CHAPTER 227: PIRATE KING (5)

As Ari’s head snapped back while the water bottle ricocheted into the air, several screams echoed through the space, and everything seemed to stand still for a moment before moving at a fast pace.

"Oh my gosh!"

"Is he okay?"

Bracing the reeling Justine, who looked as if she were about to cry, Grace quickly glanced in the direction the bottle had been thrown from, spotting a screaming girl with a tiara being grabbed by the people, and security was quickly approaching the area.

Not recognizing the face, Grace secretly took a photo for research before turning back to the stage, hoping that someone on the staff had the sense to stop the performance and check if Ari was okay.

Even if things were ruined, contestant safety should be the first priority.

Instead, what she saw was that no staff members were rushing onto the stage, and the music was still going even as several of the contestants froze in shock.

The only person who was still performing as if nothing had happened was the person who had gotten hit in the face.

As if he could see through the scarf, Ari’s foot rolled forward then backward on the ground before snapping the water bottle up with the tip of his foot.

His hand reached out and snagged the plastic water bottle out of the air and squeezed until it exploded, splashing water all over his upturned face as he let out a sharp laugh before pointing at the crowd and issuing a sharp command.

"I told you to pay attention to me. Watch me."

With a lazy swing of his hand, the crushed-up plastic bottle was tossed to the side, and it seemed as if the water was an energy drink had powered him up because as he slid to the side, allowing William to take the center for the dance break, his usual dance style which gave off a relaxed, minimalist vibe suddenly changed into a highly energetic one.

- Are they really not going to stop the performance?

- Guess not?

Audience members muttered to each other as they stared at the girl being taken out, before their attention was drawn to the person on stage as ordered.

And as if trying to prove that he was fine and that nothing was wrong, Ari was hitting every move sharper and more aggressively than anyone else, despite the scarf still covering his eyes.

Even though William was in the center, having won that position, he might as well not have been.

Everyone, from the audience to the judges to the staff members, couldn’t help but be drawn to the smiling, slender figure with dark hair and covered eyes that was dancing next to him.

It was as if Ari was a magnet, constantly drawing in their eyes, and they couldn’t look away.

When others, apart from William, sang, his voice could be heard adding supporting vocals and ad-libs while keeping up with the intensity of the dance.

- How the heck is he dancing with a scarf covering his eyes?

- Shouldn’t they stop the performance?

- Was that just a stunt?

"No, Ari! Get up! Your hand!"

Rachel covered her mouth as she watched Ari perform the floor movements he had previously not done, likely because it involved putting his entire body weight on the hand with the compression bandage.

But there he was, moving like nothing was hurting, performing body rolls while balanced on the bandaged hand before using it to propel himself to his feet.

As he took the center, once more, he began singing, adding vocal run after vocal run that made the vocal performance of everyone else on the team look like a joke.

- Does he even need to breathe?

- This much aura farming is crazy!

When Benjamin finally took the center once more, removing his hat and sticking it on Ari’s head in passing, they began singing in the same haunting way they started the song, slowly retreating as if rowing a boat as white mist began filling the stage once more.

Thump!

On my-my way, traveling down an uncertain road.

Thump!

On my-my way, this is how the story goes.

Thump!

On my-my way, will I find my death or gold?

Thump!

On my-my way, listen to my tale unfold.

With slow sweeping steps, the boys on stage began disappearing into the mist one at a time, the melody changing as each person’s unique voice dropped off.

Finally, there was only a single person and one single voice filling the space with a siren’s voice that drew you in.

With a slow movement, he unraveled the red around his waist, which quickly unraveled, revealing the inside to be a black pirate flag with a skull on it.

Slowly waving it from side to side, a sweet melody flowed out of Ari’s mouth as he slowly retreated.

Swish!

On my-my way, we traveled down a scary road.

Swish!

On my-my way, I told you how the story goes

Swish!

On my-my way, I finally found the gold

Swish!

On my-my way, I will never let it go.

I’m the pirate king.

Tossing the flag into the air, Ari bowed cheekily before singing the last line, and as the flag fluttered to the ground, the black and red fabric twisted like a ribbon-

Boom.

