Under the precise control of its psychic power, Metagross's massive ice avatar slowly strode across the air above the audience stands, each step landing with a heavy, thunderous boom that echoed like distant drums. The enormous figure, carved entirely from pure crystal-clear ice, carried an overwhelming presence with every movement, like a moving snow-covered mountain that made hearts tremble.
When the giant ice Metagross reached the center above the audience, the real Metagross suddenly withdrew its psychic power.
The colossal ice figure seemed to lose its support in an instant. It wavered slightly in midair, and then a sharp cracking sound rang out as countless fine fractures spread across its surface.
In the very next moment, the entire ice structure shattered completely, exploding into a sky full of glittering ice fragments that burst open like a grand firework display over the arena.
The fragments drifted down slowly, mingling with falling snowflakes. As they landed, their cool touch made it unmistakably clear to the audience that what they had just witnessed was no illusion.
At the center of the field, the blue glow in Metagross's eyes gradually faded, returning to its usual calm state.
Ice Vulpix ran back from the edge of the field to Theo's side, its small chest rising and falling rapidly, clearly exhausted from the performance. Even so, it lifted its head to watch the falling ice crystals, its fluffy tail wagging like a tiny fan, its eyes filled with excitement.
The entire arena fell into complete silence for a full five seconds. Even the sound of breathing seemed to disappear.
Then, all at once, a deafening roar of cheers erupted. The audience rose to their feet in unison, waving their arms wildly. In the back rows, some spectators even hugged each other in excitement, tossing their glow sticks into the air and creating a sea of shimmering lights.
"Incredible!" Kotaro's voice trembled with excitement as he spun around on stage with the microphone in hand. "Contestant Theo's Metagross and Alolan Vulpix have brought us an unparalleled visual feast with the fusion of ice and steel! Now, let's take a look at the judges' scores!"
Above the judges' panel, the electronic scoreboard lit up. Three bright red numbers appeared one after another.
Nurse Joy: 10 points. President Sukizo: 10 points. Mr. Contesta: 10 points.
"A perfect score!" Kotaro nearly jumped in place, his sapphire-blue suit jacket slipping halfway off his shoulder. "This is the second perfect score of the Pacifidlog Contest! Let's once again give a huge round of applause to Theo and his partners!"
Thunderous applause echoed endlessly throughout the venue.
A satisfied smile appeared on Theo's face. He bent down and picked up Ice Vulpix that had run back to him, feeling the little one nuzzling affectionately against him. Then he reached out and gently patted Metagross's sturdy metallic arm, his voice warm and filled with unconcealed pride.
"You worked hard. You were both amazing."
Metagross let out a low hum, a trace of satisfaction flashing through its red eyes. The Ice Vulpix rubbed its fluffy cheek against Theo's palm, letting out a soft, contented cry.
Next, the three judges gave their evaluations one after another.
Theo listened carefully to each of them, then gave a slight bow.
"Thank you for your guidance. I will continue to improve."
With that, he turned and walked toward the contestant passage with Metagross and Ice Vulpix.
At the entrance, Larvesta was already waiting.
The moment it saw them, it puffed out its chest proudly and flew ahead to lead the way, its head held high as if it had been the one dazzling the stage just now.
As they passed by the other contestants, it even let out a few chirps, its tiny eyes full of smug pride.
Inside the preparation room, all eyes turned toward Theo. Some were filled with amazement, some with admiration, and others with a faint sense of helplessness at the widening gap.
Larvesta clearly enjoyed the attention. It kept glancing back at Theo and then at the surrounding contestants, raising its head higher and higher. Even the way it walked carried a proud swagger, as if announcing to the world just how incredible its companions were.
That secretly delighted expression was practically written all over its face.
The competition continued afterward.
However, perhaps because Theo's performance had been too overwhelming, the contestants who followed seemed more or less nervous, and the atmosphere on stage dipped for a while.
It was not until Charlotte took the stage again with her Flareon and Jolteon, showcasing their impressive fire and electric combination techniques, that the mood recovered somewhat.
