The sirens from the police car blared as I stared out the window of the car in shock.

“You’re under arrest for the kidnapping of Pokemon Gym Leader, June! You are also under arrest for the suspicion of the mass murders of the civilians of Saffron City including the Gym Leader, Sabrina!” Officer Jenny’s words echoed in my head.

Kidnapping June? I thought to myself. Killing an entire city including Gym Leader, Sabrina? Is this real? Why would they suspect me of any of these crimes? June isn’t even kidnapped! Sabrina’s been dead for ages! How is any of this related to me? I couldn’t understand what was going on. It was unreal. The handcuffs digging into my wrists reminded me that this was all happening right now.

People were stopping in the streets to whisper to other people who ended up pointing and shaking their heads at me as we drove by.

I let out a breath as my heart continued to slam into my chest.

Officer Jenny was glaring at me from the rearview mirror. “You’re going down, kid,” she snarled at me.

“Officer Jenny, please!” I pleaded. “I’m ten years old! I couldn’t possibly have done these crimes! Why would you think I did such a thing?”

“Officers in Gringey City described a Trainer fitting your description who escaped with June, forcing her to use her Pikachu’s Flash attack to escape,” Officer Jenny snapped. “We also have video recordings from civilians of you running with June from Saffron City during the moment the dead bodies were found.”

“But, wait! I never kidnapped June! She begged me take her with me! She wanted to leave! She wasn’t kidnapped! The citizens in Saffron were dead when we got there! It was the Pokemon, Haunter, who killed everyone!”

“June begged you to kidnap her?” Officer Jenny yelled. “Need I remind you, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!”

“Wait! That’s not how I meant it!” I cried.

Officer Jenny didn’t say anything.

“Officer Jenny. PLEASE! This is crazy! There’s no way I could’ve done something like this!”

“There where is June?” Officer Jenny demanded.

“Well… she decided to stop traveling with me…” I replied feebly, knowing this answer was not going to help me.

Officer Jenny silently continued to drive.

My head slumped down. Was I going to go to jail? I wondered. Was my life now over? Was I going to spend the rest of my days as a convicted criminal? The car stopped abruptly and I fell forward into the back of the seat the officer was sitting in.

The police station was just outside of the car.

Officer Jenny stepped out of the car and walked over to my door, opened it, and yanked me out roughly by the shoulders.

“AAAAAHH-WWWW!” I screamed, feeling the handcuffs cutting into my wrists as she pulled me.

Officer Jenny’s grip tightened as she pulled me and kicked the door to her car shut. Her nails applied pressure into my skin as she then pushed me up the steps to the police station doors. She kicked them open and forced me inside.

I stumbled forward, wanting to glare back at her for her mistreatment, but I knew I was in no position to do that, and so I held back my anger.

“Here he is!” Officer Jenny said proudly as she wrapped one strong hand around the back of my neck.

Another Officer Jenny sat behind a towering, wide desk, looking down at me with her eyes wide and mouth hanging.

Several other Officer Jennys and other male officers were sitting at smaller desks in the back of the police station, or just standing around casually.

There were a few regular people sitting down on wooden benches by the front of the station.

Everyone was staring at me, frozen with looks of disbelief. They stood so still, they could have passed for mannequins.

Every police officer stood up immediately and ran to me, gawking at me like I was some kind of weird zoo exhibit.

“So this is the guy?” one male officer asked.

“This is the killer?” another male officer asked.

“This sick, sick puppy,” an Officer Jenny said in disgust.

“His life is over,” another male officer said, shaking his head.

“Get this guy out of my sight or I’ll shoot him on sight,” one Officer Jenny said angrily.

“Give me a few minutes alone with this kid and watch what I’ll do to him,” another Officer Jenny sneered at me, cracking her knuckles.

The officers were all hurling insults at me and threatening my very life while the other people on the benches watched me curiously.

I gazed at the floor as my eyes began to tear up, my feelings hurting over something I didn’t even do. I was only a kid getting threatened by a large group of angry adults. My tears began to hit the floor although I tried to keep them to myself.

“Awww, look. Nooow the baby wants to cry,” a male officer taunted.

“I’ll give him a reason to cry if he wants one,” an Officer Jenny threatened.

I began to shiver in fear, knowing I wasn’t safe. Nobody wanted to hear my side of the story. To make matters worse, the handcuffs were still killing my wrists.

“Alright, make room,” the Officer Jenny sitting behind the huge desk said. “Get him out of my sight before I have to do something terrible to him myself. He’s making me sick just looking at him. Pitiful what the youth these days are turning into.”

