Pokémon, but cultural invasion.

The extra-large open-air stands, which had never been full in years, finally served their full purpose for the first time.

The morning performance has ended.

Back in the lounge, the three sisters, without even wiping the water droplets from their skin, excitedly discussed the day's festivities.

"Sakura-nee, do you see the audience? It's been years since our performance was this packed!"

"Tickets are selling like hotcakes! I was still hesitating about which bag to choose with this month's salary, but now I can have them all."

The two younger sisters chattered on about how her charm hadn't diminished, feeling confident of victory and just short of popping champagne at halftime.

Only cherry blossoms raised doubts.

"Even when the Hua Lan Three Sisters were at their peak in the past few years, the number of people watching live wasn't this many, was it?"

In the afternoon, the audience did not leave; on the contrary, the street became even more crowded due to the arrival of new tourists.

Her guess was confirmed.

There is no truth to the claim of a return to its peak; this large influx of tourists was attracted by something else entirely.

Sakura was naturally aware of the little tricks Izumi had been up to on the internet.

I thought that the popular appeal of the water ballet performance in Kanto would overshadow the fairytale gimmick he had created.

But Sakura is completely wrong. Locals in Kanto will only want to see what's going on because it's convenient to travel there.

She fell into deep thought.

"Is this guy hated or loved, that fans would travel across mountains and seas to reach Hualan?"

It was 1:10 PM, and the stage play was about to begin.

Xiaoxia, backstage, clutched the pearl necklace around her neck, looking around but still couldn't see Quanshu.

He probably hid somewhere because he was afraid of being retaliated against by his fans.

He recklessly stirs up fans' emotions online, but is cautious in real life.

Xiaoxia shook her head to clear her mind; she was about to go on stage to perform.

......

In a private room on the top floor of the dojo, Izumi was checking whether each camera was working properly.

There were dojo staff members responsible for taking photos around the performance venue, while he, as the director, oversaw the entire operation.

After confirming that everything was normal, he opened the live stream room that he had set up in advance on Pikachu.

[The premiere of "The Little Mermaid" featured a heartfelt performance by the owner of the Hua Lan Pavilion, a labor of love from a new director.]

He had given a heads-up beforehand, so now the live stream is full of angry fans who are eager to give him a good dressing down.

"Hello, hello, can you hear me?"

Facing the connected camera, Izumi waved and said, "I am Izumi. It is an honor to meet my fans for the first time in this way."

The online comments section was filled with outrage.

"Who are your fans? We're not really that close."

"Host, I'm here at Hualan, where are you?"

"You're not on Hualan Street at all! Where have you been hiding?!"

"You promised to meet me at the Cerulean Gym, right?"

Faced with the questions from the comments section, Izumi sighed in frustration, looking dejected and apologetic:

"I really want to meet all my fans. I couldn't sleep last night and overslept today."

"When I woke up, it was already 1 p.m. It would take more than two hours to get from Dark Grey City to Cerulean by the fastest maglev train..."

The implication, of course, is that it can't keep up with Hua Lan's performance.

"If you're afraid, you're afraid. Why make excuses?"

"Next time, come up with a more plausible reason. I'd believe you if you said the land and sea lords of Hoenn have awakened from their slumber and you're going to save the world."

"Come to Hualan then, are you going to eat us fans?"

There were comments of disdain, anger, and boos, but Quanshu changed the subject.

"If it weren't for this Thunder Beast mountain bike, I really wouldn't have made it to Hua Lan's performance!"

Quanshu turned to the side, holding up the yellow and blue bicycle sent by the brand, and introduced it: "Adaptable to complex terrain, with a sturdy and durable structure, suitable for trainers who enjoy outdoor travel..."

In the bottom right corner of the live stream, there are advertising slots available for rent for tomorrow's and the day after tomorrow's broadcasts.

After a long wait, the excitement turned to disappointment, and the anger of the fans finally turned into laughter.

Chapter 40 She couldn't possibly have sold half of the Cerulean Dojo, could she?

There aren't many advertisers with good taste. By the time Quanshu stopped promoting his product, the comments section was already seething with hatred for him.

He glanced at the comments section; the people in the Pokémon world were so well-mannered, none of them were even insulting his parents.

If Izumi were some gamers from his previous life, he would have already picked up his keyboard and launched a battle to protect his family.

"Alright, without further ado, let's turn our camera to the performance of Hua Lan."

As the main camera was activated, the clear blue water reflecting the pristine sky came into view.

The audience seats were surrounded by layers of dark, dense seating, and the inevitable buzzing noise of the crowd could be heard.

"Even if the streamer tries to distract us now, it won't work."

"There are so many brothers here, please grab Quanshu and give him some good fruit."

"Finally, I can watch the second half of 'The Little Mermaid.' What happened to the mermaid princess in the end? It's been so hard to wait these past few days."

Suddenly, both the audience inside the venue and the fans in front of the screen heard some strange noises.

It was the sound of a gentle, flowing tide, growing louder and louder as it approached.

The noisy audience and the surging barrage of comments both fell silent.

The gem starfish hidden behind the scenes raised their hands, and the rubies on their chests shone with a deep blue light.

