It was the time of day that the sun hid below the horizon. Its reds and oranges mingled above the skyline and danced through the clouds. Shadows were cast through the trees and onto the farmland below, arousing the pokemon that lived in the brush.

The beep from Nat's watch made him jump and mutter an extensive line of curses, as it always did. The alarm followed suit, helping diminish the sounds of Nat's colorful language. His tired eyes darted around the dark pastures that laid before him, scanning everything until he caught sight of… something. Something moving. Nat threw down the tools in hand, abandoning his current project.

The young man grabbed one of the pokeballs clipped to his jeans as he ran towards this "something". The object was gray, traveling fast, low to the ground, and- probably a rhyhorn, Nat thought, as he unhitched the pokeball in hand from its clasp. The rhyhorn was running along the ridgeline, en route to the fencing surrounding into the corn fields.

"Brevior!" Nat yelled. "Out now!" A scyther emerged from the pokeball, and zipped into the air in tacit agreement with its trainer. Upon sighting the rhyhorn, Brevior immediately flew into its eyesight. The enraged rhyhorn started to follow the path of the scyther. This routine was ingrained into the scyther's mind. It had been almost a decade after all. The pair of pokemon disappeared into the forest back beyond the freshly broken fence. Nat cringed as few trees fell, causing some spearow to abandon their nests. The scyther emerged from the flora.

"We still got it, eh Brev?" Nat said, grinning at his scyther.

"Scy!" Brevior nodded in agreement.

Their celebration was cut short by the hum of a tractor approaching. Nat looked towards the source, finding none other than his brother, Davis, walking towards him.

Davis scowled, though he couldn't hold the expression for too long before a semi-devilish smile pervaded his demeanor. "You know, I was just about to head in, but I was interrupted by a… a… siren? Did you hear it?" Davis needled.

Nat rolled his eyes and gestured to the gaping hole in his sturdy border. "It was a rhyhorn. Still haven't found a proper solution to 'em yet. The siren won't scare them, since they have crappy hearing, and there isn't a strong enough material I can secure the fence with that doesn't cost an arm and a leg."

"Damn." Davis kicked some dirt. "When did my brother become such a nerd?" Davis shook his head sarcastically. Nat chuckled. "Beer?" Davis proposed.

"Nah, I'll be out here well after the sun's down. Maybe later. "Night, Dave."

"Night, Nat."

Davis climbed back into the tractor and continued along the dirt road. He glanced back at his brother, who got straight back to work. He was always working. Through the night, through the day, Davis couldn't help but wonder why Nat was such a workaholic. Lately, this wonder had transformed into a pity, as he started to realize that the same longing for adventure that lived in his brother still hadn't left Nat since being called home.

Nat collapsed onto his bed with a beer in hand. He took a sip, leaning against the headboard while a warmth spread through his chest. Nat exhaled, and a dull nostalgia started to pervade his mind. He rested the beer on his night stand and rolled off of his bed and stood up. He sulked towards the badges pinned against his wall. Memories of a simpler time invaded his head-space. No job, no pressure, just raw, untamed fun. But now? He had a job, actual responsibility. What he did mattered. Not only to the farm, but to the people and pokemon around him.

But this wasn't the life he wanted to live, nor was it the life that his pokemon wanted to live. It could be days, or mere minutes between every siren call, and it wasn't like he could afford to miss one. The action that he and his team got wasn't even fun; it was stressful. Nat felt… guilty. He knew he owed his pokemon a journey. Not only for their sake, but for his sake as well.

Nat unhinged the pokeballs from his side, releasing his partners before him. The first out was his dragonair, Velor. The blue serpent hummed as he coiled himself up Nat's leg, eventually resting at eye level with his trainer. "And hello to you as well, Vel," Nat said. He grabbed the second pokeball, releasing his growlithe, Ignos. Iggy barked and wagged his tail. "Iggy, sit," Nat commanded. The growlithe sat, but the excitement remained on his demeanor. Nat released his final pokemon, his first partner, Brevior. The scyther hovered before him, the buzz from his wings overpowering Velor's low hum.

They stood there for a second, satisfied in each others' company.

"I love you all," Nat finally muttered. Vel coiled himself around Nat's neck, trying to imitate a hug. "I'm just… so sorry. You all deserve a journey." Brevior's head rose. The word "journey" always made something churn inside of the scyther. "One day, I swear, we'll finish what we started." Nat collapsed on his bed, and returned Brev and Vel to their pokeballs. Iggy curled up beside Nat. The growlithe was warm, and was always up for a snuggle. Nat sighed.

One day.

Nat, sweating profusely under the summer sunshine, drilled the final screw into the fence, finally repairing the broken section from the rhydon incident. He sat down under a tree, shielding himself from the sun. He sighed, and closed his eyes to relax.

His watch alarm went off. "God f-" The siren went off. Reluctantly, Nat got up and released Brevior from his pokeball. The scyther flew towards the direction of the siren. Nat followed suit, swerving in and out of the cornfields and dodging the farm equipment.

Brevior stopped mid flight and shot Nat a funny look. Nat emerged from the cornfields to find… one petrified mailman. Embarrassed, Nat approached the man.

Nat raised his eyebrows. "Howdy." Nat tried to stifle a laugh, but he couldn't hold in his amusement. The mailman threw the letter across the fence, without a word, and left. Once he was out of sight, Nat burst out in laughter and walked towards the house.

Once inside, Nat shuffled through the letters. An assortment of bills laid before him on the kitchen table. A small red envelope fluttered to the floor from the pile. He picked up the letter from the ground and opened it. It was addressed to him:

Nathaniel Cedar,

It has come to my attention that a skilled trainer has found their journey discontinued by the most ill-fated of circumstances.

I have included a check within this letter to allow your financial ends to meet at your place of residence. In other words, you have been liberated from the chains that bound you from a world of adventures and thrills.

Nathaniel, I beg of you to resume your journey.

Show Noven your prowess.

Regards

The note was signed with a fancy, golden "S".

Nat was out the door within minutes.