The first contestant released a Butterfree. The Butterfree fluttered its wings in an "eight" shape in the air, and the contestant danced in sync with the Butterfree's movements. The human and Pokémon spun together, finally striking a pose to end the performance.
Xia Hunaao stepped to the front of the stage. "Alright, the showcased category for this student is Beauty. I would like to ask the audience to please score this contestant's entrance. If you are satisfied with this performance, please press the circle on your chair. If you are not satisfied, press the cross."
After a tense and exciting scoring session, Xia Hunaao invited the first contestant off stage. "Next, let's welcome our second contestant."
All the audience members were stunned. Was the competition progressing too quickly? The first contestant hadn't said anything, and he was already bringing out the second one. This wasn't a competition; a competition should involve self-introductions from the contestants, discussing their aspirations and why they decided to participate. This kind of competition was unorthodox!
Of course, Xia Hunaao paid no mind to their murmurs. He continued to host the Grand Festival. The second contestant's Pokémon was a Phanpy, participating in the Toughness category.
It had to be said, this Phanpy was indeed worthy of participating in the Toughness category; it was a full size larger than an ordinary Phanpy. However, the audience seemed rather indifferent to this entrance.
Looking at the tablet computer in his hand, Xia Hunaao showed no expression. "Let's welcome the next contestant."
Each contestant's stage time was very short. According to the rules set by Xia Hunaao, each contestant had a maximum of one and a half minutes for their entrance. Thus, all twelve contestants finished their entrances in just over half an hour.
The Pokémon chosen by these twelve contestants were truly a motley crew. Besides the initial Butterfree and Phanpy, Xia Hunaao also saw a and a Clefairy.
Xia Hunaao stood on the stage. "Let's give the contestants backstage some time to prepare. I'll chat with everyone for a while."
As he spoke, Xia Hunaao looked at Yu Linglong. He finally remembered who she was. She seemed to be related to Yu Longdu. Perhaps asking her to say something wouldn't cause trouble.
With that thought, Xia Hunaao asked, "Let's ask Sister Yu Linglong what her thoughts are on the performances of the students just now."
Yu Linglong picked up the microphone. "I think all the students performed very well. But why did none of the twelve students choose the Smart category?"
Xia Hunaao had a pre-prepared answer for this question. "Our committee has also considered this. But looking back at the twelve contestants who have appeared so far, which student's Pokémon do you think is most suitable for showcasing Smartness?"
Yu Linglong looked at the scores she had just given. Indeed, among these twelve Pokémon, none of them seemed particularly exceptional for demonstrating Smartness.
Xia Hunaao spread his hands. "The contestants in our first Grand Festival are all first-year students, so it couldn't be helped."
Not intending to dwell on this topic, Xia Hunaao shifted the conversation to Jin Fangsu. "Then, Mr. Model, who has always had a knack for showcasing charm, do you have anything to say?"
Jin Fangsu pondered. "It was very good, but I think they fell into a pitfall of excessively showcasing their own charm. The main focus of the Grand Festival should be the Pokémon."
Xia Hunaao agreed with this statement. However, this issue was not only a problem of the contestants but also of the organizing committee. After all, that silly boy Feng Bing kept his spotlight solely on the contestants and completely ignored the Pokémon. But Xia Hunaao had no one else to use, so he could only send a message to Feng Bing after the performance started, telling him to pay attention.
"I hope the words of our judges can inspire the contestants backstage to elevate their performances. Now, we will begin our second round of performances. Please welcome the first contestant to the stage."
The second round of showcases lasted much longer than the first. This was mainly because the second round required the demonstration of moves, and some moves had after-effects or required charging, thus taking more time.
The first to appear was Qin Huanhuan. For this competition, she used a and chose the Beauty category.
Xia Hunaao sat on a chair nearby, watching Qin Huanhuan use her moves, and shook his head slightly. After Qin Huanhuan's performance concluded, Xia Hunaao came onto the stage. "Alright, the first contestant's performance has ended. Please, judges, give your scores."
Upon receiving the notification that the backstage scoring had concluded, Xia Hunaao nodded slightly. "Okay, next, let's welcome our second contestant."
The second contestant seemed to have put some thought into it. Although she still used a her showcased category was changed from Coolness to Intelligence. This piqued Xia Hunaao's interest. "This student is not ordinary. Her ability to adapt on the spot is quite strong."
Although Xia Hunaao had good intentions, the student's performance seemed rather lackluster. There was a slight mishap during the performance, but fortunately, it wasn't a major issue, and she managed to cover it up.
