According to Saul

Prologue

I love this weather. Some people are so filled with disdain, but I cannot help but adore this. Winter soothes me. It brings me nearer to the peace I haven’t felt in such a long, long time. Sometimes I wonder if the way things are now will last. Perhaps the best time to think about this would be tomorrow, but then again, it’s always tomorrow that would be the best. Perhaps it's procrastination, or more likely even, fear of my own thought.

I assume it is so much easier for the common man. He reaps what he has sown, and can only feel proud of his seeds. I reap what he has sown as well, but can only compile my sins. Perhaps a change is at hand, but with my limited options, it is as fleeting as some surreal dream. My hands are beautiful…

I live alone, or should I say, reclusively. I cannot stand the inferiors I have below me. They are all here because in numbers they can succeed, but alone, they suffer the hardships of honesty, and virtue. Perhaps I was once like them, as young as they are, but I wonder sometimes why they do exactly as I say. Well, I suppose I am being somewhat vague, and that can be annoying to anyone who really wants to know something about someone. I assume the point of writing these confessions is to perhaps gain myself some sort of spiritual redemption for the horrendous accomplishments of my finest hours. Consider this first however; I never again will succumb to the temptations of this world. I will be gone from this place once this is done, and where I go, I will follow only the truest foundations of love, as the one person I ever cared about taught me so long ago.

My name is, well, let’s wait on that for a moment shall we? Names are very predictable. The name of a person can change, yet the person is still the same, it is what lies within the heart that shows what matters about the significance of a name. I am Saul. I live in a town near the coast of the great sea, and I work for an organization devoted to destruction. When I say, “devoted to destruction” I mean two things. First, the goal of the organization is merely to pillage, and destroy the foundations upon which honest mankind, and Pokémon alike has worked so hard to establish. Secondly, this organization I speak of is something that will not last forever, and will surely perish in the lake of everlasting fire, to quote a biblical reference. In other words, it will die, and never again exist. I hope only to be gone from this organization’s midst before it falls in on itself. It, like me has a name. That name happens to be the illustrious Team Rocket.

In the past twelve years of my life, I have come down somewhat of a different path than that of which I started. I encountered a brief moment in which I had two options. I could have resumed with the way I was at the time, at eighteen years of age, walking with people in happiness as I had experienced it, or I could have let my teenage downfall gain the best of me. It was the moment in my life when I became bait for what many call a dark side. That was the milestone that brought me to this very conclusion. I will not go into detail about that event for the moment, however, because the beginning of this story begins at a place far different from this one. I leave you at a vestige of vagueness for a reason, and that is to simply show where I came from, rather than, why I did what I had decided to do.

Chapter I: Solace

Life was a trial day by day as a child. I lived in a small cottage north of Azalea Town in Johto with a man named Kerry. He wasn’t my real father, so I referred to him as an uncle. Uncle Kerry was indeed a hard man to understand. I can recall some days where he would do nothing but stare out the window into Ilex Forest, just west of where we lived, and then after many hours of hypnotic trance, snap into a fit of rage. It was an unfortunate occasion for me if I happened to be around at the time, but it conditioned me to take nothing for granted. Life was hard, but I held no contempt for Uncle Kerry. Although he may have been somewhat ill of mind, I always made an attempt to help around the house. He was married before he began taking care of me, but his wife left him when he began to have his mental episodes. I suppose love was only skin deep in that house. He did manage to have one child during his marriage, a boy. He was as I recall six, or perhaps seven years ahead of me. There was no real way of keeping track of age back then, as the saying goes, "time flies when you're having fun." Either way, Uncle Kerry’s son and I became inseparable as soon as I arrived, whenever that happened to be.

Each day my surrogate brother and I would go into town to see all we could. I was an eager child at the age of five, and I loved the forest. Uncle Kerry wasn’t very watchful over us, so we were free to do whatever we felt up to doing. Anyone could imagine that two children in those days would be interested in Pokémon, especially since Azalea Town was a place that was so focused on the well being of them. Since Uncle Kerry didn’t really do to well on his own, my brother and I both obtained work in town. I quickly found a small job as an apprentice to the elder man of the town named Kurt. He specialized in creating his own handcrafted pokéballs for capturing Pokémon with certain qualities. My job was to take care of the shop, as well as harvest apricorn, the key ingredient in Kurt’s pokéball formula. My brother on the other hand, was a bug Pokémon trainer that worked at Azalea’s Gym. I never ventured to his gym, nor did he really wonder about my place in town either. When we worked was really the only time we did not act like children. Our employment was, to us, as serious as anything could be, because at our age, we had to be considerably more mature.

