The air in the backstage hall buzzed with a tension so thick it felt alive. Three hundred idols had crammed into the sprawling waiting area of the Starlight Crown arena, every one of them dressed, painted, polished, and glowing under layers of stage makeup. Some paced in tight circles, muttering lyrics under their breath. Others stretched, limbs bent at impossible angles as they tried to loosen up for the hours ahead. And some just sat in frozen silence, like statues ready to crack.
Team 12 stood together near the far wall, five different energies tangled in one small space.
Rika couldn't stop her hands from trembling. She kept flexing them, opening and closing her palms as if that would stop the nerves vibrating up her arms. Her breath came shallow and fast, chest rising and falling beneath the glittery white-and-silver outfit that hugged her figure. She tried to smile, to look calm, but her reflection in the hand mirror betrayed the truth, her lips were trembling.
