Chapter 251

Chapter 251: Chapter 251

The next morning, Mike crawled out of his tent and immediately shivered as the cold air of the cave washed over him.

"Brrr... It’s freezing!"

Snivy was already waiting nearby.

Seeing him trembling, she quickly picked up his scarf and wrapped it snugly around his neck.

With the extra layer of warmth, Mike finally felt a little more comfortable.

’I’ve definitely got to catch a Fire-type Pokémon next time,’ he thought, cupping his hands around his mouth and breathing warm air into them.

’At least then I’d have someone to keep me warm whenever the weather gets like this.’

It was a shame Growlithe had to stay home and keep Grandma company.

Otherwise, Mike would have brought him along on this expedition.

Although, considering Growlithe’s rather innocent personality, perhaps leaving him at home wasn’t such a bad idea.

That little guy was so trusting that he’d probably believe anything Gengar told him.

Mike wouldn’t have been surprised if Gengar managed to sell him off and Growlithe cheerfully helped count the money.

Then another thought occurred to him.

’I wonder how Growlithe’s doing back home. He hasn’t demolished Grandma’s house while I’ve been away, has he?’

"Snivy?"

Noticing that Mike had suddenly fallen silent, Snivy tilted her head and gave him a questioning look.

Mike blinked and returned to his senses.

When he saw the concern in her eyes, he shook his head and smiled.

"Nothing’s wrong. I just suddenly remembered a certain little idiot back home."

Snivy looked at him for another moment before returning to her morning preparations.

She’d already arranged for Gengar to melt some ice from the nearby river using Will-O-Wisp, so there was a supply of pleasantly warm water waiting for Mike to brush his teeth.

Once he’d finished, Snivy immediately handed him a warm, damp towel.

With her help, Mike managed to wash up and get ready for the day without having to endure too much of the freezing mountain air.

His main task today was already decided.

He’d promised the Jynx yesterday that he’d teach them the song he’d played on his harmonica, and he had every intention of keeping that promise.

There was also another matter he needed to deal with.

After learning that the mysterious singing in the canyon had been caused by the Jynx, Lucian had arranged for the Sinnoh League to issue a public notice the previous evening.

The announcement advised Trainers to avoid approaching the canyon unless they had a good reason to enter the area.

At the same time, Lucian had asked Mike to discuss something with the Jynx.

He wanted them to stop mixing psychic power into their singing, at least when ordinary people might be nearby.

After all, the Jynx weren’t deliberately trying to hurt anyone, but their performances had already caused several Trainers to lose consciousness and wander into the canyon.

If Mike could convince them to sing without affecting the minds of everyone who heard them, it would save the League a great deal of trouble.

With those plans in mind, Mike finished breakfast and began preparing for the day’s activities.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t even had much time to digest his food before one of the Jynx came rushing over.

"Jynx! Jynx!"

She grabbed his hand and immediately started pulling him away.

"Whoa! Wait, wait! Slow down!" Mike protested, stumbling after her. "I’m coming! I said I’m coming!"

He genuinely couldn’t understand how a Pokémon with such short legs could run so ridiculously fast.

The Jynx continued pulling him through the snow, apparently too excited about her singing lesson to waste another second.

Unlike yesterday, however, she wasn’t leading him toward the outer part of the canyon.

Instead, they traveled farther inside.

As Mike followed her, he began noticing the changes in their surroundings.

Towering walls of ice rose on every side, surrounding the area with frozen cliffs.

Between two sections of the mountain was a narrow passage leading into a gap in the rock.

Mike looked around with growing interest.

"Wait, is this...?"

He examined the surroundings more carefully before turning toward the Jynx.

"Did you find a new place to sing?"

The Jynx clapped her hands excitedly.

"Jynx!"

Apparently, he’d guessed correctly.

"Not bad! This place is actually pretty suitable."

Mike nodded approvingly as he surveyed the secluded area.

"If you sing here, people outside the canyon probably won’t hear you as easily. That means you won’t have to worry about anyone disturbing you, and you can sing as much as you like!"

"Jynx, Jynx~!"

[Exactly! That’s what we thought too!]

Seeing how pleased she was, Mike couldn’t help smiling.

"All right, then! Shall we start the singing lesson?"

"JYNX!"

The rest of the Jynx immediately gathered around him, their eyes shining with anticipation.

Mike looked at the eager faces surrounding him and shook his head with an amused smile.

