Chapter 484: Paul of Waterloo, the Shared Appearance of Thirty Tauros

The exhibition match has ended.

Everyone remained immersed in shock.

Even Wallace was stunned for a few seconds before finally reacting; gazing at the figure of his partner, who had fallen yet still retained its beauty, a sense of reality began to dawn on him.

Did I lose in a Contest Battle?

Vivian's voice, unable to conceal her surprise, rang out immediately after.

"Unbelievable! In a Contest Battle, the top Coordinator Wallace has actually been defeated!"

"At the very end, what exactly was that move used by Mr. Luo Mu and Mimikyu, which unleashed a burst of light and drained Milotic's stamina!?"

On the judges' podium.

The look of astonishment on Geeta's face gradually faded; after a brief moment of thought, she recalled the general idea.

It seemed to be the Z-Move from the Alola region, mentioned by that excellent Trainer named Kukui, right?

At the time, she had even planned to recruit him into the Paldea League; after all, the Paldea League had only been founded a little over a decade ago, its foundation was relatively weak, and Geeta had always been eager for talent.

Whether Gym Leaders or the Elite Four, all were outstanding talents personally selected and tested by her for their strength; thus, even though more than half a year had passed, Geeta still remembered the matter clearly.

It seemed Luo Mu had gained quite a lot during his time in the Alola region; judging by Geeta's standards, the power of that move Luo Mu just called "All-Out Pummeling" was quite terrifying.

After a moment of silence, the teachers and students of Grape Academy began shouting and cheering with flushed faces, their applause continuous and unending.

In their eyes, the fact that Luo Mu, as Grape Academy's representative, had successfully defeated the highly renowned Wallace was already reason enough for them to cheer!

The several individuals on the judges' podium also joined the crowd in clapping.

"I like this!"

"Subarashi!"

"Cuteness and strength coexisting; as expected of a Fairy-type Pokémon!"

Luo Mu and Wallace shook hands with one hand each.

Wallace smiled and spoke those lines that would make an ordinary person feel slightly embarrassed, "It's so miraculous! So elegant it makes one jealous!! So brilliantly dazzling! If possible, could you tell me what that final move was—"

"It was a Z-Move."

Luo Mu replied.

"A Z-Move? I see; I have indeed heard of it; it seems to be a special move from the Alola region."

Wallace wore an expression of sudden realization.

"Your Pokémon was as still as a virgin and as swift as a fleeing hare during the battle, carrying just a touch of emotion that was undoubtedly absorbed through spending time with you; even I am nearly ready to give up in the face of your outstanding performance!"

"Terastallization and Z-Moves are undoubtedly crystals forged by your bond, perfectly displaying the charm possessed by Pokémon while also incorporating a certain degree of brute force—"

"In terms of Contest techniques, I, having immersed myself in this for a long time, hold the advantage, but you possess the advantage of being a Trainer; in this regard, we can consider it a draw."

Wallace's high-EQ words immediately laid everything out in the open.

For him, weren't the Terastallization and Z-Moves used by Luo Mu also part of his own bonds and gains?

Moreover, in Wallace's view, the Mimikyu that used a Z-Move after Terastallizing was no less dazzling than Milotic.

The purpose of Contests is to display the inherent charm of Pokémon and to showcase the bond between Pokémon and Trainer.

As long as one does not deviate from this philosophy, Contests possess a level of inclusivity beyond anyone's imagination.

Of course.

If possible, Wallace would still prefer to avoid situations like Luo Mu's, where the match is ended directly through brute force.

The exhibition match concluded.

Soon, the official school Contest was about to begin.

Through Wallace's performance in the exhibition match, the students of Grape Academy roughly understood what a Contest was and what a Contest Battle entailed.

Especially the students who had registered; they were all rubbing their hands together, eager to show off their skills.

They had understood everything!

The above referred to those students who had simply registered without bothering to look at the relevant rules at all.

When Vivian ascended the stage once again to announce the rules for the first round of the school Contest, these people were immediately dumbfounded.

Before the "Battle Spectacular" battle segment, there was a round known as the "First Review."

"In the performance segment of the First Review, the participating Coordinators must display their Pokémon's moves to express appeal and beauty, aiming to impress the judges and the audience."