“That’s all for today boy.” said Kurt.

“Yes sir Mr. Kurt, thanks again!” I said.

“No problem boy, oh, and by the way, tell your uncle I said hello.”

That was how each day usually ended. I would work for Kurt from dawn until dusk. He always gave me the same goodbyes, the standard I thought. After I left, I would meet my brother at the Pokémon Center, and we would head towards home. That was how life was until I became of age to train Pokémon. I didn’t have any public education, but Kurt instructed me in all the things I needed to know about the world. He taught me to read and write, as well as mathematics, and history. Kurt loved to instruct, and I loved to learn. It worked out well for the both of us in the end. I was happy to be there.

Chapter II: A Welcoming Forest

I was then eight years old when Kurt decided I was of age to begin training my first real Pokémon. He instructed me for about a month before he actually took me out into Ilex Forest to let me catch something for the first time. I was mildly reluctant to learn, because I was so eager to get out and catch one, rather than talk about it for a month, although I knew it was for my, as well as my future monster’s benefit. I suffered through it anyway, and was kept well in line. I was so incredibly eager the day that Kurt had promised me that I would have my first chance. In Azalea, new trainers weren’t given their Pokémon, they had to catch them on their own, or receive them as a gift from their parents. I was especially lucky to have Kurt as my master, for the way he instructed me, and led me to catching my very first pocket monster.

Before I was to embark on this new quest, I wanted to make sure I was absolutely prepared, physically, and mentally. You can imagine me wearing my best (article of clothing), and combing my hair just the right way, as to impress, if not intimidate any monsters I was to come across. I let my hair grow much longer in the front than I had in the back, so I gently folded the black locks over my eyes in an attempt to look serious. I then strapped on my kodaichi, completing the ensemble, and after at least half an hours worth of self-examination, I deemed myself worthy of going out the front door.

“Today you will be meeting someone new.” Kurt explained not noticing that I was dressed any differently than usual. I suppose appearances weren't important to him.

“I will take you out into the forest, and give you one of my pokéballs to use against a wild Pokémon. You will have to adapt to whatever happens to be in the ball, and command it to battle. After you feel the opponent has been weakened to the point of capture, use this to make it yours.”

He handed me an empty pokéball along with his pokéball containing one of his monsters. Immediately I felt a rush of power surge through my arm, and into the rest of my body.

“Power,” I thought, “so this is power. May I use this to the extent of what is good.”

“Now Saul, go forth, and do not return until you feel you have given it your complete, and total effort.” proclaimed my master.

I turned and walked out of his shop towards Ilex Forest. Kurt followed me just to the outskirts, but ceased his pursuit once I began making my way inward. I walked deeper into the woods, hearing the faint noises of birds chirping all around me. It was beautiful music. I had heard this many times before, but now I heard the voices of the forest welcoming a young spirit into their midst. I looked up through the trees, branches covered the skies like an emerald mural that let light enter through small gaps. The rays from the sun rained downward to the forest floor. I felt as though I was watched, and knew invariably, that I was. I kept a constant pace through the shrubbery, keeping a close eye on my trail when I began to feel very, very relaxed. Everything was hypnotizing, the movement of the trees, the sound of the wind, the birds echoing through the forest, and the light sparkling through. I embraced this feeling, and began to drift, chasing everything and nothing to wherever my feet would take me. I heard things crawling through the trees, but could not see them. I heard creatures flying above, but only glimpsed the shadows they had cast upon the ground. I knew what they were, but instead of stopping to examine any of them I pushed forward.

Amidst my fleeting thoughts I began to feel drawn in towards a certain place by a presence unknown to me. I no longer felt my feet beneath me, as though I were floating just above the ground. My heart began to beat very loudly, and I could feel myself moving towards the presence. Closer, and closer still I was. I closed my eyes until at a moment of great surprise I heard what sounded like a banging of wind chimes.

