Whitney had started crying after her defeat with me. Bayleef and I stood by each other, watching her hugging her Miltank fainted on the floor as she cried over and over.

"Y-You meanie!" She told me, sobbing up a storm. I sweat dropped and just stood there.

"Why are you crying?" I asked.

"B-Because!"

"Are you going to cry when someone steps all over you and get what they want?" She looked up from her Miltank to look at me and sniffled "What did I do to you to make you cry? This is traditional battling. Get up!" She quickly stood up and returned her Pokémon before holding her arm, looking down "Nobody will take you seriously if you start crying. You are a very strong trainer and we had a hard time taking you down. You have talent, but your naivety will get you nowhere" I sighed "Take it from someone who's been stepped all over so many times. I don't want that happening with anyone" I walked away "Well, I'll see you later"

"W-Wait!" She reached out "D-Don't you want a badge?" I looked back at her.

"I don't want you looking at me with those tears like I forced you to give it to me" she wiped her tears away and looked up.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't be behaving like this. I'm still new to this, and the only reason why I decided to be a gym leader was because everyone was into Pokémon. So..."

"You're pretty talented if you just decided to do it because everyone else was doing it. Not bad" I held my hips "I had a good battle" she smiled and nodded.

"Aside from losing, it was fun!" She dug in her pocket and handed me the official gym badge "This is the Plain badge! You deserve it!" I took the badge and pet her head, confusing her.

"Thank you, Whitney. I had fun as well" she smiled big and giggled. There was nothing else left for me to do in Goldenrod for now, so I left the city and made my way up towards route 35 to start training.

The next city was very far from where I was at the moment. There had been times when we had to camp out for the night and get through dozens of trainers wanting to battle, and after leaving the National park, I was stopped by a strange... tree wiggling around every time I poked it.

"What is this?" I poked the tree standing in my path to the next city. I could go around it, but it actually moves at every direction I tried going through.

"Move!" I pouted. It didn't budge. I was already a bit irritated from sleeping outside all the time and this moving tree wasn't helping "What now? I keep trying to go pass this thing and it won't let me!" I sat on the grass and laid down "I just want a shower... It's already been so long without having a soft bed"

"Pe!" Pichu and the other younglings were surrounding the tree to see what was up.

"Be careful, girls" I said, resting against a tree by Bayleef laying in the shade. I had Bayleef try and lift the tree away, but it seemed that it was too heavy for her "If only I could fly pass it..." I turned on my radio on my Pokégear and decided to relax for now until I can figure out a way to get pass this thing.

The Pokégear was pressed against my ear so I can listen to the music more clear, since there was a bunch of Pokémon making noise in the tree.

I hummed to myself and looked over at Cleffa staring at me before closing her eyes and sing along to the music. My Pokémon closest to her went to sleep. Slowly feeling myself getting sleepy, I figured what she was doing.

I shut my ears with my hands and watched the tree slowly starting to tumble backwards until it showed that it fell asleep with its mouth open.

I picked up Cleffa to stop singing and looked at the Pokémon that was causing a delay on our journey "So it was a Pokémon after all" I pet Cleffa's head "good job, Cleffa. You got it to move!" Cleffa cheered and hugged me. I returned my sleeping Pokémon and hurried pass the sleeping tree Pokémon to get to the next city as fast as possible.

Because I had no way to wake up my Pokémon without berries, I had Cleffa in my arms and ran fast pass a few more trainers before they even knew I was coming. Before I knew it, I was in Ecruteak City.

"Ecruteak City..." I looked around the charming city with a tall tower that could be seen on the other side of the scenery. It looked very traditional and historical "Oh!" I gasped "This was where my dad often worshiped at!" I smiled at the one little fact I knew about him and went off to the Pokémon center to heal up my Pokémon.

I didn't know much about my parents, but my memory served me well since I was able to remember that he worshipped here many times before leaving to live in Kanto with my mom. To think I'm in the very city he was raised in!

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to find someone that knew him here, but I can't wait to check out the Bell tower" I smiled, leaving the Pokémon center after healing my Pokémon.

"Do I dare to go there first?" I asked myself, still carrying Cleffa. Pichu remained in my bag, still asleep after the song, but was easy to wake up if needed.

I had walked through the beautiful city, unsure where I wanted to go first. There was a map back in the Pokémon center of the things I could do while I'm visiting. There is a Bell tower; the tower I mentioned before, the burned tower; which apparently had been burned for more than 100 years, and the dance theater.

