Chapter 280: Ash's Mr. Mime
Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
As time went on, a steady stream of audience members began to file into the large circus tent. In less than an hour, all one hundred-plus seats were filled. Of course, most of the spectators had come from other parts of the Kanto Region to show their support; the locals of Pallet Town certainly couldn't afford it.
"Bang!"
A burst of fireworks exploded on the stage, signaling the official start of the circus performance! It began with a few Ponyta jumping through fiery hoops to liven up the atmosphere, followed by a Seel balancing a ball on its nose and clapping, a Sandshrew spinning in place, and so on. It wasn't particularly stunning, but it was watchable enough. This, however, was not the main event.
After a flurry of flashy acts, the circus performance was halfway through. Just then, the lights in the tent went out. A shiver of anticipation ran through the crowd—everyone knew the main event was about to begin.
When the lights came on again, only a single spotlight shone on the stage. In its beam, a pink and white humanoid Pokémon appeared. It held its palms open in front of it, rubbing them gently together in the classic "wiping glass" motion to greet the audience.
"Wooooo~!"
"Mimey, I love you!"
"Mimey's performance is so good! It's amazing!!"
The moment the Mr. Mime appeared, the entire audience erupted. The cheers and applause were almost enough to tear the roof off the tent. Even before the performance had begun, many in the audience were already moved to tears.
"Jeez... Is it really this popular?"
Brock and his two companions, plus one Electric Mouse, looked around at the crowd with dumbfounded expressions, seeming somewhat out of place.
It was no exaggeration that half of the Circus Troupe's income came from this Mr. Mime. That was why it was treated like a local tyrant, and none of the other members saw any problem with it.
"You think Ash will be okay?"
"He'll be fine. He's an old pro at this sort of thing."
And so, the three of them turned their gazes to the stage.
On the stage, Ash, disguised as Mr. Mime and hidden beneath the costume's headpiece, showed no emotion on his face, silently going through the motions.
"Bari~"
After wiping the invisible glass, Ash's Mr. Mime extended its arms. One hand was curled as if holding a teacup, while the other mimed the action of pouring coffee. He poured himself a cappuccino, then maintained the pose as he drank it all in one smooth, continuous motion.
Instantly, an explosion of cheers erupted from the audience.
"Whoa, a special trick!"
"There it is, Mr. Mime's ultimate move: Drinking Coffee from the Void!!"
"That's so incredible!! I feel like I could wrestle a Farfetch'd!"
A few audience members, overcome with excitement, even started air-punching to vent their feelings.
Brock, his two companions, and the mouse: "?"
The three of them truly couldn't understand what set this crowd off, how even drinking imaginary coffee could send them into a frenzy.
That's it?
"Squeak."
Suddenly, the lights went out again. A few seconds later, they came back on. Ash's Mr. Mime was now standing on a high platform nearly five meters tall. There was nothing in front of the platform. The spotlight fell on him, while the surroundings were pitch black. This made the audience fall instantly silent, all of them holding their breath as they stared intently at the target.
"He's moving!"
Ash's Mr. Mime began to walk. He took his first step out into the void, twisted slightly as if he had touched solid ground, and only then did he move his other leg forward.
Just like that, he began to walk through the void five meters up, as if treading on flat ground. This godlike freedom of movement high in the air created an immense visual impact.
Due to the lighting, the audience couldn't see the steel cable wrapped around Ash's waist.
"So slick!!"
"Mimey, be careful not to fall! Mommy's scared for you!!"
"Jeez, that's just too awesome!!"
"Where's a Farfetch'd? I really want to wrestle one, damn it!!"
As the cheers and applause from the audience below reached a crescendo, Ash, still walking in the void, completely let loose. He was the type to get more excited the more people around him were cheering "666," and he immediately started doing somersaults in mid-air.
"666!!"
"I can't take it anymore!!"
Even Brock and his companions watched Ash in disbelief, then gave a wry smile, thinking to themselves that only Ash could pull something like this off.
Although he was supported by the disguised steel cable, the difficulty was still immense. To be able to reach this level in just one night, one could only say that Ash's athletic nerves and sense of balance were strong to a ridiculous degree.
"Is this the man who can physically take on an Articuno? I'm convinced..." Todd Snap, the new team member, was completely dumbfounded as he muttered to himself.
Although there might still be some flaws in his movements, the audience was full of rabid, die-hard fans whose eyes might as well not exist. Besides, the flaws weren't even obvious.
*Thud.*
All the lights in the tent came on, and Ash's Mr. Mime landed back on the stage. This signified that the circus performance had officially come to an end.
Watching the surrounding audience rise to their feet to applaud and cheer, Ah Jin, who was standing in the back, secretly clenched her fists. It seemed their Circus Troupe had successfully bought themselves two months' time.
In these two months, there would be enough time, whether it was to capture a new Mr. Mime or to get this fat Mr. Mime to lose weight and undergo training.
"Mr. Mime, you can do it! You'll definitely be able to stand on stage again!" she encouraged the fat Mr. Mime beside her.
"Bari..."
The latter looked at Ash, who was receiving the audience's applause on stage, then at the blue-haired woman in front of him, a troubled look on its face. Its obese body was panting heavily.
Just as he was about to exit the stage, the lights in the tent suddenly went out again, plunging everything into complete darkness.
*Click.*
Before the audience could get restless, the lights came back on the next second. This time, only two beams were on, aimed high above the stage, where two figures stood in the spotlights.
"Who are you?!" an audience member asked instinctively.
"Hmm? Did I hear someone ask, 'Who are you?'"
"Since you have asked with such sincerity!"
"We shall be merciful and tell you!"
"..."
"..."
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"And Meowth, that's meow!"
The Team Rocket trio made their entrance, the words coming out like machine-gun fire, "rat-a-tat-tat." As they recited their lines, they struck a series of cool poses, leaving the audience of several hundred people staring blankly in shock.
Currently, since Giovanni had already left the Kanto Region, and his secretary Matori, who loved to snitch and backstab them, had also gone to the Johto Region, there was basically no one left to control them. The trio naturally started reciting their motto with wild abandon again.
"Is this a new act?"
"That's kinda cool."
"Cats can talk now?"
The hundreds of audience members first looked baffled, then suddenly burst into applause, cheering in astonishment at the Team Rocket Trio's performance art.
Their tastes were... unusual. Where a normal person would find the trio's poses foolish, this crowd found them incredibly cool.
Seeing this, Jessie and James weren't fazed at all. They immediately waved, a smile playing at the corners of their eyes, as if to thank everyone for their support.
Then, their expressions suddenly changed. With a grand wave of a hand, they pointed at the Mr. Mime on the stage.
"But you're our target today!"
"Watching your performance will surely make our unhappy Giovanni laugh out loud! Then we'll be made Core Executives next year, meow!"
"And the rest of the time, your circus act can raise funds for us in Team Rocket!"
Ash: "?"
He looked utterly baffled, and subconsciously drank a cup of coffee from the void.
(end of chapter)