Nando gently plucked his harp.

Roserade lifted petals toward the sky under the music's guidance, resembling a shrine maiden praying to the gods.

Glittering specks of light floated upwards as clouds gradually dispersed, revealing dazzling sunlight!

Sunny Day!

Traditional coordinators would use this gradual buildup style to set the stage for spectacular moves that would wow the audience.

But Teacher Lu was no gentleman who would let his opponent strengthen themselves before striking - he wasn't about to wait for the enemy army to cross the river before sounding the war drums.

In contest battles, countering opponents with their own moves could cause massive point deductions.

Although this was an official league match, the two were engaging in a coordinator-style showdown!

Lu Ye's commands transformed into telepathy, directly reaching Togepi.

"Use the sunlight for Dazzling Gleam."

"Togi~" Togepi subtly wiggled its fingers, seemingly waiting for Roserade's attack.

Nando strummed his harp, attempting to decide the match with Solar Beam.

But when he looked up, he instinctively shielded his eyes from the unusually intense sunlight.

"Ros!" Roserade tilted its head back as blinding white light suddenly transformed into a meteor-like cluster of radiant beams descending from the sky!!

Zzzzt—

"Ros!" The beams scorched Roserade's leaves, eliciting pained cries that bore no resemblance to elegance.

Meanwhile, Togepi politely bowed with a wink: "Togi-togi~ο(=·ω＜=)☆kira"

The audience erupted in another wave of excitement.

"How can a Togepi be this adorable?"

"Come here and let mommy hug you!"

In the VIP seating area, Flint exclaimed in surprise: "Teacher Lu knows contest battling? Since when?"

"When we went to White Poplar Town... he was invited as a judge for the Mikuri Cup," Cynthia explained.

Aru's antenna hair swayed as he became completely entranced: "So cute~"

The charm of contest battles lay in showcasing a Pokémon's innate appeal and move aesthetics.

Nando was momentarily dazed before realizing it was a Dazzling Gleam secretly enhanced by Sunny Day.

While his own strategy had been straightforward, Teacher Lu had also followed contest principles by utilizing his opponent's moves!

"Roserade," Nando's voice took on a chanting quality: "Magical Leaf!"

Emerald leaves swirled around Roserade like a whirlwind before simultaneously shooting toward Togepi!

The commentator announced: "Magical Leaf is a guaranteed-hit move that combines beauty and power—"

"Togepi, Mystical Fire!" Lu Ye snapped his fingers.

The audience gasped collectively.

Togepi drew a circle in the air with ornate patterns glowing around it, from which an orange serpent of flames emerged!

Boom!!

The fire serpent danced with the leaves, creating a miniature tornado that sent shockwaves outward.

The Mystical Fire continued toward Roserade, engulfing it completely!

"Roserade is unable to battle!"

Nando remained immersed in the spectacular collision of moves, feeling a sense of loss.

He suddenly understood how borrowing and redirecting an opponent's energy could create even more breathtaking moments for the audience.

This was... the enlightenment a true Contest Master could bring.

"Return," Nando sent out his second Pokémon: "Go, Kricketune!"

A black-and-red cricket materialized from the white light, its violin-shaped abdomen and sword-like forelimbs resembling bowstrings.

As Nando played his harp, Kricketune vibrated its wings, producing soft, clear chirps.

"Kricketune, use Sing!"

Lu Ye's eyelid twitched while the audience buzzed with comments.

"Damn, using Sing? That's so cheap!"

"With Teacher Lu's luck... that's a guaranteed sleep right there!"

"That's Togepi we're talking about - you really wanna gamble against Lady Luck?!"

The bad news: The trainer was Teacher Lu.

The good news: He had Togepi out this round!

"Togi-togi~~(ﾉ´▽｀)ﾉ♪" Togepi didn't fall asleep but waved its fingers instead.

A gentle melody seemed to drift from some distant place as sparkling motes of light filled the arena.

Nando looked dazed: "This is... Grass Whistle?"

"Grass Whistle from a random roll? That's illegal!!"

"Typical of Teacher Lu's Togepi - even its random rolls are sleep-inducing moves!"

It wasn't Oración this time, but Togepi had decent mastery over Grass Whistle too.

Lu Ye watched as Kricketune's eyelids grew heavy and wingbeats slowed.

While crystalline Grass Whistle particles still floated across the field, an orange flame shot straight toward the slumbering Kricketune.

Whoosh!

The silent combustion continued as audience members remained entranced by the melody - only to realize Kricketune had already been engulfed.

"An instant KO!?"

"That was kinda beautiful - is this what Contest Masters' battles look like?"

"Am I the only one who thinks rolling Grass Whistle is totally unfair..."

This was the perfect unity of aesthetics and tactics!

Nando seemed to gain new understanding - this traditional coordinator had been impacted by Teacher Lu's unconventional style.

In the chat group watching Ash's livestream:

Wallace couldn't help but laugh: "He might pioneer a new contest style, our Teacher Lu."

"What kind of style?" Ruby asked curiously.

"One that combines tactics with coordination..."

