While the small crowd was cheering, Jared asked himself a few questions. 'Why do they announce their moves, is it really a good idea to give your opponent information? Also, that Pikachu looked pretty hurt, why does everybody act like the Pikachu is okay?'

After the battle ended, a spirited brown-haired man in the crowd shouted, "My rattata is ready for a fight, who will take him on?"

The victorious ranger patted Jared on his shoulder, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"I will be heading back for a rest, do you want to stay here?"

Seeing Jared nod his head, Richard handed him something, "Remember the way back to the house?"

"Yes"

Stuffing the key in his pocket, Jared watched Richard walk away, but then he noticed that Growlithe had stopped hiding his injury, and was limping heavily.

Jared had a thoughtful expression, 'That fight must have been much closer than it seemed... he looks pretty tired. In fact, I am too, but I really want to watch more.'

Turning his eyes to the fight, the battle was underway in the same bushy plot of land. It seemed this place was a popular hotspot for the farmers and their pokemon to let loose.

A Rattata and a Pidgey were going at it. Although the pokemon were small, they were absurdly quick, Jared could barely keep up with his eyes. Orders kept flying out from the two trainers nonstop.

"Pidgey, gust again!"

As the dust kicked up, the crowd shielded their eyes from the wind.

From within the gale, several solidified blades of wind narrowly missed Rattata.

"Rattata, focus energy!"

With the pidgey in the air, Jared assumed this fight to be unwinnable for the rodent and his trainer, but he was proven wrong in the next instant.

Jared noticed Rattata pause his steps and then saw white steam rising from Rattata's body.

Curious, Jared did his best to focus, he wanted to see how this situation could possibly be reversed.

The two trainers spoke simultaneously, "Pidgey, gust once more!" - "Rattata, Quick attack into the sky, then bite him hard!"

The familiar wind began to take shape, but while Jared was focusing on the Rattata, he was shocked to find, that it vanished before his very eyes.

Having a premonition, he looked to the air and found the Rattata gnawing into the bird pokemons shoulder.

It seemed inconceivable, the pidgey had been more than twenty feet up!

Letting out a caw of pain, Pidgey began losing altitude, his elemental gust attack fizzling out with it.

"Shit! -Gust him off you before he drags you down!"

Jared pondered why the trainer never used other moves. Was this the only move his pokemon knew?

Pidgey gritted his beak and furiously beat his powerful wings.

This however proved ineffective! The Rattata refused to let go, and with one wing restrained, the two pokemon began dive-bombing into the ground.

Jared sighed in his thoughts, 'Pokemon are truly miraculous. Every time I assume one thing, I'm instantly proven wrong in the next moment. '

Once on the ground, Pidgey tried to orient himself to claw Rattata away, but the large-toothed creature had the advantage on all fours and began pulling Pidgey away. Screeching in pain, Pidgey was unable to find his balance as Ratatta kept yanking him this way and that.

Tensing his face, the Pidgeys trainer kept encouraging him, but this time Jared thought the writing was finally on the wall.

Losing strength from the blood loss, Pidgey's struggles grew weaker until he finally went limp.

Looking away from the gruesome sight, Jared found that the crowd of people had now swelled. Without his notice, there were already fifty people here, and more were coming.

Not satisfied with only one battle, or perhaps wishing to test their pokemon, several battles began happening at once in different fields.

A boy of no more than twelve noticed Jared standing alone, and walked up to him.

"Hello mister, I haven't seen you before. Do you want to have a pokemon battle with me?"

Turning his body to the voice, Jared sized the boy up, and the rat pokemon at his side.

Jared wondered again why people seemed to prefer these small plain-looking pokemon. He wanted to know if it was a matter of preference or lack of opinions?'

"I don't have a pokemon"

The boy then pressed, "Why, did he sick?"

"No."

"Did he die?"

"No."

"Getting interrogated by a strange kid he just met was getting on Jared's nerves, so his next words came out louder than he intended, "Look, I don't have a pokemon, and I've never had a pokemon. Is that clear enough for you?"

The boy's eyes went wide, and then Jared noticed it had become strangely quiet.

Looking around, Jared's expression dropped by what he saw. He found that all eyes were on suddenly on him. Even the people and the pokemon battling stopped what they were doing and looked his way.

