The sandstorm seemed almost alive as it swirled and gathered around Tyrantrum, quickly spreading until it covered the entire performance stage.
Wind and sand intertwined, forming a hazy curtain that obscured the view of the stage. The audience below could no longer see what was happening at the center, and could only hear the faint rustling sound of sand grinding against itself.
The crowd held their breath, staring intently at the shifting shadows within the sand curtain as something began to take shape.
The livestream chat exploded with activity:
"Here it comes! Tyrantrum's sandstorm! This is going to be something big!"
"Is he recreating that giant statue like the Metagross performance before?"
"Doesn't look like it… look at the outline forming, the lower half doesn't resemble Tyrantrum at all, and definitely not Larvesta either."
"Those legs… they are way too thick. And that tail… wait, that shape feels familiar…"
As time passed, the silhouette within the sand became clearer and clearer.
It was a massive lower body covered in thick, rugged scales. Its powerful legs stood like pillars, firmly planted, and at the end of its tail were four distinct, blade-like protrusions shaped like bulldozer teeth.
Gasps began to ripple through the audience as more and more people recognized the form.
"Damn! That's Groudon!"
"My god, it really is Groudon! That iconic tail, there is no mistake!"
"He has guts! He just interacted with Lord Kyogre and now he is recreating Lord Groudon?"
"Won't Kyogre get mad if it finds out? Asking seriously!"
"Haha, both Hoenn legends showing up in Sootopolis, this is insane!"
Amid the audience's astonishment, Tyrantrum continued to manipulate the sandstorm, gradually raising the towering figure higher and higher.
At last, a ten meter tall phantom of Groudon stood proudly at the center of the stage, its head lifted high, its posture imposing, as though it could trample the land at any moment.
The audience was completely speechless, and even Juan at the judges' table raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes.
But this was not the end.
"Larvesta, your turn!"
Theo called out.
"Lar!"
Perched atop the sand formed Groudon's head, Larvesta suddenly stood up. Its entire body burst into blazing red light as orange red flames poured out like molten lava, flowing down along the body of the sand constructed Groudon.
A wondrous transformation began.
Under the infusion of flames, glowing orange red patterns like molten magma emerged across Groudon's surface, stretching from its head all the way to the tip of its tail, as if real lava were coursing through its body.
This was an effect Theo had deliberately trained Larvesta to create, inspired by the Primal Reversion form of Groudon from his past life memories.
As the flames continued to flow, the sand constructed Groudon seemed to breathe. Each glowing vein pulsed with fiery light, radiating intense heat.
Its body slowly grew larger, rising from ten meters to nearly twelve, its chest subtly rising and falling.
At that moment, it truly looked like a Primal Groudon, as if it could erupt with lava and reshape the earth at any second.
On stage, Tyrantrum guided the massive figure to slowly lift its enormous claw, striking a pose as though it were about to tear open the sky itself.
At the same time, Larvesta unleashed Sunny Day, and under the blazing sunlight, the coordination between the two reached perfection, fully displaying Groudon's overwhelming power and majesty.
Then, Tyrantrum inhaled deeply, and the sandstorm suddenly turned violent, spiraling upward and engulfing the Primal Groudon figure.
At the same instant, Larvesta unleashed a massive Fire Blast. The flames detonated within the storm, forming a gigantic fiery vortex.
Sand and fire intertwined and rotated wildly within the vortex. The towering sand formed Groudon gradually broke apart, dissolving into countless streaks of light.
Bit by bit, the flames subsided, and the sandstorm calmed.
Like a meteor shower, the glowing particles drifted down onto the stage, vanishing the moment they touched the ground, leaving behind only shimmering specks, as though they were a final gift from Groudon returning to the earth.
Tyrantrum stood quietly at the center of the stage.
Larvesta leapt down from its head, trotted to the edge of the stage, and bowed deeply toward the audience.
For once, it behaved properly, without any antics.
The audience had been left completely stunned, and only now did they come back to their senses, erupting into even louder applause and cheers than before.
Many people raised their phones, frantically recording the breathtaking scene, afraid to miss even a single detail.
"This is unbelievable…"
"This is practically… a miracle!"
At the judges' table, Mr. Sukizo was still immersed in the spectacle of Primal Groudon, murmuring to himself:
"The fusion of sandstorm structure and flame rendering is executed flawlessly. It is not just visually similar, it captures the very essence… this goes beyond mere performance, really remarkable!"
Juan, however, looked at Theo with a helpless expression and muttered quietly:
"The one acknowledged by Lord Kyogre, conjuring Groudon in Lord Kyogre's domain… this kid really makes it impossible for us to deny how impressive the younger generation is."
"I… I do not even know what words to use to describe this performance!"
Vivian exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.
"A symphony of sand and fire, a weaving of legend and reality! Contestant Theo has once again brought us an incredible surprise! Let us give them another round of applause!"
The applause thundered once more as the audience waved their arms wildly, some even moved to tears.
For the people of the Hoenn region, Groudon and Kyogre were legendary beings. To witness both of them in Sootopolis, even if one was merely an illusion, was an unforgettable experience for everyone present.
With this astonishing performance, Theo had opened the second round with overwhelming impact.
The Primal Groudon illusion formed by sand and fire was like a stone cast into the hearts of the audience, its ripples lingering for a long time.
The contestants who followed all wore troubled expressions. After such a dramatic opening, it was nearly impossible to draw the audience's attention back.
Backstage, Larvesta was happily clutching a small compact camera, grinning from ear to ear.
Theo had bought the camera while shopping in Sootopolis a few days earlier, and the little Alolan Vulpix had captured every heroic moment of Larvesta during the performance.
As Larvesta looked through the photos of its own dazzling appearance, it became completely immersed, unable to pull itself away.
Meanwhile, as audience members shared clips and images online, the "Groudon performance" by Theo, Larvesta, and Tyrantrum skyrocketed in popularity on the Pokémon website.
Topics like "Sootopolis Contest Groudon" and "Larvesta god level coordination" quickly climbed the trending charts.
More and more viewers flooded into Theo's livestream, overwhelming the platform to the point of lag, forcing the technical team to urgently expand capacity just to stabilize it.
The chat had already turned into a sea of messages:
"I came late! Does anyone have a recording of the Groudon performance? Please send it!"
"Same here! I want it too! Anyone got a high quality video? Please share!"
(End of Chapter)