By the time Theo returned to the hotel room he had booked in advance, the sun had already sunk below the horizon, leaving only a faint wash of orange-red lingering at the edge of the sky.
He had just set his things down when his phone began vibrating one notification after another. Two messages popped up on the screen, one from Wallace and the other from Steven.
Wallace: "Today really gave me a huge surprise.
Later, I'll organize and send you some of my experiences on raising Milotic—I hope they'll be useful to you.
Your idea of freezing the rain midair into ice sculptures and interacting with the audience was truly stunning. I'm really looking forward to your future performances in the Grand Festival."
Attached at the end was a cute sticker of Milotic blowing bubbles.
Theo smiled and replied: "Thank you, Senior Wallace. I also need to thank you for the Prism Scale you gifted me before"
Immediately after, Theo opened Steven's message: "I took some time to watch your performance. Milotic was excellent.
By the way, when do you plan to let Beldum appear on the Contest stage? You'll need to design something special for it—its creativity absolutely can't fall short of Milotic's 'rain control' today."
Theo couldn't help laughing when he read that.
In truth, he had already given a lot of thought to Beldum's future Contest performances. It was just that he needed to wait until it evolved before the effects he envisioned could truly be showcased.
His fingers flew across the screen as Theo carefully explained his ideas for Beldum's future performances—
Far away in Mossdeep City, Steven, who was currently exploring lava caves, sat on a flat rock, holding his phone and reading Theo's messages.
The more he read, the brighter the smile on his face became. Even Metagross beside him leaned over curiously, its ruby-like eyes fixed on the screen.
"This idea is amazing, hahaha. I'll be waiting for the day it appears on the Contest stage," Steven murmured to himself as he typed out a reply.
Just then, an incoming call popped up on Theo's phone, labeled "Devon Corporation, Mauville Branch."
Theo tapped to answer, and a gentle male voice came through from the other end. "Hello, is this Mr. Glenwood? I'm Eric Walsh, the person in charge of Devon Corporation's Mauville Branch. We met a few days ago."
"Oh, right, I remember. What's the matter?" Theo asked.
"It's like this," Eric said politely. "The ores and rare metals for Beldum—I followed up this afternoon, and another batch has just arrived in Mauville City.
We originally planned to deliver them today, but since it's already late, we didn't want to disturb your rest. Would tomorrow morning be convenient for you?"
"Tomorrow morning is fine. Thank you for the trouble," Theo replied.
"Not at all, not at all!" Eric said quickly. "Actually, there's one more thing I'd like to ask of you.
We'd like to invite your Milotic and Tyrantrum to shoot a brand-new commercial for Dive Balls and Nest Balls.
Do you have time tomorrow afternoon?
It won't take too long—about two hours."
Theo paused for a moment. As expected of the head of Devon's Mauville Branch—his business instincts were sharp. He immediately seized the popularity brought by Milotic's evolution.
"I'm free tomorrow afternoon. We can arrange it," Theo agreed after a brief thought. After all, they had just delivered another batch of resources for Beldum, and it was only a matter of cooperating to film a short commercial. Refusing would have felt unreasonable.
"Thank you so much! Then after we deliver the materials tomorrow morning, shall we confirm the shooting details with you?" Eric asked.
"Sure."
After hanging up, Theo slumped back onto the sofa, gazing at the dazzling neon lights outside the window. He let out a soft sigh. "Looks like I'll have to stay in Mauville City for one more day."
Originally, his plan had been to depart for Mt. Chimney by noon the next day after finishing the Contest. But now, it seemed the schedule would have to be delayed.
Theo picked up his phone, opened the map app, and carefully replanned the route ahead.
Staying an extra day wasn't bad. He could use the time to help Milotic get familiar with its newly acquired moves, and also review Wallace's training notes in more detail.
As night deepened, the bustle of Mauville City gradually settled down.
After washing up, Theo lay on the hotel bed, replaying scene after scene from today's Contest in his mind—images flashing past like movie clips.
The next morning, the first ray of sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, casting a long, narrow beam across the floor.
When Theo woke up, his phone screen was already lit. An email from Wallace lay quietly in his inbox.
Opening the attachment, he found detailed records on Milotic's training and care.
Theo read through it twice, word by word, extracting key points into his notes. He planned to gradually adjust the training plan later based on Milotic's condition.
At exactly nine in the morning, staff from Devon Corporation arrived at the hotel on time and delivered the ores and rare metals Beldum needed.
Looking at this newly delivered batch, Theo recalled the Beldum training manual Steven had sent earlier—after consuming all of these, Beldum should be close to evolving.
The afternoon commercial shoot was arranged by a lakeside on the outskirts of Mauville City, near the power plant.
The lake water there was crystal clear, with lush greenery along the banks. Milotic stretched gracefully through the water, its tail fin gently sweeping up strings of droplets, creating a scene that was lively and breathtakingly beautiful.