Xia Hunaao went on stage to perform his duty of asking the judges for scores. After the contestant left the stage, she was flustered. It seemed that the mishap would result in a significant deduction of points.
The second round of performances also concluded quite swiftly. The audience watching on screen expressed their admiration for the courage of these first-time student contestants, and basic fan bases were already forming.
Feng Bing was calculating the scores backstage, while Xia Hunaao was in front, chatting with the audience.
"Teacher Jin, this is all your fault. You've gone too far. Look at this second round; they're all focused on showcasing the Pokémon's charm and have completely forgotten themselves. Where's the coordination of a trainer?"
Jin Fangsu hadn't expected such a situation, but being experienced, he reacted quickly. "My apologies, my apologies. It's all my fault for being too famous, making them treat my words as gospel."
Xia Hunaao's eyes glinted, causing Zheng Xiaoxiao, who had been observing him from the judges' table, to have a skipped heartbeat. "Uh oh, trouble is brewing."
As expected, Xia Hunaao took two steps forward. "Before we begin the third round of competition, shouldn't we ask our two guest judges to demonstrate? To set an example for everyone, right?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Fangsu stood up. "Certainly. I've wanted to get on stage for a long time. Wait a moment."
Watching Jin Fangsu go on stage, his agent, who was watching on screen, was about to go crazy. "Jin Fangsu, do you know what you're doing? If something goes wrong, your career will be ruined!"
Jin Fangsu walked onto the stage and released his Pokémon. It was a .
It had to be said that a professional performer was completely different from a newcomer like Chu Xiaodie. He performed with ease, and his coordination with the was impeccable. The applause from the audience was enthusiastic after the performance.
Jin Fangsu returned to his seat at the judges' table and asked Yu Linglong beside him, "How was it, Linglong?"
Yu Linglong was quite calm. "Mm. Not bad, but it's my turn next."
Yu Linglong also went on stage and performed with her Primarina. In Xia Hunaao's opinion, the completion of this performance was even higher than Jin Fangsu's. As expected of a professional actor, accustomed to partnering with various Pokémon, her stage presence was different from that of a professional model.
Xia Hunaao clapped his hands and stepped onto the stage. "Thank you, teachers, for your performances. You have truly opened our eyes. However, the scores from our first two rounds have now been tallied. We regret to inform you that for our third round of competition, only the top four contestants will be able to perform. The remaining eight contestants will unfortunately not be able to continue in this year's Grand Festival."
The audience hadn't expected such a drastic elimination. After two rounds, only four contestants remained on stage, with two-thirds of the participants eliminated at once.
Xia Hunaao held his cue card. "We will not announce the scores of each student here. We will only announce the four contestants who have advanced to the final round. They are: first group, Chu Xiaodie and Butterfree."
As he spoke, the large screen displayed an image of Chu Xiaodie and Butterfree. Xia Hunaao continued, "Second group, Jin Xuan and Scyther."
Jin Xuan herself hadn't expected to reach the third round, especially since her performance in the second round had a mishap. She thought her score would be low, but she didn't expect...
Xia Hunaao continued to announce. "The third group to advance to the next round is Qu Ningning and . The final contestant is Guo Shuang'er and Snorlax."
The four contestants stepped forward. Xia Hunaao took a box from Feng Bing. "Four contestants, please pay attention. The subsequent matches will be determined by a draw. Please each draw a ball from this box."
Chu Xiaodie stepped forward and drew a red ball. Jin Xuan then also drew a red ball.
Chu Xiaodie blinked. "Does this mean that my opponent in the next match will be Jin Xuan?"
Xia Hunaao shook his head. "No, all four balls in here are actually red. The important thing is whether the numbers inside the balls are different."
Chu Xiaodie opened the ball in her hand. The slip of paper inside read "one." Jin Xuan also opened the ball in her hand, and the slip of paper inside also read "one."
Xia Hunaao tossed the box aside. "What is this? Can this even continue? Such a thing can happen. Alright, I'll get off stage and leave the stage to the two contestants."
With that, Xia Hunaao and the other two contestants left the stage. However, the match between the two contestants on stage hadn't started yet, and Xia Hunaao returned. "Ah, this is a bit awkward. I forgot to explain the rules."
Xia Hunaao pointed to the screen above his head. "Do you see the screen above my head? The energy bar displayed on the screen will be continuously depleted during the battle between the two sides. The contestant whose energy bar is cleared first will be eliminated. After the third match concludes, the victor will become the champion of our first Rose Cup Grand Festival."
Xia Hunaao went backstage. "Now, for the first match of the third round, the battle begins!"