"Really? Can you show me what Pokémon it is?"
Theo replied immediately, his heart filled with curiosity. In the past, whenever Drake encountered unique Pokémon in Alola, he would take a photo and send it over for him to see whether it suited him. This time he had said it matched Theo's team, which made Theo even more eager with anticipation.
Only a few seconds later, Drake's voice message came through. In the background, it sounded like the roar of Salamence could faintly be heard.
"Kid, why the rush? I haven't taken a photo yet. Don't worry, do you think my old eyes would be wrong? These little guys definitely fit your team. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
As soon as he finished speaking, the voice message ended. Then a short line of text followed.
"Alright, I won't say more. I'm busy right now, hanging up. We'll talk later."
Theo held up the PokéNav and scratched his head in confusion.
"Why is he being so mysterious?"
In the past, whenever Drake searched for Pokémon, he would always send photos. But this time he would not even send a single picture. It was really unusual.
However, after thinking about it again, Drake was a trainer at the level of the Elite Four after all. His judgment spoke for itself. Since he said it suited Theo's team, it definitely would not be bad.
So Theo did not ask further and temporarily pushed this expectation to the back of his mind.
If it had been Champion Lance instead… Theo could not help but smile a little.
Then he definitely would have asked questions until the end. After all, Lance's eye for choosing Pokémon was truly questionable.
...
At this moment, high above the Alola Islands, Drake was riding on Salamence's back while the sea wind messed up his hair.
He raised his hand and slapped his own cheek lightly, muttering in annoyance.
"Why did you have to run your mouth? You just cannot keep quiet. Whether Cynthia arrived in Unova or not has nothing to do with you. Why compete with a young girl like that? It is not like dealing with that guy Lance… and who knows whether I can even catch them smoothly…"
He paused and cursed under his breath.
"Damn it. This time I really bragged too much. If I cannot pull it off, I will lose all my face."
Drake glanced at Salamence beneath him. Salamence let out a low growl that almost sounded like it was laughing at him.
Drake snorted and patted Salamence on the neck.
"What are you laughing at? If you had paid more attention, we would have noticed the parents were nearby. We almost stumbled badly and got stuck here in Alola!"
Thinking back to what happened yesterday still made Drake uneasy.
Previously, Chairman Goodshow had told him how powerful the Totem Pokémon of Alola and Z Power were, warning him to be careful. Drake had thought that with his Salamence already capable of Mega Evolution, who could possibly be his opponent? At the time, he had not paid much attention to the reminders from Chairman Goodshow and Blaine.
He had even thought that Blaine, who accompanied Chairman Goodshow to Alola back then, simply was not strong enough, which was why he had repeatedly struggled in Alola.
But it turned out those Totem Pokémon and Z Power in Alola really were quite formidable.
The wild Totem Pokémon he encountered yesterday had nearly kept him there permanently. In the end, he had only managed to escape because Salamence was fast enough.
"Damn it, this time I really have to go all out."
Drake rubbed his temples.
"I already said those words. If I return empty handed and people hear about it, that would be too embarrassing. I am not like Lance, with skin as thick as his."
He waved his hand.
"Let's go, Salamence. We are setting off!"
Salamence let out an excited roar. With a powerful beat of its wings, it carried Drake toward a distant island, leaving a streak that cut across the sky.
Naturally, Theo had no idea about Drake's troubles. He put away the PokéNav and turned to look at Larvesta, who was currently playing with Metagross.
The little fellow seemed to sense his gaze and immediately flew over, shaking the small flame ball hat on its head and nudging the phone with its head, clearly asking for a photo.
"Alright, alright, I'll take one."
Theo smiled helplessly as he picked up the phone. Larvesta immediately began striking all sorts of silly and cute poses.
…
Three days later, Theo decided it was time to head to Petalburg City.
Adam had already returned to Littleroot Town, and during these days most of the strong opponents in Petalburg City had already been challenged.
Metagross had become quite proficient with its various moves.
If it had not been for Adam's Swampert still being around during those days to practice moves like Ice Punch, Earthquake, Body Press, and Hammer Arm with Metagross, Theo would have left for Petalburg City earlier.
When Theo finished packing his luggage and checked out of the hotel, the young woman at the front desk smiled and said,
"Good luck. I hope your Gym challenge is successful. We are all waiting to watch your livestream."
Theo smiled lightly and nodded in response.
After leaving the hotel, many people greeted him along the way. Over the past few days, Theo had gained a bit of fame in Petalburg City.
At first, some people had been unconvinced, thinking that as an outsider he was not qualified to challenge Norman. But after several battles, everyone acknowledged his strength.
