"Magnificent performance! Fully showcased Togekiss's pure and flawless qualities! The mastery of moves can be considered..."
"Su~perb~"
"An enchanting performance under the guidance of the Coordinator Trainer, full of harmonious vibes~"
The three judges expressed their opinions one after another and then looked at Mikoli in unison.
He cleared his throat and stood up with a radiant smile:
"Although only using light, the integration between each element is extraordinarily clever, resulting in an effect as beautiful as standing under the star-studded sky, illuminated by the aurora. It truly was a rare and exquisite performance!"
The pleasing performance paired with high praise made the audience's applause resound like thunder.
"Xiaoguang! Xiaoguang! Xiaoguang!"
"Togekiss! Togekiss!"
Fans shouted slogans while waving their glowing acrylic boards with names and avatars engraved on them, making Xiaoguang feel touched and a bit embarrassed.
Years have passed.
She has already accumulated quite a number of supporters, who silently cheer for this dream-chasing girl, just like Princess Salubia entrusted Togekiss.
After letting the applause last for a while, Vivian then spoke up:
"Let's invite the judges to score!"
The exhilarating moment officially arrived.
Out of the current eighteen contestants, Xiaoguang and Togekiss's performance was unquestionably the top, regardless of how the scores were viewed, they wouldn't be low.
The camera zoomed in on the scoring device.
Everyone watched the screen with anticipation, and Xiaoguang slyly tightened her grip on Togekiss's hand.
Beep beep beep beep.
9.8/9.7/9.8/9.7
39 points in total, currently ranked first!
Wow!
The cheers belonging to the fans erupted once again, and Xiaoguang also let out a sigh of relief, bowing to the four judges before turning to leave the stage for the next contestant.
She believed she had reached the current limit with Togekiss, leaving nothing to agonize over.
Returning to the preparation room.
Xiaoguang and Togekiss were warmly surrounded by everyone.
"Brilliant performance! Congratulations Xiaoguang!" Xiaoyao exclaimed excitedly while gripping her hand, "Togekiss's star dance was so breathtaking!"
Xiaogang wholeheartedly agreed, "It was a bit raw during practice, but just now, it was completely flawless, reaching near perfection."
Xiaosheng also joined in on the praises, "As expected from the Coordinator Trainer who defeated my sister."
"Is this your style? Utterly captivating~"
Liuqia didn't miss the chance to join the fun.
Xiaoguang was so flattered that she felt like she was floating, unable to hide the smile on her face, "Hehehe, that's why I've always said 'no problem'~"
But upon noticing Baimu secretly giving her a thumbs up from the end of the line, and Wula La, who has always been her rival, trading blows and making peace, her mind instantly cooled down.
It's just 39 points, which among these strong foes might be considered the basic score, not really anything to be proud of.
"Phew~ Now, it's up to you guys! I'm going to change my clothes!"
Xiaoguang prepared to change into the cheerleader outfit she used to support Ash Ketchum.
After all, the magnificent battle tournament won't be held until tomorrow, and she couldn't just head back to the Pokémon Center to wait.
She ran like a Swanna.
"What do you think?"
Baimu watched as she dashed into the changing room and then turned to ask Wula La, who hadn't said a word since Xiaoguang started performing, "What do you think of her performance?"
"Radiant and very true to her style."
Wula La offered a fair assessment.
Although her relationship with Xiaoguang couldn't be considered great, she had learned to acknowledge others' achievements and strengths, no longer simply blaming failures on the other party's luck.
"I won't lose to her!" Wula La declared confidently.
This girl was going to perform in the fortieth slot.
Baimu smiled and squinted his eyes at the television screen where Mikoli was displayed.
After observing more than a dozen contestants, he realized that compared to the familiar Patistan, Liu Lai, and various Miss Joys, whose scoring standards were similar, Mikoli's criteria were very specific—
He greatly valued performance creativity and especially appreciated the interaction between Pokémon and Coordinator Trainers, rather than focusing on the visual spectacle.
This was distinctly different from the scoring style of the previous Mikoli Club.
The reason is not hard to deduce.
'To prevent contestants from tailoring performance strategies based on judges' preferences, avoiding the emergence of formulaic performances.'
The Mikoli Club ribbon is universally applicable, so some changes are not unexpected.
However, this is not good news for Baimu.
After all, the Altered-color Milotic's performance is mostly semi-original, with the remaining parts inevitably influenced by Adam and Mikoli.
The opponent, as the original, couldn't possibly overlook it.
The more frustrating part is that Baimu wants to create a completely original piece, but most paths have already been explored by these two, whose combined participation time exceeds thirty years, having played out every possible move combination.
Pure originality?
Leaving aside the entertainment value, it would take months of preparation, planning while cross-referencing numerous videos and show programs of Mikoli and Adam to ensure no repetition.
It's indeed too difficult for Baimu.
He just hoped that the scores wouldn't be too low due to the strong sense of déjà vu... The boundary between homage and plagiarism is quite blurred, entirely dependent on Mikoli's perspective.
Baimu shook off random thoughts and continued watching the competition with Liuqia and others.
At this point, it's impossible to change the performance content; doing one's best and leaving the rest to fate is the only option.
Moments later.
Xiaoguang returned, transforming from a pure and flawless Swanna into a lively Oricorio—still in the cheerful Pa-ziz-pa-ziz style with pom-poms.