Chapter 384: Autumn Leaf Grand Finale

Autumn Leaf Town.

Grand Finale Competition Venue.

The already noisy hall grew even louder as someone was recognized.

"Hey, look— isn't that him?"

"You're wearing a mask— how am I supposed to tell… wait? It really does look like him!"

"Not just looks like—he's definitely him! After more than a month out of sight, he shows up in Autumn Leaf Town? This is going to be good!"

"Post it on your blog right away!"

The crowd began to swell, many trying to chase after him for a word.

Unfortunately, he vanished quickly into the dense throng of people and Pokémon, leaving them to face only the puzzled stares of other spectators, sighing heavily.

On the other side.

Baimu, hat brim pulled low, stayed away from the crowd and sat on a nearby bench in the park, feeding leftover bread crusts to wild Skarmory.

After his Shiny Feebas successfully climbed the Dragon's Waterfall, he lost any reason to remain in Meteor Village.

His schedule was never particularly flexible—he had set out in summer and needed to reach the Fall City Grand Finale before winter officially began. Three months had already passed; autumn was here.

Yet the climate of the Hoenn continent seemed unaffected by seasonal shifts—temperatures had dropped, but only enough to require swapping shorts for long sleeves.

Those with strong constitutions didn't even need to change—they still got hot enough at noon to roll up their sleeves.

Notably, after discussion, some residents of Meteor Village decided to build him a house there, even covering all interior decoration; Zhenya even promised to send him progress updates.

Refusing such heartfelt generosity was impossible.

Elders always had plenty of reasons: "We're idle anyway," or "A grown man shouldn't keep living off others."

Even the Dragon Elder came to persuade Baimu, as if afraid he'd refuse, saying that as they aged, their drive to act faded quickly—but now, for the first time in years, they wanted to unite for one purpose, not just to repay him, but to recapture the feeling of their youth.

The gifts they'd given before? That was the business of the young. It had nothing to do with them, the elderly.

In short: you'd better accept it. If you refuse, you'll still be forced to accept it.

What could Baimu say?

As for the young people's gifts, the most precious was a curved Dragon fang—unlike ordinary teeth shed by regular Dragon-type Pokémon, it possessed a special effect that enhanced the power of Dragon-type Pokémon.

Similar in nature to a Mystic Water.

Baimu asked Master Qingshan to turn the Dragon Fang into a pendant, tied it around the neck of his Salamence, and buried it beneath its fluffy fur—assuming no battle ever arose that could burn away all its fur, it wouldn't fall off.

Only Salamence among his team was suited for this item.

He also replaced his Key Stone-embedded bracelet with a pendant; the spiral bronze bracelet was too conspicuous for his reserved nature.

Of course, he made a headpiece for Gulpin that could hold the Gulpin Fossil—intended to swap with the Soothe Bell.

Not today.

The Soothe Bell's chime adds points.

After feeding the bread crusts, Baimu crumpled the plastic bag and shooed away the wild Skarmory.

"Thanks for today."

He shook the Poké Balls containing Happiny and Gulpin—inside, they were unaffected by external forces, so no need to worry about them spinning in place.

About two hours remained until the Grand Finale began.

Many coordinators who had registered but were now panicked were rehearsing their performances here, desperately trying to cram.

Baimu looked around, but sadly didn't encounter a single Coordinator from the anime—he'd expected it to be like the previous two times, and felt deeply disappointed.

Miss Liuqi should be preparing for the Aqua City Grand Finale; with her Mega Sceptile, she's terrifying—within months, the public's perception of her shifted from rising film star to outstanding Coordinator.

Many hoped to see her and the equally famous Baimu compete in the same Grand Finale.

Xiao Guang remains missing; she rarely uses her phone—calling is the only way to reach her. The message he sent a week ago still hasn't been replied to.

Urra… we never exchanged Pokeline.

Baimu suddenly snapped back to attention and turned his head to see Officer Jenny and Carvanha walking toward him.

"Hello! We received reports of a masked suspicious individual active in this area. Please remove your hat and mask, and show your valid identification!"

The latter saluted.

Baimu: "..."

Why were Team Rocket never caught by Officer Jenny when they pulled these disguises?

That's not scientific!

He obediently pulled out his Pokédex, switched to the Trainer ID screen, and showed Officer Jenny he was an innocent Coordinator.

"... Thank you for your cooperation!"

Officer Jenny saluted again, then suddenly blinked, "Could I get your autograph?"

"Huh?"

Baimu took the pen mechanically and signed his name in a small booklet, "You follow Grand Finale competitions too, Officer Jenny?"

"Of course! I'm your fan!"

Officer Jenny showed a flicker of excitement, but quickly restrained herself—she was on patrol, and asking for autographs was already a violation.