"Okay, okay! Just give me a minute to get everything ready."

He took out the drone, adjusted the equipment, and handed control over to Rotom.

Ever since Gengar and Snivy had discovered that Rotom was capable of operating all the livestream equipment independently, they’d happily entrusted the entire responsibility to him.

Unfortunately, Rotom had developed some opinions about his new job.

"You know, this is exploitation of labor, roto! Chew, chew... I’m telling you, this is outright workplace bullying! Chew, chew... You can’t just make one Pokémon do all the—WAIT! NO! DON’T TAKE THOSE! I’M SORRY, ROTO!"

Mike had reached toward the Poffins sitting beside Rotom.

The moment Rotom noticed, his complaints disappeared.

Mike withdrew his hand and gave the Rotom Phone a light smack on the forehead.

"You really never stop talking, do you?"

The phone immediately dropped to the ground.

A moment later, Rotom’s voice emerged from the fallen device.

"Hey! That’s YOUR phone, roto..."

"..."

Mike stared at the phone lying in the snow.

A vein began throbbing on his forehead.

"Rotom..."

His voice dropped dangerously.

"I’M SORRY! I’LL SHUT UP! I’M MUTING MYSELF RIGHT NOW!"

Rotom immediately took control of the phone, lifted it back into the air, and hurriedly began connecting the livestream equipment.

Mike watched him return to work, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

’When we get back, I’m definitely cutting off his electricity.’

What a ridiculous Pokémon.

Rotom was perfectly capable of being helpful, and his ability to operate electronic equipment was incredibly convenient.

Unfortunately, he’d also been blessed with a mouth that never seemed to stop running.

With nothing particularly urgent to do while the equipment was being prepared, Mike made the rather unusual decision to start another livestream.

He’d only just gone live when the first viewers began arriving.

And their reactions were almost identical.

[CrossRhodes: ???]

[Devoted_laurel: Am I still asleep? Who is this?]

[Seth: HOLY CRAP! I’m sneaking a look at my phone during work, and MIKE IS LIVESTREAMING AGAIN?! Am I dreaming?!]

[Professor Purple: Did I pass out after choking on all the empty promises my boss keeps feeding me?!]

[Sir_Yabas_III: HAVE I TAKEN THE WRONG MEDICINE?! IS THIS THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE?! MIKE’S STREAMING TWO DAYS IN A ROW?!]

[Mat_tokki: WHO ARE YOU?! GET OUT OF MIKE’S BODY RIGHT NOW!]

[Crow_of_approval: APPROVE!]

Mike looked at the comments scrolling past and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, all right, then. Guess I’ll end the livestream."

[Everyone: !!!]

{Mat_tokki has been muted by a moderator for three hours.}

Mike nearly laughed when he saw the moderation notice.

Really, that guy had terrible luck whenever he opened his mouth.

"Anyway, I don’t have much else to do today, so I figured I might as well livestream for a while," Mike explained with a casual shrug.

"Although I should warn you, today’s stream might be a little boring. If you want to watch, you’re welcome to stick around."

A familiar username soon appeared.

[Mineral Enthusiast: What are you planning to do today?]

"Today’s livestream is going to be about singing," Mike replied, answering Steven’s question. "More specifically, I’m going to teach the Jynx the song I played on my harmonica yesterday."

[MelodyLover: ???]

[NewTrainerHere: The song from yesterday?!]

[SSan1212: WAIT! You mean that really beautiful melody?!]

[WallaceCupWallace: By the way, did you compose that song yourself?]

[WallaceCupWallace: I asked you about it in the fan group yesterday, but you never replied.]

Mike blinked when he noticed the username.

"Wallace? Wait, Champion Wallace?!"

He stared at the message in surprise.

"You’re in my fan group too?!"

[WallaceCupWallace: Steven invited me.]

"Ohhh, so that’s how you joined!"

Mike scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry about that. I probably missed your message. I don’t always manage to keep up with everything in the group."

He then smiled and continued, "But yes, I composed that song. It’s called Tori no Uta."

He made the claim without the slightest sign of embarrassment.

After all, the song didn’t exist in this world.

Who was going to know he’d borrowed it from his previous life?

...

At Steven’s house in Hoenn, Wallace was just coming downstairs when Steven looked up from his phone.

"Well, there you go. He answered your question."

Steven smiled faintly.

"He doesn’t usually pay much attention to the fan group, apparently. That’s what the other members were saying, anyway."

