Chapter 44: The Roaring Youth and the Silver Ribbon!

"Alright, next up, it's Mr. Jeremy's performance!" announced Lilian. As soon as she finished speaking, the stage lights shifted dramatically. Mr. Jeremy stepped onto the stage dressed like a Rock Musician, surprising everyone. It turns out that Mr. Jeremy was once a Rock Musician. "Butterfree, let's dazzle everyone with your unique charm!" he announced. "Use Poison Powder, then Stun Spore!" Butterfree gently released both moves, astonishing the audience by using its left wing to emit Poison Powder and its right wing to release Stun Spore. Positioned between the two powders, Butterfree's charm radiated through the mix of purple Poison Powder and golden Stun Spore. "Good! Now use Silver Wind to swirl the powders into our unique 'Silver Powder Twister' combination move!" Just as everyone thought the performance was nearing its end, two people suddenly appeared in the audience: Mr. Jeremy's wife and son. The performance was forced to stop. "Dad, aren't you too old to be dressing like this? I'm embarrassed for you!" his son complained. "Jeremy, instead of coming home after work, you're here in this outfit? Do you know how much the neighbors laugh at us? Let's go home!" his wife added, clearly unable to understand his actions. Ogata's Jeremy believed that at his age, in his forties, dressing up like a rock musician was disgraceful. "Mandy, Nicholas, I'm sorry for not telling you, but this is a competition, not the place for this discussion. Let's talk outside," he apologized to them, feeling saddened by the interruption. Mr. Jeremy's heartfelt performance had been interrupted by his wife and son, leaving him deeply hurt. Despite this, he still apologized to the audience and judges. It was evident that life had worn down his spirit. His pained, awkward, and bittersweet expression revealed how much he had been affected by life's hardships. "Please don't get involved in these nonsensical activities anymore," his son muttered, pushing Jeremy over the edge. He erupted, shouting, "How is this nonsense, Nicholas? You don't understand. This is my decades-old dream, my lost youth! I love Pokémon, and I want to show our hard work to everyone on stage. This isn't nonsense!" Everyone fell silent, stunned by Mr. Jeremy's sudden outburst. Butterfree, sensing his frustration, flew over and nuzzled his cheek gently, saddened by the interruption. "This stage is sacred. I'm dressed this way because, in my youth, I was a rock musician. I've combined rock music with Pokémon performances. I work nine-to-five, day after day, only to come home to complaints from my wife and the disappointment of my son. And what about the neighbors? They don't understand, and neither do you. This is my tribute to the vibrant days of my past, to my fading youth!" Mr. Jeremy poured out years of pent-up frustration – toward his boss, his wife, and his son. Clap, clap, clap! An elderly man in the audience began clapping. Soon, applause echoed throughout the hall. Mr. Jeremy regained his composure, exhausted from expressing himself like this for the first time. "I'm sorry, everyone, for tainting this sacred stage. I'll leave..." However, the audience strongly encouraged him to continue. They loved his performance, and the judges shared the same sentiment, feeling it would be a pity if he stopped now. In the end, Mr. Jeremy advanced to the second round alongside May. The second round had only four contestants, and both May and Mr. Jeremy triumphed over their opponents. The final showdown was between May's Combusken and Mr. Jeremy's Venusaur! Venusaur launched its powefull Frenzy Plant move to counter the Combusken. Having recently been trained by Ash's Charizard, May's Combusken had grown considerably stronger, learning the explosive move Sky Uppercut, a powerful new skill! With Fire-type moves that countered Venusaur's Grass-type move Frenzy Plant, Combusken turned the battle in May's favor. In a final thrilling showdown, May defeated Jeremy to claim the coveted Silver Ribbon from the Silver Town Pokémon Contest! -------------- T/N: Access 30 Chapters in Advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals