Standing under the enormous twenty meters tall, and thirty meters wide gateway, Jared felt small.

There were people coming and going, but it still felt empty. It was as if they were all small souls being sucked in.

Walking up the stone steps, he had a sudden urge to touch it.

Now at top of the stairs, he began feeling the smooth texture of the gate, and it seemed to be made out of one solid piece!

'How Incredible, how did someone make this?' thought Jared.

In the interior of the massive reception room, lifelike paintings of different rock pokemon coated the walls.

Jared spotted a big white sign that read: Pokemon over two meters remain in the pokeball.

Seeing four people in line, Jared was surprised to discover it was actually three. The fourth was a red gloved pokemon which Jared quickly identified to be hitmonchan.

With only three people in line and hearing others coming in, Jared hurried to catch up.

After waiting in line for two minutes, his turn quickly came up.

Seeing Jared's unfamiliar face, a middle-aged woman asked.

"Yes?"

Fishing the card out of his pocket, Jared handed it over.

"I was given this, but I would like to know more about this place please. "

The receptionist acted neither cold nor warm as she handed it back.

Jared soon learned of the various places he could access. For example, there were several places to battle just outside the gym building itself.

While it was generally not free to access most things in the gym, this, however, was something that Pewter gym actively encouraged to everyone. Even nonaffiliated clan members were welcome there.

"You could learn a lot from watching the battles, and your presence would even benefit the trainers. Consider it. "

Jared nodded.

"I will take a look later."

Although he wasn't quite amazed by it, he still learned they even had their own pokemon center! This was convenient!

"If you want to quickly get your pokemon back in fighting form. With the card you have shown me, you would be given a 30% discount. "

Thinking for a moment, the lady continued.

"Here's some friendly advice. The service here is even better than the regional pokemon center in our city. Although it is slightly more expensive, with the discount, I would come here first, if I were you. "

"I will consider it, thank you.

Finished hearing what he wanted to know, Jared walked past the reception desk and began his walk to the library.

He was told that he wouldn't be allowed to take any books with him, but he would be allowed to read general knowledge for free.

General knowledge was more precious than gold to him at this moment.

As he entered the main vein of the castle, Jared was surprised that the castle's halls were eightern meters wide and some parts seemed older than others, as if the castle was being repaired over time.

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People were moving back and forth, and Jared quickly noticed that they were also wearing white robes. Jared was feeling somewhat out of place. He wasn't wearing the clan robes like the others, and the only people he saw wearing normal clothing were all dressed to impress.

Then he looked down at his clothing, and it was just an old green sweater and some faded shorts.

Sighing, Jared did his best to stay focused.

'Why am I getting so self-conscious? Am I not the same person who proudly faced my own execution? uhh lets see...she said... down the hall and... after turning, I take a left at the very end.'

Walking past a large opening that led to the open sky, Jared saw ten or eleven white-robed children sitting around an elder in a beautifully maintained garden.

"Enough questions, I will now tell you the legend of the emperor. It is said, that long ago, humans and pokemon fought with one another. There was once an orphan child, he had no parents, and thus never learned to be afraid of pokemon. One day he was walking through the forest, and he met three young pokemon. Neither the human nor the pokemon knew of hatred, so they played happily together.

However, one day the child learned of the feud between man and pokemon. The child was forced to make a choice. He would either turn his back on his friends, or leave his kinsman."

The old man smiled.

"Do you know what option he chose?" He vowed to end the war. Although he was weak, through the bonds he shared with his pokemon, he found the strength to change the whole world."

"Do any of you know who he was?"

A young girl raised her hand uncertainly, "He was the pokemon emperor?"

"Yes, but before that, he was only known as Red. He was the first pokemon master, and a hero to man and pokemon alike. His wish was for pokemon and man to create bonds together. This is why young pokemon will sometimes travel to human settlements and look for a human without bonds. This is to honor the friendship that the first pokemon emperor offered to pokemon, and thus they offer it in turn. -Such events are rare and should be cherished, however, be warned, you can find evil in the hearts of pokemon, just as in the hearts of man. Take care not to be taken advantage of.

Jared had a dazed expression, 'Then that pidgey back then, was it trying to befriend me or take advantage of me?'

A brown-eyed boy asked.

"Can I have as many pokemon as I want, and why can only some pokemon speak the human language?"

The children giggled at him, causing the elder the smile.

"If you are talented enough, then it's possible. It is said that the first emperor could bond with a hundred pokemon, his talent was unprecedented. Even with the invention of the Pokeball, it is rare to be able to bond with more than three. As for why only some pokemon can speak, it's that not all of them have learned it. If you bond with a pokemon, however, they will always understand the words you speak."

The same boy asked with a pouting expression, "What did the Pokeball do?"

"If you mean to ask, 'how does a Pokeball benefit you', then a Pokeball acts as an inhibitor to lessen the strain on our bodies and minds. An average talent can bond with three pokemon, but trainers can only ever bring out one pokemon for battle."

"What happens if they bring out all the pokemon at once for a battle?"

"The greater the extortion, the greater the strain on the trainer's mind and body. if not battling, it would not be a problem to bring out all three. However, we act as amplifiers for our pokemons elemental attacks. Do not channel two pokemon at once, you will only bring harm to yourself."

"Why do you need the bonds? Why can't I get a lot of pokemon, and have them battle for me?"

The elder shook his head again.

"Pokemon have their own pride, they would never agree to fight on your behalf if you only intended to take advantage of them."

"What happened to the emperor?"

The old man cleared his throat.

"Ahem, as you know, when the emperor's days were nearing his end, he created the organization known as the Elite Four. They repel foreign invaders and uphold the legacy of the emperor. They rule from the heart of Kanto to this day. The name is as it sounds. The Elite four are four powerful trainers, their might combined could topple any army.

Jared had a pondering expression, 'Interesting, so they had this kind of history. Of course, but it seems a bit too simplistic. Perhaps this story was intended to be easy for children to digest, and not directly factual.'

"As long as the Elite Four stands, then people and pokemon will forever be inseparable, and our lands will forever be free. You must also remember your own roles as members of our Pewter clan. Anyone with Pewter blood can become the leader of our clan. It is only a matter of your will. Perhaps one among you will become the future of our clan. So put in the effort, and always strive for excellence."

Another child asked, "You spoke of three pokemon before, What were they?"

"Oh, Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle. Remember these, they are now, and will forever be the three jewels of Kanto."

Seeing that the topic was about to change, Jared turned around to continue towards the library. While the old man stories were interesting, he wanted more general knowledge.

After a minute of walking, someone spoke from behind him.

"Who are you? what are you doing in our Gym?"