Lilith made her way to what looked like a reception area. She couldn’t quite tell due to their dresscode. Punk rock was obviously in, and got a better look once the line dwindled.
She wore a backwards baseball hat covering little of her bright pink hair. It came down to her shoulders, not covering the piercings in her ears. One even went across her nose. Lilith shuddered at the sight. Her black tank top was cut low and left little to the imagination. She stepped up to the woman as it was her turn.
“Whaddya want?” She asked.
“To schedule a Gym Challenge please.” She replied.
It was always a good idea to be polite with such positions, but her patience wore thin.
“Alright, pick a slot.” She said while handing her a tablet.
The open options were labeled green, while taken boxes were red. She scanned the next day and the one after that, unable to find any open spots at all.
‘Come on…’ She thought while looking for a good time.
It was slightly surprising how many people were signed up, as she hadn’t had to wait at the last gym due to her special circumstances.
“It could just be the lack of space.” she grumbled.
The next open slot was in four days. The time wasn’t ideal, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She moves further down the list, hoping to find an ideal time not too far away.
“Ah!” She exclaimed.
“Find one?” The women yawned.
“Right here.” She pointed to her ideal slot.
It was one week in the future, but it left plenty of time to train and also might provide her time for some R&R. The team had been working pretty hard lately, and she felt like a small reward was in order. With the date set, she could finally leave the horrid place. She liked her underground lairs to be cold, dark, and quiet. Nothing like the loud, flashing place she found herself in.
***
The Gym had been somewhat of a success, despite the less than ideal circumstances. Lilith flipped open her Castor to check the notifications, but was found wanting. With nothing else to do, she decided it was a perfect time to go and check out Pokestar Studios. From what she had read about online, it functioned like Hollywood for Pokemon. Movies and entertainment were wall to wall and was one of the tourism capitals of the Region. Actions to Dramas to Talk shows were all filmed in their glorious hall.
Everything got much more flashy and expensive looking the further north she went. Billboards showed the latest movies but her new reality felt like living inside one, so it did little to draw her attention. Food stalls were set up periodically, but her attention was drawn towards the large tunnel. It was quite literally a dome leading to the Studios. People funneled in and out at a fast pace, dressing in all sorts of fashion.
The flow of traffic was overwhelming and was glad she had recalled her Pokemon before heading into such madness. The tunnel was open to anyone, and people were stopped only by the structure's natural choke point. From a practical point of view, it was definitely a waste. It was split up into two sides, the right leading into, while the left away from the Studio.
Lilith hopped into the flow of foot traffic, hoping it wasn’t as busy on the other side. She really wanted to let loose and have some fun with her Pokemon, but not if it was this crowded. She looked up, taking in the full ceiling. Blacks and whites covered the roof as Pokemon danced along the scene. Different species were animated and jumped around doing goofy things. Her eyes widened to take in other unique sights. Her attention was drawn downward as the floor was covered in velvet red, making a Pokeball sort of runway.
‘This place is weird…’ She thought.
The line slowed until finally opening up to a fantastical sight. The streets were massive, as buildings were the size of stadiums. They housed all sorts of movies and viewings, while further back housed the production area. Places like that were blocked off, but anything else was open to the public.
Battle stadiums lined one street, drawing her fascination. Large televisions hung outside their door, projecting the battles within.
‘This must be where they hold the yearly competitions… The space is just about the right size.’ She thought.
The only other place that could hold such a vast amount of people would be Nimbasa City, home to the Battle Trains and Electric Type gym.
Lilith wandered the streets, passing restaurants and nick nack stores. One person spoke of getting pickpocketed, causing her hands to reach closer to her belongings while glancing around. It was all overwhelming and not anything like she expected. The involuntary reaction showed how crowded it was for her taste. All the noise threatened to overwhelm her.
“Hello.” A small voice caught her off guard.
Lilith turned, not feeling anyone's presence beforehand. A familiar eerie feeling washed over her as she recognized the boy. He was one of the Virbank trainers who battled it out in the tournament. She knew nothing about him other than his Pokemon preference and appearance.
“You feel like a …” He tasted the air. “Kindred spirit.” He finished.
Lilith analyzed him and his black hair that covered his eyes. He was hard to read, leaving her unsure what to do.
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“Do you like Ghosts too?” He asked, intrigue obvious in his voice.
He was very open about his advances, taking a step too close for comfort
“No.” Lilith shook her head. “I’m a Dark Type Specialist.”
The young boy’s face twisted as he took a step back. Disappointment mixed in with something else washed over him. She could understand the sentiment, having her type hard counter his.
“Oh, nevermind…” He turned to leave.
“That’s it?” She voiced, more than annoyed at his antics.
The boy paused and glanced back at her.
“Don’t take it personally, anything other than Ghosts are inferior.”
And with that he was gone.
“What…”
Lilith was left at a loss for words. He was arrogant, but not in an aggressive sort of way. It was like all others were below him and his type.