Tears began to fall down my eyes even faster.

“And if you keep on crying, trust me, I personally will make sure you cry for a damn good reason!!” she barked sharply.

My heart was beating frantically. My eyes wouldn’t stop flowing with tears, and I couldn’t stop shaking.

“He isn’t listening to you!” one male officer pointed out. “He’s still crying! You should teach this kid a lesson. We all should!”

“He’s ten years old…” one Officer Jenny muttered.

“Yeah, and apparently that makes you tough enough to kill a town of citizens and a couple of Gym Leaders!” one Officer Jenny raged.

“I couldn’t have possibly done that!” Desperate tears flowed from my eyes as I looked to them all. “Please! Think about what you’re accusing me of!”

A hard hit came from nowhere across my cheek. With a pained shout, my head jerked hard to the side before my chin collapsed against my chest. The stinging pain shook my entire body, more tears forced from me.

“Talk back again and trust me, you’ll get a lot worse,” a male officer warned.

I decided at that moment I wouldn’t speak again to these officers.

The seriousness of this situation was truly beginning to sink in now. The rest of my life was on the line. I was being accused of a heinous crime and all evidence was against me. There’s video evidence of me running out of Saffron City with June, I remembered Officer Jenny saying. They think I kidnapped June. They think I murdered people! This is insane! This isn’t fair at all! I’m innocent! I’ve never killed anybody in my life!

“Alright, move it!” The Officer Jenny holding me gave me a strong shake that made me straighten up. “I’m not holding this kid all day.”

“Oh, I’ll hold him for you,” one male officer said, giving me a deadly glare. “I’ll gladly keep an eye on this guy.”

Officer Jenny continued to shove me further into the back of the police station and through a door. We stood in a dank hallway with a couple of light bulbs in the ceiling. It smelled stale and foul with a hint of urine.

The officer shoved me down the hallway lined with cells. Two metal benches sat in each one. Some cells contained only a couple of people, while others contained several. Some people sat on the metal benches inside while others sat on the floor. In a couple of the cells, one person seemed to hog an entire bench by laying down across it while the others sat grudgingly on the floor. Some of the guys and women in them stood up and grabbed the bars as I passed by, either staring at me in awe or looking coldly. All the cells looked dirty and not well kept.

Officer Jenny continued shoving me down the hall, stopping in front of the last cell.

This was the only cell with a window, albeit a smudged over, filthy one.

Only one guy sat inside. He was skinny, perhaps as thin as me, had messy, curly hair, and wore glasses. He had on a fitting white T-shirt and tight blue jeans with a pair of shiny black shoes.

I felt Officer Jenny remove my Poke Balls from my belt. She pressed me up against the wall, my lips pushed against the presumably filthy wall. She patted me down, a dream scenario in any other situation, but not this one. She removed everything from my pockets, including my Pokedex and Badge case, and then took my bag and emptied everything to the floor. Finally, Jenny shoved a key in the lock in the cell, pulled it open, and began to unlock my handcuffs.

I groaned painfully from the rough way she was handling my sore wrists. Once the cuffs were off of me, I could hardly breathe a sigh of relief before I was literally thrown into the cell. My head slammed right into the metal bench waiting for me. “GAAAAHH!!” I collapsed on the filthy floor, unable to move. Everything was spinning. Everything then went black.

My head was throbbing badly, one particular section of it feeling lumped and in extra pain. My eyes opened, but closed right away and I groaned. Just seeing was hurting me! On instinct, I reached up and grabbed my throbbing forehead. “OOOOOWWWWWWW!” I lowered my hand from the painful bump and squinted in pain. The gray ceiling was all I could see. It took me a while, but slowly, I began to open my eyes fully. I kept closing them repeatedly against the light, which wasn’t all that bright, but hurt to see nonetheless. Eventually, I got used to it. Remembering I was still on the filthy ground, I managed to make myself sit up. Sighing, my eyes lowered, making me realize, to my surprise, that I was sitting on the bench I had crashed into! “Huh?” I muttered in confusion. I was certain I hadn’t possibly landed on this bench. Did an officer come in and sit me here? Not likely.

That’s when I noticed the guy in the cell with me. He sat quietly on his bench, eyeing me.

I looked away quickly. The last thing I needed was trouble from anybody else. The officers here were giving me enough hell as it was.

“Hello,” the man across from me spoke.

Against my will, I looked up at him, unsure of what to say, if anything should be said by me at all. “Hi…” I said cautiously. I instantly regretted saying anything to this guy. I had no idea who he was.