“Wha? Who's there!” I shouted.

The sound had me taken aback, and I began darting my eyes left and right to see what was there. I saw nothing.

"Ting-ting-ling"

“What is going on? Where is that coming from?” I thought. My heart already beating at a fast pace began to pulse so hard that I could feel it rising in my throat. There was a definite presence animating the forest.

After awhile the sounds faded away, but not before leaving an eerie silence to fill its void. The forest, which had before seemed welcoming, now took on an almost supernatural glow. The trees and plants making the forest so lush had become glazed with a crystalline diamond dust. I noticed the same coat covering me. Looking up I could see it floating down gently. Thinking it was perhaps snow, I tasted the air, but it had no flavor. It was an awe-inspiring thing this dust. It was so beautiful that I will have never seen something so precious to this day. It was then that the soft caresses of the atmosphere lured me into a deep slumber.

Chapter III: The Timeless Void of the Dream

I awoke to a beam of sunlight shining into my face. The trees had pulled away ever so gently to allow the sun to look at me eye to eye. I sat up, brushed off some of the leaves I had acquired on myself, and examined again the area surrounding me. The once gleaming forest had now dimmed to a glimmering whisper. When I stood up to gain my bearings, my eyes fixated on a small figure of beautiful golden feathers glistening also in the light of the sun like a beacon. It was an exceptionally rare breed of pidgey, slumbering away the day on the ground next to where I was. It was lying on its back with its two perfectly plumed wings outstretched in a form of simple majesty. I imagined it seeing the same mystical occurrence I had also seen prior to my sedation. In a way it was amusing to me, and I giggled. Without one more moment of hesitation, however, I reached for the empty pokéball on my belt, and hurled it at the golden wonder. In a flash of white lightning, its form de-materialized into the sphere, wobbling a bit, and then coming to a halt.

"This was almost too easy," I thought. "It's as though this guy was given to me."

At any rate however, I was consumed with joy, and did not hold back from leaping into the air, all the time taking the sun in my mouth, reaching ever higher as my newfound friend had probably done so many times before.

After taking the time to gather my senses into a focused state, I released the pidgey I had just caught into the air, but it still sleeping, began to plummet towards the earth. Instinctively, I dove to catch it once more, only this time to let it fall cradling into my arms. I began to whisper to it gently, not trying to startle it as it awoke, but my attempts came to naught when it threw itself out of my arms onto the ground at my feet. In a bird-like prance it hopped away five paces, turned around, and looked at me. I returned the glance, hoping it would prove to the disoriented creature that I wasn't going to cause it any harm.

"Pidgey?........................pidgey!"

Evidently, the pidgey had picked up on my intent right away, for it began to bounce playfully into the air, and flutter to the ground. I laughed at its reaction, and gave to bouncing a little myself in order to show a common ground. It then flew gracefully into the air around me, showing off its capabilities. I knew then that we had hit it off.

Time flew by, just as my new Pokémon had been, and night had crept upon us both in a stealth I will never understand.

"Well pidgey, it looks like we need to be heading home."

"Pidgey!" It cooed as he fluttered over, and onto my shoulder.

We began our trek to the edge of the forest. It was a considerably longer walk on the way back than on the way there, for the outside world had become something alien to me. Nevertheless, at the end of our sullen voyage back to Uncle Kerry's house.

When we arrived into Azalea Town, the people had all left their awakened state, and gone to dream in their beds. I must have been the only one still in an excited state. As I made my way towards Uncle Kerry's cottage, I thought about all the new things I would begin to do with my new pidgey. I pondered over what kind of training I would give it, as well as what to feed it. I then gave some thought over to the day when it would decide to evolve. I knew how many trainers in the past had forced evolution upon their monsters, and strived very hard to keep myself set on being patient relentless of what type of obstacles may occur. To put it simply, I knew I had to be absolutely perfect.

Chapter IV: The Deepest Slumber

My day had been wonderful. I caught my first Pokémon, and even formed a decent friendship with it in this short of a period after its capture. Even earlier, I witnessed what I simply believed to be an odd miracle of nature that I simply could not understand. The events of the day stood with me all the way to my house.

When I finally arrived I was simply exhausted. I gazed towards the cottage, and from the outside I noticed that my Uncle Kerry was sitting next to his window staring out into Ilex Forest as he had usually done before, but this time was exceptional.

