AN: So this chapter might feel a little off to some people which makes total sense given how I wrote it. If you have any problems with this chapter, I apologize but I am still learning how to write better. That being said, enjoy the chapter anyway.
Chapter 5: A Symphonic Welcome
As the group exited the forest, they saw Symphony Town ahead of them. "There it is, Symphony Town. Home of the gym people tend to go for first, the Normal gym." Hibiki said happily. Melody processed that for a moment before looking at Echo.
"Wouldn't my Pirouette form make that gym a joke?" Melody asked Echo.
"In any other gym challenge, yes. In Alaria however, we do things a bit differently." Echo told Melody. Melody raised an eyebrow, curious to hear what Echo had to say. "Basically, if a trainer feels they'll have too easy of a time in any gym, they can request the gym leader to either upgrade their team to a more challenging one or throw in Pokemon of different types." Echo explained.
"Huh, that's actually kind of cool. I never really thought to learn how the gyms worked because I never thought this would be something I do." Melody said with a nod.
"It's not often that people ask for it, but it's there if people want to use it." Echo noted.
"I'll definitely be asking to see what I can do with you, but maybe ask for a mix of both." Hibiki commented. Melody was going to say something when she felt something and turned around to check, seeing nothing behind her. "Something wrong Melody?" Hibiki questioned.
"I don't know how to describe it, but it feels like I'm being watched. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the Team Noise Grunts from earlier or I might just be imagining things. Either way, we should hurry to town and I shouldn't need to say this, but keep me in my Pokeball for as long as we're in town." Melody explained. Hibiki nodded, deciding to trust in Melody, before they continued on their trek.
"You think anything is going to happen at Symphony Town besides our gym challenges?" Echo questioned.
"Why do you tempt fate sis?" Hibiki groaned. Echo simply laughed at the comment as Hibiki sighed.
"Speaking of tempting fate, what is Symphony Town like so I know?" Melody asked.
"Well, Symphony Town is a bustling town south of the capital, Alaria City. It's a very music oriented town, with a lot of music stores, instrument shops, and a big performance hall that a lot of people visit. It's also home to the Normal Gym of the region, and it's gym leader is a very famous musician in Alaria." Hibiki said.
"Huh, this will be interesting." Melody said as she thought about something. Unknown to the group, a little bit behind them, a figure emerged from behind a tree a bit back towards the exit to the forest.
"That Meloetta sure is observant, thought I had hidden myself well for sure. Ah well, looks like she's in good hands. Still… this gives me a chance to check how much they're in sync and maybe give them a gift." the figure said as they walked a good distance behind the group.
Hibiki and Echo, with Melody in her Pokeball, arrived at Symphony Town and they saw quite a lot of people in town doing various things. "Wow, there's quite a lot of people here. I wonder if something is going on or about to happen." Hibiki commented as they walked through town.
"If I remember correctly, there is a concert going on later today, meaning that we're probably not going to be able to challenge the gym." Echo said.
"... You know, that's probably the case. I wouldn't be surprised if Sonata is at least taking part in whatever is happening." Hibiki said as they walked to the Gym just to check if it was closed. As they walked on, they saw various people talking and dressed up in different outfits, some of which looked familiar to Hibiki. "Must be something Symphogear related, I recognised some of the cosplays as characters from the show." Hibiki commented.
"Of course you would know that." Echo said as she rolled her eyes. The two proceeded onward to the gym and when they got there, they saw a girl walking out of the gym. The girl had blue hair in short pigtails, beige skin, pink eyes and was wearing a blue dress, white jeans, and blue boots. As they approached, the girl turned to face them with a small look of annoyance.
"The Gym is closed and sorry if I sound a bit snappy. Just a bit annoyed due to how many trainers have visited and I had to tell them the same thing." the girl said before letting out a big sigh.
"We had a feeling, but we just wanted to check to be sure. You're Sonata, the gym leader right?" Hibiki questioned.
"That would be me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get going." Sonata said as she walked past them.
"What is going on today by the way?" Echo questioned.
