Chapter 16
Perappu a Star? May and Drew's Musical Journey!
Rating: PG (Mild Swear Words)
"Today on May's Expedition, we travel to a well known town called Suyroi, famous for music!" Exclaimed May, holding her fingers in a camera-like pose over her eye.
Drew just sighed, May did this a lot, although it was annoying, there was no stopping her. What he didn't understand was that she became a coordinator instead of a journalist, but then he remembered that May was just mysterious sometimes.......
There were so many things he really didn't know about her. Drew had the general facts, but he never knew the details. May and him had traveled so much together, he figured they should at least know each other....
But then again, this wonderous Suyroi Village, it was really cool! As May had said, the town was well known for their music, even though it was small. Cute little red and black colored cabins were placed in rows throughout the village, and many little fun shops were randomly placed around the houses.
Suddenly, a cute little bird Pokemon flew over to Drew and rubbed its beak gently on Drew's leg. "What the?" Said Drew, looking down at the bird. It had a music note shaped head, and colorful blue and and yellow feathers, while its body was a calm green.
"Pe! Rep!" Chirped the bird.
May, although in love with the cute bird, pulled out her small Poke'Dex and listened to its explanation of the new Pokemon. "Perappu, the Music Note Pokemon. Perappu's singing can bring happiness to the listener. Its ability to sing any pitch makes this Pokemon a favorite among humans" Said the Poke'Dex.
"Ah! A Perappu, that's a newly discovered Pokemon, how rare!" Cried Drew.
"I don't care about any of that, its just so cute!" Squealed May. She leaned down to see the bird closer, but suddenly, Perappu looked frightened, and hid behind Drew.
"Wow May, you're a natural with Pokemon huh?" Said Drew sarcastically.
"Oh shut up, it just needs to know me a little" Said May.
"Rep! Pe! Rep!" Chirped Perappu, flapping its wings to lift itself of the ground and then landing in Drew's arms. Perappu smiled and blushed, staring hard at Drew.
May bitterly folded her arms. "What did you bribe it with Drew!" Snapped May.
"Hey May, is it possible that the Pokemon just likes me for being me?!" Yelled Drew.
May wanted to fight back, but just looked down, feeling a little hurt. Perappu apparently noticed as it started chirping a sad tune.
Drew felt guilty, but just turned his head. "So Perappu, do you have a trainer?" Asked Drew. Perappu shook its head, looking a little sad. Drew, feeling even worse, then said, "How would you like to come with me then? Participate in Pokemon Contests?"
"Pe! Rep!" Exclaimed Perappu, chirping happily.
"Cool! Hey May, check out my new Perappu!" Exclaimed Drew. May shot Drew a dirty look, making Drew quiet again.
Having a new Perappu, the three continued walking, until they reached the front of the village. Not speaking, May and Drew entered the town. Suddenly, a whole crowd of people surronded Drew and Perappu.
"A Perappu! Everyone come look!" Yelled a woman.
"No way! It can't be a real Perappu!" Exclaimed an excited teen.
Drew and Perappu looked overwhelmed by the large crowd, but May just watched from behind, looking angry and jealous.
"Thinks he's so great, what a jerk. I could have caught that Perappu just as easy!" Mumbled May.
"Hey, May!" Yelled a familar voice. May turned around to see Max running up to her. He stopped just in front of May, panting. "May! What brings you here?" He asked.
May looked surprised, but answered, "Somehow that jerk convinced me to come here"
"Jerk? Do you mean Drew?" Asked Max.
"Duh!" Snapped May.
"I don't think he's a jerk at all, May, what happened?!" Asked Max, sounding worried.
"First he thinks he's all great catching a Perappu, then he gets this giant crowd, he always just thinks that everyone loves him!" Yelled May.
"If I were Drew, I'd brag about a Perappu too, those are pretty rare Pokemon, and I'm thinking he's not really enjoying that crowd as much as you think" Explained Max.
"Of course! Side with Drew, I should of known!" Pouted May.
