Chapter 258: The Grand Contest—Flame Dance Cup
Time passed without notice…
Well, it was only a few hours.
Hikaru had no idea how long he had been at it, but by the time he finally finished, his forehead was drenched in sweat, and his Aura power was nearly depleted.
In front of him, dozens of shimmering, jade-green Energy Cubes were neatly stacked on a plate.
He had used up 5% of the Life Essence just to create this batch of Stamina Energy Cubes.
After ten or so failed attempts, he had finally succeeded.
But if he were to sell these on the market,
Each individual cube could easily fetch a million!
From a business standpoint,
He hadn't really lost anything—in fact, he had profited greatly.
"This should be enough," Hikaru exhaled, feeling satisfied.
Now, he had fulfilled his promise.
---
"Sa~na?"
"Bulba, Bulba~"
During the entire crafting process, the enticing aroma of the Energy Cubes had drawn in every Pokémon nearby.
Seeing them gathering around eagerly, Hikaru divided the batch into two portions.
Then, after a brief hesitation, he considered making a third portion—
For his senior…
"Forget it… I'll save that for next time."
Shaking his head, Hikaru stuck to two portions instead.
"Gardevoir, Greninja, Latias, Charizard—come over."
These Master-level Energy Cubes focused purely on stamina enhancement.
For now, Gible and Bulbasaur weren't ready to consume them.
Even for Gardevoir, Charizard, and Greninja, Hikaru only allowed half a cube per Pokémon, just to test their tolerance.
Latias was an exception—
Her physique was stronger, so she could handle more.
"Saa~na!"
"Grrr~!"
As the Pokémon took their first bites, they instantly narrowed their eyes in delight.
The taste was exceptional.
At the same time, Hikaru could sense a clear change—
Their stamina reserves were surging.
In particular—
Gardevoir and Greninja both leveled up, reaching Level 48.
Before, they had been right at the edge due to Ho-Oh's blessing.
This final push sent them over the threshold.
"GAAAAH!!" (I want one too!)
Gible, seeing the others eating with such satisfaction, couldn't hold back any longer.
It bit onto Hikaru's pant leg, demanding a share.
Sighing, Hikaru picked up the little land shark, checked its level—
Only to find that it had already reached Level 19.
"Alright, alright… Here, eat this instead."
He took out a Growth Fruit and dangled it in front of Gible.
The sweet aroma instantly distracted it.
Eyes shining with excitement, Gible forgot all about the Energy Cubes and happily devoured the fruit.
That just left Bulbasaur and Larvitar.
Larvitar had also reached the Leader-tier.
At this pace, it would evolve into Tyranitar once it hit Level 49–50.
"Bulbasaur, you can have a small piece."
After some thought, Hikaru cut off a tiny portion of an Energy Cube and placed it in front of Bulbasaur.
Bulbasaur had been drooling in anticipation, but since Hikaru hadn't called it earlier, it had been feeling dejected.
Now, its eyes lit up.
Though the portion was small,
The moment Bulbasaur's tongue curled around it,
A powerful surge of energy flooded its body.
The seed on its back trembled—as if it were about to blossom.
Hikaru panicked.
If it evolved into Ivysaur, what was the point of Everstone?
Fortunately, though the energy continued to circulate, Bulbasaur remained unchanged.
Instead—
It successfully leveled up to 30!
Dizzy from the rush of power, Bulbasaur staggered around, looking as if it were drunk.
Everyone burst into laughter at the sight.
Especially Gible, who had just leveled up to 21 from the Growth Fruit—
It was laughing the loudest.
"Good thing I didn't eat that!"
---
The Next Morning
As the morning sun bathed the city in golden light, Hikaru was woken by persistent knocking on his door.
When he opened it, he saw Sakura—
Today, she was wearing light makeup.
Her lips had a soft cherry gloss, and her cheeks had a delicate rosy hue.
Her usual sweet and innocent features now carried a hint of graceful elegance.
Yet, her outfit remained simple—
A plain white dress, flowing effortlessly.
For many, this was the epitome of beauty—a dreamlike image of perfection.
Sakura was bubbling with excitement.
Grabbing both Hikaru and Latias by the hand, she dragged them outside.
This meant Hikaru didn't get a chance to hand over the Stamina Energy Cube yet.
---
As they arrived at the Grand Contest venue, Hikaru realized—
He had underestimated its popularity.
Even with dozens of entrance gates,
The lines of spectators stretched endlessly.
It was packed.
Seeing this, Hikaru prepared to join the queue.
But—
"Come on, Onii-chan! We don't need to wait in line."
Before he could react, Sakura pulled him toward the VIP entrance.
Soon, they were seated in prime front-row seats, closest to the contest stage.
"Wow… There are so many people."
Even after competing in massive battle tournaments,
Hikaru still felt overwhelmed by the sheer crowd size.
It was truly a sea of people.
The deafening cheers and shouts filled the air.
Using his Aura, he could feel the uncontrollable excitement surging through the audience.
Their gazes were all locked onto the contestant area.
Clearly, the competitors were arriving.
Then—
The screams intensified.
"AAAAAHH! I LOVE YOU, MASTER WATER TRAINER!"
"SUMMER BLOOM! SUMMER BLOOM! PLEASE TAKE ME AS YOUR DOG!"
"WAAAAH! That's Milotic?! The most beautiful Pokémon ever! Look at its skin, its radiant colors, its elegant body! And that trainer… So long… so white…"
"Forget Milotic! LOOK AT MEOWSCARADA! A true femme fatale Pokémon! That smug gaze, those long legs—BROTHERS, I'M IN LOVE!"
"Wait, wait—Milotic isn't the most beautiful! Sylveon is the real goddess! Look at how ethereal she is!"
"Yes, yes! The moment I learned how to evolve an Eevee into Sylveon, I got one IMMEDIATELY. So small, so cute—ultimate furry fantasy!"
"No, no, no! Meowscarada wins for me!"
Following the excited crowd's gaze, Hikaru turned toward the contestant area.
And immediately—
His eyes widened.
One by one, the contest trainers entered the stage—
Each one dressed in stunning outfits—
Some sweet and innocent, some elegant and refined, some bold and dazzling…
The entire stage shimmered with radiance.
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