Chapter 458: The Wealth Secret

In the preparation room.

Baimu leaned against the Happiny, scrolling through his vibrating phone, while the other contestants watched him silently, their gazes not quite like those directed at a person.

He was only half a step away from a perfect score, and that half-step likely stemmed from the inability to make off-site viewers feel the same emotion—otherwise, given just now how Happiny guided illusions through song, a perfect score would have been entirely justified.

Is a perfect score hard to achieve?

Yes!

But during the time when Xiao Yao competed in the Hoenn Super Contest, perfect scores weren't especially rare—even Mukai once earned a perfect score with a Chimecho, at the Slateport Contest.

As times changed and judges shifted, scoring became increasingly strict, especially regarding perfect scores, which were no longer granted lightly.

Almost everyone present, except those about to perform, had already gone out to take one of the organizers' provided viewing spots, and the emotional impact was undeniable.

It was downright outrageous!

How many people in the world can maintain a performance of such high standards?

You could count them on one hand!

Moreover, though most here had never scored above twenty-nine, they all knew that only someone who had truly moved Patstein and Yanase—two judges with such high standards—could elicit such a reaction.

Ordinary Coordinators were lucky to earn two lines of evaluation from Patstein, and to make Yanase lift his fringe with a sixty-decibel sound was already remarkable; only performances that genuinely touched them received torrents of praise and explosive reactions.

Leaving Patstein aside, just Yanase's act of stripping off his shirt to reveal the character "明" had occurred only twice since he became a Super Contest judge.

Every Coordinator who received such an evaluation ultimately became a top-tier Coordinator without exception.

As for the various Young Ladies Joys…

They were the hardest to judge, for they always devised countless flattering phrases for trainers, regardless of score. But this time, Young Lady Joy had broken new ground by focusing solely on Happiny!

No wonder they were moved.

What stood before them was no human—it was a demon!

At this very moment.

For most present, their competitive spirit toward Baimu had sunk to its lowest point; they felt like sprinters competing alongside Bolt, realizing through every desperate sprint that it wasn't their era yet to arrive—it was that the era itself stood opposed to them.

No.

They were merely people who hadn't even passed the preliminary round—finals? Finals were still far away!

Of course, Baimu, who had not yet reached the pinnacle of top-tier Coordinators, was not yet worthy of such honor; there were countless Coordinators in Hoenn with comparable strength.

The thought of seeing Baimu clash with other geniuses in a few months made many Coordinators grow excited.

Naturally.

Some grow weaker when facing strength; others grow stronger.

Xiao Feng, whom Baimu had once met, had not been frightened by the performance; as his fan, she was ecstatic and walked straight up to speak with him.

But her words were nothing but standard trainer clichés—"I won't give up in the next battle," "Just wait and see"—and he wanted to ask if these lines were written in some textbook, since everyone seemed to recite the exact same script.

Unfortunately, too many people were messaging him on his phone, so he could only give Xiao Feng a half-hearted reply and returned to replying to messages from Liuqi and others.

Yet today, it wasn't just her who had gone mad—Shan Ren in the Orre region, and even Xiao Guang, who barely used phones, had finally connected to the network, happened to tune into his match, and naturally became the third person frantically messaging him.

Baimu faced three at once, his scalp tingling from replying; Liuqi, as always, was lively—her energy radiated even through the screen—since ending her TV acting career, she had fully unleashed herself.

Now she was a Super Contest influencer, winning the hearts of countless young fans.

She still loved encouraging others to join Super Contests, always boasting about how many "students" she'd taken on, claiming she could open a school herself.

But whenever Baimu agreed that her idea was feasible, the girl would panic and insist she was joking—that her uncle Mi Ke Li would be a far better teacher.

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But Mi Ke Li… probably wouldn't have time.

Whenever Champion Dawu went on long expeditions to search for stones, he'd inevitably hand the Champion title to Mi Ke Li as a tool, and this wasn't the first time he'd done it.

From Xiao Guang, Baimu learned she would participate in the upcoming Mi Ke Li Cup, and that Xiao Yao would definitely attend as well.

The two Wise Girls seemed to get along well, frequently meeting at various Super Contests to spar, building a deep friendship based on "no fight, no acquaintance," even traveling together for a time.

Xiao Yao… the Hoenn Dancing Beauty.

