Lionel pressed the button on the lottery machine in the contestant passage, and a number plate printed with "47" slowly popped out. He put the plate away and took the two Vulpixes into the preparation room.
The preparation room was already filled with contestants; some were grooming their Pokémon, others were practicing commands in hushed tones, and an atmosphere of tension and excitement permeated the air.
On the large screen in the center of the preparation room, the broadcast of the arena had already begun. In less than half an hour, the stands were packed, even the standing area was crowded with people, a colorful array of balloons and cheering banners swaying in the crowd like a flowing rainbow.
Seeing the dense crowd on the screen, and seeing so many people watching, the Fire Vulpix, perched on Lionel's lap, swayed slightly.
Ice Vulpix clung tightly to it, its paws instinctively catching Lionel's clothes, the bell around its neck occasionally tinkling softly.
"Don't be afraid, just look at me when you go on stage, and follow my instructions. You don't need to look at anyone else."
Lionel gently stroked the two little creatures' heads, his voice soft.
Just then, cheerful music suddenly filled the arena.
On the broadcast screen in the contestants' room, a group of round, chubby Marys lined up and ran onto the stage, each one dressed in a cute outfit.
To the cheerful rhythm, they wiggled their butts to the left and right, swinging the little balls behind their tails, occasionally jumping together—they were incredibly adorable.
Leading the dance at the front was the beautiful woman in the floral dress who had taken photos under the coconut tree a few days ago; she swayed her arms along with Marill , her smile radiant.
"Wow! So cute~!"
A soft exclamation came from the preparation room.
"They're so neat and tidy, so adorable!"
The audience below the stage cheered even louder, applause and whistles rising and falling, instantly dispelling the previously somewhat reserved atmosphere.
The music faded, and the Marill collectively tumbled onto the stage.
Suddenly, the platform in the center of the stage rose "darkly," and a man in a royal blue suit with a bright yellow bow tie jumped out.
He landed stylishly, struck a pose, and then, holding a microphone, shouted into the audience:
"Go! Go!"
"Go! Hello everyone, it's been a long time—I'm your dearest host, Kotaro!" His words were barely out of the box when the audience erupted in cheers, many waving light signs that read "Kotaro" and dancing.
Kotaro stood up, twirled around the stage with light-up steps, and continued: "The grand feast for Pokémon Coordinators, the exciting, adorable, and captivating Pokemon Contest, is being held today in our beautiful pacifidogTown! I'm so excited to be here twice to host for you all! Enough chit-chat, let's get to the judges!"
He slammed his hand on the stage, and the platform rose, accompanied by a "la la la" sound effect, revealing a familiar figure. It was Nurse Joy! But today, Nurse Joy... however, made the entire audience's expectations rise.
She wasn't wearing her signature nurse's uniform, but instead, she wore an outfit full of tropical flair:
A bright yellow tank top, outlining her slender waist, and a grass-green skirt, the hem of which was covered in tiny seashells, making a "rustling" sound with every movement.
She wore a floral wreath made of tropical flowers on her head, a pearl necklace, and seashell bracelets on her wrists. She looked like a sunflower blooming on the beach, radiant and vibrant.
"Wow! Miss Joy!"
"This is so beautiful! I love the Joy!"
"Miss Joy! Look here!"
The cheers from the audience almost lifted the roof off, even the contestants in the preparation room couldn't help but lean out to look at the screen, their eyes filled with surprise.
Larvesta stared wide-eyed, shaking its head.
"Are you thinking, 'So this is how you dress'?"
Lionel immediately saw through its thoughts and patted its head, reminding it, "You can't dress like that. If you do, you'll be too sexy."
Larvesta retorted defiantly, while Vulpix's eyes darted around, seemingly lost in thought.
Meanwhile, the livestream chat exploded with comments: "Holy crap! Is that Nurse Joy? I'm not mistaken!"
"That grass skirt suits her so well! It's a million times more amazing than a nurse's uniform!"
"I suggest the League promote this look! If Nurse Joy in Hoenn wore this, I'd go to the Pokémon Center every day!"