"Pidgey, return." I whispered, and in a soft trill of sound, it de-materialized back into its spherical home.

Uncle Kerry had made it a sort of schedule to stare only during the day, so inadvertently I knew that something was out of place. A feeling of apprehension melted my heart, and I became afraid of what might happen if I waltzed in the door at this time. It was, after all, even later than I had expected. I crept as quietly as I could over to the door, even though I knew that my manner would make no difference. I reached for the doorknob, and slowly began to turn. It wouldn't budge. I then realized, it was locked, so I instinctively reached for my key, inserted it, and surely enough, with a click and another twist, the door was open. As I snuck in, I peered over at Uncle Kerry. He sat motionless against the window, his eyes still fixated on the eluding world outside. I then motioned towards him.

"He must have fallen asleep against the windowpane." I thought. "Maybe I'll give him a little jolt to wake him up."

I walked over, and began tugging him on the shoulder. He didn't budge, so I began to pull a little harder when he fell out of his chair stiffly, and collapsed onto the wooden floor. He still didn't wake up, so I began to panic. I noticed a piece of paper he was holding in his hand. Not thinking, I grabbed it, and held it to the fireplace that still had a few cinders lighting the room. It read, "Tata..."

"Tata?" I thought. Then my mind was painted over with a feeling of great disgust. I reached down to his "sleeping" body, and felt his neck for a pulse. Nothing.

"Oh my-- oh my--" I shouted, and then convulsively gave to screaming. I ran to my brother's room and bashed on the door before walking in. As soon as I stepped one foot in, I felt a puddle splash at my feet. The dim light from the fireplace revealed a body lying on the floor a few feet from where I stood. I, however, did not look long enough to see more than a mass of tangled hair. I immediately left the house. I ran screaming the entire way until I arrived back at Azalea Town. The darkness frightened me, and I could not help but burst into tears. When I could do nothing more than stand in the middle of town, I curled into a fetal position, and began to hyperventilate.

"My family, the only family I have ever known, my family, my family, my-my-m-my f-f-f-fami-i-ly..." I whispered to myself.

I then at that point, passed out. Now you may be wondering what happened, or you may not, but I might remind you of my Uncle Kerry's episodes. Evidently, this time was the one to end them all. I will never know what happened that night, but something tells me that he may have tried to escape his own insanity by taking his own son's life, who would only procure the disorder, and his own. I could nevertheless feel nothing short of absolute hatred. I had been at peace with myself up until that day, and although I seem to be of sound mind at this moment, I have never truly felt quite so peaceful since. I loved my brother, and it is safe to say that I loved my surrogate father as well. Only in this writing will I ever admit to these feelings, after all, these are my confessions aren't they?

At the end of the night, I recall waking up for a brief moment while being carried by none other than my master, Kurt. My eyes opened drowsily as I mustered out a typical, "What's going on?" He told me simply to rest, for we would be home soon.

"Home?" I thought. "Not, home..."

The episode had taken its toll on me. In fact the entire town had been shaken by such an unpredictable occurrence. I slept for days in and out doing nothing but staring at walls. I missed my brother. There had not been a single day in my time there that I hadn't seen him. We no longer had one another to meet at the Pokémon Center on the way back to our house. I felt alone, friendless, and dead. He had shown so much promise in the days I knew him, but now all that was gone. His thoughts have perished. He had died at the age of fourteen. What a complete waste.

Kurt had been taking care of my pidgey in the meantime. I trusted him, so I didn't worry about it too much. But in the end, I felt a genuine disgust with my surroundings, and decided that although I had grown up here, that it was time for me to leave. I didn't have much choice. I no longer had any place to call home, at least for awhile.

Kurt sensed my uneasiness. He knew right away what I was thinking about doing, and absolutely did not stand for it. The courts ruled in his favor of course, seeing as I had not a single known soul in my family. I went along with it, at least temporarily. I signed over the papers, and was officially adopted once again. Kurt would now be my second surrogate father, and would continue to be for the next nine years.