"A Symphogear Concert and Festival, I'm one of the singers there." Sonata said. Hibiki went wide eyed for a moment before pulling out a pair of tickets labeled "Symphogear Fest: Regular Pass".
"Right, forgot that was today." Hibiki said out of embarrassment.
"Huh, you must have gotten those early. Those sold out fast so count yourself lucky." Sonata said when turned and she saw them.
"Is that what Mom got you for Christmas?" Echo asked, causing Hibiki to blush profusely. Sonata smiled for a moment before she remembered a weird visit that she had yesterday.
"Say, you two wouldn't happen to know an Anabel would you?" Sonata questioned. The two sisters immediately stopped their joking before turning and nodding in response. "I see… you know what, I want you two to walk with me to the concert hall. We'll talk on the way." Sonata said as she put on Sunglasses and a fedora. Hibiki looked at Echo for a moment before smiling and following Sonata.
"I swear, she is too excitable at times." Echo said to herself as she followed her sister. As the two caught up to Sonata, they started to chat about a few things so it didn't feel as awkward.
"Huh, so you both just became trainers yesterday and you got… your partner due to that event?" Sonata questioned after Hibiki finished her story.
"Yep, that's about it." Hibiki said as she looked around.
"I have to say, that seems kind of unbelievable, but at the same time, Anabel did visit me yesterday." Sonata said with a sigh.
"I can only imagine how that went when you first met her." Echo commented.
"Definitely panicked a little bit at first." Sonata admitted. Hibiki giggled a little at that as the theater came into view and several booths and stands were outside. Sonata led the sisters to the side of the theater, where there was a person in a suit standing by a door.
"Ah, Miss Sonata, perfect timing. Are these your friends?" the guard asked.
"Yes they are, they have tickets for the event, but I want to talk with them for a bit and arrange for them to get backstage passes." Sonata told the guard. The guard simply nodded and opened the door, allowing the three of them entry which they took and went in, before closing the door behind them.
Once inside, Hibiki and Echo, mostly Hibiki, were looking around and seeing several people running around with their pokemon and getting everything ready. "Wow, looks like all the staff are really busy." Hibiki commented.
"This event has been planned for a while, of course everyone wants this to be a success." Sonata mentioned. Hibiki simply nodded as Sonata led the two to an empty meeting room of sorts and after they entered, Sonata simply locked the door. "So since we're here and I kind of want something in exchange for those backstage passes, do you think I could see that Meloetta you were telling me about." Sonata asked, very clearly blushing from embarrassment.
"... I don't see why not, only seems fair." Hibiki said as she got out Melody's Music Ball. Hibiki tossed the Music ball in the air and called out Melody, who took a moment to get her bearings before Hibiki explained what was going on. Sonata meanwhile couldn't help but be shocked when she saw Melody appear.
"Amazing. I had no reason to doubt your story, but it's still amazing to see a Meloetta, let alone a shiny one." Sonata said with some excitement in her voice.
"... This is the kind of thing that I try to avoid." Melody told Hibiki.
"Apologies for gawking, but this is just something I didn't expect to happen. Anyway, I think I can actually do you one better than backstage passes, just give me a sec." Sonata said as she unlocked the door and left the room, making sure no one was looking in. After she left, Melody simply floated onto Hibiki's shoulder with a huff.
"So I have to ask, if she's the gym leader and a famous idol, why are you not freaking out Hibiki?" Melody questioned.
"Oh trust me I am, but it's more internal. I don't want to embarrass myself." Hibiki mentioned.
"Though speaking of embarrassing yourself, what was that thing about forgetting the event today?" Echo teased.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Hibiki said as she blushed a little bit.
"You know I'm just playing sis. But seriously, I remember you begging mom for the tickets, how did you forget?" Echo asked.
"Our Trainer results came in like a week ago, you act like I wasn't nervous and excited about them." Hibiki commented. Echo opened her mouth to say something but quickly closed it as she remembered Hibiki's behavior last week.
"I swear, I got picked up by the strangest trainer." Melody thought as she put a hand to her head. After a few more minutes of talking and waiting, Sonata came back into the room and locked it.
"Sorry for the wait, I was just getting something ready." Sonata mentioned as she held a pair of passes.
