Chapter 482: Today's Mimikyu Is the Happiest Mimikyu in the World

"Ya—"

"So cute!!!"

Below, the students and teachers who had reacted widened their eyes, instinctively raising their phones or cameras as flashes began to pop incessantly.

This was solely because the Mimikyu following Luo Mu at this moment was completely different from the one in their impressions.

If an ordinary Mimikyu looked like a "horror and eerie version" of Pikachu,

then the dark atmosphere surrounding this Mimikyu had been thoroughly purified, leaving only an aura of happiness.

"It looks like a Sylveon—"

Botan opened her mouth in surprise, locking eyes with the Sylveon sitting upright beside her, its ribbons wrapped around its own wrists.

"Fee-ya~"

The Sylveon let out a soft cry, its ribbon feelers trembling slightly.

"The colors of the bow ribbons are different; they're colorful! I remember Teacher Luo Mu saying that Mimikyu loves rich and varied colors!"

Shizuka boldly guessed.

"Could it be—"

"Is that a new plush costume personally crafted for Mimikyu by Teacher Luo Mu!?"

Since there was no distribution or habitat of Mimikyu in the Hoenn region, the three judges who had traveled far from Hoenn offered their evaluations respectively.

"I like this one!"

"Subarashi!"

"It is truly adorable!"

At this moment, for the first time, the Mimikyu was surrounded by such an atmosphere full of cheers.

In the past, whether it was itself or its kin, most were feared by humans and kept at a distance due to their clumsy imitation of Pikachu.

But now, it was receiving countless praises that it rarely ever heard from outsiders.

The Mimikyu also understood that, in the end, what they were cheering for was not its true form, but the "painted skin" wrapping around its body.

But, so what?

The Mimikyu no longer cared about the opinions of others.

As it walked alongside Luo Mu, the two tiny eyes revealed on the belly of its new plush costume, which one might mistake for patterns at a glance, were now fixed intently on him.

The evaluations and gazes of others did not matter; it only cared about Luo Mu, who had prepared a surprise for it and personally sewn this outfit.

Today's Mimikyu.

Was the happiest Mimikyu in the world!

Wallace spread his arms, watching Luo Mu and the Mimikyu approaching him, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Oh my, the attire of you two today has truly exceeded my expectations."

Luo Mu stopped at the designated spot, similarly lifting the champion's cloak enveloping him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Mr. Wallace seems to know us?"

"Of course, I have been paying attention to you for quite some time."

Wallace crossed his arms, his palms lightly pressing against his shoulders, a look of Tao Zui appearing on his face.

"Whether it was the legendary battle on Asertia Island or the Ice Rayquaza that shook the ice sculpture domain, I witnessed it all with my own eyes!"

Immediately after, he spoke in a voice only he and Luo Mu could hear: "Originally, I thought only that Ninetales was worthy of my attention, but it seems now that this Mimikyu's potential is equally wonderful."

Wallace directly exposed the fact that he had long been monitoring Luo Mu, instantly stirring up a wave of gasps.

In the judges' seats, Little Little Dandan smiled faintly.

She knew it; she had wondered why Wallace, out of the blue, had contacted her to hold a Campus Contest at Grape Academy.

Sending Geeta wasn't enough; he even insisted on designating Luo Mu for the exhibition match.

It turned out he wanted to use the convenience of "official business" to meet Luo Mu in person.

The exhibition match soon began.

But before that, Vivian still had to explain to the confused audience of Grape Academy below the special rules of Contest Battles that differed from ordinary battles.

Simply put,

the premise of a Contest Battle is to fight while maintaining beauty, elegance, and coolness.

Each battle lasts five minutes; the large screen displays the visualized points for both sides. Points are deducted when a Pokémon is attacked, makes a move error, or when the opponent's Pokémon displays a particularly magnificent move or utilizes its own move to show charm, turning force against force.

Of course, if one side's Pokémon exhausts its stamina and becomes unable to battle, the match will still end.

If the five-minute time limit is reached and neither side has determined a winner, the points of both sides will be compared, and the side with more remaining points wins.

In the rare case where points are identical, overtime will commence until all of the opponent's points are deducted.

These rules can be said to benefit some Coordinators who are not skilled in battle, while situations where participants skilled in Pokémon battles perform a dimensional strike are rare and can be ignored.

After all, such trainers generally do not participate in Contests.

As both a Master Coordinator and a League Champion, adding these two titles together, if Wallace doesn't take the title of world number one, who does?

Behind the scenes at the participant area.

Having listened to all the rules, Ash felt dizzy, feeling as though his brain, which he rarely used over the years, was about to explode.