Chapter V: Fruitage, and the Promise of a New Era

Three years had passed since the tulmultous occurrences of Azalea had passed. I was now eleven years old. I spent my time working for Kurt as I had before, only now my jobs were more like chores. Nevertheless, I gained more ground under him, and was granted greater responsibilities. I was able to forge myself, but nothing I created was quite in the caliber of Kurt's prowess. He usually finished my raw products for me, for the way I made pokéballs was not quite the material people would look for. I wasn't discouraged by this, but simply strove to create a masterpiece.

"Now Saul, remember that you must smoothen the sides around the opening of the ball, making it easier for it to absorb. If something were to go wrong with this, it could be potentially dangerous for any Pokémon you wish to capture." Kurt dictated. It wasn't unusual for him to stand over my shoulder while I was hammering.

"You know how hard this is! How can I do this with you always talking like a backseat driver! I know what I'm doing!" I retorted coldly. Of course, I didn't know what I was doing.

"You will have to forge on your own one day, and although you may not appreciate my guidance now, you will." He replied with all calmness.

I in fact did appreciate his presence, but deep down I just never wanted anyone to get too close to me. The feeling of loneliness had hardened me to marble. The only reason I ever let anyone speak with me was because I had to. People came in and out of Kurt's shop daily, and it was my responsibility to guide them through the process. I did, however, only do it to the extent that I had to. I was definitely anything but a people person.

I did grow ever closer to my pidgey. I took him out and trained with him at almost every opportunity. The closest and most accesible spot was of course Ilex Forest. There was always a vast quantity of bug types to pick on. I easily took advantage of my flying capabilities.

"Pidgey use your gust attack!"

"Pidgeoooo!" Immediately a gale force wind smashed once again a bug trainer's weedle again a tree. Causing it to faint.

"Weediiil!" It moaned as it slowly slipped into unconciousness.

"Weedle, return!" And like a stop light, a flash of red signaled the stop of this battle.

My successes went to my head, for I had sincerely beaten everything, and everyone ever managing to cross my path. As for the growth of my ego, Pidgey had gained considerable mass. It was on a constant upward slope of confidence each day. I could see its determination to please me, and requited it with a full and equal effort. We had after all, beaten every aspiring trainer to pass through Ilex, as well as most of the bug catchers in town, save Arthy, the Azalea Town Gym Leader himself. Now it was very unusual for me, being so self-centered and hardened, to initiate battles between people, so when I noticed myself eyeing the Azalea Gym leader himself as a target, I knew that I was changing my social viewpoint once again. What I didn't know, was that I was in store for a very humbling experience.

Arthy was a genuine bug catcher. He had been my brother's mentor up until his untimely passing. He also had a one-year old son named Bugsy, who I believe has now taken control of the gym himself. Arthy was definitely not your average Joe, for no one have ever seen to this day has been so strangely impressed with the world of bug types. I was going to prove to him right there, that his facination with arthropods would eventually lead to his downfall, and my glory.

The day following my bashing of the weedle, I brought my trusty pidgey to the Pokémon center for its usual r & r.

"Hello Saul, what are you planning on doing today?" inquired Nurse Joy.

"Well, I think I'm going to go grab myself a nice Hivebadge."

"A Hivebadge? You mean you're going to challenge Arthy?"

"Yes! And I'm going to prove how good I am!" I declared.

Nurse Joy giggled. Evidently she knew that she would be seeing my pidgey again before the day was up, but I had no idea.

"Ok then Saul, well then I hope you take good care of your pidgey, and tell Kurt I said hello."

"Thanks Nurse Joy, I'll see you later." I waved as I made my way through the sliding doors of the center.

"Yes you will dear Saul." Nurse Joy giggled quietly as I strolled off into the distance.

Chapter VI: Adaptation, and Realization

I never did have much of a taste for competition. That was never the reason I entered into a match. My taste for battling was fueled only by my lust for dominion. I realized that in a sense, conquering others in this way made me feel equipped to survive. It could have been something that spurred off from my experiences a few years earlier, or perhaps it was something inherent to my genetic make-up. It was, nonetheless, a contributing factor to my success early on, that is of course, as long as I could instill the same values into the Pokémon I commanded.

"I know you can do this! Use your gust to blow over these bricks!"

"Pid-geooo!!!"

As a manner of training, I set up a pyramid of bricks in the yard of Kurt's dojo. For weeks Pidgey and I had been striving to erode away the bricks one by one, and in doing so, strengthen Pidgey's wing-power. I knew that type of training was just the thing to take down bug types, so we pressed ever onward.

