<a class="postlink" href="https://creativefreedomrpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&amp;t=36890">OOC</a><br/><br/>-------------<br/><br/>Welcome to Black City.<br/><br/>Some might say this was a very strange place. Mainly because it was appropriately named for the dark cloud that eerily looms over the entire city even when the sun is clearly shining. The architecture also played a part, for most of the more popular buildings were painted black. Yet as odd as it was, it was just like every other city. Poorer districts and ghettos were along the outer parts, hidden away from the more populated richer districts such as shopping areas. Such places where entertainment was always available were always the most crowded. People from all over the world venture here, drawn to this place because it’s both mysterious and flashy, definitely a place that never seems to sleep. It was built as a place where people could just throw all of their worries away, never have to work or fear anything.<br/><br/>It was even an ideal vacation spot with some of the hotels overlooking a small body of water in the distance. This body of water would be Black Lake.  There was an official name, but the locals had referred to it as such for so long it just caught on. There was nothing too fancy about it; it simply is the city’s water supply. Some might find other things in that lake, which would cause concerns whether or not the water actually was safe to drink even after filtration and inspections, however.<br/><br/>The city lights could be seen for miles, even with the dark cloud, especially during the darkest of days where no star could be seen in the sky. Truly a sight to behold, the streets were lit so brightly during the night that some claimed to have needed sunglasses. Most of the brightness came from the neon lights of the many casinos around Black City, which were, when Pokémon Contests were not the center of attention that week, the main source of entertainment. The Black City Contest hall was the largest building in the city, but it was the casinos that were probably the most impressive in terms of architecture. They say some of the best casinos are right here in Black City; the winners anyway. The losers are forced to roam the streets with next to nothing in their pocket, unable to get back home or pay off whatever bills they had.<br/><br/>Those who say that this place is truly a place where only the strong survive told no lies. On the surface, Black City really did seem like the ideal place to live. No worries, no regrets, it all sounded so wonderful, right? Wrong. Some might live in luxury, some were happy with what little they had in poverty, but Black City was much more than a place filled with entertainment. There were people living here who saw the city for what it really was: a dirty city with stray Purrloins roaming about, where those who don’t watch their step got screwed over. Crime ran rampant underneath the seemingly safe environment the city tries so hard to show off; authorities were not able to stop it despite their efforts. And when confronted, a lot of times authorities would look away from crime for the right price.<br/><br/>This city was a tourist trap and a wilderness all in one.<br/><br/>Every day of her life, Jessica Dawson saw it all. As she walked along the dirty streets, tuning out the façade of the neon lights and flashy architecture, a lot of it gaudy in her mind, she only had eyed for what lurked in the shadows. She was a woman who had everything she ever wanted in life, yet always desired more, living off of her father’s riches. Even though she considered herself to be independent, her father, head of one of mob families in the city, was a rich man who was in control of a lot of the city. Only a few other families rivaled him. A lot of people knew who she was. Her father’s enemies always seemed to have their eye on her any chance they got. If she screwed up, oh, they would absolutely love that. So she was careful.<br/><br/>If she was not constantly watching her step she knew she would be done for. But rather than carry herself like someone who was self-conscious, her stride was very confident. Shoulders square, back straight, keeping one foot in front of the other as her heels tapped the sidewalk. Her figure was not one that would turn heads, however she did have character. The dress she wore today complimented her. A fine fur boa, made from Furret, wrapped around her neck elegantly, matching the Pidgey feathers in her hat. Both items were gifts from her father that she flaunts at any given opportunity.<br/><br/>The night wasn’t cold. Seeing no reason for a coat, she kept her attire simple, especially since she did not want to get dirty tonight.<br/><br/>Close to the heart of the city there was a bar called the Sleeping Houndoom. Jessica managed the bar along with her older brother, Fredrick, and also held some illegal operations there. Tonight was a very important night. She was hosting a Pokémon fight for some tourists, looking to suck some of their money right out of their pockets. They always came in strong looking for some easy money, and took it so seriously that some of them had to be escorted out on occasion, whether drunk or angry, maybe both. Hey, she did work at a bar after all; alcohol was mandatory for such an occasion. The more intoxicated they became, the easier it was to sucker them into tossing in higher bets. It was a perfect formula. There were some flaws, but she was still very successful.<br/><br/>“Good evening, Matt,” Jessica greeted one of the workers.<br/><br/>Matt looked up from his newspaper, grinning, “Jessica! I thought you were taking tonight off.” He said in a surprised yet pleased tone. Matt was a portly man with a wide grin. She kept him around because he was an efficient worker and didn’t ask too many questions, the man kept to himself.<br/><br/>“I had a change of plans.”<br/><br/>“Oh?”<br/><br/>Jessica nodded, “I’ll be here for awhile. Take care of things out here for me, though, will you?”<br/><br/>“Yes, ma’am.”