Chapter 136: The "Rizz" King
Standing at the entrance of the Star Motion Sports Center, Kenji saw stylishly dressed trainers walking inside with their Pokémon.
Kenji followed suit, taking out Ninetales's Pokéball and opening it.
With a crisp pop, red light landed on the ground, materializing into a silver-white Ninetales.
Ninetales's unique white fur and heterochromatic red-and-blue eyes instantly drew all attention upon her appearance.
She held her head high, her expression cool, her eyes exuding an innate nobility and arrogance.
Simply standing there, she was like a full moon in the night sky. The other meticulously groomed Pokémon were reduced to mere stars, their dim light only serving to highlight the moon's brilliance.
Ninetales clearly enjoyed the admiring gazes, though her face remained impassive.
As her trainer, however, Kenji accurately picked up on her inner thoughts.
And as Ninetales's trainer, Kenji naturally felt a secret thrill of pride.
"Let's go." Kenji smoothed Ninetales's white fur, puffed out his chest, and led her into the center.
At the entrance, staff members registered the contestants.
After confirming their identities, Kenji and Ninetales received a small numbered tag.
The number on the tag corresponded to a standing position within the gymnasium.
Inside the massive center, circles with numbers were marked on the floor.
Kenji had drawn number 36, so he led Ninetales to the circle marked '36' and stood there.
Scanning the room, Kenji estimated the gymnasium could hold two or three hundred people at once. There were still about ten minutes before this round of auditions began.
Kenji squatted down, bored, twirling a lock of Ninetales's fur around his finger.
Ninetales ignored him, sitting elegantly and waiting for the audition to start.
"Hello." Kenji was still squatting when a shadow fell over him.
He looked up to see a girl dressed very cutely in a frilly pink dress, looking like a little princess.
Beside her stood a Sylveon.
The girl's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were sparkling.
"Yes?" Kenji stood up, puzzled.
"Can I... take a picture with your Ninetales?"
The girl's gaze shifted slightly, looking past Kenji to Ninetales.
Kenji looked at Ninetales. Seeing no objection on her face, he knew she had silently consented, so he nodded.
Seeing Kenji agree, the girl bowed excitedly to him, took out her phone, and handed it to Kenji. She then went to stand beside Ninetales with her Sylveon, trying out various poses.
Kenji stepped back and took several photos for her before returning the phone.
The girl thanked him repeatedly before reluctantly leaving.
With the first girl breaking the ice, Kenji noticed many eager gazes nearby.
Someone else couldn't resist and came up to ask for a photo, followed by another...
And so, Kenji, the trainer, tragically became a dedicated photography machine.
It wasn't until the auditions officially began that the crowd dispersed.
Kenji's Ninetales rarely made public appearances, and even when she did, she was usually in human or illusion form.
Human and Pokémon aesthetics didn't always align.
Heterochromia might be considered an abnormality among Pokémon, but to human eyes, it was noble and beautiful.
Kenji hadn't expected Ninetales's debut to attract so much attention from female fans.
Ninetales was truly the undisputed "Rizz King."
The audition judges were the official judges of this Pokémon Contest. Each judge had 33 slots for advancement, meaning only 99 contestants in total would make it past the auditions to the formal competition.
With nearly a thousand contestants participating, the competition was fierce.
Compared to the nervousness of the others, Kenji appeared much more relaxed.
Before long, a middle-aged male judge with a square face arrived in front of Kenji. When he saw Ninetales, the eyes behind his glasses lit up with undisguised surprise and excitement.
"Please begin your performance," the judge said, stepping back two paces.
Kenji also stepped back, giving Ninetales more space.
The first round of auditions didn't allow much time for performance; it was mostly about the Pokémon's appearance.
Ninetales's performance was relatively simple. With a soft cry, her red and blue eyes flashed simultaneously. Her nine tails began to sway without wind, and several ribbons made of fire flew out, dancing around her.
The ribbons danced into the air, converging above Ninetales to form a red embroidered ball.
"POP!!—"
The ball exploded into sparks, then began to spin.
As it spun, the outer layers peeled away, transforming into petals of fire.
One petal... two petals...
Amidst a ring of sparks, the ball transformed into a lotus of fire, blooming above Ninetales's head.
"POP!—"
The lotus exploded, scattering sparks like rain.
...
The audition ended, and Kenji left the sports center with Ninetales.
A perfect performance, a beautiful and noble appearance.
They passed the audition without suspense.
Next up was traveling to Crestview City to earn the Summit Gym Badge, then returning for the main Contest.
After that, it would be time to return to Edgecliff City for the New Year.
After the New Year, Kenji planned to temporarily end his badge-collecting journey and return to Metropolis Academy for a period of closed-door training to prepare for the upcoming National Collegiate League.
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