"Good luck at the Grand Finale!"

"... Alright, I will." Baimu hadn't expected his fame to have grown this much.

It had been over a month already.

What he didn't know was that after finishing her patrol and handing over to her colleague, Officer Jenny excitedly took a photo of the autograph and posted it to a group called 【Gulpin Fan Club】.

Within a minute, over a hundred replies flooded in.

Meanwhile.

More and more Grand Finale enthusiasts were heading toward Autumn Leaf Town to watch his match.

——

"Show me your Pokémon! Let me show you mine!"

"A grand competition where humans and Pokémon meet and understand each other~"

Vivian, with brown hair, held a microphone and recited the opening remarks: "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience! The Autumn Leaves Pokémon Super Show is finally about to begin!"

Applause surrounded the arena, cheers rising like waves, as countless energized spectators fixed their eyes on the stage.

Three figures Baimu knew intimately appeared.

"Let us welcome Deputy Director Patstein of the Event Bureau!"

The gray-haired middle-aged man bowed in greeting.

"Mr. Yanase of the Pokémon Enthusiasts Club!"

The handsome young man swept back his bangs.

"And Miss Qiao Yin of the Autumn Leaves Pokémon Center!"

Miss Qiao Yin smiled and bowed.

"The three judges will conduct the first round of evaluations for the upcoming contestants!"

Vivian raised her hand, and on the massive silver screen above the venue, a pink silk ribbon appeared, its metallic pieces shaped like hexagonal ribbons: "The Coordinator and Pokémon who win this competition's championship will receive the Autumn Leaves Ribbon Medal."

"Contestants who collect five Super Show Ribbons will earn the chance to compete in the Pokémon Super Show Festival! Without further delay, let us welcome our first contestant!"

Under the gaze of all.

The first contestant walked onto the stage, trembling with nerves.

Inside the preparation room.

Baimu, dressed in his Super Show Lava Suit, sat on a long bench, enduring the scrutiny of every contestant's gaze—countless eyes converged upon him as if he were some monstrous flood.

But not everyone was like that.

Many greeted him warmly, yet none without exception met a closed door; Baimu, fully focused on preparation, had no interest in chatting with strangers, politely declining every topic.

On the other hand.

As the competition continued, attention returned to the stage—after all, no matter how much they watched powerful opponents, their own scores wouldn't rise.

Better to carefully observe whether their own scores could rank among the top eight or four.

Baimu watched other performances for a while and realized the threshold for combo acts might be higher than he'd assumed; mistakes were common.

And even more had simplified their acts to reduce errors.

These slightly clumsy contestants highlighted the thoughtful, skillful Coordinators, making performances barely passing by online standards still draw cheers and thunderous applause.

Scores were also given slightly higher than normal.

Five contestants had already scored above 29 points; none had reached 29.5—clearly, the judges remained clear-headed, unaffected by the atmosphere.

Two teams warranted caution—

The Void Painting combo of Voltorb and Togepi, and the Sun-Moon Radiance combo of Solrock and Lunatone.

Though relying on their respective Pokémon for synergy, their performances were truly impressive; in Baimu's view, their artistry and concept were no less than the performance planned by Happiny and Makuhita.

"There really are talented people…"

He murmured softly.

For Happiny and Makuhita to outscore these two teams, they would have to execute their routine flawlessly.

The fruits of long practice were about to be revealed.

Shortly after.

It was Baimu's turn.

In the preparation room, the gazes of all contestants followed his movement; as the door closed, they instantly turned to the television screens.

The previously noisy environment fell swiftly silent; nearly everyone stared at the arena, waiting for his appearance—even those uninterested in him could not escape the atmosphere of the preparation room.

As if the final boss of the dungeon were about to descend.

At the competition venue.

Vivian's voice remained energetic; after bidding farewell to the previous contestant, she gestured toward the entrance passage.

"Let us welcome our next contestant!"

Baimu stepped forward slowly.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the moment he stepped into the spotlight, the entire arena seemed to fall silent for an instant—then, like a flame ignited, screams erupted from every corner.

The audience erupted in cheers; Super Show fanatics shouted his name. The girls in the front rows, clad in cheerleader outfits, stood up, dancing energetically and chanting a loud, synchronized slogan.

On the judging panel, Patstein and Yanase smiled, rubbing their temples and stroking their ears, keeping their eyes and ears in peak condition.

This was the treatment reserved for top Coordinators.

A flood of chatter filled the entire venue.

"What's going on with this guy? So over the top!"

"Makuhita! Makuhita!"

"After waiting a month, he finally came to Autumn Leaves Town! Definitely the right move to stake out a bigger city!"

"Worth every moment!"

