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Episode 52: A Goldenrod Opportunity (part 1)

"I'm at least glad Ethan and Lyra are on their way after running into those Ursarings." Misty smiled as the group continued down the road a few days later.

"I'll admit that I'm even glad Kamon made it out alive, but if I'd have known it was Ursaring mating season, I would've picked a different route and avoided the whole mess to begin with." Ash mused, petting Tintri as he spoke.

"Forgive me for interrupting the conversation, but take a look at what's just ahead!" Brock called, pointing out a signpost in the distance.

He made a grand gesture to the sprawling city in the distance as Ash and Misty arrived at the top of the hill. "I give you...Goldenrod City."

"Wow..." Ash and Misty gasped as they gawked at the glittering gold city before them.

"Goldenrod City...the festive city of opulent charm, one mile." Misty read the sign before admiring the city some more. "It's an opulent and festive city, all right!"

"How bout it? Was it worth all the detours and setbacks to get here?" Brock grinned at Ash, who was gawking in amazement at the skyscrapers and colorful signs in the distance.

"It was..." Ash smiled before taking a picture of the city with his PokeNav. "But I am more than ready to compete for my third Johto League Badge!"

With that, he charged down the hill. "Last one there's a rotten Exeggcute!"

"Hey, wait for us!" Misty and Brock were not far behind.

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"Okay...how do we even begin to find our way around here?" Ash wondered as he looked around at the thousands of people going about their daily routines, crisscrossing the various crosswalks to reach one of the millions of shops and opulent malls.

"I hope you brought your wallets, guys...I'm ready to do a little shopping!" Misty smiled, giddy over the huge malls that towered over many of the buildings.

"Forget shopping, there has to be a thriving music scene out here!" Brock was equally excited. "That, and there have to be storytellers out here too, so I can learn some more material for the Lore Stage."

"Oh yeah...I wouldn't mind learning some Johto tunes myself..." Misty smiled, savoring a memory of the often hours long jam sessions the three of them played at and sometimes hosted back home in Kanto.

The sizzle of a burger hitting the grill snapped her to attention. "Not to mention traveling works up an appetite!"

Brock looked over at the food cart Misty was studying, where a line was beginning to form. "That does look delicious." he agreed as the cook delivered the burger--now adorned with two types of cheese, lettuce, and pickles--to a customer.

"I want to shop, jam, and eat too, but can't we see if the Gym is at least open first?" Ash asked--he did not want to be caught off guard like he was in Azalea Town. "If it is, I wanna challenge the local Gym Leader and earn my next Badge!"

"All right, we'll go see if the Gym Leader is in." Brock assured his companion as the group started off down a street.

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"Notice: The Gym Leader is out today--challenges will be taken tomorrow." Ash read the sign on the Gym door. "Well, now that I know the Gym Leader isn't taking challenges today, we can explore the city, at least."

"Hope you've got your instruments..." Brock smiled, pointing out a dull red haired boy fine tuning a mandolin as a plum haired girl looked over which of many percussion instruments she needed to play.

"Got room for a few more?" Ash asked the boy as he sat down on a rocky outcropping that ringed a fountain, Pokeflute in hand.

"Sure." the boy smiled. "Keely and I enjoy traveling around the world and jamming with as many people as we can--name's Alex, by the way."

"We learned from several good sources that Goldenrod is a hot spot for jam sessions." Keely explained as a wind gust ruffled her pale blue shirt. "With so many people coming from around the world, you'll hear a pretty diverse mix of tunes."

"We're travelers from Kanto ourselves." Ash explained as he watched Misty and Brock tune up. "I'm Ash...while I'm mainly competing in the local League, I'm not too shabby on a Pokeflute or whistle." He gestured to the empty Pokeflute case and the four whistles peeking from his bag to prove his point.

He heard Misty and Brock warming up as he went on. "My companion Misty is a fiddler and my companion Brock is a master guitar player, singer, storyteller, and songwriter--even if he does have a tendency to sing to any pretty girl he can find."

With that, he joined in with Misty and Brock, seguing into the Kanto jig "The Song of Life" as Keely and her companion Alex played along...

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"That was fun--I hope we can play with Keely and Alex again." Misty smiled as the group arrived on another open square some hours later.

"I did learn quite a lot of Legendary Beast tales from Alex--these will definitely come in handy for the Lore Stage." Brock was equally happy as he looked over the last of the stories he had written down, then closed up his notebook.

He looked up at a building with a huge black tower in the distance, where it seemed to dwarf even the tallest skyscraper in the area. "That has to be the tower for the main regional station, WJTO." he explained before getting out his PokeNav and starting the RadioNav app. "Shall we see what sorts of music and shows it plays?"

"Yeah!" Ash and Misty replied as Brock located WJTO in the list of available stations and tapped the "LISTEN" icon.

Some exciting music filled the air. "Hi, everyone! It's Buena!" a young female voice began. "It's time for today's password! Today's password is 'Pikachu!' If you can find me broadcasting live and tell me the password, you'll get a very special prize! Good luck!"

"The password is 'Pikachu'--got it!" Ash mused as some music started on the radio stream.

"I remember Ethan telling me about Buena and her show while we were lost in the forest..." Misty mused as the group started off towards the tower. "The prizes she gives can range to packages of common items and WJTO gear to Pokemon and items you can't find anywhere else, so it's worth it to try and catch her show, especially if you're in the Goldenrod area."

"According to Lyra, Buena is in one of three possible locations every time the show broadcasts--Radio Square, where the tower is located, in the Galaria d'Oro, which is the main mall, or in Yuzu Gardens, where we just came from--and they don't tell you which of the three she's at." Brock explained. "I didn't see anything that looked like a radio station's broadcast booth or vehicle in Yuzu Gardens, so we can rule that out."

"We're closest to Radio Square, so let's check there." Ash suggested, whispering the password to himself so he wouldn't forget it. "Pikachu...Pikachu...Pikachu..."

As the group turned the corner onto Radio Square, Ash spotted a large broadcast booth near the tower, where a brown haired DJ in a pink T shirt and jeans was visiting with passersby or autographing things. "That must be Buena! Let's go give her the password."

Misty and Brock followed Ash as he approached the booth, getting the female DJ's attention. "Hi there! Do you remember today's password?" she asked.

"I do, Buena." Ash confidently smiled.

"Oh, wow!" Buena gasped--she had not expected someone to arrive with the password that quickly. "Thank you!"

Then something occurred to Buena. "What was your name again?"

"I'm Ash!" Ash replied.

"Okay then, Ash...come join the show." Buena smiled as she directed Ash to a small mic positioned so passersby could interact with Buena inside the booth. "What was the password?"

"The password was 'Pikachu'"." Ash replied, grinning at Tintri all the while.

"You're absolutely correct!" Buena announced, to a triumphant fanfare. "Well done!"

She offered Ash a Poke Ball. "Here you are...a Machop of your very own. I'm sure you'll give her a good home."

"Thanks!" Ash replied before the group departed.

"You're welcome--I hope you'll tune in for more passwords and more chances to win!" Buena replied.

She then proceeded to announce to both local listeners, and listeners from around the world Ash's achievement. "Congratulations to Ash for giving me this hour's password for a Machop! I'll have another password and another prize for you next hour, so stay tuned!"

To Be Continued...