Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game.

Pity.

If you immediately go on stage for a spectacular performance after showing off, that will be the final blow.

Unfortunately, it's not possible to access it.

Xia Chen clicked his tongue in disappointment.

Others are fine, but this is the Palace of Light, and my favorite Lady of Wisdom.

Of course, Serena is an exception.

It was because of his fondness for this character in his past life that Xia Chen decided to give her some pointers.

The two are seated next to each other, and their order of appearance should be similar. If they start thinking about it now, they should be able to come up with a new performance plan by the afternoon.

Although there wasn't enough time to practice, just by giving the audience and judges a fresh impression, even with some mistakes, it should be enough to get through the preliminary round.

It all depends on whether she's willing to try.

Thinking this, Xia Chen looked up and continued watching the game.

With Ayako and Elegant Cat setting such a high bar, the subsequent glamorous performances were somewhat lackluster.

The repetitive moves have caused aesthetic fatigue among both the audience and the judges.

However, there are also some performances with a keen sense of aesthetics and novel combinations of moves.

Among them, Rukia and her Altaria were the most outstanding, and they also achieved the highest score of the day, 93 points, out of the twenty matches played that morning.

At 2 PM, after a two-hour break, the preliminary rounds of the Grand Prix resumed.

However, unexpected events began to occur during the afternoon's matches.

Inspired by Ayako and Rukia's performance, many people improvised a dazzling combination act.

Some performances are successful, but many more fail due to insufficient practice time, lack of proficiency, or poorly designed choreography.

The saying "fortune favors the bold" perfectly describes this situation.

…………

At 4 PM, with one hour left before the end of the first day of competition, it was finally Xia Chen's turn to take the stage.

Frankly, this timing is very awkward.

After more than thirty lavish performances, both the audience and the judges were already experiencing aesthetic fatigue.

Whether it's the dwindling chat in the Grand Contest livestream, the increasingly subdued applause from the audience, or the ever-decreasing scores from the judges, it all points to one thing.

If we enter now, it will be hellish difficulty.

Many contestants cast glances at Xia Chen, who was about to appear, with either a sense of shared sorrow or schadenfreude.

Except for Xiaoguang.

Her eyes held a mixture of expectation and worry. Xia Chen's words that morning had been very helpful to her, but when she thought of Xia Chen's young face, Xiao Guang was also a little afraid that he was just a dreamer who only knew theory.

But Xiao Guang hopes that Xia Chen is not.

Seeing Xia Chen stand up, Xiao Guang suddenly called out to him, "Um... senior!"

The boy turned around in confusion, seemingly unsure whether the "senior" was addressing him.

Holding Piplup, Hikari mustered her courage and said, "Good luck in the match, senior! Piplup and I will support you!"

"Bo-a-ga!"

Bogarman flapped its little blue wings to convey its blessings to Xia Chen.

Xia Chen smiled slightly and said, "Thank you."

He turned his head away, silently thinking, "Watch closely, Hikari, this is how the Grand Contest will be performed."

…………

It was nearly evening, and the brilliant sunset shone on the main stage of the Divine Tree Arena, creating a beautiful scene.

However, there was a constant rustling sound from the audience.

Clearly, the day's competition had left them both mentally and physically exhausted, and their focus had waned.

The same was true for the judges, except for Ma Xiu.

She gazed with a smile in her eyes towards the entrance of the competition, anticipating someone's appearance.

After seeing off the previous contestant, host Vivian walked onto the stage with the same enthusiasm and energy to announce the next contestant.

"Next up, please welcome our thirty-fifth contestant today, Mr. Xia Chen from the Donghuang region!"

Xia Chen?

The name, which has appeared frequently in recent months, sounds somewhat familiar to the audience, and some people have begun to recall when they first heard it.

Among the judges, Mikoli's eyes lit up.

Isn't this the same boy who discovered Milotic's second evolutionary path and even came up with the concept of "spectacular performance"?

This needs to be watched carefully.

Mikoli perked up, looking forward to Milotic's appearance and even more so to the grand debut of the "Father of the Grand Contest".

After the host introduced the program, the live stream chat room became lively again, something that hadn't happened in a long time.

……

"Holy crap, what did I just hear? Xia Chen? Is it the Xia Chen from Master Pigeon's story?!"

