After the opening ceremony, the Grans Festival of Pokémon Contest officially began, and the competition among the 247 contestants on the first day commenced.
The order of appearance for the contestants was arranged based on their registration order. Robert and Mr. Juan arrived early and registered promptly, so Robert's turn was relatively early.
All the Pokémon Coordinators who earned five Contest Ribbon to participate in the Grand Festival were undoubtedly strong. The level of competition was much higher than Pokémon Contest that Yuga had witnessed in the Verdanturf Town.
For example, there was a Drifblim who skillfully controlled a flying disc using Gust moves, showcasing remarkable control over wind manipulation. Yuga believed even his own Vivillon wouldn't be able to achieve such precise control.
Then, there was a Rain Dish-ability Pelipper that could summon a gentle drizzle upon entering the stage. Interestingly, the rain didn't reach the audience or judges. The ability was expertly developed.
One standout performance was by a Clefable that combined Substitute and Sing to create a breathtaking display. It summoned two Substitutes, identical to itself, and the three Clefable performed Singing in harmony, filling the entire arena with a beautiful melody.
This Clefable managed to captivate both the audience and judges, earning it the highest score so far in the preliminary rounds, a remarkable 99 out of 100.
Yuga had to admit that the Coordinator behind this Clefable was truly outstanding.
The combination of these two moves might seem easy, but it was actually quite challenging. Firstly, Substitute was an advanced move, and teaching a Substitute to use a move was itself a significant hurdle. Not all Pokémon could do that. Lastly, having the Substitute mimic the main Pokémon's singing voice was incredibly difficult.
The internal structure of a Substitute wasn't identical to that of the real Pokémon, and not all Pokémon that used Sing had melodious voices. Some produced noise, like the Poliwag, Magnemite, or Teddiursa, to name a few. Achieving this required specialized training, making it a kind of secret technique.
It had to be said that many Pokémon Coordinators excelled in skill development, surpassing traditional Trainers. Yuga was truly impressed today.
"Next up is our contestant, Robert! He's a familiar face to all of us. Let's look forward to his performance!" announced the host, Vivian, from the stage.
"Quick, pay close attention; it's Robert's turn," Wallace excitedly said beside Yuga.
Watching Wallace's enthusiasm, Yuga nodded, thinking that Robert probably wasn't as excited as Wallace himself. He truly was a great senior!
With the host's introduction, Robert calmly stepped onto the stage.
With a flash of a Poké Ball, Robert's Pokémon appeared before the audience, a Cinccino, graceful and adorable in equal measure.
After emerging from the Poké Ball, Cinccino gently landed on the ground. It then spun around, and five seeds from its Seed Bomb move formed a circle around it.
Now, at the center of the five seeds dropped by Seed Bomb, Cinccino began singing softly—a skillful display of singing abilities.
As Cinccino's melodious voice filled the air, the seeds on the ground started to sprout and grow into vines, slowly intertwining and spiraling upward.
Within Cinccino's song, the vines flourished like they were guarding forest fairies. Gradually, they became lush and interwoven, ultimately weaving themselves into a vibrant green chair, lifting Cinccino onto it.
Finally, standing on the chair woven from vines, Cinccino concluded the performance with a captivating skill.
"That was amazing! Cinccino appeared like a forest spirit, so beautiful. Contestant Robert has brought us a magical performance," exclaimed the excited host, Vivian.
"How did he do that? Cinccino isn't a Grass-type Pokémon, so it shouldn't be able to make the seeds from Seed Bomb sprout!" Yuga expressed his confusion.
Not only could Cinccino, a non-Grass-type Pokémon, not achieve this, but even genuine Grass-type Pokémon would find it difficult.
"The seeds from Seed Bomb didn't actually sprout," Wallace explained.
"They didn't sprout? Then where did those vines come from?" Yuga asked, growing even more puzzled.
"Couldn't it be another move?" Wallace chuckled. "In reality, the seeds from Seed Bomb never sprouted from start to finish. They were just used to disguise another move. It's no wonder my junior thought of this."
Seeing Wallace's proud tone, Yuga was left quite speechless.
After some contemplation, Yuga suddenly realized, "Is it Grass Knot then? Those vines were formed by Grass Knot."
"That's right, Grass Knot can automatically create vines and doesn't require Cinccino to control them. Cinccino's role is to guide those vines in the direction it desires," Wallace explained.
"I see," Yuga said, finally comprehending the trick. Wallace truly deserved the title of a Coordination Master, easily seeing through Robert's diversionary tactic.
Robert's spectacular performance undoubtedly earned recognition from the entire audience and the judges. Applause filled the arena, and countless fans of Robert cheered for him.
After Robert's performance, the competition continued, and Yuga and Wallace didn't leave just because Robert's performance had ended.
Yuga felt that watching the performances of other Pokémon Coordinators could provide him with unique insights, expanding his perspective. It was clear that the Coordinators participating in the Grand Festival had remarkable skills.
They watched for a while, and when the competition ended, Robert found them in the audience and sat down next to them.
"The person sitting next to you is dressed quite strangely," Robert whispered to Yuga, completely unaware that this person was his senior.
Upon hearing Robert's comment, Yuga burst into laughter.
Robert was initially puzzled by Yuga's laughter, but then the person sitting beside them spoke.
"Kid, who are you calling strange? I came all this way to cheer for you, do you know how hard it was for me?"
Upon hearing the voice, Robert was momentarily stunned. The voice sounded so familiar.
"Senior?" Robert tentatively asked.
"Who else could it be besides me?" Wallace replied grumpily.
"Well, I can't help it. You dressed so strangely!" Robert retorted, not realizing it was his own senior.
"Hahaha, that's Wallace's eccentric style," Yuga chimed in, amused by the situation.