A puff of red smoke that began spreading from his feet, and he disappeared back into the red and white mist, leaving behind an empty stage.

At the sudden disappearing act, there was silence before a loud round of applause filled the area.

- woooooooooooooooo

Clap clap clap clap clap

The 6 judges, along with Bing Yongsun, stared at each other before sighing in relief and clapping along.

"I feel like I was at an award show. They did amazing. I can’t even imagine putting together a performance like that at their age. Wow."

"Meh, I’ve seen and done better."

"I hope that Ari’s okay. We really need better security. What happened was not okay!"

As the cheers finally died down and the smoke quickly dissipated with the use of fans, MC Ryan Leary came out with his colorful rainboots and a matching pirate hat on his head.

As instructed by the production team, he planned to pretend that nothing had happened, since the audience had calmed down and regained their liveliness.

Hopefully, this situation will pass and the program will continue as scheduled.

"Wow! Wasn’t that an amazing performance? Did you guys enjoy the show Team Sexy Pirates gave you?"

- yesssssssssssssss.

- so good.

"Good. We’ll have Team Sexy Pirates come out while you all put in your final votes for the best performer, the worst performer, as well as where you would rank this performance overall. Additionally, those of you who have an FAQ card, please notify the staff members, and they’ll get you situated with a microphone."

Immediately, a large number of people began heading to the side with their FAQ tickets, as they finally got a chance to ask the contestants they cared about questions.

Many of them wore tiaras, while others were dressed regularly, or in all black, or had cute animal sweaters. One even sported white gothic makeup, giving off a sharp impression.

As 6 members of Team Sexy Pirates came out with various facial expressions ranging from happiness to indifference and frustration, a resounding round of applause broke out again.

While many people were quite happy, a section of the audience began searching for the seventh member, who was not on the stage.

Ari was nowhere to be found, and sensing a weird tension in the air, MC Ryan Leary quickly began to speak.

"Let’s get started with the questions. Please go ahead."

"Hi, I’m Lisa. My question is for Prince William, and I want to know how you got so handsome."

At the brainless question, many people rolled their eyes while gagging, but after receiving a microphone from the MC, William answered it as if it were the most important question in the world.

"I have to thank my parents for their superior genetics, but also the fans like you whose support makes me feel handsome and special."

"Oh wow! I’ll always continue to support you, my prince!"

"Thank you!" William gave her a heart-warming smile while making a heart with his fingers.

"Thank you for the question, Lisa. Next question, please."

"Hi, I’m Ada, this is a question for Benjamin..."

"Next question, please."

The line of questioners slowly moved before arriving at the girl with the white gothic makeup.

Taking a deep breath, the girl took the microphone and, doing her best to channel the person she supported, began asking what she and a group of people wanted to know.

"Hi, my name is Meredith. My question is for the production staff: Where’s contestant Ari? Is he okay? I see that none of the staff members have given an update on the situation that just happened, and his entire team came out to do the Q&A without him. Are we all just going to pretend that he didn’t just get hit by a flying object on the head?"

At the sharp words, the entire studio immediately became quiet.

As Ryan Leary stared at the staff member with a stiff smile, the staff member shook their head in response to the unasked question.

Naturally, they had vetted the question the audience member wanted to ask, and this wasn’t what she had initially said.

As the staff member reached out to take the microphone, Meredith moved out of the way and continued saying what she needed to say.

"Please give us a proper status update on the situation and what steps you, as a production team, plan on taking to prevent a dangerous situation like this from happening not just to Ari but to other contestants as well. Thank you."

Meredith quickly handed her microphone back to the staff member and folded her hands neatly, but the damage was already done.

It was the beginning of an unhinged Q&A, where the Pop Star Academy Production Staff discovered that fans often mimicked the actions of the people they supported, and that a particular contestant had built a small but mighty fan club by always speaking his mind, inspiring them to also do the same.

As Ryan Leary began wondering what to do, the audience began to chant the name of a particular contestant currently going through a medical check-up.

"Ari! Ari! Ari!"

Laughing because he was pretty irritated at having to come on stage while a teammate was with the medics by himself, Benjamin joined in with the audience and began to chant as well.

"Ari! Ari! Ari!"