Okay, so I know I was in the middle of a different story, which I have started on the next chapter for by the way, but then I had another idea so I decided to write it :)
And incase you were wondering I do not own pokemon.. damn.
Enjoy!
Chapter 1 – Our Time Now
"You guys have been awesome! Goodnight!" I shouted as I ran off the stage. The end of another great concert!
"Yeah! We rocked!" Ash yelled as I joined the rest of the band backstage.
"No need to shout!" answered Tracey, covering his ears.
"Oh! Sorry!" Ash replied, lowering his voice to a whisper, "My ears are still ringing from the show."
I sighed before pulling two little rubber stumps out of my ears.
"They're called earplugs, stupid," I turned to Ash.
The other guys snickered.
Ash glared at them "Shut up!"
"Oh, I'm sorry! Did Ashy-boy get offended?" I replied sarcastically.
Ash made a low growl-like sound "You die now!"
With that, he leapt at me. Fortunately for me, Ash hadn't realized that his foot was tangled up in some wires so, when he jumped, he just fell flat on his face. But that wasn't the end of it. The wires he had tripped on were connected to a large speaker system behind him and, as the wires were yanked, the whole thing came crashing down. So he just lay there whilst the rest of us burst into a fit of laughter. You could always count on Ash for a great laugh!
After shoving the huge amp off him, Ash jumped up and opened his mouth to yell at us. But something stopped him before he let out a sound. Confused, I turned in the direction of his eye line. Ash was staring at Tracey, whose bright, amused expression had changed dramatically into one of distraught. When he noticed the whole band staring at him, he sighed and gave us a sad little smile.
"I'm really gonna miss this…" his eyes didn't shift from the floor.
After what seemed like forever, Tracey looked up at our confused faces.
"What do you mean?" asked Drew.
Tracey sighed once again.
"There's something I've been meaning to tell you guys…"
It was at this moment that Brock, the band manager, came running up to our group, cutting Tracey off.
"Wow guys! You were incredible, once again! But what are you doing standing here? There's a bunch of fans outside waiting to meet you!"
"But we were –"
"Sorry Ash, no time to talk! Now get out there! All of you!" He shoved us all towards the door where our loving fans awaited.
Guess we'd have to wait till tomorrow to hear Tracey's big speech.
The next day – at The Hangout
The whole band, including our manager, was gathered together, waiting for Tracey to begin his announcement.
The Hangout was a huge building that had been built just for Electric Voyage, our band. It had a recording studio built in so we could record all our tracks right here. There was also a huge practice room filled with all kinds of instruments, most of which we didn't even need. We even had our very own indoor pool, plus a giant game room which we hung out in all day long. It was like our heaven.
I guess now would be a good time to introduce the members of the band. First of all there's Ash. He plays the drums and is not against throwing his sticks up in the air at the end of each song, even if he has no intention of actually catching them. Next we have Drew. He plays the keyboard and still manages to get any girl he sets his eyes on. Thirdly, there's our bass player Paul. He's quiet but can get pretty violent if a situation calls for it. Then there's Tracey, our lead guitarist. He's probably one of the nicest and most genuine guys around. Our manager, Brock, is 100% committed to our band, and would do anything for us. Finally, there's me, Gary. I'm the lead singer. If there's one thing people will tell you about Gary Oak, it's that he's awesome.
But enough about us. Back to Tracey, who was standing up in front of everyone as we sat in the lounge area.
"Would you just spit it out already!" snapped Paul after a long silence.
"Yeah, you can tell us, Tracey," added Ash.
Tracey let out a deep sigh before beginning.
"Okay, guys. This isn't easy, in fact it's one of the hardest things I've had to do in my life. You all know how my mum's not been feeling too good?"
We all nodded. He had told us often enough.
"Well, it's gotten a lot worse…" he trailed off.
The whole room was quiet. We all knew that Tracey's mum meant the world to him. After a few minutes, Drew spoke up, breaking the silence.
"Oh, wow man, I'm real sorry."
"Yeah, we all are," added Brock "and if you need a few days to go see her, then that's fine."
"Thanks guys," Tracey looked up "But that's not it."
I stared at him, really confused.
"Well, then what is it?" I asked after he didn't continue.
Once again, Tracey sighed. He did that a lot lately.
"My mum is really sick, so I need to go take care of her. There's no one else that can. But it can't just be for a few days. I have no idea how long it will take for her to get better. So, there's really only one thing I can do…" He trailed off again.
"What?" we all asked in unison.
"I have to leave the band," stated Tracey, his expression emotionless.
The entire room gasped.
After I regained my voice, I stood up so I was face to face with him.
"Are you serious? You can't just quit! We need you!"
Tracey's face remained unchanged and he spoke in a calm tone.
"Look, Gary, I know this is pretty big, but I can't help it. I need to look after my mum. She needs me."
This time Paul spoke up.
"You do realize we can't be a band without a lead guitarist."
"Yeah!" agreed Drew "I mean, Gary's great and everything, but he can't handle your solos and sing at the same time!"
"Wow, thanks Drew for believing in me" I replied sarcastically.
Now it was Ash's time to stand.
