"..." Linus silently looked up and glanced at Harvey, who seed quite determined to get his way. "...Alright, I'll go. When?"
"After the Desert Festival!" Leo replied happily.
"...I'll go." Saying this, Linus patted Leo's head and said softly, "Go play with the kids."
As for Linus himself, he still needed to do so ntal preparation to accept the fact that he was going to the clinic for a checkup.
"I'm going to go play then!" Leo happily ran over to Penny and Jas.
Penny rubbed Leo's head, her attention falling on his clothes.
Calling them clothes was a stretch; like Linus's, they were just leaves and feathers cobbled together to barely preserve his modesty.
Wearing this in Pelican Town hadn't drawn any looks of disdain or strange stares so far, mostly because Linus had set a precedent.
But it would probably be a different story in Kalos.
With this in mind, she looked up at the TV just as the cara panned across the fashionably dressed n and won in the crowd.
After thinking for a mont, she patted Leo's head and walked straight over to Emily's side, whispering to her about it.
anwhile, in Kalos.
The Pokémon Contest was progressing smoothly.
Perhaps it was thanks to the ring, or maybe Serena was just in really good form today, but regardless, the battles had ultimately led to the final match.
On one side was Haley with her Sunflora, and on the other was Serena with her Sylveon.
Serena waved at Haley, then threw out Sylveon's Poké Ball.
"Sylveon, gorgeous entrance!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Sylveon slowly descended to the stage amidst colorful ribbons.
Haley's side also sent out Sunflora.
"Sunflora, use Sunny Day!"
"Sun-flora~"
Sunflora cried out, and suddenly, a massive barrage of sunlight rained down from the sky, making the leaves on its head look incredibly vibrant.
"That's so convenient." It was Evelyn's first ti watching this kind of competition. Seeing the sunlight shine down at Sunflora's command, she couldn't help but push up her glasses and lean in for a closer look. "Can other Pokémon use moves that change the weather too?"
Evelyn asked aloud.
"Rattata!"
These words struck a chord with Sailor. It quickly raised its paws and scurried over to Evelyn's side.
"Rattata! Rattata!"
Evelyn looked down at Sailor. She watched as it strained itself, a faint glow appearing on its paws, followed by a small dark cloud forming right in front of her face.
"Is that Rain Dance?" Evelyn said. "That's amazing, you know this move too."
"Rattata!"
The Sailor proudly put its paws on its hips.
"You really are a master at farming." Evelyn rubbed Sailor's head and said with a sigh. "I wish I had a Pokémon like you back when I was a farr."
Standing nearby, Indeedee's gaze suddenly sharpened.
"Rattata? Rattata."
Evelyn couldn't understand a word of this, nor could she guess what it ant. She simply picked up a cookie from nearby and handed it to Sailor's paws.
The Sailor held the cookie and started munching on it in big mouthfuls.
"Is it good?" Evelyn asked.
"Rattata, Rattata."
Evelyn smiled and turned her attention back to the screen.
The battle had grown quite intense by now. Thanks to Sunflora's massive HP pool and the ring Sylveon was wearing, what could have been a battle-focused slugfest had completely transford into a visual feast of dazzling moves.
Rather than focusing solely on how to land a hit on the opponent, the current priority in the battle was creatively utilizing offensive and defensive moves. The goal was to execute moves in the most spectacular way possible, seamlessly counter the opponent's attacks, and show off the Pokémon's strengths.
In the spectator stands, Abigail and Bonnie were marveling at the sight.
"That's incredible." Bonnie hugged her Dedenne. "Incredible! This is the best Pokémon Contest I've ever seen."
"The battle is heating up! The scores are neck and neck!" Momona narrated loudly from the sidelines. "Sunflora uses Solar Beam! Sunflora's lively deanor is perfectly showcased by Solar Beam!"
A wave of applause imdiately erupted through the venue.
This kind of battle was a rare sight even at a Grand Festival. What made it so special was that neither Pokémon had drained much of the other's stamina. Because of this, neither side was being miserably crushed, nor was either side completely robbed of a chance to shine.
As a result, the audience's eyes could only dart back and forth between the two Pokémon, watching move after move be launched by one side, only to be deflected into spectacular visual effects by the other, perfectly framing the Pokémon's elegance.
"I love this," one of the judges remarked.
Nurse Joy comnted from beside him, "It's a real sha. If they didn't only hand out one Ribbon per Contest, both of them would absolutely deserve one."
Now, they could only wait for the ti to run out and see whose score would inch out ahead.
Down on the stage, Serena glanced at the scoreboard but remained unhurried, continuing to gracefully direct Sylveon as it leaped around the arena.
Last ti, she had been caught completely off guard by Sunflora, causing her to fall slightly behind in points at the beginning. This ti, having ntally prepared herself early on, both girls were battling with plenty of room to breathe.
No matter what the final outco was, Serena wouldn't have any complaints.
Without overthinking it, she called out, "Right now, use Dazzling Gleam!"
"Sunflora, use Razor Leaf!"
A massive flurry of leaves shot out from Sunflora, colliding head-on with Sylveon's Dazzling Gleam. As the light illuminated the erald leaves, the entire battlefield was instantly engulfed in a sparkling, verdant glow.
Bathed in this light, it felt as though they had stepped into a lively, prival forest. Sunlight pierced through the canopy, casting shimring, dappled shadows everywhere, accompanied by a vibrant, light green radiance.
"Ti's up!" Momona yelled. "The victor of this match is—"
Only then did everyone shift their gaze from the battlefield to the main screen.
They saw that the two girls' scores were nearly identical. The scorekeeper zood in on the results.
"Serena wins by a margin of a single point!"
Serena froze for a split second before catching Sylveon as it leaped into her arms.
"Congratulations," Haley smiled at Serena, then bent down to pick up her Sunflora.
This journey had truly brought about all sorts of changes in Haley.
If it had been in the past, she probably wouldn't have been able to accept being even slightly outdone by soone else.
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