19. Road to Pokemon Master

Chapter 22: Neon Town Gym Battle

Once Ash, Alice, and Brock arrive at Neon Town, they notice that a lot of people there are still working even though it is almost nighttime. Alice asks, "What's with this town? It seems like everyone is still working even though it might be the closed hours?"

"Neon Town is different from the other towns, it was once known as the City that Never Sleeps." Ash says, "Because of it, they work all night and it causes a lot of people to have insomnia, and their attitudes will be bad as well."

Brock says, "Yeah, that wasn't a bad experience, when we come to the town for the first time, people are treating us badly, and we really don't like this place at all."

"But what happened? Right now people here are now friendly..." Alice asks.

"About that, I am not sure what happened, maybe we can ask a person." Ash says as he notices a person on the stage. "Excuse me, can I ask what you are doing?"

The man looks at them and he says, "Oh, you guys must be travelers, right? As you can see, this is an alarm clock stage. It is one of the works that I made."

"Alarm clock stage?" Alice asks in confusion.

"You're right, the purpose of the stage is that after 11 o'clock, we will have a group of Jigglypuff and other Pokemon who is able to learn to Sing to make people fall asleep no matter if their work is finished or not." The man says. "And where are my manners, I am Solati, I am a vocal teacher."

After they introduce themselves, Solati says, "So you are the famous Ash Ketchum, I have heard of you. It is nice to meet you."

"Same here." Ash says. "So what makes you think about this plan to make everyone asleep?"

"How about we talk about this somewhere else?" Solati says as they go to what seems to be an empty music classroom, and it brings Alice some memories of the past.

"So this is what your classroom looks like?" Brock says, "And that must be the stage as well?"

"You're right." Solati says. "Before I arrive in this town, I met a lot of people who are rude to me, and Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy told me that the reason they are like this is because of their insomnia. So I ask them if they have any ideas to stop the mess, and Nurse Joy told me a lot of years ago, a group of three use a Jigglypuff to make everyone asleep, and that is the only time when everyone is not being rude."

Ash and Brock widen their eyes and Ash says, "Oh right, how could I forget about that..."

Alice asks, "You know something? Ash?" Alice asks, and Brock says, "Well, when we are here, we found the Jigglypuff who can't sing, so we tried to teach her how to sing, and it causes everyone in the town to fall asleep."

"Oh, so it is you guys. I am glad to know about it." Solati says. "Anyways, after hearing the news, I decide to have my choir also set up the singing Pokemon to make a stage every 11 o'clock, that way people will hear the lullaby and fall asleep, they won't be able to be angry."

"But won't this cause accidents as well?" Alice asks, "I mean...what if someone is at a construction site and when your Pokemon sing it? Won't the people who fall asleep get injured?"

"That is why before this work, we have Officer Jenny to do the announcement, not even those rude people want to be arrested or injured after all." Solati says. "Anyways, Ash. You come to this town means that you are here for the Gym battle, right?"

"Do you know the Gym Leader?" Ash asks, "No, I should ask more specifically, are you perhaps the Gym Leader?"

"You're right. This Choir room is not only my classroom, it is also where the Gym Battle is." Solati says as he presses the button, then the stage is moving backward and then the battlefield appears.