CHAPTER 226: PIRATE KING (4)

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.

The reddish white smoke slowly dissipated, revealing 7 boys kneeling in a triangle formation with a golden-skinned boy wearing a red tricorn hat and red vest at the very front.

As the haunting sea chanty-like introduction repeated with the sound of waves getting stronger in the background, the boys, their faces shadowed by their hats or scarves, took sweeping steps forward, their feet dragging in the ankle-height water before kicking upward and creating a distinct spray like waves splashing against the shore.

Both the audience and the judges’ table gasped at the unexpected visuals being displayed at just the introduction of the song.

Even Bing Yongsun, who already had high expectations when he saw that both Ari, who consistently brought in interesting ideas to the stage, and Justin, who came from a theater background and always tried to push the limit, were on the same team.

He expected something comparable to their previous performances, mainly since the other teams had recycled Ari’s previous ideas, but it seemed that this one would blow anything they or anyone else had performed out of the water.

Leaning forward with a bit of excitement, Bing Yongsun focused his gaze back on the stage.

Stomp!

With a sharper smile than usual, Benjamin rose to his feet, removing his hat and holding it to his chest as he bowed to the audience and sang rather than rapped in a deep voice that no one had heard before.

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

Gasps of shock could be heard through the audience as they heard the unexpectedly smooth voice, which was unlike the British rapper’s usual crisp accent when he rapped.

- Benjamin can sing? Since when?

- Life’s not fair, man. He’s so talented.

Stomp!

Levi and William stood up next, stomping in unison as they tried to harmonize the following line, with Levi flicking the brim of his hat upward with a single finger and a sharp smile while William tilted his down in a salute that hid his face.

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

- oof, that was a bit...off?

- I guess Levi can’t sing, huh. He should stick to his fast raps.

- It was definitely William’s voice that was off, not Levi’s

Stomp!

Ari and Jerome stood up next, Ari’s distinct, clear yet raspy tone slightly overtaking Jerome’s before it was quickly adjusted to an appropriate volume.

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

- Wow! Why does his voice sound even better than when I remember it?

- It better. He got a nice vacation while others were slaving away.

- Are you wearing a Caleb shirt? Why are you here?

Stomp!

In the last row of the triangle formation, Rex and Justin both jumped up, sweeping water up with opposing hands as they sang in unison.

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

The seven boys paused and let their voices trail off as they stared at the audience with an enticing smile for a few seconds.

After the momentary lull, Benjamin performed a wave-like motion that transferred backward to each person, and like magic, the remaining smoke that was lingering around them like a mist disappeared.

- air bender?

- How the heck did he do that?

- There’s no way this team has the same budget as everybody else?

With a cocky flip of his hand, Benjamin tossed his hat back into the air and caught it on his head before he began to rap with the crisp delivery he was known for.

Keep your eyes on the prize

Check the map

The x marks the point

Forever still young and wild

Reaching out for

That treasure to be mine

As the 7 boys moved forward in a swaggering motion, imitating a sailor’s steps on a ship, they combined that choreography with a sharp hand movement that switched from an X to a smirking and pointing gesture to the audience, inviting them to come closer.

Benjamin then broke away from the group, walking slowly across the edge of the stage while rapping as the choreographed mock battle took place between Jerome and Levi, who were kneeling on the ground, Ari and Justin, who were standing, and Rex and William, who leaped up and landed with a large splash!

Chase you to the end of the world

You’re better than gold

I’ll fight any battle for sure

Fight with a hook in my hand

Sea, air, or land

I’m the Pan if you’re Peter

Let’s go!

At the last line of his verse, Benjamin spun around and quickly retreated into the formation as they promptly formed an X before rotating it into a line facing William at the center.

The music, previously high energy and fast paced, subtly transitioned into a darker, more sensual melody, as if it were the hidden depths of the sea trying to entice you to find the hidden treasure at the bottom.

Along with the change in the music’s tone, the choreography suddenly became more alluring, with each contestant extending a hand to rest on the shoulder of the person in front of them as they performed slow, sinuous body rolls in unison.

In a low mumble that could barely be heard, William began singing his part as he took the center position he had fought so hard to get.

Are you going to stop

The prize is right in front

What you really want,

What you know you can’t give up

As William sang, his eyes widened in panic as he realized the corrective live-recorded vocals were somehow missing.

He had thought it was a mistake earlier, but clearly not.

What the hell had the person who was supposed to swap the files been doing?

And had anybody noticed?

A brief glance toward the judges’ table showed him that their eyes weren’t even focused on him, but on another person entirely.

The only one who seemed to be watching was Jelissa, whose face was set in a rarely seen frown and seemed to be glaring directly at him.

Tsk.

So it was her.

What an annoying, meddling woman.

Quickly looking away and hiding an expression of annoyance and disdain, William began trying to focus on singing as best as he could while hoping that his microphone would somehow break or that the annoying thief would support his vocals as he always did with other people, so he wouldn’t have to continue singing.