"No May! Stop acting like that! I think you're just jealous!" Said Max, trying to sound mad.
May blushed and didn't reply, but instead looked over to where the crowd had surronded Drew, realizing, maybe her brother was right....
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Poor Drew, he was dealing with many people who were trying to grab his Perappu. Until a woman an a police suit pushed through them all, and standing next to Drew. She had long purple hair, and pretty purple eyes to match. "Ok, back off everyone, please, you can all see it later!" She yelled.
The people all groaned, but returned to thier cabins, conversating about Perappu. "I'm sorry for the rude welcome, my name is Officer Elizabeth, but I prefer it that you called me Ellie" Said the woman.
"Oh, it's ok, I'm Drew, but why are they all so crazy over my Perappu?" Asked Drew.
"Oh, yes, Perappu are rare as you know, but the people consider them as gods of music, and our town being known for music, heh, it makes sense right?" Explained Ellie.
May and Max walked up to Drew and Ellie. "Uh Drew....I'm sorry" Said May.
Drew gave May a kind, yet sarcastic smirk. "It's ok, we all have our moments right, especially you?" He said. "And I see Max is here, well I have someone new to introduce you too, this is Ellie"
Ellie waved and smiled. "Hi everyone, I take it you're friends of Drew?"
"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Said Max.
"Well come back to my office, I have some more stuff I wanna talk to you all about!" Said Ellie, turning away to lead them all to her office.
"Ok, well, we aren't in a big hurry, so I guess that's ok" Said Drew. May rolled her eyes, since when was Drew not in a hurry?
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Ellie had taken them all to her office, a nice little room with white walls, three small chairs and her desk. May, Max, and Drew took the chairs, waiting to talk with Ellie, who was pacing across the room. She had changed back to her normal clothes, a sky-blue tank top and a long jean skirt.
"So, a Perappu huh?" She said, looking at Drew's Perappu, who was now sleeping in his lap.
"Yeah, I guess so, I had no idea it was so rare!" Exclaimed Drew.
"Yes, and well, I hate to ask something of you, especially something so big, but I need you, May and Drew, to take part in the Perappu Festival!" Said Ellie.
"Perappu Festival?! Well it sounds cool, you can count me in!" Exclaimed May.
"Well I can't refuse now can I?" Said Drew, nodding and smiling.
"Great! May, Drew, and Perappu, you three are the stars, so here's what you have to do. Since our town is famous for our music, we need you to form a band! Perappu has to be the singer though!" Said Ellie.
May's eyes got wide. "A band?!"
Ellie now looked worried. "Can either of you play any instruments?"
"Yes! Why do you look so worried!? I used to play guitar when I was really little, I really wanted a chance to try it again!" Exclaimed May.
Drew looked nervous too. "Um....Ellie, I don't know how to play any instruments"
"It's ok Drew, this really works out, May, if you can play Guitar, Drew can learn how to play the drum, it's pretty easy and will be useful to the band!" Said Ellie.
"Why can't I be in it?" Asked Max.
"Oh, I'm sorry Max, I need the two oldest," Said Ellie in a kind voice, as though Max were still a little kid.
Then Ellie left the room for a moment, returning with an awesome looking electric guitar. It was black, with flaming music note pattens on it. "Ok May, will this work?" Asked Ellie.
May appeared too mystified to answer. She nodded, still looking at the cool instrument in awe. "And Drew, we'll work with you later, May I'd like to hear you play a little, can you read music?"
"Yeah, of course!" Said May, putting the strap around herself and placing the guitar in a comfortable spot. Drew snorted, knowing May, she was probably faking.
"What do you want me to play?" Asked May, ignoring Drew.
"Anything, do you know any songs?" Said Ellie, still looking pleased.
"Yes, but give me a second to remember the chords," Said May. A few silent minutes later, May moved her fingers into shape of an easy chord, but then she started to strum across the stings skillfully and gently, moving her fingers to a new chord every so often. Drew stared in awe, but realizing this, he folded his arms and looked unimpressed. But he did have to admit, the cute little tune May was playing sounded really nice. Perappu, hearing the music, woke up with a start, spreading out its colorful wings, which surprised Max a little.