"The judges will score the participants; a participant's score will determine whether they can advance to the Contest Battle segment of the Second Review; there are six judges in total, with ten points being the highest and zero the lowest, for a maximum total of sixty points; the top eight scorers will advance to the second round."

Vivian explained the rules with a smile on her face.

Upon hearing these rules, many of the registrants were instantly bewildered, while another portion of registrants who had made ample preparations showed little change in emotion.

Among those who were bewildered were naturally Paul and Ash, who intended to compete.

Of the two, one had heard that Luo Mu was participating in the school Contest and registered without a second thought.

The other, upon hearing that the former had registered, rushed to sign up in a hurry, possessing barely any concept of what a Contest even was.

The first was Paul, and the second was Ash.

The two looked at each other, and inevitably, a single thought surfaced in their minds—

What exactly is appeal!?

After making certain preparations to the stage, the First Review officially began.

Luo Mu went straight to sit in the waiting room, while Ash, like a puppy catching a scent, came "following the news."

As for the other students, for various reasons, they all unanimously chose not to strike up a conversation.

"Where is Paul?"

Looking left and right and failing to spot the other's figure, Luo Mu asked Ash curiously.

"He seems to be in the first batch to appear; he has already been called out."

Ash stared intently at the live broadcast footage on the large screen inside the waiting room, inspiration continuously surfacing in his mind.

"Oh."

Luo Mu nodded and also looked at the big screen.

To be honest, he wasn't worried about Ash at all in the Contest; rather, did that guy Paul really have that talent?

Nearly a hundred people from the Naranja Academy signed up to compete; grouped in fives, they performed in turn. To appear in the first round, in a sense, Paul was incredibly lucky.

Fortunately, he was the last to perform in his group of five, giving him at least some buffer time.

Among the five, there were two males and three females; aside from Paul, the other male's age should be enough to be Paul's father.

He wore clothes that seemed borrowed from some dance troupe, performing a hot dance with his partner Pokémon, Buizel.

However, mostly because his slightly protruding belly was simply too eye-catching, after the entire performance, the only impression left in Luo Mu's mind was the image of a round belly jiggling.

Nevertheless, the judges' evaluations were much more professional.

First, they affirmed how well Buizel's characteristics were displayed, then critiqued their shortcomings, each giving their own score.

The scores given by the six judges added up to a total of thirty points—

A passing grade, which was already good.

Next, the three female students appeared in turn and performed their own routines.

Only this time, the scores they received were not so ideal.

Nineteen points, seven points, and one five points.

Even that five points was given as a friendly score by Geeta and Clavel.

After all, that girl not only made frequent mistakes but also completely misunderstood the essence of the Contest, making the Pokémon her mere backdrop.

"In a Contest, everything is a backdrop for the Pokémon, including the Trainer."

Maylene bluntly placed reality before her.

The Contest is not the same category as the performances in the Kalos region; they cannot be lumped together.

The girl went offstage crying.

Next, it was Paul's turn, his limbs stiff.

He hadn't dressed himself up at all, still wearing the Naranja Academy's autumn uniform.

And the Pokémon he sent out left people momentarily stunned.

The combination of Torterra and Ursaring.

How to put it? This combination wasn't bad; after all, the Contest is a highly inclusive comprehensive competition: cute, beautiful, cool, smart, strong, magnificent...

As long as the Pokémon's characteristics are displayed and there is careful choreography, the result will definitely not be poor.

Unfortunately, Paul's talent in this area of the Contest was a bit miserable.

One couldn't say he had no talent; one could only say he should give up as soon as possible.

No sense of aesthetics whatsoever.

The moves' power was sufficient, the special effects were good, and the two Pokémon's coordination was passable.

But one simply could not feel a shred of beauty from it.

There was only technique born purely for battle.

Borrowing Maylene's critique, that was—

"Young man, you are better suited for traditional Pokémon battles, not the Contest. Your thinking is too meticulous, causing you to lose the characteristics you should be displaying."

Finally, Paul received a total score of twenty-five points, currently ranking second.

But he knew very well that with his score, making it into the top eight would be difficult.

Paul, having encountered another Waterloo in his life, could only return to the audience seats and sit with Shizuka and Peony.

Next.

The judging proceeded in an orderly fashion.

