Who needs a girlfriend when you have Pokémon?

The young lady seemed surprised that Luo Wei would come up and greet her, but she responded immediately.

"Um, my name is Higanbana... Nice to meet you~"

Chapter 85 She seems to know she's cute

oh well...

Upon hearing the name and carefully examining the other person's appearance, Luo Wei couldn't help but lose his composure.

So you were waiting for me here?

However, Luo Wei showed no reaction on his face. After shaking hands with the other party in a friendly manner, he did not say anything more.

At this stage, the other party's appearance here is most likely just to probe Luo Wei's background. As for her true stance, Luo Wei knows it perfectly well, so he doesn't care much about it.

After all, at this point in the story, her identity is still very sensitive, and she certainly doesn't want it to be exposed here.

Considering that she can be considered a semi-ally, and that she will play a very important role in the later plot, and that she could even be the key to breaking the deadlock, there is no need to say anything more here that might cause embarrassment.

Just treat him as an ordinary opponent encountered at the grand event, and that's all.

Therefore, after exchanging greetings, Luo Wei walked away to chat with the other contestants, making his actions seem as if he had simply come up to say hello.

As Higana watched Rowe leave, she looked down at her own palm.

(I almost couldn't resist sending out a challenge, but did my gaze catch my attention? I thought I'd revealed something, but maybe I'm just overthinking it?)

She assumed that her behavior had given her away, which was why Luo Wei had approached her to try and find out something...

But now it seems that Lowe doesn't have any particular reaction to her, as if it's just that she's overreacting.

Then Luo Wei went to chat with the other contestants. It seems that his earlier actions of taking the initiative to approach her were simply to get to know each contestant.

In other words, could it simply be because Luo Wei is a naturally outgoing and sociable person?

After all, Luo Wei had only asked her for her name; surely he couldn't have revealed any information just by asking for her name?

This would be impossible under normal circumstances, but Luo Wei's situation is abnormal, so it is quite normal that it was unexpected.

Just as Luo Wei finished walking around and talking to almost all the contestants, a staff member came over to remind him that the competition was about to begin.

"Alright~" Luo Wei patted his face, calmly raising his chin, "Come on, let's go!"

After all, this is just an entry-level competition. Normally, a few hundred spectators would be considered good, but today there are at least a thousand spectators gathered in this venue.

The fact that this number of people gathered clearly indicates that most of them came for the final guest, Rukia. But regardless, at least before the main course is served, everyone is interested in enjoying an appetizer.

The trainers present weren't unhappy about being treated as an appetizer, since the event was already more than ten times more popular than usual, making such an event quite rare.

Such an opportunity is rare, and there's a high probability of obtaining a higher ranking score than usual, so it's definitely a good thing.

Of course, more people will naturally attract more attention, which is definitely not good news for people with social anxiety.

On the other hand, why would someone with social anxiety participate in a competition like the Grand Contest, which requires them to appear in public?

Therefore, those who can come here are generally either not from wealthy families or at least have cheerful and outgoing personalities.

Even for outgoing and cheerful people, most normal people would feel some pressure when faced with the gaze of over a hundred strangers. Being watched by thousands of people is no joke.

Therefore, some people may underperform as a result.

Just like Kirullian from Lowe, if she were to appear in this situation, she would definitely not be able to handle the scene.

Therefore, Lowe didn't field Kirlia, but instead had Meowth and Eevee field together.

As long as Loew is by her side, Masked Cat isn't afraid of anything, but Eevee...

...Luo Wei discovered that this little guy seemed to be naturally outgoing and very friendly, or perhaps it was due to his bloodline?

After all, he was from a "distinguished family" and had seen a lot of ups and downs!

Although she was probably still an egg when her mother was slaughtering everyone at that Crimson's hands...

In short, Ibrahimovic showed absolutely no stage fright in this situation. The little one even had a great sense of the camera, and she would thoughtfully pose at various perfect angles to attract the attention of the audience.

in short……

...She seems to know she's cute!

Luo Wei never expected to discover this little girl's special talent; she seemed to be very good at being cute.

As expected, after all the trainers who appeared showed off their Pokémon, Lowe's team undoubtedly attracted the most individual votes.

As for the judges, they are more professional than the audience and can judge the condition of the Pokémon participating in the competition from various aspects.

"This is really..."

The judges were seasoned professionals; even the entry-level judges were experts. Naturally, they wouldn't let personal preferences for any particular Pokémon influence their judgment. After careful review, without exception, they all gave Lowe's Eevee and Masked Meowth very high marks.

"I see. You must take very good care of it under normal circumstances, right?"

Faced with the masked cat's smooth, shiny fur, the judges nodded repeatedly in approval.

"Yes, I do take care of it every day. After all, this child really likes things clean."

"Masked Cat is very particular about its fur. It will never let anyone touch its fur unless they trust it completely. If someone allows you to groom their fur, you must have a very good relationship with them..."

The judges were well aware of this, so they all observed from a distance. And Masked Cat did indeed show a wary look when people tried to get close, just as they had said.

Only she and her trusted trainers can touch her fur, and the same applies to Pokémon like Ninetales and Rapidash.