The Nurse Joy waved somewhat sheepishly to the audience. The tassels on the grass skirt swayed gently with their movements, eliciting another round of cheers. Kotaro and the others' cheers subsided slightly, then pointed to the other side of the rising platform:
"Next up is our old friend from the Pokemon Contest—President Sukizo ! And Director Raoul Contesta!"
The two judges appeared one after the other. President Sukizo wore a white suit, and Director Raoul Contesta was still in his dark blue uniform. They nodded to the audience.
However, compared to the sensation caused by Miss Joy's entrance, the applause they received was noticeably milder. Some viewers even muttered under their breath:
"Why isn't it Vice Director Yumiko...?"
The live stream chat echoed this sentiment:
[Suddenly missing Vice Director Yumiko, if she came, would she wear a grass skirt too?]
[Yeah!]
"Director Raoul Contesta, could you make way? I want to see Deputy Director Yumiko in a grass skirt!"
"+1! Deputy Director Yumiko in a gorgeous skirt would definitely be more beautiful than Miss Joy!"
"Wake up, Director Raoul Contesta is still on stage."
Lionel looked at the serious-faced Director Raoul Contesta on the screen and couldn't help but silently agree in his heart:
"I really do miss Deputy Director Yumiko. If she came, she might really be able to 'swirl' with Miss Joy, bringing everyone a visual feast. Her tall figure..."
While Lionel was thinking, the limited light suddenly revealed Larvesta beside him. This big fat bug was wiggling its chubby round butt, as if imitating Joy's grass skirt walk.
Lionel almost burst out laughing. The viewers in the live stream also noticed this scene. Some people reminded others to watch in the chat, while others told Lionel not to disturb the voles, as he was recording the voles' "unpredictable" moves.
"Alright everyone," Kotaro returned to the center of the stage, raised his microphone, and announced loudly.
"The bond between trainers and Pokémon, the first round of the Pokemon Contest—officially begins! Let's welcome the contestants! Haha!"
Accompanied by exciting music and cheers from the audience, Kotaro jumped off the stage, and the spotlight in the center of the stage lit up.
With the music playing, the first contestant entered.
The rules of this competition were the same as the Meteor Falls competition, requiring trainers to send out two Pokémon to fight together, testing the coordination and visual appeal of their skills.
The first to enter were a doubles team: Arcanine and Kirlia.
Kirlia spewed orange-red flames from Arcanine's breath, and Kirlia danced gracefully around them, using her psychic powers to weave the flames into a swirling ring of fire.
Their coordination was fairly good, but halfway through, Arcanine's flames seemed to lose direction, nearly hitting Chipridge's skirt, eliciting a murmur of surprise from the audience.
"See? They're obviously nervous."
Lionel whispered to the two Vulpixes:
"Don't be nervous later, just treat it like practice, like a game, just have fun."
The Flame Vulpix nodded obediently, while Ice Vulpix patted its chest with its paw, as if encouraging its opponent.
Milotic swam over and gently touched the heads of the two Vulpixes with its tail, its eyes filled with counting.
Larvesta also came over, making a "bite" sound at them, sharing its experience on the field as a former Pokémon.
Time flowed slowly as the contestants performed.
The two Vulpixes watched with increasing focus, their initial tension gradually replaced by anticipation.
Just then, the announcement for the contestants' preparations sounded:
"Contestant number 47, Lionel, please bring your Pokémon to the entrance to prepare."
"It's our turn." Lionel took a deep breath and stood up.
The fire Vulpix and Ice Vulpix immediately jumped down, following closely at his feet.
Larvesta touched their foreheads with its head, encouraging them.
Milotic and Metagross also gently patted their heads with their arms, adding fuel to the fire.
Lionel led the two little creatures into the contestant passage. The door at the end of the passage slowly opened, and a beam of light instantly shone in. A wave of cheers and music from the audience rushed towards him.
"Don't be afraid," Lionel smiled down at the two Vulpix: "Come on, let's show everyone how powerful you are." "
One person and two pets, bathed in the bright lights, walked step by step to the center of the arena.
In the audience below, many fans with light sticks immediately cheered, their lights twinkling in the crowd like a flowing sea of stars.
"Go Lionel!"
"Fire Vulpix is the best!"
The shouts rose and fell, instantly drowning out the surrounding chatter.