Wallace looked genuinely surprised.

"Really? There are people who don’t regularly check their own fan groups?"

"Mike’s one of them." Steven chuckled. "That’s why I told you he’s a rather unusual guy."

Then he glanced toward his friend.

"Speaking of which, when are you planning to leave? Don’t tell me you’re seriously thinking about moving into my house."

"Oh, I’ll probably leave in a few days," Wallace replied, sounding completely unconcerned. "After that, I’m heading back to Sinnoh to hold the next round of the Wallace Cup."

Steven stared at him.

"Aren’t you going back to the League to deal with your responsibilities?"

"Juan’s there. He can handle it."

Steven: "..."

For a moment, Steven found himself completely speechless.

...

Back in the frozen canyon, Mike had finished preparing everything for the lesson.

He took out his harmonica and stood in the middle of the waiting Jynx.

"All right, everyone. Listen carefully!"

He drew a deep breath and brought the instrument to his lips.

The melody of Tori no Uta began drifting through the canyon once again.

As the first notes rang out, the surrounding area gradually fell quiet.

The Jynx closed their eyes and joined hands, forming a neat line in front of Mike.

Then, as the music continued, they began swaying their bodies gently from side to side.

Their movements were surprisingly synchronized.

Watching them sway in the wind, Mike couldn’t help thinking that they resembled a row of sunflowers turning together beneath the sunlight.

Combined with their bright blonde hair and red dresses, the scene was rather beautiful.

When the final note faded, Mike lowered his harmonica and let out a slow breath.

He looked at the Jynx, who were still swaying happily, and smiled.

"Well? Did you learn it?"

The Jynx opened their eyes.

"Jynx?"

"Jynx...?"

Several of them exchanged bewildered looks.

The livestream viewers were equally baffled.

[Waasper: BRO! DO YOU EVEN HEAR WHAT YOU’RE SAYING?!]

Mike glanced at the comment.

Then he realized how ridiculous his question had sounded.

"Ah, sorry! That came out wrong."

He laughed awkwardly.

"What I meant was, do you remember the general melody?"

The Jynx looked at one another.

Some nodded confidently.

Others shook their heads.

Apparently, a few of them had managed to remember most of the tune, while the others were still struggling to follow it.

"That’s okay! Don’t worry about it," Mike reassured them. "I’m going to teach you the song one line at a time, so there’s no need to rush."

"Jynx~!"

[Yay!]

The Jynx immediately perked up.

Mike looked around for somewhere to sit and eventually found a suitable-looking rock.

He lowered himself onto it.

Then, barely a moment later, he stood right back up.

"..."

On second thought, perhaps he’d conduct the lesson standing.

Because that rock was FREEZING!

One of the Jynx noticed him sitting down and immediately jumping back to his feet.

Apparently deciding that the problem was his choice of seat, she hurried over to a nearby section of the rock wall.

With a burst of power, she broke loose a massive stone.

Then she lifted it and carried it over to Mike.

"Jynx!"

[Here! You can sit on this!]

Mike stared at the enormous rock, which was nearly as tall as he was.

He blinked.

Then he looked at the Jynx, who was waiting expectantly for him to use her gift.

"Ah... Thanks!"

He didn’t want to reject her kindness.

However, he also had absolutely no intention of trying to climb onto that enormous boulder.

Instead, he turned toward Beedrill.

"Beedrill, could you help me out?"

Beedrill nodded.

He raised the sharp lances on his arms and began cutting through the stone with precise, controlled movements.

Pieces of rock fell away one after another until the enormous boulder had been transformed into a smooth, flat stone seat.

Satisfied with the result, Beedrill stepped aside.

Snivy immediately brought over a blanket and spread it neatly across the surface.

Only then did she allow Mike to sit down.

The livestream chat had plenty to say about that.

[thesacredmenace: SNIVY! YOU’RE GOING TO SPOIL HIM ROTTEN AT THIS RATE!]

[Chaos_Creator_25: DAMN IT! WHAT DID MIKE EVER DO TO DESERVE A SNIVY LIKE THAT?! SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY POKéMON!]

[Creasent_slayer161: SNIVY... (╥_╥)]

Mike settled comfortably onto the blanket Snivy had prepared.

Just as he was getting ready to begin the lesson, a Poké Ball at his side opened.

Glameow emerged.

"Meow..."

The moment she felt the cold air, she shivered.

