At that moment, a massive figure suddenly rushed forward.
In the blink of an eye, the figure snatched the Pokéblocks from Professor Birch's hand and swallowed them all in one gulp.
It was Tyrantrum.
After finishing them, Tyrantrum still did not look satisfied. Its amber eyes stared fixedly at the green shoulder bag hanging from Professor Birch's side. It waved its short little forelimbs repeatedly, clearly expressing a "give me more" attitude.
Seeing that a Pokémon was finally willing to pay attention to him, Professor Birch immediately became excited.
He simply poured all the remaining Pokéblocks from his bag and gave them to Tyrantrum.
Tyrantrum instantly crouched down contentedly and began devouring the Pokéblocks one by one.
While it lay comfortably on the ground eating, it allowed Professor Birch to circle around it freely, examining it from every angle and even patting it repeatedly.
Its behavior practically looked like it had sold itself for snacks.
Milotic and Metang watched Tyrantrum's shameless display of "selling its dignity for food." The two Pokémon glanced at each other almost simultaneously, their expressions filled with clear disdain, as if silently saying that they refused to associate with such a creature.
Seeing this, Theo could not help laughing.
After observing the entire team carefully, Professor Birch could not stop praising Theo's Pokémon lineup.
The examination work continued for an entire day. By evening, all the basic data had been collected.
"Theo, Larvesta's physical strength is extremely robust, and the purity of its flame energy is astonishingly high. It far exceeds the normal range for most Fire type Pokémon.
What is even more fascinating is that the Bug type energy within its body does not conflict with the Fire type energy at all. Instead, it acts like a catalyst that actually enhances the power of the fire energy.
As for the detailed data research report, we will bring everything back to the company for further analysis.
The chairman mentioned that you will bring Larvesta to Rustboro City in the near future. I am really looking forward to conducting a deeper examination of it at that time."
Later that evening, Professor Birch sat in a rattan chair in the hotel lounge area while drinking hot tea.
Suddenly he looked at Theo and asked, "By the way, I looked over your Pokémon team earlier. It seems you do not have any of the starter Pokémon from our Hoenn region. Have you simply not encountered one that suits you yet?"
He paused for a moment before smiling and continuing.
"If you are interested, I could provide one for you.
Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip. I currently have many individuals of their initial forms, and all of them are carefully bred high quality specimens."
After hearing this, Theo thought seriously for a moment before politely declining.
"Thank you very much, Professor.
But for the time being, I do not have that plan.
For Water types I already have Milotic, and for Fire types I have Larvesta. As for Grass types…"
Theo smiled slightly before explaining his thoughts.
"Sceptile is certainly excellent, but I would prefer to search for some special Pokémon that are a bit different. Ideally they would come from other regions."
"Oh? Special Pokémon from other regions?"
Professor Birch instantly understood when he thought about the composition of Theo's current team. A look of realization appeared in his eyes as he nodded.
"I see now.
In that case, I will keep it in mind. Later I can contact some Pokémon professors I know from other regions and ask if they have encountered any unusual or special Pokémon during their research.
If there is any news, I will inform you and help introduce you to them as well."
"Thank you very much, Professor!"
Theo felt delighted and quickly expressed his gratitude.
Professor Birch had connections all over the world. With his help keeping an eye out, it would undoubtedly save Theo a great deal of effort.
After seeing off Professor Birch and the Devon Corporation researchers, Theo's life soon returned to its familiar rhythm of training and relaxation.
Over the next two days, Theo continued training together with his Pokémon.
Milotic remained focused on sensing the heat from the Flame Orb and integrating it into its Scald move.
Metang and Tyrantrum took turns acting as training targets. Each time they were struck by Scald, they could clearly feel that the heat within the attack was stronger than before.
Occasionally the burn effect would trigger, making the two Pokémon increasingly cautious while also helping Milotic become more and more proficient at controlling the move.
Meanwhile Larvesta continued concentrating on perfecting Will O Wisp.
The little fellow seemed to have found the right approach, and its control over the ghostly flames gradually became more precise.
At first there were only a few scattered blue sparks. As the number of training sessions increased, those sparks gradually gathered into clusters.
The flames became more stable, the heat they emitted grew stronger, and Larvesta's control over the timing and range of the move improved steadily.
Tyrantrum and Metang were not idle either.
Aside from acting as Milotic's training targets, they also carried out their own special training.
Tyrantrum repeatedly practiced Dragon Dance and Stealth Rock, striving to stack its power boosts more quickly within sandstorm environments.
Occasionally it even cooperated with Milotic and Larvesta to use weather related moves, training its ability to control weather conditions.
Metang floated high in the air while continuously practicing Magnet Rise.
At the same time it combined Agility with Confusion, darting through the forest at incredible speed. Its movements grew faster and more flexible, gradually regaining the agility it once possessed when it had been a Beldum.
Time passed quickly during these fulfilling days of training.
Before long, the day of the agreed Gym challenge with the Lavaridge Gym finally arrived.
At five in the morning, the sky was still completely dark.
Theo was still deep in sleep when he suddenly felt a heavy pressure on his chest, as if a stone had been placed there. Breathing became difficult.
He abruptly opened his eyes and, with the faint moonlight shining through the window, saw a plump white little figure lying directly on top of him.
Its round body rose and fell gently with its breathing as it slept soundly.
It was Larvesta.
This was not the first time it had happened. Ever since Theo began sleeping in the same room with Larvesta, the little creature had developed this strange habit.
At some unknown point during the night, it would crawl onto Theo's chest while sleeping, often pressing down so heavily that Theo could barely breathe.
Theo sighed helplessly.
He gently picked Larvesta up and placed it onto the pillow beside him, lightly patting its head.
"Sleep properly. Stop moving around so much."
Larvesta seemed to wake slightly from the disturbance. It murmured sleepily, rubbed its head against Theo's hand, rolled over, and quickly fell back into deep sleep.
Nearby, Metang floated quietly in the air. Its red eyes blinked slowly as if it had also been awakened by the movement and was about to stretch its body.
Theo reached out and gently pressed it down.
"It is still early. Sleep a little longer."
Metang glanced at the darkness outside the window, then looked back at Theo before obediently relaxing and closing its eyes again.
Just like that, one human and two Pokémon fell back into deep sleep.
They slept until eight in the morning, when the alarm clock beside the bed rang precisely on time.
Theo quickly finished washing up, changed into a set of light sportswear, and brought his four Pokémon to the Pokémon dining area in the hotel backyard for breakfast.
While watching his Pokémon happily enjoy their food, he took out his phone, took a deep breath, and opened the livestream function.
Almost the instant the broadcast began, the number of viewers started rising rapidly.
One hundred thousand.
Five hundred thousand.
One million.
In just a few minutes, the viewer count surpassed two million and continued climbing.
The promotional hype created earlier by Steven and Wallace had clearly produced remarkable results. Combined with the mystery and popularity surrounding Larvesta itself, it attracted countless viewers who had already scheduled themselves to watch the broadcast.
(End of Chapter)