"You don't have to do this for us, you know. After all, you did just meet us." Hibiki said.
"I know, but I feel like I have to… especially after the spook Anabel gave me yesterday." Sonata said with a small laugh and blush. Hibiki and Echo gave a laugh as well as Melody looked on and smiled. "Anyway, here you go." Sonata said, holding out the pair of passes. Hibiki took the passes and looked over them before doing a double take.
"Sonata, these are VIP passes. I thought you were just going to get us Backstage Passes, not VIP ones." Hibiki told Sonata.
"I know I was, but I just couldn't help it, plus two people who had VIPs apparently canceled yesterday, so we had free tickets. We could have just cleared up the space we reserved, but I figured why not give them to you." Sonata said. Hibiki simply went wide eyes and smiled very big before she froze up. Sonata saw this and waved a hand in front of Hibiki's face, getting a response in the form of Hibiki's eyes moving.
"Huh, well I didn't think that quirk would show up now." Echo said as she stood up from her seat.
"Is she going to be ok?" Sonata questioned, a little worried she might have done something.
"Yeah, it's just a quirk with her body. When she experiences heightened mental activity, sometimes it goes a bit too far and her muscles stiffen. She can still hear and see us though." Echo explained as she put a hand on Hibiki's shoulder.
"That sounds… a bit too convenient and weird." Sonata said with a look of doubt.
"I know, but from what I can tell, it seems to be psychic related. Our dad came from a family of psychics and we inherited some of the powers, though I never really use them. My sister can use them, but it is very dependent on her emotional state." Echo told Sonata. Sonata opened her mouth to say something, but just as quickly closed it because she knew a few psychics herself. "Either way, she'll be fine after a few minutes." Echo told Sonata with a smile.
"...Ok, I'll leave you two here then. Also if you don't mind me asking, is Meloetta going to be part of her team for the gym battle?" Sonata questioned. Melody simply nodded in response before hovering over to her trainer. "Got it, so I can at least think about it. The concert starts in about two and a half hours by the way, so feel free to spend that how you do." Sonata said before exiting the room. Echo looked over at Melody who simply just sighed as she sat on her trainer's head.
"So… were you making that psychic stuff up?" Melody asked. Echo stayed silent for a moment before she closed her eyes and concentrated on making a small ball of energy in her hand. Melody was shocked to see a clear purple ball of energy appear in Echo's hand before it quickly faded away as she opened her eyes. "Point taken, but this is the first time I've seen humans with a strong psychic connection. Most of the one's I've seen only know a bit of playful 'magic'." Melody told Echo.
"From what I understand, they don't come often in humans. Hibiki though is an especially weird case, due to her… special conditions." Echo said as she patted Hibiki on the shoulder. Before Melody could say anything, Echo slapped Hibiki hard across the face causing her to stumble onto the couch.
"God damn sis, you went hard on that one." Hibiki said as she rubbed her face.
"That being said, a good slap is all it takes to get her working again." Echo said as she smiled. Hibiki simply glared at her sister for a moment before she smiled as well.
"RIght, thanks for that sis. So anyway, what do you say we go enjoy ourselves before the concert?" Hibiki asked Echo in an excited voice. Echo simply nodded as Hibiki got out Melody's Music Ball to return her to it only to see Melody was not there. "Melody?" Hibiki called out.
"I'm here, just invisible." Melody told Hibiki. To prove her statement, Melody floated over to Hibiki and sat on her shoulder, causing Hibiki to turn and see nothing except an indent where Melody would be. "How do you think I'm able to safely see the human world? By the way, I can only keep this up for so long, which is why I didn't bring it up for our deal." Melody said, a bit of smugness in her voice.
"You really are a trickster aren't you?" Hibiki asked with a slight chuckle. Melody simply smiled as Hibiki put her Music Ball away. The group then got up and exited the room, excited to look around and get ready for the concert.
Over the next three hours, Hibiki and Echo, followed by Melody silently, went around the various booths and bought a few things after letting their mother know. At the moment, the group was sitting in a small seating area above the large concert hall full of people with one way glass. "You know I have to ask, how do you all have so much money?" Melody said as she looked at the receipts they had.