"Sisters, did you see it? Baimu and Makuhita's Super Show live? Aren't you jealous?"

The deafening clamor threatened to rip the ceiling off the arena.

There was no help for it.

Among all Super Show contestants across Hoenn, Baimu and Makuhita were undoubtedly one of the most popular Coordinator pairs.

Though they had only competed twice, their debut 【Spinning Fire Dance】 and their fame-capturing 【Dance of the Frost Mist】 left deep impressions on everyone.

The sight of numerous top Coordinators personally praising him, and Super Show Master Milotic lavishing him with praise, had made him the object of countless adorations.

It ultimately created this magnificent scene.

Yet even Baimu, as the one involved, had not anticipated that even after deliberately avoiding the spotlight for a month, he would still be so popular.

There were even cheerleaders now—

And yet he didn't recognize a single one of them, which made him somewhat awkward.

"Sss…"

Baimu took a deep breath, slowly raised his right hand, as if drawing all the sounds of the arena into it, then suddenly clenched it into a fist.

Hu!

The same gesture he had made at the Kai Na Convention instantly silenced everyone who knew him; the audience's hush spread like a tide across the entire arena, creating the perfect moment for his performance.

Then—

Bam! Bam!

A blue sheet music spun like silk, colorful musical notes leaping upon it, slowly shaping the figures of Jigglypuff and Clefairy.

They stood one before the other, bowing gently to the audience, as if the opening of some dance.

Dingling~

In an instant.

The crisp bell sound suddenly plucked at everyone's heartstrings; the adorable Jigglypuff tilted its head and stepped forward, its toes lightly touching the ground like a dragonfly skimming water, causing a misty pale blue smoke to swiftly envelop the stage.

A melodious song followed.

Its clear voice was like a mountain spring, tinkling as it flowed; pale blue musical notes slowly emerged, swirling around the gracefully dancing Jigglypuff within the hazy mist, cold air clinging to the notes.

In a daze.

They glowed with a faint light, appearing and disappearing like lovable little spirits, stirring the swirling fog as if they were playful fawns in the forest.

A refreshing, fragrant breeze, mingled with sparkling starlight and drifting mist, spread before every person, creeping through their nostrils and stimulating their minds.

Faintly.

The gorgeous pale blue glowing musical notes seemed to draw near enough to touch; reaching out, one could almost feel their chill—yet they vanished the instant contact was made.

Mysterious, hazy, serene, melodious…

Every beautiful word describing a fairyland could be used to describe this performance.

The song, like forest whispers and spring melodies, unfolded a perfect painting before your eyes, delivering a triple feast of sight, sound, and scent.

The audience all wore expressions of serene delight, their bodies relaxing unconsciously as they listened intently to the moving melody.

When their gaze returned to the stage.

At some point, Jigglypuff's cool figure had begun to spin gently; each time the bell and song reached a certain beat, it leapt lightly like a butterfly.

Every movement of its body seemed frozen in time, lingering within the slowly fading, wispy clouds of mist.

One, then another, then another.

The audience's eyelids trembled, utterly absorbed, unable to look away.

Finally—

The bell sound ceased, the song faded.

The misty stage's ethereal smoke had thinned to mere wisps, yet still curled around the lifelike ice sculptures that had appeared without warning.

Each ice sculpture captured a different dance pose, Jigglypuff's every smile and frown frozen upon their faces.

Their semi-transparent eyes even glowed with a touching radiance.

So much so that the audience could no longer tell where the real Jigglypuff was—until the soft song suddenly swelled, and a pale blue musical note leapt up, landing upon one of the ice sculptures.

Paa~

The ice sculpture shattered into countless brilliant specks of light; the audience's heartstrings trembled in unison.

Then the song rose again, notes leaping once more, like mischievous little spirits landing one by one on each ice sculpture, causing them to crumble bit by bit, transforming into a long, cool breeze infused with fragrance that brushed against every spectator's face.

And finally—

The pale blue musical note landed in the real Jigglypuff's hands, completing its mission before dissolving into starlight.

The song ended completely.

Onstage, Jigglypuff, Clefairy, and Baimu bowed in unison.

The entire arena fell utterly silent.

Everyone's hearts remained caught in the emotion this performance had stirred.

Then—

One person stood, tears brimming, and began to clap.

Countless spectators rose with him, raising their arms high or clapping with all their strength, offering the most passionate applause of the entire competition!

Cheers and shouts shook the heavens; the roar of encouragement echoed like thunder!

"Baimu! Baimu!"

"Baimu! Baimu!"

They shouted his name, unable to find any other words to express the excitement and fervor in their hearts—if conditions allowed, they would have rushed onto the stage.

The cheerleaders chanted in perfect unison, every face glowing with pure excitement.

