After lunch, we called the local fitness center. It would be 60 Pokedollars per week. They also have additional branches across the region if I wanted to maintain a full membership at 200 per month, or just pay 20 per visit. I planned to just do the two weeks to start and then go from there, but I first had to see what kind of funds I even had. After finishing up on the phone with the fitness center, we then called my bank.

"5,000 dollars!?" I nearly yelled when I heard her tell me my balance.

"Yes sir Mr. Pyrite" the representative said, sounding like she was stifling a giggle. You've been steadily adding to the account over the last few years, and interest rates have been good the last few years."

"Ah, ok. Guess I wasn't keeping up on it. I do have a question. I'm planning on getting my Pokémon Trainer license in about 2 weeks and will need to transfer my services to PTRCU. What would I need to do that?"

"Well, I can begin the process on our end today. Once you have your license, just send us a copy of it and we will be able to complete the process by the following day."

"Oh that's great. Thank you very much." I finished up the call, more relieved than I had been that day. I let my parents know the situation and decided to head to the fitness center. I grabbed a change of clothes and headed out. Nothing of note happened on the walk there, I just thought about how I wanted to approach this.

As I approached and entered, everything looked fairly standard albeit larger than I was used to seeing. The building had large glass windows across the front with a standard selection of equipment, as well as what looked like a gated section towards the back. Something else I noticed that made me smile was there were not only people here, but Pokémon too. Trainers running on treadmills with their teams, a few guys lifting with their fighting types, spotting for each other. I walked up to the counter where a rather pretty girl who barely looked older than me was seated reading a magazine. "Good afternoon" I said with a smile.

"Oh, good afternoon." She said, slightly startled. "Sorry about that, I was really getting into this article. Welcome to PokeFit. I'm Sam, how may I help you?"

"My name is Dav...Alex Pyrite. I called earlier about a membership." Almost let that slip...

"Ah, yes ok. Well, let's get your signature and payment set up, and I can show you around." We went through the paperwork quickly and then we headed for a tour of the facility.

"Ok, so these are the locker rooms. Showers, restrooms and lockers. The lockers are electronic, and react to your ID."

"That's pretty cool, does it matter what ID you have?" I asked.

"Nope, standard, driver's, trainer's, works for any." She said with a smirk. "Now, over here is our standard area. This is where most people and Pokémon will want to exercise. We have cardio, free weights, various machines, yoga mats, and heavy and speed bags."

"Wow, that's quite a selection, especially for what I would imagine is a smaller location."

"Well, we are actually about average. While the town is a little smaller, many trainers like to start out here on their adventure, so we have a larger customer base than some other towns like Oldale and Fallabor."

"Huh, guess I never really thought about it like that" I said. "There either must be a lot of places to rent in Littleroot Town, or the Pokecenter has lots of lodging."

"Well, a little of both. There are a few hotels here since most people only stay a short period while the ceremonies are going on. The poke center is pretty nice sized as well." Sam responded as we approached the gated section. It had a gated door with a strong, but see through wall around it. There was less variety of equipment in there, but they all looked much larger and heavier duty.

"That is the specialty training area. That is mostly for more powerful Pokémon and trainers, as well as Pokémon with certain restrictions, like high body temperature or too large for normal equipment." She seemed to have a bit more enthusiasm when talking about this area.

"You seem to like this area." I said innocently.

She clasped her hands in front of her as she turned to me. "Well, yeah. The people and Pokémon that are able to train here are among the strongest around. If you can use the equipment in there effectively, it speaks volumes to your capabilities. I'm kind of envious of those who can..."

"Well, you're still young. I bet you'll be able to accomplish that no problem. I'm sure you're in better shape than me". I laughed as I finished that statement.

She blushed. "I mean, you look pretty good yourself, for eighteen at least. Going out to become a trainer, you'll catch up to me in no time." I couldn't really tell if she was flirting or not, but I decided to roll with it.

