Infernape waved towards the crowd as he began to walk back. The crowd exploded into cries for an encore. He paused for a moment before stylishly turning around. No one else had gotten cries for an encore quite as loud as this. However, it didn't feel right to deliver and steal the show from the rest of the other talented musicians. So he turned his mic back on and yelled out,
"ARE YOU ALL HAVING A GOOD TIME!?" Screaming back, the crowd erupted into various forms of, "Yes." After soaking in the noise of the crowd, Infernape continued, "OF COURSE, CAN WE GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO ALL THE TALENTED MUSICIANS THAT PERFORMED TONIGHT?!" before raising his hand alongside the rising claps of the crowd. He then gesture for silence, to which the crowd obeyed, before he told them,
"THEY ARE ALL INCREDIBLY TALENTED AND I AM HONORED TO PERFORM ALONGSIDE THEM! I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO TAKE THIS MOMENT TO THANK MY FRIENDS FOR INSISTING I PERFORM HERE!"
Somehow, perhaps through Infernape's raw charisma, or the fact that several people saw the group with Infernape, but they formed a circle around the group and applauded for them. Aggron, Garchomp and Lopunny were all surprised by this and accepted the praise. But Gardevoir was different. She looked around at all of the people applauding and cheering her and felt it all sink in. All of them were cheering for her and her friends. Thousands of people surrounding them, handing them praise struck a nerve within Gardevoir. Or, more accurately, it awakened something. Something that she had tried to lock up in the dark recesses of her mind. She was the first one to suggest that Infernape perform, after all. Not to mention that she had improved herself from before. She was a better woman now than she was eight years ago. Unlike others, she had taken the steps to change, earning her place on a pedestal and-
She shook her head clear.
"No," she thought to herself, "It's not just me, everyone else had a say. Stay humble, Chrona," Taking a breath, Gardevoir centered herself. That thinking was a poison that would slowly tear her apart. It had to go. Looking towards the others, she simply waved back to the crowd and focused her mind on erasing those thoughts. Alas, it is not easy to silence ego. The more you try to find it, the more it likes to hide. However, ego is also a cancer. Something that needs to be ripped out before it can spread and when it spreads, it causes irreparable damage, destroying how you are and leaving its victims as facsimiles of their former selves made up of their absolute worst attributes. Gardevoir tried her best to be wary of it. Tried.
Finally ending off his speech, Infernape announced to the crowd,
"NOW THEN, SORRY TO DISAPPOINT, BUT I WANT TO SING MY OWN SONGS NEXT TIME. SO REMEMBER THE NAME: SON LIEYANHOU! GOODNIGHT EVERYONE!"
With that, the crowd gave him one more goodbye before their throats gave out. The group, left unable to speak due to their screaming, left the stadium to meet up with Infernape in the back. Gourgeist and Carracosta were wide-eyed and stunned. Their jaws hung open as they looked at each other. The two then silently left. Meanwhile, Chandelure was having a similar reaction. He looked towards where Blastoise was sitting to see no one,
"Wait a second, where did he go? New York, did you see him go anywhere?"
"..."
"Huh? Did you see him, Serperior?" Serperior didn't say anything. She just stared at the screen with stars in her eyes. Watching Infernape as he disappeared into the back of the stage, she was lost. Chandelure saw what was happening and raised an eyebrow, "Um, hey!" Serperior was snapped out of her little trance,
"W-What?"
"We gotta go, like, now," said Chadelure. He floated away towards the stage but Serperior didn't immediately follow. Instead, she stared at the TV for just a few moments longer before shutting her eyes and slithering after Chandelure.
After getting past all of the musicians congratulating him and the record labels trying to sign deals with him, Infernape got to spend some time alone. There he punched the air and yelled,
"LET'S FUCKING GO! WHOOOOOOO!" before he sat down onto a crate. He laughed to himself joyfully. To say that was the most amount of fun he has ever had would be an understatement. It felt like he had come back from the grave, all energy that he thought was lost was suddenly and blissfully returned to him. Already, his creative juices were flowing with new ideas for songs. Instrumentals and beats were forming in his head in a hurricane of random thoughts and songs he liked, slowly stringing them together into an intricate web of a song that only he could make. Inspiration from life experiences, favorite music, fun stories, or even just a silly idea all swirled around in his head like a loom and all he had to do was form a dress that would wow the kingdom.