Then, without wasting any time, she jumped onto Mike’s lap, turned around a few times, and curled herself into a comfortable little ball.

Mike smiled and gently stroked her fur.

Seeing this, Snivy immediately asked Gengar to bring over another blanket.

She carefully draped it over Glameow, making sure the little cat was properly covered.

"Meow~"

Glameow gave Snivy a soft cry of appreciation.

Snivy didn’t say anything in return. She simply smiled warmly at her.

Once Glameow was comfortably settled, Hattrem and Snivy took their places on either side of Mike.

The two Pokémon sat with their little feet swinging happily, apparently looking forward to watching Mike teach the Jynx.

Mike glanced at the comfortable arrangement around him and cleared his throat.

"Ahem! All right, everyone. Line up, please!"

The Jynx immediately obeyed.

They formed several neat rows in front of him, standing shoulder to shoulder and waiting for his next instructions.

Mike examined the group from left to right.

The Jynx were surprisingly disciplined, and even the little Smoochum had gathered together in a row at the very front.

However...

At the very end of the back row stood a familiar purple figure.

Mike stared at him.

Gengar stared back.

"..."

Mike rolled his eyes.

’Of course he’s joining in.’

Since Gengar wasn’t causing any trouble yet, Mike decided to ignore him.

"All right! First, I want everyone to practice producing sounds with the upper part of your mouth. Try it like this..."

He opened his mouth.

"Ahhh..."

The Jynx immediately imitated him.

"Jynx~!"

Their voices were clear, delicate, and surprisingly pleasant to hear.

Even when they were simply practicing basic vocal sounds, the Jynx seemed naturally gifted at producing beautiful tones.

Unfortunately, mixed in among those lovely voices was another sound.

A rough, raspy croak that resembled a duck with a sore throat.

Mike’s eyebrow twitched.

He knew exactly where it was coming from.

However, the Jynx didn’t seem particularly bothered, so he decided not to say anything.

"Good! Now follow me again."

Mike drew another breath.

This time, he began to sing.

"Kieru hikōkigumo, bokutachi wa miokutta..."

"We watched the fading contrails disappear into the distance..."

The Jynx listened carefully before trying to imitate the melody.

"Jynx~!"

"Gengar~!"

Mike raised an eyebrow.

Then he continued with the next line.

"Mabushikute nigeta, itsudatte yowakute..."

"We turned away because the light was too dazzling, always too weak to face it..."

"Jynx~!"

"Gengar~!"

Mike slowly drew another breath.

’Just ignore him. Focus on the lesson.’

He continued teaching the Jynx one line at a time, carefully guiding them through the melody and helping them become familiar with the rhythm of the song.

Tori no Uta had been famous throughout the world in his previous life, and Mike knew the melody extremely well.

Of course, teaching it to Pokémon who didn’t speak the same language as him presented certain difficulties.

The Jynx couldn’t simply repeat the Japanese lyrics perfectly.

Their natural vocalizations were different from human speech, and some sounds were much harder for them to reproduce.

Fortunately, their beautiful voices more than made up for those differences.

As the lesson progressed, Mike began noticing that their version of the song had developed a distinctive charm of its own.

It wasn’t quite the same as listening to a human sing.

The Jynx’s voices had a clear, almost ethereal quality that blended wonderfully with the melody.

Mike’s own Performance skill had already reached Level 3, placing his musical ability on par with some of the world’s famous singers.

Yet listening to the Jynx sing, he couldn’t help feeling that their version of the song might actually sound even better than his.

’Well, I suppose that’s what happens when you spend practically every day singing in a canyon.’

He smiled to himself.

’These girls really are talented.’

Meanwhile, the livestream viewers were thoroughly enjoying the lesson.

Some closed their eyes and simply listened to the music, appreciating the unusual combination of Mike’s voice and the Jynx’s singing.

Others opened their screen-recording software, determined to preserve the performance so they could listen to it again later.

...

Unova Region — Virbank City

Roxie was sitting with an electric guitar in her arms, listening closely to the song coming from the screen in front of her.

The members of her band were gathered behind her, also paying attention to the performance.

Roxie listened for a while, her expression thoughtful.

The song was undeniably beautiful.

The melody was memorable, the arrangement was appealing, and the way the Jynx’s voices blended together was surprisingly impressive.

Still...

’What a shame.’

She glanced down at the electric guitar resting in her lap.

’It’s not rock.’

A faint trace of disappointment crossed her face.

---------

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