The moment Wallace's voice faded, the arena erupted into yet another thunderous wave of applause and cheers—rolling on without end.
Host Kotaro hurried to the center of the stage, his face flushed with excitement.
"Thank you, Champion Wallace, for that spectacular opening performance! This is, without a doubt, the most stunning opening I have ever seen—absolutely unmatched!
Let us once again give Champion Wallace a round of applause!"
The applause grew even more fervent. Wallace gave the audience a graceful nod before turning to take his seat at the judges' panel.
Milotic swayed its elegant body, transforming into a streak of soft pink light as it leapt gently back into the Poké Ball at Wallace's waist—a perfect, graceful exit.
"Alright, dear audience, and all our contestants!" Kotaro raised the microphone high, unable to hide the tremor of excitement in his voice.
"The first round of the Contest—The Appeal Stage, the showcase of the bond between Trainer and Pokémon—officially begins!
First, please welcome Contestant No. 1 to the stage!"
A spotlight swung toward the contestant tunnel.
A girl with twin ponytails rushed onto the stage, cradling a petite Skitty in her arms.
Skitty's snowy-white fur and pink tail with its tip curled adorably—earned immediate shouts of "So cute!" from the audience the moment it appeared.
"Skitty, use Double Slap!"
The girl's clear, crisp voice rang out.
Skitty hopped lightly onto the center platform, swinging its front paws rapidly. Its soft pink paw pads traced adorable little arcs through the air.
Although it was one of the simplest moves, Skitty's bright, lively eyes and playful rhythm made the performance irresistibly charming.
The girl clapped in sync, her expression matching her Pokémon's cheerful smile. It was obvious the two shared a very close bond in their daily lives.
"So cute! Way too cute!"
"Skitty's tiny paws are melting my heart!"
"The move is simple, but their interaction is adorable!"
At the judges' panel, Mr. Sukizo narrowed his crescent eyes as he nodded approvingly. Nurse Joy offered a gentle smile and whispered, "Very energetic."
Even Mr. Contesta, though maintaining his severe expression, wrote down a respectable score with a hint of approval in his eyes.
After the performance ended, the girl bowed with Skitty in her arms and exited the stage to warm, encouraging applause.
Next came Contestants No. 2, No. 3…
Each brought their own style.
Some dressed their Pokémon in coordinated outfits.
Some used props combined with moves for simple yet charming interactions.
Most performances were standard, but they gradually heated up the atmosphere of the venue.
Naturally, there were also the less successful cases—Trainers trying to cue their Pokémon, only for the Pokémon to get moody and refuse to use the move, much to the audience's amusement.
Those contestants, of course, had no chance of advancing.
When it was time for a certain male contestant to perform, the discussions from nearby contestants caught Theo's attention.
"This interaction is interesting!"
"They're super in sync! Sandshrew's Rollout is so steady!"
On stage, the boy held a colorful hoop nearly half his height. His Pokémon was a gray-brown Sandshrew.
"Sandshrew, Rollout!"
Upon the command, Sandshrew curled into a ball and rolled quickly across the stage.
The boy dashed across the stage with the hoop, skillfully guiding Sandshrew to roll through it, leap, then roll through again—every motion seamless, like a well-practiced circus act.
Watching this, Theo tapped his fingers lightly on his knee.
"Using the hoop to guide Sandshrew's trajectory does showcase interaction… but in essence it's still just a basic move combo. It lacks that spark of creativity that grabs the eye."
Standard, but decent.
As the contestant numbers grew closer to Theo's turn, the stage performances became progressively more impressive.
When Contestant No. 32 Armani, stepped onto the stage, the atmosphere visibly rose.
Armani wore a sharp red leather jacket, his hair immaculately styled. With a flick of his Poké Ball, a Flareon cloaked in vibrant orange-red flames landed at the center of the stage.
"Flareon, Flame Charge!"
Flareon let out a clear cry as flames surged around its body, transforming it into a streak of crimson lightning streaking across the stage.
