"That's...odd." Yoake complimented the story after Erika told it to him.

"Yeah, it feels so wrong yet it feels so natural to hear about it." Erika stated as she describes how she felt telling the newly discovered story.

"It's weird that there weren't any Pokemon being mentioned at all." Yoake was suspicious about this myth. He has read a lot of stories but none can reach the bizarreness that this story showed.

"I know right, Lions? Serpents? What are those things?" Erika questioned, "The absence of Pokemon is enough for me to be confused by it , but why is it natural for me to hear the term Lions and Serpents."

"I always wonder about these things but I guess we will never know." Erika stated. Yoake agreed with her statement, and continued his stare to the horizon as the sun set to the vast blue ocean.

"Say, have you tried joining the Pokemon league?" Erika interrupted him more. Yoake stood perfectly and looked at Erika with confusion.

"No but I am planning to join." Yoake stated as he assures to himself that he will do it once he is ready but he still doubts himself about joining in.

"You're nervous about the news, huh?" Erika questioned him as she looked at the boy's face with a serious look. This made him confused as he never heard any news for now.

"News? What news?" Yoake asked her with a confused tone. Erika sighed and decided to tell the boy the current situation that he hasn't heard of for many years.

"For the past years, there has been a huge decrease of people joining the Pokemon league to the point, we don't see any trainers at all." Erika stated. Yoake was bothered by this as he wasn't aware of it, even though he was a shut-in, he hasn't heard of this one. He then asked her about trainers going to gyms.

"Like you don't see trainers going to the gyms?" Yoake asked her, and she nodded.

Erika sighed and decided to give him a piece of paper, or a calling card that states about joining the Pokemon league and their email, "Here, it's your choice, so good luck."

"May I ask something Mister Katsuragi?"

"Sure."

"What are you afraid of?" She asked with a gentle voice. There was a long empty pause between the two and only the wind can be heard.

"I'm afraid of losing..."

"losing Pokemon battles?"

"losing the people I care about."

"I see."

Erika left the place while Yoake was looking at the calling card. He then stares at her while she continues to leave the scenery. As the night finally begins, Yoake went home with the keys given by the guard of the condo, and went to his room.

He sat near the rear of his bed as he stared at the calling card in his hands. His eyes were blank as he continued to look at it, he was deeply confused on how trainers have been on a decline. He is aware that many people were joining the digital tournaments but not the real thing is very concerning.

"What happened?" Yoake asked himself as he continued to wonder the reason for the decline. He decided to halt his thoughts, and puts the card beside him as he sighs with a mixture of confusion and worries.

"Can I really do it?" Yoake asked himself as he looked at the scarf with a worried voice. He then remembers something, a good memory years ago, a memory to this day helps him to continue on in his life.

-

"Hey." A feminine voice said behind him. He turned around and saw a girl. She has brown hair, a long black scarf and blue crystal eyes. It was a faint memory back then but he can remember the surroundings, the tall trees on his left while the grassfields cover his right.

"Will we ever meet again?" the girl asked him.

"I-ugh don't know." He fearfully said as he scratched his neck. He fears this moment would come, where he has to say goodbye to the only friend he can call.

"I know… here." She said as she unwraps her black scarf and hands it to him. "Please always wear this so when we meet again, I can recognize you."

"Yeah… here." Yoake said with his childish voice, he then removed his watch and gave it to her.

"I don't know if we'll meet again but I hope these won't let our future selves be strangers." The young Yoake said as he fears that once he gets old, he might forget about her but with the scarf, he can remember this day.

"Let's do our best okay?" The girl cheered him as she wrapped the scar on his neck.

"You and me, take over the world once we get older." Yoake promised to the girl, and which she nodded.

"I'll be waiting for you, Yosef."

-

Even though he remarks the old memories from the best moments, he will always remember the night that changed everything. The night that forever scar his youth, shattering his dreams, and what his view of the world.

"wait, we can talk this out."

"please, don't!"

"No! I SAID STOP!"

"STOP! PLEASE I BEG OF YOU!"

"please…."

-

Yoake woke up from his small nap, he noticed that there were tears falling from his eyes, he wiped it off and continued on.

"It was just a dream." Yoake sighed in relief as he calmly stood up, while fixing his sitting posture, he noticed the calling card. He looked at his scarf one more time, and he felt the worries, the fear and the sorrow slowly lifted and gave him the opening to start anew.

He thinked, and for a while, his room went silent and only the air conditioner could be heard. He nodded to himself, and quickly went to his computer, opened it while he put the calling card on the desk, near his keyboard.

The computer opened, and he immediately opened to his email. He began typing the email of the Pokemon league, and soon after, typing his reason to join.

'I should have become a trainer two years ago but I was stopped, and here I am, making a new one and taking on this league, once and for all.' He thought to himself.

After writing and sending the email, he stood up, and went to the kitchen so he could grab his meal before watching some movies to wait for tomorrow's response but little did he know, it was already responded as soon as he left.