He rubbed his chin; he'd always liked her since watching the Advanced Generation series on TV, even more than the first-generation Wise Girl Xiao Xia—though he wasn't sure why, perhaps due to game bonuses?

Although the Ruby Version wasn't his first game, he'd played it the most.

On another front.

Shan Ren came to him primarily to share news of Lugia appearing in the Kalos region, hoping Baimu would go investigate—

Hu Pa Movie.

When he saw the sighting location was Desert City, he immediately recognized that the Lugia in Shan Ren's report was the very one that had constantly disrupted Shadow Hu Pa, dodging its attacks with wild maneuvers, until the exhausted Shadow Hu Pa finally sent it back.

Whether it was from the Orre region… he couldn't say.

Might as well go—after all, he was planning to go anyway.

Baimu relaxed, then asked about the situation in Huang Tie Town and Silber City; the Shadow Team was like Team Rocket—no matter how many times they were crushed, they never stayed dead; the first-generation protagonist Leo had destroyed them, the second-generation protagonist Dragon Man had faced them again, and now, in this third-generation, they'd returned!

If he wasn't cautious, a fourth-generation resurgence might not be out of the question.

Fortunately, Shan Ren had already thought of everything Baimu had; as the saying goes, "How can one tolerate snoring beside one's bed?"—this young man who idolized Lutz detested the Shadow Team more than anyone else, and had long organized Master Liu Ge, now retired and idle, to lead a team to the lawless camps in eastern Orre.

He'd also sent people north to the Shadow Team's former bases and scrubbed them clean again, as if he wanted to grind their bones to dust.

Under Shan Ren's governance, Huang Tie Town had gradually flourished; as one of only three major towns in Orre, it attracted many newcomers—especially because Huang Tie Town had the best greenery, surpassing even Silber City, which his father managed.

Everything neglected, everything neglected.

Through the window, Baimu gazed at the thriving, peaceful, harmonious Slateport City, and his resolve to strengthen himself quickly and win the tournament to return to Orre and aid Shan Ren grew fiercer.

He reconsidered again: what could he do? What should he do?

The Happiny beside him sensed the trainer's turbulent thoughts and gently placed its small hand on his back, slowly stroking it.

Trainers always said it was insecure, always reviewing itself before acting.

But wasn't the trainer the same? Back in Huang Tie Town, he had repeatedly told them about the beauty and longing of the outside world—yet now that he'd finally arrived here, he still yearned to return, still unable to let go of his past life.

Therefore, when it comes to indecisiveness, they are all the same.

Precisely because they are the same, they can be inseparable partners—trainer and Pokémon, bound heart to heart.

Happiny didn't care where they went; as long as she could stay by Baimu's side, even death seemed less frightening.

——

In the subsequent performances.

Baimu, with his usual leading advantage, secured the top spot in the first round of judging.

This made him realize he truly had talent in Super Contests—no need for a simulator or cheat to reach this level, unlike in battles.

Unfortunately, topping the first round didn't determine the final outcome, and in the Pokémon anime world, strength still ruled—even Super Contests included battle segments.

Though the rules of this battle segment were somewhat different.

The preparation room was packed; everyone wanted to see who would advance and who exactly made the top eight.

Beep.

A soft sound.

Eight faces were neatly arranged on the screen.

Host Vivian chirped: "Let's congratulate the eight contestants for successfully passing the first round!"

Many contestants in the preparation room fell into gloom; two who missed the top eight by just 0.01 points burst into tears on the spot, plunging the atmosphere into heavy silence.

But soon, as one contestant asked Baimu for an autograph and photo, more and more followed, forming a long line, and the mood gradually shifted into something absurdly festive.

The qualifiers had originally planned to avoid the crowd, but seeing Xiao Feng excitedly joining the queue, they hesitated—then joined too, partly because they truly wanted it, and partly to fit in.

This caused the preparation room to become utterly absurd, leaving the staff assigned to prepare the contestants utterly dumbfounded.

The only one suffering, perhaps, was Baimu.

He took photos with one person while signing autographs for another—those with paper got it on paper, those without got it on their clothes, and those reluctant to ruin their clothes—

Baimu looked at the girl before him, who extended her arm; her dark, glossy eyes blinked innocently.

"Sss!"

He sucked in a breath and signed his name on her arm.

Logically, unless she got it tattooed right after, wouldn't she just have to take a photo to remember it?

Not long after.