"Mom's the Gym Leader for the Noise Gym, so she gets lots of money as a bit of compensation for dealing with that place. Before you ask, no, she has no relation to Team Noise. While most of their members mainly come from Noise Town, they're completely unrelated to the Noise Gym." Echo said as she looked through the bags.
"Interesting. I take it your mom doesn't go by there much?" Melody asked.
"Yep." Hibiki simply said as she looked at the stage.
"Who is singing in this concert anyway, Hibiki?" Echo asked curiously.
"It's all the voice actors of the characters because they sing the songs of the show. Nana Mizuki, Ayahi Takagaki, Yōko Hikasa, Ai Kayano, Yoshino Nanjō and all the others that could make it. Sadly, one of the singers, Aoi Yuuki, wasn't able to make it due to being sick, but she handed her role to Sonata." Hibiki explained. A few more minutes had passed before the lights in the stadium dimmed. A spotlight then shined down on a figure on the stage as music started to play and the crowd started to cheer.
Song Name: UNLIMITED BEAT by Nana Mizuki ( wiki/UNLIMITED_BEAT)
Kotoba ja tarinai kara
Sora wa uta wo koboshita
Sā nigire yume wo
(wow wow wow)
(wow wow wow)
Hiritsuita saizensen de hashiri tsudzukeru riyū no
Kotae wa kami-sama ja naku jibun ni shikanai
Sakebu koe ga kikoeru (kikoeru)
Senaka wo osu koe ga (kikoeru)
Kono nakeru kurai
Yūki ni naru chikara (itsudemo)
Atatakai chikara (itsudemo)
Tabanete ima wo ikite ikō
I've got your back
Tatoe hoshi ga owari (unlimited beat)
Ten no namida ni natte mo (unlimited beat)
Inochi no memorī dake wa
Uta e to nokoru
I've got your back
Dakara tatakaunda (unlimited beat)
Bokutachi wa ue wo muite (unlimited beat)
Todoroke kaze yo hakobe
Hikari to ai no oka de
Kizuna to oto no umi de
Tatenai hi mo nemurenu hi mo asu koso to omoeru no wa
Kizuguchi goto dakishimeru kimi ga iru kara
Dōkoku mo sangeki mo (kasanete)
Omoide mo egao mo (kasanete)
Mata toki to toki no
Kuchidzuke ga tabi e to (izanau)
Tsugi no jidai e (izanau)
Tobō ka
I've got your back
Zankyō shita kiseki (unlimited beat)
Kono kyōmei shita tamashī (unlimited beat)
Ketobase sadame nante
Sonna mono wa nai
I've got your back
Soshite tatakaunda (unlimited beat)
Mirai e to kakugo matoi (unlimited beat)
Nando mo moyashita darō?
Shinjite kimi no kodō
(wow wow wow)
(wow wow wow)
Issho ni miru to chikatta shinsekai wa
Ginga no dono kirameki yori mo
Konjiki no hana ni…!
I've got your back
Tatoe hoshi ga owari (unlimited beat)
Ten no namida ni natte mo (unlimited beat)
Inochi no merodī dake wa
Uta e to nokoru
I've got your back
Dakara tatakaunda (unlimited beat)
Tsunagiai tatakaunda (unlimited beat)
Soko ni wa mita koto ga nai
Zekkei ga saku darō
Ima koso nigire yume wo
(wow wow wow)
(wow wow wow)
Akiramezu nigire yume wo
The crowd then cheered as the song ended, with more spotlights shone on the stage and all the singers walked on the stage and greeted the fans. As they gave the opening speech, Melody looked on in wonder and amazement. "I can see you liked it." Hibiki said, shaking a little bit from excitement.
"That was… definitely a song." Melody said, trying to play it off.
"Come on, lighten up a little. You do have a battle tomorrow." Echo said, a good amount of excitement in her voice. After the opening speech was over, a few more songs were performed, each of which the crowd cheered for very loudly for. Over the next 45 minutes, the entire stadium was abuzz with excitement as several songs were sung by the various singers, Hibiki nerding out a lot. Soon the break started to let everyone catch their breath and Hibiki got out of her seat to stretch.