"Hello, Lee," said a familiar, older voice. Infernape jumped in fright only to relax as soon as he saw that it was Blastoise. He bashfully waved at him and remarked,
"You didn't hear or see that, right?" Blastoise snorted lightly,
"Don't be ashamed of your passion, Lee," he said, "You are talented." Infernape then grinned lightly,
"Thanks. You know, it's scary being up on a stage like that."
"I can imagine," said Blastoise, past memories reminding him that attention wasn't always a good thing.
"But when I stepped onto that stage, I was reminded of why I love music. Why I love performing. That crowd of people isn't there to scare and frighten me. They're cheering me on to give my very best performance. That's why I always put my best foot forward. It'll be a cold day in hell before I let them down."
Blastoise lightly grinned at the fire type. It was comforting to see someone of Infernape's age finally able to enjoy his life. To have your twenties, a decade of self-discovery and the glorious last hurrah of youthful optimism, taken from you is one of the most devastating crimes that can be committed against man. He knew from experience. Infernape almost fell into that trap, but he managed to get out with the help of his newfound family.
He placed a hand on Infernape's shoulder, catching him by surprise.
"I'm proud of you, Lee. You're a good man. I know you are. Don't let the demons of your past hold you back," he said. Infernape was silent for a few moments. Blastoise had struck a nerve Infernape didn't even recognize. This feeling that he had someone backing his corner, no matter what wasn't unique by itself. But his wisdom and experience with the world gave his words that much more weight to them. It was a particular niche that hadn't been filled in his life.
With a quivering lip, Infernape responded,
"Thank you. I promise I won't let you down." Blastoise answered with a gentle and comforting,
"There is nothing you could do that would let me down." The water type then stood up and left, "I'll be at the tailgate. The fireworks are going to go off soon. I'll see you later."
Infernape sighed to himself and prepared to follow when Gourgeist and Carracosta entered the room, followed swiftly by the rest of the group. Gardevoir immediately hugged Infernape,
"You were incredible!" she said with the last remnants of her voice. Aggron and Garchomp both raised their hands in celebration to make up for their lack of vocal power. Only Lopunny could speak reasonable well but there was a slight scratchiness to her voice,
"You've been hiding that from us this whole time?" Infernape rubbed the back of his head,
"Well, I did sing for Ampharos and Gengar at a karaoke bar. I did that." Lopunny chuckled,
"Well, anyway, you did awesome out there, Ferny.'
"What happened to 'tiger.'"
"Eh, that's Mary Jane's turf. Anyway, let's get some sleep. I'm tired." The others non-verbally agreed so Infernape shrugged and joined the others back to find a hotel to stay in for the night before returning home.
Along the way, people were waving at Infernape and cheering him. It was so surprising to see so many people reacting positively to him. There were record labels trying to strike a deal with him, photographers taking turns blinding him with their cameras, and reporters asking idiotic questions. Paparazzi asking incredibly invasive questions, including something about his 'harem.' However, never did it get to him. He was always cognizant of when to respond and when to remain silent. It was like he was a celebrity with decades of experience with the news, only he was 25 and hadn't experienced this level of popularity in his life. The questions aimed at him regarding Lopunny were especially tactful. He was incredibly direct with his answers, and never gave them an inch. Every little possible thread that the particularly nosy could spin was quietly burnt to the ground with an upfront response. Lopunny usually wasn't a fan of being coddled like this. She could fend for herself, but she had to admit that this was fairly sweet since this wasn't a problem that could be kicked away.
The group arrived at the hotel and began to book their rooms. Everyone had gotten single rooms. However, Lopunny then surprised Infernape and took a step forward,
"Can we get a double room?"