Unfortunately, he had on a headset, and it seemed that Ari had no interest in helping to keep the performance at a high level since he stayed completely silent.

Although it grips my neck like a wicked vice

Seductive allure that can never be ignored,

The call of treasure has a grip on me

Slowly driving me to insanity

Lose my breath to find what I seek

Without it, I just can’t help it~

After several out-of-key notes, William completed his verse and became silent while Ari began humming.

As one, 7 different hands grabbed the bottom of their tops with their left hands as they pivoted, moving their bodies in a snake-like wave while their right hand crept upwards underneath their clothing before slowly wrapping around the throat of each person as their heads rolled from side to side in a slow circle.

Eh-oh-eh-oh-eh-oh

As Ari sang the adlib while standing, the other six people rolled their hips slowly before dropping to the ground in a one-handed body wave descent, and then kicking their legs in a break dance motion, creating a curtain of water that soaked their shirts.

The faces of some of the audience members began turning red as their eyes took in the scene of the dancing boys whose shirts were slowly becoming transparent from the water, while their breeches began clinging to their legs, showing the lean, yet defined muscles that were the result of hours upon hours of dance practice.

While the eyes of the audience went to every contestant on stage, for some reason, their eyes kept returning to the contestant who had boldly claimed that he was number one and that he would give them a show that they couldn’t look away from.

Eh-oh-eh-oh-eh-oh.

As he sang in that raspy low tone, the sea green eyes were like a siren’s call, drowning a sailor at sea, and as he stood alone, the languid dance moves showed a cat-like grace in comparison to the more powerful moves of his teammates on the ground.

While the others seemed to be fighting against the water, Ari seemed to be gliding through it and controlling them from the top.

Eh-oh-eh-oh-eh-oh.

Seeing the tip of Ari’s red tongue playfully lick the water droplets off his lips as he shoved his scarf upward and spun backward, audible sighs of disappointment could be heard.

- whoever voted for the sexy concept, thank you!!

- I think my nose is going to bleed

- I told my mom this was PG-13. I don’t think this is PG-13

- Ari! This isn’t you! Come back home! The kids miss you!

Despite their wishes, Ari moved to his correct position in the back, successfully exchanging positions with Levi as Justin began the first chorus in a more lively way than the haunting tone in the beginning.

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

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

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

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

Rather than repeating their first choreography, all 7 boys stood in a line, grabbing onto each other’s shoulders and twisting in different directions before separating and performing a slick, high-energy dance that was accentuated by the splashing of water before it calmed down into a gentle lull like a stream.

The moment Justin was done with the chorus, Levi slid to the front, stomping his foot to let off a large splash of water to announce his presence.

Then he began rapping in the sharp, aggressive tone that he was known for, spitting the words out like a bullet without taking a single breath.

Yeah, Ready now for the next journey

Hold your breath, I’ll sail and get money

I’m a pirate, it’s in my blood and veins

searching high and low, against the flow

Call me Captain Hook, the way I go insane

I follow the light without wavering

Without hesitation, bang, bang, you’re gonna feel the sting

break it down, until I reach that destination

Neverland, the home that will give me liberation.

Ha!

With a cocky twist of his head, Levi spun around, exposing Ari, who had been completely hidden behind him.

As Ari took the center, his raspy voice ringing out enticingly as he squatted and reached out a slender hand to the audience, the red bandana once again slipped over his eyes, changing the atmosphere from a declaration into one of seduction and allure.

Explore the seven seas,

Come on this ship with me

Be your compass through waves and storms

Call me your pirate king

You’ll hear my canons roar when there’s a battle

All to get right to that treasure

Cause it belongs to me oh~

Never lose sight of that goal

Just keep your eyes locked on me~

As the slender fingers pushed the scarf up with a smirk, exposing the smudged eye makeup that made the vivid eyes stand out even more, before beckoning to come closer, an audience member who made eye contact had no choice but to look away as every inch of visible skin flushed red.

Eh-oh-eh-oh-eh-oh.

Singing the ad-lib, Rex walked up behind Ari, grabbing the arm that reached back and bracing his body to yank him backward as he sang his short verse before switching places with Jerome.

Both boys did their parts well, and once William sang the chorus, Ari slid back to the front to deliver the final verse before the dance break.

My eyes are on the treasure.

I’ll never let it go

The title of the pirate king

Tattoo it on my soul~

With his eyes covered by the bold red bandanna that contrasted with jet black hair, Ari tilted his head back, took a deep breath and belted a high note that seemed to be increasing in both pitch and volume.

The audience could only stare in shock as the note was stably held for 1, 2, 3 seconds-

4 seconds

5 seconds

6 seconds

8 seconds

10 seconds.

As people were wondering how long he would be able to hold the note, a small cylindrical object went flying at the only person on stage who currently couldn’t see.

Thunk!

Feedback from the microphone headset rang out along with screams of fear.

"Oh my god! Ari! No!"

Grace couldn’t help but scream and then cover her mouth as she watched the water bottle hit Ari directly where his eye would be, and his head snap back!