"Cough, cough..."
Baimu coughed twice.
When Pokémon unleash their powerful techniques, the smoke is truly immense, and not even the defensive devices can block it.
Of course, it's also possible that the defensive devices don't see these dust particles as a threat, so they stopped working once the shockwave dissipated.
Not a big problem, it just looks a bit like a construction site.
Moreover, having reached this stage in the tournament, imagining future battles against those incredibly powerful Celestial Kings and Champions makes the scene seem even more terrifying.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel worried.
He hoped to find a way to reduce the interference of smoke and dust in the future.
Baimu pondered, gazing far off at the changes in the smoke and clouds over the battlefield, thinking the Z-Move was just as powerful as he had imagined, and without regional restrictions.
Perhaps he should follow Ash Ketchum's example and embark on the Island Pilgrimage to collect various Z Pure Crystals.
That way, when participating in major events like the Pokémon World Championship and encountering formidable opponents, he'd have more options for offense.
The question is, is there a prerequisite to joining the Island Pilgrimage?
Logically, there shouldn't be. Didn't a certain Pharmacist once pass the trial and received a Z Bracelet from King of the Island, Hara?
Though it seems he was a bit older in age.
He'd try to ask in a bit.
A little later.
The smoke around the battlefield gradually dissipated, and the surrounding spectators' stands became rowdy again like boiling water, with many people eagerly standing up to see what happened on the field.
Inside the studio.
The commentator gripped the microphone without speaking, also waiting for the result of the clash between the two Pokémon.
"..."
Finally, as the last of the mist cleared.
The people saw the scene they most wanted to see—
Mega Mawile stood solemnly over the field, its back to the dazzling morning sun, a brilliant halo forming behind it.
It gazed down at the fainted Eevee below, like a god.
The venue fell silent for a moment.
Beeeep——!!
A piercing whistle tore through the sky.
"Eevee is unable to battle! Mawile wins! Therefore, the victor is Contestant Baimu from Pyrite Town!" The referee raised a red flag pointing toward Baimu, and the announcement echoed throughout the venue.
The commentator shouted without hesitation, "The winner is decided! After an intense all-out battle, Contestant Baimu advances smoothly to the semifinals! Let's give him and his Pokémon partners the loudest applause!"
Rumble!
The venue erupted with thunderous cheering, as the crowd rose to clap, not caring even if their hands turned red from clapping.
Countless people passionately called out the names of Baimu and Mawile.
Like a relentless tide.
Xiaoguang and Liuqia excitedly shook their Poké Balls, joined by Altaria and Piplup in jubilant celebration.
"Baimu won! I knew he'd be fine!"
"Awesome! Next goal! The finals!"
Xiaogang remarked, "The match ended with only one Pokémon down; Baimu's strength far surpasses the level of this tournament."
Mann Chong was not the least bit surprised, nodding, "Now it's Alice's turn to see."
Inside the arena.
Elma's clenched hands gradually relaxed, the seriousness in his brow turning to regret as he returned Eevee to its ball, "You gave it your all. Thank you, Eevee. I didn't expect the Z-Move to have no effect on it either."
This ultimate technique, even after combining their limits, couldn't injure that god-like Mega Mawile.
Terrifying.
Indeed.
Is Eevee Z essential?
Never had Elma wished more eagerly to return to the Alola Region to obtain Eevee's exclusive Z Pure Crystal from Eevee Expert Shadow Tiger.
If he used that Z-Move, would the result have been different?
He shook his head, unwilling to dwell on this hypothetical any further; a loss is a loss.
On the other side.
Baimu caught the descending, reverting Mawile, "That was a great battle, your ATK was fully unleashed, well done!"
"Chedaw~"
Mawile, with an arrogant expression, patted the trainer's shoulder, signaling him to prepare a sweet feast to reward its great success.
To his surprise, Baimu's expression changed as he firmly refused, "Not a chance, did you forget about that Seven Inches cake you ate yesterday? You need to cut down on sugar for the whole week!"
"Chedaw——"
Mawile puffed its cheeks, ready to pull his hair before noticing Aerial Rotom focusing its camera on it, and then reluctantly put its hands down.
Baimu placed it on his shoulder, slowly stepped down from the platform.
He was about to walk towards Elma when Elma unexpectedly approached him first.
"A spectacular battle, congratulations, Baimu!"
"Thank you, you were great too."
"I'm flattered."
The two shook hands.
Then he asked directly if there were any prerequisites for obtaining Z Pure Crystals and Z Bracelets.
Elma was surprised that Baimu knew about Z-Moves and their mechanics, "There's no specific threshold... as long as you get recognition from a King or Queen of the Island, you can obtain a Z Bracelet by joining the Island Pilgrimage, and for the Z Pure Crystal, you have to pass trials to get it."
"No age restrictions?"
"There shouldn't be any."
"Thank you very much."
Baimu nodded happily to express his gratitude.
Elma didn't think he had helped much, waving his hand gently, "I'm heading back to the Alola Region soon, if you do get a chance to come over, make sure to visit me in Hao'ao City on Melemele Island."
"Sure thing."
He agreed wholeheartedly.
They returned to the preparation room together.
Liuqia and the other friends had been waiting for a long time, joyfully surrounding him and Mawile, chattering non-stop.
Piplup looked up at Mawile with admiration. Mawile quickly jumped down upon seeing this, delightedly interacting with Altaria and Piplup.