I'm shaken awake by Lucario, and I slowly sit up to not disturb the starters.

"Are we there yet?" I ask, looking around to see a city in the distance.

"Almost, 2 minutes or so," Roxie's father says.

"Alright," I respond and turn to Lucario. "I really hope we find him."

"We will, don't worry."

I sigh. "I hope you're right..."

The boat docks and right away you can smell the foul stench of the city. I step out of the boat and look around, but I don't see much since we're down low, to see the rest of the city you'd have to climb up the stairs ahead.

"Welcome to Virbank City! The city of falling fog and rising stars!"

I nod. Man this place stinks! We walk up the stairs to the captain's quarters house and you can now see a better view. This place looks like a large sketchy alleyway. The rough part of the city except it's the whole city. I look up at the sky to see it beginning to get dark. Braviary flies down from the sky and lands in front of me. I laugh at the face he makes from the stench. "Have a good flight?"

"Brav!" Braviary exclaims with a nod.

"Good, I'm glad!" I say and turn towards the captain. "Where is the Pokémon Center?"

"If you go down this road and turn at the second exit on the right it should be straight ahead."

I calculate his directions into my head. "Alright, got it! Thank you so much for bringing me here! I really appreciate it!"

"No problem, anything for the champion."

I frown slightly then give a smile. "Cool, again thank you!" I say with a wave and we walk to the Pokémon Center. Along the way, I dial up Bianca again.

"Hello?" Bianca answers. "Oh, White! Have you made it to Virbank yet?"

"Just got here, I'm on my way to the Pokemon Center as we speak," I say.

"Awesome," she says. "Glad you made it there safely."

"This city is gross," I say. "It smells like a sewage plant or something."

"It's not the cleanest city in the region. It does need to be fixed up," Bianca says. "Anyway, call me tomorrow morning, so I can give you directions to Aspertia."

"Will do," I say. "Bye Bianca."

"Bye!"

...

Arriving at the Pokémon Center, I head up to the counter. "I would like to have a room tonight."

"Certainly," Nurse Joy says with a large happy smile. She gleefully grabs a room key and hands it to me. "Here you go, first room on the right."

I eye her up and down. "You don't get many customers do you?"

She sighs and her posture diminishes. "Not really, only when the challengers for the gym come rushing in for me to heal their Pokémon."

"I know how you feel. I don't get many challengers, I've only had two. I know it's two totally different things, but it's kinda the same."

"Wow, that stinks. Wait, challengers? Gym leader? I don't recognize you."

I laugh. "It's kinda nice that some people don't know me. You're the third person today. I'm the champion."

"Oh my! I'm sorry, I had no idea! Excuse me for being so rude!" Nurse Joy says, spazzing out a little and straightens up her posture.

I laugh. "No, no, it's okay. I honestly don't mind! It just means people won't clobber me," I say with a smile.

"Oh thank goodness... I was worried for a few seconds there," she says with a sigh of relief.

Again I laugh. "So, when will dinner be ready?"

"In a few hours, if you'd travel the town a little it should be done by the time you get back."

"Alright, I'll do that. Could you watch over these three while I'm gone?" I ask, pointing to the three starters.

Her face lights up with glee. "I would love to!" The three starters jump on the counter and begin playing with Nurse Joy.

"Lucario and Braviary, let's go," I say, exiting the Pokémon Center.

"Where are we going?" Lucario asks.

"I don't know maybe to the gym?" I say. "I don't know where it is though."

"Of course you don't," Lucario says with an eye roll. "You know we passed right by it."

"Really? That was the gym? What a dump! The sign is half broken, it's flickering."

"It's pretty run down but it matches the town," Lucario says.

"True." We walk into the gym and right beyond us is a staircase. I can hear loud music, but couldn't make out what it was saying. "Great, so it's underground. Even the lights inside are flickering." We travel to the end and get greeted by a guy with glasses and white hair. He gestures us inside.

We walk inside and the first thing you hear is 'P-O-K-É-M-O-N Pokémon!' and is repeatedly said. I look at the surroundings and conditions of the place. It looks like an old club and about to fall apart. To the left, I see a guy dancing to his heart's content behind the PA and on the right, I see a bar with a knocked over glass with some sort of liquid coming from it.

"This place is a disaster zone," Lucario says.

"It's not a place for a gym battle that's for sure," I respond, looking at the stage up at the white haired girl playing the bass guitar. We walk up to the stage and climb up to talk with Roxie. "Excuse me." Apparently, she doesn't hear me over the music. "Fine then." I look towards Braviary. "Draco Meteor." Braviary flies up and uses the move causing a loud booming noise, causing the whole room to shake and go silent. "That's better." I turn towards the stunned gym leader.

"What the hell are you trying to do!? Destroy the building!?" Roxie shouts at me.

"What I'm trying to do is get your attention," I say and Braviary lands on my shoulders.

"Well now you have it. What do you want? A Pokémon battle?" she says rudely.

"Oh no, I would slaughter you–"

"You wanna test that?!" she yells, cutting me off, sounding paranoid.

"You're not worth my time."

"Then let's challenge that!" Roxie yells.

"Alright, if you can beat one of my Pokémon using all of yours I'll leave this miserable place and never return, but if I win you have to give me a gym badge and fix this place up to be suitable for trainers who come to challenge you because this place is a dump."

She growls at me. Growls! "You have no right to tell me how to run my gym!" She grabs a pokeball from her belt, but before she throws it out the drummer stops her.

