On early mornings Pearl trains himself at the crack of dawn at a nearby mountain to improve his endurance. After his successful day of training he takes a relaxing stroll on the beach back to Nora's house and he notices a young man sitting by the water's edge, curled up tight. That young man is you.
Remembering how he used to do the same when he wanted to be alone Pearl looks at you for a minute and decides to walk up to you. He greets you with a simple and soft hello. You do not respond and curl up tighter.
Pearl asks "what's the matter, having problems running through your mind?" Surprised at Pearl's attempt to get you to open up even though he just literally met you a minute ago, you can't help but wonder why he came up to you instead of just walking past you without saying a word.
You ask the stranger in front of you "what's it to you?". Not surprised at this response Pearl explains "I know that face, after all I wore it for many years". You are astonished by this, however you have doubts.
You tell him "you can't possibly understand how I feel. I have no job, no friends. I have lived here for many years now and yet I have no one." You go on to say "I have no dreams, no talent at all." A moment later you yell at the stranger "I HAVE NO PURPOSE!" and then you huddle back up into a tight ball.
Pearl kneels down next to you and calmly says "I understand this more than you can imagine". He then stands up and leaves you to your own company. These words ring in your head. Not knowing what he meant your body moves on it's own and you run for dear life to catch up to the stranger. You have to know what he meant.
When you finally catch up with them, you tap them on the shoulder with your hand and as they stop you catch your breath. You ask "please…tell me…who are you? I have never seen you here before." He cracks a smile and says "so, you chose to chase me up huh? That's fine, it's better than wallowing by yourself on the beach."
"You wish to know who I am. Met me at the beach tomorrow at the crack of dawn if you want to know more." Not being able to make up your mind your mouth utters the simple words "okay…" without thinking. He continues to walk back to Nora's house and you too go back to your home having agreed to this arrangement.
Having waited a day, you arrive near the beach at the appointed time. As you make your way to the middle of the beach you spot the stranger mediating. They hear your footsteps and he stands up.
You once again ask what his name is but he refuses to give this away. "It is rude to ask for another's name first without introducing yourself." Now feeling quite nervous you manage to tell him your name and a small bit about yourself.
The stranger feels satisfied with what you have told him so far and at last he says "that will do. My name is Pearl and I am a Crystal Gem. Don't forget my name." Now knowing his name you begin to open up to him and tell him more about yourself and your life. Pearl is shocked to see the confident man in front of him, so he decides to also give further details about his own life. This back and forth goes on for hours. You two soon feel as though you have known each other for years.
Having hours fly by Pearl mentions that he must return to the Crystal Temple to train Nora. As he has says his farewells you feel the urge to want to learn more so you muster your courage and demand "Pearl! I too want to grow. Train me!" Pearl sees the determination in your eyes, he had not seen this in any human for many centuries.
Pearl smiles and says "I accept. Meet me at the top of the hill where the lighthouse resides at a weeks time at dawn. Show me how much you can improve between now and then". You nod with a great smile that had not been present to your face for a long time. Pearl leaps off into the sky and leaves you at the beach…