The arena was as electric as a solo concert for Baimu; countless spectators raised their phones, trying to capture this moment and preserve it forever in their hearts.

At this moment, nearly everyone's thought was—how could it be this beautiful? Why could it be this beautiful?

What if we never see it again!?

Not a wasted trip!

I wish I could stay here forever, watching Jigglypuff and Clefairy perform!

Why did it move us so deeply?

The Big-Mouthed Baby fan club members, who had long since taken their seats, cried as they uploaded the videos they had recorded; ever since the battle in Kaina City, their group had expanded from a few hundred members to nearly ten thousand.

The cheerleading squad was naturally also their handiwork.

In countless chat groups, countless fans rolled around on their beds in jealousy.

Why! Why am I not at the scene again!

Wuuuuhuuu… I didn't even get to feel Big-Mouthed Baby's cool breeze! This time I didn't even get to hear the song!

The fragrance can be adjusted, the cool breeze can be simulated, but what about the singing? The loss of fidelity is so severe!

Is there any big shot who can fix the audio, I'm begging you!

A blog! Let Baimu open a personal blog! I'm going crazy! I was just one minute short of getting into the venue!

Hahahaha! Luckily I took my family's helicopter over and made it in time, hahaha!

Wahhhhhh—obscenely rich! I'm going to slash you!

Obscenely rich!

Obscenely rich +1

Obscenely rich +2

Countless chat messages scrolled upward at lightning speed; the moment a sentence was sent it was instantly bumped to the top, and this scene was playing out in every fan chat group.

And as a storm was stirring up online.

The commentary inside the venue began.

"Thank you to Big-Mouthed Baby and Blissey for the song-and-dance performance~ I really want to see it again, hear it again~"

Vivian said with feeling, then handed the floor over to Patstein.

"Last time I described Big-Mouthed Baby's performance as 'exquisitely wonderful,' so this time my evaluation won't change, but I must add the phrase 'seamless as a heavenly garment'! Its coordination with Blissey absolutely deserves that word! Perhaps today wasn't as swelteringly hot as before, so the performance's effect wasn't as strong, but a sense of atmosphere was well preserved.

"Some may say the two performances have a high weight of repetition, but what needs to be understood is that this time it was coordinating with Blissey, not dancing alone. Besides, even if I watched this kind of performance countless times, I'd still give it a thumbs-up! If possible, I could watch it every day and never get tired of it…"

In just one short minute, Patstein's mouth had already spat out at least two hundred words.

Toward the end he was even a bit mumble-mouthed.

Vivian, all smiles, cut off his microphone. "Thank you for your commentary, Mr. Patstein. Let's invite Mr. Yanase!"

"Hiss—"

Pop!

"Eek!"

Vivian covered her ears, looked at Yanase, whose voice was still clearly audible even though his microphone had exploded, and shook her head helplessly.

She handed the final speaking slot to Ms. Qiao Yin.

The most reliable Ms. Qiao Yin smiled gently. "Although the trainer didn't take part in this performance too much, traces of direction can be seen in all the details. The Icy Wind and Shadow Clone that Big-Mouthed Baby used in sequence, and the Mimic that Blissey used, coordinated very well — a truly wonderful performance!"

Clap clap clap clap—

The audience burst into thunderous applause.

"Thank you to the three judges for their commentary. Now let's have the three judges give their scores!"

Beep beep beep.

A total of 29.5 points — the highest score of this event so far!

"A new highest score is born! Let's congratulate this contestant and his Pokémon!" Vivian said excitedly, drawing cheers from the audience.

Earning this score under the judges' exacting standards is more than enough to prove how outstanding Big-Mouthed Baby and Blissey's performance was!

Although it didn't surpass the score from the last competition — in fact it dropped a little — for Baimu and Big-Mouthed Baby and the rest, this score was already very much worth celebrating.

In the end, in favor of stability they didn't choose a fully innovative dance and performance, and there's the suspicion that they treated the misty field and Icy Wind as a winning formula.

Non-homogenization is still very important for scoring.

"Good work, all of you."

Baimu said with a smile to Blissey and Big-Mouthed Baby. The latter was fine, only panting; the former's hands were trembling nonstop — it had nearly exhausted all its mental energy on the final micro-control of the singing note.

If it weren't for its naturally strong spiritual power, it probably really wouldn't have been able to sing while manipulating that note.

It was also fortunate that Icy Wind froze the Shadow Clone thin enough; otherwise it would have been a joke if it had dropped onto it and exploded.

Blissey had ten thousand worries before the match, but now they had all turned into excitement.

Even without too many flashy Contest talents, it could still earn a high score with the help of its companions and trainer!

It!

Was the all-rounder of the team!