Wallace observed Teacher Lu recalling Togepi and mused: "Including strategic switches too."

Since this was a contest battle, showcasing diverse styles was essential.

In Teacher Lu's team, the white-knight Sirfetch'd was quite dashing indeed!

"Go!"

Nando elegantly tossed his final Poké Ball.

"Altaria!"

"Lee~~" Altaria flapped its cotton-like wings, circling gracefully through the air to showcase its beauty.

This "dragon traitor" that gained Fairy typing after Mega Evolution wasn't just visually stunning but formidable in battle too.

Lu Ye threw his commemorative ball, releasing a snow-white figure.

"Go, Sirfetch'd!"

"Quack! (´థ౪థ)σ" Sirfetch'd felt profound sorrow.

No rest again today~

Many spectators were seeing this Galarian Farfetch'd for the first time.

Despite inner turmoil, the duck maintained impeccable elegance, eyes sharp as they 'dinged' with light.

"Quack! (o≖◡≖)✧" The rightful source is novel_fіre.net

In the stands, Ash traditionally pulled out his Pokédex to scan.

Bruno crossed his arms and said gravely: "This Sirfetch'd's aura has reached new heights."

"Aura?" Ash asked curiously.

"Battling top-tier opponents naturally breeds top-tier aura."

Bruno declared solemnly: "I don't know what this Sirfetch'd has experienced... but one thing's certain."

"It must have emerged from countless life-and-death battles!" Bruno's gaze turned intense.

Lu Ye looked at Sirfetch'd.

As the saying goes: The strong direct their anger at stronger opponents.

Though weak in power, the duck's courage was truly rare.

Altaria soared upward with gusting wings. Nando's harp playing seemed to accompany its movements.

"Lee~~" Altaria's sweet singing made the audience feel their fighting spirit waning.

"Is that Perish Song?!"

"Perish Song too? Seriously?!"

"Well... Teacher Lu knows a little about this too."

From the VIP seats, Flint commented: "Nando seems quite skilled with sound-based moves."

"Being a wandering minstrel is his actual profession,"

Aru said while resting his head on arms: "It's part of his personal style!"

The demoralizing Perish Song drifted toward Sirfetch'd.

Pokémon losing their will to fight - like Ash's Charizard - would be automatically disqualified.

But Sirfetch'd appeared completely unaffected—

Because the duck had never possessed any fighting spirit to begin with!!

"Quack!" Flames burned in Sirfetch'd's eyes as it glared at the airborne Altaria.

Finish this quickly and go home to sleep!

Nando looked astonished, his expression showing hints of awe.

Why... wasn't the duck affected at all?

Could its willpower really be so unshakable that even Perish Song couldn't disturb it?!

Lu Ye felt complicated as he commanded: "Brave Bird!"

"Quack!" A sharp golden glow erupted behind Sirfetch'd, converging into its leek blade's edge.

In the next moment, Sirfetch'd leaped skyward, slashing toward Altaria with its weapon!

"Lee~!" Altaria cried out in pain, barely staying airborne while Sirfetch'd was knocked back - landing gracefully by using its shield to skid across the ground, leaving a long trail.

At long range, Sirfetch'd gathered sunlight into its blade, the energy expanding steadily.

The Sunny Day earlier activated by Roserade now empowered Sirfetch'd's Solar Blade.

Moments later, the ten-meter-long luminous broadsword came crashing down as Sirfetch'd yelled:

"QUACK!!"

Dazzling light consumed Altaria completely.

Even with quadruple resistance to Grass, it couldn't withstand critical-hit boosted strikes from a "fighting-spirit"-fueled Sirfetch'd.

Spectators stared dumbfounded at the white-feathered duck standing with its back to the explosion.

"Quack! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧" Sirfetch'd's eyes gleamed sharply with a 'ding' effect.

The stadium then erupted in cheers.

"That Sirfetch'd is so cool!!"

"Go ducky go~!"

"The winner is contestant Lu Ye!" declared the referee.

As the match concluded, Nando shook Lu Ye's hand sincerely:

"Thank you for the lesson... I've learned much."

"You're too kind - you fought well too."

Nando played his harp for the cheering crowd before bowing and exiting.

Lu Ye went to meet Ash and others while preparing for his next match.

The Top 16 bracket had concluded.

Darkrai continued dominating his opponents while Teacher Lu achieved a flawless victory against Nando.

Forum discussions about these two grew increasingly heated, yet reached one unanimous conclusion:

"Teacher Lu must be hiding some trump cards!"

A minority voiced differing opinions:

"Come on... does he also know a little about Darkrai's Dark Void?"

That evening.

Darkrai personally came looking for Lu Ye with an intense expression.

Lu Ye grew slightly wary, quietly signaling Haunter to hide in shadows—only for Darkrai to politely say:

"I heard you have no matches scheduled tomorrow, so perhaps you're free tonight."

"Would you..." Darkrai extended a high-level invitation.

"Care for a game of PTCG?"

Hearing this, Teacher Lu paused before solemnly declaring:

"I'm the best card player in our village!"