What should he do? He completely didn't understand!

Even Pikachu's head was nearly overloaded and smoking.

"What an idiot."

Paul, standing nearby with his arms crossed, glanced at them disdainfully and voiced his shocking opinion.

"In short, as long as you make the opponent lose all ability to battle, you can win!"

"Ohhh, although I don't want to admit it, could you be a genius!?"

Little Zhi and Pikachu looked at Shinji with eyes sparkling brightly.

So that's how it is!

We just need to use Super Power!

Shinji ignored him, staring at Wallace and Luo Mu, who were already in position on the screen, his eyes flashing with the light of one determined to win.

He would break into the finals together with Torterra and the others, and have a proper, upright official battle with Teacher Luo Mu!

Back on the stage.

Hostess Vivian confirmed with both sides, "Are you both ready?"

"Of course."

Wallace nodded with a smile.

Luo Mu also gave a soft "Mm."

Both sides simultaneously recalled Milotic and Mimikyu.

Some people were surprised to notice that the Poké Ball in Luo Mu's hand seemed to be decorated with something different.

"Oh my, aren't those stickers popular in the Sinnoh region? Even though this is his first Contest Battle, it seems Mr. Luo Mu has made corresponding preparations himself!"

Vivian exclaimed in surprise.

"Hehehe~"

Wallace smiled slightly and elegantly tossed out his Poké Ball.

"Let Milotic and I perform an illusion of water for everyone!"

Bang!

The Poké Ball opened.

Milotic lazily stretched its charming and seductive form; shimmering water light surrounded it, with trickling streams reflecting the spotlights flowing around it, showcasing its unique charm as a Water-type Pokémon.

Its fan-like tail swayed slightly, displaying beautiful scales like dreamy bubbles reflected by the water flow, while its pink, hair-like fins trembled gently in mid-air, as if the Goddess of the Luo River had descended to the mortal world.

Many people were instantly stunned into silence.

Feebas and Milotic rarely inhabit the Paldea region; seeing one immediately that was arguably among the most beautiful in the world, they were momentarily mesmerized.

Meanwhile, on the large screen, the circular score points beneath Luo Mu's avatar were immediately deducted by a small portion.

Nurse Nurse Mimosha, sitting alongside Professor Professor Huangbo, exclaimed in surprise, "Just by appearing and displaying its charm, it can deduct points!?"

At this moment, everyone present realized the gap between Contest Battles and normal Pokémon Battles.

Fortunately.

Luo Mu had also made corresponding preparations long ago.

The stickers, specially purchased from the nearby seas of the Sinnoh region when he asked Liko to stop by on her return from a business trip to the Unova region, immediately proved their worth!

With another "Bang," the Poké Ball encased in the sticker shell popped open.

Mimikyu, still wearing its new outfit, appeared in mid-air.

However, pink hearts now surrounded its body, floating lightly up and down, further accentuating the cuteness of Mimikyu's Sylveon costume.

Immediately after, Mimikyu extended a Shadow Claw from beneath its plush body, matching its size, and struck the surrounding pink hearts with lightning speed.

The next instant.

Amidst a chorus of gasps, the floating pink hearts instantly transformed into countless tiny, cute hearts that scattered outward; even the judges' panel and the audience seats below the stage received a baptism of these small hearts.

At this moment, Mimikyu truly looked like the clever and cute fairy from the public's imagination.

Mimikyu landed steadily, and on the large screen, the score beneath Wallace's avatar was also deducted at this moment.

However, the deduction was even smaller than Luo Mu's.

"For a first appearance using this method, it was sufficient."

Luo Mu was not discouraged; he was never a professional Contest Coordinator to begin with, and relying on some small props to deduct a small portion of Wallace's points had already exceeded his goals.

"Combining the eeriness of a Ghost-type Pokémon with the cuteness of a Fairy-type Pokémon to create a strong sense of contrast; with such Shu De Shou Fa, is Mr. Luo Mu really contacting Contests for the first time—"

Vivian held up the microphone, her voice filled with excitement.

"Both contestants have completed their entrances!"

"Then, I declare—"

"The Contest Battle, begin!"

"Milotic—"

Wallace spoke, as if giving a reminder.

Luo Mu, whose battle intuition would not lose to anyone, instantly locked his gaze onto Milotic's tail.

At this time, coiled around that tail was a red orb emitting a scorching heat, appearing who-knows-when!

"That is—"

Luo Mu's pupils constricted, and he stated without hesitation:

"Mimikyu, Misty Terrain!"