"It's been awhile since I got to enjoy some dancing" not in the sense of the club I worked at before "If this place holds some history in it, I'm sure I'll be able to witness some traditional Japanese dancing" I looked at Cleffa looking around "Oh, by the way, Cleffa? If you suddenly hear music, it's best that you don't sing out loud, just until you become a little stronger so you can control it"

"Cle?" She questioned.

"Your voice is so beautiful that it puts people to sleep. You know how I sing for you and the girls? It's like that" she blinked a few times before nodding slowly. Not sure if she understood, but at least she tried.

"Alright! We'll save the best for last!" Which is the Bell tower "Lets go to the dance theater!"

"Cle!" Cleffa cheered. Pichu cheered in her sleep. I giggled and headed off to find the place I was going.

There was a sudden presence staring at my direction. I couldn't tell if it was towards me, but I turned back anyways and noticed a man with blonde hair, wearing a purple bandana on his forehead and wearing a matching scarf, leaning against a wall, watching me. Getting use to men staring at me before, I shrugged it off and entered the dance theater, immediately shocked to see who was inside.

"Hey! Hey!" Someone yelled from the stage next to a dancer in a familiar kimono "Stop dancing such a serious dance!" A Team Rocket grunt, probably drunk, bullied on the poor girl "show me something like a hula dance!" He laughed. The kimono girl looked uncomfortable and kept her distance.

"What should we do..?" People in the audience whispered to each other. She seemed to be alone on that stage. I can't just watch this.

"Y-You mustn't push such a request on me" The girl frowned, shaking a bit and stumbled onto the floor helplessly. At that moment, I had felt like my medication wore off in less than a second. One moment I walked in pretty calm, even after seeing a grunt, and then as soon as she said that... My blood boiled.

"Huh? Are you telling me you don't respect what a customer wants?" The grunt asked, pushing the girl to the floor. I gasped loudly and rushed to the girl's side to protect her.

"Stop that!" I glared, shaking my fist, still holding Cleffa in my arms "That is no way to treat a woman!" My rage was pouring out like hot tea. Tears escaped my eyes without command.

"Huh? Who are you suppose to be? You dare get in my way? I'm a customer who ask for a request!" The grunt shot back at me, sluring his words.

"You're looking for a different dance theater if you think this girl will ever do some dance you want. You don't deserve respect as a customer. Shame on you" Cleffa raised her arms, agreeing. The grunt snorted and spit on the stage.

"The nerve..." the girl behind me gasped, standing up and stood close to my back. The grunt groaned and send out his Koffing in attempt to battle me. I was about to take out Bayleef before Cleffa jumped out my arms and stood up front, battle ready.

"Cleffa! You're not ready for a battle on your own!" I yelled loud enough for her to hear. She just shook her head and stood where she was. I bit my lips and looked at the grunt laughing at me.

"You're going to battle me with that little thing? Are you serious? You come at me like you're so big and tough and you have something like this as your Pokémon?" I glared at his insult and pointed at him.

"I'll show you who you're messing with! Show them whose boss!" I yelled at Cleffa. Cleffa yelled out, which strangely got her making a black ball form near her mouth and shot at the Koffing. I gasped, cupping my mouth. Was that a Shadow ball?!

The attack knocked Koffing on the floor, but it got back up "Nice try! Use tackle!" The grunt yelled out. Koffing was heading towards Cleffa. Before I could say anything, she wiggled her arms and held them up in front of her, creating a barrier to protect her and bounce Koffing off. I laughed, feeling proud of my little one.

"You little..." The grunt got even more angry "Use... s-tackle again!" Is that all he knows what to yell out? He's slurring his words again. He must really be drunk. Koffing hurried over again. I huffed and pumped my fists.

"Alright! Show them what we learned back in the National park! Use Telekinesis!" Cleffa raised her arms and controlled Koffings momentum and bounced it up and down like a ball. Not what I expected her to do, but ever since watching a trainer's Pokémon do it to another trainer's Pokémon, she wanted to learn.

After bouncing Koffing over and over and the grunt couldn't get control over it, I noticed that it had already fainted "Alright, Stop, Cleffa!" I said. She released the telekinesis and ran to have me pick her up. I picked her up and looked at the grunt returning his Pokémon.

"That'll teach you to mess with a girl doing her job. She doesn't have to listen to such a request" he snorted and spat in the floor again.