Anyone who tries to touch Nine-Tails' tail without trust will be attacked without mercy, and the flames on Rapidash will only be extinguished for trainers they trust.

Therefore, the very fact that they sent such a Pokémon to participate already earns them a few extra points in terms of reputation...

Kirlia is actually a Pokémon like that, but she doesn't want to participate, so Loew naturally doesn't send her out.

In contrast, Eevee was much more generous. Loewy spread his arms, and she jumped into his palm, being lifted up by him. Then, she confidently slapped her little paws onto the judge's hand, raising her chin with a proud look that said, "Come praise my beautiful fur!"

"Haha, what a wonderful little one! Hmm, we've already witnessed your beauty perfectly!"

The first round of judging quickly concluded, and then...

"...Alright, now it's time for the formal stage presentation!"

Chapter 86's theme is... "Love"~

In the first round of presentations, Luo Wei undoubtedly won a lot of points in terms of making a good impression.

After all, the main purpose of this segment is to showcase the charm of Pokémon themselves, and the hidden information is that the more difficult a Pokémon is to catch and the more effort the trainer has to put in to get a response, the higher the score will be from the judges.

Because this represents the trainer's own ability, while for the audience, it's purely a matter of personal preference. That's why it's said that beginners should choose Pokémon that are popular among the general public.

This is because it is easier to attract the public's attention, and Luo Wei's choice perfectly combines these two aspects.

Masked Meowth is a Pokémon that requires its trainer to show enough sincerity in order to respond to it. Once it has chosen a trainer, it will be devoted to that trainer. This personality trait is also favored by the judges.

This is what they mean by the mutual pursuit between trainers and Pokémon...

Eevee, on the other hand, perfectly captures the public's aesthetic heart. Furthermore, Lowell's Eevee seems to know that it is cute, and it generously shows its cuteness to the public.

Combining these two factors, Luo Wei's first-stage score naturally soared, almost precipitously securing the top spot in popularity.

However, the other players were not discouraged. As mentioned before, the competition is based on a points system, and as long as you accumulate enough points, you can advance. It is not a game where you have to pick a winner.

Moreover, it wasn't just Luo Wei who captured all the attention.

Luo Wei's gaze wandered and landed on the stage beside him, where a girl was proudly displaying her Pokémon.

Higana... Her outfit attracted some attention when she came on stage. There was no way around it, since everyone else was either in casual clothes or performance costumes, and she was the only one who stood out, so she naturally became particularly noticeable.

Furthermore, the fact that she chose Axew and Bagon as her Pokémon partners clearly indicates that she has no intention of going for the cute and adorable route.

To reiterate, although Luo Wei thinks Ya Ya and Baby Dragon are quite cute, it's clear that, at least in the public's perception, they are positioned more as cool racetrack characters.

Higana was clearly aiming for this track as well, so the judges took a second look at her. After all, any contestant who could compete in the beginner-level challenge of cute and beautiful creatures was worth paying attention to.

After all, most beginners will choose to play it safe. There is no need to do anything unconventional at the beginning. That is something that will only be done when you reach a higher level.

Of course, if you can develop a unique style at the beginner level, it will undoubtedly be a bonus for future competitions.

Higana's Tooth and Baby Dragon also garnered considerable attention, at least receiving high scores from the judges.

This is normal, since Rowe has confirmed that Hilaria is a trainer who is seriously pursuing the Pokémon battle route. The Axew and Bagon she trained were raised for battle, so naturally she doesn't hesitate to boast about their strength.

Even though they are still only in their first stage of juvenile form, they can already sense the power hidden within this body, not to mention the evaluation criteria mentioned earlier.

Both of these are very confident Dragon-type Pokémon. Even in their baby form, they have their own pride. If the trainer's strength is insufficient to subdue them, they will not cooperate with the trainer.

This is a testament to the trainer's ability, so the judges naturally wouldn't give a low score.

After the first round of review, the next step is naturally the formal stage performance.

To be honest, Luo Wei hadn't actually thought through the entire performance process until he went on stage.

After all, he only decided to participate on a whim and didn't prepare much beforehand.

But once he stood on that stage, Luo Wei seemed to understand something on his own, or rather, the exhibition match he had watched before inspired him.

The core theme is to showcase the synergy and bond between Pokémon and their trainers. Since that's the case, all I need to do is perform as I normally would in a battle.

If the performance needs a theme, then let's say it's "love".

The moment Luo Wei revealed the theme of his performance, the judges' expressions changed.

...The reason is simple: there is nothing wrong with the topic itself; in fact, it could be said to be an overly conventional topic.

However, because it is so classic, countless predecessors have already interpreted this theme in various ways, making it really difficult for newcomers to add anything new to the wonderful performances of their predecessors.

Of course, this is just the beginner level, so there's nothing wrong with choosing some mainstream themes.

Even if you can't surpass your predecessors, you wouldn't need to participate in an introductory competition if you could do this. At least you should be able to show some of the essence of your predecessors, which would be enough to get a stable score.

So……

"Just watch, our 'love'!"

Luo Wei presented his topic, and Masked Cat immediately looked eager to try, clearly indicating that the topic perfectly suited her ideas.