Dewford Gym
In the blink of an eye, an entire month had quietly slipped by. The date of the Pacifidlog Town Contest was drawing closer and closer, and the progress of the Pokémon could be seen with the naked eye.
After this period of special training, the improvement of the two little Vulpix could only be described as astonishing.
The little Ice Vulpix had already learned to skillfully control its Snow Warning ability. It was no longer just simple drifting snow, but could now gather some of the snowflakes around its body into tiny ice spikes, then merge them into its Icy Wind attack.
When it used Icy Wind and exhaled a stream of freezing breath, those ice spikes would shoot out along with the biting cold current. Although it still could not instantly freeze large areas of seawater or create a magnificent ice wall like Milotic, it could already leave a dense layer of frost on the crests of the waves.
The waves originally surged toward the shore with great momentum, rolling forward with force. But when hit by that icy wind mixed with ice spikes, the front edge of the wave seemed to have its speed reduced, its rolling motion clearly slowing down.
The splashing droplets froze midair into tiny ice crystals, crackling as they fell back into the sea, as if draping a thin veil of frost over the waves.
Not only that, the little Ice Vulpix had also learned the Ice Beam move from Milotic. A pale blue beam of cold energy shot from its mouth, instantly freezing a patch of the sea's surface into solid ice.
On top of that, it had even begun to grasp the basics of Rain Dance and Draining Kiss.
The former allowed it to summon a light drizzle within a small area. When used in snowy conditions, it could create a hazy ice mist, making the little Ice Vulpix's figure appear elusive and dreamlike, almost impossible to track.
The latter marked its initial understanding of Fairy-type energy, allowing it to recover a small portion of its stamina while attacking opponents.
Although these two moves were still at a very early stage and appeared rather immature, for such a young baby Pokémon, this level of performance was already extremely outstanding.
The little Fire Vulpix was not far behind its sister either.
Its earlier Ember had already evolved into a true Flamethrower. A thick pillar of fire could now be unleashed, capable of producing large clouds of steam over the sea and forcing back incoming waves.
What surprised Theo the most was its Fire Blast.
Although it could not yet form the massive "大" shaped flames like Larvesta, it could at least barely condense a small fireball about the size of a palm, which could only be called a "mini Fire Blast."
Even so, for a Vulpix of such a young age to have already learned this high-level Fire-type move was an enormous surprise.
Beyond just learning new moves, what mattered more was that both little ones were becoming increasingly proficient in the fine control of their abilities.
Whenever he had time, Theo would bring the two Vulpix sisters and Milotic along to watch recordings of Contest performances.
After all, education should start from a young age. Theo hoped they would develop an interest in Contests early on.
Sure enough, the two little ones were quickly captivated by the dazzling performances.
Whenever they saw performances featuring Vulpix, Eevee, or Skitty, they became especially excited, often imagining themselves as the stars on stage receiving cheers and applause.
During their free time, the little Ice Vulpix would often practice on its own, creating ice sculptures to improve its control over Ice-type energy.
At this moment, it stood in front of a half-finished sculpture.
A stream of pale blue cold air flowed from its mouth, gradually forming a vague outline.
At first, it was just an irregular lump of ice, but as it carefully controlled the output of its energy, the shape slowly became clearer.
A round little head, drooping ears, and behind it, the faint outline of six fluffy tails. It was unmistakably a sculpture of itself.
Just then, a warm presence suddenly approached.
The little Fire Vulpix wagged its six fluffy tails as it leaned in, its nose nearly touching the sculpture. The heat radiating from its body almost melted the ice.
The little Ice Vulpix quickly raised a paw to protect its work, turning its head to glare at its sister as if saying, "Don't mess it up."
But the little Fire Vulpix ignored the glare entirely. Instead, it rubbed its head against its sister's neck, letting out soft "wu wu" sounds as it acted spoiled.
Its eyes were fixed intently on the ice sculpture, while its six tails pointed repeatedly at itself.
The meaning could not have been clearer. It wanted one too. But it had to look like itself.
Theo, sitting on the doorstep, watched with interest.
To him, the sculpture looked like a generic Vulpix without any color difference. Yet the little Fire Vulpix could instantly "recognize" that it was meant to be its sister and insisted on having its own version.
