Bid farewell to Liuqia.
There are still eight days until the opening of the next Gorgeous Competition.
Baimu thought it over and decided to complete the Gym challenge in Kanaz City first. He has been preparing for a long time and has been watching battle videos of the Kanaz Gym since leaving Petalburg City.
After finishing that, he would focus on researching various themes in the Gorgeous Competition, as well as the moves and linking techniques needed.
Mawile also supported this. After seeing the coordination between Liuqia and Altaria, it wasn't satisfied with just stepping onto the stage of the Gorgeous Competition without any preparation, feeling it would be embarrassing to just go up without being ready.
"Are you going to participate in the Gym challenge?"
"Chido!"
"Gotta do it all..."
Baimu realized that Mawile wanted a twofold blossoming, unwilling to give up on either battles or the Gorgeous Competition.
Not bad at all.
He didn't want to divide his teams just for the League Conference and the Gorgeous Competition, like Mikoli who was both skillful in battles and beautiful.
After taking the train to Kanaz Gym, he immediately noticed the Gym's exterior surrounded by giant rocks, exuding a heavy and solid atmosphere.
Speaking of which, the Gym Leader of Kanaz Gym, Du Juan, is also a rock enthusiast. She specializes in Rock Attribute Pokémon out of her love for rocks.
Moreover, she's a teacher at the Pokémon Trainer School, and her reputation online is excellent. Almost all Trainers who have challenged Kanaz Gym have said they learned a lot from battling her, and she is acclaimed as one of the most beautiful Gym Leaders in the Hoenn Region, alongside Naqi.
She even has numerous fans.
Baimu was curious about how much he could learn from her as well.
"Beep! Reservation successful!"
The smart navigator at the entrance signaled a successful reservation, indicating Du Juan would be available in an hour, as she was currently teaching at the Trainer School.
"An hour is fine."
Baimu glanced around, saw a bench for passersby, and settled down to watch videos of the Pokémon Gorgeous Competition.
With the development of the times, just like Pokémon battles having various tournaments and competitions, the Gorgeous Competition has also emerged with many variations.
Such as the Triple Crown Satellite Competition in the Carlos Region and the planned Gorgeous Onsite Competition in the Hoenn Region.
However, as the ancestor of all, the popularity of the Gorgeous Competition remains extremely strong, adored by the public like the League Conference, with the hosting frequency having changed from once a month to once a week.
Due to this influence, Baimu might find it difficult to see those three judges from his childhood aside from at a grand Gorgeous ceremony.
"It turns out that dance and spinning are the secret skills for scoring..."
He observed the coordinator Trainers appearing in the first review in the video, finding that particularly beautiful techniques generally need Pokémon to spin to release.
This, on one hand, reduces the power of the moves to prevent them from exploding into smoke easily, and on the other hand, expands the range to enhance the grandeur of the performance, creating a visual impact.
Baimu thought for a moment and had a preliminary plan for the performance theme.
"Challenger?"
A gentle female voice suddenly called from a distance.
He looked up, realizing that the Gym Leader of Kanaz Gym, Du Juan, was standing not far away, holding a book, exuding a quiet and scholarly aura.
The twin tails and butterfly ribbons symbolizing youthful vitality, a quiet and dignified face, a gray dress paired with bright red tights, all spoke of her charm.
No wonder she's called one of the most beautiful Gym Leaders in Hoenn and a strong contender for the title of most beautiful Gym Leader in the world.
However.
Baimu still tended to vote for Xiaoxia, and he happened to do just that.
"Yes, hello, Gym Leader Du Juan."
He stuffed his phone into his pocket and greeted her.
Du Juan's eyes curved into smiles, and her polite demeanor left a good impression on him, "Hello, and your name is?"
"Baimu."
"Very well, it seems you're the one who made the reservation. Please follow me," she said, leading the way to the Gym.
Baimu followed closely and was surprised to see a museum inside the Gym—a museum of various fossils and gems.
"All the fossils and special stones displayed here come from around the world. If you're not in a hurry, feel free to explore," Du Juan said with a smile, resembling a collector flaunting their collection.
He politely declined, "Please allow me to appreciate it after the Gym challenge. I can't wait to face your Pokémon."
"Very well."
Du Juan responded with a reserved smile, continuing to lead the way, and opened the door at the end of the long hallway to reveal the distinctive feature of Kanaz Gym—a unique field filled with towering stones and rugged terrain.
"This is the rock venue set by Kanaz Gym, and I'm sure you've done your homework," Du Juan waved to the air, and a moment later, an Aerial Rotom flew up from the corner.
The Aerial Rotom has become quite popular recently, replacing traditional referees. It informs the Gym Leader about the challenger's information, explains the rules, and records the battle process.
"Do you need time for psychological preparation?"
Du Juan turned her head to ask.
"No, thank you," Baimu shook his head to refuse, then headed to the challenger's position as indicated by her.
Seeing that the Gym Leader was also in position, Aerial Rotom emitted a robotic voice.
"The Kanaz Gym challenge is now beginning, with two Pokémon in use. If either the Gym Leader or the challenger's Pokémon are all unable to battle, the match is over. Only the challenger can freely switch Pokémon."
After the battle rules were stated.
Du Juan, however, didn't rush to release her Pokémon. She spoke in a neither high nor low voice, "Is Kanaz Gym your second badge?"
"Yes!"
"In that case, let's do this! Graveler!"
She tossed a Pokeball high into the air.
Bam!
A flash of white light.
A large rolling stone with four arms appeared on the field.
Baimu simultaneously threw out his Pokeball, logging it into the Illustrated Guide, "It's your turn!"
Bam!
"Roar!!"
The landing Steelix let out a deep growl, looking at Graveler and Du Juan on the other side with an intrigued expression.
Finally!
Finally, it's my turn to engage in a proper battle! Awesome!
"What an imposing Steelix."
Du Juan showed a hint of surprise but quickly collected herself, complimenting, "To have cultivated a Steelix to this size, it seems you are quite an accomplished Trainer."
"No, it naturally grew to this size," Baimu wasn't vain enough to accept the compliment, explaining briefly, before quickly saying, "Excuse me, Electromagnetic Levitation!"
"Roar!"
The Steelix let out another low growl, and bright electric lights flickered around it, lifting it off the ground and into the air. Its massive body obscured the ceiling lights, like blocking out the sun.
With this.
The admiration on Du Juan's face became even more pronounced.
Graveler, though, wasn't as nonchalant as its Trainer, looking up at the shadowy monstrous figure above with anxiety.
Size isn't everything when it comes to battle power, but such a huge creature—you'd be intimidated just by looking at it!