Tyrantrum, on the other hand, showed off its presence among the rocky props by the lakeshore. Under the photographer's guidance, it alternated between lifting its head to roar and stomping the ground in intimidation, fully displaying its mighty and domineering side.
Beldum occasionally joined in to "cause trouble," curiously inserting itself into the shoot. Its irresistibly cute demeanor formed a sharp contrast with Tyrantrum's ferocity, making the staff burst into laughter again and again.
The entire shoot went far more smoothly than expected, wrapping up perfectly in under two hours.
Thus, Theo's extra day in Mauville City came to a warm and cheerful close amid laughter, play, and filming with his Pokémon.
The following day, before leaving Mauville City, Theo deliberately detoured to the snack street in the city center and bought a little of everything delicious.
Volcano sausages sizzling with oil, rice cakes wrapped in seaweed flakes and fragrant with aroma, and Electrode mochi—he carried a large bag full of snacks, all giving off tempting scents.
At the starting point above Mauville City on Route 111, Theo mounted Tyrantrum. The shadows of man and dragon stretched long under the sunlight, slowly moving along the road.
Tyrantrum spread its powerful four limbs and advanced steadily along the route.
At first, there were vast stretches of green land by the roadside. As they went deeper, the greenery gradually faded into barren land dotted with sparse shrubs. Eventually, even the shrubs disappeared, leaving only exposed sand and stone.
Seated on the broad back of the dragon, Theo felt the wind whistle past his ears, carrying the dry, distinctive scent of the desert.
Tyrantrum's strong hind legs stepped onto the soft sandy ground. Its broad feet acted like natural shock absorbers, keeping the ride steady and smooth, with hardly any bumping.
In less than half an hour, the house of the Winstrate family came into view.
"Uncle Victor! Vivi!" Theo called out as he jumped down from Tyrantrum's back, lifting the bulging bag of snacks in his hand.
The couple were tidying tools in the yard. Hearing his voice, they immediately came out to greet him in delight.
Vivi bounced over like a cheerful little rabbit, her eyes sparkling. "Big Brother Theo! I saw Milotic on the livestream—it was really, really beautiful!"
"Here, I brought you some Mauville City snacks. Give them a try," Theo said, handing over the bag. He then smiled and released Milotic. Milotic emerged from its Poké Ball and gently manipulated water vapor to swirl around the yard.
Vivi carefully extended her hand. The moment her fingertips touched Milotic's smooth body, Milotic affectionately rubbed its head against her palm, making the little girl burst into a string of clear, joyful laughter that echoed through the yard.
Theo chatted with the Winstrate family for a while, sharing interesting moments from the Mauville City Contest and listening to them talk about amusing trainers they had met recently—
After saying goodbye to the family, Theo continued riding Tyrantrum deeper along Route 111.
The path ahead gradually became clear, splitting into two routes at a fork:
One led upward along Route 111, skirting the edge of the desert, circling past the famous Valley of Steel, and eventually reaching Lavaridge Town on the northern side of Mt. Chimney.
The other avoided the desert, heading right onto Route 112, crossing Mt. Chimney directly and leading straight to Lavaridge Town on the volcano's southeastern side.
Lavaridge Town was a well-known hot spring town. Its springs carried a natural sulfur scent that could ease the fatigue of travel, making it a favorite rest stop for many trainers.
Moreover, it was also home to a Fire-type Gym.
The original Gym Leader was Flannery's grandfather, Mr. Moore once one of Hoenn's Elite Four.
Mr. Moore, famous for his calm demeanor and strength, had since stepped down from the Elite Four and now spent more time teaching his granddaughter about Pokémon training. The Gym itself had been inherited by his granddaughter, Flannery.
Theo chose the second route.
Starting from the foot of Mt. Chimney, he planned to explore his way upward little by little, properly experiencing this famous active volcano of the Hoenn region, before descending from the eastern side and reaching Lavaridge Town.
With Tyrantrum and Milotic by his side, he was well-equipped to handle rugged terrain and any situations that might arise while crossing the volcano.
Mt. Chimney also known as Chimney Volcano—was one of Hoenn's two volcanoes.
Though classified as an active volcano, it hadn't had a major eruption in a long time. Even so, molten lava and thick smoke continuously billowed from its summit.
There were rumors that the magma lake at the summit had once been the dwelling place of the Land God, Groudon. It was also said that the mountain concealed a labyrinth of underground tunnels and caves, and that deep within them, one could still see lava that had not fully cooled.
These legends drew countless trainers to explore and check it out for themselves.
Theo was deeply curious about this volcano as well, making it the perfect opportunity to explore it thoroughly.
After about two hours of travel, Tyrantrum carried Theo to the foot of Mt. Chimney.
Looking up, the towering volcano pierced straight into the clouds. Gray plumes of smoke curled around its peak, standing out starkly against the deep blue sky.
The air was filled with a faint sulfur smell, carrying a uniquely scorching undertone.
Theo jumped down from Tyrantrum's back and cast his gaze toward the silent volcano, his eyes brimming with anticipation.
(End of Chapter)