He must be a criminal since he was in this cell.

Then again, I was here, and I was innocent…

Was he in a similar situation?

“My name is Ray,” the man introduced himself.

I didn’t say a word.

He stared back at me expectantly.

“Gary,” I finally replied.

“Yes, you are,” he said with a smile. “You’re quite the celebrity here.”

“I didn’t do anything,” I told him quickly.

“I’m sure,” he nodded. “You clearly couldn’t have killed anyone, let alone that many people and have a hostage with you.”

“Exactly!” I exclaimed.

“Stupid officers, really,” Ray said calmly. “Don’t worry, though. I’m sure they won’t hold you here for long.”

I smiled. “Really?”

Ray shrugged. “Who knows. Innocent people have been put to death for less.”

All hope left my body. “Thanks…”

“They have video evidence of you being at the place of the crime and eyewitnesses seeing you run off with your supposed hostage. Your hostage has even been spotted with you on several occasions throughout Kanto. To top it all off, you now return back to the scene of the crime.”

“Scene of what crime?” I demanded. “I never did anything in Celadon City! Or any crime anywhere!”

“Certain officers recall you coming to Celadon City once before,” Ray stated.

“I was here before to get my Badge!” I stopped to think, staring at the cell floor. “And… me and June got attacked by some people and we had to speak to the police about what happened.”

“And why are you back here again?” he asked.

“To travel through to get to Fuchsia City!” I burst out.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Ray laughed. “So where did you go after you were done in Celadon?”

“I went to Saffron to get my… Badge…” I said slowly.

Ray’s smile widened.

“I’m telling the truth!” I yelled.

“Okay,” Ray nodded, his smile spreading further. “So you went to Celadon to get a Badge, accompanied by a missing Gym Leader. Then you went to Saffron City to get another Gym Badge. Once you left there, the Gym Leader you were with in Celadon is not only still missing, but now the Gym Leader of Saffron City is dead. Not to mention she was seen alive just a week prior! Then, you arrive back in Celadon to take the long path of getting to Fuchsia City, even though Saffron has a close route leading straight to Fuchsia City through Lavender Town.”

I scowled at Ray. “After the madness we saw in Saffron, we just ran out of there!” I explained. “We didn’t have a whole lot of time to sit down and think!”

Ray raised his hands in defense, still smiling. “As I said, I believe you. If anything, I’m just preparing you for what you’re about to go through with the police.”

I sighed. “I can’t believe this.” My eyes filling up with tears. I raised my hands to my head to cry in them and instead cried out in pain as my hand hit the bump on my head. My head lowered and I watched my tears hit the floor. “I just want to go home… I’ve lost… everything… They took my Pokemon, my Pokedex, my Badges, my food, clothes, everything!” I released all I felt I had left; my tears. There was no embarrassment in me. There was no concern that I wasn’t alone. There was only me, an existing human being, silently weeping in an empty, lonely space on Earth set for me and me alone. With a hard sniffle, I looked up to Ray. “June… Is she okay? Do you know?”

“The Gym Leader?” Ray’s smile was gone now. “I wouldn’t know. They think you know her location. They’ll surely question you about this. Among other things.”

“June…” I whispered. What happened to her? I wondered. Where did she go? Where is she now?

“You have the right to an attorney,” Officer Jenny’s words echoed in my head.

An attorney… I thought. A lawyer. A judge. Jail. “I don’t wanna go to jail! I don’t have any kind of a lawyer! This isn’t fair!”

“They’ll assign one to you,” Ray said calmly. “You’re in a poor predicament right now though. Probably regret becoming a Pokemon Trainer right about now, don’t you?”

I stared at him for a moment before my eyes went to the floor. I pondered what he had just asked me.

Even before I owned a single Pokemon, my Charmander had been a complete nuisance to me, attacking me when we first met. Charmander later ditched me and nearly got me and Mankey killed. My Primeape was severely injured battling Aurora. I was nearly killed by a crazy terrorist group who almost blew up the Pokemon Center in Pewter City. The attack of the Psychic Pokemon on my way to Saffron. The attack in Saffron from Haunter. Kiwi’s Pidgeotto being killed. The crazed Charizard in Native Village. Whiscash. Trapinch. The Houndoom.

An odd sound entered my ears. I looked around before realizing the noise was my own heavy breathing.

Ray’s eyes were patiently on me.

I stared back. “I…” I choked out. “I…”

Ray smiled slightly.