Fountains rise from both sides of the pool, their clear waters converging into the air to create a thick curtain of water.

The water in the pool seemed to defy gravity, rising straight up against all reason.

After a few breaths, the water curtain slowly opened.

The audience looked up and saw a sea floating in the air.

It is not a river, a lake, or anything else because this sea has a seabed.

At some point, the bottom of the floating sea was covered with a layer of white sand.

Colorful and strangely shaped plants and trees even grow on the white sand, their soft branches and leaves swaying gently with the ocean currents.

The underwater dream world was so beautiful that it left the audience speechless for a moment.

The three sisters, who were watching the performance from the audience, instinctively covered their mouths.

This guy, Izumi, actually dared to move the stage into the sky. Does he even know how much money the Cerulean Gym would have to pay if the Psychic-type Pokémon got out of control and the sea crashed down?

They looked at the dreamlike scene, yet they had to admit it.

The overly extravagant stage design and the piling up of elements could overshadow the main attraction, but it was undeniably beautiful.

Many female spectators at the scene had already taken out their phones, ready to capture this spectacular sight floating overhead.

As the thought of "it was worth the ticket price" popped into mind, the seaweed on the white sandy seabed stirred.

A dark brown plant emerged from the seabed, revealing its true form.

It turned out to be a seahorse-like algae, which was holding onto the crystal-clear gem it had found and floating in a certain direction.

As if triggering some kind of chain reaction, countless little sprites emerged from the seaweed, coral, and white sand, or descended from the sea surface.

Heading in the same direction, they converge into a long, flowing river, swimming in a line as they go.

The destination was a palace made of coral.

The little elves, carrying all sorts of strange little things, passed through doors and windows decorated with amber and arrived at an exquisite underwater garden.

The garden is filled with fiery red and deep blue trees, their branches laden with gleaming golden fruit, and their blooming flowers resemble clusters of burning flames.

In the very center of the garden, amidst a profusion of flowers, lies a giant, pristine white clam shell.

Lava plants, black seahorses, starfish, lanternfish, and sun corals... a school of little creatures swim around here.

As the soothing prelude begins, the nearby sprites offer beautiful seashells and flowers.

In the distance, more and more Water-type Pokémon are swimming in a line, forming a huge vortex from top to bottom.

The crescendoing music and the swirling, colorful spirals kept the audience's attention firmly focused on the clam shell.

The audience below the stage craned their necks, and the fans in front of the screen stared wide-eyed.

Their gazes passed through the brightly colored flowers and trees, and they unconsciously held their breath, watching the clam shell slowly open.

The Little Mermaid sat sideways, head bowed and eyes closed.

The music stopped at that moment, and the little elves also stopped moving.

Her hair was as blue as the deepest lake, she had no legs, and her lower body was a beautiful fishtail.

Her long eyelashes fluttered, and then her eyes opened.

The Little Mermaid raised her head and sang aloud.

A melodious and beautiful song drifted in, echoing throughout the venue.

The sprites, which had been frozen in place, cheered and began to swim back again, their songs bringing the entire stage to life.

The stage scenery is fantastic, the music style is unique, and the performance is absolutely explosive.

Even through a screen, you can feel the awe-inspiring presence of being there.

As the straight back of the iris gradually bent, she initially thought that the participation of such a large number of little elves would weaken the performance.

Unexpectedly, he was able to use the little elves' movements to maximize the anticipation for the Little Mermaid's appearance.

You could tell how good the effect was just from the audience's wide-eyed stares.

"This is lip-syncing, isn't it?"

Although it was Xiaoxia's voice, Mudan knew her younger sister well; she was practically tone-deaf.

Sakura, sitting between the two, opened her mouth as if to say something, but for the first time found her words to be so dry.

If the performance ended here, it would be at best a high-profile, lavish competition, not a true show.

Viewers may be briefly attracted by the visual effects, but they will quickly get tired of them after a few times.

She understands cherry blossoms best when it comes to aesthetic fatigue; to support such a magnificent opening ceremony, there must be substantial content.

This is difficult, and very few people can do it.

And the spring tree...

Sakura recalled several fairy tales he had posted on his account, all of which had captivated readers' hearts.

Otherwise, why would those fans watch and then criticize at the same time?

A stage play based on seven stories by Izumi no Kana is bound to be of high quality.

It boasts both a perfect performance and a captivating storyline.

Sakura sighed quietly. What she needed to think about now was no longer the outcome of the competition, but the specifics of the agreement that Xia and the other party had reached.

How much did Xiaoxia pay to buy the script, have the other party participate in the stage design as the screenwriter, and personally lead the performance?

She wouldn't have sold off half of the Hua Lan Dojo, would she?

As Sakura pondered, a steady and powerful narration began, drawing her attention back to the stage.

Far out at sea, the water is so blue, like the most beautiful cornflower petals, and so clear, like the brightest glass.

The king who lived in the sea had six daughters, the youngest and most beautiful of whom was a mermaid princess. Her greatest joy was listening to stories about the human world on land.

The Little Mermaid swam out of the clam shell and fluttered like a butterfly in a sea of ​​flowers made up of fairies.