Read up to 30 advanced chapters exclusively on my Patreon at - patreon.com/LoverrBoy
---------------------------------
"Heracross! Hera!"
"This is—! Oh my goodness! What an unexpected result! Who would've thought that at the very last moment of the tournament, such a powerful Bug-type Pokémon would appear! This is truly thrilling!!"
"Hera!"
The moment Liam released the Bug-type Pokémon from his Sport Ball, the Park Director—who had been only half-interested before—suddenly widened his eyes, staring intently at the Pokémon that appeared, unable to hold back a loud exclamation.
"Oh! So it's a Heracross. Impressive. I didn't expect that in your very first Bug-Catching Contest, you'd manage to capture such a rare Bug-type Pokémon. Very well done."
Even Ginko's attention was drawn to the Pokémon Liam sent out. Upon seeing the Heracross, he generously offered his praise.
Yes—what Liam had revealed at this moment was indeed a mighty Heracross. He had caught it right at the end of the contest's time limit, and with that, he was satisfied.
"Hehe, Mr. Ginko, you flatter me. It was just good luck that I caught it. I doubt I'll have such luck again next time."
Though he responded humbly to Ginko's compliment, Liam's lips curved into a faint smile. He knew the real show was only just beginning.
"Mmm… this Heracross is very well developed. Its body is sturdy, its horn is sharp, and its eyes are keen. Clearly an outstanding specimen of its kind! I give it… 95 points!"
With Ginko's evaluation complete, Liam's Heracross received a high score of 95, instantly leaping into first place.
"Whoa! Incredible! An unexpected dark horse has appeared! At the very last moment of the tournament, contestant number 99 suddenly rises to the top! What a surprise this is!"
The Park Director cheered excitedly as Liam's Heracross took the highest score so far, his eyes full of astonishment as he looked at Liam.
"Hehe, return, Heracross."
Without showing off any further, Liam smiled, recalled Heracross into its Sport Ball, and quietly walked back down. Returning to Delia's side, he gave her an encouraging look.
"Phew~ Calm down, calm down… I need to steady myself. Haha, well then, since there's only one contestant left, let's not waste time. Let's invite our final participant to the stage! Please welcome contestant number 100!"
After forcing down his excitement, the Park Director checked his list and saw only one name left. He casually announced Delia's turn, even more offhand than when he had called Liam earlier. Clearly, he thought nothing could surprise him anymore.
But…
"Go on, Delia. Show them."
Liam, hearing the director's dismissive tone, wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled at Delia, gently nudged her forward, and spoke with encouragement.
"Mm!"
"T-this… this is the Bug-type Pokémon I caught! Please… please take a look, everyone!"
Despite Liam's encouragement, Delia still felt nervous walking onto the stage with so many eyes on her. Clutching the Sport Ball tightly in both hands, she opened it under the audience's watchful gaze.
Click!
The Sport Ball opened, releasing a white flash that landed on the stage. When the light faded, there was… nothing more.
"Uh… what is that? Is that supposed to be a Bug-type Pokémon?"
"Huh? Isn't that just a blue rock? How can that count as a Pokémon? Is this a joke?"
"Director! Hurry and get her off the stage! Don't waste our time!"
"Yeah, that's right!"
The audience erupted as they saw the blue, round stone on stage. Confused and thinking they were being tricked, they grew angry and shouted loudly at Delia.
"N-no! It's not like that! This really is a Bug-type Pokémon! I checked the data, I really did! You… you all…"
Already nervous, Delia's face went pale at the angry outcry. She waved her hands in panic, trying to explain.
But the heckling continued without pause.
"Enough! Stop wasting time and get off the stage!"
"Yeah! We're in a hurry here!"
"Take that rock and play with it yourself!"
The crowd grew bolder, venting their frustration at Delia.
On stage, Delia lowered her head, clutching at her clothes, unable to speak. Her eyes grew misty, tears threatening to fall.
"Shut the fuck up!!"
Suddenly, a furious roar drowned out the entire venue. Along with it came a terrifying wave of pressure—a fear that seemed to rise from the depths of everyone's hearts. The hall fell silent in an instant, all eyes snapping toward Liam. Even Ginko, standing on stage, glanced at him in shock, disbelief in his eyes.
The crowd's expressions ranged from fear to confusion to anger, but not a single person dared to speak further.
"What a bunch of ignorant fools! I regret even joining this contest."
Liam swept his gaze across the silent hall, then strode up onto the stage. Reaching Delia's side, he gently wiped her tears and patted her back in comfort.
"You! What did you just say?! Too arrogant! So what if you caught a Heracross? That doesn't give you the right to act so high and mighty!"
At last, someone in the crowd dared to speak—the first contestant, the boy with the Beedrill, who had been bumped down from first place to third. The loss in ranking had filled him with resentment.
"He's right."
And then, unexpectedly, Ginko—who had been silent until now—spoke up.
"Ha! You see? Even Mr. Ginko agrees with me! I—"
The boy grew bolder at Ginko's words, his arrogance returning as he shouted at Liam. But he was cut off…
"He's right that you are all ignorant. But he's also wrong—because if it were up to me, I'd say you're not just ignorant, you're fools! Your behavior is disgraceful. To think you call yourselves Bug-type trainers—it's an insult!"
Ginko's voice thundered through the hall. Always soft-spoken before, he now roared with anger, stunning the entire audience. Even the Park Director's face turned grim.
Though Ginko's words were harsh, no one dared to refute him. They knew full well that he was a League-certified Gym Leader of Johto, one of the few with real authority. To argue with him now would be courting disaster.
"Listen well! Ignorance itself isn't frightening—but being ignorant and unaware is the true shame. I heard someone say just now, 'That's only a blue rock.' Hmph. Well then—open your eyes and see for yourselves whether this is just a stone! Come out, Shuckle, and greet your kin."
With a cold expression, Ginko released his own Shuckle—the one Liam and Delia had seen before. It appeared beside the blue stone.
"Eh? Shuckle? What does this mean? Just now, Mr. Ginko told it to 'greet its kin'? Could it be—?!"
"No way! Shuckle are supposed to be reddish-orange, aren't they? How could one be blue? You're imagining things…"
"Yeah, exactly!"
The crowd broke into uneasy chatter again, confused about what Ginko intended.
And then…
The Shuckle extended its yellow head and affectionately rubbed against the blue stone, chirping happily.
At that moment, the stone trembled. Slowly, under the stunned eyes of the audience, a yellow head and limbs emerged from the blue, rounded shell. Its tiny eyes blinked sleepily, its expression drowsy, as if it had just woken from a nap.