The next afternoon, Aiden appeared on time at the Nimbasa City Musical Theater.
After all, he had already taken precious photos with his other Pokémon yesterday. It would be too pitiful if Indeedee was the only one left out.
So, out of a sense of fairness Aiden had already booked tickets online for this afternoon.
However, upon actually arriving, Aiden quickly discovered that his understanding of a "musical" seemed to be a bit mistaken.
What he had in mind was an elegant, quiet concert hall, with a group of musicians in suits performing on stage while the audience sat below and listened quietly.
In his past life, he had had the good fortune to attend one once. The evaluation he gave after appreciating the whole performance was:
Hmm, I slept very soundly. I'll come again next time I have insomnia.
It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the music; it was just that he didn't have an artistic bone in his body and couldn't appreciate such profound musical beauty.
But the musicals of the Pokémon world were clearly much more lively.
As soon as he walked in, Aiden saw the Pokémon on stage preparing for their performance.
A Rillaboom was beating its wooden drum, while an Emolga leaped back and forth between two Maractus, seemingly just playing.
It looked a lot like a rehearsal, but to rehearse in front of the audience before the show even started?
A little curious, Aiden found his seat and moved to a position closer to the stage.
Just then, a beautiful figure walked out from behind the curtain.
"Emolga, it's almost time to start!"
When he saw her face, Aiden immediately recognized her.
It was mainly those antenna-like headphone accessories; they were just too distinctive.
Elesa, the Nimbasa Gym Leader, also known as the "Shining Beauty"!
Aiden's gaze quickly attracted Elesa's attention. When she turned to look down below, she also froze.
"Teacher Azure?"
She almost blurted it out, simultaneously exposing the fact that Elesa seemed to be one of his followers too.
Aiden couldn't help but sigh in his heart:
How come wherever I go, there's a Gym Leader who's my fan!
I have to admit, it feels pretty great~
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Elesa."
Aiden politely waved and greeted her.
She also quickly broke into a smile, holding the Emolga that had flown down from the sky into her arms as she walked over.
"Hello, Teacher Azure."
"I did hear from Caitlin that you had come to Blueberry Academy to serve as a homeroom teacher."
"But I really didn't expect to run into you here in Nimbasa City."
"Are you participating in today's musical performance too, Miss Elesa?"
"No, the stars of today's performance are all Pokémon, so the one performing is this little one~"
Elesa held up the Emolga in her hands. It, as if to say hello, rubbed its electricity-generating pouches, quickly creating a few crackling sparks.
"And please, just call me Elesa."
After a light smile, Elesa quickly gave Aiden a small bow.
"I'm so sorry. If I could, I'd love to chat more with you, Teacher Azure, but the show is about to start, and I need to take Emolga backstage."
"Please enjoy their performance, Teacher Azure~"
Soon, Elesa led the Pokémon back behind the curtain, and Aiden returned to his seat.
"Indee~"
Sitting beside him, Indeedee looked very excited.
It seemed she was very much looking forward to today's performance.
In fact, the title "Trainer" encompassed many different professions; it wasn't just limited to trainers who commanded Pokémon in battles.
Coordinators, Breeders, and even Musicians, as long as they performed on the same stage as Pokémon, could also be considered "Trainers" in a certain sense.
This, in turn, had given rise to many special professions where humans and Pokémon worked closely together.
For example, in this musical, a human conductor would stand at the front, directing the Pokémon as they played their respective instruments, combined with an interesting performance for the audience.
The opening piece, "Passionate Nimbasa City," featured that same Rillaboom on the wooden drum. From the powerful and resonant music—
One could indeed feel the passion.
If only it hadn't suddenly performed a Grassy Glide, Aiden would have thought it was quite good.
He couldn't really appreciate the next few songs, but the dancing Pokémon were all very cute, so he, like the other audience members, watched with great interest.
The little Indeedee, on the other hand, seemed very interested in the format of the musical. She stared intently at the stage, even humming along from time to time.
As long as she didn't deliberately add psychic powers that made people drowsy to her voice, Indeedee's singing was usually very pleasant.
So Aiden also felt that bringing Indeedee to the musical was indeed the right choice.
However, he soon started to feel that something was a bit off.