In the eyes of the people in Petalburg City, only powerful trainers had the right to stand before Norman's Gym, and Theo had clearly passed their test.
There was a fast train from North Petalburg to Main Petalburg that took only half an hour, but Theo planned to walk instead.
He had spent too long in the city recently and wanted to enjoy the scenery along the way. Besides, Larvesta had been clinging to him, insisting on riding on Metagross.
Once it started acting spoiled, it simply would not stop. Even Metagross had eventually nodded in agreement, so naturally Theo had to satisfy the little guy.
After leaving the urban area of North Petalburg, the surroundings gradually changed from rows of tall buildings to wide green plains.
Theo stopped walking and released his three Pokémon from their Poké Balls.
"Alright, we're outside the city now. Go have some free time."
The moment Larvesta appeared, it rushed toward Metagross impatiently. Using its tiny claws, it grabbed onto Metagross's metal arm and chirped as it climbed upward, its little eyes filled with expectation that clearly said, hurry and take me flying.
Metagross let out a helpless hum. A trace of fondness flashed in its crimson eyes. With a gentle use of psychic power, it lifted Larvesta and placed it onto its back.
"Let's go."
Theo said with a smile.
A faint wave of psychic energy surrounded Metagross as it slowly rose into the air, carrying Larvesta along.
Larvesta lay on Metagross's back and excitedly cried out in the sky. Its five antennae sprayed sparks of fire as it played happily.
Meanwhile, Milotic controlled the surrounding moisture and stayed beside Theo, acting as a guard so Larvesta could enjoy itself freely.
Theo walked slowly along the country path, watching the two little ones playing in the sky and Milotic serving as a guard at his side. His mood felt especially relaxed.
From time to time, flying Pokémon such as Pidgey and Pidgeot passed through the sky. When they noticed Metagross, their eyes widened in confusion, unable to understand how a creature without wings could fly.
Theo and his group walked and rested along the way, chatting and laughing. It was not until around three or four in the afternoon that the outline of Petalburg Main finally appeared at the end of their view.
Unlike the newly built North Petalburg, old Petalburg Main carried a strong sense of age and simplicity.
Most of the buildings along the streets were two story houses, their walls covered with green vines. Some older houses even had wind chimes hanging under their eaves, producing clear and pleasant sounds whenever the wind blew.
But just like North Petalburg, traces of Norman could be seen everywhere.
Posters of him were stuck on the glass doors of grocery stores. The signboards of dessert shops displayed cartoon images of him together with Slaking.
Even the benches by the roadside had cartoon stickers of Norman and Slaking attached to them.
Theo had already reserved a time to challenge the Petalburg Gym. It was scheduled for two days later.
During these two days, he planned to take a good look around Petalburg City and also satisfy Larvesta's growing desire for photos.
He did not know what had gotten into Larvesta recently. It had become increasingly fond of showing off.
The first thing it did every morning after waking up was stand in front of the mirror, adjusting the antennae on its head and carefully positioning its small flame ball hat.
It would not even take it off while eating or sleeping. Whenever it saw a reflective shop window on the street, it would run over and stare at itself for a long time.
Sometimes it would even chirp toward its reflection as if admiring its own beauty.
"Another photo?"
Theo looked at Larvesta clinging to him and helplessly took out his phone. The little guy's eyes lit up instantly, and it ran excitedly beneath a roadside cherry blossom tree, leaning against the trunk. Then it gestured for Metagross to use its telekinesis to lift the fallen petals from the ground, creating a scene of fluttering cherry blossoms around it.
Metagross obediently acted as a tool, carefully arranging the background for the photoshoot, while Larvesta struck an adorable pose, ready to be photographed.
With a crisp click, the image was captured. In the photo, Larvesta leaned against the cherry blossom tree, petals drifting all around it, with the quaint buildings behind forming a beautiful and artistic scene.
Larvesta nodded in satisfaction, clearly approving of Theo's photography skills. It liked this picture very much.
Theo rubbed his head. After taking so many photos for Larvesta these past few days, his photography skills had improved significantly. His album was already filled to the brim with pictures of the little guy.
There were photos of it lying on Metagross's back, spraying embers into the sunset. There were photos of it posing together with Milotic, with Milotic using Bubble Beam to create a romantic atmosphere. The most outrageous one was when it had secretly snuck into a Pokémon accessories shop, put on a pair of sunglasses, and posed coolly in front of a mirror.
Theo had no choice but to apologize to the shop owner and buy those sunglasses for it.
