As Wallace's words fell, the applause and cheers from the entire venue once again surged into a frenzy, lasting endlessly.
Host Kotaro quickly rushed to the center of the stage, his face flushed with excitement:
"Thank you, Master Wallace, for the opening performance! This is absolutely the most stunning opening I've ever seen, bar none! Let's once again thank Master Wallace with our applause!"
The applause from the audience grew even warmer. Wallace nodded to the audience again in acknowledgment, then turned and walked to his seat at the judges' table.
Milotic gracefully swayed its body, transforming into a pink stream of light, and lightly leaped into Wallace's Poké Ball at his waist, making a magnificent exit.
"Alright, dear audience, dear contestants!" Kotaro raised the microphone high, his voice filled with irrepressible excitement,
"The first round of the Pokémon Contest review—the Charm Display Stage, the bond between Trainer and Pokémon! Officially begins!
First, let's welcome contestant number 1 to the stage!"
The spotlight shone on the contestant's channel. A girl with twin ponytails, holding a small Skitty, quickly walked onto the stage.
Skitty had snow-white fur and a pink tail, with a cute curl at the tip of its tail. As soon as it appeared, it drew exclamations of "So cute" from the audience.
"Skitty, use Double Slap!" The girl's clear voice rang out.
Skitty lightly jumped onto the small platform in the center of the stage, its two front paws rapidly waving, its pink paw pads drawing adorable arcs in the air.
Although it was just the most basic skill, its lively eyes and playful movements made it exceptionally charming.
The girl clapped along, her face beaming with a smile similar to her Pokémon's. It was evident that the two usually got along very intimately.
"Cute! So cute!"
"Skitty's little paws are so adorable! My heart is melting!"
"Although the skill is simple, the interaction is so sweet!"
At the judges' table, Sukizo smiled with narrowed eyes and nodded slightly. Nurse Joy also showed a gentle smile, praising softly, "Very lively, indeed."
Contest, meanwhile, wrote down his score on the scoreboard, his expression still serious, but with a hint of approval in his eyes.
After the performance, the girl bowed with Skitty and exited the stage, to kind applause from the audience.
Immediately after, contestants number 2, 3... successively took the stage, each with their own unique characteristics.
Some had their Pokémon display elaborately designed outfits, while others used props to perform simple interactions with their skills. Although most were conventional, they gradually warmed up the atmosphere of the venue.
Of course, there were also performances where Trainers commanded their Pokémon to use skills, but the Pokémon threw tantrums and refused, which also made many audience members laugh.
Naturally, such contestants would not be able to advance.
Next, when it was a boy's turn to appear, the discussions among other contestants around Lionel caught his attention.
"This interaction is quite interesting!"
"They're coordinating so well! Sandshrew's Rollout is so steady!"
The boy on stage held a colorful hoop about half his height. His Pokémon was a gray-brown Sandshrew.
"Sandshrew, Rollout!" Following the command, Sandshrew curled into a ball and quickly rolled across the stage.
The boy, holding the hoop, ran back and forth across the stage, precisely guiding the rolling Sandshrew to pass through, jump over, and then drill through the hoop. His movements were fluid, like performing a coordinated juggling act.
Lionel watched Sandshrew's performance, his fingertips gently tapping his knee:
"Using the hoop to guide Sandshrew's Rollout trajectory indeed shows interaction, but it's essentially still basic skill coordination, lacking a bit of eye-catching creativity."
Conventional, but not bad.
As the numbers gradually approached, the performances on stage became more and more exciting.
When contestant number 32, Armani, appeared, the atmosphere of the entire venue noticeably heightened.
Armani wore a red leather jacket, his hair meticulously combed. He threw a Poké Ball, a red light flashed, and a Flareon, engulfed in orange-red flames, appeared in the center of the stage.
"Flareon, Flame Charge!"
Flareon let out a clear cry, its surrounding flames suddenly intensified, transforming into a red lightning bolt that rapidly darted across the stage.
