Jared jolted when he heard the voice.

Turning around, Jared found a boy around his own age. He was tall and lean, but his handsome face was marred by a frown.

"Erm?"

"I said, what are you doing snooping around my clan?"

"What? I was just heading to the library when I heard someone talking."

"Even if that were true, you look like a peasant that just came in off the street. You must have no respect to be wearing those rags in here."

Jared's eyes narrowed with displeasure. Without saying anything more, he began walking away, 'Who did that kid think he is?'

"I am Elrock Ender, an Inner clan member of Pewter Gym. You do not walk away when I'm talking to you."

Turning around, Jared looked at the boy sideways.

"So?"

Elrock was gobsmacked. Perhaps this ignorant peasant could have been excused for not knowing who he was, but even after knowing, he was still acting arrogant! He was Elrock! Having been tested, he had been found to be able to bond with six pokemon! Six! He had been called a genius not seen in fifty years, and the hope of their family to one day become the new head of the clan! The young man should have fallen to fall on his knees and apologized after hearing his name!

Grabbing Jared's arm, Elrocks expression was furious, but his voice was calm, "You're not going anywhere, peasant. Explain yourself before I make you regret it."

Sighing, Jared wondered why this person had such a stick up his ass. Who cared about how he dressed? and he barely said a word and tried to walk away, but look, this guy just kept coming.

Pulling a card from his pocket, Jared flashed it. "Look, I have a right to be here, now will you leave me alone?"

Seeing the symbol of the Harrison family on the card, Elrock scoffed.

Harrison clan or not, he felt he was going to become the new gym leader sooner or later anyway.

While drawing a Pokeball from his belt, he declared.

"So? Do you think that just because you have the Harrison family's card you can do whatever you want? I've already given you a chance, but your parents clearly haven't taught you any manners. Bring out your pokemon, I'll teach you a lesson in their place."

Jared frowned. If this were back in prison, he would have knocked this kid out with a punch. However, he knew that the people in this world seemed to have superhuman strength, and he was likely not their match. Swallowing his annoyance, he once again took the nonviolent approach, albeit reluctantly.

"I don't have a pokemon."

Taken aback, Elrock laughed, "What? are you 'a cursed?'"

Jared shrugged, pointing to where Elrock held his arm.

"I guess, can you let me go now?"

Instead, Elrock shoved Jared back.

"When did a cursed weakling like you get so arrogant?"

Before Elrock could say another word, a fist appeared in his face.

Jared could put up with a lot, but he wasn't going to back down if someone started pushing him around for no reason. Even if Elrock was stronger, so what?

Touching his nose, Elrock felt blood rush to his head.

"Now. you've. done. it."

Before Jared could blink, a foot landed on his side, sending him sprawling back.

Coughing, he tried to get up, but his attempts failed when he got kicked again.

With his vision spinning, the only thing Jared could think of was how unbelievably fast Elrock moved. He thought he could use his fighting experience to maybe clinch a win somehow, but the gap in raw physical ability was much wider than he ever imagined.

Sitting on Jared's chest, Elrock began punching.

"Where do you get off cripple. You can't even bond with a pokemon, and you go around acting arrogant in a pokemon gym? Do you even know where you are?!"

Seeing Jared's face bruised, and his nose bloodied, Elrock turned up his nose and then kicked Jared a few feet away.

"If I ever see you around here again, then I'll break something, that way everybody will know you for what you are."

He spat once more before leaving, " cursed cripple."

Although it was a bit hard to see when one eye swelled shut, Jared still managed to stand a minute later.

Looking around, he found a few people looking away when his vision passed over them.

Coughing once, Jared continued on to the library. One way or another, he was going to accomplish what he came here for.

.

An older woman sitting at the library counter suddenly saw a bloodied youth walk in.

Walking up to him, she quickly showed her concern.

"Are you alright? What happened? Do you need directions to the pokemon center?"

Jared shook his head, "No, I just came here to read."

This was the first time the woman had been in a situation like this, so she was at a loss for a moment.

"Er, the books are very precious, and you are dripping with blood, I don't think I can let you read right now."

Sighing, Jared cursed under his breath, "Unbelievable, I just wasted the trip because of that asshole."

Jared thought about finding somewhere to clean himself up, but he was actually feeling unbelievably tired now, so he decided to come back another day.

On his way, a few people would stare at him, or offer their help, but he refused them all.

Coming down a familiar road, he looked up at a familiar tree, but the pidgey was gone.

Sighing, He continued to his temporary home.

Once inside, he headed to the bathroom to wash up, but as he walked past an open door, he heard a voice.

"What happened to you?"

"I tripped."

He looked Jared up and down, "It doesn't like you tripped more than once, who did this to you?"

"Richard, I'm exhausted, will you just leave it?"

Shaking his head, Richard went back into his room and began stroking Growlithes head.

"What's that kid's problem?"

Growlithe opened one eye

"Whatever, it's not my business right?"

Growlithe closed his remaining eye and drooped his ears.

.

There was still daylight left, but Jared wasn't going to see the rest of it. After showering, he began feeling dizzy.

Walking like a half-beaten dog, he laid down in the spare room and was soon fast asleep.

Waking up, he accidentally touched his face and flinched when his fingers felt a bruise.

"That asshole..."

Shambling to the kitchen, he found a note. He soon discovered that Richard had gone to check in the station, he would be back soon.

With his hand shaking from the beating, Jared accidentally dropped a wooden plate and sent bits of food everywhere.

"GODAMNIT, I HATE THIS."

He realized something at this moment. Being weak wasn't unacceptable to him. What was truly unacceptable was being unable to change.

Remembering Gilbert's words, and the old man lecturing those students, he realized that path of strength was through battling with pokemon... and right now he didn't have a pokemon.

With his eyes lighting up, he remembered the pidgey from yesterday.

"I wonder if that pidgeys offer is still valid... of course, if it asks me to become its slave, I'll never accept..."

After finishing his food, Jared took the road to the charred tree, but he found it empty.

"Damn it, it's not there..."

Gathering himself, he continued looking.

"If it can happen once it can happen again, it's like that old man said, pokemon sometimes come to human settlements just to find a trainer without a pokemon... and I fill that criterion.

In the hours he spent walking around the countryside, he met a few people along the way but seeing that they all had pokemon made him feel inferior. These people were all able to get stronger, but even if he lifted weights for a month straight, he felt wouldn't even be able to take a punch from a child.

"Now I'm even feeling sorry for myself? No, I refuse to believe I'm this pathetic deep down... I'm probably just hungry."

Slapping his cheeks, Jared kept moving, but even when the sky began to wane, every pokemon he came across would just run at the sight of him.

Hungry and exhausted, he turned home, but when he passed by the charred tree, his eyes widened.

Holding out hope, Jared shambled towards the old oak and held out his arm.

Swooping down, something landed on Jared's forearm.

Seeing the small creature before him, Jared's eyes began to uncontrollably shed tears.

Wiping his face with his free arm, he asked.

"I know I must look pretty pathetic right now, but I heard you wanted to make a deal?"

Creeping up Jared's arm, the Pidgeys head began to glow. Seeing this, Jared hesitated.

The pokemon looked Jared in his remaining good eye and seemed to be waiting for something.

Swallowing his hesitation, Jared clenched his teeth and moved his head to meet the pidgeys.

A white light filled his vision for a flash, and four words filled his head. Now that he was experiencing it again, the words somehow felt holy. Superior. Equal. Servant Slave.

After a moment, he found the 'holy' word Pidgey had chosen.

It was... "cliffhanger"!