All of my work. All of my accomplishments. Sitting in this cell, I had absolutely nothing. I’d lost a lot on this journey. I felt like my sanity was slowly becoming one of those things. “I’m going to jail, aren’t I?” I asked slowly, my heart beating faster, harder.

“Probably,” Ray said easily. “You probably won’t even see the judge here. They’ll probably ship you right out to the Big House and hold your trial there. You’ll most likely be held without bail and have your court dates set months or even a year apart. In between your court dates, you’ll wait in prison with other criminals. If you truly are innocent, you’ll have to do your best to survive until you’re released, which could happen at any time. If you’re actually guilty, you’ll have no problems.” Ray smiled sinisterly.

“I AM innocent!” I screamed.

Ray laughed. “I only joke.”

“This isn’t the time for jokes!”

Ray laughed again.

With an angry growl, I lowered my head. “How can I prove my innocence?” I asked quietly.

“The whole world thinks you’re guilty,” Ray replied. “Or they will soon enough once word spreads that they captured the guy. With the evidence piled against you, your own mother would think you are.”

My mom... A pained cry escaped my throat at that thought and I looked sadly at my cellmate. “Maybe this journey was a mistake…”

Ray smiled wider. “Of course it was. The best thing they did was take your Pokemon from you. You don’t need them. You never did. You’ve been force fed a world where Pokemon are fun creatures for you to master and control and have fun with through battles and ultimately gain the fame and the glory. It isn’t like that at all, is it?”

I slowly shook my head as it fell to the floor again.

“Pokemon are no good,” Ray continued, his voice lowering. Perhaps even getting darker? “They bring nothing but pain and destruction. This government we live under allows children to run off into the wild alone, raising powerful monsters. You’re one of the lucky few who haven’t been killed on such a journey. Many grown adults die trying to become Pokemon masters.” He spat out the word “Pokemon”, a look of disgust coming over his face as if he had eaten something truly foul. His voice was indeed rising with anger. “Pokemon have the strength to utterly annihilate all life on this planet, including themselves. They have been doing so since the beginning of time. How many parents have lost children to these vile creatures? How many more must suffer?”

My attention was on Ray. He was beginning to scare me.

Ray stared back at me intently. “I, too, am here for reasons most foul.”

“What happened?” I inquired hesitantly.

Half of Ray’s face curved into a sick smile. “Like you, I’ve been accused of murder. Though my murder is of a Pokemon.”

My eyes widened. “You’ve been accused of murdering a Pokemon?”

“Yes,” Ray said right after I finished my question. “But I am innocent in that I have done nothing wrong by doing so. I am saving mankind. We all are.”

“We?” I whispered, my voice shaking.

Ray’s smile faded. He stared at me with a look that made my blood run cold. “We are being judged for our behavior by mankind for now, but once our ultimate goal has been accomplished, we will be praised. Worshipped. Revered as heroes. Gods. Once all Pokemon have been annihilated from the face of the planet. Once the world is safe for children, and people in general, to live on. Once the tears of parents whose children are missing and dead, the tears of children who have lost their brothers and sisters due to Pokemon, no longer need to be shed. That is when our mission shall be complete. That is when all of our hard work and sacrifice shall truly be appreciated worldwide. People have been brainwashed into believing Pokemon are good. They are not! They are EVIL!”

My breathing was getting heavier by the second listening to this guy talk. “You…” I managed to say. “You… You’re one of them. You and your group. The Graveler in the Pokemon Center in Pewter City. The Charizard in Native Village. Those are your associates!”

Ray smiled a smile of excitement. “Is that all that you’ve heard of our work? Trust me, Gary. We are operating at a much larger scale than that. We’ve only just begun. Our name shall reign throughout the world in due time.”

“Who are you people?”

“The future,” he replied coolly. “The future of the world lies in our hands and we shall bring forth peace to it. Just you wait and see. You yourself should join our cause. You have seen the horrors that come forth from Pokemon. Join us, Gary. Join us and be remembered for all time as a hero.”

“Never!” My hands tightened on the bench I sat on. “I would never do such a thing! Pokemon aren’t evil! They’ve helped humans! They’ve assisted the way of living for people forever!”

“Children have died!” Ray countered. “Children are missing! These devils are not things which should be running around freely! They will revolt and destroy every last one of us!”

My mom suddenly came to mind.

Melissa… I thought. She’s still missing. My dad, dead.

