Piers, the leader of the Dark-type Gym in Spikemuth Town, is also a well-known rock singer in Galar.
Although he is famous, he has never held concerts outside of Spikemuth Town. If you want to enjoy his soul-stirring singing, you have to go to Spikemuth Town in person. These fans can be considered one of the important sources of income for Spikemuth Town.
In the dim venue, under the shimmering neon lights, the screaming and cheering audience fell into madness amidst Piers's unrestrained singing. Summer felt the passion filling the venue the moment he stepped in, making his body and mind dance with the music involuntarily.
Piers's singing style is extremely wild; his voice hits the soul directly. Different from ordinary rock bands, all members except him are Pokémon.
The lead singer is a Malamar, its ferocious roar ignites the audience, becoming Piers's best partner and further enhancing the wildness.
The guitarist is a Toxtricity, and the bassist is also a Toxtricity. One is in its Amped Form, vigorously striking the chest protuberances, splattering electric currents, while the sound of guitar playing fills the air with proud enthusiasm.
The other is in its Low Key Form, rhythmically tapping its chest protuberances, producing the sound of a precise electric bass, its performance exuding calmness with silent madness.
The drummer, a Obstagoon, can be said to be the soul of the performance. It swings its drumsticks frantically, every deafening drumbeat hitting the beat accurately. It wears a smile on its face, fully enjoying every performance.
"Oh~~!"
Summer suddenly raised his arm and joined the frenzy like the fans around him. Then, he looked at the astonished Grookey next to him and said:
"The cheers of the fans are the best encouragement for the performers, Grookey, don't you think so?"
"Roar~~!"
Grookey nodded, took off its wooden stick, and began to swing it rhythmically along with the beat, also emitting enthusiastic cheers.
The excitement didn't last long because Summer arrived late. They only listened to half of the last song before it ended. Grookey felt a bit unsatisfied, admiring the Obstagoon's drumming skills. Playing music seemed to be engraved in their species' bloodline.
"Today's performance is over~!" Piers took off the microphone and pointed to the crowd below the stage. "But Spikemuth Town never ends, that's right, as long as I, melancholic Piers, am still here~!"
"Shout, revel, rock, and never end!"
The roar of Malamar, the guitar and bass of Toxtricity, and the drumming of Obstagoon all sounded at the same time, drawing a perfect end to the performance. The audience below the stage began to stir, shouting loudly for an encore.
"Sorry, Piers never does encores. If you still want to listen, come back next Thursday." Piers grinned as he walked off the stage, followed by his band members.
Piers's concert is held every Thursday because of his rock and crazy style, so its nickname is Crazy Thursday.
"Mr. Piers." Summer shouted at Piers as he walked off the stage.
"Hmm, during break time, I don't entertain fans." Piers said with his mouth, but stopped in his tracks.
"May I ask how you train your Obstagoon to drum?" Summer knew Grookey had the potential to be a skilled musician, and Piers's Obstagoon's drumming skills were so superb, they must meet the requirements, so he wanted to ask Piers's training methods.
"Oh?" Piers looked at the Grookey on Summer's shoulder and snapped his fingers suddenly.
Behind him, the four Pokémon started playing a familiar tune in place.
"Remember~ Obstagoon's rhythm belongs only to itself~!"
Piers sang improvisationally, meaning to tell Summer that the Grookey family would develop a set of drum scores unique to themselves during their growth process, without needing to learn others' training methods.
Before Summer could reply, Piers left the stage with his Pokémon. Most of the audience also left the performance venue, their faces filled with a sense of unfinished business. At this moment, someone suddenly tapped Summer from behind.
"Not bad, buddy, you actually made Piers sing another song after the concert!" A member of Team Yell laughed.
"Oh, what about bringing a Morpeko to the next performance?" Another member of Team Yell began to contemplate, but this idea was ruthlessly rejected by his companion.
"Fool, Piers won't fall for the same trick twice. Oh, wait, aren't you that guy!" The female member of Team Yell remembered meeting Summer earlier, yes, they were the trio of Team Yell from before.
"Oh, if you had said you were a fan of Piers earlier, that would have been better. I'm Aya!" The chubby member of Team Yell clearly mistook Summer for a companion.
"My name is Summer."
"I'm Tim," said the tall and thin member of Team Yell.
"Oh, I'm Marnie. By the way, do you want to join Team Yell?"
After the three introduced themselves, Marnie, the female member of Team Yell, suddenly suggested.
"Now, joining Team Yell comes with Piers's merchandise giveaway, and the uniform is also free." Aya's interest was piqued as well.
"But does he know that Team Yell is an organization to cheer for Marnie?"
"Fool, since he's a fan of Mr. Piers, how could he not know about his sister Marnie."
"Cough, thank you for your kindness, but I'm actually a forest ranger in Sunset Forest, so I can't join other organizations because of work reasons."
Summer declined Team Yell's invitation. How could a forest ranger like him follow along when Marnie starts challenging Gyms?
"That's a pity, Marnie is both cool and cute, not only invincible in battles but also exceptionally hardworking!" Aya showed a regretful expression.
"Yeah."
"That's right."
Tim and Marnie echoed.
"But, although I won't join Team Yell, anyone can still cheer for Marnie, right?"
The three suddenly realized, Summer was right, anyone could cheer for Marnie. Everyone in town loves this hardworking kid, but our cheering Marnie is even more touching!
"Actually, I have a question."
"Oh, go ahead." Marnie smiled, and the trio's attitude was completely different from when they first met.
"Are there any shops in Spikemuth Town that sell tools? Like hammers, saws, and the like."
"Come to my house. My family used to run a hardware store, and we still have some inventory." Tim said.
"But what do you need these tools for? Aren't you a forest ranger, Summer?" Aya was a little puzzled. It didn't seem like the usual tools a forest ranger would use.
"Well, I plan to make some birdhouses."
Although Coba Fruit can attract bird Pokémon, Summer wants to attract them to settle in faster, and that's where carpentry skills come in handy.
He already has the advertising slogan ready: Sunset Forest,
stay and get a deluxe villa for free! Not only are there many Bug-type Pokémon, but also delicious Fruits around!
(End of this chapter)