I Sting (Pokemon Poison Type Specialist)

Virah grunted in exertion as her friends lifted her to the rooftop, she stumbled as her soles touched the ledge but Whitney was quick to move and thankfully caught her just in time.

She huffed and leaped down from the ledge, "I-" Virah cut herself off and inhaled a lungful of air, "I- I can't believe we just did that," she said, breathless, "that I just did that,"

Virah looked back down from the series of dumpsters, platforms, and windows the three of them scaled and grew a frown, the journey from the ground to the roofs had been exhausting and it would have been impossible if it wasn't for her Aura.

"Well, you're here," Grene said casually, though the cracked undertone of her voice told Virah the entire story of the martial artist's concern towards her, "which is good…"

"You know, I'm starting to think that this may have been a bad idea," Whitney didn't bother to hide her concern and was openly saying it with a wince inducing tone, the pinkette scratched her cheek, "should we go back?.."

Virah shook her head, "we're already up here so we should just commit to it," she popped a bottle of Cheri flavored Momoo Milk and gulped it all down in one setting, "I'll be fine,"

"You sure?" Grene asked.

Virah nodded, "yep, my muscles are feeling less exhausted already, and besides," she capped the now empty bottle and put it back in her bag, "how else am I supposed to recover if I just sit around all day?"

"I think you can actually heal faster that way," Whitney said with a frown.

"Yeah but then I'll be weak after I'm done," Virah shook her head.

She walked forward and eyed the nigh-empty apartment buildings on this side of the city, thanks to the League's efforts in providing homes and apartments for single mothers and orphans, most of the non-league-funded apartment complexes across the city had gotten abandoned.

The rent here was just as cheap as the apartment buildings the league built for people like her but despite that, people hadn't bothered to move in them thanks to the fact that places like these were worst than the slums near the league-funded apartments.

If the streets near Virah's home had gangs that sold drugs, then the ones here had groups of criminals that dabbled in illegal fighting rings for humans, prostitution, both for Pokemon and humans, and a myriad of other things that would make Whitney weep.

And speaking of the pinkette…

"Hey Whitney, uh, are you sure you want to practice your Aura here?" Virah couldn't help but ask, the poison specialist rubbed her arms in discomfort, "because… you know I- I don't think this place is the right one…"

"Why?" Whitney asked.

"I…" Virah turned her gaze to the orange cast sky, "this place isn't… great,"

She had a choice to lie or tell the truth. Really, she was aware of the fact that letting Whitney remain ignorant would just lead to her being unprepared to what she was going to see but at the same time, if she told the pinkette just what is happening around here then it'll be like giving her friend incentive to, quite literally, try and "save" the people here.

'Make her understand,' Virah thought to herself, 'I should make her understand,'

Virah met Grene's eyes, then back to Whitney, "… look, so you know how I said that my old home had gangs?"

"Yeah?" Whitney said, "does this place have that too?"

"No… it's- they're worse, the people here are worse and they uhm…" Virah was starting to regret her decision now and she wanted to leave things as is…

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh, she already took the plunge, she might as well dive down and see what's on the sea floor, "it's not just… bad food, but also you know- uhm-"

"… Do you know how Pokemon eggs are made?" Virah held back a wince, she did so with little success and her mouth tensed up into an ugly frown.

"Yeah, mama and papa Pokemon hug each other until an egg pops up between them," Whitney's tone was light and innocent.

"Uhuh…" Virah replied, dumb founded, "how do I even?.." Virah turned to Grene but the martial artist looked away. Virah closed her eyes, "they have… mate, Whitney." Virah corrected the pinkette's belief, "they mate,"

"They mate?" Whitney tilted her head.

"Yeah… they…" Virah sighed, "you see… uhm, they-" Virah shook her head, "that's not the point, anyway- the people here sell… themselves and… mate with… guys and uhm-"

Virah looked away and spotted Grene staring at the ground, her face scarlet, "well… they get money throught that."

"I don't think that's a bad thing-"

"It is," / "Whitney that's bad," Virah and Grene cut the pinkette off at the same time.

Virah pinched the bridge of her nose, "if you mate for money, then other people will hate you,"

"Will you two hate me then?" Whitney looked back and forth between the two of them.

'I hate this,' Virah thought with a frown.

"No… we won't but that's because you're out friend and we understand you- we- we went through more things than that but- but we won't like it if you do it," Virah said lengthily, she nodded at herself, proud that she somehow navigated that well.

"So uh, don't do it okay?" Virah said.

"Okay?.." Whitney just sounded confused and Virah thanked Arceus for the pinkette's ignorance.

"But enough about that," Virah shook her head, deeming that Whitney didn't need to know the full story, "there are also other things that happen here like humans being forced to fight Pokemon, humans fighting each other, and a few other disturbing things,"

"Humans fighting Pokemon can happen right?" Whitney faced Grene.

"The humans here don't use Aura," Grene shook her head, "they're at risk of being injured, or even hospitalized,"

"Oh." Whitney mumbled as the gravity of the situation dawned on her, "that's bad."

"It is," Virah nodded, "which is why I wanted to ask you if it's a good idea to be here, or if we should just leave,"

"No- we need to save them don't we?" Whitney asked in return.

Virah and Grene shook their heads, with the martial artist crossing her arms, "that's not a good idea,"

"What Grene said," Virah agreed, "saving people doesn't stop at stopping their problems Whitney," Virah paused, "or it… does,"

"The issue is that their problem is more than just poverty to the point where they have to fight Pokemon for money," Grene chimed, "they also lack social support, and even education,"

Virah nodded, amazed that Grene knew this much, "Grene's right, people don't just magically become functioning members of society after you saved them from their bad luck, they need to learn how to function the way we do,"

"That sounds wrong," Whitney frowned.

"It is, but that's just how things are, and I don't think we can change that," Virah hummed, "people are different, they have different skill sets and not everyone can become a model citizen,"

"Sometimes, people do what they do because that's the only thing they could realistically do in their situation," Grene chorused.

"You're both trying to tell me something, I don't get it-" Whitney swiftly said, frustration clear in her voice, "you both sound just like my parents,"

"We're… being indirect, yeah," Virah averted her gaze, "it's just… we want you to understand that we can't save everyone,"

"Can't we?" Whitney asked.

"No, no we can't," Virah shook her head, "we're here to find Team Rocket, know more about them, and then… leave,"

"What?" Whitney's tone lowered, "then what about the people-"

"Whitney, no one here knows how to lead," Grene said, "we… are still kids, even if we're already starting our journey,"

"What happens after we leave?" Whitney asked, she sounded hurt, "you said their problems won't just end after we save them right?"

"Someone else is going to fill the power vacuum that we'll leave and they'll do the same things the previous "leaders" did," Virah lowered her hands, "… because that's the most profitable thing to do and no one is going to stop them once we're gone,"

"What about the Jennies?" Whitney tried to argue.

"They can't do anything, and even then, the people here will probably help out the gangs," Grene answered. "They're more scared of the people ruling them than the Jennies, and for a good reason, the gangs will hurt them once they learn that they snitched,"

Virah nodded, "what we need to do here is hurt a rocket operation, and nothing more than that,"

"…" Whitney closed her eyes, "and you're both telling me the truth?"

"Yes," Grene and Virah answered simultaneously.

"Okay, fine," Whitney said, "I believe you,"

Both girls sighed in relief.

"Thank you, for trusting us," Virah said.

"Thank you for being honest," Whitney replied, though without her usual peppiness, she just sounded… neutral.