"Piiid-geooo!!!" Cried Pidgey as he flapped his wings as a speed almost faster than the eye could see.

The velocity was indeed great, and with that, the first few bricks began to slide slowly off the top, and then tumble to the ground. I was overjoyed with the miraculous turnout, and even more so was Pidgey. We had come a long way since the day of my finding him in the forest, and now, we were prepared to take on Arthy.

The Azalea Town Gym was cleverly dubbed the Hive Gym, after something bees, and other types of insects dwell in. The structure itself was a massive dome, filled with a lush vegetation imitating that of a dense forest. It was a place my brother had been many times before, but I had never set foot inside it even once, all the time I was there. This was a thing very new to me. After noticing, I decided to make my entrance.

Once inside, I noticed that the whole complex was designed to look like a small indoor forest. It has a real grass floor, and plants ascending out of the earth towards the ceiling, yearning for sunlight. I found my surrounding to be quite desirable, and felt easily welcomed, although there was not another soul in sight. Looking into the trees, I could hear the movement of semi-large creatures, probably bug-type Pokémon, making their way from branch to branch. The make-up of the gym itself was enough to make me want to train a bug type of my own.

I searched around the area for a while, trying to find anyone that could enlighten me as to where I was supposed to be in order to issue an official challenge. Not seeing anyone, I released my pidgey into the air to attain a different perspective. It circumnavigated high around the ceiling of the dome shaped structure. I could not help but marvel at the beauty once more of my beloved pidgey, watching its gleaming feathers soar high above me. "Whoever trains that beauty was lucky indeed." I thought to myself.

"Whoever trains that beauty is lucky indeed!" Proclaimed someone.

I was taken off guard. When I looked down, I noticed a young man old enough to be my brother's age walking towards me out from behind a mound of bushes. Looking up, I found Pidgey fluttering lightly just above the ground in which we stood, cooing until it gained my attention. From the way things seemed, I had once again fallen into a trance, and lost sight of reality for a brief moment.

"Uh, thank you." I replied embarrasingly.

"It's a real beauty, that pidgey of yours. My name is Arthy, and I'm the Hive Badge Gym Leader. How can I help you?" Said the young man.

A streak of unconfidence came upon me swiftly, and forcefully, I replied, "I'm Saul, and I wish to battle for a gym badge!"

"I can see you're ready," he said sarcastically, "why don't we begin then? This will be a one on one battle."

My first real gym battle was about to take place. I knew exactly how the battle had played out in my mind, but now all my pre-conceived notions were as nothing to me. My mind went blank.

"Alright, Heracross, I choose you!" Proclaimed Arthy as he threw out a pokéball exploding forth to reveal a large, rhinocerous beetle, Pokémon. It was clearly blue, and stood upright in a very humanoid fashion. It's pointy arms were stretched out forward bracing itself for the onslaught.

"OK Pidgey, let's win this!" Pidgey circled around the back of me, and twisted into a short dive just over my right shoulder.

"Quick Attack!" I commanded. Pidgey then dove straight into the belly of the blue beetle, giving it a slight shock.

"Heracross, Counter that attack!" And before my pidgey could evade its clawed grasp, it was knocked to the floor with a thud.

"Pidgey, you've got to get up!" And it did. Faithfully, Pidgey re-cooperated. "Fly up into the air, and use your whirlwind to trap Heracross in the air!"

"Pidgeooo!" It cried as it rose high above the trees, and began to give forth its all to send the beetle soaring. We had the double advantage in this battle, but for some reason, I knew it was all too easy. Something wasn't quite right with this situation.

"Heracross, we've been through storms together before! You can stand your ground now!" "Hercross!" It replied, and braced itself firmly into the ground, smiling the whole time.

"Pidgey, flap faster, it's not picking up!" I shouted.

"Pidgeooooo!" It cooed as loud as it had ever, but with all his might, the opponent did not move.

Suddenly, a white light enveloped Pidgey. It trickled through its wings like a circulation of electricity lashing about a lightning rod. I immediately noticed, that my pidgey was evolving in mid battle. Its mass increased, almost doubling. It was an astounding sight to see. I threw my hands up and cheered as it's glow gradually ceased, and revealed a much larger, and more impressive Pidgeotto.