"Really guys, is that all you think about! I mean, I know the band is important, but this is something that Tracey has to do. And it probably wasn't easy for him to make this decision, so we should at least try to be supportive!"
Tracey turned to Ash and smiled "Thanks, man" he said gratefully.
Ash returned the smile and sat down.
"Look, I know this is going to be really hard, for everyone," Tracey turned back to us "But it's something I can't change, no matter how much I want to. You have no idea how much I'm gonna miss all of you."
We all sighed. There was no use arguing, he had made up his mind.
"Yeah, were gonna miss you too, man," replied Drew.
"The band won't be the same without your bright, happy face," added Brock.
"But we still need a lead guitarist," stated Paul. Of course that was all he was thinking about.
"Oh yeah, you guys don't need to worry about that. I've lined up a whole heap of auditions for a new guitarist. You guys would be amazed at how many people think they've got what it takes!" Tracey's usual smile had returned to his face.
"Well, I guess that's sorted then," Brock got up and placed one hand on Tracey's shoulder "I'm really gonna miss ya', buddy."
"Yeah, me too – argh!" he was cut off as Brock pulled him into a tight hug.
"Uhh, Brock?" I pointed towards Tracey who was now gasping for air.
"Oh, yeah uh," he placed Tracey back on the ground and released him "Sorry. Guess I got kinda caught up in the moment."
"Well, anyway, I guess our next show's gonna be my last…"
Ash enthusiastically pumped his fists in the air "then we better make it one hell of a concert!"
The Greatest Concert of our Time!
"Thank you all so much!" I shouted into the mic, "We've had the best night tonight! But this concert's gotta come to an end. Even though I know no one wants it to cause when it does we gotta say goodbye to our amazing guitarist Tracey. But let's send him off with a BANG!"
The crowd cheered like crazy, and we started our final song.
Oh, oh, oh, oh!
There will be no rules tonight
If there were we'd break 'em
Nothing's gonna stop us now
Let's get down to it!
Nervous hands and anxious smiles
I can feel you breathing
This is right where we belong
Turn up the music!
Oh, oh, oh, oh
This is the dance for all the lovers
Takin' a chance for one another
Finally it's our time now!
These are the times that we'll remember
Breakin' the city's heart together
Finally it's our time now
It's our time now!
This is more than just romance
It's an endless summer
I can feel the butterflies
Leading me through it!
Take my heart, I'll take your hand
As were falling under
This is an addiction, girl
Let's give in to it!
Oh, oh, oh, oh!
This is the dance for all the lovers
Takin' a chance for one another
Finally it's our time now!
These are the times that we'll remember
Breakin' the city's heart together
Finally it's our time now
It's our time now!
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, now!
It's a dance!
Get up!
Come on brothers!
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh!
This is the dance for all the lovers
Takin' a chance for one another
Finally it's our time now!
These are the times that we'll remember
B-b-breakin' the city's heart together
Finally it's our time now!
It's our time now
(It's our time now)
It's our time now
(It's our time now)
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh!
Finally it's our time now!
"Thankyou everyone! You've been awesome!" I ran to Tracey and held the mic up to him.
"Thanks, guys! I'm gonna miss rocking out in front of all of you! Goodnight!"
With that, the curtain fell.
Backstage a few minutes later…
"Wow, I can't believe that was our last concert together…" Ash said once we had finally all gotten off the stage.
"Hey, come on guys! Don't be sad! Be happy! I mean, we just had the best concert ever!" said Tracey, trying to pump everyone up.
"Yeah, I guess your right" I answered.
"Wicked guitar solo, Tracey" added Drew.
"Thanks, man! Now let's go get wasted!" shouted Tracey.
We all nodded in agreement.
But just as I was following the other guys out the back door, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
"I hope you weren't gonna leave before saying goodbye, mister."
I cringed at the high-pitched squeakiness of the voice that I dreaded. I slowly spun around and found myself face-to-face with those big, brown, made up eyes, glittering with desire.
"Uh, sorry Melody, I gotta go. The band's waiting for me." I said hurriedly, trying to get out as quickly as I could.
You see, Melody had been somewhat smitten with me for quite some time. We had met in high school. She, the head cheerleader, and me, the lead singer of a band no one thought would get anywhere. For inexplicable reasons I had a tiny crush on Melody when I very first saw her. Nothing major, I just always found myself around her. I was never one to cower away from anything, so, just before graduation, I asked her out. She rejected me, of course, so I moved on. After the band got our first big gig and became a hit, Melody re-introduced herself into my life. All it took was a simple visit. I opened my door one day and there she was, ready to give me a huge speech on how stupid she was and if I could find it in my heart to forgive her. I knew it was a load of crap, but she still managed to stay near me, somehow managing to get a backstage pass for every single show. The rest of the band didn't have a problem with her parading around in her slutty skirts, but for me she was the one thing that could ruin the after-concert rush.
"Oh, don't be silly. I'm sure they'll understand you wanting to spend time with lil ol' me," Melody fluttered her eyelashes at me suggestively. She never quit, that I had to give her credit for.
"I'm sure they would, but we're celebrating Tracey's last concert, so I've gotta be there. Later." I rushed out the door before she could say another word.
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