Starting from Mimikyu, countless light-blue mists spread rapidly in all directions like clouds and fog, instantly turning the entire stage into a domain wreathed in ethereal mist.

The very second the field completely transformed into Misty Terrain, Milotic, using the Flame Orb as a held item, fully integrated it into its body.

However—

The burn it expected did not arrive as predicted.

The score beneath Wallace's avatar was immediately deducted by a portion, bringing it level with Luo Mu's score!

"Mr. Luo Mu anticipated Mr. Wallace and Milotic's plan in advance, beautifully using the dreamlike Misty Terrain to block Milotic's scheme of using the Flame Orb to trigger its own 'Marvel Scale' ability!"

Vivian loudly commented on the events unfolding on the stage.

A chorus of gasps immediately rang out from the audience seats.

They hadn't even reacted yet; had a game of wits already taken place?

"Seen through, huh? Truly worthy of you."

Wallace smiled indifferently, then issued a command.

"Surf!"

"Milo~"

Milotic raised its head high, emitting an ethereal cry that summoned towering waves.

Billows rose from the ground, forming a bulging wall that, under the slap of Milotic's raised tail fin, rolled toward Mimikyu.

And atop those waves, Milotic, glowing entirely with an iridescent blue light, resembled either a charming siren commanding the tides or an arrogant empress ruling the waters.

"Dazzling Gleam."

Centered on Mimikyu, a brilliant light flashed; Fairy-type energy transformed into rainbow-hued light arrows, constructing a magnificent and fantastical domain.

Surf rolled down from above, while Dazzling Gleam expanded and erupted rapidly in the form of an inverted hemisphere over the battlefield.

Alas.

Mimikyu's Special Attack stat was ultimately a fatal flaw; facing Surf from a Milotic of equal strength, or perhaps even slightly stronger, Dazzling Gleam unsurprisingly turned into a sky full of light specks, crushed and scattered by the pressing waves.

Beneath Luo Mu's avatar, the score sharply decreased by one-tenth!

Many people, watching the surging waves that had swallowed Mimikyu, showed worry in their eyes.

Luo Mu, however, remained utterly calm.

Noticing this, Wallace paused, then seemed to realize something and shouted, "Milotic—"

In mid-air, Mimikyu's figure appeared out of nowhere, shrouded in layers of shadow, and slammed down onto Milotic with perfect momentum!

Phantom Force!

The earlier Dazzling Gleam was merely a Zhang Yan Fa to conceal this true attack, as well as a setup to slow down Surf and buy Mimikyu time to execute its move!

Struck by this heavy blow, Milotic let out a cry of pain, and the waves dispersed.

Beneath Wallace's avatar, the score directly decreased by two-tenths!

"Using the dual cover of Surf and Dazzling Gleam, Mimikyu successfully executed a beautiful strike!"

Vivian's voice concluded.

"We've been outmaneuvered."

Wallace chuckled lightly; judging by Mimikyu's condition, its Ability "Disguise" probably hadn't even been broken yet.

Truly worthy of the person he had long wished to meet; in terms of battle instinct and the meticulousness of thought, it was as if he saw his own close friend!

Wallace was just about to issue another command when he noticed Luo Mu suddenly take out a round crystal.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"What is this—?"

Luo Mu directly threw out the Tera Orb, his voice following immediately.

"Mimikyu, Terastallize!"

The Tera Orb traced a graceful arc through the air, paused above Mimikyu's head, and burst forth with brilliant Tera radiation.

Under the glow of Terastallization, Mimikyu's form was instantly enveloped in light; a crystal formed from energy rose up, then emitted a crisp shattering sound, turning into countless fragments dancing through the air.

Mimikyu's appearance was thus revealed to everyone.

At this moment, its entire body shimmered with the beautiful luster of a gemstone, and atop its head stood a pink, winged heart-shaped Tera Wang Guan, adding even more cuteness to its already adorable appearance.

Tera Fairy!

"This is the Terastallization phenomenon unique to the Paldea region; reportedly, that represents the Tera Wang Guan of the Fairy type."

"It must be said that right now, Mimikyu emits the luster of the world's most precious gemstone, simply so dazzling it draws every eye!"

Vivian exclaimed loudly in her commentary.

In the judges' seats, Geeta's smile widened.

In a certain sense, Paldea's Terastallization was a perfect fit for Contest Spectaculars, serving as an excellent scoring point.

The score beneath Wallace's avatar decreased again, yet he paid it no mind, shouting with Tao Zui:

"So beautiful it inspires admiration!"

"So elegant it incites envy!"

"This is simply too~ brilliant and dazzling!!"

(End of Chapter)