Chapter 37: Concert

Aeron sat in the lounge area of the Pokémon Centre, and in his lap was a yellow fox, peacefully sleeping. Every Abra slept for the most part of their first evolutions, gathering Psychic Energy while they did so.

He wanted to see if he could contribute to it and thus started feeding the Abra his own Psychic Energy until he had to replenish it back.

"...ra..."

"You like it?" He asked the yellow fox that nodded its head. Unlike the Psychic Energy it gathered independently, the one Aeron provided was so much better.

Abra knew Aeron had run out of Psychic Energy and nuzzled its yellow head into his chest, going back to sleep.

A smile formed on his face as he looked at the baby Pokémon. Suddenly, a slit formed in his eyes, and they changed colour before immediately inverting back to their normal self.

There was something he had noticed within each and every Pokémon. He called it Hollowness.

In every Pokemon, he could see a vast hollowness which would decrease as the Pokémon grew and became stronger. Axew and Larvesta had a lot of it, while Growlithe's was not too much compared to them both. On the other hand, the Hollowness in Abra seemed to be shrinking, albeit very slowly, as the yellow fox gathered more Psychic Energy in its body.

'Can I make a rough guess that the Pokémon is getting closer to an evolution as the Hollowness decreases?' His mind raced at supersonic speed as infinite possibilities appeared while many were discarded. 'If it dictates when a Pokémon can evolve, I might be able to use it in different ways. But I cannot be rash and need more information.'

He started making notes on his Pokedex until he heard a small commotion within the Pokémon Centre. He raised his head to see what was happening, only to be left speechless. Walking from the other side were two drop-dead gorgeous girls.

One with darker skin wore a white dress with matching white heels. Her long, dark blue hair were untied as it swayed with her narrow waist. A girl with orange hair tied in a small pony was by her side. She wore skin-tight, dark blue pants with a sleeveless white top. A dark blue coat matching her pants was placed on her shoulders.

Every head turned to look at the two beauties as they walked through the Pokémon Centre, looking for someone. Their eyes soon landed on Aeron, who looked at them with not-so-calm eyes.

"Did we keep you waiting for too long?" Nessa asked as they approached him; the two girls puffed their chests in happiness as they noted his expression.

"Nothing too much." Aeron shook his head, and the surprise in his eyes was now gone. He looked at the girls with clear eyes. "I am hungry; let's eat first, and then we will go to the concert."

"I know a restaurant." Misty, who had been to Greenwich Town previously with her family, led them through the town. "It's not well known, but the food is delicious."

Once the destination was decided, the trio walked out of the Pokémon Centre toward the restaurant. However, as they walked through the town, they could feel many eyes linger on them.

"I think I am wearing too many clothes." Misty was still uncomfortable since she was not used to wearing tight clothes.

"You both just look pretty." Aeron shrugged as he looked at the boys sending him death glares. "Maybe it wasn't the best idea to travel with you guys."

"You should feel lucky instead," Nessa remarked from the side with a snicker. "And I will take the compliment,"

"I still think I am wearing too many clothes," Misty added once again.

Knowing the girl was not feeling confident, Aeron grabbed her hand, looked her in the eye and gave her a head pat. "You look beautiful. Trust me."

Misty immediately blushed under his gaze before turning away. "If you say so." She said in the lowest voice possible.

"Now let's go since I am hungry and we are kinda late." A smile bloomed on Nessa's face as she saw her friend regain her confidence.

"Late? And who's fault is that?"

"Misty's!"

"Not fair! You took your sweet time to change as well!"

"You took the longest."

"No, you!"

The girls argued as they walked through the busy streets of Greenwich Town, their banter attracting a lot of attraction along with their looks. And Aeron, who was once again stuck between them, could only sigh and keep walking.

'Women.'

-0-

[Ladies and Gentlemen! My name is Victor, and I am your host for the night]

At least a thousand people had gathered within the large Gym for the show and the battle afterwards. A man wearing a fine suit appeared at the centre of the battlefield, hyping up the crowd.

[ARE EXCITED!]

"YES."

[ARE YOU READY!].

"YES."

[Then please welcome, the one and only JASON RAIGE]

The lights went dark as the crowd waited in anticipation. Suddenly, a single spotlight lit up where Victor was supposed to be. However, the host had disappeared. In his place stood another man about six feet tall with white hair. He wore white pants with a purple shirt, leaving the upper two buttons undone.

His handsome face made the girls jump out of their seats as soon as he appeared.

The crowd went haywire as soon as he appeared.

Jason raised the mic and started singing without waiting for the crowd to stop cheering.

[A/N: Guess which song this is]

~

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm unbeatable!

Walking down this endless highway

Nothin but my friends beside me

We never give in, and we never rest

The Pokemon Battle is the ultimate test

From the earth and land and sea and sky

They never win, but they sure can try

-

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm undefeatable

Pokemon, Advanced Battle!

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm undefeatable.

-

Through the Stars and the ancient past

They come to play, but they never last

There's a feeling deep inside me

And It's always there to guide me

It's in my heart and my soul

Leading me to my ultimate goal

You can find yourself. This might be fun

You're down to defeat before it begun

-

Oh, oh oh, oh, oh oh, I'm unbeatable

Pokemon, Advanced battle!

