Taking Julian's earlier advice to heart, March 7th decided against directly copying his exact Frozen concept for the weekly qualifier. Instead, she used his narrative framework as a launching pad to write a original story of her own.
Her performance centered on a young princess who, after a sudden calamity befell her kingdom, set off alone into the northern snowfields in search of ancient magic to restore her home.
Playing the role of the princess, March navigated the frozen wastes guided by a Beautifly. As they traveled toward an ancient mountain academy, the Pokémon's wings shed shimmering, rainbow-colored scales, illuminating their path like a fairy-tale guide.
Along the journey, the pair faced trials enforced by Articuno and Regice. The two legendary Pokémon unleashed majestic, overwhelming moves across the arena, their presence commanding absolute awe as they tested the young princess's resolve.
Relying on Beautifly's agility and her own quick thinking, March overcame their challenges and unlocked the hidden magic.
For the grand finale, Beautifly used its Shiny flash attack. A radiant beam of light pierced through the delicate ice sculptures crafted by Regice and Articuno, shattering into brilliant, colorful ribbons that washed over the entire stage as the fluttering scales gave the light a living, dynamic pulse.
It was a breathtaking visual triumph.
Though time constraints prevented her from enacting the remainder of the tale, that final image—bathed in hopeful, warm light—communicated the ultimate salvation of her kingdom without needing another word.
When the scores were tallied, March earned an extraordinary 97 points, taking first place in the performance division.
During the subsequent Contest Battles, her fighting style was remarkably clean and precise. She knew exactly when to showcase artistic flair and when to strike with decisive force. It was obvious she had undergone rigorous tactical coaching—and with Welt on the Express, there was little doubt who had provided the guidance.
Claiming second place in the bracket was Asta, who had narrowly missed her chance against Argenti the previous week.
"Congratulations, Miss March," Asta said behind the main stage after the broadcast ended, offering a warm, genuine smile despite her loss.
Being eliminated twice in a row had chipped at her confidence, but Asta had no intention of throwing in the towel. She was already planning her approach for the next qualifier.
"Asta, I'm so, so sorry..." March winced, looking at her friend apologetically. Seeing two people she cared about miss their tickets—one directly because of her—left March unsure of how to offer comfort.
Asta shook her head, her smile turning reassurin. "Please don't apologize, Miss March. Taking second place simply means my execution wasn't strong enough yet. It has nothing to do with you, and you don't need to worry about me. A minor bump in the road like this isn't going to stop me."
She thought back to the endless hurdles she had overcome just to break free from her family's strict expectations and pursue her dream of studying the stars. A setback in a video game tournament wasn't going to break her spirit.
"That's the spirit!" March beamed, leaning in thoughtfully. "If you ask me, your main bottleneck is still the battle phase. Have you tried asking Arlan for some sparring tips?"
After all, Arlan had reached the top thirty-two in the Master Tournament. While he might not match the Elite Four, his combat fundamentals were rock solid, making him more than qualified to advise on Contest Battles.
Asta chuckled softly. "Of course I asked him! But while Arlan is brilliant in standard combat, he has absolute zero idea how to weave artistic presentation into a battle."
March instantly pictured Arlan's rigid, formal demeanor—always standing at attention and addressing Asta with perfect decorum. He definitely didn't seem like the type to pull off a graceful Contest combo.
"In that case, let's pick a time and I'll have Uncle Yang train you!" March offered enthusiastically, casually volunteering Welt's services. "Uncle Yang is amazing at battle strategy. He'll have your battle phase fixed in no time."
"Wouldn't that be imposing on Mr. Welt?" Asta asked, tempted by the offer but slightly hesitant to bother the veteran Trailblazer.
"Oh, not at all!" March waved her hand dismissively. "Uncle Yang just plays games or paces around the lounge car doing nothing all day anyway. It's zero trouble!"
"Then I'll leave it in your hands, Miss March. I'll be sure to prepare a proper thank-you gift for Mr. Welt."
Down in the spectating lounge on the train, Welt suddenly felt an unexplained chill run down his spine, causing his shoulders to stiffen. Himeko, sitting beside him, noticed the sudden reaction and looked over in confusion.
"Is something wrong, Welt?"
