Chapter 575: Invincible Perfect Score!

It was like the hush at the end of a concert.

The vast hall was utterly silent; only after several full seconds did someone come back to their senses and, with a look of emotion and admiration, begin to clap from the heart!

"Clap clap clap clap—"

In an instant.

The surrounding audience rose together amid the gradually rising hubbub, the dark mass of people pouring out their irrepressible feelings in every way they could!

Applause like thunder, cheers like a tidal wave!

The performance lasted barely four minutes, yet it was enough to pluck the heartstrings of the vast majority of the audience.

Pokémon that could dance were common, and many could perform dances at a Contest, but a dance like this was absolutely the first time they had ever seen.

The sword dance looked chaotic, yet one could clearly feel within it an indomitable, brave, and sharp-spirited conviction.

Looking more closely.

What had seemed chaotic was entirely transformed into a free and easy, heroic grandeur.

Every move and posture was filled with a special beauty that ordinary people could not put into words.

Though Mawile was of a cute style, the handsomeness of its sword dance made many people tremble all over.

No wonder they were so extraordinarily excited.

If ordinary dances only let the audience appreciate the "form," then this time they truly experienced what "spirit" meant.

And amid the noisy audience—

The shiny Gengar stared down at All Baimu and Mawile below with a face full of shock; even though the excited Hu Pa above its head was spinning and shouting like a mosquito, it could not erase the intense feelings in its heart.

This is…

His and Mawile's performance?

"Follow…"

The shiny Gengar fixed its eyes on All Baimu, who was waving to the audience inside the stage with an incomparably calm expression.

Suddenly.

The latter's gaze swept across the audience and met its eyes; the moment their looks crossed, it felt as if it had been struck by electricity and could not help trembling all over.

Then.

All Baimu smiled and waved at it, as if to say—

"I'm right here!"

"Follow!"

The shiny Gengar clutched its chest; it felt it had "fallen in love at first sight" with that gradually familiar person below.

Was this what they called love at first sight?

This feeling deep inside—mysteriously hot and restless, wanting to dive down and hug the other—was exactly the same reaction Porygon-Ⅱ had described!

The shiny Gengar fell into deep confusion and decided to go find Porygon-Ⅱ again tonight.

"This can be called a work of art!"

"Mawile has once again broken through itself! The dance is even stronger than the one at the Kaina Conference! It's close to the peak!"

"Even watching through a screen while recording, I still feel incredibly moved."

"Now no one can say All Baimu's performance is only complete in person, right?"

"I really want to watch it again—can anyone share the recording?"

"So moving, wuwuwu—"

People excitedly whispered to one another, endlessly sharing all sorts of things with those beside them, regardless of whether Mawile and All Baimu below could hear.

The judges forcefully suppressed their inner excitement, drinking water to soothe their throats while drafting their upcoming critiques in their heads.

Finally.

After giving the audience enough time to savor the performance.

Vivian took two deep breaths, calmed her somewhat restless heart, and said into the microphone: "Thank you to Mawile and Trainer All Baimu for the wonderful performance; no matter how many times I watch it, my heart still surges and I can't stop~"

Clap clap clap.

The applause continued.

These words received unanimous approval from the audience.

"Now please welcome our four judges to evaluate and score this performance."

The floor was handed to the judges' panel.

As the customary first speaker, Patstein did not, as in the past, deliver an endless stream of remarks; instead, he coughed once first and said with a smile:

"Looking over the history of Contest performances—from simply showing appearance, unleashing moves, interacting with trainers, to today's dazzling combinations of various moves—it seems to have changed greatly, but in truth a thousand changes never stray from the origin; sooner or later a day of homogenization will come.

"But even so, some performances still possess an irreplicable quality that moves us deeply. I call this the 'artistic conception' style of performance; whether complex or simple, it always conveys the will within it to our hearts.

"Rough like Coach Ge Man and Machoke, exquisite like Lychee and Xiao Xiao Qingqing, and all the dazzlingly brilliant performers I have seen before. Why do their performances feel wonderful? Precisely because of the infectious power of their will!"

Patstein raised his clenched right fist high and said loudly: "And today, Mawile and Trainer All Baimu's performance let us fully experience this point! This makes me look forward even more to the future Trainer All Baimu, and to even more outstanding Coordinator trainers!"

Wah!

Warm applause rang to the skies.

