Kalos, Camphrier Town. Inside a circular building, the seats were already filled with spectators, bustling with excitement.
At the center of the circular building's arena, a beautiful woman slowly stepped forward. She was dressed entirely in white, with golden stripes decorating the cuffs and waist. The end of her elegant gown extended outward almost horizontally, and wing-like ornaments adorned her shoulders.
Across from her, a young man in a deep crimson cape also stepped onto the stage.
"Battle between Champion Diantha and Hoenn's Top Coordinator!"
"Who would have thought we'd witness such a battle here in Camphrier Town? But that Trainer's outfit looks like the Duke's cape from the Battle Chateau, doesn't it?"
The spectators, stirred by the commentator's excitement, turned their attention from their own murmurs to the two figures now standing firmly at opposite ends of the battlefield.
"To be able to battle Miss Diantha, the Champion of Kalos, is truly my honor." Terrance smiled faintly, placing a hand over his chest in salute.
"No need for such formality, Mr. Terrance."
Diantha returned the gesture. She had already heard from her assistant that it was this very young man who had defeated Elite Four Wikstrom.
As far as exhibition matches go, Diantha felt that Terrance shouldn't be weak. Meanwhile, as Terrance listened to the commentator introduce both sides, he had already analyzed the upcoming battle countless times in his mind.
"Gardevoir, it's your turn to take the stage." Diantha tossed out a Poké Ball and looked toward Terrance.
"There it is! Miss Diantha's ace Pokémon, Gardevoir!"
The crowd erupted with excitement. In every exhibition match Diantha took part in, she always sent out her Gardevoir, and this time was no exception.
"As expected, Gardevoir."
Facing the Kalos' League Champion, Terrance dared not show any carelessness. He chose to send out Beautifly. The moment Beautifly appeared, the totem aura began to swirl around its body.
"There it is, that mysterious aura." In the VIP seats, a mature-looking young man closed the book in his hand at his butler's reminder.
"Beautifly, of all Pokémon? What gives him the confidence to choose this kind of Pokémon, whose species is inherently at the bottom, when facing the Champion of Kalos?" The mature-looking young man looked down at Terrance with great interest.
Although this was only a normal battle, wasn't sending out a Beautifly a bit too perfunctory?
"Young master, that Beautifly seems to be his signature Pokémon. It not only earned him the title of Top Coordinator but it also demonstrated extraordinary skills at the Coordinator festival." said Turner, the butler of the Battle Chateau.
Beautifly's Ability was Swarm. As soon as it took the field, Terrance noticed that Gardevoir had deliberately chosen not to copy its Ability. Then, Miss Diantha smiled slightly, gesturing with her hand. "You may make the first move."
"Then I won't be polite." Terrance replied.
In the next instant, Beautifly whipped up its Wind Domain and activated the Source of Stamina, entering its strongest state.
"Such powerful wind…" Diantha closed her eyes slightly, sensing Gardevoir's feelings, and looked at Beautifly with a surprised expression.
It did not surprise Terrance that Diantha and Gardevoir could perceive the true strength of the breeze surrounding Beautifly. At the same time, Beautifly sent out a probing wind blade filled with powdery scales toward Gardevoir. In response, Diantha winked and Gardevoir vanished, reappearing at another spot in an instant.
"Is this what they call unity of heart and mind?" Terrance had no time for sentiment. Beautifly had already sent several wind blades slashing forward again. Yet the same scene repeated itself. Gardevoir continued to evade using Teleport. But this time, Beautifly's attack changed.
Anticipating that Gardevoir would use Teleport, Beautifly had been monitoring the flow of the air currents. In the fleeting instant when Gardevoir vanished and reappeared, it forcibly bent the wind blades mid-flight, sending them toward Gardevoir that had emerged on the other side!
But—
"No good?" Terrance frowned. Even though the wind blades struck almost instantly, after repeating this several times, they still failed to keep up with Gardevoir's movements. This was the first time he had seen a Pokémon more proficient with Teleport than his own Gallade.
Able to grasp its Trainer's intent with just a glance, Gardevoir dodged Beautifly's attacks with utter ease. Even when Beautifly correctly predicted its position each time, its movements still lagged just a fraction behind.
"Shadow Ball!" As the wind blades pursued, Diantha and Gardevoir seemed to have already grown accustomed to Beautifly's battle style, and Diantha began giving commands.
With a sweep of Gardevoir's arm, Shadow Ball burst forth, crushing through the wind blades and hurtling toward Beautifly.
"How long can Beautifly hold out in this state?" Diantha smiled faintly.
Shadow Ball was fast and immensely powerful. But against Beautifly within its Wind Domain, landing a hit was not so simple.
Though it lacked Teleport, Beautifly's evasion skills were no less impressive than Gardevoir.
As a shadowy energy sphere shot toward it, a wave of Confusion descended, attempting to lock down and predict Beautifly's movements. However, in the next instant, Beautifly struck first, evading the Confusion with flawless timing and precision, while simultaneously launching another wind blade straight at Gardevoir.
Yet, the situation didn't change much. Gardevoir instantly reappeared in another location and retaliated with a Shadow Ball. This time, the timing and distance of the attack were absolutely flawless. In fact, Diantha had almost always ended her exhibition matches with just one or two decisive moves, as her opponents were simply too weak.
However, facing Terrance, Diantha took the battle more seriously. She even used Confusion to lock onto her target during the attack. However, Beautifly's strength exceeded her expectations; even Gardevoir's Confusion struggled to track its elusive movements. This unexpected turn of events made Diantha's expression shift to one of surprise.
Beautifly effortlessly dodged Gardevoir's attacks.
"Show me your true strength," Terrance said. Saying that, he issued a new command. Beautifly swiftly flew toward Gardevoir at an incredible speed, rivaling even the speed of Arcanine's Extreme Speed.
Terrance's intent was clear. Both sides were evenly matched in evasive ability, so there was no point wasting time like this.
"What an interesting Trainer."
Both Diantha and Gardevoir wore their Key Stones as a necklace. Terrance's eyes fixed on their chests, though it seemed they had no intention of Mega Evolving just yet.
Forcing her to Mega Evolve, that was Terrance's goal!
As Beautifly flew at high speed, countless gusts of wind swirled into a wind cone, enveloping its entire body. Simultaneously, following Diantha's command, a powerful wave of Confusion came crashing down.
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