Popplio, whose final evolution Primarina is known as the Soloist Pokémon, is one of the three Starter Pokémon of the Alola region. Among countless Pokémon, Primarina has also been given the reputation of being a diva, making it indeed a Pokémon very suitable for becoming an idol.
Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon, possesses the greatest number of evolutionary forms, and its adorable appearance also makes it an excellent member for an idol group.
Lapras possesses intelligence high enough to understand human language. When in a good mood, it will sing with a beautiful voice. It is said that at dusk, it searches for its few companions and sings in a seemingly sorrowful voice. If one hears singing out at sea, it is most likely Lapras.
After Hiyoko Minami finished speaking, Terrance nodded. The choices of the three Pokémon were all quite good. Combined with Miss Hiyoko Minami’s top-tier appreciation ability for voices, this idol project might actually have potential. However, Terrance somehow felt that the name “Otonokizaka Entertainment Company” sounded somewhat familiar… [TN: Love Live anime.]
Where exactly had he heard it before…
“May I ask something presumptuous? Are you really Elite Four Terrance? Because this is simply unbelievable. I never imagined I would meet you in the Kanto Region.”
Hiyoko Minami spoke in astonishment. She was not very familiar with Hoenn’s Elite Four, nor did she pay much attention to the Trainer world, but she had long heard of the two Contest Masters from the Pokémon Contest scene. One of them, Wallace, was known as the Artist of Water, while the other, Contest Master Terrance, had already become the lofty Fairy Elite Four. Both were celebrities in the Coordinator world, and even people in the entertainment industry had heard of them.
“That’s right, I’m Terrance,” Terrance said with a smile.
“So it really is Elite Four Terrance. No wonder this Altaria has been raised so magnificently…” Hiyoko Minami said awkwardly. Then she glanced at Ash and the others before saying, “Um, if you don’t mind, please allow me to apologize to everyone.”
“I wonder where you all are planning to go? We came by vehicle, so perhaps we could conveniently give everyone a ride out of these mountains.”
“We’re planning to go to Cinnabar Island,” Ash said.
“Cinnabar Island? What a coincidence. We’re planning to go to Neon Town near Cinnabar Island. We’re headed the same way,” Hiyoko Minami said in surprise.
“If you don’t mind, then please ride with us. That way I can properly express my apology while also introducing everyone to the Diva Project. I wonder if any of you are interested.”
“Can we meet Popplio and Lapras?” Misty’s eyes instantly sparkled.
“Of course you can,” Hiyoko Minami smiled. However, she could tell that these people mainly needed Terrance’s opinion, so she waited for him to speak.
The apology was one reason, but she also wanted to use this opportunity to become acquainted with Terrance. Doing so would bring immeasurable benefits to the development of the Pokémon Diva Idol Project. Seizing this opportunity was extremely important for a rookie like Hiyoko Minami!
“I’m also pretty interested in Pokémon divas…” Ash slowly said.
“Is that so? Then we’ll trouble you,” Terrance nodded after seeing the expectant expressions on Ash and Misty’s faces. As for himself, he naturally did not mind either way…
…
…
The vehicle Hiyoko Minami’s group used was a gigantic truck. Although its exterior looked ordinary, the inside was a luxurious hall with complete facilities and even private rooms.
The truck was divided into two levels. The lower level was where the staff and Hiyoko Minami herself rested, while the upper level was where the three Pokémon of the project—Eevee, Popplio, and Lapras—rested. The upper level also contained various entertainment facilities and a small pool.
Since it was their first time riding in such a luxurious truck, Ash and the others found it all very novel. After everyone took their seats, Brock began to wonder aloud:
“Miss Hiyoko, may I ask what you’re going to Neon Town for?”
Neon Town, located between the Safari Zone and Cinnabar Island, was known as the City That Never Sleeps. No matter the time, the town was always lively, and its dazzling neon lights shone brilliantly day and night!
Brock and the others had traveled there before, so they were very familiar with the place.
“It’s because of a Pokémon.” After preparing drinks, Hiyoko Minami smiled and said,
“You should know about Neon Town’s characteristics, right? Because the residents sleep very little, the people there are all extremely irritable and short-tempered. It’s said that the local Officer Jenny is awfully busy every single day.”
“I know, I know!!” Ash quickly said.
“That’s already become one of the City That Never Sleeps’ trademarks. In the past, the town mayor even invited a famous team of Hypnosis specialists to perform public hypnosis in order to calm the residents down, but the results were minimal…”
As Hiyoko Minami explained, Ash and the others’ expressions gradually became strange.
“But not long ago, I heard some news. A Jigglypuff suddenly began singing in the center of town and actually hypnotized all the people and Pokémon in the entire city. It was simply unbelievable. Even more unbelievable was that after waking up, the residents’ irritable tempers had actually improved somewhat, as though their hearts had been purified.”
“That Jigglypuff has already been offered a huge reward by Neon Town’s mayor, and our target is also that Jigglypuff, hailed as the legendary God of Songs of the City That Never Sleeps. Its singing plays an extremely important role in our Pokémon Diva Idol Project. If we can recruit it, then the project will become even more perfect!” Hiyoko Minami said excitedly.
Clearly, after hearing the legend of the City That Never Sleeps, she was extremely looking forward to meeting the Jigglypuff whose singing supposedly hypnotized an entire city and possessed the power to purify hearts.
“Jigglypuff… could she possibly mean…” Ash, Brock, and Misty’s mouths twitched.
Come to think of it… what Miss Hiyoko Minami described really was something they had personally experienced!!
“Brock… it can’t be that Jigglypuff, right…” Ash’s face twitched. He was clearly still traumatized by Jigglypuff. That Jigglypuff originally couldn’t sing at all—it was only through the efforts of them and Team Rocket that it learned Sing… but after that, Jigglypuff’s singing techniques had gone further and further off course, reaching an utterly unbelievable level.
“If our judgment is correct… I think we know which Jigglypuff you’re talking about, but that Jigglypuff has probably already left Neon Town,” Misty said hesitantly.
Jigglypuff, the singing Jigglypuff—upon hearing this, Terrance also realized which Pokémon Hiyoko Minami had taken an interest in.
As one of the wild Pokémon with the most appearances in the original series, this Jigglypuff was incredibly distinctive and truly unforgettable.
“Perhaps it’s still near Neon Town. Wild Pokémon usually don’t stray too far from their habitats. If we search carefully, there’s still a chance,” Miss Hiyoko Minami said.
“N-no… unless something unexpected happened, that Jigglypuff not only left Kanto, but has already traveled throughout the Orange Archipelago and is currently somewhere in the Johto region…” Brock said helplessly.
Hiyoko Minami: “???”
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