But unfortunately, perhaps because her first-round performance had been too stunning and raised everyone's expectations too high, her second-round performance did not completely win over the audience.
In the end, she received a score of 28 points.
Although still an excellent result, it was no longer enough to shake Theo's leading position.
Time passed steadily, and the second round of judging finally came to an end.
The list of contestants advancing to the third round, the Contest Battles, was announced. Theo advanced without any suspense, taking first place.
Compared to the previous two rounds, the third round placed greater emphasis on real combat ability and the trainer's on-the-spot command moves.
But for Metagross, this was hardly a challenge.
Ever since its loss to Slaking, it had thrown itself into intense training. Its strength, speed, and mastery of moves, as well as its ability to combine them, had all undergone a qualitative leap.
Against the Pokémon sent out by other contestants, it did not even need to dodge. With a simple charge or collision, it could shatter their attacks.
Occasionally, it would finish things with a well-timed Ice Punch or Thunder Punch, displaying both overwhelming power and elegant flair, easily securing victory and earning the Pacifidlog Contest Ribbon.
After the competition, as per tradition, it was time for photos and autographs with fans.
This time, Larvesta truly had the time of its life.
The two Vulpix, already adored for their irresistibly cute appearances, attracted countless fans lining up to take photos with them.
As for Larvesta, it shamelessly squeezed into the frame using its "little nanny" status.
Sometimes it stood proudly between the two Vulpix, chest puffed out as if saying, look how capable I am.
Other times it pretended to lie casually nearby, while secretly glancing at the camera, making sure it was included in the shot.
Whenever someone noticed the decorations on its body and politely praised it as "so cute" or "so pretty," Larvesta would lift its head even higher, its chin nearly pointing at the sky.
It looked like a triumphant general basking in glory, as if it had just received recognition from the entire world.
To it, this feeling of being praised and admired was far more satisfying than winning a battle itself.
After taking a few photos with fans, Metagross and Milotic quietly moved aside. Watching Larvesta bouncing around excitedly, the two Pokémon exchanged a glance, both showing the same helpless expression that clearly said, there is no saving this one.
The photo and autograph session lasted nearly an hour. Only then did Theo finally end the live broadcast amid the fans' reluctant farewells and leave the venue with his Pokémon.
After returning to the hotel room, the first thing Theo did was open his livestream space.
...
Watching the terrifyingly fast-rising popularity numbers on the screen, along with the dense flood of gifts and donation notifications scrolling nonstop, Theo's heart instantly blossomed with joy.
This Pacifidlog Contest had not only brought him a ribbon and honor, but also pushed his livestream popularity to a whole new level. This was real, tangible resource income, something far more valuable than empty fame.
Theo smiled and shook his head, saying nothing. Instead, he first pulled the two exhausted little Vulpix into his arms and gently stroked their fluffy tails again and again. Feeling the soft purring sounds coming from the two little ones nestled in his embrace, the fatigue of the entire day seemed to melt away completely.
"Alright, time to give you your rewards," Theo said with a smile.
With a thought, he opened the system interface and directly selected the advanced lottery.
As a familiar golden light flickered, the results appeared:
[Advanced Energy Orb ×22, Dragon Pulse ×1, Meteor Mash ×1, Blizzard ×1, Fire Blast ×1, Draco Meteor ×1, Iron ×9, Protein ×8, Zinc ×11, HP Up ×10, Calcium ×10…]
Seeing this long list of rewards, Theo's eyes lit up instantly, and he could not help but exclaim inwardly:
"As expected from my two little charmers, this luck is insane. So many practical items in one go!"
At Theo's current level, many ordinary TMs were no longer that useful for Metagross, Milotic, and Larvesta. They had already mastered their existing moves thoroughly, and even new moves could often be quickly understood and learned through experience with similar techniques.
However, among this batch of rewards, Meteor Mash was anything but ordinary.
This was Metagross's signature move, incredibly powerful and with a chance to boost its attack. Theo had not expected to draw it here, and it came at the perfect time. It would allow Metagross to further deepen its familiarity with the move and raise its combat strength to another level.