"No... just a strange, unsettling feeling all of a sudden," Welt murmured, adjusting his glasses.
"Are you still thinking about that transmission from the Stellaron Hunters?" Himeko asked gently.
The Express crew had recently received a direct contact request from Kafka. If it hadn't been for March's qualifier match starting right as the message came in, they might have already charted a course for the Xianzhou Luofu.
"A little," Welt admitted, his tone thoughtful. "Kafka painted a dire picture, but I don't think she gave us the complete truth. I have a feeling the Stellaron Hunters are keeping their true motives close to their chest."
"A single Stellaron shouldn't be enough to bring down a faction like the Xianzhou Alliance—especially now that the Luofu has an individual with harbinger-level strength staying on board."
"You mean Julian?" Himeko smiled softly. "He really is remarkable. Even Herta speaks of him with genuine fascination."
Welt nodded. "Regardless of what the Stellaron Hunters are really after, since the younger crew members are eager to investigate, taking a trip there isn't a bad idea."
"Agreed," Himeko murmured, looking out at the stars. "Even if it's just to let them witness the grand path of the Hunt with their own eyes, it will be a valuable experience for their journey."
Once the tournament broadcast wrapped up, the crew held a formal vote and officially set their course for the Xianzhou Luofu.
The Astral Express soon dropped out of warp near the world-ship, but they were met with an ominous sight: the grand Starlight Jade Gate was completely sealed. Their official communication pings sent to customs control vanished like stones dropped into a deep ocean, returning nothing but static.
Just as the team began debating their options, a tiny fissure opened in the Jade Gate's automated barrier. A local Star Skiff slipped through the gap, picking up Welt, Stelle, and March 7th and transporting them straight to the Cloudford cargo docks.
The moment they stepped off the Skiff, the group stumbled upon a gravely injured Cloud Knight lying motionless on the metallic floor.
Welt pushed up his glasses, his expression darkening. "It seems the situation on the Luofu is even more critical than we thought..."
Following the thread of events, the Trailblazers soon crossed paths with Tingyun, who escorted them directly to the Exalting Sanctum to meet with Realm-Keeping Commission Head Yukong and General Jing Yuan. Recognizing their willingness to help, Jing Yuan entrusted the Express crew with tracking down Kafka.
With tactical support from Master Diviner Fu Xuan, they successfully cornered Kafka in the Matrix of Prescience, using the divine array to interrogate her and extract her true motives.
However, finding the confessed reasons behind the Hunters' actions completely absurd, Fu Xuan stormed off in frustration to consult the General. Shortly after her departure, an unexpected energy surge from the distant Ambrosial Arbor triggered a massive systemic alarm across the sanctuary—giving Kafka the exact distraction she needed to break her restraints and escape.
Regrouping with Blade amidst the chaos, Kafka slipped out of the Divination Commission and navigated to a quiet, secluded alleyway near Starskiff Haven, where Silver Wolf and Firefly were already waiting.
"My part of the plan is complete," Kafka said, stepping out of the shadows and smoothing her coat. She paused, her gaze falling upon a limp figure lying unconscious on the ground between Silver Wolf and Firefly. "How did things go on your end? Is this your target?"
Because Elio knew Kafka would be subjected to the Matrix of Prescience, he had deliberately kept her in the dark regarding Silver Wolf's side assignment, placing the task entirely in the hands of Silver Wolf and Firefly.
"You could call it a half-success, half-disaster," Silver Wolf muttered, rubbing her temples with a look of sheer annoyance. "Firefly and I did everything we could to dismantle those Disciples of Sanctus Medicus cells, but we still got ambushed."
"I really didn't expect her to end up being the biggest wild card in Elio's entire script."
Silver Wolf's voice carried a rare mix of helplessness and irritation.
Kafka studied the unconscious woman on the ground. The victim's skin was already showing clear signs of golden, plant-like mutations—a unmistakable hallmark of the Luofu's Mara-struck affliction.
There was something faintly familiar about the woman's face, though Kafka couldn't immediately place where she had seen her before.
Silver Wolf, however, knew her identity all too well.
The woman lying contextually infected on the cold pavement was Cai Xing—the chief executive officer of Arceus Studio and Julian's personal secretary.
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