The livestream chat began rolling across the screen like a surging tide, countless messages flooding the entire display.
"It's here, it's here! Finally the stream started! Front row selling popcorn and soda!"
"Why did the stream start so early? Wasn't the Gym challenge supposed to be at 12? Good thing my phone sent a notification or I would have missed it."
"Starting early is great, it means we can watch longer!"
"Exactly, exactly! Go Larvesta! Let me see how powerful this Pokémon really is!"
"I wonder what Pokémon Gym Leader Flannery will send out? Fire type versus Fire type, this will be interesting!"
"Are there any experienced trainers who can analyze this? Does Larvesta have any advantage when battling a Fire type Gym?"
"Location check in, Lavaridge Town! I can watch the battle live later, I'm so excited!"
The livestream camera slowly turned behind Theo.
His four Pokémon were gathered around the food area enjoying breakfast.
When the camera gradually focused on Larvesta, especially when it appeared on screen together with Metang, Tyrantrum, and Milotic, the viewers in the livestream were completely stunned.
In the previous videos released by Theo, Steven, and Wallace, Larvesta had mostly appeared alone on camera. Because of that, the audience watching through their screens had never been able to clearly judge its true size.
But now, with all four Pokémon appearing in the same frame, the difference became instantly obvious.
Larvesta's plump, round body was lying on the ground, and its size was actually almost the same as Metang, which was floating nearby.
Theo walked over with a smile and gently lifted Larvesta up with both arms. His own body was well proportioned, and the comparison made Larvesta's chubby and sturdy body look even more massive.
At that moment, the livestream chat exploded like fireworks, instantly filling the entire screen.
"Holy crap! That's Larvesta? It's actually that big?"
"In the previous videos it was always alone so I thought it was maybe about the size of a Caterpie. Now that it's standing next to the streamer's other Pokémon I realize it's huge!"
"Exactly! My Caterpie is already considered large among its species and it's only about the length of my arm. This Larvesta is basically a giant!"
"That body size is almost the same as Metang, isn't it? That's ridiculous!"
"That old volcano eruption video from the forum was filmed too far away. You couldn't tell the size at all. This Larvesta's size is shocking!"
"My Pinsir is only about one point five meters tall. This Larvesta looks almost the same height!"
Theo watched the endless stream of shocked comments in the chat and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
Normally, Bug type Pokémon like Pinsir and Scyther would reach about one point five meters in height when fully grown.
But Theo had measured his Larvesta before.
Its length was about one point five six meters.
If Metang's metal arms were not counted in its total size, its body length was actually a little smaller than Larvesta.
'Maybe it's because of that mysterious little stone.'
Theo silently thought to himself.
That small stone engraved with the "Ω" symbol clearly had some kind of connection with Groudon.
Perhaps it had helped Larvesta absorb more nutrients while it was growing, which was why its body had developed into such a robust size.
While the chat was still arguing endlessly about Larvesta's massive body, the four Pokémon had already finished their breakfast.
Theo glanced at the time and spoke to the camera.
"Alright, we're getting ready to head out.
The Gym challenge is scheduled for noon, so we still have more than three hours left. That gives us time to take them somewhere first."
After saying that, Theo returned Milotic and Tyrantrum to their Poké Balls, leaving only Metang and Larvesta beside him.
Larvesta shook its round body and chirped toward Theo, clearly hoping that he would carry it.
Theo naturally refused.
Although Larvesta was large in size, its weight was not extremely heavy. Carrying it occasionally was fine, but carrying it for the entire journey would definitely exhaust him.
After being rejected, Larvesta quickly found its own "transportation."
It skillfully turned toward Metang and nodded its head slightly. Then it shot out strands of silk that wrapped around Metang's body.
Using the tension of the silk threads, it pulled itself forward with a swift motion and climbed directly onto Metang's back. It treated the silver floating Pokémon like a hovering flying disc and comfortably lay down on top of it.
A trace of helplessness flashed through Metang's red eyes, but it did not resist.
During its recent training with Magnet Rise, it had discovered that having Larvesta sitting on its back increased the difficulty of controlling its balance. It simply treated the situation as additional training to improve its skill.
At that time, Tyrantrum had also wanted to imitate Larvesta and climb onto Metang.
Metang had immediately responded by smashing into it with Iron Head, knocking the clueless dinosaur to the side.
With Tyrantrum's massive body and heavy weight, if it climbed onto Metang it would be like an elephant riding a pony. It was completely unreasonable.
Of course, in the end Metang still used Confusion together with Zen Headbutt to let Tyrantrum experience the joy of floating for a short time. The dinosaur got to relive the sensation of hovering from its childhood days as a Tyrunt, which finally calmed down its dissatisfaction.
"Let's go."
Theo nodded toward Metang.
One person and two Pokémon headed toward the exit of the hotel.
The livestream chat once again burst into excitement.
"Larvesta is living the dream! That treatment is incredible!"
"We're going to the sand bath first to relax for a bit."
Theo explained to the camera.
"In the comment section of my previous videos, I saw that many fans came all the way to Lavaridge Town hoping to watch the Gym battle in person.
Since there is still some time before the match, I'm going to bring Larvesta and the others to enjoy the sand bath first.
Any fans who are interested can come join us. I'll cover all the expenses. You can even help bury them in the sand bath if you want."
This had been a decision Theo made on a whim that morning after waking up.
Previously, Chairman Joseph had told him to spend more time enjoying Lavaridge Town while waiting for the researchers to arrive and conduct further tests on Larvesta.
Later, the secretary had sent him a message saying that all his expenses would be reimbursed. When they noticed that Theo had barely spent any money aside from visiting the hot springs, they simply transferred a large amount of funds to him directly.
Using that money to give back to his fans felt like the perfect choice.
Theo had also noticed that many netizens had posted photos of themselves traveling to Lavaridge Town under his videos. Starting the livestream early and interacting with them was also a way to thank everyone for their support.
As soon as those words were spoken, the livestream chat exploded again.
"A sand bath?! And we can help bury the streamer's Pokémon in the sand? I'm heading there right now!"
"I just woke up and saw the livestream notification. I'm getting up immediately and running to the sand bath!"
"Hahaha, I'm already in Lavaridge Town. I'm going over to bury the streamer's Pokémon in the sand. This sounds hilarious!"
"I'm crying from jealousy! Why am I not in Lavaridge Town!"
Lavaridge Town had a long river that flowed down from Mt. Chimney and circled around the entire town.
Because of this natural advantage, a special sand bath area had been built along the riverbank. The sand there was formed from volcanic ash mixed with fine sand, and it was said to have relaxing effects on the muscles and joints.
At this time of the morning, there were not many people in the sand bath area. The busiest hours usually began after four in the afternoon.
When Theo arrived with Metang and Larvesta, the sunlight was just beginning to shine through the thin clouds, scattering warm golden light across the sandy ground.
(End of Chapter)
TN: The gym leader of Lavaridge Gym is Flannery in this fic, I thought it was her Grandfather, Mr Moore but I confused it with the Legendary Trainer who Farms, my mistake.