Chương 128: The Center Stage Belongs to Each Other

In Melissa's private dressing room, Lu Sha and Cattleya whispered and plotted for a long time before finally settling on two completely different performance plans.

Since the competition format has undergone an unprecedented reform, the preliminary and final rounds naturally need to bring out two different special skills to blow up the stage.

Seeing that it was almost time, the man and the shark leisurely got up and strolled into the players' public waiting room.

Thanks to Cattleya's psychological suggestion, the extremely eye-catching duo blended into the crowd without causing the slightest disturbance.

"There are a large number of coordinators residing in Jiayuan City, but there don't seem to be many participants today."

Gadriya looked around and saw that there were only a little over a hundred contestants gathered in the huge waiting room.

"Click!" (Because of the competition rules, each coordinator can only register for one Grand Competition per year in the same city.)

"Moreover, to get a ticket to the Sinnoh Grand Festival, you have to collect five ribbons from different cities, which means you have to win five first-place finishes in the preliminary tournaments." Lu Sha lowered his voice and explained in a rapid-fire manner.

"It sounds like this advancement mechanism is even more rigorous than collecting eight gym badges to participate in the Lily of the Valley Conference."

Cattleya's gaze swept around.

The air in the waiting room seemed to freeze; most of the contestants looked tense, and some were even taking deep breaths.

Clearly, news of the last-minute change to the competition format had spread backstage, and this sudden change put everyone under unprecedented pressure.

"Click! (Of course. After all, the entry requirements for the Pokémon Contest are too low. You don't even need to be a Pokémon registered in the League. As long as you have a Pokémon, you can register. If the qualification requirements weren't strictly enforced, tens of thousands of people would probably be scrambling to get into the big festival every year.)" Lu Sha shrugged indifferently.

The Grand Contest is not like the Lily of the Valley Contest; it doesn't have the same rigorous selection mechanism as the Eight Great Halls.

Here, the second round focuses on actual combat, while the first round is purely a visual display, where any Pokémon can go up and show off a few moves.

The long waiting time passed in the blink of an eye.

Accompanied by a deafening roar that even the soundproof walls couldn't block out, the dome lights of the Jiayuan Grand Battlefield suddenly converged, and Melissa's magnificent figure appeared precisely at the center of the stage.

Today's battlefield has been completely transformed, resembling a top-tier stadium concert with tens of thousands of people, just like in Lu Sha's previous life.

The waiting room faces the back of the stage. Through the huge one-way glass, the man and the shark can clearly see the huge audience in front of them, which looks like a boiling ocean.

"Ladies and gentlemen! It's a pleasure to have you all gathered here today to witness the Grand Contest of Home City! I'm Melissa, I'm sure I don't need to introduce myself too much!"

Melissa at this moment is completely different from the listless look she had during yesterday's match.

Holding a microphone, she exudes a dazzling and flamboyant stage presence.

It must be admitted that this glamorous queen's popularity in Jiayuan City is indeed ridiculously high. As soon as she opened her mouth to sing, the audience erupted in deafening cheers and screams.

"As everyone knows, I usually sit quietly on the judging panel and rarely host. The reason I'm standing here today is because this year's Grand Prix has undergone a small change!"

"Before that, let me ask you something. Did you receive your own scoring devices when you entered?"

Melissa abruptly pointed the microphone at the audience.

After hearing the unanimous "You've received it!" from everyone, she smiled with satisfaction and announced loudly, "Okay, okay, it seems everyone has received it. Now let me explain the changes."

"Today, the preliminary selection will no longer be scored by judges, but the scoring power will be given to you. The top ten scorers will advance to the final selection."

"Today, the final selection will no longer be a boring Pokémon battle, but a second round of performances. In the end, you and the professional judges will score together to decide who will take home today's ribbon."

"Today, there are 6352 audience members in the audience. At this moment, each and every one of you is a judge for this competition!"

"Today, whether the coordinators and Pokémon on stage are up to you is the final say!"

"What do you all say, is it good?!"

"good!!!"

