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Prologue: Journey's start.
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A cool brisk wind blew through Viridian City. The early morning dew clung to anything left out the night before. Fall was in the air and soon winter would come bounding up, coating Kanto in a frozen chill.

Standing amidst the nearly deserted streets was a boy of sixteen dressed in black. He raised his eyes to the skyline, now glowing red with the sunrise and stood there staring in awe of just how beautiful the world can seem with out the daily distractions. Taking a deep breath he exhaled the stress of the moments before. He'd miss the city he'd come to love, the crowds, the view, the familiarity of it all. He sighed knowing it would be a long while till he'd see Viridian again.

He was sixteen now, old enough for an intermediate trainers license and could now start his own pokemon journey. Inside he envied those who, with special permission, could start their journey's sooner. Though he figured it was much safer to start at a later age, having put more time into athleticism he'd have a much better chance at survival now then if he'd started earlier in his life.

He reached down and clutched his only pokeball that hung at his waist. The red and white ball contained his only pokemon, a memento from his former home, Hoenn. Memory's floated through him suddenly, the fighting, the plane, the abandonment, everything he was now leaving aside. Nothing could hold him back now, he was ready.

"I'm coming," he said to the sky as if someone had spoken.

A cold gust of wind brought him back to reality, he tightened his black jacket and puled up his hood covering the black disaster of hair that grew from his head. He didn't have any more time to waste, his first destination was Viridian forest. He took off sprinting for the outskirts, his athletic build and time spent training his body helped make up for his shorter stature. The sun had just barely risen above the horizon as the boy made his way to the edge of the fabled, maze like, forest of Viridian. He stared into the forest, fierce determination burned in his silver eyes.

'I'll make it, don't you worry,' he thought before he charged straight into the forest.

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Chapter one: Let's go back.
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"Hurry up Grey we're going to miss the plane."

"R right," the young lad called back as he rush forward to catch up to the girl calling him. "Hay Ell where are we going anyway?" he asked. His voice was soft and carried an aspect of worry.

"I'll tell you on the plane so let's go," she said like his mom would when he wouldn't keep up.

They had been walking for what seemed like forever but they were so close to being done. They'd gotten their tickets and loaded their luggage now all that was left to do was get on the plane and fly to somewhere for some reason. Ell wouldn't tell him anything and he hadn't spoken with his parents in a long time. The last words his parents had said came from a letter telling him to look after the pokemon they were sending. He clutched the pokeball even now as they walked closer towards a future unknown. Ell seemed exited, more so then she usually was, then again she did know what was happening.

The hallway seemed to stretch out forever but up ahead he could see a sort of door with an attendant standing beside it. His stomach started feeling funny like a dozen Butterfree were flapping around wildly. His fingers turned to butter and the pokeball slipped out from his grasp and onto the floor.

"Careful," Ell called back as she continued walking. "Mom and Dad may have put you in charge of our pokemon but that doesn't mean I won't take away it if you can't handle it properly."

"Y yes Ell," he said back, quickly picking up the fallen pokeball and running to catch up once more.

Soon they'd made it onto the plane, to where he still didn't know and his wonderful sister was intent on leaving him out of the loop for as long as possible it seemed. He secretly hoped they were on their way to wherever their parents were but deep down he knew that wouldn't be the case.

"Will you tell me now?" He whined for the fifth or sixth time.

Ell sighed and rolled her eye's. "Fine fine," she began clearly annoyed. "Mom and Dad are sending us to Kanto to live with some relieves."

His spirit sank down to the pit of his now vary upset stomach. "W what?"

Ell went on her voice growing louder as she grew more exited. "They said it was safer in Kanto right now with those aqua and magma people running around Hoenn, so now we get to visit a new region isn't this soooo exiting?"

"But but what about all our friends here in Hoenn and this is where Mom ad Dad are and," He was cut of but the sudden jerk of the plane taking off.

His sister put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "It's going to be all right Grey I'll be right here with you the whole time. You may be an annoying little brother but your my annoying little brother. Just... think of all the cool new places we'll get to explore, maybe we'll even get to leave the town!"

Maybe it was just a coincidence but the plane ride seemed much less terrifying after that moment.

'The whole time,' Those words echoed in his mind as he walked through the forest. Somewhere along the way he'd lost his focus and his mind wondered off again. The words clung to him, stinging like a Weedle.

"I'll be right here with you the whole time."

It didn't even take a year, on her sixteenth birthday she left to become a pokemon trainer, leaving him alone. Like their parents, his aunt and uncle where never around which left him with the house to himself. It wasn't vary big and really nothing special, like every other house on their street.

He begged and begged her to let him come with on her journey but she only laughed.

"Grey you're too young you wouldn't even last a day. There's a reason you have to wait till your sixteen to become a trainer, pokemon are dangerous in the wild and battles can be brutal. More and more criminal teams are popping up and there's also been talk of war between Kalos and Sinnoh. You're simply to young, slow and weak, you'd only slow me down and get us killed."

With her mind spoken she left without another word, without looking back. He was devastated and that scar never seemed to heal. The words changed him though, he grew up, became tough, determined, he began training his body in preparation for his own journey.

That had been almost five years ago, he'd finally turned sixteen and yesterday he'd rushed to the nearest Pokecenter and acquired his trainers license. Instead of leaving right away for his journey he spent the rest of the day saying good bye to the few people he knew in city and tidying the house. The next morning he left before before the sun rose leaving only a letter for his Aunt and Uncle.

Grey burst through some thick bushes and out into a clearing, the trees gave way to open hills and the forest seemed to disappear. Did he make it threw the forest already or... He turned a bit and scanned the horizon, the sun had risen quite high into the sky and sure enough Viridian city loomed off in the distance. He sighed, all that time and all he had to show was a new starting point. Somehow he'd gotten turned around and made his way back the Viridian side of the forest. He turned to walk back in but something caught his eye he turned back to look, standing on top of one of the hill stood a kid waving towards him. The boy looked remarkably like he did when he was younger, he couldn't help but wave back. But in a blink of his eye's he stood alone at the edge of the forest, no kid in sight. He smiled and turned towards the forest stepping in once more.

"I've sure grown huh Ell, I'm certainly not kid anymore," he said out loud and continued into the natural maze. "But I still have a long way to go."

{AN}: I was going through some old files on my computer and found this chapter of a fanfiction I wrote back in 2016. While I have no recollection of writing this prior I was inspired to continue the story with hopefully more consistency then the first time around. Originally this was titled Hope's last tear but I have no idea what my thought process was with naming it that so its been changed. I hope you all enjoy the tale I have to tell also chapter two is currently in the process of being written and should be out shortly.

{Edit} I've gone through and fixed some mistakes that slipped by me as well as hopefully made things a bit neater.

Thanks for reading Casey~