<br/><br/>“Good. I know I can count on you to keep everything in line.” Jessica gave Matt a light pat on the shoulder and went towards the back. She slipped through the kitchen area, then went downstairs, to the basement. There was an entire area here specifically for Pokémon fighting. As she entered, her Growlithe Benjamin trotted up to her, tongue hanging out of his mouth, full of energy as always.<br/><br/>“Good boy, Ben. Down.” She bent down and patted the little orange dog on the head as he jumped up trying to lick her face, tail wagging, pulling a berry from her pocket. Oran berries were his favorite, and she was sure he’d need the extra strength tonight. Benjamin ate the berry happily. She did a quick check to make sure everything was in order, before this room became flooded with people.<br/><br/>Just as she was about to check the few Pokémon that were down here, a low male voice had caught her attention.<br/><br/>“Jessica…” There was also another visitor here it seems. “Trying to sneak behind my back?” She looked to see her father, Rudolf, leaned against the wall. The age in his face was even more visible whenever he was upset with her. She had not been counting on this visit. Whenever Jessica sneaked behind her father’s back, she made sure that it was kept under the radar. Someone must have run their mouth. Oh, she was going to have a lot of fun weeding them out and giving them a talking to. “Just what do you think you’re doing here, hosting battles without my permission?”<br/><br/>Jessica straightened herself a little more, meeting his displeased look with one of her own. It was needless to say that she was not happy about this in the least. “I’m making money for the family. Isn’t that what you wanted?” The sharp tone in her voice caused Benjamin to sit back a little. It was all about the money, all the time, no matter what. Wasn’t it? There were some rich tourists in town this week. It was the perfect opportunity to suck them dry, why did he not see that? For the past few days, she had everything panned out. She would tell her father she was taking time off to see a friend. Looks like no matter how old she gets, her father still knows what she is up to just about any day of the week. She couldn’t believe this! She… she was just so frustrated right now.<br/><br/>“You have never been against these fights before, why is tonight any different?” She continued. Their arguments always took her back to her childhood. She was a lot more explosive then, but was still just as defiant and rebellious. Rather than letting her anger explode, she kept calm as best she could. A lot of different things were running through her mind right now. Jessica knew she could not afford to lose it with her father, no matter how badly she wanted to deck him.<br/><br/>“As long as I’m the one running this family, I will be in charge of how things are run.” He paused, shaking his head. “I really do let you get away with too much. If you want to host your fights, fine, but you really need to start being a lot more careful…”<br/><br/>Jessica cut him off, “Father, I am careful, I know the other families-”<br/><br/>“I don’t need to worry, and I don’t care about the other families. My focus is on my own, my daughter, I know things have been rough lately but you just need to trust me. I’ve been in this business a lot longer than you have. I’m warning you now…”<br/><br/>Jessica waited, but Rudolf didn’t say anything more. He just left her with those words as he slipped out of the basement via the stairs leading to the side door, which lead to the alley adjacent to the building itself. He made no sense sometimes. She was expecting him to give an elaborate explanation, often long winded, like he always did when he discovered she was up to no good. But nothing happened. It was surprising, and gave her a bit of a nudge to keep her guard up during the night. Of course, Jessica was not going to give her father that satisfaction.<br/><br/>No matter how much her father was against the idea, the show must go on. She had already promised a few people in the family that they would get a cut of whatever was made from the fight. While planning for this, she hand-picked people who would truly go along with her and support her fully; they were going to get a nice cut. Her brothers included, they always supported her. Rudolf would have probably kept all of the money for himself. Jessica might be the childish and defiant one in the family, but her father was definitely the stingy, greedy, selfish one in the family. As well as he kept everything together, the family was starting to crack a little because of his stubborn attitude towards certain things that should be gone about more carefully. She was careful. She was going to stick by that to the ends of the world.<br/><br/>About twenty minutes later, people began to gather down here near the ring. She could already tell this was going to be an interesting night. Two Charizards, the Pokémon pitted against each other in the very first match, were amongst the many contenders participating tonight. Their trainers stood by them, both looking smug. When the word was given, the two large lizards lunged at each other. Within a few minutes of the fight, there was already blood splattered on the walls. She had been given a list of Pokémon to choose from before the actual fight had begun. It was a pretty big roster, which she had tweaked a little, of course, turning some fights to favor the people she had made deals with. Choosing to have Charizards fight to start things off really seemed to please the audience.<br/><br/>Benjamin seemed pretty anxious with all the action. He was sitting at her feet, wiggling a little with excitement.<br/><br/>His turn would come later. For now, Jessica stood leaned against the wall, observing, eager to see how this night was going to go. Her father’s word still lingered in her mind. Absently searching the crowd, she had expected to find him standing in the back somewhere. But he was not. Interesting, she thought to herself, her brothers were not around either. Something must be up. She made a note to investigate it after the fights were over.