After a few more matches, the dust began to settle. Now, only eight of us remained including myself and seven others. We stood side by side, each of us marked by the tension of battle and the weight of anticipation.
My eyes moved across the remaining trainers. Some were shifting on their feet, others held their Pokéballs tightly, knuckles pale. The crowd behind us was still electric, their cheers rolling like waves, but the energy had shifted.
Then, the speakers crackled to life once again.
This time, the voice didn't belong to the old announcer.
A new figure took center stage the lead singer, and the new Gym Leader of the city. He was impossible to miss, throwing back his white, spiky hair with a grin that gleamed under the lights. He strode across the stage like it belonged to him.
"WELCOME TO ANOTHER CHALLENGE, EVERYBODY!!" he roared, arms flung wide as the crowd erupted. "I AM YOUR LEAD SINGER—WILD!"
He bathed in the applause like it was sunlight, spinning the microphone in his hand with practiced ease, his red-and-white coat billowing behind him. The entire arena felt like it had jumped an octave.
Beside me, Khan leaned closer and whispered under his breath, "He doesn't look traumatized to me…"
I kept my eyes on Wild, but leaned in to answer. "We'll see that and if he isn't thats a good thing since we won't have to do anything."
Khan grunted quietly, unconvinced.
"TODAY, ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE GONNA FINISH THIS CHALLENGE FAST—" Wild shouted, pausing as the crowd chanted along with him. "—BEFORE WE KICK OFF THE CONCERT OF A LIFETIME!"
A loud cheer followed, rising like a wave.
Wild spun on his heel and pointed the microphone at one of the trainers standing beside us. A bald, broad shouldered man walked forward and handed Wild a red electric guitar, slung with wires and stickers.
The chosen trainer,a boy with a long ponytail and a stunned expression blinked in surprise as the spotlight moved to him.
"Now, trainer—take out your Pokémon!" Wild said, leaning in and handing the microphone off.
The boy hesitated, swallowing hard before gripping the mic with both hands. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokéball. With a flick of his wrist, he released his partner.
A Nidorina appeared in a burst of white light, crouching low and alert. Her sleek blue and white scales shimmered faintly under the stage lights, her red eyes locked forward with quiet confidence.
"NOW TRAINER—GET READY!!" Wild yelled again, lifting his fist to the sky.
The ground beneath the Nidorina rumbled. We all instinctively looked down.
The battle platform was rising.
Metal groaned and whirred as the stage expanded outward in every direction, doubling in size before lowering back down to its new height with a final hydraulic hiss. The sheer suddenness of the movement sent a jolt through the line of trainers.
It wasn't just the scale of the platform. It was the atmosphere. louder, brighter, and heavier than ever. Even the wind off the ocean seemed to hold its breath.
"Now let me explain what you have to do!" Wild announced, planting his hands on his hips with a confident grin that practically radiated energy. The crowd leaned in, buzzing with anticipation.
But before he could continue, the familiar figure of the old bald man in the yellow suit stepped forward, his long gray mustache fluttering slightly in the sea breeze.
"Mr. Wild, please—allow me to explain!" he interrupted, raising a hand.
I squinted, tilting my head as I studied him more closely. The voice… the face… It hit me like a flash of lightning.
"Wait a second... Is that Will?" I muttered aloud, blinking in disbelief.
The old man spun toward me immediately, pointing a finger with theatrical outrage. "Hey, kid! How the hell do you know my name?!"
I let out an annoyed groan, planting my palm against my face as I spoke. "I met your brothers. One at Cerulean. Another at Pewter City."
Will flinched at that, his eyes narrowing before he quickly turned his back to me.
"I still don't get it," I mumbled, more to myself than anyone else. "Are they using a clone machine or something? What the fuck is going on..."
Sammy's hand came down gently on my shoulder. "Sometimes it's better not to think about these things, Raltsy Boy," he said with a dry smile.
Meanwhile, Will cleared his throat and began to explain the next stage of the Gym challenge to the boy on the platform.
"In this part of the Gym, your Pokémon must move in rhythm with the Gym Lea—"
A sharp, exaggerated cough from Wild interrupted him again.
Will gave him a long-suffering glance, sighed, and corrected himself. "With our Lead Singer's notes."
