Falling behind right at the start made this battle look exceptionally difficult for May.
They could only say that those involved could not see as clearly as those watching. Clearly, May had unwittingly fallen into Saori's trap.
After taking the lead, Saori seized on May's strong desire to recover from her disadvantage, deliberately enticing her into launching fierce attacks one after another while calmly directing her two Pokémon to dodge, repeatedly whittling away May's appeal points.
She countered action with stillness and strength with finesse, all while showing off her own charm.
This style of battling perfectly suited the spirit of the competition. Clearly, Saori's understanding of Pokémon Contest Battles far surpassed May's.
With her current knowledge and experience, May still could not grasp this, even with someone else's guidance.
In short, it was a mindset that came from long practice and a discerning eye. May had competed in too few contests to see through it yet.
Even though her style was gradually shifting toward Xia You's, her age and lack of experience still put her at a disadvantage.
That left May struggling at every turn.
Against an opponent who was just as coolheaded, whose battle style was methodical rather than risky, and who surpassed her in every respect, including the strength of her Pokémon, she simply could not escape her predicament.
Of course, May's recent practice had not been for nothing.
Realizing that she was in trouble, she did look for opportunities. When she showed off the results of her training in Ecruteak City and had her two Pokémon work together, she really did mount a brief surge of counterattacks that achieved some success!
In particular, when Blaziken and Munchlax unleashed their combination move, it truly shook the entire venue!
Her Blaziken even tapped into its physical potential and