"Wahaha, all the people in the world! Everything in this world will be covered in darkness by the great king of darkness…"
"It will be completely submerged in the filth of evil!"
Hiss!
Chrollo's passionate performance made the young audience gasp.
It was so terrifying that it made everyone feel uneasy, and many were scared.
"I really want to go on stage to do voice dubbing too…"
Shalnark, who was a little distance away from Uvogin, saw this and grinned, showing his chipped white teeth.
His bright eyes were full of admiration and desire for acting.
Shalnark is only eight years old now, the same age as Machi. It's perfectly normal for children to have such thoughts.
However, if it were the older members of the group, like Uvogin…
"Chrollo is really good at this…"
Phinks smacked his tongue, watching Chrollo's act with a bit of envy.
Which child doesn't want to stand on stage under the spotlight, shine, and win recognition and applause from others?!
At least, in Phinks's opinion, Chrollo's voice dubbing performance, which impressed the children, was quite impressive.
"It's just voice dubbing, what's so great about it?!"
Uvogin stubbornly insisted, as usual.
Even though he secretly thought Chrollo was amazing, he would never admit it.
"He's just opening his mouth…"
Nobunaga glanced at him, and Machi also gave him a look.
The meaning in their eyes might as well have spelled out idiot across their faces.
"What do you mean by that?!"
Uvogin wasn't stupid; he could understand the meaning in their eyes.
"Am I wrong?!"
Uvogin continued to shout angrily: "I said, Chrollo is just opening his mouth."
"If he actually had to perform, he would be terrible!"
"… Are you an idiot?!"
While Nobunaga and Machi were still somewhat polite, only expressing their opinion through their eyes, Franklin, however, bluntly criticized Uvogin: "This is a cartoon; it can only be performed through voice dubbing. How can it be a real performance?!"
He was the older member of the group who worked with Chrollo, and he disliked Uvogin's contempt for Chrollo.
"How is that impossible?!"
Uvogin, who was called an idiot, glared at Franklin.
"If Chrollo can't do it, don't say no one else can either!"
Even though Uvogin knew his words were nonsense, and that this was just a cartoon, and that Chrollo had already done a great job by showing them the animation and dubbing it himself.
But he couldn't afford to lose face, so he stubbornly continued arguing.
However, his stubborn and unreasonable arguments even made Phinks, who was standing next to him, feel annoyed.
He moved away with Feitan, giving Uvogin a disgusted look, as if saying: Stay away from me, you idiot!
He didn't want to be dragged into this and end up looking like an idiot himself.
"Oh?!"
Even Franklin, who was generally considered a good guy, was amused by Uvogin's stubbornness and unreasonable behavior.
"Tell me, who can actually do that?!"
"Perform an anime show with real people?!"
He sneered at Uvogin while silently preparing himself.
Well, based on Franklin's knowledge of Uvogin, if this guy couldn't win an argument, he would just get angry and resort to violence.
Franklin had dealt with him many times, so he was very familiar with Uvogin's tactics.
However…
"Don't think that just because Chrollo can't do it, everyone else is as useless as him!"
Uvogin stubbornly retorted: "Luke, you can do it, right?!"
Nobunaga and Machi exchanged speechless glances.
In the end, he would have to rely on Luke.
They had guessed this would happen when Uvogin made his arrogant statement.
Phinks' eyes twitched while muttering something under his breath, probably complaining about Uvogin.
This idiot was making all these threats, but then he was putting the pressure on someone else…
Feitan watched impassively, as if none of this concerned him.
"Luke? That guy's name is Luke?"
Shalnark looked at Luke more closely. He had noticed this unfamiliar face when the group sat down. He knew Uvogin, Nobunaga, Machi, Feitan, and Phinks.
They were all well-known kids from Meteor City.
However, he had never seen this young man named Luke before.
Moreover, judging by their demeanor, it seemed that this person named Luke was the central figure.
Furthermore, Feitan and Phinks were in one group, while Uvogin and Machi were in another.
Normally, these two groups weren't exactly enemies, but they certainly weren't friendly either.
However, under Luke's influence, these two groups were actually able to sit together peacefully.
That was truly remarkable!
What kind of person could bring these two groups together without any problems?
Shalnark was very curious.
And it wasn't just him; Franklin was also observing Luke.
As the oldest and most experienced among them, he didn't say anything after Uvogin spoke, but simply waited to see how Luke would react.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Luke glanced curiously at Uvogin.
He saw Uvogin frantically winking at him from a hidden angle.
