The exhibition match was over.
Everyone was still immersed in shock.
Even Wallace was stunned for a few seconds before he snapped back to reality. He looked at his fallen partner, who had lost none of her beauty even in defeat, and the sense of realism finally set in.
Did I… lose in a Contest Battle?
Vivian's voice, unable to conceal her surprise, rang out:
"Unbelievable! In the Contest Battle, the top Coordinating Master Wallace has actually been defeated!
In the end, just what was that move Mr. Lucas and Mimikyu showcased, the one that drained Milotic's stamina in a single blow!?"
At the judges' table—
The stunned look on Geeta's face gradually faded. After thinking for a moment, she remembered something.
Wasn't that the Z-Move from the Alola Region, mentioned by that outstanding Trainer, Kukui?
At the time, she had even tried to recruit him to the Paldea League, since the league was just over a decade old and still short on talent. Whether it's Gym Leaders or the Elite Four, Geeta had personally selected and tested each one.
Even though more than half a year had passed, Geeta still remembered that clearly.
Looks like Lucas gained a lot from his time in Alola. In her eyes, the move Lucas called "Ultimate Bond Beatdown" just now was terrifyingly powerful.
After a moment of silence, the faculty and students of Naranja Academy all blushed with excitement and cheers, applause resounding endlessly.
For them, the fact that Lucas, representing Naranja Academy, had defeated the renowned Wallace was already worth celebrating!
The other judges also joined in the applause.
"I like this!"
"Subarashii!"
"Cute and powerful—just as you'd expect from a Fairy-type Pokémon!"
Lucas and Wallace shook hands.
Wallace, with a smile that would make most people feel a bit embarrassed, said,
"It's miraculous! So elegant, I'm jealous! Absolutely dazzling! If possible, could you tell me what that last move was—?"
"It was a Z-Move," Lucas replied.
"A Z-Move? I see. I've heard of those, a special move from the Alola Region, right?"
Wallace looked as if he'd just realized something.
"Your Pokémon was as still as a statue when needed, yet moved like a rabbit at the crucial moment, and carried emotions that could only be developed from your partnership. Even I almost felt dispirited seeing your outstanding performance!"
"Tera and Z-Moves—these are crystallizations of your bond. They perfectly showcase a Pokémon's charm while still packing a punch—
In terms of pure technique, I've spent much longer in this field, so I have the advantage, but as a Trainer, you have your own edge. In that sense, we're even."
Wallace's high emotional intelligence quickly put everyone at ease.
After all, the Tera and Z-Moves Lucas used were also the result of his own hard work and bonds, right?
Moreover, the post-Terastallized Mimikyu using a Z-Move was, to Wallace, every bit as dazzling as Milotic.
The purpose of Contest Battles is to showcase the inherent charm of Pokémon and the bond between Pokémon and Trainer.
As long as this ideal isn't violated, the Contest has room for everything.
Of course—
If possible, Wallace still hoped there wouldn't be too many cases like Lucas, who could end a match with sheer brute force.
The exhibition match ended.
Very soon, the official school Contest would begin.
Thanks to Wallace's performance in the exhibition, the students of Naranja Academy finally understood what a Contest was, and what a Contest Battle looked like.
Especially the students who had registered—they were all raring to go.
They understood everything now!
At least, that's what the students who signed up without reading the rules thought.
When Vivian returned to the stage to announce the rules for the first round, those students were instantly dumbfounded.
Before the "battle" segment, there was a round called the "First Review."
"In the performance round of the First Review, Coordinators must showcase their Pokémon's moves to demonstrate grace and beauty, aiming to impress the judges and audience.
The judges will score each contestant. Only those with the top eight scores will enter the second round, the Contest Battle. There are six judges, each scoring from 0 to 10, with a max of 60 points. The top eight advance."
Vivian explained with a smile.
Many contestants were instantly confused, while those who had prepared for this were unfazed.
Among the confused were, naturally, Paul and Ash.
One of them had registered just because Lucas was participating, without a second thought.
The other had heard the first was participating and immediately joined, barely knowing what a Contest even was.
The first one was Paul. The second, Ash.
The two looked at each other, the same thought appearing in their minds:
What… is "grace"?
After the stage was prepared, the first round officially began.
Lucas went straight to the lounge, and Ash, like a little dog sniffing out a scent, quickly followed.
The other students, for various reasons, all chose not to approach.
"Where's Paul?"
Lucas looked around, not seeing Paul, and asked Ash.
"He's in the first group. He's already been called out," Ash replied, eyes glued to the live broadcast on the lounge's big screen, inspiration churning in his mind.
"Oh," Lucas nodded, also looking at the screen.
To be honest, he wasn't worried about Ash at all—it was Paul he doubted had any talent for this.
There were about a hundred contestants, grouped in fives. Paul's luck was amazing to be in the very first group.
At least he was the last to go in his group, giving him some time to prepare.
Among the five, there were two males and three females. The other man looked old enough to be Paul's father.