"I wouldn't do that. She looks really powerful."

"So am I!" Roxie fusses and shrugs his arm off.

"Not as powerful as me," I gloat.

Again she growls. "You're on!"

The other guitarist speaks up. "I'll be the referee." They clear the stage and we get on our respective sides. "This will be a 3 on 1 battle, begin!"

"Weezing, let's go!"

"Lucario, would you please."

The Pokémon take their respective sides and the battle begins.

"Tackle," Roxie commands.

"Aura sphere." The attack hits Weezing in the larger face and he falls back with swirlies in his eyes.

"Weezing is unable to battle. Battle to Lucario."

"How?! Fighting isn't effective against poison!" Roxie fusses.

"That's what makes it all the more fun." You hear two snickers from my Pokémon.

"Grrr!" She throws out her next Pokémon. "Garbodor use venoshock!"

"Again," I say. The aura sphere hits Garbodor and he remains standing for a few seconds then collapses.

"Garbodor is unable to battle, battle to Lucario."

"Are you sure you want to continue?" I ask knowing the outcome of this battle.

"How are yo–?! No! I save my toughest Pokémon for last!" She throws out the last of her Pokémon to reveal a Scolipede. "Steamroller!"

"Once more."

"Scolipede is unable to battle. The winner of this battle is Lucario and his trainer!" the guitar girl calls out.

Roxie falls to her knees. "How? You just used one move and it's not even an effective move."

"One, my Pokémon are way stronger than yours. Two, your Pokémon are at level 25 at most, mine are at most 75 levels more. Three, you don't battle when you're angry, you can never win that way. Four, you're too overconfident. And five, I'm the champion," I say matter-of-factly.

"Wha!? T-the C-Ch-Champion!?" Roxie yells with wide eyes.

"That's my title don't wear it out!" I say proudly.

"You're White?!"

"That'd be my name."

"I can't believe this! I'm so sorry!"

"It's too late for apologies now. Anyway, looking at the condition of this place, I would say you better clean it up and get it fixed up because if it's not then you're gonna be shut down."

"What!?"

"I know you're some snotty brat teenager, but one thing you don't need here is alcohol, you're too young for it. I know this is a club, but you're the owner of this club and you shouldn't be because you're too young to be the owner of a club. This place is vile and it stinks. It makes a dumpster look like a mansion. Clean this place up or I'm shutting it down. You have a week, get busy," I say, grabbing my new badge and jump down from the stage then walk out the door. Once the doors close behind me, you can hear her cuss and yell her head off. I sigh.

"You did the right thing, you know that, right?" Lucario says, trying to reassure me and Braviary snuggles his head with mine from above.

I hate being that tough on people sometimes, it's troubling. I sigh. "I know..."

"Good," Lucario says.

We leave the gym and head back towards the Pokémon Center. We go to the corner to turn to the Pokémon Center when I see a road on the other side.

"What's down there? Wanna go look?" I ask.

"Why not?"

I read the nearby sign. "Virbank Complex, where fire meets steel. Huh..." We continue down the path until we're in an old yard full of storage containment buildings and sewage holders. "No wonder this place smells so bad."

Lucario snickers. "Yeah, that would do it."

We continue walking and we end up at a little sitting area to view the sea.

"Wow, pretty," I say, admiring the view.

"It is," Lucario agrees.

Braviary nods.

We sit down and admire the view for a while before we head back to the Pokémon Center.

...

"Nurse Joy! We're back!" I shout, entering the Pokémon Center. I'm greeted by the three starter Pokémon. I laugh. "Did you guys miss me?" They all nod while saying their names. "That's good. So, are you guys ready to meet your new trainers tomorrow?"

"Sniv! Vy! Vy!" Snivy nods.

"Tepig pig!" He nods.

"Osha wott wott!" He agrees.

"I'm glad to hear it!" I exclaim with a smile and look at Nurse Joy. "Food ready?"

"Yes, take a seat and I'll go get it."

I sit down and Lucario sits next to me, while the starters sit on the table, and Braviary on the headboard of the seat I'm in. Nurse Joy brings out a cart of food for both human and Pokémon alike. She places three bowls of Pokémon food in front of the starters and one in front of Lucario then another on the table for Braviary. She sets down my plate then one across from me for herself.

"Mmm, looks good! Mashed potatoes, green beans, and steak! What a meal!"

"I researched what you like to eat so the chef could cook it..."

"Good job! I'm surprised you haven't eaten already," I say.

"Oh, I was waiting for you so we could all eat together," she says sheepishly.

I laugh. "Yeah, it's not everyday you get to eat with the Champion."

"Sorry!" she says with a bow.

"I don't mind, I like the company."

"Awesome! So, how was your walk?"

"Interesting, I guess. That little area by the sea in Virbank Complex is lovely and relaxing."

"Oh, I love that place. It's a very nice place to go when you need a break."

"I can tell," I say with a hearty laugh and throw up a piece of Pokémon food to Braviary, which he catches with ease.

She begins to laugh and gets more comfortable with me. After we eat, talk, and play with the starters a little, we head off to our rooms.

...

"Alright everyone, rest up because tomorrow is a big day!"

The starters cheer and hop onto the bed. I turn off the lights and snuggle down into the covers. Once I'm settled, the Pokémon snuggle against me and we all fall asleep.

...---...---...---...

I'm gonna bring N in again soon! Don't lose hope!