He finally finished signing and taking photos, letting out a sigh of relief as he rubbed his wrist and fingers, feeling as if he'd just trained hard.

He thought: if even he felt this way, how immense must Champion Dan Di's wrist and finger strength be? Thank goodness they were from the Pokémon world—endurance and stamina were extraordinary.

"Mr. Baimu! Please proceed to the contestant corridor and wait!"

The staff's voice reached his ears.

Baimu stood up and met the gaze of his opponent across the room; the boy wore a confident smile and raised his fist, waving it at him.

He gave a slight nod in response.

——

Inside the arena.

Amid the anticipation of countless spectators, Vivian, bathed in spotlights, raised her hand.

Snap!

Bright lights flooded the entire arena, triggering waves of cheers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience! The Super Contest Battle is about to begin! Please welcome Mr. Baimu and Mr. Taijiu!" Vivian chirped, as the two contestants emerged from opposite entrances.

It was Baimu and the boy named Taijiu.

The arena's cheers rose another notch; everyone stared eagerly downward.

"Time limit: five minutes. Through exquisite performance—coordinated techniques, Pokémon movements, attack styles, and overall flair—you may reduce your opponent's points. The contestant with the higher remaining score wins!"

Vivian explained the rules of the Super Contest Battle, her gaze shifting between the two. "Then, Round Two, First Match! Begin!"

Ding!

A crisp alert tone.

The countdown on the arena's large screen began to change.

Both sides swiftly threw their Poké Balls!

Pop! Pop!

Amid a flurry of pale blue bubbles emerged a Butterfree with antenna like eyes, a head shaped like a dropper, and two pairs of trembling, diamond-shaped wings.

Opposite it, the Pokémon that stepped onto the field sent the audience into wild screams.

A graceful cream-colored body, a magnificent long tail shimmering with rainbow hues under the light, a delicate pale blue fin as the finishing touch, and glowing crimson-pink eyes.

How beautiful!

The moment the Shiny Milotic appeared, it captured every eye in the arena—as if it were the sole center of the world, no one able to look away.

Taijiu's score dropped by one-eighth immediately!

Yes, merely by entering the field, it deducted one-eighth of his score—though this was partly because both Taijiu and his Butterfree were mesmerized by Shiny Milotic's charm, it still proved its terrifying power.

To subdue the enemy without fighting!

If he delayed any longer, his score would keep dropping.

Finally snapping out of it, Taijiu shouted loudly, jolting his Butterfree awake; the latter immediately activated its 【Intimidate】 ability.

And so—

"You dare intimidate me?!"

Shiny Milotic narrowed its eyes, revealing a touch of majesty amid its elegance and beauty; its 【Competitive】 ability triggered, boosting its Special Attack and sending its stats soaring.

Taijiu's score dropped another one-eighth.

Standing on the other side, All Baimu was thrilled out of his mind — doing nothing and still deducting a quarter of the opponent's score, perhaps only a Shiny Milotic could ever pull off something like this.

However.

There was no need to drag this out any longer.

"Attract." All Baimu waved his hand; the Shiny Milotic took the order and drifted toward the Rain Moth, its pinkish-red eyes blinking slightly as countless blue hearts materialized and swirled around it, then one by one flying toward the latter as if they had grown eyes of their own.

Taijiu shouted, "Dodge it!"

The Rain Moth dodged frantically, but dodging one was easy while dodging ten was not — it was unfortunately struck by one of the blue hearts and instantly fell into the 【Attract】 status.

A massive chunk of points was deducted.

"So it really is a male? Way too easy then — let's end this. Use Ice Beam." All Baimu was all smiles.

The Shiny Milotic lifted its gaze; icy-blue lightning gathered in its mouth, but instead of firing it off quickly, it swirled around its body and condensed into a spiraling ring, transforming into a sharp, thick pillar of icy spikes that slammed into the Rain Moth.

Its elegant and beautiful form had nearly deducted all of Taijiu's points.

Crack!

The ice shattered into a skyful of ice particles; the Milotic landed gracefully, the drifting ice particles enveloping it like a sprite of ice and snow.

The Rain Moth, meanwhile, had long since passed out.

Beeeeep—!!

A shrill, steam-whistle-like sound.

"Gorgeous battles — that's all there is to it."

All Baimu, who had grasped the secret to wealth, exchanged a smile with his Shiny Milotic.