"Alright! Pidgeotto, let's blow that Heracross to the other side of this gym!"

"Pidgeototototototototo!!!" It screeched as gale force winds enveloped the area around us, lifting Arthy, and his Heracross off the ground. Arthy dove onto his belly, while the blue arthropod began tumbling backwards into the air. Just as it seemed to be completely out of control, it latched onto a nearby branch, swung around, and climbed out of the path of the winds, making its way out of sight.

"That's quite a storm-wind you've got there Saul, but it will take more than a lot of hot air to defeat me!" Asserted Arthy. Now Heracross, fly and give his birdie a seismic toss!"

"Hercross!" It shouted, as it flew out from behind careening toward Pidgeotto.

"Pidgeotto, dodge it!" But by the time I uttered those words, it had already been too late. The Heracross had latched itself onto the legs of Pidgeotto, swung it around, and then sent it plummetting towards the earth. It collided with a powerful force that I knew Pidgeotto could not withstand.

I ran over to the impact site, and found Pigeotto lying there completely unconscious. I had lost. Not only that, but to a bug type two times weaker than the average, to flying attacks. The battle was over.

Chapter VII: Humility, the Greatest Virtue

"I guess you could say Pidgeotto had the wind knocked out of him! Hawhawhaw!"

"Cut it out Kurt, I know you're just trying to cheer me up, but I already know what I did wrong, and I'm planning on fixing that." I muttered in a low tone.

"Oh do you? Well then maybe you can tell me what went wrong?"

"I didn't train hard enough."

"Oh not just that, you were filled with haughtiness. You pounced around like a persian, but your approach was about as discerning as a slowpoke. To put it plainly, you held yourself very highly because your Pokémon type had the advantage over all the trainers in town. If you'd simply sat down for a moment and thought about--"

"Enough! I get your point, there's no need to badger me about it!"

"Well you didn't say so a minute ago. Saul, perhaps you need to re-evaluate why you are battling. Is it for selfish gain, or for the true spirit of training. If I thought that you were going to abuse your privalege to train, why I would have already stripped you of your opportunities long ago, but I know that you care about your Pokémon. You're going to be fine Saul, but lighten up. If you win, you are going to need to learn to control yourself, and cultivate dignity. The same way you should also be respecting a loss. In whatever you do, you must always act as an honest-hearted human being."

"I'm sorry Kurt. I'll admit I handled this whole thing foolishly, and I'll try not to be so proud next time. With my haughtiness I rose up, and with my foolishness, I came down. Maybe if I had just stayed where I was I would have been fine."

"You've learned an important lesson today Saul, and I think this will prove to stay with you all of your days. Don't let this get you down, but look to the good things that have come about as a result of your endeavors. Pidgey evolved trying to win for you this battle, and although you may not have overcome the opposer in this regard, you have indeed won something else, respect, and trust."

Kurt was right concerning this, and I did not deny it, nor do I now. So I gracefully took that counsel, and let it build me up, rather than cause Kurt and I more grief, for who would that benefit? At any rate, I moved on. I realized my disadvantage had been experience. Arthy's Heracross was at a much higher level than that of Pidgeotto, and even under its type disadvantage, it came out strong in the end. I did recall one interesting aspect about the battle however.

"That's quite a storm-wind you've got there Saul..."

Arthy was right about that. Pidgeotto was very strong. His comment was what inspired me to give Pidgeotto a nickname. From that day on, I called him, Tempest. Pidgeotto liked it as well, although it was a big title for a couple of small-town guys. Nevertheless, Tempest would grow to fulfill that name even more so in the years to come.

In the meantime, I thought about a rematch again the Hive Gym leader, and after much deliberation, decided against it. It had been a long time in the process, but now I knew that I was going to move forward in my life, rather than be stationed still in Azalea. Kurt felt the same way, as much as it probably hurt him to see me go. So I began to make preparations for my departure.

Kurt had trained me well in the art of living off the land, but never did I expect the load he had expected me to tow. "...and there's your sleeping bag, oh and you'll need this for starting fires, and here's your kodaichi, a cantine, a few dried apples, some long underwear..." And on he went until finally, "...and here are your pokéballs." He handed me at least five of each type of his custom crafts, making me a seriously lucky new trainer.

