Chapter 345: Empathy Music (Mega Combined Chapter!)

Successfully hypnotizing the Scolipede, the Musician did not capture it.

Instead, he ended this impromptu concert, said goodbye to the wild Pokémon, and left with Jigglypuff.

Clearly he didn't have much interest in a Pokémon like Scolipede; Baimu figured he probably preferred Pokémon with a musical element…

Kricketune?

Were there traces of it appearing in Unova?

Baimu couldn't be sure.

Seeing the Musician pass through the Santalune Ranch quite smoothly, he couldn't help feeling a bit of regret—after all, in the games you could encounter Riolu at this farm.

Under the anime background, there most likely wasn't one, because the ranch had been contracted out by someone rather than being the wild grassland environment from the games.

Meanwhile.

The Musician smoothly arrived at Santalune City.

【You have arrived at Santalune City. The strong rural atmosphere has driven you to the liveliest tavern in town, where you discuss with the owner about going on stage to perform a piece.】

Baimu watched him stride boldly into a tavern, only to be pushed back out even faster.

【You were sternly refused by the owner on account of your age. Hearing the other party say minors are prohibited from entering, you feel a bit dejected. Your idol Homika has always been invited to perform everywhere, yet you can't even manage to play in a lively tavern.】

This owner… what a good person!

It really isn't appropriate to let minors come and go in a place like a tavern, even if their intention is purely to make music.

On the other side.

Unable to get into the tavern, the Musician didn't give up there. He simply played guitar near the tavern's front door, picked out a catchy tune, and sang while swaying as he went.

His lively appearance together with Jigglypuff quickly drew passersby to stop and watch.

It's just that Pokémon street musicians seemed to be a very common sight in the Unova region. Though passersby were indeed drawn in by the Musician and Jigglypuff's singing, they weren't particularly surprised, and quite a few who enjoyed it tossed coins into his guitar case.

【You see someone toss money into your guitar case and feel very happy. Although you don't actually lack this bit of money, you feel you've gained recognition, one step closer to realizing your dream.】

Baimu listened to the rather catchy song and watched smiley faces constantly popping up above the Musician's head. To be honest, he was a bit curious why the Musician had chosen this path.

Given a family background wealthy enough to buy so many instruments, he should presumably have come from some musical family and could easily have made his name in classical music.

Yet at the start he wasn't in some concert hall, performance venue, or even a practice room, but a small warehouse, gazing with admiration at the underground performance of rock musician Homika.

And from beginning to end, the Musician's parents never appeared.

Passed away?

Or perhaps… like the Chef, had a falling out with his family?

Baimu felt that if the Musician came from a classical music family but worshipped an underground rock singer—even if that singer was a Gym Leader—his parents probably wouldn't have been able to accept it.

Of course, all of this was still just his speculation for now and couldn't be taken as fact.

In the footage.

The Musician's performance at the tavern door quickly drew the owner's attention. Unfortunately, the latter hadn't come to invite him in, but to tell him to leave.

【You hear the owner ask you to leave, otherwise when Officer Jenny comes to inquire he won't have a good explanation. Considering you really might cause the other party trouble, you dejectedly shoulder your pack. But before leaving, you hear applause from passersby, which lifts your spirits again.】

Inside the simulator, the sky was nearly dusk.

Yet the Musician unexpectedly didn't stay the night in Santalune City, but came out into the wild to camp.

【You learn that many musicians' works are gradually inspired by feeling out nature, so you try to replicate this practice.】

In the jungle.

The Musician set up his tent and started a fire to deal with dinner with remarkable skill, which rather surprised Baimu.

This guy actually wasn't the type who waited for everything to be done for him.

"What a surprise…"

Such independence inevitably gave him a certain association.

After the simple dinner, the Musician habitually took out his guitar and began to play and sing. He'd clearly been playing and singing all day long, yet this guy still had the stamina—

【Sturdy Body】 talent lived up to its name; you couldn't pull this off without a somewhat inhuman constitution.

Unfortunately.

At night there was only Jigglypuff's solo and the Musician's instrumental, but it wasn't that the Musician's voice had given out—rather, compared to the cheerful tunes at the tavern door, the nighttime tunes were of a soothing, gentle type.

It required Jigglypuff's more ethereal voice to sing; his own voice wasn't suited for it.

"Sounds pretty nice."

Baimu had originally only treated the guitar sound as background music, but as he listened, his whole body gradually relaxed. He continued watching the simulator in a slouched, sprawled-out pose, and when he came back to himself he couldn't help being a bit surprised.