"Yeah... but it was easy asking you for a request" my eyes widened. He lifted his hat to show off his face and hair better "You had no choice but to do what the customer wanted. You think you can treat me this way just because you got lucky in getting my partner arrested?" I took a step back, looking at the man's eyes, slowly seeing that he was one of the men that kidnapped me as a kid... "You might have won, but it doesn't change who you use to be, Kitty" he smirked "I'll leave, but only because I want to, not because a whore like you told me to-" he turned blue when seeing my eyes darkens

"Excuse me..? You went to say that to my face!?" I shouted very loudly at him "For someone who steals Pokémon and children away, you got some nerve thinking you can treat me like this! I will not have you treat me like one on your pawns again!" I put Cleffa down to grab the man by the shirt and throw him down on the ground. I was about to throw a punch before someone pulled me back.

"S-Stop!" The kimono girl who was behind me before yelled at me with a frown "You... You must've shoot to his level!" I looked back at the guy glaring at me. I quickly got up and watched him get up to dust himself.

"I knew you were creepy growing up, but this..?" He then smirked "Intriguing..." I glared again.

"This is nothing!" I popped my knuckles single handedly "I'll show you the pain you and that filthy man put me through!" He snorted and casually soberly walked out the empty theater. All who remained was a single man with his Psyduck and the girl still holding me by the arm. I was still shaking, and I couldn't control it.

"I-I'm sorry..." I glared at myself, tearing up again "I didn't mean to be like this... I just wanted to keep you away from him, and then it got personal" the girl softly patted my arm.

"No need to apologize... Thank you for your bravery" I couldn't even force a smile. I looked back at Cleffa and Pichu frowning at me by my bag I didn't notice I dropped "I don't know what could had happened if you didn't come"

"I couldn't just let him take advantage of you" Pichu came out from the bag to approach me with Cleffa, accidentally throwing something from the inside. The girl went over to pick it up with my bag and bring it over to me.

"I'm fine, girls" I told my Pokémon "So much for that medicine..." I had been using one each day I've been in the route. I needed it just in case I ran into a Team Rocket grunt, but it seemed that when I saw one, my body rejected the medicine like it got use to it already.

"O-Oh my..." the girl looked at the box I had in my bag, the box I had hidden in my apartment before "This is..." she gave me back the box and bag "I must say, you must be someone quite extraordinary if you got yourself one of those!" She smiled kindly.

"I can't really say that. It's nothing all that special. I happen to have found it after a fire burned my home" why did I tell her that? "I carry it with me everywhere" she nodded.

"As you should! It's a very important item! Take care of it" I nodded "Sorry, that's not something that should matter at the moment. Please, let me make it up to you for your troubles!"

"No need" the man with his Psyduck walked up the stage "I'll handle it"

"Oh! Master!" The girl smiled "Please reward this girl! She absolutely deserves it! What is your name?"

"Valerie" I responded.

"Valerie. My name is Miki" The man the girl called 'master' walked up to me.

"Thank you for saving my dancer from being harassed. I always make sure everyone is treated well and kindly. I do not tolerate rude customers. I would had went up to take care of that man, but you showed up before I could. I couldn't help but watch"

"Oh master!" Miki pouted "Now you definitely have to reward her!" I looked at the man and Miki's relationship as dancer and employer and frowned. Would had been nice if I was treated with such kindness...

"Of course, of course" the man nervously laughed and handed me something he took out his pocket; a Hairpin with a red material coated by pretty gems "I wish I could give you something more, but I thought to give this to you after I saw that red material in your bag" I looked at my dancing dress sticking out my bag and accepted the hairpin.

"It's beautiful" I bowed "Thank you, sir. I didn't come here for a reward... I just wanted to make sure she was respected as a dancer"

"Are you a dancer?" The girl asked, putting her hands together like she was hopeful "forgive me, it's just that I saw the design on your red material and figured as much" did the design give it away?

"Yes, you can say that I'm a dancer, but it's quite foreign for your interest" I sighed, holding my head "Sorry... I'm exhausted right now. I didn't mean to be rude"

"No worries. Sorry for prying. It's just that... I've seen that dress before" I closed my eyes.

"My grandmother was a dancer in Johto after she came from the Hoenn region. She danced for an audience such as yours in the theater"

"I'd love to see it sometime" Miki smiled. I got weak in the knees and accidentally stumbled onto her "oh! Are you alright?" I held my pounding head.

"Y-Yes..." I got back up "I've just had a long day" I bowed to her "Forgive me... I must find a place to stay" she frowned as I walked off the stage. I looked back at her "Do you mind if I come tomorrow?" Her face lit up when I said that.

"Please do!" I weakly waved and took my Pokémon to find a hotel nearby. I can't believe I snapped that hard... Look at me. I can't even walk, and it's not because of the long journey before getting here. How can I possibly handle this journey up to this point? If the pills can't help me, what will?