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"Shuckle~ Shuckle~ my dear little Shuckle~ where are you~ hurry and come out~"
The Bug-Catching Contest had already begun, and after hearing that wild Shuckle lived in this nature park, Delia was now wandering everywhere with eager anticipation, dragging Liam along as she searched for Shuckle. They had already been to several places.
"Strange… we've been looking for so long, and still no sign of Shuckle? Riolu, did you find anything?"
Time was slipping away, and with no progress so far, Delia was starting to get anxious. She raised Riolu high into the air, as if hoping it could see farther and make it easier to spot a Shuckle.
However—
"Rii! (Report! No target found!)"
Riolu scanned the surroundings carefully, but didn't even catch a glimpse of a Shuckle's shadow.
Liam followed closely behind Delia with Arcanine by his side, watching as she stubbornly kept searching. Inside, his thoughts were conflicted.
White Liam: "Hey! Can you really bear it? Are you just going to stand by and watch Delia work so hard only to come up empty-handed? Hurry up and tell her—Shuckle likes to hide under rocks!"
Liam: "..."
Black Liam: "Don't listen to that nonsense! Shuckle is a weapon of mass destruction! Now that her little squirtle has evolved and she's having trouble controlling it, how can you let her pick up another powerful weapon at a time like this?"
Liam: "..."
White Liam: "…Uh. That… actually makes sense. Fine, you win."
Liam: "!!"
After that inner struggle, Liam finally stepped forward and gently grabbed Delia's hand.
"Ahem, Delia, it just occurred to me—Shuckle really likes hiding under rocks. Why don't you check under those big boulders over there? You might have some luck."
He pointed to the cluster of large rocks in the grass nearby and smiled.
"Eh! So that's how it is? Hehe~ you really do know so much, Liam. Thank you! Here's a reward!"
Overjoyed, Delia stood on tiptoe and quickly kissed Liam on the cheek before darting away with a red face, Riolu still in her arms, rushing off to move the rocks.
Liam: "...Tch, kinda worth it."
Smiling slightly, he hurried to catch up.
...…
"Riolu! Use Force Palm to smash the rock!"
"Rii!"
With Liam's hint, Delia and Riolu now focused on turning over rocks. Smaller ones could be moved by hand, but for larger ones, she had Riolu use moves to break them apart.
Now, before them stood a huge boulder that clearly needed a move to shatter.
"Rii! Rii-ri-ri-ri!"
At her command, Riolu's small paws glowed with aura as it repeatedly hammered against the boulder. The man-sized rock quickly cracked and splintered under the fierce assault, crumbling down piece by piece.
"Good! Just a bit left! Riolu, finish it with Aura Sphere!"
Seeing only the bottom layer of stone remaining, Delia called out excitedly.
"Rii!"
Riolu backed away a few steps, inhaled deeply, then clasped its paws together. A small glowing sphere of aura energy formed between them, and with a loud cry, Riolu hurled it at the remaining boulder.
BOOM!
With a thunderous explosion, the rock shattered into fragments, scattering everywhere until nothing was left but a heap of rubble.
"Rii? Rii! (Hm? I sense an aura! There's something under the rocks!)"
Though dust still hung in the air, it didn't hinder Riolu's aura senses. The moment the last boulder piece broke, Riolu clearly detected a living aura beneath the earth covered by the rocks!
"Rii! (I'll check it out!)"
Without waiting for Delia's command, Riolu charged into the dust. Soon came the sound of digging, and before long, Liam and Delia saw Riolu emerge, muddy all over but proudly carrying a round blue-shelled Pokémon in its paws.
"Time's up! The contest is over! Thank you all for participating in this year's Bug-Catching Contest! For those who didn't catch any Bug-type Pokémon, please head to the registration desk—you may each claim one can of premium Bug-type Pokémon feed. Once again, thank you for joining us!"
The two-hour contest ended, and the park's loudspeakers announced the conclusion. Trainers who had caught something headed toward the award platforms.
"Haha, thank you everyone for your support! Now it's time for the judging segment! For this, I have specially invited a Bug-type Pokémon expert, the Gym Leader of Azalea Town, known as the 'Bug Master'—Mr. Ginko! Let's give him a warm welcome!"
Clap clap clap clap~
"…What a pain."
Ginko walked onto the stage, holding his head in one hand, looking as lazy and uninterested as ever.
"Alright! Starting now, trainers will come on stage in order of their registration numbers to showcase the Bug-type Pokémon they caught. Mr. Ginko will give the most authoritative and detailed evaluation. First up—Contestant Number 1!"
The park director smiled as Ginko arrived, then read from the list.
"Coming, coming! Haha! I caught something really strong this time! The champion's definitely mine this year!"
The first contestant, a bug catcher dressed in standard gear, rushed on stage excitedly. He proudly tossed open his Sport Ball.
"Beeedrill!!"
"Oh! A Beedrill! The very first contestant already brings out such a heavyweight! This year's contest looks more exciting than ever! Alright, contestant number one's Beedrill is out—Mr. Ginko, please evaluate!"
The park director was briefly surprised but quickly smiled, then invited Ginko to comment.
"…Hmm. This Beedrill's not bad. Its body size is on the small side, but its twin stingers are thick and strong—its attack power should be high. With proper training, it could be quite good. I'd say… 70 points."
Ginko scratched his head, glanced at the Beedrill, and gave his score in a flat tone, clearly uninterested.
"Alright! Contestant number one's Beedrill earns 70 points—a fine score! Please step down and wait. Now for contestant number two… oh, contestant two did not catch a Bug-type Pokémon, so they have left. Moving on—contestant number three!"
The contest continued in an orderly fashion. Since Liam and Delia had registered last, they were placed at the end of the lineup. Before their turn, the most notable catches were contestant one's Beedrill and contestant thirteen's Venomoth.
Because this nature park bordered Hoenn, some Bug-types native to Hoenn occasionally appeared here—Venomoth was one such rare find. Thanks to being an out-of-region species, it earned bonus points and scored 80, temporarily taking first place.
"Haha! The contest is reaching its final stage! Only two contestants remain, both said to be quite strong. Can they bring us new surprises? Next up, contestant number 99! Please show us your Bug-type Pokémon!"
At last, Liam's turn arrived. Smiling, he stepped onto the stage with a Sport Ballin hand.
"Go—Sport Ball!"
"Pinsir!!"