Although the Gorgeous Competition has developed to this point, with nearly every slightly larger town having a sub-venue, in the animated background, the Hoenn Region has more towns than in the game.
But this number is also quite exaggerated.
However.
These more than 200 people will be narrowed down to just 64 during the preliminary gorgeous performance, and only the winner can earn the title of top Coordinator Trainer.
It can be said to be quite brutal...
The Trainer's League Conference is even above that!
Baimu shuddered at the thought that even the Pokémon animation world, viewed as a utopia, had become so competitive.
At the end of the banquet.
A person suspected to be a high-ranking official of the competition's affairs bureau stood on a high platform and announced the formal competition rules with a big smile.
"Individual performance, double battles."
That is, the first review is a solo Pokémon performance, and the gorgeous battles expand to involve two participants.
Who knows which genius proposed it? Under the guise of improving the gold content of the top Coordinator Trainer, the competition announced the two contest rules only on the eve of the competition.
The preliminary rules before that remained unchanged.
"The idea of using Milotic and Blissey has fallen through."
Baimu shook his head helplessly; the pair had always been working hard to accompany Mawile in a duet performance, often practicing in a group, all for appearing in the double performance.
Who would have thought that in the end, it was still Mawile's solo show.
He gently flicked the Pokeball at his fingertip, "I'll have to rely on you again this time."
——
Boom! Boom!
Fireworks exploded in the sky.
Familiar symphonies resounded throughout the venue.
Host Vivian clutched the microphone and said loudly, "Thank you for waiting, audience friends! Welcome to the highest stage of Coordinator Trainers! The highly anticipated Hoenn Grand Festival!
"A total of 203 participants have obtained five ribbons in this event. They will show off the most spectacular battles with their proudest Pokémon for the audience friends! On this charming stage, even a fleeting brilliance can be the key to victory!
"From the Pokémon's entrance to the use of each technique, to the way the performance beautifully concludes, and even the chemistry between Pokémon and Coordinator Trainer will be included in the evaluation!
"The final winner will receive the title of top Coordinator Trainer and the Grand Festival trophy!"
Wow!
Cheers surged like a tide!
The Battle Tower, which can accommodate 40,000 spectators, was now filled with both audiences and Pokémon, looking expectantly at the stage below, ready for the spectacular performances to unfold.
"Now, allow me to introduce the stringent yet elegant judges of this grand celebration!"
Vivian raised her right hand high.
Several familiar faces to the Hoenn district audience appeared on stage.
"The deputy director of the competition affairs bureau, Mr. Patistan!"
The gray-haired old man waved with a smile.
"Mr. Liu Lai from the Pokémon Fan Club!"
The charming handsome guy flipped his bangs attractively.
"Miss Joy from Larus City's Pokémon Center!"
The pink-haired nurse waved gently.
"And our special guest—a Gym Leader from the Johto Region, Miss Ami!"
The beautiful young girl with light brown short hair appeared, and the whole venue went wild!
In the preparation room.
Baimu raised his eyebrows at the large screen.
In the Jewel Drill and Jewel Drill remake games, Miss Ami indeed participated as an NPC in the Gorgeous Competition, but he didn't expect that identity to be continued in the animation.
It seems she also had a cameo in the animation Jewel Drill?
"Miss Ami! I never expected to see her here again!" Xiaoguang's voice was filled with joy and surprise.
He turned and asked, "Have you traveled to Johto?"
"Yes! But the first time we met was in Sinnoh, when Miss Ami was still learning battle techniques for the Gorgeous Competition."
In a pure white long dress, Xiaoguang nodded and awkwardly scratched her face, "As for Johto...I only got second place in the end."
Ah...
Indeed, when she had a cameo appearance in Unova, there was mention of her going to Johto to participate in the Mikoli Club, didn't expect she also joined the Gorgeous Competition?
Like Xiaoyao, however, she hasn't won in either of the two consecutive competitions.
This one would be her third attempt.
Speaking of which, the female characters traveling with Ash Ketchum don't seem to have much luck; none have managed to achieve results in the end, mostly losing to fierce rivals.
