Milotic, Tyrantrum, Larvesta, and Metang happily played around with the crowd that had gathered, enjoying the lively atmosphere to their hearts' content.
Theo stood in the middle, watching the scene unfold with a satisfied smile on his face.
Grace stood beside him, her gaze drifting toward her Gallade, which had been surrounded by several female spectators taking selfies. One of them had even looped her arm through Gallade's for a photo.
Usually sharp and composed, Gallade now looked somewhat stiff and awkward. A faint blush appeared near its ears, yet it still tried its best to maintain an elegant posture.
Seeing this, Grace could not help but laugh quietly to herself, taking out her phone to capture this amusing moment.
"Hahaha, Larvesta and Tyrantrum look so happy! Streamer, hurry and come to Lilycove City. I will definitely go there in person, I also want to ride Tyrantrum once!"
"Look at Gallade! Is its face red? If Miss Grace's Gardevoir sees this, it will probably get jealous!"
"I have already taken a screenshot! Grace will definitely go to Lilycove City for the Grand Festival, and Gardevoir will surely come along. When the time comes, I will show it this photo. Just thinking about it is hilarious!"
"Hahaha, that is so mischievous, but I took a screenshot too. We will cause some trouble together then!"
It was not until the sun had set and the last group of fans asking for photos finally left with smiles that Theo recalled his four Pokémon, who were still reluctant to leave.
He then waved at the livestream camera.
"That is all for today's stream. Thank you all for your company, see you next time."
After saying goodbye to the viewers, Theo ended the stream.
"Bye, streamer!"
"Give us an early notice next time so I can be ready on time!"
Only when the phone screen went completely dark did the scrolling comments finally fade away.
Grace carefully placed the Fallarbor Town Ribbon into a storage case, her voice carrying a hint of reluctance as she spoke.
"Theo, I have to leave now. I need to hurry home. When I brought Gallade out, I promised little Ralts that I would bring its father back right after the contest. I cannot break my promise to the little one."
Theo could not help but laugh.
"Then travel safely. Training together with you this time was really enjoyable."
Grace smiled as her eyes curved gently.
"Me too. Training and competing with you has been a lot of fun. At the Grand Festival, let us have a proper match."
She paused for a moment, lightly shaking the storage case in her hand before adding,
"This is my fifth Ribbon. Next, I will stay home and train little Ralts, waiting for the Grand Festival in Lilycove City to begin."
Then she blinked playfully and looked at Theo.
"You already have three now, right? With your strength, getting five is only a matter of time. The next time we meet will be on the stage of the Grand Festival."
"But I should remind you."
Grace's tone suddenly became more serious.
"The Grand Festival is very different from regular Contests. Contestants can decide how many Pokémon to send out. In theory, as long as you can coordinate them, you can send out as many as you want.
But you also know that the more Pokémon there are, the more complicated the move combinations become. Achieving perfect coordination is far from easy."
Thinking of her own regret from last year, she spoke softly.
"Last year, because my Gardevoir was pregnant, Gallade stayed by its side to take care of it. So I had Medicham participate instead. I only managed to get fourth place. But this year will be different."
At this point, a trace of excitement flashed in Grace's eyes.
"The little Ralts at home has already started training. By the time of the festival, it should be able to step onto the stage.
When that time comes, Ralts, Gardevoir, and Gallade will appear together. Theo, do not let us outshine you."
Hearing this, Theo laughed, his fighting spirit completely ignited.
"Now that you say that, I am really looking forward to seeing the performance of your Gardevoir family. Do not worry, my partners and I will be fully prepared. We will definitely give you a great match."
"Good. See you at the Grand Festival."
"See you at the Grand Festival."
Grace smiled and extended her hand. Theo grasped it firmly and shook it.
After saying goodbye to Grace, Theo returned to his hotel room.
He first stored away the Ribbon he had earned today, then took out paper and pen to write a shopping list for tomorrow.
After purchasing supplies, he planned to set out for Meteor Falls.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Larvesta was clinging stubbornly to Metang.
With a helpless expression, Metang used its psychic power to control a phone, playing clips of Larvesta's performance from the contest earlier that day.
Especially the moment when it turned into a small sun and shattered the massive fireball.
Larvesta watched without blinking, its small head swaying along with its on-screen self, clearly captivated by its own "coolness."
From time to time, it would even puff out small flames from its horns in pride.
Watching this lively little creature, Theo could not help but chuckle, shaking his head as he continued organizing the shopping list.
After confirming the items to buy, Theo opened the system panel in his mind and looked at the popularity points section.
Most of the points he had accumulated earlier had already been used for advanced draws.
The advanced Pokémon energy orbs obtained from them had naturally become essential for his Pokémon's daily training.
As for Tyrantrum, the Protein vitamins he had used before were no longer effective.
So Theo had allocated those vitamins to Milotic instead, pairing them with Calcium vitamins to give Milotic a greater advantage in prolonged battles.
Larvesta's Calcium and Carbos vitamins were currently running low.
Fortunately, after today's Contest, he had accumulated quite a large amount of popularity points again, enough to replenish a new batch of advanced energy orbs and various vitamins.
"System, initiate a ten times advanced draw."
Theo spoke silently in his mind.
The system responded as a series of rewards appeared before him.
[Advanced Pokémon Energy Orb ×20, Flamethrower ×1, Fire Spin ×1, Blizzard ×1, Gravity ×1, Substitute ×1, Dark Pulse ×1, Calm Mind ×1, Protein×8, Iron×8, Zinc×6, HP Up×9, Carbos ×9, Calcium×10…]
A long list of rewards appeared, and Theo nodded in satisfaction.
More advanced energy orbs had been obtained, along with various enhancement items and skill machines that would allow his Pokémon to improve rapidly once again.
"Alright, Larvesta."
Theo walked over and gently tapped the head of the chubby little Pokémon.
"You have watched it more than ten times already. Are you still not satisfied? It is time to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow and continue our journey."
Reluctantly, Larvesta left the phone, its horns drooping slightly. Still, it obediently crawled to the side of the bed, curling into a ball, its eyes still shining with excitement.
Metang quietly settled down nearby, its red eyes slowly closing.
Lying on the bed, Theo gazed at the deep night sky outside the window, and gradually drifted into sleep.
(End of Chapter)