"Ah, right now? That works."
Silas lowered his head to check the Pokémon he had on hand. Aside from the Cyclizar at his side, only Charcadet had some real combat ability.
When trainers locked eyes, it naturally meant a battle was about to begin.
The two of them walked to the battle plaza behind the Pokémon Center and stood on opposite sides.
"Go, Charcadet."
Holding the shiny Charcadet in his arms for warmth, Silas pointed forward.
"Charca!"
The normal Charcadet jumped onto the field. Its small body carried a slightly cocky expression, its entire form wrapped in a layer of orange red flames.
At the same time, Steven threw out a Poké Ball, and a large bird Pokémon appeared on the opposite side.
This bird Pokémon was different from ordinary ones. Its entire body was covered in steel like silver armor, even its wings were metallic, with red lining beneath.
Although Skarmory looked heavy due to its full metal body, in reality its armor was light and thin while still providing strong defense. In the wild, it was fierce enough to fight against Corviknight.
"Charcadet, use Fire Spin. Trap Skarmory."
Steven, however, did not have Skarmory take to the skies to avoid the attack.
Instead, he removed a pin from his collar. At the tip of the silver white pin was a Key Stone.
"Skarmory, Mega Evolve!."
Silas: !!!
Seriously? For a casual match, you are going this far? A Mega Skarmory, something that had not even been discovered yet.
Silas glanced down at Cyclizar. If you play dirty, do not blame me for doing the same. He was already preparing to swap in Cyclizar.
Clearly, Steven did not give him the chance.
The battle was just a pretense. Showing off Mega Skarmory was the real goal.
"Isn't it handsome? Isn't this golden Skarmory handsome?"
Steven nudged him with his elbow and kept asking.
"What kind of Mega Evolution just changes color to gold and calls it a day? Can it get any more lazy than that?"
Silas clicked his tongue, but his gaze could not help lingering on the Mega Skarmory.
At the very least, the golden color scheme was incredibly eye catching.
After Mega Evolution, Skarmory looked as if it had been coated in molten gold, its original silver sheen replaced by a dazzling golden brilliance. It suited someone like Steven, a wealthy young master.
The biggest changes were its wings and claws. The metallic wings had expanded by nearly a third, becoming wider, larger, and sharper, with a bluish purple interior.
Then there were its terrifying claws. After circling once at supersonic speed, Mega Skarmory landed beside Steven.
A crisp cracking sound followed as the ground beneath it shattered into fragments.
This was done unintentionally, purely due to the natural sharpness of its claws.
Those cold gleaming talons, if they struck a target, would be devastating. Even Rock type or Steel type Pokémon would not fare well.
Seeing Silas's surprised expression, Steven laughed with satisfaction, placing his hand on Mega Skarmory's head and gently stroking it.
He was extremely pleased with Silas's reaction.
After that, he signaled Skarmory to revert from Mega Evolution. He had only come to show it off, nothing more.
Holding the slightly frightened shiny Charcadet, Silas comforted it while giving Steven a side glance.
"Impressive, very impressive. Let us have a proper match in a few days."
His praise sounded perfunctory as he changed the topic.
"By the way, how did you discover Skarmory's Mega Stone?"
In a good mood, the two of them walked back toward the Pokémon Center while chatting.
"I found it by chance while mining in Meteor Falls a few days ago. It unexpectedly resonated with Skarmory."
"I see."
Silas nodded. At this stage, newly discovered Mega Evolutions were mostly obtained through such coincidences.
"How are Diancie and the others preparing? Will they be ready to perform tomorrow?"
From Steven's tone, if Diancie was not ready, he would not hesitate to postpone the concert by a day or two.
And honestly, he could.
Money had a way of solving such problems.
"Do not worry. Diancie, Cinccino, and Brionne have been practicing very seriously. Performing at the concert will not be an issue."
The two of them chatted and laughed while watching the six Pokémon practice from the sidelines. After a while, they called them to rest and went to the restaurant together for a meal.
They continued rehearsing in the afternoon until the concert finally opened the next day.
Arriving early at the venue, the adorably dressed Cinccino sat on Silas's shoulder, looking around curiously. It tugged at his hair.
"Cin… cin." (So many people. There are as many as grains of rice. Are they all here to watch us sing, Silas?)
This was one of the advantages of a concert. All performers gathered in one place, allowing even an unestablished band like theirs to gain exposure and quickly build an initial fanbase.
Silas gently grabbed Cinccino's little hand and pinched its fluffy ears.
"That is right. Everyone is here to watch your performance. Soon you will have your first fans."
"Cin!"
Its eyes widened in excitement. It had not forgotten its goal of gaining one million fans.
Silas scratched under its chin teasingly.
"Maybe after the performance, fans will come ask for your autograph."
Hearing this, Cinccino's little mind began to wander, and it let out a silly, delighted laugh.
Together with the Pokémon, they arrived at the concert venue, located beneath the massive waterfall on the eastern side of Couriway Town.
Using the natural waterfall as a backdrop, colorful flags and balloons were hung on both sides, while standees of the performers were placed in the center.
At the main position was a somewhat famous band from the Galar region, the "Team Yell Band," currently consisting of Obstagoon as the lead singer and Thwackey as the drummer.
They were the strongest competitors for the championship against the bands led by Cinccino and Jigglypuff.
"Cin, cin." (Look, Silas. That is Jigglypuff's standee.)
Following its direction, Silas saw the standee of Jigglypuff and the Toxtricity brothers at the far end.
"Yeah, and you are placed just slightly ahead of them."
"Cin, hehe."
Cinccino happily hugged Silas's neck, rubbing its cheek against his.
The "Ranch Band" already had some popularity. A crowd had gathered in front of Diancie's standee.
Do not misunderstand, they were not Diancie's fans.
They were trying to confirm whether the two Diancie were actually the same one. In a sense, they counted as Silas's romantic rivals.
After waving goodbye to Steven, Silas followed the staff backstage. Each band or performer had a temporary resting room, and the staff handed over the performance schedule.
Silas was immediately surrounded by Pokémon. They all leaned in to look together. Jigglypuff was lifted high by the Toxtricity brothers and became the first to see it.
However, when asked to read it aloud, Jigglypuff could not.
Its face turned red as it realized it could not read, having only stared at it blankly. It looked pitifully at Silas for help.
Silas picked it up and pinched its little ears.
"You will go on fifth. Cinccino and the others are among the final acts, performing after the Team Yell Band."
Silas could not help but suspect there was some behind the scenes manipulation. With this lineup, Steven had definitely used his financial power.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Mega Skarmory looks awesome and kinda looks like a Yugi-oh monster.