The Wind Howled, the Birds Cried

"I lost... How is that possible...?"

The Kidney-Deficient Youth stood dazed, seemingly unable to believe he had lost even after Charmander evolved.

He hurriedly recalled Charmeleon into its Poké Ball and spat out a threat. "Just you wait! I'll be back."

Then he rushed off—not even toward the Pokémon Center, but out of town. How ironic.

Some people dreamed of having a Pokémon their entire lives and never got the chance. Others received a Starter Pokémon with enormous potential as their very first partner, yet still failed to appreciate it.

Dian casually snapped his fingers.

Social problems were for the League to worry about. As an ambitious young man barely making ends meet, he had his own stomach to look after. Seriously, the guy had battled him and thought he could run off without leaving anything behind? Since when was life that sweet?

Turn left, cross a few hills, and ask around the Misty Forest. Do I, the forest's rising third power who never leaves anyone a drop of soup, look that merciful?

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

Miyagi, the Kidney-Deficient Youth, snapped a branch from a nearby tree and swung it wildly, venting the anger he could no longer contain.

He was the one who mocked and bullied people. Since when did he get bullied—by a Grass-type Pokémon, no less?

He took out Charmeleon's Poké Ball and glared at it. One day, he would pay back this humiliation in full!

Then he spotted a pretty little girl crouching by a slope, doing something he couldn't make out.

Miyagi walked over as if drawn by some unseen force. The sight sent cold sweat down his back: she held a stack of his photographs and was tearing at them furiously, then using scissors to cut off the heads and