In one hour, half the combinations had finished their performances.

The current highest score was thirty-five points, achieved by Nurse Nurse Mimosha, the angel of the infirmary, with her partners Roserade and Toxicroak.

The scores following that were either ridiculously low or just passable.

But so far, no one had managed to get a high score.

This made many students feel the standard was perhaps too strict.

At this moment.

The avatars of the seventh group of contestants appeared on the big screen.

When the audience clearly saw the faces of the five, after a moment of silence, they immediately erupted—

Just because Luo Mu, who had just defeated Maylene, would appear in the first round of judging!

At the judges' seats.

Maylene, who had been somewhat uninterested but forced to perk up, suddenly brightened, her visible anticipation growing.

Clavel adjusted his glasses and sighed, saying, "A match between teacher and student? According to the rules, such a situation shouldn't occur—"

"You are too rigid, Clavel."

Geeta did not think so; she first lightly scolded him, then said:

"He is not the type to bully juniors without reason; it's simply that he needs to participate to achieve something. Besides, he knows his limits; wasn't the previous random battle between teachers and Gym Leaders an example?"

In the waiting room.

Before Luo Mu could speak, Ash jumped up excitedly, his face full of excitement, saying, "Teacher Luo Mu, let's compete to see whose score is higher!"

Without answering immediately, Luo Mu's gaze fell on the big screen.

Indeed, aside from himself, Ash was also appearing in the same group.

There was no element of competition between contestants in the same group, but that did not stop Ash from wanting to compete with Luo Mu.

Thinking of this, Luo Mu smiled and said, "Then it depends on your own abilities."

On the stage illuminated by spotlights.

Vivian looked toward the darkness, raised her hand, and said, "Then, please welcome the first contestant of our seventh group, contestant Xiao Zhi!"

Xiao Zhi, with Pikachu perched on his shoulder, trotted onto the stage, waving and greeting everyone around with a beaming smile, showing not a trace of stage fright.

Seeing his demeanor, Geeta became slightly interested.

She remembered that this youth named Xiao Zhi was the one who had recently been staying at Luo Mu's farm and often came to Grape Academy to battle Luo Mu's students.

It seemed he had also collected the Ba Mei Hui Zhang of the Kanto and Johto Leagues, reached the top eight in the Shi Ying Conference, and was about to participate in the Silver Conference; his potential seemed quite promising and worth observing.

Geeta silently sat up straight.

At this moment, Xiao Zhi also began his performance.

In principle, this Contest did not limit the number of Pokémon a contestant could bring out, but once too many Pokémon appeared, it often became difficult to distinguish the primary from the secondary order.

Most seasoned Coordinators either chose a specialized solo performance or a collaborative performance with two, or at most four or five, Pokémon.

But—

Xiao Zhi was a bit different.

Not only did he send out the Pikachu on his shoulder, but he also directly threw a basket of Poké Balls he was holding into the sky!

In an instant, the figures of thirty Tauros appeared on the fairly spacious stage!

"Th-this is!"

Even someone as experienced as Vivian was startled by Xiao Zhi's choice, causing her commentary to pause.

Wallace also turned his interested gaze toward the stage; even for him, seeing thirty Tauros appear on stage simultaneously was a first.

It must be that Xiao Zhi had communicated with the Tauros in advance; through the increase and accumulation of friendship, even wild and rough-tempered creatures like Tauros were willing to obey their Trainer's commands.

They did not riot directly but lined up neatly, their gazes all fixed on Pikachu in the center of the stage.

Xiao Zhi's command was issued simultaneously.

First, he had Pikachu use Quick Attack for ultra-high-speed movement while simultaneously using Thunderbolt to form one after another rings of electric current in mid-air.

Immediately after, the thirty Tauros also began to move.

Their muscles, incredibly robust from running, tensed up; moving their limbs with the momentum of a massive army crossing, they charged toward those rings of electric current, and then—

Leaped over them!

Rumble—

The entire venue was filled with the vibrations produced by the Tauros' charge, as if experiencing an earthquake.

Watching those Tauros, which seemed well-trained, leap consecutively over one electric ring after another, many audience members hung their jaws open, their faces full of shock.

A Contest can be performed like this—!?

(End of Chapter)