Is this some sort of special law?
On the television.
Vivian announced the official opening of the festival.
The Grand Festival consists of three segments—preliminary performance, first formal review (performance), second formal review (battle).
In the preliminary performance, Pokémon are only allowed to use one technique.
But as Vivian said, from exiting the Pokeball to the end of the performance are all considered in the judges' scoring, making a single technique quite substantial.
If one were to be disqualified due to a mistake in that single technique, it would be incredibly frustrating.
"Have you thought about which Pokémon will perform?"
Wula La appeared beside him without him noticing.
She, who always had curly twin ponytails, let her hair down this time, and the shoulder-length pink waves paired with a light pink short dress gave her a well-behaved little lady temperament.
"Of course, for a one-move-win scenario like this, it's best suited for it." Baimu shook the Pokeball in his hand, "I guess you picked Wigglytuff?"
Wula La lifted her skirt and twirled around, smiling, "Could you tell?"
"You specifically chose a dress to match with the Pokémon, it's hard not to notice."
He shrugged.
Most Coordinator Trainers, for aesthetic purposes, would specifically choose clothing that matches the color of the stage Pokémon, aiming to synchronize in both appearance and spirit with the Pokémon.
Those like him, always in a black suit, are rare.
Liuqia quietly tugged his sleeve and whispered, "It's not too late to customize a new suit, you could at least wear it during tomorrow's formal match."
"The Molten Rock Armor is good, no need to change."
Baimu had no interest in other clothing.
As they chatted,
Ge Mann suddenly approached, dressed in a light blue suit, confidently crossing his arms, and said to Liuqia, "Liuqia! Remember me? As your fierce rival, the victory in this round is mine!"
"Then change your tie? This deep red tie must get tiring after wearing for so long?"
Liuqia continued as if she didn't hear him.
As an idol who always remembers her business posture, her behavior seemed a bit unexpected to Xiaoguang and Wula La.
Baimu glanced at Ge Mann, then at Liuqia, "With ties, whether to change or not doesn't make a difference, right?"
"It makes a huge difference~ ties are very important~"
"Hey! Liuqia!"
"Does it?"
"Of course it does! I'll pick one for you next time."
"Did you hear what I said, Liuqia?"
"It wouldn't be nice, Mr Mikoli and Teacher Adam would be jealous."
"They don't even like ties, they won't be jealous...oh, seems like it's almost my turn, I'll go get ready~ Everyone, cheer for me~"
Liuqia waved cheerfully and headed to the contestants' passage.
Leaving behind Ge Mann, who was completely ignored, trembling with rage while being watched by Baimu and others with curious expressions.
"Such a disgrace!"
"Why did Liuqia ignore him?"
Xiaoguang quietly asked Baimu.
"How would I know...perhaps he had a poor attitude and upset Liuqia?" He shook his head, in the game setup, Liuqia never liked dealing with Ge Mann.
Did it naturally carry over to the animation?
Perhaps something he did offended Liuqia, but during the time spent together, it wasn't hard to notice that she's not unreasonable.
Though there is a slight difference between her public idol persona and her private self, it's not big enough to become two different people.
The main difference is whether her speech has stars or not.
"Let's focus on getting ready for the contest."
Baimu glanced at the order sheet.
Since only one move is allowed in the preliminary round, even with over 200 participants, the competition process was extremely swift.
Being early in the order, his turn to enter the stage soon arrived.
Walking through the player's passage.
In the open stage of the venue.
Countless eyes focused on the man walking out slowly.
Then.
The cheers broke through the sky!
The fame Baimu had accumulated over time turned into calls of his name from almost the entire audience.
"Baimu! Baimu! Baimu!"
Numerous people shouted his name, Mawile Fan Club members stood up in rows, waving banners with different phrases along with big photos of him and his Pokémon swinging wildly.
It was almost like his personal concert.
*Hiss*
Baimu took a deep breath, pulling out the Pokeball and throwing it forward!
"It's your turn to perform!"