Left with no choice, the little Ice Vulpix let out a small sigh and began modifying the sculpture.
The head became rounder, and the curve of the tails lifted higher and more boldly.
Surprisingly, after the adjustments, even Theo could clearly see the difference between the two sisters.
The little Fire Vulpix was slightly chubbier and liked to hold its tails high, probably influenced by Larvesta, who always carried itself with its head held high.
Thankfully, the little Fire Vulpix only raised its tails and not its head like Larvesta did back then, otherwise it might end up tripping over things again.
Speaking of that embarrassing incident where Larvesta tripped over the doorstep and pretended to do push-ups, somehow the story had reached Tyrantrum all the way in Unova.
That day, Theo was on a video call with Cynthia, chatting about his journey.
Suddenly, the camera shifted, revealing Tyrantrum lying on the ground.
Its strong hind legs were braced firmly, while its tiny forelimbs struggled to support its body as it awkwardly performed push-ups.
The clumsy and exaggerated movements made it obvious. It was deliberately imitating Larvesta's earlier blunder.
"Tyraaant~!"
After finishing a set, Tyrantrum deliberately lifted its head and bared its teeth at the camera, letting out a smug growl toward Larvesta.
"Laaar!"
Larvesta immediately exploded in anger. The five small antennae around its head stood straight up as it spun in circles, chirping furiously at the screen.
But Tyrantrum paid it no mind. Instead, it went even further, pretending to lose strength and deliberately collapsing onto the ground again.
That act made Larvesta so angry that its face turned red.
It turned to glare at Milotic and Metagross, who were quietly laughing nearby, its eyes full of accusation, clearly demanding to know who had told Tyrantrum about the incident.
Milotic simply swayed its tail lazily and blew a bubble, its expression calm and unreadable.
Metagross, on the other hand, kept a straight face and met Larvesta's gaze sincerely. No matter how much Larvesta scrutinized it, not a single hint of emotion slipped through.
...
After the video call ended, Larvesta felt so wronged that it could hardly hold itself together. Its chubby little body burrowed straight into Theo's arms, rubbing its head back and forth against his chest. Even its usual "lar lar" cries now carried a pitiful, tearful tone, insisting that Theo find the "snitch" and restore its dignity.
Theo had no choice but to hold it and comfort it gently. He promised to give it extra portions of advanced energy orbs and even assured it that during the upcoming Gym challenge, it could take the lead. Only then did he manage to calm the little guy down.
To completely dispel Larvesta's grievance, Theo even took it to the accessories shop in town.
Inside, the dazzling array of trinkets left Larvesta utterly dazzled. There were knitted hats decorated with sun patterns, sunglasses with lenses that gleamed red, a pink Caterpie-themed backpack, and even a medal pendant stamped with the words "Fighting King."
Larvesta selected seven or eight items in one go, clutching them all into its arms. At last, a proud smile returned to its round little face.
After returning to the house, while Larvesta was busy showing off its newly acquired accessories to its companions, Theo had already finished editing a preview video announcing tomorrow's Gym challenge and posted it.
In truth, during these days of seaside training, Theo had not neglected his livestreams at all.
Sometimes, the camera showed him busy in the kitchen, steam rising as he cooked shellfish, the sizzling sound of shrimp frying filling the air. Paired with his occasional explanations, viewers would flood the chat saying they could practically smell the food through the screen.
Other times, it captured the training of the two little Vulpix. The Ice Vulpix's ice crystals sparkled under the sunlight, while the Fire Vulpix's flames danced across the sand. The comments were filled with "so cute" and "I want to pet them."
Donations and popularity points surged like waves, and life passed by in a fulfilling and relaxed rhythm.
...
On the day of the Gym challenge, Theo opened the livestream early. The moment it went live, tens of thousands of viewers flooded in, and the chat scrolled rapidly:
"Finally, the Gym battle is here!"
"Where are the two little Vulpix? Let me see the cuties!"
"Huh? What is Larvesta doing? Is that cosplay?"
"Is Larvesta about to walk the runway as a model?"
Behind the camera, Larvesta was indeed standing in front of a full-length mirror, carefully "dressing itself up." The dressing table beside it was piled high with accessories.
