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After a brief silence, thunderous applause erupted throughout the arena, more enthusiastic than any performance before!
The audience stood up excitedly, waving their arms...
Cheers and whistles rose and fell, like a surging tide that lasted for a long time.
"My God! How did they do that?!"
"The Tyrantrum is completely unharmed! That Sand Armor is amazing!"
"Contestant number 66 is incredible! This idea is brilliant!"
The audience gasped in amazement, those in the front rows clapping their hands so hard they were red, oblivious to the fact.
In the center of the stage, the Tyrantrum had returned to its original form, strutting its tail triumphantly, while the Larvesta bounced around beside it, showing off their victory.
The live stream chat was already flooded with comments. A sea of red, the dense text almost overflowing the screen:
[I'm blown away! This creativity! This execution! Streamer, are you a god?!]
[When I saw the Tyrantrum charge into the flames, my heart was in my throat! Now the weight has finally been lifted!]
[Larvesta: I'm not targeting anyone, everyone here is my subject (proud face)]
[Miss Joey looked so cute when she was worried, hahaha, now I'm finally relieved!]
[Even Deputy Director Yumiko smiled! This is a rare sight, I have to take a screenshot!]
On the judges' panel, Miss Joey loosened her clenched fists…
She gently patted her chest, her face still flushed with lingering fear:
"That really scared me a bit! I thought the Tyrantrum would get hurt!"
She looked at the Tyrantrum on the stage, a gentle smile on her face, and gave it a thumbs-up:
"A very good performance, Tyrantrum, you're amazing!"
The Tyrantrum was immediately excited, its tail swaying joyfully, almost reaching for the sky, its eyes full of pride.
The Larvesta next to it, seeing that Miss Joy had only tested its companion, immediately ran off indignantly.
It bumped its head against the Tyrantrum's leg, its blue eyes staring intently at the judges. The sullen, as if saying, "I'm awesome too!"
Larvesta's antics amused the audience, eliciting bursts of laughter. Someone couldn't help but shout:
"Larvesta, you're great too!"
"Yes, yes, Larvesta is the best!"
Miss Joy was amused by Larvesta's defiant look, covering her mouth and chuckling as she said:
"Hahaha, Larvesta is great too! You and Tyrantrum are such a perfect match, neither of you can do without the other."
Hearing the praise, Larvesta immediately raised its little head, standing side-by-side with Tyrantrum, both Pokémon striking a haughty pose, which made the laughter from the audience even louder.
Chairman Sukizo, watching the two's comical antics, narrowed his eyes to slits:
"I love it! I love it so much!
The solidification of the sand armor, the control of the flames, every detail is ingenious! Especially the design of the throne—"
He paused for a long time before continuing:
"At first, I thought that seat was for the Larvesta, and I was even thinking of criticizing it, saying it was too narrow.
Watching it squeeze in was hilarious, but I never imagined it was for you, hahaha!"
As he spoke, Sukizo seemed to recall the Larvesta struggling to squeeze onto the throne, and his laughter couldn't stop.
The Larvesta immediately realized that the fat man was clearly mocking it, and its blue eyes widened, a hint of "dissatisfaction" flashing within them.
Its five antennae "warmly" spewed out small clusters of flame, as if in protest.
This caused another burst of laughter from the entire audience, even making the usually serious Yumiko unable to resist a slight smile, her previous cool and aloof demeanor completely gone.
Seeing this, the fans below the stage immediately cheered:
"Yumiko-sama! Yumiko-sama!"
Yumiko raised her hand and gently pressed down, and the cheers from the audience immediately quieted down, her decisive and efficient attitude seemingly returning. She adjusted her glasses, her gaze falling on Lionel, her tone tinged with admiration:
"A very bold idea!
To use such a destructive skill as overheating in a magnificent performance, and to combine it so cleverly with a sandstorm, is truly remarkable."
She paused, then continued:
"The solidification of sand grains in flames is very complex, requiring precise calculations and skillful manipulation. You did a fantastic job!
No wonder President Contesta always praises your imaginative mind; today I've witnessed it firsthand!"
After the three judges finished their comments, the applause from the audience rose again, even more enthusiastic than before, and lasted for a long time.
Tyrantrum and the Larvesta seemed nailed to the stage, refusing to leave, their eyes sparkling as they gazed at the audience, clearly not yet having enjoyed the cheers enough.
Seeing this, Vivian smiled and picked up the microphone:
"It seems Tyrantrum and Larvesta felt the applause wasn't enthusiastic enough!
Let's give them another round of applause to thank them for their wonderful performance, okay?"
"Yes, yes!"
The entire audience responded in unison, and thunderous applause erupted, mixed with cheers and whistles.
The two little guys were finally satisfied, obediently letting Lionel recall them into their Poké Balls, which still shook uncontrollably, as if showing off their recent glory.
Back in the contestants' lounge, Grace immediately greeted him with a smile, a towel in her hand:
"I was really worried about you earlier. I didn't expect those two to perform even better on stage than during practice."
Recalling Mr. Sukizo's words, she couldn't help but laugh again:
"When I watched you practice earlier, the Larvesta could have easily squeezed into its seat. Luckily, it was just chubby, otherwise it really wouldn't have been able to squeeze in."
As if recalling Larvesta's clumsy struggle to get into the throne earlier, Grace laughed heartily, a faint blush rising on her face.
Larvesta's Poké Ball shook vigorously against Lionel's waist, protesting Grace's teasing.
Time passed slowly, and subsequent contestants took to the stage one after another. Although each had their highlights, none could match the awe-inspiring performance of Grace and Lionel.
After contestant number 89 finished performing, Vivian walked onto the stage and announced the official end of the first round of judging.
The staff quickly announced the list of those who advanced on the big screen, and Lionel and Grace's names were prominently listed:
Number 13, Chiba; Number 17, Matsumoto; Number 22, Tanaka…
Number 28, Grace; Number 66, Lionel.
In the contestants' dressing room, Lionel and Grace exchanged a smile and gave each other a thumbs-up in unison.
The other advancing contestants nodded and congratulated each other, the air filled with a mixture of tension and anticipation.
After all, the second round of stage performances was the real battle.
During the brief intermission, the staff quickly cleaned the stage, preparing for the second round of competition.
The audience took advantage of the breaks to discuss the highlights of the performance, with Lionel and the Tyrantrum's "coronation" undoubtedly being the most frequently mentioned topic.
Many were still savoring the breathtaking performance by the Tyrantrum and the Larvesta.