Because Indeedee's attention seemed to gradually shift from the stage, instead looking towards an inconspicuous corner on the other side.
Was she already tired of it?
Aiden looked in the direction of her gaze but found nothing unusual, so he thought to himself.
But from her focused eyes, it didn't seem quite right either.
"Is there something over there?"
Aiden asked in a low voice.
"Indeedee—?"
The Indeedee blinked, her tone tinged with a bit of doubt, before she quickly shook her head and turned her gaze back to the stage.
Just as Aiden was feeling confused, Reshiram's telepathic voice soon arrived.
[Your partner is very perceptive.]
[There is indeed a Pokémon over there that has hidden its form.]
Aiden:?
He took a few more looks but still couldn't see anything.
Was it a Ghost Pokémon trying to play a prank?
Should he send Marshadow to take a look—
[That Pokémon isn't a bad child. It just simply likes music. There's no need to worry.]
[However, it seems to have noticed your gaze and is now approaching you.]
Hearing Reshiram's thoughts again, Aiden immediately solved the case. Good grief, it was Meloetta!
Speaking of which, what's with all the Legendary Pokémon in Unova being loiterers? I've only been here for three days and I've already run into several of them.
Aiden's expression suddenly became complicated.
Because it seemed—the random complaint he had just made was actually true.
There wasn't much to say about the Tao Dragons. The White Dragon had even come to find him specifically, acknowledging him as the Hero of Truth.
Tornadus and Thundurus ran around all over Unova every day, so their big brother, Landorus, naturally had to be responsible for catching them and bringing them back to the Shrine.
Besides Meloetta, this "Mythical Pokémon," it seemed he had only yet to see Kyurem and the Swords of Justice.
And the Swords of Justice were even more significant; you could run into them several times during the main storyline of the games.
Except for Victini, who was forced to stay at home, they really did seem like a bunch of loiterers.
As Aiden was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a gust of wind blow past his face.
Unsurprisingly, it must have been Meloetta passing by.
Although he couldn't see her, his perception was still quite sharp.
Sure enough, a voice soon rang in his ear that could only be described as "magnificently beautiful."
Aiden had never heard such a wonderful song. Even though the sound was small, it still gave him a powerful, soul-striking impact.
This voice... it has so much feeling.
But, why do I feel a bit sleepy?
As he listened, Aiden suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him, and his eyelids began to feel heavy.
He instinctively reached into his pocket and took out a Berry, popping it into his mouth.
Sure enough, the drowsiness dissipated quite a bit.
As Aiden breathed a sigh of relief, he also found it a little amusing.
Since when does Meloetta play pranks too?
Where did you get such a mischievous heart!
"None of that. Just watch the show."
Following the direction of the voice, Aiden casually reached out and gently patted her on the head.
Although he couldn't see Meloetta, he wasn't deaf. The basic skill of locating something by its sound was something he still had.
"Melo?!"
Just from the sound, one could visualize Meloetta's surprised little expression.
Aiden had originally thought that this would make the other party behave a little, but to his surprise, he suddenly felt his shoulder sink.
It seemed like something had sat down on it.
Aiden was stunned for a moment, then smiled and held out his hand to her.
"Since you're already being so obvious, why not just reveal yourself completely?"
"Melo~"
Feeling his palm being lightly patted by another small hand, and the sound of silver-bell-like laughter by his ear, Aiden turned his head.
Sure enough, he saw a small, cute, doll-like, exquisite humanoid Pokémon.
Her light green hair was styled like a musical staff, fanning out to the left with faint blue spots visible on it. On the right side, she wore a black headpiece shaped like a treble clef.
Her palms and arms were like quarter notes, and her eyes were shaped like whole notes.
Noticing Aiden's gaze, Meloetta quickly smiled and, like a little lady, stood up lightly from his shoulder, floating in the air and curiously observing the human before her.
"Indeedee?!"
Her movements quickly attracted the attention of Indeedee, who let out a small gasp.
When did that happen?!
How did a Pokémon suddenly appear next to the Trainer?
However, after using her horns to sense that the other party had no ill will and was merely curious about her Trainer, Indeedee quickly relaxed again.
"She should also be here to listen to the musical. Maybe you two will have a lot to talk about~"
"Melo~"
As soon as Aiden finished speaking, Meloetta had already floated in front of the Indeedee, extending her small hand in a friendly gesture.