"I think so. As we all know, you can see Master Pigeon anywhere, even on DCTV, except for Master Pigeon's live broadcast room."

"You damn pigeon! I caught you again! What happened to the live stream?"

"Stop making baseless accusations. I'm just asking you, was the last interview broadcast live? Was this competition broadcast live too? I, Master Ge, haven't broken my promise!"

"I don't care, I want to see Master Yi! I want to see Milotic! I want to see Ralts!"

"By the way, it's rumored that the 'grand performance' format was proposed by Master Pigeon, so how come he's participating in the competition himself, acting as both a contestant and a judge?"

"I set all the rules, what makes you think you can compete with me!"

"I still hope that Master Pigeon can keep advancing. If he makes it to the finals, we'll be able to see Master Ito, Milotic, and Ralts perform together!"

…………

Even before Xia Chen appeared, the audience, the judges, and even the live stream chat were already buzzing with excitement.

Unbeknownst to many, Xia Chen had already amassed such a great influence.

However, in the Grand Contest, performance is the true measure of skill.

Vivian left the stage, and Xia Chen slowly stepped onto the center of the stage.

A suit is undoubtedly a suitable attire for most formal occasions, especially one hand-tailored by the world-renowned fashion designer, Ms. Marie Curie.

The handsome young man wore a beige, fitted suit, which accentuated his straight and upright posture, honed by years of training. His refined and elegant face further enhanced his striking features.

The live stream chat was filled with comments like "Who are you, handsome guy?"

With his outstanding appearance, Xia Chen has already attracted everyone's attention.

However, he wasn't the main character today. Xia Chen threw out the Dive Ball he had prepared long ago. A flash of white light appeared, and a Milotic, whose beauty seemed otherworldly, appeared in the arena.

"Fuwu——"

Before the people arrive, the sound comes first.

Before the white light of the Poké Ball had completely dissipated, a beautiful and melodious voice, like the song of a siren, entered everyone's ears.

The long chant seemed to possess a magical power; wherever the sound reached, the audience members all wore expressions of intoxication and fascination.

At this moment, all the previous fatigue and impatience were swept away, and only this long chant, comparable to heavenly music, remained in my mind.

It's like hearing celestial music, instantly clearing your ears!

How could an ordinary sound have such an effect? ​​Something must have been added, right?

Experienced trainers had already discerned that this was a long chant mixed with the move [Charm Voice].

This is the essence of seizing the initiative.

…………

While everyone was engrossed in the beautiful sounds, Milotic had already silently completed his rainmaking ritual.

Like the blizzard without a storm in Elegant Cat's story, Milotic doesn't crave torrential rain, but rather a gentle drizzle like the spring rain that nourishes all things.

The crisp, yet quiet, patter of raindrops roused people from their dreamlike, dazed state.

It's like waking up from a beautiful dream and wanting to check the weather outside the window.

The sunset at this time is the most vibrant, and the bright orange-red glow makes even a light drizzle feel cheerful.

The audience couldn't help but smile knowingly. With their minds at ease, they felt as if they were in the comfort of their own homes, basking in the sun and quietly appreciating this tranquil and cozy scene.

A short while later, the rain intensified, and the raindrops turned into larger raindrops that made a louder sound when they hit the ground.

For some reason, the audience's mood also became slightly irritable.

It was as irritating as it was almost time to leave school or get off work, when large raindrops started pattering against the window. Even though I had an umbrella, I was still a little annoyed.

Few people noticed that their mood was changing with the rhythm of the performance on stage.

As several small tornadoes howled and roamed the area, their sense of frustration intensified.

That wasn't enough. After unleashing the tornado, Milotic's energy gathered again, and with a spit from its mouth, icy winds and dragon pulses shot out one after the other.

The former spews its contents outwards, while the latter shoots them into the sky.

…………

Unbeknownst to them, dark clouds gradually enveloped the area, a cold wind howled, and several streaks of purple "lightning" appeared and disappeared among the dark clouds.

Upon closer inspection, one can discover that this lightning is not natural lightning, but rather a special form of Milotic manifesting through Dragon Pulse.

But the audience, tense and immersed in the stormy weather, didn't sense anything amiss.

On the field, Milotic, amidst the storm, began to dance.

His dance moves were not graceful; instead, they looked somewhat unsteady, like a fighter fearlessly battling against the might of nature.