Then, folding its multicolored wings back, it started to chirp out the tune May was playing, which made Ellie smile even more. "Wow May, you and Perappu seem to really be together on this, hmm, yes that's why you're so perfect for this festival, I knew Perappu brought luck...."
May stopped playing, which also caused Perappu to stop chirping. "Okay Drew, the drums are pretty simple, so please don't worry to much about that," Said Ellie. But Drew didn't exactly looked worried, but really confident, the usual.
"Argh, Drew! Why do you always have to act like that?!" Growled May.
"May, calm down, remember you can be a little over confident too," Said Max, trying to calm his sister down. May shot him a scary look, which caused Max to sink down in his chair.
"Come on, there's no reason to get all worked up over little things," Said Ellie, now looking a little concerned. "Now May, here's the music, I suggest you start practicing considering the Festival is tomorrow. Now Drew, come with me, and Max, I dunno, there's plenty of things to do in this town, maybe you could entertain yourself for a while?" Said Ellie, already leading Drew to the room where she had gotten May's guitar.
Max nodded and replied, "Okay, and hey Drew, mind if I borrow Perappu? I might be able to teach it to sing!" Exclaimed Max.
"You don't need to worry about that, Perappu can pick up on any tune just by hearing it, but it's a nice offer," Said Ellie, in her kind voice again.
"But you can borrow Perappu if you want, just don't let the crazy people here get to it," Said Drew, with a smirk. "And by crazy, I mean May."
Perappu chirped happily, then jumped to Max's shoulder. The four seperated, Drew and Ellie going to the room in her office, May going to a quiet place outside, and Max and Perappu also going outside.
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May found a nice place, just outside the little town. A large tree was her shade, and a medium sized boulder was right under it. May sat down on the rock, shifting her guitar back into the right spot, then she placed the music sheet on the soft grass in front of her.
"Wow, this song is pretty easy, only four different chords, hah," Said May, looking over the music. Then, watching her finger carefully, she played the first line, slowly to start. The she tried it faster and faster, until she had it perfect and memorized. Then she played though the rest of the song, it was a cool song, it sounded somewhat modern, yet still old style.
May practiced over and over, sounding better every time, she loved the part towards the end of the song, it sounded so cool and mysterious.
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Meanwhile, Ellie had brought Drew to a nice looking room, with white tiles and walls, many instruments were placed around the perimeter of the room, some were cool, others were fancy.
Ellie brought Drew only one, medium sized drum. "See? I told you it was simple, you simply have to memorize the beat of the song." Ellie pulled out a pair of drumsticks and handed one to Drew. Then, she played the beat, it was not a slow beat, nor a fast one, just about medium, making Drew realize, it was simple.
"The only tricky part is keeping the beat when you're playing the drums along to other instruments." Explained Ellie, pulling a strand of her indigo colored hair out of her face.
Eventually, Ellie gave Drew both sticks, and he played the beat perfectly, feeling fully confident that the whole song was going to be easy. He looked forward to hearing his new Perappu sing along to the beat he played.
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Max had taken Perappu to a small forest that was close to the town. He planned to train it for Drew, to earn his respect.
"Go Perappu! Uproar!" Commanded Max.
Perappu opened its small beak, screeching so harshly, the smaller trees shuddered and some of their leaves blew away.
"Very good, and now, Hyper Voice!" Yelled Max.
This time, the sound emitting from Perappu's beak was much worse, not only was it louder, but more high pitched too. Max looked impressed, but because he was out of ideas, he grabbed his Poke'Dex from his belt and looked up Perappu's attacks.
"Perappu can learn:
Hyper Voice
Uproar
Fake Tears
Sing
Screech Wave
More>" Read Max's Poke'Dex.
"Screech Wave? I've never heard of that attack, but hey, let's try it out, ok Perappu, Screech Wave!" Exclaimed Max.
