Upon hearing Julian's proposal, the four judges reacted with a mix of eager anticipation and mild apprehension.
Robin was easily the most excited of the group. Had Julian not selected her as a official judge—which naturally disqualified her from entering the bracket—she would have joined the regional qualifiers weeks ago.
While she had felt a slight pang of regret over missing out on the stage competition, being handed the opportunity to design a special judge's showcase more than made up for it.
Jing Yuan rested his chin on his hand, a thoughtful smirk touching his lips as his mind immediately began drafting potential concepts.
Topaz and Himeko, by contrast, exchanged helpless looks. Topaz shook her head, holding up her hands.
"Boss Julian, visual showmanship really isn't my specialty," Topaz admitted candidly. "If I go out there and flop in front of millions of viewers after you've set up this massive stage, I won't have the face left to sit on the judging panel."
While Topaz genuinely loved Pokémon, she lacked formal training in artistic performance—the exact reason she had opted against entering the regional qualifiers in the first place.
Himeko nodded in total agreement. "I am more than comfortable offering technical commentary," the Navigator noted with a calm smile. "Having traveled to countless worlds aboard the Astral Express, I've observed a wide array of cultures and stage arts, so I can evaluate a routine thoroughly. But asking a research scientist to choreograph a grand theatrical production on short notice is a bit outside my wheelhouse."
"Haha, you two don't need to worry so much," Julian chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. "I've already taken that into account."
"Given your wealth of personal experiences, virtually any memory or story from your journeys can serve as the core narrative for a performance," Julian explained.
"As for the choreography and visual design, we can collaborate as a team to polish the staging. All you need to do is project your own unique personality and presence during the show."
"Furthermore," Julian added with a playful grin, "as official judges, your roster choices won't be bound by standard tournament restrictions. You are fully authorized to deploy Legendary Pokémon to support your concepts."
"In fact, I'm opening up access to several unreleased, future-generation Pokémon for your selection, ensuring your routines achieve the absolute highest visual impact possible."
Hearing that they would receive collaborative support and access to unreleased rosters, Topaz and Himeko finally breathed a sigh of relief. With Robin anchoring the artistic direction, they could rest easy knowing their performances would be polished and dignifying.
Losing face on a galaxy-wide broadcast was something neither woman—both deeply proud of their professional reputations—could afford.
When the group heard that Legendary Pokémon were fully unlocked for their routines, the energy in the room shifted instantly. Robin and Jing Yuan recognized that legendary entities would elevate their visual scale to unheard-of heights, while Topaz and Himeko knew that a Legendary Pokémon guaranteed a baseline of pure, jaw-dropping spectacle regardless of choreography.
"I will provide a specialized database covering our upcoming Generation IV catalog for you to review," Julian said, tapping his console to send the files to their personal devices. "Once you settle on a narrative theme, if those options fall short, I can pull specific entities from even later generations. Settling on your narrative core first will save you from getting overwhelmed by the options."
The moment Julian finished speaking, Topaz and Himeko pulled Robin to a side table to brainstorm visual themes.
Though slightly overwhelmed by their sudden enthusiasm, Robin thoroughly enjoyed the process. Blending stagecraft with Pokémon mechanics was right up her alley, and she happily dove into helping her fellow judges structure their concepts.
Meanwhile, Jing Yuan walked directly over to Julian to discuss the technical limits of the stage. After clarifying a few parameters, the General settled on his concept with remarkable speed.
"I'll anchor my performance around a dramatic reimagining of my early days as a Cloud Knight," Jing Yuan decided, stroking his chin. "Do you have any specific partner recommendations, Julian? Though I should state upfront—I definitely want Rayquaza in my lineup."
It wasn't that Jing Yuan held a special bias toward draconic entities, but Rayquaza's sweeping silhouette bore a striking resemblance to the ancient water dragons commanded by the Vidyadhara High Elders.
He wanted to experience what it felt like to take the field alongside a colossal sky dragon.
"Understood," Julian smiled, nodding in agreement. "Do you have a specific dramatic structure in mind?"