The skull and bone I found on the beach. The Trapinch had intentionally tried to eat me. The Whiscash was attacking me. Those Houndoom would have, without hesitation, killed me and Kai. Even the Charizard who was only attacking from pain was still completely unstoppable. Had that guy not shot the Pokemon down...

I closed my eyes and shook my head hard. My hands began to shake. I balled them into fists as I looked back at Ray with rage. I didn’t know what to say. I had no argument.

Ray stared back at me, a smirk on his face.

The door at the end of the hallway opened, followed by the high heeled footsteps of Officer Jenny.

I turned to the bars of my cell and waited as her footsteps got closer.

Her heeled feet finally came into view and my eyes moved up her legs to her short blue mini skirt, up her blue outfit, landing on her face. She stared at me blankly. She reached out and unlocked the cell, opening the door. “Gary, you’re free to go,” she said softly.

“WHAT??” I said loudly, my breath taken from me right after I spoke.

What started as surprised yells and screams erupted into utter chaos from the others in their cells upon hearing this.

Ray remained seated, continuing to watch me with an eased expression.

I turned back to Officer Jenny, not completely convinced by her words. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, unless you want to stay,” she said, looking at me expectantly.

I leaped up and ran out of the cell. As Officer Jenny closed it, I turned back to look at Ray one last time.

His eyes were glued onto me. “Don’t end up on the wrong side of the playing field,” he said coldly. “Anyone who stands in our way will be removed from the board.”

My furious eyes remained on him, dwelling on his words.

Officer Jenny walked down the tier as I followed fairly close behind her, eager to leave.

As we walked, despite the angry yells from the others still in the cells, despite the happy cheers from a few of them, despite my heart pounding from fear, joy, and uncertainty, I couldn’t keep my eyes off Officer Jenny’s mini skirt as she led the way out of this place, her legs looking hypnotic as she walked in a straight line, her hips swaying slightly. She walked through the door at the end of the hallway and I followed, my eyes moving from her protruding posterior to the other officers in the station. She closed the door behind me as I faced every officer standing in line in front of me, blocking my path, their heads down. Even the Officer Jenny sitting behind the enormous desk was gone, probably amongst her sisters and other relatives standing in front of me.

I took a moment to inhale a far better aroma from this section of the precinct than what was found in the area I had come from.

The Officer Jenny who closed the door joined the line of other officers in front of me and lowered her head before lifting it up again to gaze at me solemnly. “Gary, on behalf of the Celadon City Police Department, we would like to apologize to you for our poor treatment towards you, including arresting you, verbally assaulting and harassing you, and our physical mistreatment towards you. We have received word from the Gringey City Police Department that previous Gym Leader June has returned to Gringey City and is completely safe. She also has vouched for you that she did willingly join you and left of her own free will. She also has vouched that you had absolutely nothing to do with the horrible attacks that plagued Saffron City. She has said that you, her, and a friend were running away from danger but were not involved in the murders in any way.”

“JUNE??” I shouted. “She’s back in Gringey City??”

“Yes,” Officer Jenny answered. “She is safe and sound and also wanted to extend an apology to you for no longer being able to accompany you on your Pokemon journey as well as apologizing for any inconvenience that may have caused, including but not limited to your arrest here today.”

A male officer stepped forward. He gazed me in the eyes. “I apologize for my behavior in slapping you earlier. That was uncalled for and not the behavior of an officer of the law.” He bowed before me.

An Officer Jenny stepped forward as the male officer stepped back. “I apologize for my rough handling of you during your arrest and for arresting you in the first place.” She too bowed.

One by one, every officer stepped forward to apologize for how they spoke to me while the previous officer would step back.

“Thank you,” I said, stunned by this complete turnaround in attitude from everyone. “I understand, I guess. I just am in shock right now…”

“We understand,” said the Officer Jenny who let me out of my cell. “You’ve been through a tragic event today, but before we let you go, could we question you on the Saffron City incident, please? June told us what happened, but we need the full story from you as well. We’re also currently looking for a Kiwi Tot to question as well. We were told she was traveling along with you during this incident.”

I sighed. I had to relive that incident I had never truly forgotten in the first place. “Okay,” I agreed.

It had been about five hours of me being in that precinct, telling and retelling the same story over and over again to several different officers as they all took notes and questioned me about Sabrina.

“Was she alive when you saw her?”

“Where did Haunter go?

“When did the people in town begin to die?”

“What is Kadabra’s connection to the murders?”

The same questions repeated themselves. The officers were stunned by the story, unsure of what to ask at first. The same several questions kept being asked by the same officers, desperate for answers but unsure of what else could be asked. They were kind enough to buy me food as I sat there.