The next day, Theo brought his Pokémon to the outskirts of the greenhouse forest near the Gym. Although it was not open yet, they could see through the glass walls. Inside were vast stretches of tropical plants, and several Slakoth were lazily lying on tree trunks, their bellies rising and falling gently as they slept.
Time passed in a flash, and soon it was the day of the challenge at the Petalburg Gym.
That afternoon, Theo changed into a light set of sportswear. A black short-sleeved shirt paired with gray athletic pants made him look clean and agile, ready for action. Three Poké Balls hung at his waist, giving him a sharp and spirited appearance.
Meanwhile, Larvesta was busy "getting dressed." On the table in the hotel room were various accessories they had bought over the past two days in Petalburg City.
There were pink bows, glittering hair clips, black sunglasses, and more.
The little guy kept picking up the bow and holding it against its hat, then trying out the hair clip by attaching it to its fluff. It kept looking at itself in the mirror, chirping constantly, clearly struggling to decide which one to wear.
Theo had already started the livestream early, and the camera was focused on Larvesta's dressing process. The chat was already exploding with messages.
"Hahaha! Is Larvesta putting on makeup? That's too cute!"
"The pink bow looks great! It matches the little fireball hat perfectly!"
"Don't listen to them, the sunglasses are cooler! It looks more energetic!"
"I vote for the sunglasses! So stylish!"
"Metagross is acting as an advisor! It looks like it's pointing at the bow!"
In the camera, Metagross was indeed standing beside the table, gently tapping the pink bow with one of its metal limbs. Its crimson eyes showed a hint of seriousness.
Over the past few days, it had already figured out Larvesta's preferences. Although it seemed to like cool and stylish things, in reality it had no resistance to pink.
Larvesta tilted its head, looked at Metagross, and finally grabbed the pink bow, trying hard to fasten it onto its little fireball hat.
However, its tiny claws made it difficult, and after several failed attempts, it grew frustrated, with small flames bursting from its five antennae.
"Let me help you."
Theo smiled and walked over, picking up the bow and carefully attaching it to the edge of the hat.
Once it was on, the pink bow hung beside Larvesta's face, contrasting beautifully with its blue eyes, making it look both adorable and lively.
"Lar~!"
Larvesta spun around in front of the mirror, satisfied, then struck a pose toward the camera as if showing off its new look to the audience.
The chat instantly exploded again.
"That's way too cute! Who can resist this?"
"Streamer, drop the link for Larvesta's accessories! I need them for my Torchic!"
"Stop focusing on dressing up, the Gym challenge is about to start. Are you nervous?"
"Will we get to see Norman's Slaking? I heard he usually uses Spinda, Linoone, and Vigoroth."
Seeing the question about whether Norman's Slaking would appear, Theo silently gave a definite answer in his heart.
Although Norman was known for his gentle personality and often acted like a patient teacher, willingly sharing knowledge about Pokémon training in both battles and daily life, his Gym challenge was anything but easy.
As per usual, he would first send out Spinda, Linoone, and Vigoroth. If a challenger could win three consecutive battles, they would earn the Petalburg Badge.
However, if the challenger won those three battles in an overwhelmingly dominant fashion, Norman would trigger an additional "bonus battle."
He would send out his Slaking, allowing the challenger to witness the strength of a top-tier trainer while also offering guidance through real combat.
Because of this, trainers from North Petalburg and Petalburg Main had naturally formed an unofficial "threshold."
When encountering challengers who were clearly not strong enough, they would step forward to battle them first, advising them to improve before wasting Norman's time.
But when it came to powerful challengers like Theo, everyone became extremely enthusiastic. They were even more excited than the challenger himself for the day of the Gym battle.
Because it meant they might get the chance to witness Norman's Slaking in action.
"We should get going. The time for the Gym challenge is almost here."
Theo said to the camera as he called his three Pokémon to head out.
When he stepped out of the hotel, the streets were already packed with people.
Most of them were heading in the same direction, toward the Petalburg Gym.
There were parents holding their children's hands, trainers with their Pokémon, and people holding signs that read "Go, Leader Norman."
Many others were holding up their phones, constantly filming the crowd while excitedly discussing.
"Did you hear? It's that trainer with the shiny Metagross. He defeated a lot of strong opponents in North Petalburg!"
"Do you think he can make Slaking come out? The last time Norman used it was a month ago!"
"I already had someone save us a spot. Let's hurry, we can't be late!"
The atmosphere grew more and more lively, and as the crowd surged forward, anticipation filled the air. A battle that everyone had been waiting for was about to begin.
(End of Chapter)