After a brief rest, the second round of the Mauville City Pokémon Contest officially commenced.
The spotlight at the center of the stage refocused, its light even more dazzling than in the first round, hinting at the even more spectacular performances to come.
"Welcome back to the Mauville City Pokémon Contest, the second round is about to begin!"
Lilian's voice echoed through the speakers across the arena: "Unlike the basic skill demonstrations of the first round, this round requires contestants to complete a cohesive creative performance within three minutes using at least two skills!"
Judges will score based on three dimensions: skill coordination, creative conception, and Pokémon condition.
Each category has a maximum of 10 points, for a total of 30 points! Who will break through and advance to the final stage? Let's wait and see!
""
As her words faded, the first contestant quickly stepped onto the stage—the Trainer who used Magnemite for juggling rings in the first round.
"Magnemite, let everyone see our long-polished 'Electromagnetic Ribbon'!"
The man took a deep breath and threw the Poké Ball forward.
A flash of white light, and the floating Magnemite appeared at the center of the stage, its small eye in the middle glowing with a faint blue light.
"Use Shock Wave!"
As the command was given, fine currents of electricity instantly rippled around Magnemite's body.
Blue electric light spread out like a spiderweb, yet maintained a stable form without any disorder.
"Now, high-speed rotation!"
The man waved his hand sharply, and Magnemite immediately began spinning rapidly with the surrounding currents.
The originally dispersed electric net was flung by centrifugal force into countless blue light ribbons, drawing spiral trajectories in the air as it spun.
Like a rotating electromagnetic starry sky, mysterious and brilliant.
Even more astonishing, Magnemite constantly adjusted its height using magnetism while spinning, sometimes rising above the stage, sometimes descending near the ground.
The swirling electromagnetic light ribbons also flowed between different heights, their drifting layers shifting and intertwining.
At the final moment, it abruptly stopped spinning, all the currents instantly retracting into its body, leaving only a faint electric charge lingering in the air.
"Brilliant!"
Lilian's voice was full of surprise, "Magnemite's current control is exquisite, the combination of high-speed rotation and Shock Wave filled the entire performance with a fantastical sense of mystery!"
At the judges' table, Director Colosseum wrote a 9 on his scoreboard, commenting: "Good creativity, the layering of current release and retraction is well done, and the control of skill combination is commendable."
Chairman Susaki smiled and gave a 9.5: "I love the artistic conception of this 'Electromagnetic Ribbon,' the visuals are beautiful and imaginative, very thoughtful!"
Nurse Joy from Mauville City gave a 9.5, her tone gentle: "A very beautiful performance. Magnemite's condition is excellent, skill usage is stable, keep it up!"
The final score was 28 points, a quite impressive result for an opening performance.
The man smiled as he recalled Magnemite, the applause from below was warm and lasting, setting a good start for the second round.
The next few contestants each had their own strengths.
A girl with twin ponytails had Volbeat use "Moonlight" in coordination with "Confuse Ray."
In the soft silver-white light, the small bulbs on Volbeat's tail flashed alternately, like a spirit carrying lanterns dancing on stage, eliciting soft exclamations from many spectators.
Another boy with glasses directed Masquerain to use "Bubble Beam" to create a sky full of bubbles.
Then Masquerain used "Air Slash" to precisely pop the bubbles, performing a fun game of "Bubble Popping."
But the scores for these performances mostly ranged from 25 to 27 points, never surpassing the height of Magnemite's "Electromagnetic Ribbon."
"Next, contestant number 38!"
Lilian's voice suddenly rose, carrying unconcealed anticipation, "Let's welcome once again—Ludaes and her Blitzle!"
The cheers from the entire arena instantly doubled, far more enthusiastic than for any previous contestant's entrance.
Ludaes stepped onto the stage with confident strides, her bright yellow skirt particularly eye-catching under the lights, her expression even more resolute than in the first round.
"Blitzle, show them an even more spectacular 'Thunder Dance Steps'!"
Ludaes threw the Poké Ball, red light faded, and as Blitzle landed, it immediately raised its neck.
The black and white stripes on its body emitted brighter electric light than in the first round, its hooves striking the ground with a steady and powerful rhythm, clearly ready for action.