Each time it turned back, it would spit out a small cluster of Sparks into the air.
Before the Sparks could land, Flareon quickly rushed forward, the Sparks merging into Flareon's body, making the flames on Flareon, caused by the Flame Charge skill, burn even more intensely.
"Beautiful!" Host Kotaro exclaimed excitedly.
"Continuous Sparks!" Armani commanded again.
Flareon opened its mouth and spewed out more Sparks. These Sparks merged together, actually forming a large fireball in the center of the stage.
Flareon leaped into the fireball. The flames not only didn't harm it but instead made the flames on its body even more vigorous, as if the entire fireball had become its source of energy.
"This is truly a master!"
"Combining Flame Charge, Sparks, and the Flash Fire ability is too good!"
"As expected of a contestant with three ribbons! The strength is just different!"
At the judges' table, Wallace nodded slightly, writing a respectable score on the scoreboard; Contest also rarely showed an approving expression:
"Precise control over fire energy, and good creativity."
After Armani's performance, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
Lionel looked at the gradually dissipating flame afterglow on the stage and thought to himself:
"Flareon's ability was perfectly utilized, and the release of its fire skills was also excellent. As expected of a three-ribbon winner."
Time passed little by little, and it was soon contestant number 66, Grace's turn.
When the host announced her number, the entire venue instantly erupted—the title of a top four contender in the previous Grand Festival filled everyone with anticipation for her performance.
Grace wore a purple long dress, exuding an elegant aura. She gently threw a Poké Ball, and a Medicham, clad in a white martial arts uniform, landed on the stage, standing tall with sharp eyes.
"Medicham, Fire Punch, Confusion!" Grace's voice was cool and powerful.
Medicham swung its right fist, flames blazing on its fist. As its eyes glowed with a pale blue light, under the effect of Confusion, Medicham's Fire Punch struck out, forming lotus flowers made of flames, one after another.
It continuously swung its fists. With each punch thrown, a new fire lotus bloomed around Medicham. Soon, dozens of fire lotus flowers floated on the stage, slowly rotating around Medicham, like a burning sea of flowers.
"Absolutely incredible!"
"Controlling flames with Confusion to form lotus flowers, how did she do that?"
"Just as spectacular as her performance at the last Festival! No, even more perfect than last time!"
Just as everyone was exclaiming in awe, Grace suddenly commanded:
"Bloom!"
Medicham suddenly pushed its hands forward, and all the fire lotus flowers instantly ascended, simultaneously bursting open above the stage!
Countless Sparks scattered like fireworks, but they were extinguished by Confusion before they could land, leaving no trace.
Medicham's figure stood directly beneath this "firework display," its posture tall and elegant, like a dancer controlling flames.
"Wow—!" A deafening cheer erupted from the entire venue. Although it was a move they had seen before, the re-enactment was still truly beautiful.
Even Contest at the judges' table couldn't help but applaud.
Grace bowed to the audience, and Medicham cooperatively struck an elegant pose. As they exited, the applause from the audience did not stop.
Lionel looked at the lingering flame light and shadow on the stage, taking a deep breath.
Grace's performance was not only technically superb but, more impressively, perfectly combined power and aesthetics. She truly deserved her title as a top four contender in the previous Grand Festival.
Lionel looked down at his number plate—86. It would be his turn in twenty more contestants.
"Feebas, we have a strong opponent!" Lionel gently pressed the Poké Ball at his waist. "We're ready too, right?"
A slight tremor came from inside the Poké Ball, as if nodding vigorously.
At this moment, the bullet screen in Lionel's live broadcast room had already exploded:
"Grace is too strong! How can the later contestants compete?"
"Number 86! Almost there, almost there! Streamer, you can do it!"
Lionel smiled at the camera, saying nothing, his eyes just growing more resolute.
One by one, the contestants on stage finished their demonstrations. On the stage, the host's voice rang out again:
"Thank you to contestant Ali for that wonderful performance! Next, let's welcome contestant number 86 to the stage!"
Lionel's moment had arrived.
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