What the Wind Carries [Pokémon Black and White 2 fanfiction]

07| Double Drop Toxic

After spending quite a few days hanging around Virbank City sightseeing and training, we decided to do what we came here for. Rosa headed back to the complex looking for any Pokémon she may have missed. Hugh and I went asking around Virbank City in search of the Gym, or someone who could tell us where it was.

"Do you know where the Virbank Gym is?" I asked.

The man I was talking to nodded and pointed to the street sign. "We're on Straitford Street right now. Turn left when Straitford intersects Clef Lane and you'll find the Gym on your left. The building has a neon sign above it, you couldn't possibly miss it."

We followed the man's directions and made our way down Clef Lane. Like the man had said, there was a large neon sign in the shape of a Poké Ball bolted onto a small building above the door. The sign glowed purple, occasionally flickering. I was surprised at how poor a state the building's exterior was in, especially how well-kept the other buildings in Virbank were. The building itself was no bigger than a public restroom with peeling blue paint. There were no windows except for a palm-sized piece of glass built into the gray metal door.

I looked at Hugh with concern and doubt. For apparently being a Gym, this place seemed more than a little sketchy. He returned my look and told me to try the door. Feeling uneasy, I reluctantly reached for the doorknob and turned it. It wasn't locked. I pulled the door open and was greeted with a dark room and a blast of warm, musty smelling air.

"Um, you can go first," I said, shrinking away.

  "Scaredy-Meowth, " Hugh joked, going ahead of me. I frowned at him, but he didn't see it. He opened the door all the way and walked into the Gym.

On the inside, the building had no other doors, furniture, or anything. The only thing of note was a staircase on our immediate right, heading down into the Gym's poorly-lit depths. Multicolored lights were scattered across the ceiling, painting the staircase with shades of blue, purple, and green, colors usually associated with poison.

As we proceeded down the stairs, I became aware of a sound of some sort. It was low, rhythmic, and it resounded very deeply. It reminded me of a song's beat. Well, Cheren did say the Gym Leader was in a band, I thought.

By the time Hugh and I reached the bottom of the stairs, the sound had increased enough to show it really was the beat for a song. I was also able to hear the muffled sounds of drums, what might have been a guitar, and someone singing, though I wasn't able to make out what the song's lyrics were.

We walked down a narrow hallway for a minute or so and we came to a set of metal double-doors. The music was more clear now and definitely much louder.

On the other side of the doors was a large room. It was decorated like a music venue with chairs and tables. The main attraction though, was the large stage on the room's far side. Four people were on it playing several instruments. There was a guitarist, a drummer, a bassist, and another guitarist who was singing. The center guitarist was a young girl with nearly colorless hair wearing shorts and a purple sweater. The lyrics she was singing were about how toxic she could be and how she wasn't scared to show that side of her.