"I'm going to go cool down, don't want to have another incident while I'm here." Hibiki said as she walked towards their door.
"Ok, stay safe sis." Echo called out as she looked at Melody, who was moving her head to invisible music. Hibiki simply gave a thumbs up before she exited the room. Hibiki then walked a little bit and headed outside the theater before looking for a nice calm spot to just sit down and take a breather. As she looked around, she eventually found a nice and quiet place that had a good view of the night sky with one person she didn't expect to see standing there and looking up to the sky.
"Sonata?" Hibiki called out as she walked up to the idol. Sonata, in somewhat of a trance, yeled a bit before turning and seeing Hibiki.
"Oh Hibiki, didn't think you would be out here." Sonata said as her heart rate dropped.
"I would have expected you to be backstage getting ready for more of your songs. What are you doing out here?" Hibiki questioned curiously. Sonata looked away, remaining silent and just sighing in response. Hibiki took a moment to think about it before closing her eyes in understanding and walking up next to her. "The concert's giving you nerves, ain't it?" Hibiki asked in an understanding tone.
"I know I shouldn't be due to the others being very supportive, but it's just so daunting to fill Aoi's shoes." Sonata admitted as she shook a little.
"Still, I'm surprised that you've never experienced this as an idol before." Hibiki remarked.
"YOU ACT LIKE I HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED IT ALREADY!" Sonata exclaimed. Hibiki was taken aback at the outburst while Sonata covered her mouth. "I'm sorry, it's kind of a sensitive point for me. It's just… all this time ever since I became an idol, it feels like there are these expectations placed on me by my fans and my managers. It's not like I haven't brought this up with my managers and parents, but I always feel like I have to bottle it up." Sonata said as she gripped her forearms with a spooked look. Hibiki stayed silent for a moment before grabbing Sonata's hand and sighing.
"So you mind if I tell you a story that could make you feel at least a little better?" Hibiki questioned. Sonata simply nodded which made Hibiki smile a little bit. "When I was about 7 years old, I was a complete mess. Incredibly nervous about everything, very jittery, and just over all a very quiet and reserved kid. At some point, I had a pretty nasty break down myself which left me silent for like a week." Hibiki said, reminiscing a little.
"A week?" Sonata said, remembering her attitude earlier.
"Yeah, I really let my emotions take over me when I was younger. Anyway, the only reason I'm not like that now is because of the Symphogear anime. It might seem like a pretty mundane reason, but the show just sort of… clicked with me in a way." Hibiki said as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Huh, well that makes sense considering how much you seem to be enjoying the concert." Sonata said.
"Also, and I'm going to need you to promise me not to let anyone know about this, Hibiki isn't really my birth name." Hibiki said, a small blush appearing on her face.
"Really?" Sonata asked curiously.
"Yep, though I don't feel comfortable telling you my birth name." Hibiki told Sonata.
"That's… definitely not a story I expected to hear today. What made you change your name to Hibiki by the way?" Sonata said.
"Well, do I even need to say anything other that 'Even so!'" Hibiki answered.
"... He, her cheery personality really is infectious huh." Sonata said with a smile.
"Yep… so how do you feel now?" Hibiki asked curiously.
"Better, you do know how to talk to someone and calm them down." Sonata said happily.
"I always try, anyway let's get back to the theater." Hibiki told Sonata as she started to walk away. Sonata simply nodded as she too went back to the theater.
After arriving back at the room, Hibiki simply smiled as the lights dimmed and a few more songs played. As those songs we're playing, Melody looked at Hibiki and noted that she seemed way more upbeat than before. "You look more pepy than usual." Melody commented mentally.
"Yep, just got a bit of nervousness off of my chest and helped Sonata be a bit more motivated." Hibiki responded.
"Really?" Melody said.
"She was having jittery about making sure she lived up to expectations. I helped make her feel at ease by telling her a bit about me." Hibiki told Melody.
"Huh, that was awfully nice of you." Melody said.