Being the center of attention is something Jared had always tried to avoid, so when it happened unexpectedly, he froze up.

From around him, he could hear people whispering, and when he strained his ears, he could finally hear what they were saying.

"He must have it... poor guy."

"Cursed"

"He has the curse."

A five-year-old girl pointed at Jared and asked her mother, "Curse, what curse?"

Before she could answer, someone beat her to it while crossing his arms, "A person that can't bond with a pokemon. They live very sad short lives."

Bursting into tears, the small child hugged her mother, "I'm not cursed am I?"

The mother stroked the child's head, soothing her.

Hearing her mother's voice, she looked up into her eyes, "No, you are not, don't worry it's very very rare."

Jared saw that the boy now seemed afraid of him. When he took a step forward, the boy screamed and ran away.

"Don't go near me, I don't want to get cursed!"

Reading the atmosphere, Jared found that some of the people around him began backing away fearfully. While others just showed pitying expressions.

Knowing just how superstitious people could be, Jared didn't like how strange the atmosphere had become. He began walking away quickly, all the while his thoughts raged, 'They appear to be having a misunderstanding about me. I shouldn't risk it, I need to get back before they decide to burn me at the stake or something. '

Looking back, Jared found two men walking toward him, so he broke out into a sprint.

Not three minutes later, Jared went inside and slammed the door.

With his back pressed against the door, he began sliding down into a seated position.

"Did you run all the way back?"

Looking up, Jared saw the ranger standing in the bedroom doorway with a questioning look.

Heaving for breath, Jared nodded, "I might be in trouble."

Richard frowned.

"What?"

.

Richard's expression eased when Jared explained the situation.

"They aren't going to attack you."

"Yeah, and how do you know for sure? I've seen what fear can do to people."

Jared had seen it many times. When a fight broke out in the prison, sometimes even uninvolved people would begin throwing punches. When there was fear present, he knew just how unpredictable people could be, and it was a mob no less.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

Looking Richard dead in the eye, Jared shook his head, hoping to dissuade him from opening it.

"Move, everything's going to be alright."

Seeing that Richard was adamant about opening the door, Jared hurried over to an open window. He was ready to bail at any moment. The people in this world had supernatural stamina and strength, and he had no illusions that even a small child would likely be able to tear him in two.

With the door opened, Jared found the two men that had been following him. It was a casually dressed elderly man. When he looked carefully, they were the spitting image of one another, the only difference being their ages. He reasoned that they were perhaps father and son.

With his pursuers before his eyes, Jared inched ever closer to the window.

Holding the door, Richard sized up his guests.

"Can I help you, sir?"

The bright-eyed elder coughed.

"Good day Richard you are looking well, your mother misses you and hopes you would stop playing ranger and return to the family."

Richard shook his head.

"Is this why you came all this way?"

"We were actually following a young man over here. He went inside your house"

Richard raised an amused eyebrow as he looked over at the young man in question, and saw he still one leg out the window.

"Oh? and what can he help you with?"

"No help, I wish to speak to him."

Pausing his escape, Jared pulled his leg back and faced the newcomers with uncertainty.

"About what?"

The elder hummed.

"First, let me introduce myself first, My name is Bannock of the Pewter clan. I am the retired leader of Pewter gym, and my son here Brinock. He is the current one.

"A gym?"

Knowing that Jared has amnesia, Richard chimed in, "Jared might not know about gyms. For certain reasons, he lost his memory."

Turning Jared's way, the elder held a look of pity as he looked straight into Jared's eyes, "I am very sorry to hear that. To think someone so young would have so much hardship."

Not liking this pity party, Jared cut to the chase.

"What did you want to tell me Bannock?"

"I want to tell you that the people in this city are not as bad as they seem. The curse they speak of is simply an illness, one that causes weakness of the soul. Many people believe these people to be cursed, and I'm partly to blame."

"Why?"

The elder seemed to speak as if he were reciting a poem, "A gym is a place of learning for those that seek knowledge. Those that live in this city look to us for guidance, and my Harrison family has been holding this esteemed position in the Pewter Clan for three generations. I took up my father's duty over three hundred years ago, and my son has now taken mine."