The sound of blaring guitars and loud drums greeted Nichiya as he entered the gym. Roxie hadn't been lying when she mentioned that there would be a crowd. Adjusting his fedora, he began to make his way through the crowd, doing his best not to hit anyone with his guitar. His amethyst eyes drank in the scene. Many were dancing while others socialized. The song soon came to an end, prompting an applause from the crowd.

"You're the greatest Roxie!"

"Rock on Toxics!"

Roxie smiled at the adoration and waved to her fans. As her gaze swept the audience, her eyes met with that familiar amethyst gaze. A smile crept onto her features. She cleared her throat and tapped the microphone.

"Hey all you Toxics fans! I have an announcement to make!" Roxie shouted, causing the crowd to go silent.

"As you know, our band has been looking for a new member. I know some of you have auditioned and believe me when I say this, it was tough choosing from all of you talented rockers out there. But only one of you made the cut. So..." Roxie stated, snapping her fingers to queue the spotlight above the gym to light up on Nichiya, "our winner is in the house tonight! Toxics fans, meet the new member of the band, Nichiya Hikari!"

Everyone in the crowd turned towards Nichiya as the spotlight shone on him. A bead of sweat trickled down his visage as he felt every eye in the room staring at him.

Just keep it cool Nichiya. You should have expected this when you were chosen, Nichiya thought to himself as he fixed his eyes on Roxie who was motioning him over to the stage. Right...time to put on your game face. Nichiya made his way through the crowd, not taking his eyes off Roxie who was patiently waiting for him to join them. Nichiya was soon on the stage and facing the crowd.

"Now, before you go and get all skeptical on me, we're gonna have Nichiya lay down a sick tune for you guys and we're gonna jump right in!" Roxie exclaimed. "By the end of this, I'm sure you guys will warm up to the new blood we've recruited."

Roxie turned to Nichiya and nodded, prompting him to take his guitar off his back and remove it from its case. Plugging in his Flying V, he gave it a strum, the note echoing off the walls of the gym as he checked the tuning. Taking note that everything seemed alright, Nichiya stepped up to the microphone beside Roxie.

Okay...so I just play any song right? Well, I practically know all of their songs. Now, which one should I-oh! This one hasn't been played in a while. Time for a throwback to one of their first and still one of their best hits, Nichiya thought as he positioned his fingers accordingly before starting to strum.

As the music sailed through the audience, the Toxic's fans felt a sudden wave of nostalgia rush through them as the beginning notes of Poisonous Rapture hit their ears. Roxie's eyes widened in surprise as the intro began. Billy Jo and Nicky exchanged glances and grinned before falling in sync with Nichiya's playing.

Well I'll be a Mankey's uncle. I haven't done this number in a darn long time. This kid's got some serious skill! Roxie mused inwardly as she grabbed the mic and began to sing.

The crowd erupted into cheers and whistles as the song continued. As the song finished up with a final drum roll and a note from Nichiya, the crowd cheered even louder. Roxie breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Nichiya, flashing smile before reaching out for a fist bump, which Nichiya gladly responded to.

"Give it up for Nichiya everybody!" Roxie called out, getting a positive reaction from the crowd as she gestured to Nichiya who took a bow. "Let's keep this party rockin'!" Roxie added, pumping her fist into the air to signal the start of another song.

Hours seemed to fly by and soon the gym began to clear out until it was just the Toxic's left. Nichiya slumped into one of the booths and leaned back, breathing a sigh of exhaustion.

"Dude, Nichiya! You killed it out there," Billy Jo exclaimed, clapping him over the back before hopping over the back of the booth and plopping down next to him.

"No kidding. I haven't sung that song in such a long time. It was refreshing, that's for darn sure," Roxie laughed, taking a seat on the back of the booth as Nicky slid up beside Nichiya and kicked back.

"Surprised the hell out of me. I don't know what shocked me more, the fact that he knew how to play it, or that he nailed that bridge. Even Billy Jo has a tough time with it sometimes. Then again, Roxie here likes to make things tricky from time to time," Nicky snickered.

"Tch, the day anything music becomes too challenging for you two is the day hell freezes over," Roxie stated, rolling her eyes.

Billy Jo rolled her eyes and propped her feet up on the table.

"So Nichiya, how long have you been playin'?" Roxie asked curiously.

Nichiya looked up at Roxie and thought for a moment.

"My mom started me on guitar when I was eight so...ten years," Nichiya clarified.

"Sweet! I started out a bit younger, and Billy Jo here began six years ago, just before we all got together. Nicky came along when Billy Jo and I were looking for a drummer."

"So, I'm just curious," Nichiya began, "what made you decide to look for another member?" Nichiya inquired.

Roxie shrugged and folded her arms.

"Where do I even begin with that? Okay, so about a year back, after our big tour, we felt like we were on top of the world," Roxie started, her eyes looking up as she spoke.

"But something weird happened. One of our fans posted a comment on our site asking if we had considered a fourth member," Billy Jo cut in.

"We hadn't considered that before, so we didn't know how to respond. So we said we would think about it. Well, the next day...it blew up. There were blogs and comments about what we would be like with a backup guitar or vocalist. Seeing how hyped people were after a maybe, we began to think about it more," Nicky added.

"But we weren't just going to settle for one or the other. We wanted someone flexible. Someone who could blow our minds, and with the way you made Roxie weak in the knees...well..."

"Not gonna deny that one," Roxie nodded.

Billy Jo smirked. "The point is, Nichiya, you're a kickass musician and we are pumped to have you on the team!"

"I'm stoked as well. I've been looking for an opportunity like this for years," Nichiya replied. "Speaking of which," Nichiya continued, reaching into his backpack to pull out the poster his brother gave him, "can you guys all sign this? It's for my brother."

"Sure thing!" Roxie beamed, reaching for the pen Nichiya took out of his bag.

Once all three had signed it, he put it back in his bag and breathed a sigh of relief. It had been quite a day, and it was getting late.

"You alright Nichiya?" Asked Roxie curiously.

"Yeah," Nichiya replied with a stretch and a yawn. "I'm just a bit tired. It's been a while since I played that long," he laughed.

"It is kinda late isn't it?" Billy Jo observed, glancing down at her X-Transceiver to see the time.

"That's just how hard we rock. You haven't had a proper jam session if you aren't tired afterwards," Nicky inputted.

"You said it, that was wild," Roxie grinned. "We were on fire tonight!"

"I heard that!" Billy Jo exclaimed, reaching for a high-five from Roxie, who obliged.

"So Nichiya, we're holding a practice session this Friday, and we've got a gig the week after. We will be meeting here at five to start," Roxie informed him.

"I'll be here," Nichiya replied. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Not that I can think of, but we'll definitely let you know. In the meantime, get some rest dude. You earned it," Roxie commented.

"I think I'll do just that," Nichiya replied with another yawn. "You guys have a good night," Nichiya added as he walked out of the gym.

And the jam session has concluded! Nichiya made an impression on the crowd and hopefully the fan base warms up to our golden boy.