And finally, once all was said and done, I waved a farewell to Azalea, and began making my trek in search of a new life. Why, or for what I left, I suppose I could have said to train, but I had known all along that my departure was merely to look for the peace that resides in the soul of those who know true love.

Chapter VIII: Solitude

For the next few months, I was, for the first time in my life, completely, and utterly, alone. I hadn’t engaged in an intelligent conversation since my last encounter with Kurt, and my mind was beginning to irritate me. As you might be able to deduce, one comes to across a great plethora of thoughts while flying solo. It allowed me to finally think about my times in Azalea, contemplating the events that took place from as far as I could recall until this day. Remembering it was all too painful, the sting of my former family, but yet I found no way of escaping the corridors of my psyche.

I longed for release, and sometimes, contemplated just throwing it all away. At one point, I began to decipher the perfect suicide plot. It was, simply, to run off a cliff. Perhaps it wasn’t the deepest, and most imaginative way to go, but surely one gets down to a healthy amount of thinking when trying to leap from a ledge, causing the attempt to fail. If I just closed my eyes, I could easily slip away, and not know anything but air for one last moment of triumph. Tempest, however, was never supportive of my self-destructive mindset, and pecked at my cranium profusely in an attempt to bring back my senses. If not for that, I dare not imagine what I might have done. He may very well have saved my life, or at least forced me to shield my head so much that I would never be able to execute a fatal wound against myself.

Pokémon have a strange nack for things like that. I’ll never fully be able to digest what it is exactly that makes them such infallible language interpreters. Whatever it is, it is ethereal, and just plain ingenious! To this day, I hadn’t met a Pokémon that truly couldn’t read its trainer in some shape or form. I wonder why no one has studied it thus far? Perhaps a new hobby is in store for me now, but then again I’m not quite the type of man who willingly subjects himself to the intricacies of life to the point of spoiling the beauty of nature. Ignorance in this regard, is like viewing an impressionist’s portrait. By viewing the picture from a safe distance, the image can be identified easily, but by standing too close in proximity, the eye can see only dabs, and blurs of color. Perhaps you’d agree with me in my parable? I feel, however, that I am getting off the subject, and will return without fail to my wandering years.

As I had previously mentioned, I traveled alone. Nights were cold, and fearsome, and the light was warm, and uninterrupted by aliens other than me. I could truly begin to appreciate the outdoor world in which most Pokémon civilizations exist. Easily noticeable were the usual common species, Pidgey, Rattata, Sentret, Hoothoot, and once in awhile I might even spot a group of bugs congregating in protective masses. I ventured into caves, climbed cliffs, cut through dense forests, and waded through dank waters. It was all very monotonous, the wilderness. The only variation applied to the vegetation, which was as endless as a ray of light. In some areas, my senses became so aroused that I might run off like a child frolicking through a playground, getting myself ultimately, very lost. If not for Tempest, once again I would have come up quite short when it came to finding my way. His blessed wings could carry his telescopic eyes high into the sky, far beyond what I could ever dream up.

This may all seem very drab to any reader longing for some sort of action to take place, but in all honesty, there was really nothing more, or less to my life at this time. I suppose I eventually would come crawling back into civilization here and there, replenishing my supplies, getting a refreshing bath, and communicating with my dear benefactor back home, Kurt. It was easy to see that he missed my presence there, as I did also miss him, but Azalea was not in the same category, for my alienation to the town had not lessened any since the day I left.

I ventured into Violet City, and pressed on through New Bark town, swinging back northward through the rocky cliffs toward Blackthorn City. I met strange people, and hesitated making any sort of intimate contact with others of my kind. Occasionally, however, I would battle at any chance. I was in some cases, definitely held to a disadvantage when it came to competing with those who used rock, or electric types. I considered searching out new companions to add to my arsenal, but my scrupulous descrimination prevented me from choosing anything ordinary, making my findings of a satisfactory partner scarce. I did, however, manage to come across an interesting find near Blackthorn when I learned of a tour group that regularly ventured into the harsh environments of the colossal Mount Silver. Without delay, I signed myself amongst a group of young trainers such as myself who wished to pay the ancient crag a visit.