First-Round Review: Charm Showcase Stage

As Wallace finished speaking, applause and cheers surged through the venue once more, lasting without end.

Host Kotaro hurried to the center of the stage, his face flushed with excitement.

"Thank you to Master Wallace for that opening performance! That was absolutely the most stunning opening I've ever seen, bar none! Let's give Master Wallace another round of applause!"

The applause from below grew even more fervent. Wallace nodded to the audience again, then turned and headed for his seat at the judges' table.

Milotic elegantly swayed its body, transforming into a streak of pink light before lightly leaping into the Poké Ball at Wallace's waist, making a splendid exit.

"All right, audience members and contestants!" Kotaro raised his microphone high, unable to contain the excitement in his voice.

"The first round of the Pokémon Contest—the Charm Showcase Stage, showcasing the bond between Trainers and Pokémon—officially begins!

First, please welcome contestant number one!"

The spotlight shone on the contestants' entrance. A girl with twin ponytails hurried onto the stage, holding a small Skitty in her arms.

Skitty had snowy-white fur and a pink tail, its tail tip curled into an adorable spiral. The moment it appeared, cries of "So cute!" rose from the audience.

"Skitty, use Double Slap!" the girl called in a crisp voice.

Skitty lightly jumped onto the small platform at center stage, rapidly swinging its front paws. Its pink pads traced adorable arcs through the air.

Though it was only the most basic move, its lively eyes and playful movements made it especially endearing.

The girl clapped along, her face wearing the same smile as her Pokémon's. It was clear the two were very close in their daily lives.

"So cute! Absolutely adorable!"

"Skitty's little paws are so precious! My heart's melting!"

"The move is simple, but their interaction is so sweet!"

At the judges' table, Sukizo smiled with narrowed eyes and nodded gently. Nurse Joy also wore a warm smile and softly praised, "So full of energy."

Contesta wrote down a score on his board. His expression remained serious, but there was a hint of approval in his eyes.

After the performance ended, the girl bowed with Skitty in her arms and left the stage to warm applause.

Then contestants number two, three, and so on took the stage one after another, each with their own distinctive style.

Some had their Pokémon display carefully designed outfits, while others used props with moves to create simple interactions. Though most were fairly conventional, the atmosphere in the venue gradually heated up.

Of course, there were also performances where Trainers ordered their Pokémon to use moves, only for the Pokémon to sulk and refuse, drawing plenty of laughter from the audience.

Naturally, those contestants had no chance of advancing.

When it was time for a male contestant to take the stage, the discussion among the other contestants caught Lin Mo's attention.

"This interaction is pretty interesting!"

"They work together so seamlessly! Sandshrew's Rollout is so steady!"

The boy onstage held a colorful hoop half his height, and the Pokémon he had sent out was a grayish-brown Sandshrew.

"Sandshrew, Rollout!" At the command, Sandshrew curled into a ball and began rolling rapidly across the stage.

The boy ran back and forth while holding the hoop, precisely guiding the rolling Sandshrew through it, over it, and through it again. Their movements flowed smoothly, like a perfectly coordinated acrobatic act.

Lin Mo watched Sandshrew's performance, lightly tapping his fingers against his knee.

"Using the hoop to guide Sandshrew's rolling path does show interaction, but at its core, it's still just basic move coordination. It lacks that flash of creativity that really makes people's eyes light up."

Conventional, but not bad.

As the numbers gradually drew closer, the performances onstage became more and more impressive.

When contestant number thirty-two, Armani, appeared, the atmosphere throughout the venue clearly rose to another level.

Armani wore a red leather jacket, his hair meticulously styled. He threw a Poké Ball, and with a flash of red light, a Flareon wreathed in orange-red flames appeared at center stage.

"Flareon, Flame Charge!"

Flareon let out a clear cry as the flames around its body suddenly intensified, turning it into a red streak of lightning that darted across the stage.