I managed a few slices of pizza from the pies they bought and numerous glasses of water.

When it was all over and I was finally released outside into the fresh air, bag slung over my back, Badge case with all four Badges inside in my coat pocket, Pokedex in my pocket, Poke Balls on my belt, my Pokemon all fully healed as the officers had the courtesy to heal and feed my Pokemon at the Pokemon Center while I was in the station being questioned, I gazed around, taking in a deep breath of clean air scented with the glorious mixture of smells that were heavenly.

A very cold wind blew against me the instant I ran. I ran far away from the Police Station for my life. I didn’t know where I was running to, but I just needed to get away from there. As I ran, my mind moved, too.

There’s a strong presence threatening the lives of Pokemon, I thought. A threat that is out to outright kill them.

There have always been groups out there who steal Pokemon and use them for profit, going so far as to kill Pokemon in the process, but usually, the goal is to use the Pokemon for evil purposes. Not flat out annihilate them all. This could be a threat unlike anything the world has ever seen. I’d certainly never heard of such an evil plot by a group using Pokemon for their own selfish purposes. Ray and his group are wrong in their beliefs. Pokemon aren’t evil. You can’t drive a Charizard to madness and call it bad. Like all animals, humans included, Pokemon can sometimes be defensive and attack to protect themselves, but they aren’t just naturally raving mad creatures. They help humans. They appear to us to help us and work alongside us. They aren’t our enemies.

I stopped running when I saw the building several blocks away, glowing brightly.

A Pokemon Center!

Tired and panting heavily, I managed to smile up at it. I actually was eager to call my mom and I definitely was urgent to call Prof. Oak. I took one eager step forward before something flashed across my mind.

June.

My eyes began to tear up. I still found myself smiling, though.

June was okay. She had decided to return to Gringey City after all. She was safe and with the people who love her. And she saved my life.

I looked up to the lightening sky above me, morning approaching us all. “June… Thank you,” I whispered. I kneeled down and took off my bag, digging around inside. I finally found the paper and unfolded it carefully...

I didn’t sleep. I’ve only thought about, well, everything I’ve been through since I met you, Gary. You are a truly amazing and utterly astounding human being and a blessing to the Pokemon world. I truly mean that, Gary. I, on the other hand, still have tons to learn about Pokemon and am a complete disappointment to everyone I come in contact with. I guess I now have one more person to add to that list. You. But you won’t be the last, I’m sure of that. I’ve never been very good at goodbyes, as you well know. You saw how I left Gringey City without a word. Now, I must do the same thing to you, I’m afraid. I don’t think I can be of any assistance to you, anyway. I think I’m only getting in your way and making you feel uncomfortable. And now, I’m just making excuses and trying to justify me leaving so rudely and abruptly, so I’ll stop it. You deserve that much from me, Gary. And much more. You truly do have my utmost respect. I can’t deny that I am terrified of anything more occurring on this journey like what happened in Saffron City. And even the other stories you’ve told me about your journey scare me. I’m just a big coward I suppose. I’m not sure where I’ll be running off to. I can’t go back to Gringey City. I can’t go back to Vermillion City. But I’ll find my own way. I promise. Don’t worry about me. I’ll find my place in this world and I’ll find… Myself. My poor, lost little self. Thank you for everything, Gary.

I read the letter several times, my eyes filling up constantly, causing me to wipe them repeatedly. I folded up the letter up and pressed it to my lips before returning it to my bag. “Thank you, June,” I whispered. I slung my bag over my back and stood up, tears still falling from my eyes. After a while standing there, letting out my feelings quietly from my eyes, I snorted hard and wiped my eyes. They furrowed in determination. I had to keep moving forward.

With my Pokemon. Us, together.

I walked towards the Pokemon Center, my pace speeding up as I got closer, my heart pounding strongly with excitement, my fists balled tight at my sides, a slight smile spreading over my face.

“GARY!” a voice called from behind me, causing me to freeze in my tracks.

I stared at the Pokemon Center for a moment, wondering who that was calling me before turning around. When I saw who I was, somehow, I wasn’t surprised.

Glaring at me with determination, a Poke Ball in his hand, Robin stepped forward. “I challenge you to a six-on-six Pokemon battle! Right here, right now! This time, things are gonna be different, Gary!”

I grabbed a Poke Ball in my hand and pressed the center, enlarging the Poke Ball, ready to send out my Pokemon as I stared back at Robin, matching his seriousness. “Let’s go!”