As noon approached.
The highly anticipated Liuqia made a dazzling appearance.
A youthful and beautiful girl stepped out lightly, raising her right arm high.
"Hello, everyone~! Good afternoon~! Here is the idol of the Gorgeous Competition, the Dream Miracle☆Liuqia~!"
Wow!
Just that one sentence was like a shot of adrenaline, quickly exciting many exhausted audience members.
"Liuji!"
"Liuji! Liuji!"
The passionate fans shouted loudly, quickly overwhelming other sounds, leaving only feverish cheers in the venue.
"Huh?"
The sleepy Altered-color Gengar suddenly woke up, looking around in alarm, feeling confused when it saw many audience members dressed in strange clothes, dancing strange dances.
This... What's going on?
At the same time.
The Hoopa in its arms also woke up, excitingly shouting, "Xiao Lu!"
"Not Xiao Lu! It's Liuji! Liuqia!"
Someone not far away seemed to hear its voice and stopped to retort.
Hoopa blinked and imitated, saying, "Xiao Lu!"
"Liuji! Liuqia!"
"Xiao Lu!"
"Liuji!"
"Xiao Lu!"
"Liu... Forget it, call whatever you like!"
The person waved his hand in anger.
Hoopa, however, laughed triumphantly like a victorious general, and started spinning on the spot, shouting, "Xiao Lu! Xiao Lu! Xiao Lu!"
Mei Yali swiftly pulled it into her arms, giving it a stern look while pinching and twisting its cheeks.
Balza nodded apologetically to the surrounding viewers, who mostly had peculiar expressions but didn't say much.
Though Hoopa meant no harm and it actually knew Liuqia quite well (one-sidedly), who knew how the fans would interpret the intention behind such a nickname?
Fortunately, there weren't many die-hard Liuqia fans around the tickets Baimu had given.
At this moment.
Background music started playing.
On stage, Liuqia threw the Pokeball high into the air, and in a burst of dazzling light, an Altaria with a long, melodious cry appeared.
She placed three fingers next to her hairclip, and the moment her right eye winked, a bright light shone from the small Key Stone embedded in the hairclip.
A special song prepared specifically for today began to play!
『♬Begin~! Our☆new chapter~!♫』
『♬Let me show you~! A dazzling☆new world~!♫』
『♬I'll wait for you~! At the harbor of love☆forever~~!!♫』
The volume increased.
Amidst colorful lights, Mega Altaria appeared!
"Choo-loo-loo~~"
Mega Altaria, with feathers as beautiful as pearls and as fluffy as clouds, spiraled above Liuqia, showering a magnificent display of colorful lights.
The scene of seemingly dancing stars unfolded before all the audience, accompanied by energetic songs and synchronized cheers.
It truly felt like being at Liuqia's exclusive concert.
"Such a powerful influence..."
Xiaoguang watched the radiant Liuqia on TV, unable to hold back a sigh of admiration.
Liuqia's performance could be said to be unchanged for ages—
Songs paired with Pokémon showcases.
But no one found her performances dull or uninteresting; instead, everyone eagerly anticipated her next song and performance.
And undoubtedly, this was a skill unique to her.
Many tried to imitate her.
But let alone matching Liuqia's level, not even a second-rate version had appeared so far.
"For a strong Coordinator Trainer, the order of appearance isn't the decisive factor, it's the performance itself that counts," Xiaogang remarked with emotion.
Before Liuqia took the stage, the atmosphere in the audience was visibly declining.
Not that the other Coordinator Trainers were lacking in skill, but for the audience, the commonly similar skill combinations in the Gorgeous Competition could easily cause mental fatigue.
Even the most beautiful fireworks would be tiresome after twenty or so displays a day; some excitement is needed for visual and emotional stimulation.
Xiao Qingqing's technique display perhaps hadn't fully broken free from the norm, but Liuqia's expertise in interacting with Pokémon and the audience was enough to gather renewed enthusiasm.
Baimu nodded in silent agreement.
In the scene.
The combination of Mega Altaria's Meteor Shower and Mist created a beautiful scene of shining stars.
The performance ended with Liuqia raising her hands as if embracing the stars.
"Heart racing☆dreams come true~"
The girl's voice, like a greenfinch, invigorated everyone, and the supporters' irrepressible cheers filled the air, with familiar cries of "Encore" echoing throughout the venue.
Unfortunately, no matter how unsatisfied they were, this wish was destined to be unfulfilled.
During the scoring phase,
the evaluations from the two familiar judges were essentially negligible, as they had witnessed every one of Liuqia's gorgeous performances, becoming all too familiar.
Miss Joy from Larus City was watching for the first time but appreciated the setup that interacted with the audience.
As for Ami...
"The Gorgeous Competition idol, it truly opened my eyes~ Miss Liuqia, from today I am your fan~" Her straightforward evaluation drew quiet discussions from others.
Ultimately, Liuqia's score—
98 points.
Unquestionably ranked first, surpassing Xiaoguang and Piplup's Ice Crystal Lamp.
"Amazing!"
"Does this score mean nearly perfect?"
"Has anyone ever scored 98 points in the main competition before?"
"Liuqia..."
The preparation room was unusually lively; a score of 98 truly shocked all the contestants, even if a high score in the first review didn't guarantee final victory.
But the solid score would affect the second review—the judgment of the Gorgeous Competition judges on point deductions.
And the evaluation from Gorgeous Competition enthusiasts outside.
Though most Coordinator Trainers generally wouldn't pay much attention to the latter.