That's right! They will work together to rebuild their home!
The Kricketune's performance came to an end.
Applause suddenly sounded from not far away.
Naoki turned his head and saw a long-haired man with a guitar and a Toxtricity approaching from the distance.
He looked at the Kricketune with admiration, then said to Naoki, "Your Kricketune is very talented at performing!"
Naoki: "…No, it's not my Pokemon, it's just temporarily staying with me right now."
He told the man about the previous fire and how he had taken in this group of wild Pokemon.
After listening, the man sighed regretfully: "The fire was ruthless, but people are compassionate. That fire was truly heartbreaking. Hello, I'm Bass, a traveling musician currently roaming the world in pursuit of my musical dreams!"
A musician? Naoki had never met someone like that before. He glanced at the Toxtricity beside Bass and nodded, "I'm Naoki, I run a ranch nearby. By the way, what brings you here?"
Since the fire, this mountain forest had become desolate; not even trainers come here, let alone tourists.
Upon hearing this, Bass explained, "I heard that someone here, along with Pokemon, is steeped in pain and sadness, so I came! To bring them hope and joy with my music!"
Naoki: "?"
Perhaps his confusion was too apparent, so Bass said with longing:
"Music can express emotions and convey emotions to others, whether it's sadness, grief, joy, happiness, or excitement. This is my life's pursuit, to bring happiness and smiles to people through music!"
The Kricketune was touched by this scene.
Naoki: "..." As expected from someone in the arts.
Bass looked at the Pokemon in front of him and suddenly had an idea: "May I perform a concert for you? Would you be interested in listening?"
The Pokemon looked bewildered.
Only the Kricketune looked excited and eager.
Seeing this, Naoki thought for a moment and said, "Sure, come to my ranch!"
"Thank you so much! Mr. Naoki!" Bass seemed very excited to have an audience for his performance.
The group returned to the ranch. It was Bass's first time visiting a place like this; he curiously looked around.
However, he quickly contained his curiosity, fully immersing himself in the upcoming performance.
In the ranch, a group of curious Pokemon lined up from tallest to shortest, lying on the soft grass.
Naoki and Koraidon stood at the back, watching the scene with curiosity.
Once the Pokemon were ready, Bass tossed a Poke Ball into the air and shouted, "Everyone, come out!"
With flashes of white light, another Toxtricity and a Rillaboom appeared beside Bass.
Holding his guitar, his eyes full of passion, Bass shouted to the sky, "We are the Toxtricity Band! To bring hope and happiness to people and Pokemon! Everyone, ready, go!"
With that, the Rillaboom began beating the wooden drum before it.
"Boom boom boom boom boom!"
In the midst of intense and rapid drumbeats, the two Toxtricity emitted bass-like growls, followed by Bass's melodious guitar and passionate singing.
"Come on! ♬"
"Set out on a journey! ♬"
"...♬"
"Explore the cosmos and change the world! ♬"
Listening to this, Koraidon felt a headache coming on: "...Agaaah."
Naoki: "..."
Forgive him; like Koraidon, he has no musical talent.
He looked around and found that other Pokemon also seemed pained, except for the Kricketune, whose eyes shone brightly, waving its arms to the rhythm.
Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Bass and Rillaboom stopped playing.
Bass said dejectedly, "As expected, I still can't make it…"
Rillaboom and Toxtricity also looked disheartened.
Naoki stepped forward and asked, "Are you okay?"
Bass looked at him, thanked him first, "Thank you so much for listening to our performance, Naoki."
"I still can't do it... In past performances, the Pokemon listening even fainted from the terrible music. I'm just an amateur musician, no, I don't even count as that."
For a moment, Naoki didn't know what to say; he awkwardly said, "Actually, your performance just now was really good, very passionate."
Bass quickly asked, "Really?"
Naoki: "..."
Seeing the expression on his face, Bass said, "You're really a good person, Naoki."
"Well, a dream that can be realized isn't a dream!" Bass regained his spirits, "Even if no one likes us, we must persist! Because we are the one and only Toxtricity Band in this world!"
"Boom boom boom!" Rillaboom agreed and beat the wooden drum before it.
"Sss～♬!"
At this moment, a melodious chirping suddenly came from the side.
Naoki and Bass turned to see the Kricketune looking this way as if inspired.
Bass looked at its eyes, paused, then asked, "What? You say you really liked our performance just now?"
"Sss～♬!"
The Kricketune chirped melodiously again in agreement.
"Thank you, Kricketune!" Bass smiled, "You're actually a very talented musician too! If possible, I'd love to invite you to join my band."
"Sss～♬!"
Seeing this, Naoki raised an eyebrow.
A thought suddenly popped into his mind.
"Kricketune, do you enjoy performing music too?" Naoki asked.
Kricketune nodded happily.
"Would you like to join Bass's band and travel with him?" Naoki asked again.
"Sss!" Kricketune nodded excitedly.
Upon hearing this, Bass was slightly taken aback and looked at Naoki in disbelief, "Mr. Naoki, you're…"
Naoki nodded softly, "Kricketune is just temporarily staying at my ranch. Rather than staying here, I hope it can do what it loves. Bass, would you take care of Kricketune for me?"
"I would!" Bass nodded repeatedly.
"Then capture it with a Poke Ball!" Naoki said.
He could tell that the Rillaboom and the Toxtricity were well cared for by Bass, and he really liked these music-playing Pokemon.
And it seemed that Kricketune was touched by his heart to convey emotions through music and had chosen this human.
So, Naoki was willing to respect Kricketune's choice.
Upon hearing this, Bass took out an empty Poke Ball and captured Kricketune. The Poke Ball wobbled a little and then stopped.
"It seems to acknowledge you," Naoki said.
Bass released Kricketune from the Poke Ball and greeted it earnestly, "Kricketune, please take care of us in the future!"
Kricketune: "Sss～Oooh! ♬"
At noon, Naoki invited them to have lunch at the ranch.
After lunch, Bass planned to leave.
He and a few Pokemon stood at the ranch entrance to bid farewell to Naoki, "Thank you very much for your hospitality, Mr. Naoki. Please rest assured, I will definitely take good care of Kricketune!"
Naoki asked, "By the way, where do you plan to go next?"
Bass thought for a moment and said, "I plan to visit Porto Marinada Town and then head north to Casseroya Lake."
Naoki nodded silently. He thought of various cities in the game and then offered a suggestion:
"I heard that in Spikemuth Town in the Galar Region, heavy metal rock is quite popular. Maybe you can find your fans there."
"Spikemuth Town…" Bass's eyes lit up, then he nodded, "I'll check it out there later!"
Naoki: "Good luck! I hope that by the time we meet again, you'll have become a famous band."
Bass nodded emphatically, "Yes, we will work hard!"
"Sss～Oooh!"
Nearby, Kricketune also bid farewell to Naoki and was very grateful for his care during this time.
Naoki smiled at it, "Rest assured, set out!"
Perhaps this small gesture will change the course of Kricketune's life from now on.
For him, why not?