Lily raised her microphone and smiled brightly.
"Since this competition does not use professional judges, every contestant's score will be determined entirely by audience voting."
"In other words, every single one of the five thousand spectators present today is an official judge."
"So please cherish and carefully use your voting rights, because every single vote you cast may determine whether a contestant advances… or is eliminated."
"Now then—"
"To all five thousand audience judges here in the arena…"
"And to the 646 contestants waiting backstage…"
"Are you all ready?!"
Standing atop the Water Cube diving platform, Daisy, Violet, and Lily shouted together in perfect sync.
—
"WE'RE READY!!! ×5000"
"WE'RE READY!!! ×646"
The entire arena exploded with energy.
Five thousand audience members and all 646 contestants responded in unison, their voices surging like a tidal wave through the stadium.
—
"OKAY~!"
"Then next, we will begin the drawing for the performance order of the First Round Elimination Stage!"
"The entire drawing process will be randomly generated by computer."
"The results will be displayed in two different formats."
"The audience inside the arena will see the participating Pokémon's names and portrait cards…"
"While contestants in the preparation hall will instead see their own profile cards and contestant information."
"So then…"
"Let the drawing begin!"
The moment Daisy gave the signal, a gigantic holographic screen appeared above the arena.
Countless portrait cards began flashing rapidly across the projection.
Just as the sisters had explained—
The audience saw only the names and portraits of the Pokémon.
Meanwhile, backstage contestants saw their own contestant profile cards instead.
This distinction had been intentionally designed to focus the audience's attention on the Pokémon themselves.
After all—
The true stars of today's Beauty Contest were the Pokémon.
Whether the contestant was a celebrity like Ash or an unknown ordinary Trainer, the organizers still hoped every Pokémon would receive the fairest treatment possible.
Even before the competition had officially begun, these thoughtful details had already earned widespread praise from both the live audience and viewers watching the broadcast from home.
—
Ding ding ding…
Beep beep…
The holographic portrait cards flashed rapidly across the screen.
Then—
The motion abruptly stopped.
The First Round Elimination Stage drawing had officially concluded.
Out of the 646 contestants:
Ash drew contestant number 156.
Clarissa drew number 16.
Misty drew number 98.
Gary drew number 9.
Compared to Gary and Clarissa, Ash's performance slot was much later.
While 156 wasn't extremely far back considering there were 646 contestants total, it still meant he would have to wait quite a long time before taking the stage.
—
"Alright!"
"The First Round drawing has now been completed!"
"And next…"
"The First Round Elimination Stage officially begins!"
"The holographic display showing the contestant order will remain visible both inside the arena and backstage."
"Once the competition begins, additional information will also appear on the display."
—
"In the First Round Elimination Stage, contestants must receive approval votes from at least eighty percent of the five thousand audience members present today."
"In other words…"
"They must earn at least four thousand votes to advance."
"Otherwise, they will be eliminated immediately."
"After each Pokémon completes its one-minute showcase…"
"The audience will have one minute to vote."
"Once the results are calculated, the Pokémon's portrait card on the arena display will update to show its final vote count."
"As for the backstage contestant display…"
"Contestants who advance will receive a green √ mark."
"And contestants eliminated during the First Round…"
"Will receive a red ×."
"If audience members do not cast a vote within the one-minute voting period…"
"Or if they choose to abstain…"
"The system will automatically count it as an approval vote."
—
"And those are the complete voting rules!"
"Now then—"
"I officially announce…"
"The First Cerulean City Water-Type Pokémon Beauty Contest…"
"FIRST ROUND ELIMINATION STAGE…"
"BEGIN!!!"
"And now…"
"Please welcome our very first contestant Pokémon onto the stage!"
The moment the three sisters declared the start of the competition—
The arena erupted once more into a sea of cheers.
But unlike the excited audience outside—
The atmosphere backstage instantly became tense.
Even though most contestants had originally joined just for fun…
Even though many of them never expected to place in the top three…
Nobody wanted to be eliminated immediately in the very first round.
—
Every Pokémon present had been carefully chosen and lovingly raised by their Trainers.
Strength and levels might easily determine superiority in battle—
But appearance?
Beauty?
Every Trainer firmly believed their own Pokémon was the cutest and most beautiful.
No one wanted to admit otherwise.
And so—
As the competition officially began, subtle rivalry quietly spread throughout the waiting hall.
—
"Contestant Number One, Jun Matsumoto!"
"Please prepare your Kingler for entry!"
"Contestant Number Two, Makio Inui!"
"Please have your Goldeen ready as well!"
As soon as the event began, a staff member entered the contestant waiting hall to guide participants toward the stage.
"Got it!"
The contestant who had drawn number one—Jun Matsumoto—responded nervously while clutching his Poké Ball tightly before following the staff member outside.
Meanwhile, contestant number two, Makio Inui, immediately began preparing anxiously.
After all—
Each contestant only received one minute for their Pokémon showcase.
Then the audience had one minute to vote.
Including entrance announcements and stage transitions, each contestant would spend at most three minutes total.
Now that contestant number one had already gone out—
It would soon be her turn.
—
"There are two available entrance methods for Pokémon."
"At the Water Cube arena, contestants may either enter from the upper diving platform…"
"Or emerge directly from the central water pool."
"You may choose whichever style you prefer."
At the entrance corridor leading toward the stage, the staff member patiently explained the process.
"What should I do…?"
As the first contestant of the entire competition, Jun Matsumoto was visibly nervous.
"Don't be nervous."
"For the first three rounds, Trainers themselves won't appear on stage."
"You simply need to place your Poké Ball into one of the designated launch slots."
"The red slot represents entrance from the diving platform."
"The blue slot represents entrance through the central water arena."
—
"Since Kingler has legs and can move around on land…"
"Entering from the diving platform would probably showcase its energetic side more effectively."
"Of course…"
"That's only my personal suggestion."
Seeing how tense Jun Matsumoto was, the staff member patiently offered guidance in a reassuring tone.
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T/N:
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