"Unbelievable! With four judges locked in, Sushang's running tally is already two points higher than March 7th's at this stage! Can she pull ahead of both March 7th and Guinaifen to take sole possession of first place?"
Owlbert spread his wings, leaning toward the camera with theatrical tension. "Everything rests upon the final score from Boss Julian!"
The entire stadium turned their eyes toward the center seat of the judging table.
Sitting under the weight of a million staring eyes, Julian almost regretted choosing the final chair.
Back in the contestant tunnel, Guinaifen held her breath, clasping her hands tightly against her chest in silent, continuous prayer. Please let her make it, please let her make it...
Up in the VIP balcony, Sushang's mother, Su Yi, watched her daughter with a soft, deeply gratified smile. No matter what the scoreboard says, you have done brilliantly today, my girl.
Julian leaned into his microphone, his tone measured and thoughtful.
"First and foremost, Sushang's routine comfortably stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Guinaifen and March 7th. The ending chase in particular—where the tension evaporated into warm, family-like banter—was delightful."
"It proved that her Pokémon were not just well-drilled puppets, but healthy, spirited companions with genuine personalities. That natural warmth is where Sushang edged out the previous two."
"However, the performance was not entirely flawless," Julian continued gently. "The Contest stage belongs fundamentally to the Pokémon."
"When looking back on the routine, the most overwhelming impression left on the viewer was Sushang's brilliant swordplay and dazzling golden energy arcs. While Scizor and Scyther were integral to the scene, their natural charm was slightly overshadowed by the sheer brilliance of the human swordsmanship."
"It is a slight pity..."
Julian shook his head with a wistful smile, raising his scoring paddle: 97 points.
Robin blinked, turning to him with an amused, exasperated look. "You took such a dramatic pause, I thought you were about to hand out an eighty! A 97 is an extraordinary mark, what on earth is there to regret?"
Himeko and Topaz shared lighthearted smiles, though Jing Yuan nodded knowingly from the other side.
"Julian simply regrets that a minor staging imbalance kept her from achieving a true, unanimous 100," the General remarked.
The other judges understood immediately. A perfect hundred was not something given lightly; without touching every judge's heart in an extraordinary way, no routine could reach that mythical summit. Julian's slight regret was simply a testament to how close Sushang had come to perfection.
Down in the stands, the audience didn't care about the fine nuances.
With Julian's 97 locked in, the calculation settled instantly: a final average of 98.0 points!
Sushang had officially edged out Guinaifen and March 7th by a razor-thin margin of 0.2 points to claim the top spot on the leaderboard!
Such a tight point spread at the summit was unprecedented, highlighting the staggering quality of the finalists.
"Thank you... Thank you all so much, judges! Thank you!"
Tears brimmed in Sushang's eyes as she bowed repeatedly. No one in the stadium found fault with her emotion; those tears were the honest proof of grueling training, and first place was her well-deserved reward.
High in the private boxes, Su Yi felt a single tear slip down her cheek. Wiping it away with a gentle finger, her face beamed with maternal pride.
"Haha! Our Miss Sushang is wonderfully moved," Owlbert chuckled, fluttering his wings. "However, we still have one final contestant waiting to take the stage, so we must ask her to step down for now!"
With a soft wave of light, Sushang was teleported back to the green room.
Guinaifen rushed forward, wrapping her arms around her best friend in a bone-crushing hug.
"You did it, Sushang! You really did it! Waaah..."
Guinaifen burst into tears of relief herself, catching Sushang completely off guard. The sight of her friend crying even harder than she was made Sushang laugh through her own tears, patting Guinaifen's back with a fond chuckle.
"And now, let us welcome our eighth and final finalist—the Knight of Beauty, Argenti!" Owlbert's voice echoed through the rafters. "His qualifier performance earned universal acclaim across the star-lanes! Let us see if he can surpass Sushang to seize the crown!"
The lights across the arena fell into total darkness.
The stage illuminated to reveal a desolate, war-torn ruin. Argenti knelt in the dust, his armor battered, breath ragged, and body covered in deep wounds.
He was at the absolute end of his physical strength.
As a towering adversary raised a heavy war axe to deliver the finishing blow, Argenti caught a glimpse of radiant light on the horizon—a luminous, graceful silhouette whose features remained lost in divine brilliance.
That fleeting glimpse breathed life back into his failing limbs. With a lightning-fast thrust of his spear, he parried the blow and struck down his foe in a single, fluid arc.
He rose to his feet and began to walk.
The grim battlefield gradually dissolved into a sunlit city street. Crowds lined the thoroughfares, cheering his name and showering him with fresh flowers, while wild Pokémon gathered along the path to thank the knight for restoring peace to their homes.
Argenti accepted every modest token of gratitude with quiet humility, gently refusing any gift that carried excessive luxury. His selfless, noble demeanor drew fond gazes from the onlookers.
Among the crowd, a small Roselia watched him with wide, starry eyes.
As Argenti walked toward the city gates, the crowd gradually dispersed, but the small Roselia trotted steadily behind his cape.
Argenti stopped, looking down with a gentle smile. "Do you wish to journey with me?"
"Roo~" Roselia nodded firmly.
"And why is that?"
"Rosa~ Rosa, Roselia!"
The little Pokémon gestured with its thorned buds, trying to articulate its feelings. Seeing that the knight couldn't quite decipher the Pokémon speech, Roselia paused, stood upright, and mimicked Argenti's formal knightly salute with charming precision.
Argenti's eyes lit up with genuine delight.
"You wish to walk the path beside me? Your faith is more precious than any earthly treasure."
"Yet my road is bound to be filled with trials and thorns," Argenti warned softly. "Are you truly prepared to face the hardships ahead?"
"Rosa!"
There was not a shred of hesitation in its stance.
The two set off to seek the true meaning of Pure Beauty.
Passing a tranquil lake, they stopped to admire the serene waters, catching the attention of a shy, self-conscious Milotic resting beneath the reeds. Moved by their sincere hearts, the serpentine creature rose from the depths, choosing to join their pilgrimage.
One knight and two Pokémon roamed the cosmos together, aiding the helpless, vanquishing tyrants, and offering comfort to weary souls.
Some met their crusade with gratitude, others with cold confusion, and many with open mockery. Yet Argenti never wavered.
At first, Roselia and Milotic felt disheartened by the world's cynicism. But as seasons shifted across the projection, the long journey tempered their spirits. Both partners matured into true, steadfast companions of the Path of Beauty.
They tended to injured wildlife, soothed troubled lands, and stood resolute against darkness.
Whether in quiet stillness or high-stakes battle, the bond between the knight and his partners infused grace into every motion. Their upright posture, unshakeable dignity, and sweeping techniques made every scene feel remarkably refined.
Throughout their travels, they encountered flattery, contempt, and endless provocation.
Yet Argenti met every judgment with a tranquil smile, walking forward on his chosen path with absolute, unwavering resolve.
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