I can do this.
Applause for the previous contestant was still ringing throughout the area.
I can do this.
"Next, we have... Melody."
I've never been one for public performances, but I can do this. And I will.
Her floor-length gown billowed behind her, stray strands of her electric blue hair tickling her cheeks as she made her way into the arena. She wrung her gloved hands, each pop of her joints amplified tenfold in the dead silence. She faced the crowd, steeled herself, clicked her tongue, and said in a voice too small even for her petite figure, "Let us begin."
The music she had chosen was nothing special, just a sad waltz composed by Mozart or Beethoven or some other European musical genius whose name she just couldn't put a finger on at the moment. She was never the great of a dancer, so she just swayed and twirled at each accent of the beat. All the while, she focused on using two moves at once - something she had never done before. A disk of clear water formed in one hand, and a sphere of muddy liquid took shape in the other.
Suddenly, she crossed arms and blasted her Mud Shot and Hydro Pump simultaneously in a simple, wavy pattern. The effect of her moves was achieved; it mixed the purity of clean water with the earthy vibe of mud. She promptly used Ice Beam to freeze the two liquids in the shape of twisting arches. She alternated Mud Shot and Hydro Pump several times more, then froze them into certain geometric shapes.
The song was at its climax. Melody drifted to the center of the stage, and encased herself in her Aqua Ring. Then came the trickiest part. She bit her lip, hoping that she wouldn't slip up. Slowly, she used Ice Beam on the outer rim of her water sphere, working her way inward. After a few moments, she had completely encased herself in ice. She paused a moment, grinning smugly at the couple of panicked voices, then...
Clink!
The ice ball surrounding her shattered. The other shapes burst as well, each one in time with the song's final notes, and the effect was color-shifting snowflake-like ice shards blowing gently out into the audience as the music faded.
Melody did a quick curtsy and left, not bothering to hear if the crowd was applauding or not.
