The live stream chat continued to buzz over the opening scores:
"I can understand grading strictly to leave room for later contestants, but isn't an 89 a bit harsh? The performance was clearly amazing."
"It was a great routine, but the focus on the Pokémon themselves could definitely have been stronger. Julian isn't wrong; the Contest is fundamentally about showcasing the Pokémon."
"Exactly. Rappa got too caught up in her own ninja narrative and sidelined her partners' charm. Julian made a fair point, though I still think she deserved at least a 90."
"Seeing a row of nineties ruined by a single 89 is driving my OCD crazy!"
"Next up is Angel Fetter from Pier Point! Let us look forward to another breathtaking performance!" Owlbert announced, smoothly transitioning the program as Rappa stepped off the stage.
"Fetter? That stage magician?"
"His sleight-of-hand tricks during the qualifiers were decent, but on a Pokémon stage, even avoiding Psychic-type shortcuts didn't leave much of a lasting impression."
"There is also the problem of highlighting the Pokémon. Traditional magic tricks rarely bring out a Pokémon's natural charm."
Over the past two weeks, community analysts had thoroughly broken down the strengths and weaknesses of every finalist. Among the eight, the professional magician Angel Fetter was one of the contestants fans held the lowest expectations for.
The arena lights faded into complete darkness.
A whimsical, mysterious melody drifted through the speakers—a globally renowned soundtrack from a classic fantasy film that had once captivated entire star systems.
The virtual stage illuminated slowly, revealing an ancient, grand library.
Within this hall, lanterns floated unsupported in mid-air, and heavy grimoires drifted into visitors' hands at the mere mention of their titles. Nearby, young apprentices tried to practice levitation spells, only to tumble awkwardly to the stone floor.
It was an unmistakable world of arcane magic.
Fetter sat at a study desk, poring over an ancient tome as if trying to cast an incantation written on its yellowed pages.
Whoosh!
A tiny spark flickered over his fingertips. Fetter looked overjoyed, trying to channel more energy into the flame, but his reserves fell flat.
Boom!
As he struggled to draw power, the flame suddenly flared violently into an erratic fireball, striking an overhead chandelier. The heavy iron fixture snapped from its chain, crashing down and knocking him unconscious.
The next moment, Fetter watched as a crowd of panicked scholars rushed toward his fallen body to administer aid.
Looking down at his translucent hands, he realized his soul had detached from his physical frame.
Glancing around the hall, he noticed numerous creatures he had never seen before wandering among the scholars.
Across the room, a mage chanted a levitation spell to keep a lantern aloft, but perched on his shoulder was a Xatu, quietly channeling Confusion to lift the fixture and guide it across the ceiling. The bird then leaped down, returning to the center of the hall to nudge floating books toward patrons who called for them.
Similar hidden partnerships played out across every corner of the library.
Fetter looked beside him and spotted a small Magby staring back with wide, blank eyes.
Recalling the patterns he had just observed, a sudden realization struck him.
Following the instructions in the open book, he began chanting:
"Fireball!"
Fwoosh!
A streak of bright flame shot from Magby's mouth, appearing right in front of Fetter's spectral palm.
The scholars nearby jumped back in shock at the sudden burst of fire, hastily retreating to safety.
Fetter realized his current state made him invisible to the living, yet the effects of the "magic" he commanded were entirely visible.
He sprinted out of the library into an open courtyard, experimenting with every spell he could think of.
"Fireball!" "Flame Burst!" "Thunder Shock!" "Lightning Bolt!" "Levitation!" "Teleport!"
As the incantations left his lips, Magby, Jolteon, and Xatu materialized around him in turn, unleashing their corresponding moves in rapid succession.
Fetter's excitement peaked, but his spiritual energy quickly ran dry, snapping his soul straight back into his physical body.
Seeing that he had regained consciousness, the surrounding crowd slowly dispersed, while the head librarian promptly threw him out into the street for causing a fire hazard in the archives.
Standing outside the gates, Fetter raised his hand once more.
"Fireball!"
The familiar spark ignited over his palm. Though he could no longer see the creatures, he was now certain he had uncovered the true secret behind all magic.
From that day forward, he challenged magical beasts and rival mages across the land, steadily building his renown until he reached the absolute pinnacle of the grand magic academy.
With that final triumph, the performance drew to a close.
A steady, polite wave of applause echoed through the arena. The routine lacked the raw adrenaline of Rappa's act, but its creative framing was clean and enjoyable, earning quiet appreciation from the audience.
"Thank you, Mr. Fetter, for sharing such a wondrous magical world with us! Now, let us turn to the judges for their feedback!"
Topaz leaned forward first.
"As a professional magician, your technical stagecraft was polished," Topaz remarked. "However, likely due to years of maintaining a neutral poker face during live tricks, your emotional expression felt somewhat flat during key dramatic moments."
"Still, the performance was enjoyable, and you captured the mysterious atmosphere of magic quite well."
Topaz revealed her score: 92 points.
Himeko spoke next.
"The narrative progression was relatively simple and followed a familiar formula, but the magical staging was executed well enough to compensate for the straightforward plot. Overall, a solid performance."
Himeko displayed her score: 90 points.
Robin smiled warmly.
"The concept of framing Pokémon as the invisible source behind classical magic was brilliant. It seems you took the feedback from your regional qualifiers to heart, realizing that standard stage magic fell short and choosing to pivot into a narrative about genuine magic instead."
Robin's callback to the previous round brought a round of light laughter from the crowd.
"Both the creativity and the sense of arcane mystery were strong, though other theatrical elements felt slightly underdeveloped."
Robin held up her paddle: 98 points.
In her eyes, Fetter's core concept was just as creative as Rappa's. While Rappa held a slight edge in pacing, the gap was narrow.
"Oh dear," Robin added with a soft laugh. "It seems my baseline for the first round was set a bit too high."
The other four judges smiled wryly. They shared the same thought: had the initial score been a little lower, it would be much easier to fine-tune fractional differences between contestants now.
Jing Yuan rested his arms on the desk, his tone mild.
"Using magical incantations to showcase moves was a clever direction," Jing Yuan noted. "However, the choreography still felt constrained by the habits of traditional stage magic. The scope of the action remained modest compared to a true battlefield."
"Perhaps you felt students at a magical academy should only command power at this scale. But from an overall perspective, the staging remained a bit small, and the visual impact of your Pokémon's moves was never fully realized."
Jing Yuan raised his score: 87 points.
Finally, Julian gave his assessment.
"The core premise was imaginative, but structuring the Pokémon as invisible phantoms and detached spirits stripped away their raw vitality and presence," Julian stated directly.
"Furthermore, you ran into an even more pronounced version of Rappa's issue: the act focused almost entirely on your personal journey as a wizard, leaving the Pokémon acting merely as invisible background props rather than genuine partners."
Julian held up his score: 86 points.
Angel Fetter's final average locked in at 90.6 points.
Fetter showed no disappointment at the result; in fact, he looked quite pleased with the score.
Sitting at the panel, the five judges could tell from the routine's design that Fetter had never truly approached the competition with a genuine passion for Pokémon.
His priority was using the massive global broadcast to showcase his own theatrical brand. Even beneath the magical narrative, traditional sleight-of-hand habits dominated every scene.
To him, the tournament was simply a high-profile platform for self-promotion rather than a celebration of the creatures beside him.
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