawing back into its own sunlight territory while vigilantly staring at the two shiny Milotic floating in the rain.
But Milotic did not pursue.
The two Pokémon floated side by side amidst the rainfall while water ribbons circled around them. Raindrops splashed against their bodies, creating ripples like celestial spirits dancing within the storm.
Only now did Ota finally breathe out in relief as he hurriedly resumed commentary:
"So it was actually the move Substitute just now!
That seriously scared me to death! I really thought contestant Theo's Milotic had been defeated in a single hit!"
His tone was filled with shock.
"Milotic's development of the Substitute move is truly unbelievable, even more astonishing than its use of Scald earlier!
Normally, when Pokémon use Substitute, the substitute simply stands there motionlessly to take attacks.
But that 'Milotic' just now could not only move freely, it could even swim gracefully through the air and launch attacks on its own...
Is this the ultimate level of move development and control possessed by coordinator trainers?
Sure enough, nicknames are never given incorrectly. 'Wallace Junior' truly lives up to his reputation!"
Alain stared at the battlefield situation and felt his temples throbbing violently while frustration surged through his chest.
His Charizard also knew the move Substitute.
But merely "knowing" it and mastering it to the terrifying level of Theo's Milotic were two entirely different concepts.
His own Substitute was nowhere near this divine level of realism, deception, and independent skill usage.
He had activated Mega Evolution intending to end the battle quickly with overwhelming force.
But this Milotic in front of him had unleashed a battle style that made him feel incomparably uncomfortable.
No...
It could even be described as disgusting.
For the first time in a long while, Alain's thoughts became completely blocked.
As he stared at the two beautiful figures floating within the rain, he found himself utterly unable to think of a way to break through the situation.
(End of Chapter)