Patstein sat down, and Yanase, brimming with confidence, rose; many audience members familiar with him instinctively covered their ears.

But they only saw him take a deep breath and, unprecedentedly, not treat this place as a live high-note concert, instead saying in an ordinary volume:

"I have always liked to use high notes to show the excitement in my heart, but today Mawile and All Baimu's performance made me realize that no matter how high my voice, it cannot measure the feelings in my heart, and I don't want to be so overwhelmed that I fall silent, so—"

Yanase pointed the microphone toward the audience, cupping his palm beside his ear.

The next moment.

The incomparably excited audience shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Hiss——!

"Bah——!

"La——!

"Hee——!

The voices shot straight up to the clouds, as if they could flip the entire venue upside down, and the Battle Tower couldn't help but tremble slightly, leaving the tourists in the shopping mall utterly bewildered.

"Thank you, my dearest audience friends, I'm very satisfied~"

Yanase blew a kiss toward the audience seats and sat down fully content.

It was Young Lady Joyce's turn.

She was seen rising, and just as she was about to speak, a tear suddenly slid down from the corner of her eye, leaving All Baimu and Mawile on the stage at a loss for what to do.

"Sorry, I'm just too moved."

She wiped the tear away with a handkerchief, and the smile that made countless trainers feel warm resurfaced on her face. She said: "I just want to say, it's really wonderful to be your fan, Mawile~! Contestant All Baimu~! I'm looking forward to your performance with your Pokémon partners in the gorgeous battle, especially Chansey~"

Ooh!

The audience seats erupted in an uproar.

A judge publicly admitting to being a contestant's fan wouldn't get her disqualified, but if she gave too high a score, she would surely be criticized by many……

Huh? Young Lady Joyce?

Then never mind.

There are two kinds of people in this world you can't roast—one is called Joyce, the other is called Jenny.

No one can replace their significant contributions to medical care and public safety; every Joyce and Jenny is a worthy object of respect.

The audience seats quickly calmed down. After all, everyone had seen All Baimu's performance with their own eyes—was giving a high score not normal?

Nothing happened, nothing happened.

Finally.

The special guest, Amy.

She rose gracefully, gave a slight bow of greeting to all the audience, and said: "As a Coordinator Trainer myself, although I hold a top-tier title, after watching Mawile and All Baimu's performance, I believe I still have far too much room to grow.

"If this Grand Festival has a Best Performance Award, I hope I can personally present it to you. I'm looking forward to the day I can compete on the same stage as you!"

Clap clap clap——

Applause rolled through the audience seats like waves.

All Baimu and Mawile bowed in turn to the four judges to express their thanks, their two hands unconsciously clasping together, silently waiting for the upcoming scoring.

"Judges, please give your scores!"

Vivian's voice made the audience seats fall silent once more.

How many points?

What would the score be?

According to the scoring principles of the Gorgeous Grand Festival, as long as one of the four judges gives a perfect score, even if the remaining three give 99 points, Mawile would still receive 100 points!

Many people swallowed hard.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Four crisp scoring sounds.

99, 99, 99—100!

Beep!

A striking number appeared on the total score display on the giant silver screen.

100 points!

Boom!

The audience seats erupted!

Ever since the judges were shackled by the word "perfection" and stopped giving high scores, how long had it been since a contestant received a perfect score!

Even if this perfect score came from rounding, it still made the audience utterly ecstatic.

The media went even crazier, rapidly altering their headlines, throwing exaggerated phrases like "Perfect Score Champion" and "Once in a Lifetime" into their titles, wishing they could grab the eyeballs of outsiders.

At the judges' seats.

Amy stared in astonishment at the three judges beside her, whose expressions were all somewhat awkward.

Speaking of evaluation, these three were far more exaggerated than she was—so why did they all give 99? What was going on?

Did she score wrong?

"I……"

"It's alright, Miss Amy, your score was not wrong at all. The ones with the problem are us timid judges."

Patterson explained with a smile.

Yanase also said: "'A hundred points belong only to perfection'—we've always been swept along by voices like that."

Young Lady Joyce sighed and said: "As a fan, I should have been more resolute in giving 100 points. What's wrong with giving a perfect score to a performance you love? Miss Amy, your score gave me an epiphany—next time I will definitely follow my heart!"

Amy was comforted in different ways by these three temporary colleagues, and the brilliant smile returned to her face. She nodded and said:

"Everyone, you truly are all excellent judges and Gorgeous Contest enthusiasts!"