Every time it turned back, it spat a small burst of Ember into the air.

Before the Ember could reach the ground, Flareon rushed forward, absorbing it into its body. The flames produced by Flame Charge burned even more fiercely around it.

"Beautiful!" Kotaro shouted excitedly.

"Continuous Ember!" Armani gave another command.

Flareon opened its mouth and released even more Ember. The sparks merged together, forming a massive fireball in the center of the stage.

Flareon leaped straight into the fireball. Rather than harming it, the flames only made the fire around its body burn even brighter, as though the entire fireball had become its source of energy.

"Now that's a real expert!"

"He combined Flame Charge, Ember, and Flash Fire perfectly!"

"No wonder he's a contestant with three Ribbons! His strength really is on another level!"

At the judges' table, Wallace nodded slightly and wrote down a fairly high score. Even Contesta showed rare approval.

"His control over fire energy is very precise, and the creativity is good as well."

After Armani's performance ended, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

Lin Mo watched the flames gradually fade from the stage and thought to himself:

Flareon's Ability was used perfectly, and its fire moves were executed well too. No wonder he's earned three Ribbon badges.

Time slowly passed, and it was soon contestant number sixty-six, Grace's, turn.

The moment the host announced her number, the entire venue erupted. Her title as a semifinalist in the previous Grand Festival had filled everyone with anticipation for her performance.

Grace wore a long purple dress, her demeanor elegant. She gently tossed a Poké Ball, and a Medicham dressed in a white martial arts uniform landed onstage, standing tall with sharp eyes.

"Medicham, Fire Punch, Confusion!" Grace's voice was cool and forceful.

Medicham swung its right fist, igniting it with blazing flames. As pale blue light glowed in its eyes, Confusion caused each Fire Punch to create a lotus flower made of flame.

It threw punch after punch. With every strike, another fiery lotus bloomed beside Medicham. Before long, dozens of fire lotuses floated across the stage, slowly circling it like a burning sea of flowers.

"That's incredible!"

"Using Confusion to shape flames into lotuses—how did she do that?"

"It's just as amazing as her performance at the last Grand Festival! No, it's even more perfect than before!"

Just as everyone was marveling at the display, Grace suddenly gave an order.

"Bloom!"

Medicham thrust both hands forward, and all the fiery lotuses instantly rose into the air, bursting simultaneously above the stage!

Countless sparks scattered like fireworks, only to be erased by Confusion before they could touch the ground, leaving no trace behind.

Medicham stood directly beneath the "fireworks," its posture tall and straight, like a dancer commanding flames.

"Wow—!" Deafening cheers exploded across the venue. Though it was a move they had seen before, it was still truly beautiful when performed again.

Even Contesta at the judges' table could not help applauding.

Grace bowed to the audience, while Medicham cooperatively struck an elegant pose. Even as they left the stage, the applause below had yet to stop.

Lin Mo looked at the lingering fiery light on the stage and took a deep breath.

Grace's performance was not only technically superb; more importantly, it perfectly blended power and beauty. She truly deserved her title as a Grand Festival semifinalist.

Lin Mo lowered his head and looked at his number tag—number eighty-six. Only twenty more contestants remained before it would be his turn.

"Feebas, we've got a powerful opponent," Lin Mo said softly, pressing the Poké Ball at his waist. "We're ready too, right?"

A faint vibration came from the Poké Ball, as though it were nodding hard.

By then, the comments in Lin Mo's livestream had already exploded.

"Grace is way too strong! How are the contestants after her supposed to compete?"

"Number eighty-six! It's almost time! Streamer, good luck!"

Lin Mo smiled at the camera without saying anything, but his gaze grew even more resolute.

One contestant after another finished their showcase. Then the host's voice rang out across the stage once more.

"Thank you to contestant Ali for that wonderful performance! Next, please welcome contestant number eighty-six!"

Lin Mo's moment had arrived.