I didn't wake up until almost nine the following morning, feeling way more grogginess than usual as I pulled back the covers and swung my legs out of bed. As I went to stand up, I ended up stumbling back onto the bed. Some snickering could be heard off to the side as I turned my head to see Marc and Ez in the kitchen looking at me.

"Looks like someone decided to finally join us," Ez said.

I tried to get up again and could feel a lot of unsteadiness in my legs as I slowly made my way over. "I think I might have overdone it yesterday morning," I remarked as I looked to Marc.

"I think that may be the case," Marc chuckled as he finished preparing breakfast. "That was a fairly intense morning, plus we had the rest of the trip. We basically made the trip from Oldale to Petalburg one and a half times. That's just under twenty five miles, which is quite a lot for someone not used to it." Marc scooped the food onto some plates and handed them to Ez and I. "Here, I made sure to include some good recovery foods in our breakfast so you should be walking normally in no time."

"Thanks Marc," I said as I sat down to eat. I felt like I was forgetting something as I was about to chow down, then I remembered. "Sienna!" I blurted out quite loudly, a faint "Eeeee" coming from the bed. I looked over to see her crawling out from under the covers, also seeming to have a hard time standing. I got up and slowly walked over to her. "Hey, sorry about that, Sienna. I was really tired when I woke up," I said, chuckling. Sienna looked at me very sleepily, just nodding her head. I picked her up and carried her back to the table, joining the rest of the crew.

We all ate fairly quickly, thanks in no small part to the fact that Marcus was an amazing cook. It was a well balanced meal of meats, grains, and vegetables. The food was seasoned perfectly and extremely savory. We ate in record time, but didn't spend too much time sitting around afterwards. It seemed we were all anxious to get out into the city.

"So, what are we thinking of doing for today?" I asked, curious to see what Ez and Marc were thinking.

"Well, there is quite a lot to do in Petalburg City." Marc responded. "One of the biggest attractions is the beach out on Route 104, given it is a short distance from the west side of the city. There are a few markets and shopping areas as well. However, the big attraction for us would be the Petalburg City Gym and Norman, the Gym Leader."

The thought of challenging Norman and getting my first badge sounded amazing. I knew I was super pumped, certain I could beat him no issue. That is, until I realized that this wasn't a game. I had one battle under my belt and had not even been a trainer a week. "Are we ready to face a gym leader already?" I asked modestly.

"Yeah, I don't see why not," Ez said. "Remember that there is no specific order for the gym challenge. Gym leaders here usually have two full teams on standby that are different levels of strength. They will ask how many badges you have and pick a team that will give you a proper level of challenge."

"Yeah, I do remember reading that when I was studying for the final exam." I responded as I got up and began to wash the dishes. "However, we only began our journey four days ago. Maybe we should spend some more time training before we challenge a gym leader." Ez looked upset and was about to say something when Marc cut her off.

"Alex is right, we have not even been trainers for a week. Even though Lee here gives me an advantage over Norman, he could just send out a stronger Pokemon to make it more challenging for me. In fact, you guys have only had one battle each and I have yet to have a battle."

Ez opened her mouth and seemed ready to protest what Marc said, but after a moment looked down and slouched. "Yeah, you're right." She remarked. "I guess I was really anxious to try and get our first badge quickly."

"To be fair, I kind of wanted to challenge Norman today as well," I added in, hoping to make her feel better. "After thinking about it while we walked yesterday, I decided that may not be the best idea. We don't have a time limit right now, so let's enjoy our time and get stronger before we rush into things." Marc and Ez nodded in agreement.

"So, how about we hit the markets early and then go do some training?" Marc proposed as he finished packing his gear. "There are bound to be some trainers just outside the city on Route 103, I think that would be a good place to go."

"I think that is a good idea," I added, looking at Ez who nodded as well. We finished cleaning up and headed out.

The rest of the day went by without much excitement. We hit a few small shops in town for some supplies and food, then headed to Route 103. We were all able to get in a few battles and we all won as well. In the afternoon, we did some one on one training with our Pokemon, helping them to improve their moves and try some new ones. Sienna worked on perfecting her moves and learned how to use Sand Attack, something I felt she could use effectively. Elektra and Lee seemed to learn some new tricks as well, which was a good thing for when we decided to challenge Norman. We stayed out training until evening and then headed back to the Pokemon center for the evening.

As we were eating, a thought popped into my head. I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to discuss but figured now would be the best time. "Hey Marc, I have a question." I said.

"What is it Alex?" He responded.

"Why aren't you staying at your house if you live in Petalburg City?" Ez looked at me with an eyebrow raised while Marc cleared his throat and set down his fork.

"Well, we technically are," he responded. "After my parents passed away, I ended up inheriting their house as well as their life insurance policies. It took me a while to come to terms with their deaths, the house seeming to be nothing but painful memories for me. I had the house sold and used all the money to pay my full tuition for the Pokemon Trainer academy. I also was able to pay for a room here at the Petalburg City Pokemon center until I would graduate from the academy and become a trainer. Room 205 was my home for five years and I formally left it the day of our graduation ceremony. I really only used the room to sleep and such, since most of my time was spent either at the academy or training. I didn't really have many personal effects, so it was a rather quick move. I kept some items on me and the rest were either sold or put into a storage unit for later on. I had a feeling it would be a while before I actually settled down somewhere, so I got used to traveling light and not getting too attached to the place."

I sat there with my jaw open as Marc talked, having such a hard time comprehending how someone so young was able to do so much and handle what he had gone through. "Marc…" I said, struggling to find words for what I was thinking. "I can't even imagine what you went through and at that age nonetheless. It had to be so difficult to do."

"Yeah, it was," he said with a bit of a chuckle. "The first few months were the hardest. Other than the staff here and some people at the fitness center, I was pretty much all alone. That all changed that fall however."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well, I met you guys," he said. I met you and Ez and we became friends. We would get together and hang out a lot. I got to know both of your parents and they made me feel welcome. You two became the closest I could imagine to a new family."

Ez and I were both tearing up a bit, moved by what we meant to Marc. While I'm sure he had said this around Ez and Alex before, it definitely had an impact on me hearing it for the first time. It was still shocking to hear how much he was able to overcome practically alone, and also reassuring to know we had helped him through hard times as well.

We slept well that night and spent the following day training as we had before. By the end of the day, we were all tired but much more confident in our abilities as trainers. After some discussion over dinner, we all decided we would try to battle Norman the next day. While it seemed quick, we did see some new trainers earn their badges so we thought it would be worth a shot. We all seemed to sleep well, any anxiety we had offset by the exhaustion of our training. Tomorrow will be our first big step.