At these words.

Patterson and the others exchanged glances, then burst into laughter in unison, and the judges' seats were filled with harmony.

And at the center of the stage.

Mawile raised her head and gazed at the score on the giant silver screen, staring at that one hundred points, frozen in place without reacting for a long time.

Beside her, All Baimu, rarely excited in public, waved both hands and shouted: "Mawile! Mawile! Did you see it? Everyone! Look! We did it! A further step to a perfect score! At the Gorgeous Grand Festival——"

"Chirido!

Bibarel threw itself into its Trainer's arms, tears of emotion spilling from its eyes, abandoning all pretense of ladylike poise. It wrapped its arms around All Baimu's neck, trembling slightly, and let out a continuous low whimper to release the feelings in its heart.

Half a year!

A full half year!

From knowing nothing to where it stood today, the effort it had put in had earned a reward it would never forget for the rest of its life!

Its worth had been recognized!

Not just by its Trainer and companions, but by the world!

These cheers, these cameras, these voices shouting its name — they all affirmed its strength!

It was no longer that Bibarel who could only sit alone on a rock, watching other Pokémon play happily from afar, clearly envious yet stubbornly insisting it didn't care!

It now possessed everything it had once longed for!

"Chirido~"

The Bibarel, who craved the spotlight and was competitive to a fault, had finally gotten its wish — and it knew that all of this came from the person standing before it.

Its Trainer.

The Trainer who would always stand by its side, encourage it, never give up on it, was occasionally annoying, but was the one it loved most of all!

Thank you~!

Bibarel couldn't hold back the urge to cry, but shedding tears in front of such a large crowd was simply too embarrassing — especially with so many cameras pointed at it.

"Congratulations, my Bibarel. Today is your moment to shine brilliantly, but this isn't the end. In the future, we'll stand on an even higher peak! A peak where you and your companions shine even brighter!

"Today, let's exit the stage in a properly ladylike manner."

All Baimu pressed one hand against Bibarel's hair to keep it from lifting its head, then bowed once more to the judges' stand and the audience with solemnity before gracefully making his exit.

He had to thank the people for their recognition of him and Bibarel.

Nothing could better embody the effort and hopes of their journey than the numbers on the giant screen.

They were lucky.

And the happiest in the world!

——

The preparation room.

All Baimu walked back alone.

Bibarel simply couldn't hold back its tears, and feeling it was too embarrassing, it returned to its Poké Ball the moment it entered the competitors' corridor.

He pushed open the door, and his vision suddenly blurred.

"Dear student!

Your and Bibarel's performance moved me so much! You are the champion in my heart!"

Miss Liuqi hugged him very tightly.

Just like a teacher who could hardly contain their emotions upon seeing a student they were close with achieve an unexpectedly excellent score on the college entrance exam.

She said with heartfelt satisfaction: "Your uncle and grand-uncle-master will surely be proud of you too! All Baimu!"

"Thank you."

All Baimu smiled, his expression a mix of helplessness and joy.

"That's just like you, All Baimu — a breathtaking performance!"

Brock gave his back a firm pat.

Dawn grinned and raised her right hand. "Hehehe~"

*Slap*—!

A crisp high-five.

"I just knew you'd be fine!" Dawn pulled back her slightly numb hand. She'd always thought All Baimu was incredibly strong — even stronger than Ash.

Ursula stood off to the side, opened her mouth but didn't know what to say, her slightly sweat-dampened hands curling into loose fists.

Seeing this, All Baimu couldn't help but speak up:

"Feeling the pressure? Seeing my score, you didn't get scared, did you?"

His tone was slightly provocative, but Ursula, who knew his personality, burst out laughing with a snort.

"Not at all — I'm full of motivation! Just wait and see my performance with Garchomp! Don't look at me with the same eyes you did a month ago!"

She raised her index finger with full confidence.

The people around them couldn't help but smile at her words.

Afterwards.

All Baimu smiled and nodded in turn to the various competitors who had earlier waved or nodded at him. When his gaze fell on Coach Ge Man, who had been startled, he gave him a friendly smile as well.

This time, with no trace of pressure behind it.

This left Coach Ge Man feeling relieved yet slightly bewildered, leading him to think that All Baimu must be a good person.

He couldn't possibly be the bloodthirsty killer from his dream last night.

Mm.

Absolutely impossible.

How could All Baimu possibly be a killer!