Jing Yuan nodded, outlining his initial narrative beats. Beyond his partner lineup, the script required a formidable, imposing antagonist to serve as the ultimate climax of the battle.
Julian pondered the prompt for a moment. Leaving the choice of partner Pokémon to Jing Yuan's personal preference, he recommended two potential candidates for the villain role: Deoxys and Eternatus.
"Deoxys functions as a hyper-agile, form-shifting assassin-type boss that creates incredible physical tension," Julian explained, pulling up structural models. "Eternatus, on the other hand, provides absolute scale. Its colossal frame alone exerts a crushing visual pressure over the entire arena."
He detailed the distinct thematic strengths of both entities, leaving the final choice to Jing Yuan's preference.
"Provide me with access to both for now," Jing Yuan requested. "I'll make my decision after testing their presence on the digital stage."
As a Generation III entity, Deoxys was established in the lore as Rayquaza's canonical rival. Weaving that rivalry into his Cloud Knight narrative made narrative sense, but Jing Yuan preferred to test the visual impact of both options before committing.
"Of course," Julian agreed smoothly. "Since Eternatus belongs to a much later generation, I'll have my tech team compile its asset data immediately. It should be ready for testing by tomorrow."
While Julian forwarded the design parameters to his lead engineers, the trio of Robin, Topaz, and Himeko finalized their narrative directions.
Robin opted for a musical story performance. Without needing a prompt, Julian immediately offered Meloetta for her lineup, alongside instrument-themed partners like Kricketune, Bronzong, Rillaboom, and Toxtricity.
Faced with a stacked roster of musical partners alongside her original choices, Robin suffered a brief bout of decision paralysis before laughing and adding all of them to her draft.
Himeko settled on an overarching theme celebrating the Astral Express, structuring her routine around the vibrant, diverse cultures encountered across different star systems.
Her partner selection was far more flexible, leaving her to tailor her choices based on the specific worlds she chose to highlight. However, Julian offered one key recommendation: Hoopa, whose dimensional rings could serve as seamless, dramatic transitions between planetary scenes.
Recognizing the practical utility of the suggestion, Himeko accepted Hoopa into her roster instantly.
Topaz found herself the most challenged during the early steps. Having spent the vast majority of her life working for the IPC—mostly traveling to distant worlds to audit accounts and settle corporate debts—she felt her personal experiences lacked traditional theatrical flair.
Julian stepped in with a brilliant pivot: adapt her corporate recovery missions into a grand, high-stakes galactic treasure hunt.
The adjustment preserved her personal background while translating her experiences into a universally thrilling narrative.
Julian recommended Gimmighoul as her primary field partner and Diancie as the ultimate mythical treasure. The moment the three women saw Diancie's shimmering, jewel-draped design, they fell in love with the Pokémon, while Gimmighoul's chest-hoarding mechanics fit the treasure-hunting theme to perfection.
After reviewing their asset models, Topaz signed off on the concept without a second thought.
With their narrative cores locked in, the five judges threw themselves into private rehearsals for the upcoming exhibition.
Over the next three days, Arceus Studio released official promotional teasers on its portal, revealing Topaz and Himeko as the second and third official judges. Their full titles—Senior Manager of the IPC Strategic Investment Department and Navigator of the Astral Express—were highlighted alongside their portraits.
The community reacted with massive excitement, praising the studio's diverse, high-prestige selection.
When the fourth judge was unmasked as Jing Yuan, General of the Xianzhou Luofu, the reveal sent shockwaves across planetary forums, leaving millions of players stunned:
"Wait, am I reading this right?! A Xianzhou General is serving as a Pokémon judge?!"
"Forget 'a' General—that's Jing Yuan! The Dozing General is actually judging a video game tournament!"
*"So General Jing Yuan plays Pokémon in his spare time too? General, look at me! Add my ID: ******, let's play co-op!"
"I just want to know who on earth the fifth judge could possibly be if they saved them for AFTER General Jing Yuan!"
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