"This… this is way too big!"
Gasps spread across the audience as everyone held their breath, staring intently at the enormous fireball. Their eyes were filled with shock and tension.
If something that massive fell, what would happen?
The livestream chat scrolled wildly, so fast that the words were almost impossible to read. The screen was filled with nothing but exclamations and concern.
"My god! Is this for real? My heart is about to jump out of my chest. What if it goes out of control?"
"What is the streamer trying to do? That giant fireball is not actually going to fall, right? This is terrifying but I cannot look away!"
Under the gaze of the entire audience, the massive fireball began to descend slowly.
Its speed was not fast, yet it carried an overwhelming sense of pressure, as if a real sun were falling from the sky. It pressed down toward the two Pokémon at the center of the stage, as though it would devour them completely.
The scorching heat grew stronger and stronger. The temperature in the arena had clearly risen, and even the spectators in the front rows had beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.
"Larvesta!"
Theo shouted, his powerful voice echoing throughout the entire venue.
In the next instant, Larvesta suddenly curled into a tight ball, its entire body transforming into a dazzling red sphere.
With the glow of its five horns, it looked like a miniature sun compressed to its limit, radiating astonishing heat.
Then, its five horns erupted with blazing flames at once as Flame Wheel was activated.
Like a spinning meteor of fire, it shot upward with a whistling sound, heading straight toward the massive fireball in the sky above the stage.
The small and the massive "suns" rapidly approached each other, and the impending collision seemed inevitable. The tension was suffocating.
"What is Larvesta trying to do?"
"Stop, it is too dangerous!"
Cries of alarm rang out from the audience. Some even covered their eyes, peeking nervously through their fingers, their hearts nearly leaping out of their throats.
Yet the anticipated explosion did not occur.
At the exact moment the two "suns" made contact, the brilliance of the massive fireball suddenly diminished, as if a wild beast had been tamed.
All the heat and light seemed to be guided by an invisible force, as if they had found an outlet, surging wildly toward Larvesta's body.
At that moment, Larvesta's form became incomparably radiant, as if it had truly turned into the core of a sun.
Carrying this immense, concentrated energy, it suddenly thrust upward.
Crack!
A crisp sound of shattering rang out. The massive "sun" was actually smashed apart by the smaller sun formed by Larvesta.
Countless red points of light cascaded down like a brilliant waterfall, dazzling to behold.
In the end, the giant "sun" vanished completely, leaving only Larvesta floating in midair.
At the tips of its five horns, each supported a bright little fireball, making it look like a tiny sun wearing a crown, its glow gentle and warm.
Meanwhile, the sand that had once formed the core of the great sun had turned into sparkling, firelit dust, drifting across the stage and serving as the most magnificent backdrop for Larvesta.
Tyrantrum let out a long breath of relief. Fortunately, there had been no mistake.
The reason the rocks inside the giant sun had been shattered so easily was entirely due to Tyrantrum's hidden control. During the merging of the fireballs, Tyrantrum had already used the power of Sandstorm to crush the internal rocks into loose grains of sand.
Only the outer shell of flames had been preserved, which allowed Larvesta to break it apart with apparent ease.
The entire venue fell into a brief silence. Everyone was still immersed in the shocking scene that had just unfolded, unable to speak.
A few seconds later, someone finally reacted and began to clap.
Clap, clap, clap!
The applause spread like wildfire, instantly sweeping across the entire arena.
The audience leapt to their feet, waving their arms wildly as cheers and screams erupted one after another.
"Theo! Theo!"
"Larvesta! Tyrantrum!"
"Ahhh! That was incredible!"
Fans held up their glowing signs, shouting until their voices grew hoarse, yet they could not stop.
The livestream chat had completely turned into a sea of exclamation marks. The servers even began to lag slightly under the massive traffic, yet it did nothing to dampen the viewers' enthusiasm.
"When Larvesta rushed toward that huge fireball, my heart almost exploded, and then it turned into this… absolutely amazing!"
"The entire performance was intense from start to finish. My heart went up and down with those fireballs. My palms are still sweaty. The streamer is insane!"
"Look at Deputy Director Yumiko's expression! I have never seen her smile so happily!"
At the judges' table, Nurse Joy and Mr. Sukizo nodded repeatedly, both expressing their approval of the performance by Tyrantrum and Larvesta.
Deputy Director Yumiko looked at Theo with a bright smile, her tone filled with undisguised admiration.
"Champion Wallace once said you are the most imaginative newcomer. Now it seems he was being conservative."
After the three judges finished their evaluations, the high scores lit up on the large screen, and the cheers below surged into an even greater climax.
Amid the applause and excitement of the entire venue, Theo recalled his two Pokémon and calmly walked off the stage.
In the second round of judging, Theo had once again conquered the audience with an outstanding performance, passing perfectly.
As for the final battle segment that followed, it was even easier for him to handle.
The moment the battle began, Tyrantrum unleashed Sandstorm.
Yellow sand filled the air, instantly covering the entire battlefield. It not only obstructed the opponent's vision but also continuously dealt damage to their Pokémon.
At the same time, under the cover of the sandstorm, Tyrantrum secretly used Dragon Dance.
Dragon type energy surged around its body, rapidly increasing its attack and speed.
The opposing trainer clearly had not expected such an aggressive approach. In a flurry of panic, they commanded their Pokémon to move, trying to avoid the center of the sandstorm.
But before they could stabilize themselves, they stepped into the Stealth Rock trap that Tyrantrum had already set.
Sharp, invisible rock fragments instantly cut into their bodies, causing significant damage.
Seizing the moment when the opponent's Pokémon were injured, Tyrantrum burst out of the sandstorm at lightning speed.
With a powerful Dragon Claw, it sent one Pokémon flying. Immediately afterward, it followed up with a sweeping Dragon Tail, knocking the other Pokémon out of the field.
The entire process was clean and decisive. In just a few minutes, victory was secured with ease.
Larvesta did not even need to act. Tyrantrum alone defeated two opponents effortlessly.
The subsequent battles were much the same, and Theo did not encounter Grace.
For Tyrantrum and Larvesta, these battles were nothing more than a trivial task. They concluded them with ease.
Without any doubt, among the five Contest Ribbons of Fallarbor Town, Theo successfully claimed one.
After the Contest ended, Theo stayed at the venue as usual. He released all of his Pokémon and interacted with the audience members who came forward to take photos with him.
(End of Chapter)