It looked at the Pelipper, which was restricted by gravity and unable to fly in the distance, and found that the latter was now very close, seemingly moving quickly on the accumulated water left by surfing.
"Gale!"
As Naqi's command was issued, Pelipper's uniquely structured wings flapped fiercely!
Boom!
The silver-white storm turned into a visible blade of air rushing forward!
"Defend!"
Baimu shouted, and a beehive-shaped circular light shield floated in front of Blissey, upon which the blade of air continuously pounded, making it tremble violently, as if it could shatter at any moment.
Yet, in the end, the light shield held firm.
Naqi's expression became quite astonishing at this moment.
"Defend... This Pokémon really is proficient in all sorts of transformation techniques!"
She had to admit, though the advantage seemed to be on her side, the repeated ineffective attacks were a great blow to both her and Pelipper.
Was Blissey always such a troublesome Pokémon?
The TV station staff outside the field were buzzing with discussion. This wasn't their first time producing an interview with a Gym Leader, so even those who initially knew nothing about Pokémon battles have picked up a little over time.
Moreover, even without understanding the battle, one could tell just from Naqi's expression that the situation wasn't ideal.
What surprised them even more was that Baimu didn't intend to have Blissey retaliate. Once the clash between Gale and Defend ended, he decisively recalled it back into the Pokeball and sent out his second Pokémon.
"Is he switching already!?"
Shouta exclaimed in disbelief.
Anyone could see that Baimu had the upper hand, so why would he suddenly switch Pokémon?
Naqi narrowed her eyes slightly.
Ding-a-ling~
With a crisp sound of a bell, Mawile landed on the water-covered battlefield.
It disdainfully glanced down at its feet.
"Water Cannon!"
"Dodge to the right!"
The two commands came at the same time, as a blue water column spewed from Pelipper's mouth towards Mawile, which leapt nimbly sideways like a specter, moving three or four positions sideways.
The Water Cannon hit nothing and splashed onto the ground, turning into a puddle of muddy water.
"What light, agile movements!"
The director instinctively praised, as the faint screams of a few staff members reached his ears, clearly indicating that Mawile, being the highlight of the Gorgeous Competition and the reason for its fame, was admired by fans.
Naqi also didn't expect Mawile to react so quickly, and Baimu once again surprised her greatly.
But in the next moment.
Her expression changed dramatically.
With only a light popping sound, Baimu's command followed immediately.
"Thunder Fist!"
When Naqi looked back at the field, Mawile had already disappeared, leaving only splashes from its powerful push-off.
Then.
Her vision suddenly blurred as she saw a flash of lightning light up beneath, forming a bright yellow chain that spanned half the field, creating a deafening roar that made the falling rain tremble in the bright light.
And the missing Mawile appeared right in front of Pelipper.
The latter's pupils dilated instantly.
"Quick, dodge!"
Naqi shouted loudly, but it was too late to issue the command now.
Zap-bang!
Mawile's fist punched under its jaw, and flickering electricity quickly spread across Pelipper's entire body like a living creature, with intense paralysis and pain washing over it!
Bang!
A circle of milky-white shockwave exploded, sending Pelipper flying like a football caught mid-air, and where it originally stood, white smoke enveloped Mawile.
The enormous sound and ghost-like speed left the surrounding crowd in astonishment.
Under the shrouded clouds.
As the smoke slowly dispersed within the field,
Mawile remained in place, holding its smoking fist, breathing gently, its rain-soaked silhouette looking somewhat terrifying.
While the flown Pelipper undoubtedly lay supine on the ground, its eyes covered with swirls.
"Pelipper is unable to battle, Mawile wins!"
Lai He announced the result of its fall immediately.
Only then did the vast field erupt with exclamations of amazement, with the TV crew's eyes fixed on Mawile, filled with varied expressions.
Shouta's eyes widened as he covered his mouth to prevent himself from screaming out loud.
He never could have imagined that yesterday's opponent, Baimu, was so powerful. He originally thought Blissey was his strongest Pokémon, not expecting there to be an even stronger Mawile!
A breathtaking punch!
This explosive speed is rare even in more formal competitions; one could say Mawile conquered everyone present with its impactful punch.
Baimu's Gorgeous Competition fans were thrilled, as some had long guessed Mawile's unusual combat ability from the second round of the Gorgeous Competition auditions, perhaps even stronger than ordinary Trainers.
But it had never been proven.
Now Mawile's feat of taking down Pelipper with one hit confirmed its extraordinary combat prowess.
As excited as the director was, he also felt a little regretful, since this was Naqi's personal interview documentary and couldn't offer too much screen time to Baimu and Mawile.
What a shame!
If possible, he would love to do a personal interview with Baimu, feeling it would be particularly popular.
Naqi, on the other side of the stands, couldn't help but express appreciation:
"An admirable burst of force! Even I found it hard to react. No wonder people rate you so highly, outstanding!"
"You flatter me,"
Baimu responded modestly.
Naqi smiled sweetly, "But I must remind you, the outcome of the match has just begun! The Verdanturf Gym badge won't be handed over so easily!"
"Alright!"
"Come out, Skarmory!"
She suddenly threw the Pokeball to the ground.
Boom!
A flash of white light.
A nearly three-meter-tall Skarmory descended from the air, forced to withdraw its wings due to gravity as it landed, its hefty figure splashing a little muddy water.
"Aiya!"
The giant Skarmory let out a hoarse cry.
Soon after.
Sharp rocks suddenly floated beside it in the air like hand grenades exploding, followed by plumes of smoke.
The Invisible Rock set by Blissey was triggered.
However, the explosion didn't make the Skarmory's cries very sharp, and mostly, the rock explosions didn't cause ideal harm, at least not enough to induce intense pain for Skarmory.
Indeed.
When the dust cleared, the giant Skarmory had only a few scorch marks on its metallic shell.
"Shadow Clone."
Baimu's voice sounded.
"Tchdo~"
Mawile responded, its small body trembling intensely as it turned into countless flickering afterimages, bewildering Skarmory and Naqi's lines of sight.
Naqi's gaze swept over the cluster of Mawiles.
Before the gravity state ended, Naqi's mastery of observing wind direction was reduced to almost nothing, and her Pokémon's skills would greatly diminish, but it was clear she'd encountered similar situations before.
"Spread your wings! Smash them with Brave Bird Assault!"
She shouted out loud.
Afterward, the giant Skarmory spread its metallic wings as she said, stepping forward with sharp claws at a speed neither too fast nor too slow towards Mawile.
The sky-blue flames ignited on its body and quickly spread to cover its entire form, turning it into a blazing steel firebird, boldly crashing into the multitude of Mawile afterimages.
Boom——
The air trembled with its charge.
"Thunder Fist!"
Baimu's voice motivated the many Mawile shadows to charge towards Skarmory from all directions; under another burst, their figures vanished at lightning speed over a vast distance.
"Aiya!"
The giant Skarmory let out a particularly harsh cry, placing one claw on the ground and suddenly spinning its massive metallic wings, resembling a large blue flaming top.
Only to hear explosions continuously in the air, one after another Mawile shadow was scattered by its wings!
Boom boom boom boom——!!