She wore black and white gloves on her left and right hands, and a blue top hat sat tilted slightly on her head. The whole look made her appear both lively and elegant, with a hint of cool charm.
"Hello everyone, it is me, Vivian Meridian, meeting you all again!"
Vivian's sweet voice spread throughout the entire venue through the microphone. She spun lightly in place, the hem of her outfit drawing a graceful arc as she smiled brightly.
"Do I look beautiful today?"
"Beautiful!"
"Absolutely stunning!"
"Vivian, I love you!"
The cheers from the audience surged like a wave, nearly lifting the roof. Vivian's eyes curved into crescents as she laughed.
"Hahaha, thank you all for the compliments! The most exciting competition for Coordinators, the Sootopolis City Contest, is about to begin!
No more small talk, let me introduce our judging panel first, ta da!"
As her voice fell, three familiar figures stepped onto the judges' platform one after another.
Mr. Sukizo, Mr. Contesta, and the ever gentle Nurse Joy.
The three of them waved to the audience, and another round of enthusiastic applause erupted.
"Next, let me invite a guest who is both mysterious and not mysterious at all!"
Vivian deliberately dragged out her tone, a playful sparkle in her eyes.
"He is one of the founders of Contest battles, the elegant master of Water types known as the 'The Gym Leader with the beauty of pure water!
Let us welcome him with the warmest applause, Mr. Juan!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the applause became even more thunderous than before.
Juan, dressed in a white and blue formal suit, walked slowly onto the judges' platform, a gentle smile on his face as he nodded slightly to the audience.
As the Gym Leader of Sootopolis and a pioneer of Contests, his presence undoubtedly added even greater weight to the event.
"Water is a flowing poem, and battle is an elegant dance."
Standing at the center of the stage, Juan's voice was calm yet carried a penetrating strength.
"Hello everyone, I am Juan, the Gym Leader of Sootopolis.
Elegant battles and beautiful victories are my beliefs.
In today's Contest, I look forward to seeing each contestant present their own unique performance. Show me your path of elegance to your heart's content."
After speaking, he gave a slight bow, and the audience responded with a long lasting wave of applause.
"That was wonderful, Mr. Juan!"
Vivian looked at him with admiration, her eyes sparkling.
'Water is a flowing poem, battle is an elegant dance.' What a beautiful line. As expected of Mr. Juan, truly poetic!"
She took a deep breath, shook her head lightly, and quickly brought herself back on track.
"Alright, no more delays. It is time for the exciting competition!
The first contestant to appear today is someone who has been the hottest topic in Sootopolis these past few days.
He once came into close contact with Lord Kyogre and was recognized by the God of the Sea. He is also the dark horse of this Contest.
What kind of performance will he bring us? Let us welcome contestant number one, Theo!"
The spotlight instantly focused on the backstage entrance.
Theo adjusted his collar, then nodded toward Milotic and Larvesta beside him.
"Are you ready? It is our turn."
Milotic gently swayed its tail fin, letting out a soft, melodious cry. Its scales shimmered under the lights with a smooth, luminous glow.
Larvesta, on the other hand, chirped excitedly, already unable to wait.
For this performance, it did not need to make many movements, and it could even appear on stage wearing its decorations. That alone made it incredibly happy.
Theo walked slowly toward the center of the stage with the two Pokémon. The moment he appeared, cheers erupted from the audience.
Aside from light boards displaying Theo's name, there were also many prepared specifically for Larvesta and Milotic.
"Larvesta is the coolest" and "Milotic is the most beautiful" shone brightly under the lights, making Larvesta stare in amazement.
Theo smiled and greeted the audience before slowly stepping back to the edge of the stage, leaving the spotlight to his Pokémon.
Larvesta, however, did not rush forward. Instead, it swayed its body and slowly backed up step by step, striking what it believed were cool poses with each movement.
Although Milotic was the main performer in the first round, Larvesta had no intention of being just a background figure. It had to steal some attention.
And indeed, quite a few audience members were drawn to its proud yet comical behavior, letting out soft laughter as their gazes shifted toward it.
Milotic remained completely unaffected, focusing entirely on preparing its performance.
A gentle blue glow surged around its body, gradually gathering into its mouth and forming a crystal clear sphere of water.
With a graceful motion, it lifted its head and released the water sphere into the sky. The sphere burst above the stage, instantly transforming into a cloud that hovered overhead.
Silver lightning flickered within the clouds, and after a few seconds, a gentle drizzle began to fall.
It was Rain Dance, but perfectly controlled so that the rain fell only within the stage area, leaving the audience untouched.
At that very moment, Milotic unleashed its signature skill, time freeze.
Countless raindrops hung suspended in midair, some as small as pearls, others as large as glass beads, refracting the stage lights into dazzling colors.
Accompanied by Milotic's soft call, these suspended droplets slowly drifted toward the audience.
Curious spectators reached out their hands. The moment their fingers touched a droplet, it trembled lightly as if alive, drawing gasps of amazement.
Then, a wave of blue energy spread from Milotic's body. In the next instant, the suspended droplets began to change shape rapidly.
Some grew tiny tails, others puffed into round little bodies, and in the blink of an eye, they transformed into countless tiny Feebas.
These "water droplet Feebas" looked incredibly lifelike. They swam through the venue, wagging their tails, brushing against the audience's cheeks or slipping into the palms of children, filling the arena with laughter.
"They are Feebas! So cute!"
"I have one on my hand, it is licking me!"
While the audience was completely immersed in the fun, Milotic swayed its tail and lifted itself into the air with a stream of water, circling above the stands.
The droplet Feebas seemed to find their leader, gathering behind it to form a lively school of fish that circled the venue once before returning with Milotic to the center of the stage.
At that moment, Larvesta, which had been holding itself back, finally got its chance to shine.
It leaped to the center of the stage, and the five antennae on its head lit up one after another like torches, glowing brighter and brighter with an orange red light.
In the next instant, intense flames burst forth from its mouth, spreading into a vast sea of fire above the stage.
The blazing light dyed half the sky red, forming a striking contrast with the earlier blue school of Feebas.
What was even more astonishing was that Milotic, leading the droplet Feebas, charged directly into the sea of fire.
They swam gracefully through the flames. Water droplets collided with fire, yet instead of being extinguished, they created bursts of golden splashes that shimmered brilliantly in the air.
(End of Chapter)