Ludaes' arm traced an arc: "Blitzle, Quick Attack, Stomp!"
Blitzle's four hooves struck the ground simultaneously, instantly lighting up with dazzling electric light all around.
But just as the light reached its peak, it suddenly retracted, instantly transforming into countless fine threads of electric light wrapping around Blitzle's body.
This was a more refined control than the ordinary Quick Attack skill.
Making the originally highly impactful move gentle and layered, as if draping Blitzle in a cloak woven of light.
Ludaes danced lightly at the edge of the stage, while Blitzle leaped around the arena following her rhythm.
With each jump, the electric light threads on its body stirred up rings of golden halos, the interplay of light and shadow breathtakingly beautiful.
"Now, use Flame Charge!"
Ludaes' voice suddenly rose.
Orange-red flames immediately lit up under Blitzle's hooves.
The flames flowed along the edges of its hooves, colliding and intertwining with the surrounding electric light, creating a wondrous coexistence of flame and thunder, instantly maximizing visual impact.
Blitzle began running across the stage.
Its hooves striking the ground left sparks of electric fire, crackling sounds as if flame and lightning were engaged in a joyful chase, full of dynamic beauty.
"Final step, Wild Charge!"
Ludaes' voice carried excitement.
Blitzle suddenly leaped high, the flames and currents around it instantly merging into a golden-red light sphere.
It ran and leaped back and forth across the stage, the sparks and currents under its feet weaving into brilliant trails, then suddenly leaped to the front edge of the stage.
The golden-red light burst forth, scattering like a meteor shower toward the front of the audience seats, gradually dissipating upon touching the ground.
"Wow—!"
The audience instantly erupted into enthusiastic applause.
"Amazing!"
Lilian shouted loudly: "The combination of Flame Charge and Wild Charge added the passion of flame to the original Thunder Dance Steps, the collision of two attributes is a visual feast!"
Director Colosseum gave a 9.8: "The creativity of fusing electric and fire attributes is superb, skill coordination is smooth, from Quick Attack to flame to the final fusion, the layers are clear, a very mature performance."
Chairman Susaki gave a 10, nodding repeatedly: "I love it! The fervor of flame and the swiftness of thunder form a strong contrast, the final ending is beautiful and elegant, I like it!"
Nurse Joy smiled and gave a 10: "Blitzle's condition is outstanding, whether in controlling electric light or the intensity of flame, everything is just right!"
Total score 29.8! Ludaes' result instantly set a new high score for the second round.
As she walked off the stage, her gaze fixed tightly on the direction where Lionel was, her eyes shining with determination.
This was the best performance she could muster.
Lionel's Feebas evolving into Milotic in the first round had given her immense pressure, but now she had given her all, regardless of the outcome, she had no regrets.
Time passed slowly, a few more contestants completed their performances, yet none could surpass Ludaes' score.
The atmosphere grew increasingly heated, the audience's anticipation rising like a tide, everyone waiting for that figure.
"Lionel! Lionel!"
"Milotic! Milotic!"
The audience below began spontaneously chanting slogans, the voices growing more unified, merging into a surging wave of sound as if to lift the arena's roof.
The live stream's bullet comments went even crazier, densely packed text almost covering the entire screen:
[Finally, it's the streamer's turn! Go Milotic!]
[Wondering what skills will be performed? So excited, good thing I'm smart, I've been recording the streamer's performances, can rewatch Feebas' evolution later!]
[Upstairs, I added you as a friend, send me a private copy of the Feebas evolution video, love you!]
[So excited, hurry up and get on stage, I can't wait!]
Lilian's voice sounded again, carrying barely concealed anticipation: "Next, contestant number 127, Lionel, and his Milotic!"
The spotlight instantly shone on the backstage passage, Lionel's figure emerged once again under the light.
The cheers from the entire arena reached their peak at this moment, as if to ignite the whole venue.
Lionel walked calmly to the edge of the stage, raised his hand, and gently threw the Poké Ball.
The moment the white light bloomed, the entire arena's breath seemed to halt.
The performance belonging to Milotic was about to begin.
"Milotic, come! Show them the results of your training in the desert, the magic and fantasy of water!"