As time slowly passed, the third round of the contest, a double battle between Pokémon, finally began.
Theo had originally planned to send Larvesta and Tyrantrum out together again. After all, their coordination during the previous "Groudon performance" had been flawless.
However, Larvesta was currently clinging tightly to Metagross's metallic arm, refusing to let go. Its tiny claw pointed at the phone screen, insisting that Metagross use its telekinesis to "translate" the viewers' comments for it:
"Larvesta is amazing, I want one too."
"I would call it an artist among Fire type Pokémon, it made Groudon's lava patterns look so beautiful."
"Have you seen the latest Pokédex entry? After evolving, it is said to be the incarnation of the sun, no wonder it is so incredible."
Hearing all these compliments, Larvesta was completely overjoyed. It was utterly immersed in the praise from the viewers and had no interest in battling at all.
"Forget it,"
Theo could not help but laugh helplessly and changed his lineup instead.
"Milotic, please go out with Tyrantrum."
Milotic gently swayed its tail in agreement, while Tyrantrum let out an excited roar, clearly eager to return to battle.
Although it was a double battle, Tyrantrum was essentially the one leading the fight.
Milotic occasionally used Water Pulse to block incoming attacks or cast Safeguard to support it, spending most of the time gracefully gliding nearby like an elegant assistant.
Tyrantrum, on the other hand, fought with unrestrained passion.
Having not been able to fully unleash its strength in a formal battle for a long time, it now displayed everything it had learned in the Dragon Village of Unova.
When it activated Outrage, the effect was even more terrifying than the one used earlier by Juan's Swampert.
Unlike Pokémon that were not Dragon type but could still use Outrage due to having traces of dragon blood, Tyrantrum was a true Dragon type Pokémon.
When it used Outrage, it stimulated the dragon blood within its body to a far greater extent, making the move significantly more powerful.
At this moment, Tyrantrum's body swelled dramatically, and a terrifying draconic aura swept across the field, causing its opponents to tremble in fear.
Immediately afterward, it followed up with Dragon Claw, a move it had honed under the training of Haxorus.
Its seemingly short and clumsy forelimbs moved like lightning. With just a few swift slashes, it easily knocked its opponents' Pokémon to the ground.
After all, the ones Tyrantrum had sparred with in the Village of Dragons were seasoned and powerful Dragon type Pokémon. The opponents here were simply no match for it.
In the end, with Tyrantrum's overwhelming offense and Milotic's steady support, the battle concluded in just a few minutes.
Tyrantrum stood proudly at the center of the stage, lifting its head and letting out a thunderous roar, as if announcing its triumphant return.
"The winner is contestant Theo!"
Vivian's voice echoed throughout the venue.
With consecutive victories, Theo successfully obtained one of the five ribbons of the Sootopolis Contest. It was also the final ribbon he needed before heading to the Grand Festival.
What followed was the usual routine: taking photos with the audience, signing autographs, and bidding farewell.
Larvesta finally snapped out of its obsession with online praise, and Metagross was at last freed from the duty of translating comments.
Now, Larvesta squeezed next to Theo, striking all kinds of cool poses for the camera, like a rising celebrity chasing attention.
Only when the sun began to set and the crowd gradually dispersed did Theo return to the Pokémon Center with his team to rest.
…
Early the next morning, Theo brought his Pokémon to say goodbye to Juan.
Juan gifted him a handwritten notebook containing his own insights on training Water type Pokémon and said with a smile:
"Do not falter at the Grand Festival. I am looking forward to seeing an even more brilliant performance from you."
"Thank you, Gym Leader Juan. I will not disappoint you."
After expressing his sincere thanks, Theo set off on a new journey with his Pokémon.
His destination was Izabe Island.
This island lay in the remote sea north of Sootopolis and west of Mossdeep, home to the tallest mountain in Hoenn, the Himaras Ice Mountain.
The mountain was covered in snow all year round and rarely visited by people.
Theo's goal was to take the two Vulpix, Fire Vulpix and Ice Vulpix, to visit their mother, the Totem Alolan Ninetales.
After traveling for so long, it was time for the two little ones to see their mother again, and also for their mother to witness how much they had grown.
Since ships to Izabe Island were rare, Theo decided to travel across the sea on Milotic.
Metagross activated its flying mode and glided forward, cutting through the waves. Larvesta, the two Vulpix, and Deino crowded together on its broad back, chattering and playing noisily.
As for the large Tyrantrum, it had no choice but to stay inside its Poké Ball. There simply was not enough space.
The sea was calm, sunlight shimmering across the surface like golden ripples. The four little ones played happily.
Deino dipped its head into the water to catch fish, then splashed around with the two Vulpix, having the time of its life.
At that moment, Larvesta, which had been lazily basking in the sun, suddenly flashed with a red glow.
"Dei!"
Deino's sudden cry caught Theo's attention.
It turned out that sparks had burst from Larvesta's antennae, scorching Deino's rear and making it yelp in pain.
Larvesta quickly apologized, insisting it had not meant to do it, but the way its eyes darted around made it hard for Deino to believe.
As expected, the two soon began bickering and play fighting again.
"Lar!"
After winning the argument, Larvesta proudly shook its antennae. It truly had not intended to bully Deino. It did not even know why its antennae had suddenly started emitting fire.
But whatever.
Deino had thick skin anyway. As long as it was careful to stay away from the two Vulpix and not accidentally burn them, it would be fine.
Larvesta continued enjoying the warmth of the sunlight, completely unaware that its body was flickering with an uncontrollable red glow.
At first, Theo did not notice anything unusual.
But as Deino let out several more aggrieved cries, Theo began to feel that something was wrong.
Larvesta would not deliberately bully Deino like this. At most, it would tease it once or twice and stop. This was already the third time Deino had been burned.
When Theo looked closely at Larvesta, intending to tell it to stop, he suddenly noticed a faint red glow flickering across its body, as if flames were flowing beneath its skin.
At that moment, Larvesta itself, while apologizing again to Deino, also noticed something was off.
This chubby little bug began pacing anxiously on Metagross's back, letting out uneasy cries, saying that it felt very hot.
"What is wrong, Larvesta? Are you feeling unwell?"
(End of Chapter)