"Well, that just means you'll have to work even harder. I plan to come back every once and a while to visit with my family. I'll have to make sure to come by to see how much you've improved." I smiled and gave her a big thumbs up. It was cheesy, but got a laugh out of her anyway.

"Hahaha. I'll hold you to it. Tell you what..." she took out a piece of paper and scribbled on it, handing it to me. "He's my number, let me know when you're back in town and we could make a day of it...". She winked as she said this, now causing me to blush.

"It's a date...sorry, that's not what I meant" I hung my head in embarrassment. She rested her hand on my shoulder, nearly collapsing from laughter.

"Ah aha ah...wow, I haven't laughed that hard in ages. Don't worry, I know what you meant. So, do you have any more questions?"

"Nope, I think I'll be ok. I'll find you if I do." She smiled and waved as she headed back to the desk. I waved back a little awkwardly and headed for the locker room.

For the next 3 hours, I hit almost every machine in the main area. Treadmill, elliptical, stair stepper, every machine, and a bunch of free weights. I had lifted and done cardio when I was in high school, so all the equipment was familiar to me. Sweaty and tired, I headed back to the locker room to sit down.

"Ok...that was...a lot. I'm definitely not as strong as my old body...but my cardio is way better than I'm used to." My old body was 6' and 300 lbs. I could deadlift nearly 400 lbs, and carry people around like it was nothing. I did get out of breath rather quickly though and didn't do the best in the heat. When I went to Dr. Pine, they did my measurements. 5'10" and 160 lbs. So quite a bit lighter, but I felt in much better shape. "Well, at least I'm probably better prepared than I would have been. I can't let myself get to that point again."

I decided to stay dressed and jog home. "If I'm gonna take this seriously I need to take little steps like this to keep up with it." I kept a good pace, better than I ever had before and was home in just under 10 minutes. I came through the door breathing heavily, my mom turning to me with a concerned look.

"Alex? Are you ok? Was something chasing you home?" She got closer to me, looking to see if I was ok.

"No, everything is fine. I just decided to jog home, I'm trying to take all of this seriously. Staying in good shape will be important as I travel."

She smiled and nodded. "Whew. Please don't scare me like that again. Now, we'll be eating dinner in about a half hour. Maybe you should go get a shower?"

I lifted my arm to take a sniff. "Whew! Yeah, that may be a good idea." It was a good workout though, so it makes sense. "I will be good for dinner then, thanks mom." I smiled as I headed upstairs. I got a nice long shower and came down for dinner.

Tonight looked to be chicken, at least it looked like chicken. I still didn't want to ask, so I just assumed chicken. Mashed potatoes and some vegetables complimented it. "Wow, this looks good. A perfect meal for after a workout." I said as I entered the dining room to meet my parents.

"So, how was your time at the fitness center Alex?" My dad said as he grabbed a helping.

"I think it went well. My cardio seems good, though I wish I was a little stronger. I'm gonna try to hit the center as much as I can before I leave. I'm gonna work on both, but do a little more strength training." I grabbed a full plate of food and began to dig in.

My dad nodded. "Well, that's good. Being a trainer isn't just about combat. You'll need to be able to get by on your own. You won't have a Pokémon Center to stay at every night."

"Yeah, about that...". I said after finishing another sizable bite. "Do I have gear for my adventure yet, like a bag, tent, or cooking stuff?"

"Yes you do" My mom said. "We picked out some stuff right after you finished school. It's out in the garage. Before you leave, you should look through and see if you need anything else. If so, we'll make a trip to pick up supplies."

"Ok, great. Thanks guys, I really appreciate this."

My parents looked at each other and smiled. "Well of course son. That's what parents are for. Supporting their children, even if they have some reservations about their choices. We wouldn't really try to hinder you unless it was something bad. Now, eat up. I'm sure you'll be in bed early tonight. You have a long 2 weeks coming up and you need to be prepared."

I nodded and continued to eat. We chatted during the rest of the meal, but nothing of note. After dinner, I headed to my room. I planned to start looking into some of the stuff before bed, but I was asleep as soon as I hit the bed