This emotional transmission effect is pretty impressive!

Original? Or a pre-existing piece?

He hurriedly noted down the melody and called Porygon over. While the Musician in the simulator was still playing, he had it slip into the phone and activate the hum-to-identify-song mode.

To be fair, this was the latter's first time doing something like this. Fortunately, the Trainer still had some musical sense and didn't sing the tune off-key; otherwise it really wouldn't have been able to search it out by melody.

"Beep!"

Porygon emitted a search-complete prompt from inside the phone.

Baimu moved the screen outside the light screen and discovered it was actually a classical piece, just played on guitar by the Musician.

Not an original…

He was slightly disappointed. If this piece had been an original by the Musician, he might have been comparable to a musical prodigy like Beethoven—what a shame.

Then how many of the tunes hummed earlier were originals?

Baimu kept this in mind. When his gaze gathered back on the light screen, he found the Musician already surrounded by all sorts of wild Pokémon sleeping peacefully.

Clearly these wild Pokémon had taken the Musician's guitar and Jigglypuff's singing as a lullaby.

Seeing this scene, the Musician didn't mind either, and crawled into the tent with Jigglypuff to fall asleep peacefully.

"Plenty of nerve."

Baimu clicked his tongue.

The simulator began to speed up.

The next day.

The musician, who had opened with an impassioned piece of music, was about to set out on his journey when he noticed that among the many wild Pokémon that had dispersed, one had stayed behind.

"Chimecho?"

Baimu got a clear look at that Pokémon and was somewhat surprised that a wild Chimecho existed in the Unova region.

This one had probably been drawn in by last night's ethereal, soothing melody.

Just like a wild Pokémon captured by the fragrant older sister through her superb medical skill.

The musician also seemed pleasantly surprised upon spotting Chimecho; a heart popped up on his forehead, a stark contrast to his reaction when facing Scolipede.

【You have discovered a Chimecho, which you have long been interested in. It is said to be capable of producing seven different beautiful tones, making it the perfect travel companion for someone who dreams of being a musician.】

The musician sent out Jigglypuff without hesitation, attempting to catch Chimecho.

To his surprise, the latter barely put up any resistance.

The capture went extraordinarily smoothly.

【You have caught Chimecho. A new member has joined your band.】

Band member?

Baimu confirmed he had not misread the narration, and realized that for the musician, his Pokémon were essentially bandmates.

Then the Pokémon that come later would most likely also be music-related.

In the Unova region…

Maractus?

There's no way there's a Meloetta, right? The Meloetta in the anime is an extremely important existence… well, there's no evidence proving Meloetta is one-of-a-kind.

If even Magearna can have two of them, what's so strange about two Meloetta?

Perhaps with Meloetta's help, the musician could win the Unova League and even take down one or two of the Unova Elite Four?

Honestly, he was really looking forward to what reward lay beyond that.

Baimu silently indulged in his fantasy, while the musician arrived at the location of the first Gym—Hinatsu City.

【You have arrived at Hinatsu City, located in the southwestern part of the Unova region, built at the foot of Gaoshan. Standing at a high vantage point offers a sweeping view of the entire Unova region.】

【You see this thriving city and, in no rush to head to the Hinatsu Gym, instead stand at the busiest spot and begin today's performance together with Jigglypuff and Chimecho.】

Although Chimecho had only just joined the team, under the musician's guidance it very naturally wove its chime into the guitar sound, serving as accompaniment to the musician and Jigglypuff's singing.

Judging from the frequent smiles Chimecho displayed, performing alongside the musician seemed to make it very happy.

In reality.

Baimu quickly jotted down the melody, repeated it to Porygon, and the latter did not disappoint—successfully finding the original piece the musician had played. It was still a very old classical composition, which he had rearranged into a guitar version with a few added lyrics.

How is it not original again… Is he also a music tailor?

No, no.

The musician had never claimed that what he was currently playing and singing was his own original work, nor had he posted it online; he was simply performing it for others to hear.

But such a musical dream would probably be hard to realize…

After all, if you want to make a name for yourself in music, you still need original work; endlessly imitating is useless.

Baimu watched as people kept tossing money to the musician, deeply curious about how his path would unfold from here.

Not long after.

The musician, having satisfied his urge to perform, finally set off for the first Gym.

Hinatsu Gym.

As expected, the Gym Leader was the black-and-white rival, Teacher Cheren, and the main battleground was set up in the backyard of the Trainer School.

