Milotic, Tyrantrum, Larvesta, and Metang, four Pokémon, frolicked and played happily with the onlookers.
Lionel stood in the middle, watching this scene, a satisfied smile on his face.
Grace stood next to Lionel, watching her Gallade being surrounded by several female audience members taking selfies, one of whom even linked arms with it for a photo.
The usually dashing Gallade seemed a little reserved at this moment.
A faint blush rose to her ears, but she still tried her best to maintain an elegant posture.
Grace couldn't help but secretly laugh at this, taking out her phone to capture this amusing scene.
[Hahaha, Larvesta and...]
"The Tyrantrum is so happy! Streamer, come to Lilycove City soon! I really want to be there! I want to ride a Tyrantrum too!"
"Look at Gallade! Isn't its face red? If Grace's Gardevoir sees this, it'll probably be angry and jealous!"
"I've already taken a screenshot! Grace will definitely be going to Lilycove City for the Grand Finale, and Gardevoir will definitely be with her. I'll show this picture to Gardevoir then, just thinking about it is hilarious!"
"Hahaha, the person upstairs is so mean! But I took a screenshot too, let's cause some trouble together! Haha~"
As the sun set and the last group of viewers who wanted to take photos with Lionel dispersed with smiles, Lionel recalled his four still-wanting Pokémon.
At the same time, he waved to the camera in the live stream:
"That's all for today's live stream. Thank you for watching, see you next time." After saying goodbye to the viewers in the live stream, Lionel ended his live stream for the day.
[Next live stream, please give me a heads-up so I can tune in!]
[Bye-bye, streamer~]
The comments in the chat only disappeared when the phone screen went completely dark.
Grace carefully placed the Fallarbor Town-level badge into the storage box, and said with reluctance, "Lionel, I have to go now. I need to hurry home. When I brought Gallade out, I promised Ralts that I would bring its dad back after the competition. I can't break my promise to the little guy."
Lionel couldn't help but smile:
"Be careful on the road. It was a lot of fun training with you this time."
Grace smiled, her eyes crinkling:
"Me too. It was a lot of fun training and competing with you. Let's have a good competition at the Grand Festival."
She paused, shaking the storage box in her hand, and added, "This is my fifth Ribbon. Next, I'll stay home to train Ralts and wait for the Lilycove City Grand Festival to begin."
Then she winked playfully at Lionel:
"You have three now, right?
With your strength, getting five is just a matter of time. Next time we meet, it'll be on the stage of the Grand Festival."
"But I have to remind you," Grace's tone suddenly became serious:
"The Grand Festival is different from a regular Pokémon Contest.
The contestants can decide how many Pokémon to send out. Theoretically, as long as they can coordinate well, sending out any number is fine.
But as you know, the more Pokémon you have, the more complex the move combinations become. Achieving perfect coordination is extremely difficult." "
She recalled her regret from last year and said softly:
"Last year, because my Gardevoir was pregnant, Gallade stayed with it to take care of it, so we sent Medicham to compete.
We only got fourth place. This year is different."
At this point, a hint of excited anticipation flashed in Grace's eyes:
"My little Ralts has already started training.
It should be able to officially compete at the festival.
Then, Ralts, Gardevoir, and Gallade will all be on stage together.
Lionel, don't let us outdo you!"
In conclusion: Let's have a Beautiful Battle
Lionel laughed upon hearing this, his fighting spirit completely ignited.
"Now that you mention it, I'm really looking forward to your Gardevoir family's spectacular performance.
Don't worry, my partners and I will be well prepared, and we'll definitely give you a wonderful showdown."
"That's good, see you at the grand celebration!"
"See you at the grand celebration."
Grace smiled and extended her hand. Lionel grasped her hand tightly and shook it vigorously.
After saying goodbye to Grace, Lionel returned to his hotel room.
He first put away the Fallarbor Town Ribbon Medal he had obtained that day, then took out paper and pen and began to list tomorrow's supplies.
After purchasing the supplies tomorrow, Lionel planned to set off for Meteor Falls.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, the Larvestas were relentlessly attacking Metang.
Metang was... using his telekinesis to control his phone, the screen playing highlights from today's match of the Larvesta.
Especially the scene where it transformed into a mini-sun and smashed the giant fireball.
The Larvesta watched intently, its little head bobbing along with its reflection on the screen, clearly captivated by its own "coolness."
Every now and then, it would proudly spit out a tiny flame from its antennae to show off.
Lionel, watching this lively little creature, couldn't help but chuckle. Shaking his head, Lionel continued organizing his shopping list.
After confirming the items he wanted to buy, Lionel opened the system panel in his mind, his gaze falling on the system's popularity score.
He had mostly used the popularity points he had accumulated for advanced draws.
The high-level Pokémon Energy Pullets he obtained were, needless to say, already essential for his Pokémon's daily training.
As for the Tyrantrum, the HP boosters he used before were no longer effective.
Lionel then allocated HP boosters to Milotic, using them in conjunction with Special Attack boosters to give Milotic an advantage in prolonged battles.
His Special Attack and Speed boosters for Larvesta were running low.
Fortunately, after today's Pokémon Contest, he had accumulated a considerable amount of popularity points, enough to replenish another batch of high-level Pokémon Energy Pullets and various stat boosters.
"System, activate advanced ten-draw."
Lionel silently recited in his mind.
[Lottery begins... Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Advanced Pokémon Energy Bomb x20, TM1 Flamethrower x1.
Fire Vortex x1, Blizzard x1, Gravity x1, Substitute x1, Dark Pulse x1, Calm Mind x1, Attack Boost x8, Defense Boost x8, Special Defense Boost x6, HP Boost x9, Speed Boost x9, Special Attack Boost x10.1
A series of rewards popped up, and Lionel nodded with satisfaction.
Another Advanced Pokémon Energy Bomb in hand, plus various stat boosters and TMs, allowing his Pokémon to quickly level up again.
"Alright, Larvesta." Lionel walked over and gently tapped the head of the little chubby Larvesta:
"You've watched it more than ten times already, haven't you had enough? Get ready for bed, we have to get up early to travel tomorrow!"
The Larvesta reluctantly left the phone, its antennae drooping, but it still obediently crawled to the bedside, curled up into a ball, its eyes still gleaming with excitement.
Metang also quietly landed beside it, its red eyes slowly closing.
Lionel lay on the bed, looking at the deep night sky outside the window, and slowly drifted off to sleep.