Pokémon: Out of the Woods | A Galar, Unova & Sinnoh Fanfiction

Chapter 85: The Electric Badge

Spikemuth Gym had no stadium. The Gym mission took place on the high street, where challengers had to navigate a maze of invisible walls prepared by a Gym Trainer's Mr. Mime. Music still boomed from the battlefield. Sable usually sang with a Pokémon band to fire up her Gym Trainers and challengers, but Khalid and Ace were still there. Khalid played the drums. Ace played bass. Sable's uncle Piers picked up Vega's guitar. The young men were still drunk and out of time, but the sight of the Galar League Champion would certainly fire up the challengers. They covered a famous rock song.

'D'you know your opponent? Well, gotta know the opponent, whoa-hey! Offence is an energy! Against the opponent! Defence is a strategy, whoa-hey! ♪'

Piers grabbed the microphone. 'Spikemuth! Get those hands – and paws, claws and hooves – up in the air! I said a heeeeey-oh!'

Every challenger was let in to Spikemuth Gym at the same time. They were all battling when Piers shouted that. The Gym Trainers and their Pokémon still promptly turned and echoed him.

'Heeeeey-oooooh!'

From the floor behind the chain-link fences with only the most devoted of Sable's fans – because they were all hungover from the gig last night – Pluto found the whole thing rather amusing. He was yet to hear from Reira or check the results of the DNA test himself. The music was so loud that it blasted Jahzeel from his mind. He had nothing to worry about.

'Who knows the lyrics?! Who knows the lyrics to this song?'

One of Sable's fans frantically waved. Pluto heard Zorua telling him to ask for another song next, but he didn't see it mischievously morphing into a Team Yell Grunt to point at him.

'You know it?'

Pluto blinked. 'I... I don't.'

'Meeee!' the woman beside him screamed, 'I know it, Sable!'

'She always sings it! You! With the green hair! Get your arse up 'ere!'

Zorua shoved him. A Gym Trainer was already unlocking the gate to let him out and onto the stage. He showed him the lyrics on his phone. Heather couldn't help giggling when she heard a very confused Pluto singing the last chorus with Sable.

'Pluto!'

No-one else heard Zorua's voice, but he did.

'Ask if they can play the song!'

'You gonna stage dive?!' Sable yelled, 'Or what?!'

'Um...'

Zorua was itself again. It jumped up and down to encourage him. As awkward as Pluto felt, he also felt strangely comfortable there in Spikemuth. As no-one glared at Heather, they didn't recoil at the sight of Zorua. They didn't look at Pluto like he was a movie villain. Zorua even seemed to have a few fans in the small crowd.

'Um... um... could I sing another song with you...?'

'Yeeeeah! That's what I like to hear! What're we playin'?'

Pluto wanted it to be a surprise to Heather, so he leaned in to whisper to Sable. She relayed it to her makeshift bandmates.

'You got that, lads? Erm... you can play it, can't you...?'

'Yeah!' Khalid slurred, 'Course we can!'

Zorua crawled under the fence to snatch the phone from Pluto's pocket. It held it in its mouth to film him.

Despite the questionable rock rendition, Heather immediately recognised the song from the musical they saw in Hammerlocke. Pluto didn't actually know all of the lyrics. Khalid's chaotic drumming wasn't encouraging, but he had time to read the lyrics on the phone offered by Piers' Obstagoon while Sable sang the street boy's parts. He sang the princess' parts.