The comment section exploded with a deluge of messages, completely filling the screen:
[It's here! The live stream is finally here! Front row seats for snacks and drinks!]
[Why is the live stream starting so early? Wasn't the gym challenge supposed to be at 12? Luckily, I had notifications on my phone, otherwise I would have missed it!]
[It's better this early, so I can watch more!]
[Exactly, exactly, go for it, Larvesta! Let me see how powerful this Pokémon is!]
[I wonder what Pokémon Flannery, the gym leader of Lavaridge Town, will send out? Fire-type versus Fire-type, this is going to be interesting!]
[Any knowledgeable trainers able to analyze whether Larvesta has an advantage against a Fire-type gym?]
[Location: Lavaridge Town! I'll be able to see the live version soon, so exciting!]
The live stream camera slowly panned to behind Lionel, where four Pokémon were enjoying breakfast in the food area.
As the camera slowly panned to Larvesta, especially when it was shown alongside Metang, Tyrantrum, and Milotic, the viewers in the live stream were completely stunned.
Previously, in videos posted by Lionel, Steven, and Wallace, Larvesta had mostly appeared alone, and viewers hadn't been able to grasp its size.
But now, with all four Pokémon on screen together, the difference was immediately apparent:
Larvesta's chubby body, lying on the ground, was almost the same size as the floating Metang.
Lionel smiled and walked over, picking Larvesta up with a slight effort. His well-proportioned figure, compared to Larvesta, only accentuated the "masculinity" of this chubby fellow.
The comments section exploded like fireworks, instantly filling the entire screen:
[Holy crap! This is Larvesta? It's so big?!]
[I only saw it alone in the previous videos, and thought it was about the same size as Caterpie at most. It wasn't until it was next to the streamer's other Pokémon that I realized how big it is! ] [
Yeah, my Caterpie is already considered big for its kind, and it's only about my arm's length. This Larvesta is practically a "giant"!]
[Its size is almost as big as Metang, right? That's outrageous!]
[That volcano eruption video on the forum was too far away to tell its size! This Larvesta's size is amazing!]
[My Pinsir is only about 1.5 meters tall, and this Larvesta seems about the same height!]
Lionel watched the exclamations rising and falling in the comments, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Normally, Bug-type Pokémon like Pinsir and Scyther are around 1.5 meters tall when they reach adulthood.
Lionel's Larvesta, which he had specifically measured before, was a full 1.56 meters long.
If you don't count the length of Metang's metal arms, it's actually a little shorter than Larvesta.
"It's probably the effect of that mysterious little stone,"
Lionel thought to himself.
The small stone with the "Ω" symbol was clearly connected to Groudon;
perhaps it was this stone that helped the Larvesta absorb more nutrients during its growth, making the Larvesta so robust.
While the comments were still debating the Larvesta' size, the four Pokémon had finished breakfast.
Lionel checked the time and said to the camera, "Alright, let's get going. The gym challenge is at noon, we still have over three hours, perfect for taking them somewhere."
After saying this, Lionel first recalled Milotic and Tyrantrum into their Poké Balls, leaving only Metang and the Larvesta with him.
The Larvesta wiggled its round body and cried out to Lionel, seemingly wanting him to carry it.
Lionel naturally refused.
Although the Larvesta was only large in size and not too heavy, carrying it occasionally was fine, but carrying it the whole way would be too much for Lionel; it would be too tiring.
So, after being refused, the Larvesta found its own "transportation vehicle."
It skillfully shook its head at the Metang, then spat out threads that wrapped around the Metang's body.
Using the tension of the threads, it "whooshed" onto the Metang's back, treating it like a silver-white levitation disc, and comfortably settled down.
A hint of helplessness flashed in the Metang's red eyes, but it didn't resist.
These past few days, while practicing Magnet rise, it had discovered that having the Larvesta sit on its back increased the difficulty of control, considering it extra training to refine its skills.
When the Tyrantrum saw this, it tried to imitate it, but the Metang simply gave it a headbutt, shoving the reckless creature aside.
Given the Tyrantrum's size and weight, sitting on the Metang was like "an elephant riding a pony"—pure nonsense.
Of course, in the end, the Metang used telekinesis combined with strong mental focus to let the Tyrantrum experience the joy of levitation, reliving its levitation experience as a Tyrunt, before finally appeasing its dissatisfaction.
"Let's go."
Lionel nodded to the Metang, and the two Pokémon headed out of the hotel.
The live stream chat erupted in exclamations:
[This is amazing! This treatment is incredible!]
"Let's go play in the sand bath for a while first," Lionel explained to the camera. "I learned from the comments on my previous video that many fans came to Lavaridge Town specifically to watch the Gym Battle live.
Since there's still some time before the competition, I'll take the Firebug and the others to relax in the sand first.
Fans who are interested can come and play together; I'll cover all expenses, and you can even help them bury some sand in the sand!"
This was a last-minute decision Lionel made when he woke up that morning.
Chairman Stone had previously instructed him to enjoy Lavaridge Town as much as possible, so that the researchers could test Firebug.
When his secretary messaged him to reimburse all expenses, she discovered that Lionel had spent almost nothing except for the hot springs, so she simply transferred a large sum of money.
Using this money to give back to his fans was the perfect solution.
Moreover, Lionel had seen many netizens posting photos of their trip to Lavaridge Town in the comments, so this pre-live stream interaction was also a way of thanking everyone for their support.
As soon as these words were spoken, the live stream chat exploded again:
[Sand bath?! And you can even bury the streamer's Pokémon in the sand! I'm coming right now!]
[I just woke up, my phone notified me that the streamer was live, I'm getting up and rushing to the sand bath right now!]
[Hahahaha, I'm in Lavaridge Town, I'm going over to bury the streamer's Pokémon in the sand, just thinking about it is so much fun!]
[I'm so jealous! Why am I not in Lavaridge Town?!]
Lavaridge Town has a long river flowing down from Mt. Chimney, encircling the town.
Taking advantage of the river, a sand bathing beach was specially built along its banks. The sand here is formed from a mixture of volcanic ash and fine sand, which is said to have the effect of relaxing muscles and bones.
It was morning, and the beach wasn't crowded yet; it would be busiest after four o'clock in the afternoon.
When Lionel arrived with the Metang and Larvesta, the sunlight shone through the sparse clouds onto the beach, giving it a warm golden glow.