Listening to the frenzied shouts that seemed to lift the roof off the venue, Lu Sha clicked his tongue in amazement behind the glass: "Click! (Wow, this woman was so listless on the gym battle stage, but once she steps onto this kind of stage, her ability to convey emotion is off the charts!)"

"Perhaps, this is the stage that truly belongs to her."

Gadriya gazed quietly at Melissa, who shone brightly in the center of the stage, a gentle smile unconsciously creeping onto her usually cool lips.

If it had been a month or two ago, seeing such a scene attracting so much attention, she might have felt a pang of envy.

They envy others who can stand in the spotlight and enjoy the cheers, while they can only shrink in the dark corners, regarded by the world as a disaster that can get out of control at any time.

But at this moment, her heart was as calm as still water, without a ripple.

Because she has found her own unique radiance.

Wherever Lu Sha is by her side, that is her stage.

"Let's go, it's our turn."

With her long, slender legs, Gadriya walked calmly toward the players' tunnel.

They drew the first lot.

Today's Jiayuan City is destined to shine because of her.

Because today is still a day when she stands shoulder to shoulder with Lu Sha.

"Click-clack! (Here I come!)" Lu Sha chuckled mischievously and strode after the young lady.

To be honest, being drawn as a starter is definitely a terrible draw.

Before the atmosphere has fully warmed up and without the performances of previous contestants for comparison, the audience judges' scores are often extremely conservative.

Moreover, the aloof and stunningly beautiful young lady paired with the ferocious Garchomp is practically a real-life version of Beauty and the Beast.

In the world of glam competitions, which have always valued "elegance, glamour, and cuteness," this kind of contrasting and aggressive combination is actually not very popular.

But rules are meant to be broken.

Since someone has to go first, why can't it be them?

Being able to outshine everyone else with absolute beauty is not a bad feeling.

"Now, I declare! The 21st Jiayuan City Grand Contest is officially open! Let us give a warm round of applause to our first contestant... Zhuqing Academy's top genius, the future Sinnoh Champion, Jia-De-Liya!"

Melissa's passionate voice resonated throughout the entire venue.

When that resounding name came from the loudspeaker, the previously bustling venue fell into an eerie, deathly silence for two seconds.

Who would believe it?

That trainer who's been making headlines lately, and who just yesterday dominated Sinnoh news by traversing the depths of Mt. Coronet, is actually here to participate in the Grand Contest?

But then, a tsunami of applause and screams erupted as everyone recovered, almost turning the entire battlefield upside down.

Who cares!

The fact that future champions are participating in the Grand Contest proves that today's Grand Contest is worth watching, doesn't it?

From today onwards, we are also people who have witnessed the performance of future champions.

But amidst this fervent clamor, there were also many jarring questions and whispers: "What's going on? This is a Grand Contest, not a Gym Challenge!"

"Exactly, being good at the fight is one thing, but that doesn't mean her performance is flashy enough, does it?"

"Look at her Pokémon, Garchomp is strong, but on stage, it's just too rude!"

She's really beautiful, but her taste in women is... questionable!

However, these scattered doubts are ultimately just a case of ants trying to shake a tree.

When that tall figure, dressed in a pure white dress and exuding a cool and noble aura, led a majestic deep blue dragon step by step from the contestant passage into the dazzling spotlight.

All the noise in the room was instantly swallowed up by silence.

Immediately following, an even more enthusiastic applause surged forth like a tidal wave, offering the highest level of cheers for Cattleya's appearance on stage.

Today, Cattleya is able to calmly face the spotlight.

It's not that her personality suddenly became more extroverted.

It was simply because as long as she could see Lu Sha standing beside her out of the corner of her eye, her world possessed an unshakable peace, regardless of the clamor or harsh boos from the outside world.

The man and the shark walked hand in hand to the center of the stage, calmly bowing slightly to the more than 6, 000 audience members.

At this moment, the applause gradually subsided, and the cheers quieted down.

More than six thousand pairs of eyes, filled with expectation, curiosity, and even criticism, were fixed intently on the man and the shark.

The grand opening is here!

）