"Yeah, I think that'd be good," Rocky said. "I like the Sub-Vocal part anyway, and Bryce definitely fits as the Main Vocalist."
"Works for me," Prince added. "I'll take Sub-Rapper. You guys can decide on the Main Rapper."
"Then… is it alright if I take the Main Rapper role?" CJ asked. "That's the part I liked the most."
"No problem."
"Great!" CJ clapped his hands. "Guess that settles it. Now, should we start learning the song and maybe add some choreography?"
"Hold on," Bryce interjected. "Let's talk about how we're going to perform this first."
He continued, "We can't just give the best parts to one or two people—it wouldn't be fair to the rest of the team. Plus, the song has to sound great as a whole. If it doesn't, there's a real chance the judges might eliminate all of us. You all watched last year's season, right?"
The others nodded in agreement.
"So, what do you suggest?" CJ asked.
Bryce picked up the paper with the lyrics and traced his finger over the chorus.
"First, we need to fix the biggest issue with this song. It's not bad—actually, it has a lot of strong points. The problem is that the chorus isn't catchy enough. The music is solid, but the lyrics don't quite fit."
A song that becomes popular always has one thing in common—a catchy, irresistible chorus. It didn't matter what genre it was or how it was sung; if the chorus stuck in people's heads, it had a chance.
"That's true," Rocky agreed. "So we need to rewrite the lyrics instead of using the original ones. Even if our version isn't perfect, it just needs to sound good and be catchy. The judges will be impressed since it'll look like we put a lot of thought into it."
"Exactly."
CJ nodded, and even Prince seemed intrigued by the idea.
"You sang and wrote an original song in the earlier rounds, right?" Bryce asked, turning to Prince. "Can you handle the rewriting of the lyrics."
Prince gave a small nod. "Yeah, I can do that."
"Are you sure you're okay with it?"
"Yeah, no problem."
Bryce glanced at the others, who all seemed on board. With that, their discussion wrapped up, and they quickly moved to the practice room.
Unfortunately, with only a week to prepare, time was against them.
As they walked to the practice room, Prince's phone suddenly buzzed with a notification. He glanced at the screen and saw a message from Nick.
Nick: Yo, Prince, how are you doing?
Prince quickly typed a response.
Prince: I'm good. Why'd you message? Something wrong?
Nick: Nah, just wanted to let you know. I quit my job at Metersbar. I'm heading back to Zootopia.
Prince: Then I'll visit you sometime. I'm actually in Zootopia too, the show's being held here.
Nick: What a coincidence. I'll be waiting. Good luck with the competition. Goodbye.
Prince: Yeah, goodbye.
Just as Prince sent the message, CJ nudged him.
"Hey, man, we should go."
"Ah, right. Coming." Prince pocketed his phone and hurried after the others.
---
Zootopia Police Department
A police car pulled up near the department, and three figures stepped out.
Judy glanced at Papillon. "Uh… so that's all we had to do? Just escort them and head back?"
"Yeah," Papillon replied. "We're just here to escort them."
Dobie checked his watch. "Let's go. We still need to report to Chief Bogo."
The three officers made their way to Bogo's office and quickly delivered their report. After hearing them out, Bogo dismissed Dobie and Papillon.
Judy, however, was asked to stay.
"Officer Hopps," Bogo said, looking at her sternly. "I have an assignment for you."
Judy straightened up.
"Parking duty."
Judy blinked. "W-Wait what!! Sir, I'm not just some token bunny—"
"Then writing one hundred tickets a day should be easy. Dismissed."
Judy left the office, her foot tapping against the floor in frustration.
"A hundred tickets? No way."
She smirked.
"I'm gonna write two hundred before noon!"
_________
At the same time the teams' songs were being announced to the contestants, the second episode of Rising Star was broadcasted.
The first episode had introduced many contestants, some of whom advanced while others were eliminated. Its reception was consistent with the first three seasons—strong but expected.
That changed with the second episode.
Paw Gossips, a well-known entertainment site that had covered the first episode, released an in-depth article analyzing why the second episode had drawn significantly more attention than the first.
____
[ Rising Star's Second Episode Surges in Ratings—Here's Why ]
Furry Network TV's reality show Rising Star is on track for another high-rated season, with its premiere drawing strong viewership numbers similar to past seasons.
Talented contestants, compelling backstories, and top-tier entertainment—Rising Star has everything that modern reality shows lack. Its grounded, character-driven approach has already made it a fan favorite.
However, the second episode's ratings skyrocketed, surpassing the first by a wide margin.
The primary reason? The introduction of the new theme for the second round: a blind audition. This unexpected twist added an intriguing element that instantly grabbed viewers' attention.
With popular contestants like Bryce, Nala, Prince, and more needing to impress the judges under these new conditions, anticipation skyrocketed. The fresh format made the show even more engaging, leaving fans eager for the third episode.
The buzz didn't stop there. Fans flocked to TweetTalk to discuss their favorite contestants and speculate on the upcoming episode. This surge of online discussion led to Rising Star trending on the platform, even surpassing the most critical news of the day—a controversial debate about the missing mammals in Zootopia…