Infernape's face flashed redder than the sun before he sputtered out,
"L-L-L-LOPUNNY!" The hybrid looked back and giggled as she took his hand and dragged him up into the elevator after getting her keys. She pressed the button before turning to Infernape,
"I think we're gonna hang out tonight," she said with a seductive undertone. To say Infernape was barely functioning at this point would be an understatement. The only sound leaving his mouth was a meager whimper. Lopunny cutely giggled before telling him,
"Don't get any ideas. I just want to hang out with Nihonera's top new star." Hearing this mostly snapped Infernape out of his flustered state. Calming himself, he asked her
"Alright, what are we going to do?" With a cheeky grin, Lopunny told him,
"We're gonna watch some B-movies! They're so stupid, and funny and awesome!" Surprised by this, Infernape nonetheless grinned and let himself be dragged to their room. Infernape laid down on the bed as Lopunny began fucking with the controller to turn the TV on,
"How do you turn this thing on?" she exclaimed aloud.
"Don't say how to turn it on. Don't say how to turn her on! DON'T SAY HOW TO TURN LOPUNNY ON!" thought Infernape like a bald-headed monk before exclaiming,
"Have you tried the button on the side of it?" he asked, "YES!" Lopunny did just that and sure enough, it flicked on. Lopunny turned to Infernape.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now turn Gardevoir on. FUCK!" screamed Infernape.
Thankfully, Lopunny thought it was hilarious and laughed at the fire-type's mistake. She hopped into the bed and sat next to the embarrassed Infernape,
"Come on, big guy. It's not that bad. Hell, I'm surprised you and her haven't already," she remarked. Seizing the opportunity to change the subject, Infernape sat up,
"No, I don't think it would work between us. Too much bad history. Any fight would turn nuclear real quick," he explained. Nodding quietly, Lopunny refocused on finding a good b-movie to watch. Scrolling through the channels, she eventually found one from the 1940s called: "Mind Control Aliens From Outer Space!" by a UR director by the name of Sue Perba Dwightin. Lopunny perked once she saw that name,
"OH! He's one of my favorites! He made Underground Mole Lizard's and The Head-Exploding Communist Robots!" Infernape raised an eyebrow at first, but smiled regardless. He had never watched a B-movie before and figured he probably wouldn't like them, but he was willing to try it if it meant Lopunny was happy.
The pizza arrived and Infernape stood up and grabbed them. Turns out, Lopunny didn't just order pizza, she ordered a whole feast. Pizza, breadsticks, cheese sticks, wings, chicken, fries, the whole shebang. They paused the movie and began to eat. As they did so, Infernape and Lopunny began to talk,
"Thanks for the food, Bun Bun. I'm usually wary of those pizza joints that have a bunch of shit on the menu but this is good."
"I know, but these cheese sticks are really good. You're welcome by the way. I just thought it would be a nice thing to do."
"You're too kind," said Infernape. Lopunny pulled her ear behind her head and grinned sweetly at the fire type,
"Hey, you deserve it. You've been through a lot and you did a really good job out there. It was…amazing," she said with a blush on her face. She scoffed at herself, "God, I feel like an idiot, acting like a teenager."
"What do you mean?" asked Infernape, not used to seeing this more sensitive side of her.
"I said I didn't wanna be that kind of girl. You know, the one that acts like a doofus at the mere sight of their beloved, but here I am, struggling to have the balls to tell you how I feel," admitted Lopunny, much to Infernape's surprise. He couldn't help but wonder a loud,
"What are you afraid of? There's no shame in having an emotional side." The ice type looked away from the fire type, contemplating something. Some sort of secret locked away that she had tried to through away due to her pride, but it was chained to her arm. Infernape, who was all too familiar with secrets that cannot be erased from history, gently clutched her arm and told her,
"You can talk to me. You've got nothing to be worried about," Contemplating, Lopunny remained silent for a few moments. Perhaps it was too soon to ask this much of her this soon? Ready to give up, Infernape was about to let go of the issue and go back to watching their movie when Lopunny finally spoke up,
"This scarf." she said as she pulled her signature red scarf off of her neck, "It means a lot to me. It's a promise I made long ago. A promise to be someone better. Someone who wouldn't let everyone down."