Afterward, Chrollo wanted Mog to say a few concluding words to boost everyone's morale.
But in the end, Mog merely smiled and said softly:
"I've seen all the dedication and hard work everyone has put in during this time."
"I believe that with our combined efforts, we'll definitely make this production a good one."
"Once we've gained enough recognition, we won't just film Hyakuju Sentai. We'll make even more Sentai series."
"Or rather, it won't be limited to Sentai alone. We can make works of other genres too."
"By then, we won't necessarily have to remain confined to Meteor City."
"We can leave Meteor City, go outside, and step out into the whole world!!"
"Let the entire world see our work!!!"
The whole world?!!
The moment those words were spoken, every pair of eyes blazed with fervor.
Until now, they had been trapped in Meteor City, struggling merely to survive and fill their stomachs.
But all of a sudden, they realized that they, too, could have such ambitions!! They, too, could achieve something like this~!!
And all of this, this chance they had been given, was inseparable from...
"Mog!!"
Uvogin gulped down everything in his mouth, then raised his uniquely booming voice.
"From now on, I'm following you all the way!!"
His rough voice made everyone else's eardrums ache, but no one had the mind to scold Uvogin.
"Us too!!"
Phinks was the second to rise and shout, while Feitan beside him had already stood up with him.
Machi, beside Uvogin, stood as well while rubbing her still-aching ear.
Nobunaga brushed back his long hair and stood behind Mog without hesitation.
"And me, and us!!"
Sarasa waved his little hand and pulled Shira up with him.
"We'll follow you too!!!"
Franklin's gaze was resolute. Shalnark leaned back with both hands behind his head and grinned.
"How could something like this leave us out?!"
The gap in his teeth was once again especially conspicuous.
"Mog..."
Chrollo gazed at Mog with clear eyes, a radiant smile blooming across his young face.
"I believe you can definitely lead us even farther!!"
Pakunoda behind him nodded gently as well.
Mog had long proven everything through his own abilities, as well as his many inventions and achievements.
He had also become the undisputed core figure whom everyone sincerely acknowledged.
They had no objections whatsoever to Mog being their leader. They accepted it wholeheartedly.
"Everyone..."
Mog looked at the eleven people gathered here besides himself, this little group of theirs~~~
"Please take care of me from now on~!"
After filming and screening Hyakuju Sentai,
Mog had finally brought their current small team together.
Including him, it was a team of twelve.
Once everything had been made clear, everyone threw themselves into the performances with even greater enthusiasm and spirit.
Well, after forming a team, they had become companions working together.
And after gaining a sense of belonging to the group, the encouragement it brought made every one of them brimming with fighting spirit.
Their performances were in excellent condition, and Chrollo's inspiration flowed freely. The plots and lines he wrote became more exciting with every episode.
Once filming was complete, they would bring it to the Church's regular gathering day for everyone to watch together.
By then, the name Hyakuju Sentai had thoroughly spread throughout Meteor City.
Even the adults in Meteor City knew that a group of children, with Father Zhol's help at the Church, had filmed something that belonged to the people of Meteor City.
As for the children, they had long since firmly remembered all five members of Hyakuju Sentai.
And every time a screening ended, when Chrollo brought everyone out to meet the audience, take a bow, and ask for feedback,
they would receive thunderous cheers and encouragement from all the children present.
That sense of accomplishment was incomparable.
Everyone involved felt honored by it.
Except Feitan~~~
"I should've been the protagonist too. I should've been the protagonist too..."
Inside the abandoned warehouse, Feitan followed behind Phinks with immense resentment, repeating himself over and over.
Phinks could only pretend not to notice, sweating profusely.
Well, as Hyakuju Sentai grew more popular, Feitan's resentment grew heavier and heavier.
If he started learning Nen abilities now, he might seamlessly switch over to Resentment abilities~~~
"We're really getting more and more popular now!!"
Uvogin waved his arms, utterly high-spirited.
Though every time, he merely wore a different costume to play a Monster Human,
he himself thoroughly enjoyed playing such villains.
And quite a few children in Meteor City liked the monsters' outfits too.
Uvogin was immersed in it.
Of course, some smaller, more feminine Monster Humans, like Thorn Monster Human and Cat Monster Human, were played by Machi, who had been dying to play a villain.
"And Mog said that if Shocker keeps sending Monster Humans out to be defeated by Hyakuju Sentai, repeating the same pattern over and over, the audience will soon get tired of it."
"So we need different kinds of villains to increase the plot's twists and appeal~~~"
Chrollo spoke as he wrote, the tip of his pen scratching softly across the paper.
"For example, Feitan and Phinks can play evil villains who obey higher-ranking officers, and the high-ranking officers can be divided into early, middle, and late stages."
"The first high-ranking officer is reckless and impulsive, the second is sinister and cunning, and the third is skilled at manipulating people's hearts..."
"Based on their different personalities, they can send out different kinds of Monster Humans. The reckless one sends hyenas, the sinister one sends vultures, and the one who manipulates hearts sends foxes..."
"That way, they can devise different traps targeting Hyakuju Sentai, which Hyakuju Sentai overcomes one by one, growing stronger while defeating their enemies..."
"Then, in the final episode, the leader of Shocker can appear and display overwhelming strength... That'll do it!!"
Chrollo was very satisfied with the outline he had organized.
This also established the tone for the entire work.
With Hyakuju Sentai being so popular, Chrollo and the others naturally wanted to make this production the best it could be!!
"The story is getting more and more exciting..."
After everyone had read through it, none of them had any objections.
Uvogin stroked his chin. "It's just that the amount and intensity of filming might increase quite a bit."
Nobunaga shot him a sidelong glance. "What? Are you scared? Think you can't keep up?"
"Idiot, what nonsense are you talking about? Of course filming won't be a problem. It's the other aspects..."
Their own voice recordings were fine, and Shira handled the narration, but there was still other work to do~~~
They couldn't keep having Mog act as their logistical support and do all that menial work, could they?
After confirming Mog's leadership and central position, everyone subconsciously felt
that he should no longer keep doing such trivial things.
Machi considered it. "If we calculate it that way, we might be short on manpower."
Franklin rubbed his head. "Then should our team recruit new members?"
Shalnark snapped his fingers. "If a team recruits new members, they'd be called troupe members, right?"
Phinks leaned over with interest. "Oh? That works, but what kind of troupe would we be?!"
Feitan added gloomily, "A theater troupe, obviously."
Pakunoda chuckled softly. "I don't think we're like a theater troupe. We're more like traveling performers~"
Shira nodded as well, anticipation on his face. "Mog said he wanted to take us out into the world..."
"Then let's call ourselves the Troupe!!"
Sarasa excitedly summed it up.
"The Troupe?"
At that moment, Chrollo set down his pen and curiously looked up.
"But a troupe should have at least a thousand people. The meaning of 'troupe' should be..."
"Don't worry about those details!!"
Uvogin waved a hand carelessly. "Each of us counts for a hundred people."
Before you continue