Wild grinned and slung his guitar higher on his shoulder, then struck a vibrant chord. The sound echoed through the arena, and as it rang out, several tiles on the stage lit up bright yellow.
Will gestured toward the glowing squares. "Your Pokémon needs to step on the correct tile before our Lead Singer hits the next note. Time it wrong, and the whole performance and your score will fall apart."
The boy on the stage gave a nod of understanding, returning his Nidorina to its Pokéball with a flick of his wrist. He then pulled out another ball and released a Haunter in a swirl of purple light.
The ghost type hovered in midair, its eerie, grinning face illuminated by the golden glow of the stage. The spectral haze around its body shimmered like smoke caught in the spotlight.
Wild rested his fingers gently on the strings of his guitar, the crowd holding their breath as he prepared to begin. With a smooth motion, he struck a sequence of notes—sharp, rhythmic, and fast. The first few chords echoed through the arena like a challenge.
The boy didn't hesitate. He swung his arm forward. "Haunter, go!" he shouted.
The ghost type Pokémon floated out onto the stage, its gaseous body gleaming under the spotlight. Its jagged grin was unwavering as it immediately responded to the call, pressing the first glowing yellow square with a swift swoop.
Wild played another note. Another tile lit up.
Then another.
And another.
And another…
Not even a second passed between Haunter landing on a square and the next one blinking to life. Wild's hands danced across the strings with increasing tempo, throwing out complex patterns that forced Haunter to react faster and faster. The stage lit up like a storm of gold and motion.
The boy gritted his teeth, his arms moving in subtle gestures, guiding his Pokémon through the chaos.
After nearly a full minute, Wild finally slowed, lifting his hand dramatically from the strings. The chords faded, and the lights dimmed. Both Haunter and its trainer stood at the center of the stage, gasping for breath.
The crowd exploded into cheers, chanting the name "Haunter!" over and over as they clapped and stomped in rhythm. Haunter lifted its arms, spinning slowly in midair, basking in the praise. The boy raised both fists into the air, his earlier tension washed away by the roar of approval.
I leaned toward Khan, still absorbing what I'd just seen. "Looks like you'll need a really fast Pokémon. What's your plan?"
Khan leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms casually. "I mean, if a Haunter can pull that off, my Electabuzz could do it ten times faster." He shot us a grin. "What about you two? Got anything that can keep up?"
Without a word, Sammy and I both pulled out our Pokéballs and held them up.
Aria and Vex emerged in a shimmer of red light two Pokémon who both knew Teleport.
I shrugged. "Doesn't matter how fast the floor lights up if you're already standing on it."
Khan's smug expression twitched. He bit his lip and muttered, "I want a Adapted Pokémon too."
Before the conversation could go further, Wild spun on his heel and pointed his microphone straight at us. "Next up—Trainer number one!"
Sammy stood instantly, a spark in his eyes as he leapt down from his seat, no hesitation in his stride.
After stepping onto the stage, Sammy wasted no time. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed his Pokéball forward. In a flash of red light, Vex appeared. His Kadabra standing tall with its sleek, yellow and black form and a cold purple in its eyes.
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
They weren't whispering about Sammy. They were whispering about Vex its sharp features, its strang look., the horns in its head glinting like polished silver beneath the stage lights.
Wild raised his hand skyward and grinned. "You ready, boy?"
Sammy took his stance, crouching slightly with focused eyes. "Get ready, Vex!"
With a dramatic strum, Wild struck his first note. A slow, clear tone rang out—then another, and another, gaining speed like a rolling wave across a still ocean.
"Vex, Teleport!" Sammy shouted.
Vex didn't waste a second. Its eyes glowed, and with a burst of yellow light, it vanished—reappearing over a glowing yellow square, just as the light blinked on. Then another. And another. The sequence grew faster, but Vex remained calm, teleporting smoothly across the stage, slipping between squares with unnatural precision, as though it could predict the notes before they were even played.
The crowd gasped in awe, a few rising to their feet as the music reached a crescendo. With one last flourish, Wild struck a final chord and lifted his hand from the strings.
Vex landed on the last square in perfect sync, and the stage fell silent for a beat—before exploding with cheers. Sammy and Vex gave a small bow, fists clenched at his sides, before returning to the sidelines.