“Well, his loss.” She mumbled
The encounter was brief, turning back to her surroundings. Lilith scanned a nearby map, wanting to shake off the previous encounter.
“Hmm battle zone, lets go check that out.”
The battle zone was one of the closest areas to the entrance so it took no time at all. She picked a random zone in the building and walked in, only to stop and watch the big monitor playing an informational.
“This is the battle zone! Here you can get prizes from winning big matches, or if you have the CASH! outright buy something you want!”
Curiosity overwhelmed her, being familiar with such setups. Lilith walked up to the nearest kiosk and tapped the different lists. It took some time but she looked for anything interesting.
“Oh my…” She wondered aloud.
Such an obvious Item had escaped her notice. It was so mundane, so streamlined, that she had forgotten about it completely.
The small green crown was odd, with large bulbs attached to each apex. They changed color on the screen from green to yellow periodically. She was unable to figure out how it worked, but knew exactly what it was.
An item that moves around experience, allowing weaker Pokemon to grow at a faster rate without battling. The EXP. Share. The only thing more surprising than the revelation was the price.
“What…” Her eyes practically bulged from their sockets once laying eyes on the number. Her math wasn’t the fastest, but it was easily 10 times more than what she had spent the day prior.
‘How would I even afford that…’ She wondered while tapping the icon with interest.
“The EXP Share! Something everyone wants their hands on. They are super duper expensive, so be sure to put in some hard work! The only other way to obtain this Item is through rigorous competition! And at that point, do you really have use for such an Item?”
‘That’s more than a little obnoxious…’ She couldn't help but roll her eyes.
The more she looked, the poorer she felt. Everything was scaled so largely that she would have to win many battles to gain BP, or battle point, to get anything worthwhile.
‘They probably make a killing getting trainers to battle for BP, all those ticket sales more than make up for the loss in items…’
The atmosphere rapidly drained away until Lilith felt no more need to stay.
“Guess it’s time to go…” She sighed.
T.M’s wouldn’t pay for themselves. The walk back through was uneventful, if not a bit crowded. The Pokemon Center was only a hop skip and a jump after that, easily renting a room.
It was shaped like a standard hotel, only much smaller. The bed barely fit her tiny size, let alone others. There was about two meters from the bed to the wardrobe and a place to store her stuff. A bathroom sat right at the door as one walked in, having a cozy fit. Overall, it was enough for its intended function.
Lilith closed the curtains and called out her Pokemon. She enjoyed sleeping with them more and more. It built trust, allowing Sableye under her bed along with Absol in it. Most of the space was taken up, but she was so tired that it didn’t matter what weird position her body contorted into.
***
The day went by and the Team slept soundly.
“BeEp! bEeP!”
That was, until the blaring alarm went off.
“Ughh.” Everyone let out a groan as Lilith rolled over and smashed her fist into her Castor.
The device ceased and everyone got up and about for the day. Her mind couldn’t help but wander to the seemingly insurmountable problem before her. Money obviously made the world go round, but there was another factor. Pokemon and the power they held meant nothing in the face of wealth. It was the goal she had been reaching for, but still found herself unable to ignore it. The EXP share was something she wanted, needed even.
It would decrease her training time exponentially while simultaneously increasing the team's overall power. The trick was obtaining one. In the games it was simple, the player was the chosen one. Reality proved to be much different. Even with the items she had collected as fallback, Lilith doubted they would be enough to cover all her costs in the foreseeable future.
‘Guess I need a job.’ She groaned internally. It was the one thing she really didn’t want to do, but people rarely could afford such a luxury. Sableye stayed in her shadow as Absol followed behind.
They walked out into the main room in the Pokemon Center.
The hustle and bustle of the day was gone, and few people still stood in the hallowed halls. Most were Trainers getting ready for bed, only a few still looking alive. They made their way over to the dreaded job board, trying to figure out its function. The games needed no way to make money, you just went around beating up other Trainers and taking their money from them. From a different perspective it looked a lot like thievery.
“How does this work…” She mumbled while staring at the board.
It was a little too fantasy-esque for her taste, but she would get over it.
“Can I help you?” A man said wearily.
He looked between her and her Pokemon, obviously in the know. His face was a mixture of freight and professionalism.
‘This guy deserves a raise.’ She thought internally.
“Yeah, how does this board work?” She asked, sticking her thumb at it.
The man faltered at her question, obviously expecting something much different.
“Each job is either funded by the League for Young Trainers such as yourself to gain experience, or private citizens looking for help. Most are of the former to help growth. Rewards are earned and not just handed out. Each job has a different level of difficulty, denoted by the star here.” He pointed to one of the flyers on the electronic board.
“Each job is classified by the amount of badges a Trainer has. One badge, to a One star job. The details of the job are posted below. Make sure to read all the fine print, you want to know exactly what is expected of you. And just because you take a job doesn’t mean others can’t do the same. Most jobs are free range, with only jobs like escort duty being much more singular.”