【You have challenged Hinatsu Gym Leader Cheren.】

After the narration appeared, the two pixel figures each sent out their Pokémon.

Since this was the musician's first badge, Cheren only used Watchog and Patrat to battle him, and the musician's fighting style was exactly as Baimu had predicted—

Relying on performing music.

From start to finish, he never gave any verbal commands, only using the tempo and rhythm of his guitar to signal Jigglypuff what to do and when to unleash its power.

In a sense, this was also a manifestation of 【Telepathy】.

Otherwise, how could Jigglypuff possibly know what to do through the melody? At this moment, music became the bridge of their communication, building a secret connection that no one but the two of them could understand.

Cheren was clearly also astonished by the musician and Jigglypuff's performance. Upon seeing his Pokémon retreating step by step before Jigglypuff with no ability to fight back, an expression of admiration appeared on his forehead.

In the end.

Jigglypuff took down both Watchog and Patrat with two Hyper Voices, just as the musician finished playing the final note.

The performance was over.

The sole audience member, Cheren, offered him applause.

【You have defeated Hinatsu Gym Leader Cheren and obtained the Basic Badge. Cheren greatly admires your musical talent and battle prowess, and believes your future is boundless.】

【You thank Cheren with great joy.】

"Battle dance music… Even Stephan couldn't pull off this kind of fighting style, yet I saw it in the simulator." Baimu deeply felt how extraordinary a dual-blue talent was.

With this exceptional gift alone, the musician might be able to achieve remarkable results.

And after obtaining the first badge.

The musician, returning the way he came, did not set the Nacrene Gym as his second target.

【You have decided to make your idol Skyla your eighth badge challenge. You feel that only by earning her recognition can you perform music without reservation at the Unova League.】

Ah~

"So that's how it is."

Baimu showed a look of understanding, then watched as the musician returned to his residence in Tsuwai City, first personally maintaining his own instrument, and after a brief hesitation, taking along several other instruments as well.

【During this brief journey, you realized that although the old guitar carried through with your resolve, to better perform certain pieces, other instruments are indispensable】

He stuffed a bunch of instruments into his spatial backpack — things like a clarinet and a violin that Baimu couldn't recognize at all — and the once-empty backpack was instantly packed full.

But the guitar was still kept outside, not stuffed in with the rest.

After all this was done.

The musician headed to Pokémon Hollywood on the north side of Tsuwai City, specifically watching a few films starring Homika's father, before finally boarding the ferry to Flycloud City.

When the ship set sail.

The musician stood at the bow and blew the trumpet; the bright, clear sound carried far and drew the attention of countless passengers.

Baimu shifted his posture slightly.

"No clues about the backstory yet... does that mean it isn't going to be revealed?" he muttered to himself.

The scene shifted.

The musician had already arrived at the Pokémon world's leading metropolis —

Flycloud City.

Skyscrapers stood shoulder to shoulder with ordinary high-rises, and the bustling scene marked it as the commercial and economic center of the Unova region.

Even in pixel style, Baimu couldn't help but feel a sense of grandeur and majesty.

What concerned him even more was the narration.

【You look at this city both familiar and strange, never expecting to return so soon — but alas, things remain while people change; what is lost can never come back】

The narration touched on it lightly, without further elaboration.

The musician, unusually, gave up the street performance with Jigglypuff and Chingling, and went straight to the Flycloud Gym.

The Gym Leader, Arti, was an artist skilled at painting who had held many solo exhibitions — in his own words, he had fulfilled his dream.

The musician envied Arti so much that this battle's melody was performed on the violin, with a fast and highly aggressive tempo.

Infected by him, Jigglypuff's combat power rose noticeably, and even Baimu on the sofa was affected, feeling his blood boil and wanting to find some Pokémon to fight.

The dramatic boost left Arti completely unable to hold out with his current lineup, and he lost to the soprano Jigglypuff.

Its Hyper Voice was truly terrifying — even in pixel style, one could feel the tremendous power of the sound, waves that seemed to shake everything.

【You defeated Flycloud Gym Leader Arti and obtained the Insect Badge】

【During your exchange with Arti, you learned that he seemed to have some impression of you, which made you flee in panic, quickly leaving the Flycloud Gym】

The musician ran out of the Flycloud Gym as if escaping, confirmed his Pokémon's status at the Pokémon Center, and hurried off to his next destination.

He neither tasted Flycloud Ice Cream nor busked on the crowded streets.