Perappu looked scared, but it obeyed, producing such a terrible sound, the waves were visible, Max watched in awe. "That looked powerful! Another one!" Yelled Max.
Perappu repeated its last attack, but this one was even more powerful, it even pushed Perappu back. Then the little bird looked upset, giving Max a sad look. "What is it Perappu?" Asked Max, looking worried.
Perappu attempted to sing, but all that came out was a small, scratchy sounding screech. "Oh no! Not before the festival! Perappu, do you need water? Yeah I bet that's it, here," Said a panicking Max, pulling a bottle of water from his backpack and giving it to Perappu.
Perappu drank the water slowly, then it tried to sing again, poor Perappu only sounded worse. Max groaned. "Now what do I do? May is gonna kill me."
Pulling Perappu back into his arms, Max began to walk towards Suyroi, feeling sad. He made his way back to the police station, but Drew and Ellie came out first. "Oh Max, hey, how's Perappu?" Asked Drew.
Max gulped, handing Perappu back to Drew. "J-just f-fine," Said Max in a nervous voice.
Ellie looked up at the sun that was slowly sinking in the sky, causing the the surroundings to turn yellow and orange. "We'd better go get May, it's getting dark."
"Yeah, we all know someone has to keep an eye on her at all times," Said Drew, rolling his eyes and smirking. Max giggled nervously, staring at Perappu who fell asleep again.
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Later that night, Drew and May practiced together, everything was perfect, now they just needed Perappu, who was still sleeping soundly on Ellie's lap. Ellie clapped at the end of their song. "Very good, this is all going to be so perfect tomorrow."
May and Drew smiled, they were both all ready, and were also feeling excited to preform in front of so many people. Secretly, Drew was looking forward to preforming with May.
"Ok guys, I think that's enough for tonight, we need you all ready for tomorrow, so I guess it's bedtime," Said Ellie. "Sorry but the Police Station doesn't have have any beds, so you'll have to stay at the Pokemon Center for tonight."
"Okay, that's fine, and see you tomorrow, Ellie!" Said May, following Max and Drew, they had already left. Ellie smiled and waved, watching May close the door behind herself.
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At the Pokemon Center, it was almost full except for one room that only had two beds. Nurse Joy had told them that many people from other towns were visiting to see the Perappu Festival.
The room they were staying in was small, with wooden floors, and the usual night stand, and the window. There were only two beds, which were on opposite sides of the room. "Max! Sleep on the floor!" Yelled May.
"No! You!" Argued Max.
May gave him a light punch on the head. "Floor!" She yelled. Drew chuckled, watching the siblings argue, he never knew what it was like, being an only child.
Suddenly Max pointed at Drew. "Sleep with him, since you guys like each other!"
Both May and Drew blushed, yes, perhaps this did sound nice, but it was embarassing. "Shut up Max, you sleep with him, we all know you practically drool on him!" Yelled Max.
Drew, now getting annoyed, suddenly yelled, "**** it May! Just make up your mind!"
May looked somewhat hurt, but then noticed Max giggling. A few seconds later, Max was lying on the floor, holding his head in pain, his sister looking satisfied. "I told you to stay on the floor," Said May.
Max quickly got up and jumped into one of the beds, giggling and covering himself with the thick green blanket that once covered the bed. "Hah, now I have to get one!"
May started to yell at Max, but Drew stopped her. "Don't be so childish May," He said calmly.
May paused, staring at Drew. "What are we gonna do then? There's only one bed, who's gonna get it?" Asked May.
Drew wasn't quite sure if it would be ok to say what was on his mind, so he simply said, "You go ahead, I'm going to go train my Grovyle for a while."
"Are you sure, Drew?" Asked May, a little confused. Drew didn't reply, but just left the room, turning out the lights. Perappu jumped to May's bed, folding its wings and falling asleep next to May's head. May sighed, staring out the beams out moonlight the shone though the window and hit the wooden floor. "He's so reckless sometimes..."
