"Meowth's gonna teach the twerp to sing!?"
On the video call screen, the trio's faces were squished together as they spoke in unison.
The extraordinarily handsome 'Mentor' nodded solemnly and said in a deep voice:
"Correct. This is your most important mission assignment recently!"
"But..." James scratched his head, confused. "Meowth can barely sing himself. How's he supposed to teach the twerp?"
"Exactly!" Jessie clenched her fist. "What Meowth does is more like teeth grinding than actual singing!"
Then Jessie gracefully spun around while raising her right hand dramatically.
"When it comes to vocals, you obviously need a multitalented superstar like the sweet Serena-Jessie—"
"Jessie, you're not much better yourself," James said with a sideways glance.
"What did you say!?" Jessie angrily grabbed James by the collar.
Suddenly, they both paused and turned to look at Meowth.
"That's weird. Meowth hasn't chimed in today?" Natsume voiced their shared confusion.
"M-meow! I was just distracted!"
"Executives, Meowth is not good at singing, you should find another helper!"
"Is that so?"
Natsume smiled gently.
"You don't need perfect pitch. Just getting the rhythm and melody right is enough to deliver an emotionally moving performance."
"Besides..." Natsume raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you written your own songs before, Meowth?"
"H-how did you—!?"
Meowth stumbled back in shock, raising his paws to cover his flushed face.
"H-how did you know about that, meow!?"
James looked upward thoughtfully before suddenly smacking his fist into his palm:
"Oh right! Meowth, wasn't that the song you sang while playing your own accompaniment last time?"
"I heard it was a love song for his old flame~"
Jessie laughed gossipily ("Ohohoho!") until she noticed Meowth's dejected expression, then gave him a hearty slap on the back.
"Cheer up! Once you complete the Executives's mission, you can have all the sweethearts you want!"
"N-no, that's not it, meow!"
Meowth's face burned red as he thought about his unrequited love for a Meowth named 'Meowzie' and the song he'd written for her—"Meowth's Ballad." He let out a long sigh.
"It wasn't mutual... Just my one-sided crush, meow..."
"But you said you wrote her a song?" James asked curiously. "What happened after?"
Meowth's eyes turned into wavy lines as he cried miserably:
"Meowzie said a talking, bipedal Meowth was disgusting, meow!"
"Stop crying!" Jessie shouted—before promptly pulling out a handkerchief herself. "Now you're making me tear up too (Ｔ▽Ｔ)..."
"That's horrible, Meowth!" James exclaimed.
For a moment, the entire Team Rocket trio shared the heartbreak. Even Wobbuffet popped out of its Poké Ball to wipe away tears with a handkerchief.
"Wobbuffet!"
"What a blasting-off awful feeling~!"
Natsume's face darkened as he watched the trio bawling in a group hug. He slammed the table.
"Enough!"
"Sir, yes sir!"
The trio immediately stopped crying, standing at attention and saluting sharply:
"Awaiting your orders!"
These three could all win Oscars...
Natsume smiled wryly and said, "I can't find a suitable voice actor right now."
"So Ash... ahem, the twerp will be your responsibility, Meowth. Get him performance-ready within a week."
"In return, I'll produce a full album just for you, Meowth."
Meowth's fur stood on end as his eyes widened in shock.
"A... a Meowth solo album!?"
Jessie looked visibly jealous while James laughed heartily:
"Better step up your game, Meowth!"
An album... Meowth could be a real singer... Meowth's very own record...
Overwhelmed by euphoria, Meowth swayed dizzily with pink hearts floating around him.
Then he snapped to attention, saluting with his paw as his eyes burned with determination:
"Give me three days! I'll whip that twerp into vocal shape, meow!"
...
The scheduled meeting with Ash and Meowth was set for Sunday.
Natsume had one day to travel to Jubilife City, book a recording studio, and prepare the venue.
Before that, Natsume clicked open the official Pokémon website established by Pokémon Company.
A bold headline on the front page read: "Music Video Promotion Project in Preparation."
[For the Pokémon MV, we've invited heavyweight guest commentators. Producer Natsume-sensei from the core creative team will serve as the MV's director while also composing the lyrics and music...]
Gaming forums were already exploding over the announcement.
"Heavyweight guest commentators? Since when does this broke company have that kind of budget?"
"I'm dizzy—Natsume-sensei is producer, director, AND lyricist now?"
"As we all know, Natsume-sensei is so cheap he had to learn how to do everything himself."
"Wait, I thought Natsume-sensei was a chef?"
"This 'chef' clearly knows nothing about Pokémon training. I bet he couldn't even win a battle without giving commands!"
Players had grown numb to this chef's endless talents.
At this point, even if he revealed himself as a "Top Coordinator," nobody would bat an eye.
On anticipation rankings, Pokémon had already surpassed Devon Corporation's new game to claim the top spot.
The forums were flooded with threads speculating about the release date.
"A good game that doesn't get delayed? Doesn't exist."
"Don't rush them! They just created a new project folder labeled 'Pokémon.'"
"Buy the soundtrack, get the game free—what a deal!"
In the chat group, Old Man Wattson shared a forum post and asked eagerly:
"Natsume, my boy... when's the game dropping? This old coot's ready to buy!"
"Still a ways off," Natsume replied. "Even after the MV releases, development will take at least another month."
Wattson made a displeased face: "Six months of development, and I'll finish it in two days..."
Gold smirked: "That's what happens when you cheat!"
"Cheat!?" Wattson bristled. "It's called... an overpowered protagonist run! The kids love it these days!"
Natsume blinked.
Good grief, Old Man Wattson... are you part of the WeMod cult too?
"Patience... let's finalize the MV's music first."
After some more group chat banter, Natsume entered the small attic housing his musical instruments and sat at the drum set.
In his retina, the long-dormant skill [Performance Lv3] flickered to life.
This skill placed Natsume's musical abilities at an upper amateur level—not enough to make a living, but sufficient for content creation.
"For Sinnoh's version, we'll use the original 'Aim to Be a Pokémon Master' and have Ash perform it."
Natsume recalled the melody from memory, tapping the electronic keyboard beside the drums to transcribe the notes.
"As for the Touhou version, I'll perform that myself and upload it to Nico Douga. Might even gain some followers..."
Smiling, Natsume placed his hands on the keyboard and called over his shoulder: "Gengar!"
"Gengar?"
Without opening the door, Gengar levitated straight through the wall, blinking its big red eyes.
With Gengar providing backup vocals, Natsume pressed the keys dramatically while shouting:
"Pokémon, Get☆Daze!"
As energetic synth notes filled the air, Gengar tilted its head in confusion: "Gengar?"
"Whether in water, fire, grass, or the forest—"
"Up in clouds, underground, or that girl's skirt—"
Gengar gave a disapproving side-eye before floating back out the door.
Natsume tossed the microphone toward Gengar, who fumbled to catch it.
Then Natsume started singing the original lyrics:
"Pokémon, Get☆Daze, ei-ei-ei!"
"Gengar!"
Clutching the mic, Gengar eagerly floated closer—only for Natsume to snatch it back and walk out.
"Come on, let's get dinner..."
Natsume wiped imaginary sweat from his brow.
That was close—he'd almost forgotten Gengar knew Perish Song!
"Gengar!(* ￣︿￣)"
Pouting, Gengar drifted off while humming the melody, swiveling its hips toward the kitchen for some sneaky snacking.
"Gengar! (～￣▽￣)～"
That song must be Trainer's true wish!
Aim to be the very best...
This Gengar will work extra hard too~!
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