Each time it made a sharp turn, it spat a small burst of embers into the air.
Before the embers could fall, Flareon darted forward—absorbing them into its Flamethrower-boosted energy, causing its body flames to burn even hotter.
"Beautiful!" Kotaro shouted in excitement.
"Combo Ember!" Armani ordered.
Flareon unleashed a flurry of embers. The glowing sparks merged together, forming a blazing fireball in the center of the stage.
With a powerful leap, Flareon dove into the fireball.
Instead of being harmed, its flames flared even more intensely—as if the entire fireball had become its energy source.
"Now that's a pro!"
"He combined Flame Charge, Ember, and Flareon's Flash Fire ability perfectly!"
"No wonder he already has three Ribbons! His skill is on another level!"
At the judges' panel, even Wallace nodded, writing down a high score.
Mr. Contesta allowed a rare look of approval to surface.
"Excellent control of fire energy. And the creativity is solid."
Thunderous applause followed Armani as he bowed and left the stage.
Theo watched the lingering flames gradually fade, thinking to himself:
"Flareon's ability was used flawlessly. And those fire combinations were executed beautifully. Definitely worthy of three Ribbons."
Time continued to pass.
Then came Contestant No. 66—Grace.
The moment Kotaro announced her number, the venue nearly exploded.
Her reputation as a semifinalist from the previous Grand Festival had everyone buzzing with anticipation.
Grace wore a flowing purple gown, her demeanor refined. She tossed her Poké Ball, and a Medicham dressed in a pristine white martial-arts gi landed with perfect posture and sharp, focused eyes.
"Medicham—Fire Punch, and Psychic!"
Grace's voice was cool, crisp, and commanding.
Medicham swung its right fist, flames blooming around its knuckles. As its eyes glowed faint blue, the flames morphed under the influence of Psychic into lotus-shaped bursts with every punch.
One strike, one lotus.
Soon, dozens of fiery lotus blossoms floated around Medicham, orbiting in a slow, mesmerizing rotation—like a sea of burning flowers.
"Incredible!"
"Psychic is shaping the flames into lotus blossoms—how is that even possible?!"
"This is just as amazing as her Grand Festival performance! No—better!"
Just as awe spread through the audience, Grace issued a sudden command:
"Bloom!"
Medicham thrust both palms forward—
All the fire lotuses shot upward at once!
They burst like fiery fireworks overhead, scattering countless sparks…
yet every spark disappeared gently midair—dissolved by Psychic, leaving the stage pristine.
And beneath that fading fiery glow stood Medicham, posture tall, like a dancer commanding the very flames.
"WOOOOOOAH!!"
The arena roared.
Even though many people had seen this technique before, its beauty still struck them like witnessing it for the first time.
Even Mr. Contesta couldn't help but applaud.
Grace bowed gracefully, while Medicham mirrored with an elegant pose. The applause did not stop even as they exited.
Theo took in the fading traces of fiery light and exhaled slowly.
Grace's performance wasn't just technically impressive—it melded strength and beauty into something seamless. Her status as a previous Grand Festival Top 4 was well deserved.
Theo glanced down at his own number—No. 86.
Just twenty more contestants until his turn.
"Feebas… looks like we've got a strong opponent."
He gently tapped the Poké Ball at his waist.
"We're ready, aren't we?"
A soft tremor pulsed from inside the ball—like a firm nod.
Meanwhile, Theo's livestream chat was already in chaos:
"Grace is too strong! How is anyone supposed to compete after that?!"
"86!! It's almost time! Streamer, let's go!!"
Theo smiled at the camera, saying nothing, but his eyes grew sharper—filled with determination.
One by one, the remaining contestants finished their performances.
Then, on stage, Kotaro's voice rang out once more:
"Thank you, Contestant Ari, for that wonderful performance!
Next—please welcome Contestant No. 86!"
Theo's moment… had arrived.
(End of Chapter)