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm undefeatable.

-

Every move, each attack you choose

You think you win, but you will always lose

OH, OH, OH! Advanced Battle

I'm unbeatable

POKEMON!

~

"POKEMON."

The crowd ended the song they were singing along with Jason and cheered for the next. The Gym Leader did not keep them waiting as he sang one song after another, giving a marvellous performance.

The whole Gym was packed with people; some were outside watching through big screens throughout the town. People and Pokémon sang every song together, enjoying the concert until it ended, but not before the final performance.

"Like every other time, it was a great show. Thank you for coming!" Jason bowed to the crowd after his energetic performance. "Now, it is time for something special, something different!"

"Are you ready?"

"YES!"

"Then please welcome, AERON DUSKBORN!"

The crowd cheered and clapped as they welcomed the entry of a boy dressed in all black. Girls were delighted when he walked in; he might not be active on Pokegram, but he had gained many fan girls after appearing on the camera for the first time.

"Hello," Aeron spoke into the microphone while waving at the crowd.

"~Kyaaa! I Love you, Aeron!"

"Look at me!"

"Man of culture!"

"Please look at me; you are my Prince charming!"

Aeron felt embarrassed at the words the girls threw at him, and some were just cringe, but he did not show it on his face. But the thing that confused him the most was something else. 'Man of culture?' Most boys were calling him that as they cheered for him. 'I should look at Pokenet and Pokegram after this.'

He gulped as he understood what was happening and was afraid of being turned into a...meme.

"You have gained a lot of fans," Jason spoke as he saw the crowd cheer for Aeron. "You make me jealous."

"They are here for you." Aeron gave a polite reply before Jason addressed the crowd.

"Last time I held a concert in my gym, Princess Cynthia Shirona performed a very famous and beautiful musical piece for us." The crowd still remembered the performance of Princess Shirona and her Garchomp. "[Suffer], created by the ancestors of the Shirona Clan, Volo Shirona, is a beautiful piece of art that has now become a theme song that scares Princess Cynthia's opponents, even after their defeats."

The crowd chuckled at his words but did not refute them. Everyone knew about [Suffer], a musical piece played by Cynthia's fans every time she enters a battle. There were rumours that the song would automatically start playing whenever you meet or fight Cynthia.

"So, Aeron, what would you perform for us?" Jason looked at the young trainer with a sly smile.

The moment Aeron was afraid of had arrived. He was nervous about fighting Jason, but more so because he would have to perform something before the crowd. Jason set a rule that the challenger had to perform something whenever he held a concert in his gym.

He raised the microphone with a soft smile that made the girls go into another round of cheer. "I am not as talented as Princes Shirona, so you must help me." He looked at the crowd before him, who was getting hyped. "A song I once sang as a kid has become dear to my heart. And I believe it is to most of the trainers worldwide."

"HE IS A MAN OF CULTURE!"

Aeron smiled wryly when people immediately recognized the song he was talking about without many clues. And the crazy name they were calling him.

"A song released by Gym Leader Jason Raige, a song that has made me look forward to being a trainer." He looked at the man standing by his side before nodding in thanks. He took a deep breath as he spoke into the microphone. "Will you sing it with me?"

"YES!"

Even if he did not ask, the crowd would have sung along; the song was just that iconic.

He looked at the person controlling the music and nodded to him to play the song. A song he was going to lip-sync to. And as soon as the song began, the crowd went haywire as the song itself was drowned by it, and all that was left was a song sung by the crowd at their loudest.

And even though Aeron wanted to lip-sync, he found himself singing the song along with them while Jason watched everyone with a heartfelt gaze. He was moved at the love...moved that people had never forgotten the first song he had created.

-0-

I want to be the very best

Like no one ever was

-

To catch them is my real test

To train them is my cause!

-

I will travel across the land

Searching far and wide

Each Pokemon to understand

The power that's inside

-

Pokemon!

Gotta catch 'em all

It's you and me

I know it's my destiny

-

Pokemon!

Oh, you're my best friend.

In a world, we must defend

-

Pokemon!

Gotta catch 'em all

A heart so true

Our courage will pull us through

You teach me, and I'll teach you

-

Pokemon!

Gotta catch 'em all

Gotta catch 'em all

Gotta catch 'em all

-0-

"POKEMON!!!!!"

"WOOOOOO!!!"

The crowd roared as the song ended, a song that reminded many of their childhood. A song that was still close to their hearts and will be till the very last day of their lives. Many new young children would listen to it, keep it alive, and sing it as they went on their journey.

As the cheers of the crowd died down, Jason was the first to speak.

"Thank you." He said to Aeron and the crowd in an emotional voice. It was a song he wrote as a struggling trainer, and now it was something every trainer could relate to.

The crowd gave a massive round of claps before they stopped in appreciation of Jason Raige before they got excited by the following words of Victor, the commentator.

[It's time for the Pokémon Battle!] His words heated the hyped crowd, and he kept at it while Jason and Aeron talked to each other.

"You did great." Jason patted Aeron on the back.

"Thank you, but you were better."

The Gym Leader smiled at Aeron's humble words. "I will see you in five minutes."

Under the cheers and watchful gaze of the crowd, Jason left. They knew what was coming, and everyone got excited.

It was time for the Gym battle.