The afternoon sun hung high overhead.
Though winter had already arrived, Hoenn's climate kept the temperature comfortably mild.
"Good conditions, and a good opponent."
Baimu lowered his gaze. Across from him stood a spirited Dawn.
Clearly, his performance in the first two rounds had not intimidated her. Given her personality, she rarely worried about winning or losing before a match.
Any self-doubt came afterward.
But were Dawn's chances of winning really zero?
Baimu knew a thing or two about winning against the odds, and he knew they weren't. Her flashes of inspiration had turned defeats into victories before, and her years of Pokémon Contest experience were nothing to dismiss.
"Hah..."
Baimu took a deep breath.
Vivian glanced between them, raised her right hand high, then brought it down sharply!
"First match of the third round of Contest Battles! Begin!"
Ding!
At the brief signal, both sides hurled their Poké Balls high.
Pop! Pop!
Bubbles of every size floated and quivered as an energetic Piplup and Togekiss sprang forth.
On the other side, pale blue and pink petals swirled, gradually outlining the distinct forms of Shiny Milotic and Mawile.
The two pairs of Pokémon faced each other.
Togekiss and Shiny Milotic exchanged friendly greetings, one lifting a wing, the other waving a tail fin.
Piplup looked at the serious Mawile, its watery little eyes full of tenderness and resolve.
As a gentleman,
it would win this Contest Battle for its Trainer, then do everything it could to comfort Mawile after she lost. That was what a real gentleman would do!
It would fight for love!
"No points deducted..."
Baimu glanced at the big screen.
Shiny Milotic was captivating enough to cost opponents points simply by appearing. If that hadn't happened now, the judges must have felt her looks no longer completely