As for Blizzard and Fire Blast, they were naturally prepared for the two little Vulpix.
Milotic and Larvesta were already very proficient in these moves, so letting the two little ones learn them was both a reward for today's excellent performance and a practical upgrade. After all, being able to draw so many good items this time was half thanks to their contribution. Theo had never been this lucky before.
As for Dragon Pulse and Draco Meteor, their value was even more obvious.
When Theo had previously spoken with Cynthia, she had mentioned that the Unova League and the Hoenn League were in the process of establishing a Pokémon teleportation network, and there would likely be good news in the coming days.
When that time came, these two moves, along with the previously obtained Dark Pulse, could serve as a welcome gift for his upcoming Deino.
Just as Theo was happily planning how to distribute these rewards among his Pokémon, his phone suddenly vibrated.
The screen showed the name Steven Stone, indicating a video call request.
Theo smiled and accepted. Steven's familiar face immediately appeared on the screen, with his shiny Metagross standing beside him.
"Theo, have you rested?" Steven's cheerful voice came through, his face carrying an easy smile. "I saw that your livestream had just ended not long ago. I wanted to call right away, but I figured you must have been exhausted from taking photos, so I waited a bit."
He paused briefly, his tone full of admiration.
"This time, Metagross's performance completely exceeded my expectations. It was even more impressive than what you described before. I'll say you passed."
As he spoke, Steven patted his partner beside him. The shiny Metagross nodded in cooperation, its red eyes flashing with a hint of shared pride.
Theo laughed.
"It's all thanks to your training manual and the resources you provided. That's how my Metagross improved so quickly."
"That has nothing to do with me," Steven waved his hand. "You're the one who brought out its potential. Honestly, after seeing its performance in the Contest, I'm starting to feel like letting my Metagross try one too."
Hearing this, the shiny Metagross's eyes lit up, and it leaned closer. Having witnessed the stunning combination moves earlier, it had gained confidence in participating in a Contest itself.
After all, it had spent plenty of time experimenting with such combinations before.
Unfortunately, when it had shown those ideas to that green-haired man, the guy had bluntly said its move combinations lacked aesthetic appeal.
That comment had completely crushed its desire to ever participate in a Contest again.
But now, seeing that its "junior" could use similar combination moves to win over so many people, it realized that it was not inferior at all. Moreover, the technique itself was not difficult. With some refinement and a few added touches, it could make it even more dazzling.
Thinking of this, the shiny Metagross felt overjoyed. It affectionately leaned against Steven, expressing its desire to participate in a Contest.
Steven stroked his chin, clearly considering the idea. Just then, he suddenly seemed to remember something and slapped his forehead in annoyance.
"Ah, I got carried away chatting and almost forgot the important matter!"
Theo blinked in confusion.
"Important matter?"
"Yeah, something important for both of us," Steven said with a mysterious smile. "Hold on a moment. Saying it over video won't have the same impact. You need to see it with your own eyes."
Before Theo could respond, Steven abruptly ended the call.
"What is this…"
Theo stared at his phone, blinking in confusion.
Steven's sudden action made him curious. What kind of matter would make him deliberately hang up just to show it in person?
Just as he was thinking, the Metagross beside him suddenly trembled slightly. Its usually calm red eyes shimmered faintly.
It slowly closed its eyes, its metallic body vibrating gently as if sensing something. The cross-shaped mark on its forehead also began to glow faintly.
"Metagross?"
Theo looked at it in puzzlement.
At almost the same moment, the air in the room suddenly rippled slightly, like a pebble dropped into still water.
Space itself began to distort.
A faint white light appeared in the center of the room, accompanied by subtle energy fluctuations, giving the eerie feeling that something was about to emerge from the void.
Theo instinctively took half a step back, tightening his hold on the two little Vulpix in his arms. Then, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes as he stared at the space in front of him.
This scene was far too familiar.
There was no way he could mistake it.
This was the sign of teleportation.
(End of Chapter)