"Every step closer to the stars is a harvest of trailblazing, and your journey..."
Himeko's voice softened, echoing through the wide expanse of the arena.
"Has just begun!"
"Hoopa!""Metagross!""Snivy!""Vulpix!""Riolu!"
At her call, the five Pokémon gathered at her side, playfully crowding around her as they waved to the vast crowd.
The virtual stage shifted a final time. The camera pulled back outside the train, capturing the Astral Express as it surged forward on silver tracks, carving through a sea of brilliant meteors toward the unknown depths of the starry sky.
The arena erupted.
The cheers were deafening, a roaring wave of applause washing through the stadium as the opening act drew to a close.
"I can't take it anymore! I need to apply to join the Astral Express right now!"
"How do you even join?! Are there physical tests?!"
"I had no idea the Express had visited so many worlds! That's incredible!"
"Everyone, calm down! Trailblazing isn't a walk in the park! Don't just look at the highlights!"
"Exactly! Himeko's performance showed how dangerous space exploration is! The Pokémon were literally fighting off cosmic threats!"
"Who cares about danger?! An endless journey means endless adventure! Sign me up!"
"I just want to buy a guest ticket to ride it once! Offering top credit for a pass! DM me!"
Though Himeko's performance lacked hyper-flashy explosions, the sheer romance and thrill of space travel had taken absolute hold of the audience. The realization that each Pokémon represented a specific crew member gave the narrative a deep, emotional resonance.
Just as Welt and Dan Heng had predicted, global interest in the Astral Express spiked to unprecedented heights.
Stepping off the stage with a gentle sigh of relief, Himeko took her assigned seat on the judging panel beside Topaz.
"That was a masterpiece, Navigator Himeko," Topaz chuckled, tilting her phone screen toward her. The live chat feed was moving so fast it was a blur of text, almost entirely composed of players begging for Express application forms. "Though... I think your inbox is going to be completely unusable after tonight."
Himeko blinked, looking at the feed in genuine surprise.
Her goal had simply been to capture the spirit of the Express and fulfill Julian's request for an engaging showcase—especially given the generous development credits he had offered her crew. She hadn't anticipated stirring up a galaxy-wide recruitment fever.
"Oh dear," Himeko murmured, rubbing her temple with a wry smile. "This is certainly unexpected..."
While she was always open to welcoming kindred spirits aboard, the current reality of the train wasn't quite so simple. Every current member carried a heavy past, formidable strength, and an unshakeable resolve. Space exploration was inherently volatile, and finding individuals genuinely suited for the Trailblaze was no easy task.
"We'll take it one step at a time," Himeko decided gracefully. "The Express roams where the tracks lead. People can't exactly track us down on a whim anyway."
"Alright, everyone! Let's catch our breath," Owlbert's voice boomed across the stadium, drawing attention back to center stage. "Because up next... we have a true heavyweight! Give it up for our Universal Songstress—Miss Robin!"
The crowd went wild before Robin even set foot on the stage.
The sound was so deafening that Topaz and Himeko, despite having already finished their own performances, felt a wave of sympathetic tension sitting at the judges' desk.
"Thank goodness the crowd wasn't this rowdy when I started my run," Topaz patted her chest with a laugh. "I might have slipped up my footwork."
"Indeed," Himeko agreed, smiling. "Miss Robin's stage presence really is on another level."
The stadium lights cut out, plunging the venue into total darkness once more.
Though the crowd kept shouting, the audio dampening within the arena softened the noise into a low, expectant hum.
Without warning, an explosive, high-tempo drumbeat shattered the silence, accompanied by brilliant, sweeping laser lights.
A massive stage materialized in the center of the arena, filled with an ensemble of Pokémon. Kricketune, Rillaboom, Toxtricity, Flareon, Pikachu, and a dozen others took their positions, using their natural abilities and moves to build a live, layered rhythm.
Guitar-like chirps, heavy drumbeats, and electrical sparks blended into a driving rock melody.
Robin's vocals burst into the mix, bright and electric, as the virtual stage transformed beneath her feet. The music notes given physical form by the Pokémon's moves danced through the air like floating neon ribbons, weaving around her as she sang.
At the song's mid-point, a giant, luminous flower made of swirling musical notes bloomed at center stage, revealing the Mythical Pokémon Meloetta resting within its petals.
The tempo shifted into an absolute anthem—the iconic "XY&Z" theme.
With Meloetta joining the performance, the glowing musical ribbons surrounding Robin ignited with life. Meloetta floated beside the songstress, harmonizing with her lead vocals in perfect pitch. The duet turned an already energetic track into an absolute masterpiece of stagecraft.
The energy in the stadium reached a fever pitch. Spectators across the virtual seats were on their feet, their blood pumping, ready to leap into a Pokémon battle right then and there.
As the final chorus echoed, the music seamlessly transitioned into a bouncy, rhythmic dance beat.
"Everyone, dance with me!" Robin called out into her mic, setting it onto its stand as she broke into a fluid, high-energy dance routine.
Meloetta shifted into its Pirouette Form, matching Robin's steps seamlessly as they moved across the platform. Around them, every Pokémon on stage joined in the dance.
The contagious energy washed over the audience. The choreo was easy to follow, and within seconds, thousands of fans in the virtual stands were dancing right along with them.
The performance had evolved from a stage show into a massive, galaxy-wide festival.
The broadcast cameras panned across the stadium, catching the crowd, the host's platform, and the judges' panel. Even Himeko and Topaz were caught up in the fun, swaying to the beat, while Owlbert attempted a hilarious series of spins and hops on his feathered feet.
As the final notes faded, Robin offered a sparkling bow, bringing her show to a close.
"Whew!" Owlbert wheezed, stepping back up to the microphone while wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. "That was... an absolute workout!"
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