Lionel looked down at the two little creatures at his feet, reached out and ruffled their heads, his voice filled with a smile:
"Don't worry, don't be nervous, just listen to my commands, you two have always been great."
Ice Vulpix and Fire Vulpix looked at each other, then both looked at Lionel, their initial tension gradually fading, replaced by complete trust.
They nodded simultaneously, their little paws pressed firmly to the ground, ready.
" As the host, Kotaro, announced, "The performance begins!", the music on stage suddenly became ethereal.
"Let's begin."
Lionel gently raised his hand.
As soon as the command was given, the two Vulpixes darted out like arrows from a high bow, each taking a position on either side of the arena.
The next second, they simultaneously activated their abilities to the fullest extent.
On the left side, where the Flame Vulpix was, the air suddenly heated up, the sunlight seemed to be focused, forming a warm halo, and the ground even tinged with a faint golden-red.
On the right side, where Ice Vulpix was, fine snowflakes fell, quickly covering the ground with a thin layer of frost, and the air was filled with crystalline chill.
Half blazing sun, half falling snow—two completely different weather conditions coexisted on the same field, like a fantastical painting.
The audience members who saw Ice Vulpix for the first time gasped in amazement, asking those nearby who knew what was going on.
"Vulpix, use Flame Spin!"
Lionel's voice rang out clearly.
Fire Vulpix raised its head and cried out, its body engulfed in orange-red flames that swirled and rose, forming a miniature fire tornado.
But instead of letting the tornado rage, it focused all its energy on controlling the energy.
The fire tornado was slowly compressed and reduced in size, its rotation speed increasing until it finally transformed into a huge, vessel-shaped fire ring.
The fire ring stood in the center of the arena, with flames still flickering at its edges, like a burning halo.
"Beautiful!"
Joy's team praised softly, tapping lightly on the scoreboard.
"Little Ice, move closer, use Aurora Beam!"
Lionel continued to give the order.
Ice Vulpix responded, darted swiftly towards the fire ring, while the Fire Vulpix moved in the opposite direction. Its controlled area of clear skies shrank accordingly, forming a clear boundary with the snowfall area controlled by Ice Vulpix, as if drawing an invisible line in the middle of the arena.
Just as Ice Vulpix reached directly beneath the fire ring, it suddenly raised its head and spewed out a dazzling beam of ice-blue light. It was the Aurora Beam technique. The frigid ice-blue beam struck the Fire Vulpix's flame pattern precisely.
Amplified by the falling snow, the ice-type energy of the Aurora Beam spread outwards, coating the outer edge of the flame ring with a layer of ice. The originally blazing flames were now encased in ice, forming a giant ice-fire circle. A ring.
Red flames moved within the transparent liquid, and tiny ice crystals clung to the outside of the ice layer, a breathtaking sight.
The audience was completely silent, then after a few seconds, thunderous applause and cheers erupted.
The live stream chat was also buzzing with excitement for the two Vulpixed monsters.
Fans commented:
[These two little darlings are so in sync! They've already created a huge spectacle as soon as they came on stage!]
[Your little ones have stolen your thunder!]
Lionel then slowly stepped forward, walking from the back of the stage to the front of the rotating platform, passing under the enormous ring of frozen fire.
The blue and red light of the frozen fire ring illuminated Lionel's figure.
Lionel then opened his arms at the opportune moment, and the two Vulpixed monsters immediately understood, running towards him from the left and right. They leaped into his arms.
As Ice Vulpix and Fire Vulpix crawled together, the warmth of their unique properties mingled with the falling snow, creating a magnetic collision.
Golden light and white snowflakes swirled and danced in the air, eventually turning into specks of light dust that slowly dissipated into the air.
Only the Frozen Fire Ring behind him remained suspended in mid-air, like a giant, luminous image.
Lionel, holding the two Vulpix, walked to the front of the stage. He bowed deeply to the judges and the audience.
The Fire Vulpix and Ice Vulpix in his arms tilted their heads, whimpering to the audience as if greeting them.
The Frozen Fire Ring behind him emitted a soft glow, outlining the figures of the man and his two pets in a dreamlike, ethereal way, like a flowing painting.