Alyssa trembled as she looked at the crowd below the stage. She couldn't help but grip the microphone tightly. The cold in her stomach was unbearable; it felt as though her voice wouldn't come out.
The sea of people seemed endless. Thousands of faces stared at her, illuminated by the lights spinning around the stadium. Children squirmed on their parents' shoulders, trainers lifted their Pokémon to see better, and even the shyest Pokémon — like Eevees hiding behind their owners' legs — peeked out curiously. The noise of voices was deafening, yet inside Alyssa there was only the oppressive silence of doubt.
But she knew she couldn't let that feeling consume her. She and Edie had worked too hard to get there. Alyssa remembered his fingers, always covered with bandages from the cuts of guitar strings, and the days when she herself could barely lift her arms from drumming so much.
Edie had done his part. Now it was her turn to show the world why she had come. It was time to scream to everyone that she wasn't just a spoiled rich girl, but someone who had worked harder than anyone else.
It was the moment to prove she was someone, that she was good, that she was there — and that no one could stop her, that no one could silence her, not while she had a microphone in hand.
She turned to Edie, who was standing at her side with the most confident look possible. For a moment, their eyes met, and time seemed to stop. They didn't need words; their gazes said it all.
Edward released the guitar for a second, but the strap held it before it could fall. Even so, the movement startled part of the audience, who watched them with expectation. Then, in perfect sync, Edward and Alyssa clapped their hands together, followed by heavy stomps on the floor.
THUD! THUD! TCHAK!
The crowd flinched at the thunderous beats that echoed through the speakers. It was impossible that claps and stomps alone had produced such a powerful sound, but the synchronization with the sound system was so perfect that no one stopped to question it.
A heavy silence filled the air after the first beats. One, two, three seconds in which every person — and every Pokémon present — could hear only the sound of their own hearts. The doubt and anticipation of what would come next were almost torturous.
In the crowd, a Machamp pounded all four fists against its chest as if it were about to explode with excitement. A group of Pikachus repeated the movements with electric rhythm, while the shining eyes of a Gardevoir reflected the stage lights like stars. Even the most serious Pokémon, like a Charizard watching with crossed arms, couldn't hide its interest.
Edie and Alyssa looked at each other again and smiled. Their hands moved once more, followed by stomps. The speakers roared again in perfect harmony.
THUD! THUD! TCHAK!Again.THUD! THUD! TCHAK!
Without realizing it, the entire audience began clapping and stomping together, in one rhythm, in one heartbeat, in one beat.
Alyssa's heart raced. Her eyes widened and, before she realized it, she began to sing:
"Buddy, you're a boy, make a big noisePlaying in the street, gonna be a big man somedayYou got mud on your face, you big disgraceKicking your can all over the place"
The lyrics spoke for themselves. With every word, the crowd's emotion grew, vibrating along with her. The sound reverberated off the walls, coursed across the ground, and seemed to rise into the night sky.
What music fan had never dreamed of singing as loud as possible on a stage before thousands? What trainer had never dreamed of winning against the strongest, surrounded by applause?
Dreams that once seemed unreachable were now close, in that brief moment as Alyssa sang.
"We will, we will rock you"
Yes. Alyssa and Edie embodied those words. The emotion reached its peak when Edward shouted with all his strength:
— Once more, all together!
And the unimaginable happened: in one voice, in one heartbeat, thousands of people and Pokémon roared in unison:
"We will, we will rock you!"
The sound of their voices seemed able to break any barrier, to shatter the world itself.
Alyssa raised the microphone again:
"Buddy, you're a young man, hard manShouting in the street, gonna take on the world somedayYou got blood on your face, you big disgraceWaving your banner all over the place"
For a brief instant, everyone in the crowd believed in their dreams. In that moment, they could face the world and raise their banners without fear. That was music. That was rock and roll.
THUD! THUD! TCHAK!
Edie shouted:— Everyone now, people!
"We will, we will rock you!"One voice. One heartbeat."We will, we will rock you!"
With every stomp, every clap, every beat, the energy grew. Edward could no longer contain himself and, without realizing it, began to join Alyssa and the crowd with his guitar. He seemed possessed by the music. In truth, everyone was.
"Buddy, you're an old man, poor manPleading with your eyes, gonna make you some peace somedayYou got mud on your face, you big disgraceSomebody better put you back into your place"
But no one needed to be put back in their place. Not this time. Everyone was exactly where they should be, where they wanted to be.
And even without Edie's command, the crowd exploded:
"We will, we will rock you!"The voices echoed, shaking everything around."We will, we will rock you!"
Even when Edie's guitar finally fell silent and Alyssa let go of the microphone, the shouts of the crowd continued:
"We will, we will rock you!We will, we will rock you!"
Alyssa doubted her eyes and ears. Were she and Edie really responsible for all of this? For all those people and Pokémon screaming and jumping frantically before the stage?
Without realizing it, her eyes filled with tears. She had been heard, for the first time in her life. She wasn't just a member of the nobility. She was someone.
Alyssa searched for Edward with her eyes and found him at her side, frozen, staring at her. She didn't think twice: she simply leapt and hugged him with all her strength.
The boy was startled, almost falling. Maybe, if he hadn't been so busy trying to memorize Alyssa's face in his mind, he would have reacted faster. But soon he returned the embrace, smiling as he ran his fingers through her hair.
— We did it, Edie-boy… — Alyssa murmured, her face buried in his chest.— Yes, Aly… we did it — was all he managed to say, fighting his own emotions as he held her even tighter.
The sound of the crowd still echoed like waves crashing in an endless sea. Even as the stage lights dimmed, no one seemed willing to stop. Trainers cried, Pokémon leapt, and the energy was so intense that it seemed impossible to return to normal after that.
At the back of the arena, a few judges exchanged incredulous looks. One of them, an old man with a white mustache and a long coat, shook his head with a discreet smile:— They're not just playing music. They're changing the way everyone here sees what a performance is. It's been a long time since something managed to excite me like this.