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Drew, went up to the spot where May had practiced her guitar earlier that day. He let Grovyle out of its pokeball, but that night, he didn't intend to train. Drew sat down on the rock, looking at the crescent moon that was now almost completely covered by clouds.
"Sleep with him, since you guys like each other!"
The thought of Max saying this raced through Drew's mind. Did he like May? He felt like he had just met her, yet he'd already kissed her and slept with her. But wasn't it normal for a teenage boy? Drew had never had experience with love, he'd never liked a girl, but May, she was different. Even when she got mad, or upset with him, Drew loved every second of it, as long as May was there.
But was the kiss too soon? What if it made May feel akward towards him? Drew felt like a total idiot, May was pretty and funny, she probably knew how to handle love and her emotions from experience, it wasn't fair! He didn't want to look stupid in front of her.
"Vyle?" Asked Grovyle, watching Drew carefully.
"Oh sorry, I'm just a little confused right now, Grovyle," Said Drew, giving Grovyle a friendly pat on the head. "Before I had caught you, well maybe before I ask that, do you know what love is?"
Grovyle nodded, even though as a Treecko living in a forest, it knew what love was.
"Then have you ever fell in love?" Asked Drew, not looking at Grovyle, but at the moon, the light reflected off of his pretty emerald eyes, making him appear to be in deep thought. Grovyle shook its head, looking a little sad. "I haven't either, not until I met.....May..."
Grovyle didn't look surprised to hear Drew admit. Instead, it put a claw on Drew's knee and nodded. "I know you can't speak english, but I have to admit, it's nice to have you here," Said Drew. Grovyle smiled, as if to say, 'It's nice to have you too'.
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The next morning, May and Max awoke to find Drew missing. May smiled, her instinct told her exactly where Drew was. She led Perappu and Max to the tree, and as she expected, there was Drew and Grovyle. Both of the were sleeping, Grovyle leaning on Drew a little.
May smirked, this was her chance. Quietly, she released Whiscash from its pokeball. "Water Pulse, okay Whiscash?" said May sweetly.
The blue fish looked excited as it shot powerful rings of water at Drew and Grovyle. Taking the full hit of the attack, the boys jumped up in protest. "Good morning Drew!" Exclaimed May.
"What the hell was that for?!" Yelled Drew.
"Uh let's see, you were being lazy, duh," said May, sticking her tounge out.
Drew was about to argue again, but then stopped, thinking about the previous night. Grovyle noticed and smiled, looking confident.
"Are you ready for today, May?" He asked.
May didn't look convinced. "Okay, what do you want?"
"Nothing, I was just checking, jeez, you don't have to jump on me for little mistakes that we all know you most commonly make, am I right May?"
May growled, but then said, "Whatever, we need to get the ready, the festival starts in an hour."
"An hour?!" Yelled Max suddenly, glancing at Perappu nervously.
"Uh yeah, what's the problem?" asked May.
"Oh erm, nothing! Everything is just fine, especially Perappu!" Exclaimed Max nervously.
"I don't believe you..." said May. "But for now, Drew and I need to go set up on the stage, see you there, and will you take care of Perappu for awhile?"
"Uh.....oh yeah, sure! Great, I'd love to!" said Max, scooping Perappu in his arms again. Perappu whimpered, wondering if Max was planning to train again. Max watched until May, Drew, and Ellie had disappeared, then went to talking to Perappu.
As though Max read its mind, he said, "Don't worry Perappu, today is all about getting your voice back before the preformence!"
Max set Perappu on the ground. "Ok, try to sing."
Perappu opened its beak, preparing to sing a tune, but once again, all that came out was a hoarse screech. "Oh no, May is so gonna kill me for this...." Said Max, groaning.
"There has to be something I can do to get your voice back.....wait a second, May can't get mad at me if she doesn't know I did it! That's it, I won't tell her, she'll never know!" Said Max. Perappu still looked worried though.
