Chapter 38: The Grand Tournament

But there was nothing to be done about it. For a Pokémon to achieve mega evolution, it required more than just its own mega stone. The trainer also needed to wear a corresponding key stone, and, most importantly, there had to be a deep bond between the two.

After leaving Dr. Solance’s residence, Hu Yang began to consider trying his luck at Meteor Falls.

Meteor Falls was a vast cavern formed by the impact of a meteorite. The intricate network of underground streams within the cave had created a spectacular waterfall. Much like the Petalburg Woods, Meteor Falls was home to a large population of wild Pokémon. However, due to the ecosystem’s differences, the species inhabiting it were quite distinct from those in Petalburg Woods. Notably, one would no longer encounter the fearsome green Caterpie or Weedle there. Instead, it was filled with Zubat, Geodude, Solrock, Lunatone, and others.

Despite this, the danger level was noticeably higher than in Petalburg Woods. For example, in the anime, there was a Lunatone that could control every resident of a small town single-handedly. (Pokémon Advanced Generation, Episode 87)

“What are you thinking about?” Saori asked.

“I’m thinking about Meteor Falls,” Hu Yang replied.

Saori let out a soft laugh and said, “It’s been a thousand years, and no one’s ever seen those three legendary Pokémon. You don’t need to take what Uncle Solance said too seriously—he once claimed to have discovered traces of powerful alien Pokémon invading Earth, you know.”

Hu Yang: “…”

Could he even say that what Dr. Solance claimed was actually true? After all, the meteorite that could change Deoxys’ form was still sitting in his house.

Xiaoyi looked at them with hope shining in her eyes. “If only I could see Rayquaza with my own eyes!”

Hu Yang: “…”

If Rayquaza appeared, it would mean Groudon and Kyogre were at it again.

“All right, enough of that. It’s time for training now!” Saori said optimistically.

The three of them returned to the scene of the Contest Spectacular. Hu Yang went off to find other trainers to help hone Roselia’s battle skills, while Saori and Xiaoyi practiced performance routines with Tail Whip Meowth.

Hu Yang planned to visit Meteor Falls after this round of the Contest Spectacular ended. If he kept a low profile, there shouldn’t be any problems.

For now, though, he needed to let Roselia try upgrading Magical Leaf into a low-level “Leaf Storm.”

“Control Magical Leaf carefully and try gathering them together!” Hu Yang instructed.

“Roselia!” Roselia nodded resolutely, and at once, countless green leaves shot out from its rosebuds.

The swirling Magical Leaves seemed almost sentient as they gathered together. In an instant, a green whirlpool tornado, nearly two meters tall, formed before Hu Yang’s eyes.

“How long can you maintain it?” Hu Yang asked.

“Roselia…” Roselia frowned; she wasn’t sure herself.

A second passed, then ten, then fifteen… Time slipped by quietly. Finally, after twenty-three seconds, the green tornado vanished where it stood. The accumulated snow on the ground was swept up high, exposing the frozen earth beneath. As the Magical Leaf cluster dissipated, the snowflakes that had been lifted into the air fell back down with a rustling sound.

“Roselia…” Roselia let out an apologetic sound, clearly exhausted.

“You did great.” Hu Yang came forward to comfort her.

He looked, delighted, at the patch of bare ground. When she’d successfully pulled off Stun Spore Bomb on her second try, he hadn’t thought much of it and assumed it was just luck. But now, Roselia had released such a large-scale Magical Leaf attack in a single attempt and had managed to gather the leaves into a tornado.

It was plain to see that his Roselia possessed remarkable talent in energy control!

However, this move also consumed an enormous amount of her stamina.

“Can you use Magical Leaf again?” Hu Yang asked.

Roselia tried, then shook her head. She couldn’t manage it.

Hu Yang pondered. In the games, a Pokémon’s moves were always limited per battle. For example, Magical Leaf could be used at most ten times in a battle. In game terms, it would be described as having a PP value of 10.

This low-level “Leaf Storm” seemed to have used up all ten uses’ worth of energy in one go. Still, the power of this move was vastly greater than that of an ordinary Magical Leaf.

Undoubtedly, with regular practice, this move could become another trump card for Roselia.

Sure enough, when Hu Yang checked Roselia’s information again, the move list had changed:

[Species: Roselia ♀]
Type: Grass, Poison
Ability: Leaf Guard
Base Stats: 400 (HP: 50, Attack: 60, Defense: 45, Special Attack: 100, Special Defense: 80, Speed: 65)
Known Moves: Giga Drain, Stun Spore, Seed Bomb, Stun Bomb (Stun Spore + Seed Bomb), Landmine Bomb (Seed Bomb+), Poison Sting, Magical Leaf, Magical Leaf (max!)

Current mood: Tired, wants to rest
Physical condition: Fatigued
Friendship: 100 (She really likes you and wants to stay with you forever)

Hu Yang took out the berry juice he always carried and fed it to Roselia. Watching the bottle empty, he said, “Take a break now, you’ve worked hard today.”

“Roselia…” Roselia was truly exhausted. She gave a soft call before turning into a beam of light and returning to her Poké Ball.

…

Three days later, the Contest Spectacular officially began.

After cheering for Xiaoyi, Hu Yang and Saori made their way to the audience seats. All around them, lively conversations filled the air. But soon, the stadium grew quiet.

Vivian, the event’s hostess, took the microphone and began introducing the panel of judges for this Contest Spectacular. They were: Mr. Conkenstein, Director of the Contest Affairs Bureau; Mr. Sumoku, President of the Hoenn Pokémon Fan Club; and Nurse Joy from Autumn Leaf Town.

Hu Yang looked at the short, amiable, middle-aged man whose eyes were always nearly closed. He remembered him—Sumoku, the man whose only comment on a contestant’s performance was, “I like this.”

Before long, the Contest Spectacular officially began. As Hu Yang noticed many audience members cradling their own Pokémon while watching, he decided to hold Cormorant and Roselia in his arms as well.

Gengar floated nearby, casting a bored glance at the performances onstage.

The real Contest Spectacular wasn’t much different from what was shown in the anime. For example, someone had a Beautifly envelop itself in Silver Wind, making it look as though it were draped in a silvery veil. Another had an Eevee use Shadow Ball toward the sky—the sphere exploded above, and, refracted by the light, the energy burst into a dazzling display of colors, like fireworks.

For Hu Yang, a transmigrator, these displays held no novelty whatsoever.

Is that all? He could pull it off himself!

“Roselia…” Roselia watched the Pokémon onstage displaying their charms, her eyes filled with longing and admiration.