Sushang held her longsword high and let out a spirited shout as Moltres soared into the sky from behind her back.
Without the soft veil of light and shadow, her guardian spirit materialized in full, broad daylight, draped entirely in brilliant, swirling flames. The fiery coat enveloping its feathers had been carefully shaped and refined; at a quick glance, the silhouette bore a striking resemblance to a majestic Ho-Oh.
Because true Ho-Oh were strictly barred from entering official regional contests, the spectators sitting in the upper rows gasped in sudden confusion, assuming an illegal legendary had graced the stage. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was simply a Moltres executing a brilliant cosplay.
Yet even as a tribute, its raw presence was undeniable. The flaming bird swooped across the platform, burning through every single substitute clone left on the floor in a clean, satisfying sweep.
With only a few seconds remaining on the clock, Scyther and Scizor surged back up to launch one final joint attack on Sushang.
The stage frozen in time as the timer hit zero was unforgettable: Sushang held her longsword horizontally, blocking both blades with a single, firm stance. Above her head, the flaming phantom shrieked in triumph, while her two mantis partners locked eyes with her, their gazes filled with fierce, unyielding resolve.
"Clap, clap, clap, clap..."
The moment the match officially ended, the arena audience broke into a deafening wave of applause.
While the previous routines felt like carefully choreographed art pieces, Sushang's performance naturally pulled the crowd into the heat of a real, high-stakes battle. It left every single viewer breathless and energized.
"Fantastic, absolutely fantastic!" the Head of the Animation Team began, leaning into his mic with wide eyes. "I understand you are close friends with our previous performer, Guinaifen. I truly admire how both of you chose to weave your cultural roots directly into your routines."
"However, your integration felt far more seamless," he continued. "By shaping genuine swordsmanship into a live battle, I felt like I was watching the climax of a grand action film. The narrative felt complete from start to finish. My only regret is the physical size of the arena; the spatial boundary limited how far you could push those effects, which restricted your maximum potential."
Hearing such high praise from the lead judge, Sushang let out a long, quiet breath. Excitement pulsed through her chest alongside a sudden wave of deep relief.
Her relentless practice over the past few weeks hadn't been in vain.
Although swordsmanship was her core discipline, her skills were still far behind her mother's legendary level. To prepare for this specific tournament, she had even swallowed her pride and begged her mother for private coaching, enduring weeks of intense, grueling drills. Had she not been driven by the desire to stand on this stage, she might have given up halfway through.
The Head of the Art Team smiled warmheartedly. "Your blade movements were crisp, and the special effects accompanying each swing hit the sweet spot. One more spark would have felt flashy; one less would have felt empty. I agree with the animation team—the physical stage choked your true scale. As for technical flaws? At my level of art direction, I honestly cannot find a single one."
Cai Xing adjusted her headset, her tone full of genuine appreciation. "It is clear to everyone that you poured your heart into preparing this piece. Though a trace of nervousness showed when you first walked out, the moment your steel cleared the sheath, you became completely immersed in the duel, letting zero anxiety affect your technique."
"It was a thrilling performance," Cai Xing added with a gentle smile. "And regarding what my colleagues mentioned about the stage size restricting our contestants... I will personally bring this feedback to our director after the broadcast. We will ensure a far grander venue is built for the Contest Grand Festival. Knowing my boss, I am certain he will be more than happy to approve the budget."
Sushang bowed repeatedly, overwhelmed by the warm reception, while the stadium audience erupted into eager cheers at the promise of a bigger stage.
She turned and waved to Guinaifen sitting in the front row, then offered a bright smile to the crowd. Though she couldn't spot her mother's seat in the dense crowd, she held a quiet belief that her mother was watching from somewhere in the stands.
Up in the VIP balcony, a woman dressed in formal Xianzhou robes—bearing a striking resemblance to Sushang—watched her daughter's glowing face with a proud smile.
"I truly never imagined that a child who used to run away from her daily sword drills could reach such a level of focus for a game," her mother murmured softly to herself. "In the past, I wouldn't have dared to dream of it."
She felt a quiet note of gratitude toward the game for lighting such a bright fire within her daughter.
The official scoring cards flashed onto the main display: the automated system awarded her a staggering 99 points, while all three panel judges gave her a perfect 100.
Averaging the datasets, Sushang locked in a final score of 99.5 points—a mere half-point shy of total perfection.
The live stream chat boxes broke into complete chaos:
"That was so cool! Is that authentic Xianzhou swordsmanship? The weight behind those swings is totally different from standard choreography!"
"The combat design was insane! My heart is pounding so fast right now. I need to boot up a fighting game immediately just to burn off this hype!"
"A 99.5? The system is being way too stingy! That deserved a clean 100!"
"She looks like an action hero straight out of an anime! And using Moltres's flames to mimic a Ho-Oh at the finish was brilliant!"
Back in the banquet hall on Jarilo-VI, the energy was just as high. Seele had jumped out of her seat in pure excitement, her eyes shining as she replayed the sword strikes in her head.
If Guinaifen's mid-air tricks had given her a few clever ideas, Sushang's fluid combat style offered her a clear, inspiring blueprint for her own growth. As a seasoned fighter who lived by her scythe, how could she not fall in love with such a masterful display of blades? She had originally assumed the Contest was just a flashy beauty pageant, but seeing genuine martial techniques integrated so seamlessly was a true eye-opener for everyone in the room.
March 7th, who was planning to enter a future Contest herself, sat completely stunned. Compared to Sushang's breathtaking duel, her own prepared routine suddenly felt a little bland. She could probably go toe-to-toe with Guinaifen's acrobatics, but Sushang had elevated the entire medium.
March 7th stole a quick glance at Julian, wondering if she should sneak over and ask him for a few secret pointers later. But would that count as cheating? She felt a little embarrassed by the thought, deciding it was best to consult Himeko first.
Julian himself was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected Sushang to pull off such a serious, refined performance; it felt delightfully out of character for the usually goofy girl. Her fiery bird looked incredible, and the synergy between her blade work and the fire effects was practically seamless.
Can Pokémon really inspire people to change this much? he mused with a quiet smile.
What he didn't realize was that Sushang had been quietly motivated ever since Guinaifen made her big splash in the Master Tournament. Watching her best friend shine on the cosmic stage had sparked a friendly fire in her heart—she simply refused to be left behind.
As for the venue size, Julian agreed with the judges. The stage was too small. A larger arena would have allowed for bigger move effects, more clone targets, and a much grander fire phoenix, making the visual impact even more breathtaking.
He pulled out his phone and promptly sent a message to Cai Xing, instructing her to scale up the stage dimensions for the upcoming Grand Festival. He decided against altering the current weekly qualifiers, though, as performers of Sushang's caliber were still a rare sight.
After Sushang stepped down, the remaining contestants' routines felt noticeably plain by comparison, with a few scores even dipping below seventy.
When the first round officially wrapped up, Sushang and Guinaifen cleanly secured first and second place, while the corporate trainer with the Eevee took third. Out of the original sixteen, eight players successfully advanced to the second round of Contest Battles.
Still, looking at the massive score gap from the performance round, everyone watching the tournament knew the real truth: the fight for the crown was strictly a two-way duel between Sushang and Guinaifen.
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