"Indee!"
The Indeedee nodded and extended her own hand as well.
A handshake, and they were friends!
The two little cuties chatted softly for a while and soon covered their mouths, giggling together.
Although Aiden couldn't understand what they were saying, he knew their relationship was rapidly growing closer.
Soon, Meloetta sat down on Indeedee's shoulder, and the two of them began to enjoy the Pokémon musical performance together.
To think that coming to Unova would also help Indeedee find such an amazing friend.
This unexpected delight made Aiden feel very happy.
Just by looking at Meloetta's appearance, one could tell she was the spirit of music, capable of singing melodies with delicate emotions through special vocal techniques, and even able to evoke emotional resonance from the surrounding audience.
It was said that the inspiration for many famous songs in the Pokémon world came from melodies Meloetta played unintentionally.
The Pokédex might be a bit exaggerated, but it was enough to prove Meloetta's level of skill in music.
If she let Indeedee learn from her, could she perhaps master all sorts of moves that convey emotion through voice?
Like strengthening the effect of Perish Song, or maybe just learning Ancient Power from her?
Aiden began to feel a faint sense of anticipation.
However—
The development of events soon exceeded his imagination.
"Indeedee~"
"Meloetta~"
The two Pokémon did indeed begin to communicate their feelings through music. They even started singing along with the music on stage, but Aiden suddenly felt an overwhelming, irresistible wave of drowsiness wash over him.
If he hadn't just eaten a Chesto Berry and gained some resistance to sleep, he might have already fallen under its spell.
Startled, he quickly stuffed two more into his mouth.
But the other audience members and Pokémon in the musical theater were clearly not so fortunate.
Soon, even the Pokémon on stage became drowsy. The Rillaboom could no longer hold its drumsticks and could only prop itself up on the ground.
This is bad!
Aiden reacted instantly, immediately covering the mouths of both Meloetta and Indeedee with his hands.
He had indeed hoped that these two little ones could have some resonance, and he had hoped that Indeedee could use this opportunity to strengthen her hypnotic effects.
But was this effect a little too good?
I thought it was that Jigglypuff who had attacked!
Great singing, but don't ever do it again!
"Melo?"
Meloetta seemed to understand Aiden's thoughts, so she soon began to hum a graceful, flowing melody again.
However, without accompaniment, this song was improvised by her.
The melodious tune quickly entered Aiden's ears, and then reached the other audience members and the Pokémon performing on stage.
Hearing the song, they quickly woke up, and everything returned to normal.
"Melo~"
Meloetta playfully gave Aiden a one-eyed wink, signaling that he needn't worry.
Clearly a repeat offender.
Aiden was speechless for a moment. He didn't expect Meloetta's personality to be so mischievous.
But, isn't this song a bit familiar?
Ancient Power?
No, he'd never heard that one before.
After thinking for a long while, Aiden finally realized.
Oh right, it's "Oración"!
The ballad passed down in Alamos Town, said to be able to soothe Legendary Pokémon!
To think that Meloetta even knew this. Could the Pokédex description be true?
Looking at the audience, who were once again immersed in the performance, Aiden couldn't help but think.
Oración is a song that can calm one's heart. It seems it only has an effect when sung by Meloetta—
.
Wait a second—
Did Meloetta's song just now cure the sleep status?
Does it work on other abnormal statuses too?
Aiden drew an inference from this case and quickly discovered what made this song so special.
It might not be very useful for other people.
But Aiden really needed this ability, because some of the moves of his little Indeedee sister and his Sylveon were... rather special.
If he could just sing a song to remove the opponent's debuff after winning, it would be like making a huge power play.
And what if it worked on the negative effects of Sylveon's Z-move?
Aiden had been a bit hesitant to let Sylveon use this move recently. Even Tapu Koko would be dragged into an inescapable illusion in its Electric Terrain, the effect was simply too good, forcing the target to sleep for at least an hour.
But if Meloetta or Indeedee could lift it—
He could use it with much more confidence in the future!
Aiden turned his head to look at Meloetta, who was singing with concentration, and suddenly felt she had become a lot cuter.
Coach, no, Meloetta!
I want to learn this!
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