They had arrived early enough, yet they still had to line up outside.
Calling it a sea of people would not be an exaggeration. The venue was surrounded layer upon layer, both inside and out, packed so tightly that it felt like waves of humanity stretching endlessly.
Just entering the grounds required nearly half an hour of waiting. Fortunately, Officer Jenny and her Growlithe patrolled back and forth, preventing any chaos or stampedes from breaking out.
Once they finally stepped into the fireworks festival venue, Minccino and Popplio either perched or stood on Silas's shoulders, chattering excitedly without pause.
"Min Min~!"
(It is so beautiful. Everything is so red, and there are so many lanterns!)
"Lioo!"
(So many people. So many I do not recognize. It is so lively!)
"Min!"
(Look over there. Hurry, look over there. That is where we will be performing later!)
Minccino's words were directed at both Popplio and Silas as she tugged at his newly grown hair.
Silas sighed helplessly and brushed her hand away in mild irritation. "I see it, I see it. If you keep pulling, I will go bald."
Minccino gave him an apologetic smile and reached up to rub the top of his head.
"Min Min~ Min!"
(I did not mean to. I am just too excited, Silas. If I rub it, it will be fine!)
She proceeded to knead his hair enthusiastically, turning it into a complete mess.
"All right, all right. Stop moving around."
Pinching her little cheek, Silas turned to Steven. "Steven, I will find you a seat."
Because they had signed up to participate, Silas was technically one of the performers and would have to go backstage later.
"No need. I already have a seat arranged."
Steven smiled and pointed toward the banner hanging above the central stage of the festival.
The most prominent position was occupied by the Devon Corporation's sponsorship. Steven had become the biggest financial supporter of this year's fireworks festival, so having a reserved seat was only natural.
"Oh, by the way," Steven added with a grin, "when Diancie and the others can hold a concert on their own, do not forget to inform me. I may not have much, but I do have plenty of money."
"Just make sure to reserve the best front row seat for me."
"Sure." Silas spread his hands. "The best seat will definitely be saved for you."
"Can I also reserve an Heart Diamond? The smallest one will do. I want it for my collection."
Now that was Steven's true objective. A Heart Diamond created by the Diancie would undoubtedly become the most precious item in his collection, without equal.
"So that is why you have been hiding in the Diamond Domain these past few days and even had Metagross and Aggron help dig tunnels. This was your goal all along."
Steven scratched his head awkwardly, a rare look of embarrassment appearing on his face.
There was no helping it. His special ability, the power of money, had failed this time.
"That depends on your own effort. I cannot promise anything on Diancie's behalf."
Silas pointed to the Poké Ball at his waist where Diancie was secretly listening. The little one had heard everything.
"Min~"
(Silas, Silas, they are selling candy apples over there…)
"Lioo…"
(And cotton candy…)
His hair and clothes were once again tugged by the two little troublemakers. Silas raised his hand and lightly tapped each of their heads.
"Behave yourselves. After you perform, I will bring you back to buy some."
Holding their heads, the two little ones muttered quietly and followed Silas reluctantly, casting longing glances behind them.
Before long, Silas parted ways with Steven and brought his Pokémon backstage.
There was plenty of open space there. Silas tossed two Poké Balls into a corner.
"Diancie, Kangaskhan, we are here. Come out."
One large and one small Pokémon jumped out, followed by Phione's amazed voice.
"Phion~ Phion!"
(So many people. As many as grains of rice. I want to watch the performance too!)
The little one was clever enough to know exactly whom to beg.
Phione hugged Silas's leg tightly and looked up at him with watery eyes. "Phion!"
"You want to go to the front to watch?"
Phione nodded vigorously, promising to behave.
Silas flicked its forehead lightly. He did not believe that promise at all.
Among all the Pokémon at the ranch, Phione was the most mischievous. The others always gave in to it.
"You can go, but you must stay beside Cyclizar and not run around. Do you understand?"
"Phione!"
Phione agreed instantly, nodding repeatedly as if afraid Silas would change his mind.
"Kangaskhan, please look after Minccino and the others. I will take them to the front to find a seat."
After speaking with Kangaskhan, Silas headed toward the audience area.
He quickly spotted Steven, informed him of the arrangement, and left Cyclizar beside him so that Steven could help keep an eye on the little ones.
At that moment, the performance on stage had already begun. It was a wrestling match between two Pokémon.
One was a star of the wrestling world, known for its small frame and nimble leaps, Hawlucha.
Its opponent was Machamp, a large and muscular Pokémon with four powerful arms.
Hawlucha relied on speed to wear down its opponent's stamina before launching attacks from unpredictable angles above.
However, the Hawlucha in front of them had too long a wind up before attacking. Each time it prepared to strike, Machamp interrupted it.
"This does not look good. A Pokémon like Hawlucha is at a disadvantage in terms of strength and defense."
After only a few exchanges on stage, Hawlucha was already panting heavily, clearly running low on stamina.
"Indeed," Steven agreed with a nod. Then he changed his tone. "However, in the Battle Royal Dome in Alola, another type of Hawlucha has appeared."
"Hm?"
Silas restrained Phione, whose hands had turned red from clapping and cheering, and frowned in confusion. "A new regional form?"
"No." Steven took out the tablet he carried with him and opened a video.
A familiar light of Mega Evolution appeared, but it was enveloping a different Pokémon.
"It is Hawlucha's Mega Evolution."
In the video, the glow of Mega Evolution faded, revealing a Pokémon that resembled Hawlucha but looked more powerful and striking.
Mega Hawlucha wore a luxurious black and gold mask. Its neck and shoulders bore matching black and gold decorations, giving it a more imposing presence. The feathers behind it resembled a dramatic cape.
Its overall color scheme had not changed drastically, yet compared to ordinary Hawlucha, Mega Hawlucha clearly possessed a significant boost in strength.
In the video, Mega Hawlucha defeated its opponent and stood atop the ring barrier, raising both arms and spreading its wings, proudly displaying its magnificent and muscular chest to the audience.
After Mega Evolving, Hawlucha had become even more flamboyant, transforming into a performer who ignited the crowd's excitement through constant self display.
"It seems its strength and defense have been greatly enhanced."
Silas had just seen in the footage that Mega Hawlucha could confront Machamp head on without losing ground. On several occasions, it deliberately exposed openings to lure its opponent into attacking, then countered and forced Machamp to flinch.
With the consecutive appearances of Mega Victreebel and now Mega Hawlucha, it was likely that another wave of Mega Evolution enthusiasm would soon sweep through the League.
After all, who would not want their beloved Pokémon to evolve further and become even stronger and more formidable?
The only question was which Pokémon would be the next to have its Mega Evolution discovered.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Mega Hawlucha look cools and look like Rey Mysterio too.