Entei caught the faint trace of tension and panic in Lillymon's eyes.
The corners of his mouth curled into a triumphant smile.
An unexpected attack like this had finally managed to break through her defenses.
With the type advantage on his side, even if this move couldn't instantly knock his opponent out, it would still be enough to deal severe damage to that troublesome opponent.
After that, all he would need was a little more follow-up damage, and he would easily secure victory in this battle.
Entei wasn't the only one thinking this way.
Belotti, standing below, had exactly the same thought.
She was so excited that she couldn't help clenching her fist.
Finally!
After the battle had progressed this far, she was finally going to win a round!
It really hadn't been easy.
At last, she was going to put one win on the board.
Next would come her desperate counterattack.
Maybe she could even pull off a spectacular reversal and ultimately seize victory for herself.
However...
Imagination was always beautiful.
Reality was far crueler.
Lillymon had only been flustered for the briefest instant before immediately responding.
Faced with the incoming attack, she remained remarkably calm.
With an agile backward somersault, she bought herself one additional instant to react.
And it was precisely that instant that made all the difference.
She swung upward through the air in front of her.
The churning air currents gathered a massive amount of Flying-type energy, forming a razor-sharp, chaotic blade of compressed wind.
The attack struck the incoming pillar of fire with perfect accuracy.
It split the pillar cleanly in two.
The divided flames swept past both sides of Lillymon's body before shooting away into the distance.
Once again, the sudden attack had been effortlessly avoided by Lillymon.
Her performance shocked the spectators all over again.
No one had expected that, in such a short span of time, she would be able to make such a perfect decision when faced with an unexpected attack like that.
It was simply unbelievable.
Her agile and elegant fighting style shone brilliantly on the battlefield, leaving the audience thoroughly entertained.
Some spectators even felt that Lillymon didn't need to participate in a top-level Pokémon battle tournament at all.
Even if she entered a Pokémon Contest instead, with a performance this spectacular, she would absolutely have championship-level potential.
Boom!
After missing his attack, Entei fell back to the ground.
He raised his head and looked at Lillymon in the sky.
The red tint in his eyes gradually began to fade.
At this moment, no matter how unwilling he was to admit it...
He understood.
He really did seem to be no match for this opponent.
Meanwhile, Belotti's emotions were like a roller coaster.
In an instant, she went from the highest peak straight down into the deepest valley.
She had thought such a brilliant surprise attack would work.
Instead, Lillymon had resolved it with ease.
What had seemed so promising had ended in a complete anticlimax.
So she still couldn't win this battle after all?
Belotti's eyes dimmed slightly.
Now that the battle had reached this point, even she was beginning to feel despair.
No matter how hard she thought about it, she simply couldn't understand where the opponent had obtained so many bizarre Pokémon she had never seen before.
And every single one of them was absurdly powerful.
Yet besides the despair gradually spreading through her heart, Belotti felt something even stronger.
Anger.
That resentment wasn't merely because she had already brought out beings as extraordinary as the Three Legendary Birds and the Three Legendary Beasts, only to still be driven into such a hopeless situation.
More importantly...
She could clearly sense something extremely familiar from the strange and powerful Pokémon that had appeared on the opponent's side.
It was the unmistakable aura of artificially created Pokémon.
That was what truly enraged her.
The act of manipulating life in such a manner caused an inexplicable flame of fury to blaze within Belotti's heart.
If they weren't still in the middle of a competition...
If countless spectators weren't watching them right now...
She would have exploded on the spot.
Very good.
Belotti raised her head.
Her eyes fixed firmly on Shiko, whose figure was concealed beneath the black hood on the opposite side.
Even if she lost this round...
In the end...
She would make sure this opponent received a punishment he would never forget for the rest of his life.
The battle on the field continued.
Although Entei had already realized that he was most likely no match for Lillymon, the pride of a Legendary Pokémon made it impossible for him to give up now.
He released a mighty roar.
All the negative emotions inside him were instantly swept away.
Immediately afterward, a hazy crimson mist began rising from his body.
It was pure Fire-type energy.
It flowed continuously across his entire body.
This time...
Entei was bringing out one hundred percent of his strength and potential.
He intended to face the strongest opponent he had ever encountered with everything he had.
Shiko watched Entei's current state and gave a slight nod.
Not bad.
As expected of a veteran Legendary Pokémon.
He truly had his own pride.
In that case...
Shiko looked toward Lillymon.
A simple look from him was enough for Lillymon to understand what he wanted.
An unmistakable trace of excitement flashed through her expression.
The next moment...
Shiko slowly raised one hand.
Then...
An imperceptible stream of data energy surged forth like a raging torrent and enveloped Lillymon's body.
An astonishing amount of data energy began pouring into her.
Lillymon's body was immediately engulfed in dazzling white light.
Upon seeing this scene...
The countless spectators at the stadium, as well as everyone watching the battle elsewhere, had almost become completely numb to it.
They had already seen this kind of light several times during today's battles.
Normally, when watching competitions like this, it wasn't unheard of to occasionally witness a Pokémon break through its limits and evolve during a battle.
But!
A being already powerful enough to contend with a Third-tier Legendary...
Could still evolve further!?
That was something they hadn't even dared to imagine.
They wouldn't have dreamed of witnessing something like this even in their wildest dreams.
So she really could evolve again!
For a moment, intense anticipation appeared in the eyes of everyone watching.
What would this beautiful and elegant creature evolve into this time?
The spectators were filled with anticipation.
But Belotti and Entei, who were facing her as opponents, looked absolutely grim.
She had already been incredibly difficult to deal with before.
And now their opponent was about to advance another stage, gaining an enormous increase in combat power.
How were they supposed to fight her now?!
(End of Chapter)
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