He wore what looked like a borrowed dance troupe costume and performed a hot dance with his partner, Quaxwell.
But his slightly protruding belly stole the show—after the whole performance, Lucas only remembered that jiggling belly.
The judges, of course, gave professional feedback.
They first praised the unique traits of Quaxwell, then pointed out areas to improve, and each gave their scores.
The six judges' total score: 30 points—a decent result.
Next, the three female students performed one after another.
But their scores were much lower: 19, 7, and 5.
That five was only given out of sympathy by Geeta and Clavell.
After all, that girl not only kept making mistakes, but also completely misunderstood the essence of a Contest, making her Pokémon a mere prop.
"In a Contest, everything else is a prop for the Pokémon—including the Trainer."
Wallace bluntly laid out the reality.
A Contest is not the same as a Kalos Show—completely different.
The girl left the stage in tears.
Next up was the stiff and awkward Paul.
He hadn't bothered with his appearance at all, still wearing his autumn uniform from Naranja Academy.
His choice of Pokémon left everyone surprised.
A Torterra and an Ursaring.
How to put it… it wasn't a bad combo. After all, Contests are extremely inclusive—cute, beautiful, cool, clever, strong, dazzling.
As long as you can showcase your Pokémon's traits and plan well, you won't do badly.
Unfortunately, Paul's talent for Contests was… rather tragic.
Not that he has no talent—just that he should give up soon.
No sense of beauty.
The moves were powerful, the effects decent, and the two Pokémon worked together okay.
But there was no sense of grace at all.
Only pure battle technique.
To borrow Wallace's critique:
"Kid, you're better suited to traditional Pokémon battles than Contests. You're so focused on precision, you lose the qualities you should be showing."
Paul finished with a total of 25 points, temporarily in second place.
But he knew full well—with that score, making the top eight would be tough.
Having just experienced another "Waterloo" in life, Paul could only return to the audience and sit with Shizuka and Penny.
The judging continued in order.
In an hour, half the groups had finished performing.
The current high score: 35 points, by Nurse Miriam and her partners, Meganium and Toxapex.
The other scores ranged from low to average.
But so far, no one had scored truly high.
Some students wondered if the judges were being too strict.
At that moment—
The seventh group's avatars appeared on the big screen.
As soon as the audience saw the five contestants, the place erupted—
Because Lucas, who had just beaten Wallace, was about to perform in the First Review!
At the judges' table—
Wallace, who had looked bored before, suddenly lit up with anticipation.
Clavell adjusted his glasses and sighed,
"A match between a teacher and students… Normally, this shouldn't happen—"
"You're too rigid, Clavell," Geeta said, lightly reproaching him. "He's not someone who would bully the younger generation for no reason. He just needs to participate for some requirement, that's all. Besides, he knows his limits. Didn't the last teacher-vs-Gym-Leader battle prove that?"
In the lounge—
Before Lucas could speak, Ash jumped up in excitement,
"Brother Lucas, let's see who can get the higher score!"
Lucas didn't answer right away, his gaze falling on the big screen.
Sure enough, in addition to himself, Ash was in the same group.
There wasn't supposed to be any real competition between group members, but that didn't stop Ash from wanting to compete.
Thinking of this, Lucas smiled,
"Well, that depends on your own ability."
Under the spotlight—
Vivian looked into the darkness and raised her hand,
"Now, let's welcome the first contestant of Group 7: Ash!"
With Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash jogged onto the stage, waving cheerfully with no sign of stage fright.
Seeing this, Geeta became interested.
She remembered this boy, Ash, had been staying at Lucas's farm recently, and often came to Naranja Academy to battle the students.
He had even collected eight badges from the Kanto and Johto Leagues, reached the top eight in the Indigo Conference, and was about to enter the Silver Conference. He seemed promising—worth observing.
Geeta sat up straight.
Ash began his performance.
In principle, there was no limit on the number of Pokémon a contestant could use, but the more Pokémon, the harder it was to show clear focus.
Most veteran Coordinators either performed solo, or at most with four or five Pokémon.
But—
Ash was different.
Not only did he send out Pikachu, he tossed an entire basket of Poké Balls into the air!
In an instant, thirty Tauros appeared, crowding the spacious stage!
"Th-this is—!"
Even the experienced Vivian was stunned, momentarily forgetting to comment.
Wallace watched with keen interest—thirty Tauros on stage at once was a first even for him.
Ash must have communicated with the Tauros beforehand. With enough trust and affection, even wild-natured Tauros would obey.
They didn't rampage, but lined up neatly, eyes fixed on Pikachu in the center.
Ash gave his command.
Pikachu used Quick Attack to zip around at high speed, then Thunderbolt to create a series of electric rings in the air.
Next, the thirty Tauros moved.
Their muscles tensed, and with the force of a charging army, they raced toward the electric rings and—
Leaped over them!
Rumble—
The whole venue shook with their stampede, as if an earthquake had struck.
Watching the well-trained, synchronized Tauros leap ring after ring, the audience stared in awe, jaws dropped.
A Contest… can be like this!?
…