In a discreet corner, his fingers were also moving rapidly, a silent signal meaning he would later beg Luke properly in private…
Seeing this, Luke chuckled and nodded lightly: "Of course."
"No matter how many times it gets polluted, it doesn't matter, we'll clean it every time!"
"Getting dirty is unavoidable, but we won't allow ourselves to stay dirty forever!"
"If it's hard to do with just one person's strength, then we'll work together!"
"As long as we unite our strength, we can clean anything!"
"Clean Power-Combination…"
"Clean Sweep!"
Finally, with the combined dubbing of Chrollo, Pakunoda, Sheila, and Sarasa, they successfully defeated the monster on screen, bringing the screening to a perfect conclusion.
It had to be said, Togashi really made this part of the story amusing.
Using the cartoon Clean-Up Rangers and the lines Chrollo wrote, a tone was created that was completely different from what the troupe would become later.
"No matter how many times it gets polluted, it doesn't matter, we'll clean it every time!"
"Getting dirty is unavoidable, but we won't allow ourselves to stay dirty forever!"
This is completely different from what the Phantom Troupe would do later.
Or perhaps, in Chrollo's eyes, what they would do later wasn't dirty.
Or maybe they were already living in a dirty world…
The only thing the Phantom Troupe truly practiced was: "As long as we unite our strength, we can clean anything!"
They indeed gathered many skilled people from Meteor City, becoming a renowned criminal organization.
But that's all for the future.
At least today, Chrollo and his team's performance was a great success.
With the enthusiastic cheers from the young audience, the screening came to an end.
"Great! It's finally over!"
"The screen went blank for a moment. I thought we were going to fail!"
"Everyone looks so happy, we did a really great job!"
"Thanks to Chrollo, too! I think Meteor City will change a lot after today, right?"
"No, no, without the three of you, I couldn't have done it."
The children of Meteor City left, still lingering with the Clean-Up Rangers pose.
And Chrollo and his friends began to celebrate and reflect on their success.
Especially as the organizer of this film screening event, Chrollo received unanimous praise from his companions.
Although he modestly waved his hand, claiming it was everyone's credit.
But anyone could see who the key person was behind this film screening event.
Even Father Lisores appeared again after the children had left, patting Chrollo's head with warm praise and encouragement.
"If you want to hold another film screening event in the future, just tell me."
Father Lisores gave his full support: "The church will always provide a suitable venue for you."
While choosing Luke, Father Lisores also didn't forget to support Chrollo.
As he said, you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket.
So, everything was perfect, and Chrollo and his group left the church in good spirits.
Of course, if it weren't for that group blocking their way, this happiness would have lasted even longer.
"Is that Uvogin?"
The gentle and weak-looking Sheila recognized the figure standing in front of them, arms crossed, as Uvogin.
And not only Uvogin, but also Nobunaga, Machi, Feitan, and Phinks…
This entire group had gathered there, as if they were waiting for them.
Seeing this, Chrollo's happy smile gradually faded.
He looked at Uvogin and was about to take a step forward.
"Chrollo, you don't have to go…"
Pakunoda murmured with some concern from behind.
"It's okay, we need to settle this."
Chrollo took a step forward: "After all, I did take the videotape from his territory without permission."
Seeing this, Sarasa smiled and was about to rush forward to approach Uvogin before Chrollo.
However, before she could even take two steps, Franklin grabbed her.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm going to dub a voice for Uvogin."
Sarasa's face was full of smiles: "No child would fail to admire Chrollo after watching his performance."
"I think even Uvogin would be no exception."
"Besides, Uvogin is a good person, just like Phinks."
Well, just as Sarasa said.
In the original scenario, it was she who stepped in when Chrollo and Uvogin were about to clash.
She went to Uvogin's side, turned around, and, facing Chrollo, shouted: "Chrollo, you're truly an amazing guy!"
"You've completely changed how I see you!"
After saying this with great emotion, Sarasa turned around, pointed at Uvogin, and smiled: "This was the voice I dubbed for you just now."
And so, with Sarasa as a mediator, Chrollo and Uvogin let their grievances go, clearing the air between them.
Uvogin spoke openly from the heart: "Let me play the monster role next time."
"Chrollo, what you did today... Hit me harder than any punch I have ever taken."
It was because Uvogin sincerely expressed his admiration, and with this example, others like Phinks, Feitan, and Nobunaga also followed suit and joined Chrollo's voice-acting team.
Thus, the prototype of Phantom Troupe was formed.
But right now…
"You should wait a little longer."