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An hour later, May and Drew came back to pick up Max and Perappu, then headed to the center of town. A large and very pretty stage was set up, a projection screen set up to serve as the back. Colorful ribbons decorated the sides of the stage, and many people were already waiting to see the show. On stage, there was Drew's drum, and an amp to plug May's guitar into. But there were two microphones at the front of the stage, one was very small, obviously for Perappu.
Max pushed Perappu on the stage, but it looked back at him nervously. "Don't worry, you'll be great!" Encouraged Max. Drew and May also got on stage, but from a set of stairs on the left side of the stage, Ellie following.
The sun had almost set, the perfect light for the Perappu Festival. May plugged her cool electric guitar into the amp, and set up in the spot where she and Ellie had practiced, Drew doing the same.
Ellie walked up to the tall microphone, she was dressed in her police uniform. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to yet another Perappu Festival! As you all know, we celebrate every time a Perappu comes to our village, and this time, we were lucky enough to have these two young coordinator's, Drew and May, to come along with our lucky Perappu! And now, for some of Perappu's music, with its trainers playing along!" Announced Ellie. Then she walked off the stage.
Just as they had practiced, Drew started by playing the beat, then May came in with her guitar, which added a very pleasent mix, people in the audience were already clapping. Then it was Perappu's turn to come in, but instead of chirping along, it looked back and forth nervously, feeling confused. Drew and May looked confused as well, but they kept playing. Ellie motioned for Perappu to start.
Feeling comforted by Ellie, Perappu opened its shiny pink beak, and tried its best to sing. Once again, the terrible screeching noise came out, causing people in the auidence to flinch. Max looked ashamed, watching poor Perappu. Then he got a quick idea. "Perappu! Sing!" He shouted.
Perappu suddenly snapped out of its confusion, attacks were easy! So then, Perappu began to sing in its normal voice, and it actually matched the tune! But the problem was, everyone, as expected with a Sing Attack, fell asleep.
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It wasn't until morning that everyone woke up, well at least Drew. He looked over at May, who was lying on her back, guitar still on, and snoring. "Jeez, what a slob," Said Drew, embarassed.
Slowly, more and more people began to wake up, but most of them went back to their houses. When only Drew, May, Max, and Ellie were left, it was then that Drew realized the time.
"Listen, I have something I should have told you about last night...."Said Max.
"What is it Max?" Asked May.
"Well, you know Perappu's voice? I forced it to use this one attack, and it made its voice come out like that," Said Max.
"Max! Why didn't you tell us, Ellie has a special drink at the Police Station that can heal that!" Yelled May.
"I didn't want you to get mad at me," Murmered Max.
May sighed. "Oh Max, that's what siblings do, right?"
Max smiled, then jumped into his sister's arms, a loving hug. "After not being able to see you for all those years, well, there's a lot I didn't get to know about you!" Said Max.
"Yeah, I know, and the same would go for me," Said May. Then she noticed Drew standing by the edge of town, Perappu at his heels. "Great, not again. Sorry Ellie, Max, Drew always seems to be in such a hurry."
"Well yeah, I have to get going I guess, there's a Pokemon Breeder's Convention today that I really want to see, so see you at your next contest May!" Exclaimed Max, turning towards the opposite path.
Ellie smiled. "Thanks May, and like I said before, sorry it didn't work out. But really, your friend Drew, he's pretty cool, I'd be more nice to him if I were you."
"Yeah right, like he's ever nice to me!" Said May.
"Hmm, ok then, well just remember, him being in a hurry, it will only help you become stronger, so just remember that, ok?" Said Ellie.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well Ellie, I hope to see you again someday!" Exclaimed May, waving good-bye to Ellie and then running up to Drew.
"You like dramatic endings?" Asked Drew.
"What?"
"Dramatic endings, you always have to take like an hour just to say good-bye, you know the Grand Festival isn't going to wait for us!" Scolded Drew.
"Sure, whatever, with all this stuff going on, I almost forgot about that..."Said May.
So, with a new Pokemon and a friend, May and Drew are making their way to the next contest, in hot pursuit of the Grand Festival......