"I just don't want anyone to go through the same experiences as me." Hibiki said seriously. Melody was taken aback by Hibiki's sudden seriousness. Deciding to stay silent and leave her to herself for now, Melody turned back to the concert just as the next song ended. Almost immediately, Sonata came out on stage looking incredibly upbeat, making Melody smile. A song immediately started to play as Sonata pumped up the crowd and got ready to sing herself.
Song Name: Hanasaka Yuki by Aoi Yuuki ( wiki/Hanasaku_Y%C5%ABki)
Masshōmen domannaka ni akiramezu butsukarunda
Zenryoku zenkai de genkai (toppa shite)
Tagai ni nigiru mono katachi no chigau seigi
Dakedo (ima wa Brave) kasaneau toki da
Shihai sare (kamishimeta) kuyashisa ni (aragatta)
Sono kokoro tsutau ki ga shitanda (Wow×3)
Kyokugen no (kyokugen no) omoi kometa tettsui
Tomo ni, issho ni! Tokihanatō!
I trust! Hanasaku yūki (Shakin' hands)
Nigiru dake ja nainda (Shakin' hands)
Kobu (shi wo) hiraite tsunagitai…!
I believe! Hanasaku yūki (Shakin' hands)
Shinnen wa tagae domo (Shakin' hands)
Sā (ima) dareka no tame nara
"Dato shite mo!" to hoetate!
Teki demo kataki demo nani ka no wake ga atte
Ketsui wo kui shibari bukkomu (taigi wo)
Ichigeki hitsuai ni zen mo naku aku mo naku
Omoi (kakugo ga) tamashī ni kawaru
Unmei no (haguruma ga) sukoshi dake (zuretetara)
Tomo datta ki ga shitanda…zettai (Wow×3)
Yuzurenai (yuzurenai) kōsa shita te to te ni
Hoka no deai de naraba…to musebu
I trust! Dakedo hāto wa (Shakin' hands)
Me ni mienai kizuna ga (Shakin' hands)
Hana (sanai) kodō no duetto wa
I believe! Hikisakanai de (Shakin' hands)
Shukumei wa tagae domo (Shakin' hands)
Sā (ima) "naraba dōsuru ka…?"
"Dato shite mo!" no tsudzuki e!
Te wo tsukami nigitte…to
Kū wo kiru kanashimi no kotoba
Zankoku wa sare warau yō ni
Sore demo utai tsunage to…
I trust! Hanasaku yūki (Shakin' hands)
Nigiru dake ja nainda (Shakin' hands)
Kobu (shi wo) hiraite tsunagitai…!
I believe! Hanasaku yūki (Shakin' hands)
Shinnen wa tagae domo (Shakin' hands)
Sā (ima) mokuzen no ten ni
"Dato shite mo!" wo tsuranuke!
As the song ended, Sonata immediately waved to the crowd and left the stage for the next singer. "Looks like whatever you told her worked." Melody told Hibiki.
"Yeah." Hibiki said happily. The concert continued for another half hour, everyone in the stadium now cheering out of excitement. As the last Song ended, all the singers came out on stage, Sonata taking the center stage and bringing a mic to her mouth.
"Thank you everyone for coming here today! I'm sorry Aoi-san couldn't make it, but I hope I did good." Sonata said happily. The stadium immediately exploded into cheers, making Sonata smile. "It's very good to hear those cheers. Now then, this concert is over and the singers will be backstage, but I have an announcement to make right here." Sonata said.
"I wonder what she could have to say?" Echo said.
"To all Trainers taking the Gym Challenge, don't think I'm going to go easy on you all!" Sonata declared before looking at the box Hibiki was in. Hibiki immediately smiled and nodded before the Crowd erupted into cheers. "That's all I wanted to say, have a good evening everyone!" Sonata said before walking off the stage, the other singers following suit. Hibiki, Echo, and an invisible Melody exited their box and headed to go backstage.
"Think she's going to be serious tomorrow?" Echo questioned.
"Very much so." Hibiki said.
"Agreed." Melody commented. Hibiki and Echo simply nodded at themselves before they headed backstage and spent the rest of the night hanging out with the singers.