First, it put on the knitted hat with the sun emblem, tilting it slightly before adjusting it straight. Then it wore the sunglasses, their lenses reflecting a red glow, making it look rather cool. Next, it pinned the medal pendant to its chest and spun in place, as if showcasing its "battle outfit."
After all that fuss, Larvesta ended up covered in accessories from head to toe, looking like a walking Christmas tree.
It then turned toward the Ice Vulpix, the Fire Vulpix, Milotic, and Metagross, proudly showing off its "heroic appearance," as if asking, "Don't I look handsome?"
Theo could not help but comment with a smile, "Are you sure you can battle dressed like that? When you use Flamethrower, aren't you afraid of burning your hat? And those sunglasses, won't they block your vision? And that pink backpack on your back, do you really think it is fireproof?"
Larvesta froze instantly, its little claws suspended in midair. It looked at its reflection in the mirror, then at Theo, clearly having never considered this problem.
It lowered its head to glance at the medal on its chest, then touched the hat on its head. Its face was filled with grievance, as if all its efforts had gone to waste. It almost burst into tears on the spot.
The livestream chat erupted in laughter:
"Hahaha, Bug Bro is stunned! Too focused on looking cool, forgot about actual combat!"
"This is hilarious, he is so cute!"
"I feel bad for him, all that effort wasted!"
Just when everyone thought Larvesta would angrily throw away all the accessories, its eyes suddenly lit up. It quickly removed everything and placed them neatly on the table.
Then it had Metagross use telekinesis to help. The pink Caterpie backpack was placed on the Ice Vulpix, while the hat and sunglasses were given to the Fire Vulpix.
As for the "Fighting King" medal, Larvesta directly stuck it onto the center of the X-shaped mark on Metagross's face.
"Lar!"
Larvesta lifted its head proudly toward Theo, as if saying, "Now there is no problem. Let them carry the accessories for me."
Then it turned to look at Milotic, who was still undecorated. Tilting its head thoughtfully, it rummaged through its belongings again, clearly intending to dress Milotic up as well.
This time, however, it did not immediately put anything on. Instead, it carefully selected three items from its collection: a star pendant, a bell, and a small cape.
It placed them neatly on the table, then chirped twice toward the camera while pointing at the items.
The viewers instantly understood:
"Are you letting us choose?!"
"No, not those three, put the pink bow on Milotic instead!"
"All of them! Put everything on Milotic!"
Theo was dazzled by the flood of comments, relaying the viewers' suggestions to Larvesta. After quite some effort, they finally finished decorating Milotic.
Then, under the audience's enthusiastic guidance, Larvesta went on to add even more accessories to Metagross and the two Vulpix.
Ice Vulpix, in addition to the bell around its neck, now had six bells of different colors tied to its tails. As it walked, they chimed merrily with a "ding-ling" sound.
Fire Vulpix had a bow tied around its neck at an angle, making it look like a little noble gentleman. It was unbelievably adorable.
Theo glanced at the time and urged, "Alright, that is enough dressing up. Let's go, we need to head out."
Immediately, the chat protested:
"Don't rush! Let Bug Bro take his time, this is more entertaining than the battle!"
"Exactly, it is rare to see him as a stylist, give us more!"
"Why the hurry? The Gym is not going anywhere!"
Theo could only stand there with his arms crossed, laughing helplessly.
Meanwhile, Larvesta grew even more pleased with itself. It picked up a small flower crown and placed it on the Ice Vulpix's head, then bowed toward the camera like a professional streamer.
When it was finally time to leave, Larvesta insisted on checking its styling work one last time.
It circled around the two Vulpix twice, then used its head to nudge the Fire Vulpix's hat straight, correcting its tilt. It also carefully inspected the bells tied to the Ice Vulpix's tails.
Only after confirming everything was perfect did it chirp in satisfaction and take the lead, heading out the door.
This time, however, it was extra cautious. When it reached the doorstep, it deliberately lowered its head to check the threshold, making sure it would not trip again.
After all, this was being livestreamed. If it embarrassed itself again, it would truly lose face.
The Ice Vulpix and Fire Vulpix followed closely behind, their bells and accessories complementing each other beautifully, drawing curious glances from passersby.
"Let's go, time to challenge the Gym!"
Theo called out to Metagross and Milotic, then followed after them as they headed toward Brawly's Gym together.
(End of Chapter)