After a few more turns, it was Khan's time to shine. He stepped onto the platform with his usual confidence, releasing his Electabuzz in a streak of lightning. The crowd roared with excitement as the Pokémon flexed its arms and cracked its knuckles, sparks dancing across its fur.
The challenge began, and Electabuzz leapt into motion.
Its reflexes were lightning-fast, darting across the stage with raw power and precision. Each square it landed on lit up a split-second before Wild could strike the next note, but Electabuzz was already there. Not once did it miss a beat. After a full minute of electric movement, it landed with a final stomp and the arena roared once again.
But then the mood shifted.
Trainer after trainer stepped up, and one by one, they failed.
Some were too slow. Some couldn't keep up with the rhythm. Others panicked, or their Pokémon froze under pressure. The crowd grew restless, murmuring with tension as the number of challengers increased.
Then the old man Will stepped forward and pointed toward me.
"Trainer number five," he called, voice firm. "It's your turn."
I stood, letting the cold air wash over me as I made my way toward the stage. My heartbeat was calm not because I wasn't nervous, but because something else was growing inside me. A question. One I couldn't shake ever since ı talked with Surge.
Wild looked down at me from his platform, resting his hand on the guitar's neck. "You ready, kid?" he asked, raising his head toward the sky, ready to strike the strings.
I raised my hand slightly, the other one already on Aria's Pokéball. "Before we start, can I ask a question?"
He rised an eyebrow. "What is it, kiddo?"
I met his gaze, eyes steady. "Why don't you just leave the Gym if you don't love being a Gym Leader? Nobody can do anything to you if you just leave."
The moment froze.
The smile on Wild's face faltered, his fingers tightening on the guitar. A vein twitched at his temple. For just a second, silence pressed down over everything.
Then, the smile returned and a forced one taked its place.
"Hey kid," he said, voice just a touch sharper, "you can use two of your Pokémon for this one!"
I felt the tension in the air like a wire pulled taut. I unclipped Oddy's Pokéball from my belt as well, my fingers brushing against the cold surface.
"And one more thing," Wild added, his voice echoing across the stage. "Don't stick your nose in other people's business."
Without answering, I tossed both Pokéballs into the air.
"Let's go, Aria! Go, Oddy!"
Twin flashes of red lit the stage. Aria floated little above the ground gracefully, her eyes already locked on the squares. Oddy's vines twitched with anticipation as his feet landed on the platform.
(I recommended listening to within from RJpasin for this part)
Wild didn't wait. With a slam of his hand across the strings, the challenge began.
At first, only a few squares lit up before many more joined them.
"Aria, use Double Team then Teleport! Oddy go!"
Aria blurred into a dozen clones, each one shimmering as they darted across the stage, teleporting from square to square. Oddy's vines unfurled, extending with practiced ease as he pressed his tendrils down on the glowing tiles. The lights pulsed faster.
Wild grinned with a kind of furious glee and struck another chord this time a rapid-fire sequence that turned the stage into a strobe of gold.
Still, we tried our best to keep up.
Aria and her clones flickered like ghosts, weaving between one another. Each teleport landed true. Oddy's vines moved in a whirlwind of motion, snapping across the stage with a sound like cracking whips.
The crowd was on their feet now, shouting, clapping, some even singing Wild's notes back at him as he shredded his guitar in a frenzy. The lights became erratic—one in the far corner, another just behind me, another in middle.
Oddy launched himself on his vines like springs, landing with a solid thunk.
Aria teleported to a vertical beam that lit for only a second before blinking off.
Then finally Wild's hands froze.
The music slowly faded.
Aria and Oddy stood side by side on the final glowing square, both breathing heavily, sweat glistening on Oddy's leaves, Aria's eyes glowing with pride.
The stadium roared with all its might.
Cheers echoed like a thunderclap. I lowered my hand and looked toward Wild, who stared at me with an unreadable expression.
And it was definitly not joy.
I locked eyes with Wild and held it for a long moment. His smile hadn't faltered, but something behind his eyes flickered like a flame caught in a sudden gust of wind.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Wild," I said, my voice calm, steady. "But ever since I talked with Mr. Surge… it kind of became my business too."
His expression didn't change, but the silence that followed said more than any reply.
I turned. The cold air brushed against my face as I walked back toward the edge of the stage, where Sammy and Khan were waiting.
I sat down beside them, my heart still thudding in my chest