"Mawile!"
Deino bit into the azure flames but did not release them immediately; instead, it continued to rush towards Altaria.
Though its limbs appeared slightly short, its speed did not decrease at all!
The opponent was slightly surprised, completely unclear about Deino's intentions, and could only shout:
"Use Dragon Dance to dodge!"
"Altaria!"
Altaria spread its wings and soared. Although initially frightened by the Scary Face and hesitant to flap its wings too quickly, as its attention gradually focused on the dance, its body began to glow with a bluish luminescence, and its speed swiftly grew faster once more.
Vivian couldn't help but praise, "What beautiful dance moves~ Ah! What's happening! Deino has laid down!"
Suddenly, Deino, with azure flames in its mouth, was lying on its back, using the back of its head and neck as leverage, quickly spinning itself around!
"Mawile!"
With a low growl, the dragon flames pent up to the extreme surged out, transforming into an ascending spiral energy dragon with Deino's swirled motion, entirely sealing off any space Altaria could use to dodge!
In the preparation room, Xiaoguang showed an expression of surprise.
"It's the Counterattack Shield! Deino successfully executed it!"
"Piplup!" Piplup focused intently on the screen, silently rooting for it.
It certainly didn't want Mawile's match to end here.
In the arena.
Altaria couldn't find a single gap to escape through, the formidable dragon flame light waves practically forming a cage, continuously compressing its space for movement.
"Dodge to the left with Feather Dance—"
The opponent nervously clenched their fist, but both their commands and Altaria's movements were a fraction too slow, as the energy dragon pounced on them like a living creature!
Boom!
Dust exploded, and as a Dragon-type Pokémon, Altaria showed a pained expression, falling from mid-air.
Pa!
The opponent's score dropped drastically, instantly leaving only two-thirds, while Baimu's side barely lost an eighth due to the lengthy setup.
Unfortunately, the show after Dragon's Pulse hit wasn't quite as spectacular. If it had ended with fireworks, the opponent would have lost even more points.
Seeing this scene, the opponent was both relieved and gnashing their teeth in anger.
"Feather Rest!"
Having landed, Altaria had not yet lost its fighting ability, radiant white light feathers flying up, rapidly healing its injuries.
But though its strength could recover, its points couldn't.
Meanwhile, Deino, finally halting its spin and flipping back over, continued to rush at Altaria, its rabid posture leaving Vivian quite surprised.
"Quick reaction speed!"
"Frozen Fang!"
An icy chill spilled from its mouth, while Altaria hurriedly flapped its wings to shield its head!
Opportunity!
The opponent's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Cotton Defense!"
With a shout, just as Deino lunged forward, opened its mouth, and bit down, Altaria's cloud-like plush feathers instantly bloated into a purely white sphere!
The chill meant to bite into the latter's neck was thoroughly blocked by the sturdy feathers, causing Deino to be unable to pull its body out temporarily.
The layered and thick feathers almost became an impregnable wall.
Baimu's points plummeted, yet unbothered, the opponent shouted loudly.
"Don't let go of it! Take it up into the sky!"
"Altaria!"
Altaria let out a melodious cry, spreading its dramatically enlarged cloud-like wings, flapping quickly, and lifting Deino trapped within the feathers into the air!
"Mawile!" Deino struggled to break free, but couldn't outmatch the latter's intense shaking.
The audience gasped simultaneously, a Pokémon without Flying Ability being taken into the sky seemed to seal its fate.
"Throw it up!"
As the opponent's words echoed, Altaria's unusually wide wings suddenly seemed to "break off," sending the part wrapping Deino even higher into the sky.
"Dragon's Pulse!"
"Altaria!!"
Altaria lifted its head, opening its beak, preparing to spew out a burst of azure flames at the falling Deino.
But at this moment, as Baimu, who hadn't signaled in a while, suddenly shouted.
"Now's the time! Dragon Dive!"
Everyone present froze for a second, then saw Deino, appearing helplessly in midair, suddenly adjust its falling posture, its forehead lighting up with indigo glow, flames oozing from among its hair, quickly enveloping its entire body!
"Mawile—!!"
The pure blue dragon's head let out a terrifying roar, crashing toward Altaria from above, colliding fiercely with the Dragon Attribute Energy it spewed from its mouth!
Boom!
A light blue shock wave exploded midair, the violent rumbling shaking the hearts of everyone present.
They widened their eyes, watching as the rising dragon flames not only didn't explode into smoke but were engulfed by the massive dragon's head, which seemed to grow larger as if nourished, sprouting a body and wings, taking on an imposingly fierce and frightening form!
"Roar!!"
The Energy Giant Dragon's roar reverberated around everyone's ears as it heartlessly submerged the Altaria below, penetrating into the ground from top to bottom!
Boom—!!
Countless cracks split the earth, a dense plume of smoke rising.
They all turned to look at the large screen's score, but before they could even glance properly, an even clearer roar and sky-blue light suddenly burst forth within the arena.
The dense dust seemed to be blown away by some illusory force, revealing the scene within the arena.
Just then, Deino stood firmly on Altaria, a miraculous glow and dazzling fireflies swirling around it, releasing a breathtaking beauty!
Vivian couldn't believe it, "In the intense battle with Altaria, Deino evolved!"
One part watched the rapidly changing form of Deino, another glanced toward the calm-faced Baimu, realizing that this evolution was entirely within his expectations.
At this moment.
The large screen's score counter seemed to finally come to its senses, immediately docking the opponent's score to zero.
In front of the three judges, the scoring boards lit up with red Xs.
This signaled that Altaria had lost its ability to fight, having been defeated by Deino.
The Coordinator Trainer named Caiyu could only lock her eyes on the rapidly transforming body of Deino, speechless with emotion.
Its body widened, sharp claws extended from the top of its four feet, and tread-like patterns emerged on its abdomen. Long and slender wings grew from its back, and its round head split into two—not grown from the neck but split from a single head.
"Roar—" "Roar—"
With the sound of two calls, the light of the evolutionary miracle faded away.
The pitch-black Zweilous, in a brand new form—
was born!
The audience offered applause and cheers for Baimu and Zweilous!