Clearly, audiences were everywhere — far more than before.

Baimu was certain the musician's past must be connected to Flycloud City; perhaps for him, Flycloud City was a painful place he couldn't face.

As if confirming his guess.

Walking along Route 4, the musician played the guitar full of sorrow, and Jigglypuff's singing shifted from soprano to a melancholy contralto — its vocal range was astonishingly broad.

He recalled the Pokédex describing Jigglypuff as having a vocal range of over 12 octaves, able to freely change the wavelength of its voice — its almost fantastical vocal conditions made it a born singer.

But Jigglypuff to Jigglypuff, there are differences — some Jigglypuff actually don't sing very well, because they can't quite catch the notes.

The musician's Jigglypuff had no such problem.

The melancholic tune ended before the campfire.

The next day.

After getting up, the musician discovered a cactus Pokémon before the tent — Maracas Cactus, whose body sways with a maracas-like sound.

After listening carefully for a while, his eyes lit up, and he decisively "abducted" the fellow.

【You caught Maracas Cactus; the band has gained a new member】

Another accompaniment successfully acquired?

Baimu gave the musician a silent nod of approval and continued watching.

He noticed that although the latter caught Pokémon with absolutely no combat perspective in mind, he was unexpectedly talented at raising them.

At least, the few trainers encountered during this brief journey were no match at all for his "newly caught" two Pokémon — the Maracas Cactus, which in the game almost no one cared about due to base stat distribution and typing issues, erupted with extraordinary combat power under the musician's training.

The Chlorophyll ability complemented it perfectly as well.

Chingling went without saying — as a Psychic-type Pokémon, it specialized in attacking opponents with invisible force. The two Pokémon, as long as their attack frequency synced with the trainer's performance rhythm, could defeat enemies with great ease.

【Your Pokémon have gradually come to understand the music you perform, and your bond has deepened】

Baimu took in this line of narration with his eyes and felt joy in his heart.

Perhaps the chances of winning the championship are quite high?

They should be quite high.

After all, there's still the Limit Break that has never triggered once from start to finish — who knows, it might just come into play at some critical moment.

It's just that after comparing the musician's performed pieces many times, he hadn't found any trace of originality — they were all the kind of extremely ancient, timeless classics, on par with Aulaxion.

What the musician seemed to be doing was rearranging classical pieces into pop music.

A little strange.

If he regarded Homika as his idol, he shouldn't be unaware of a single pop song — yet he had never performed any pop music.

Not long after.

The musician arrived at Lei Wen City.

【You have arrived at Lei Wen City; it remains as dazzling with electric lights as ever, incomparably brilliant. You gaze into the distance at the Musical Theater, a trace of longing crossing your face. But you understand that place is no longer one you can go to】

Musical Theater?

All Baimu watched the ellipsis popping up endlessly above the musician's head, never expecting that the latter seemed to have once performed at a musical theater venue — it looked like he had a rather glorious past.

Same as Feiyun City.

The musician likewise did not play on the streets of this city, heading straight for the Lei Wen Gym.

When he met the gym leader Xiao Ju'er, a conversation took place.

【You greet Xiao Ju'er, who asks where exactly you've been these days. You tell Xiao Ju'er that you've decided to pick up your dream again, forget the past and start from zero, beginning with becoming a powerful Trainer and musician.】

The two seemed to be well acquainted.

Moreover, Xiao Ju'er seemed quite concerned about the musician, as if he had once been very famous.

All Baimu was struck by a strange feeling, as if he were playing a detective game, and had absolutely no desire to search for spoilers about the future.

Familiarity aside.

Xiao Ju'er did not throw the fight against the musician; the musician successfully defeated the third gym with his current three Pokémon.

【You have defeated Lei Wen Gym Leader Xiao Ju'er and obtained the Volt Badge】

【Before leaving, you lingered near the musical theater venue for a long time, then, as if making a clean break with your past self, turned and walked away.】

The musician strode with great strides onto the Fanba Suspension Bridge, and at the middle of the suspension bridge began his brand-new career of street singing.

And this time, the Pokémon he attracted was a Swablu.

Of course, rather than saying the musician passively attracted it, it would be more accurate to say he deliberately stayed on the Fanba Suspension Bridge waiting for Swablu to take the bait — the latter's evolved form being one of the rare Pokémon that can truly sing.

It was the best candidate for a harmony Pokémon.

The narration laid out in full the reason why the musician would catch Swablu.