Chapter 1: Of Two Beginnings

"Thou art afraid, I feel, but only rid of fear shalt thou fulfill thy destiny."

Darkrai's words still resounded in my head when I woke up in a wooden hospital wing. My wounds had been properly bandaged. Two sets of brand new, folded clothes stood upon an old ebony desk, next to my pokéballs, and my armor was hanging on the wall, a few meters away. The other patients weren't nearly as hurt as I had been. Some infected wounds and minor diseases only (except for one poor bastard that had bandages everywhere other than his right eye). There was a blonde kid sitting by my bed, leaning his chair back and forth, looking distractedly through the window, smiling.

"And you are?" He looked just short of 14 years of age.

The boy seemed like he snapped off a trance.

"Oh, you've finally woken up. I found you passed out with your Typhlosion, near the city. It was probably too tired to carry you all the way...

I then remembered the battle and the little talk I had afterwards.

"Where the hell are we, anyways?"

"Goldenrod. Those Kanto soldiers really messed you up, but I brought you here and they treated your wounds." The kids' smile broadened even more, so much it looked like his face was about to split in two. "I'm volunteering here, unti-"

"Everyone's leaving Johto out of fear of being caught in the middle of a battle... You got either some guts or have gone completely mad, staying here... "

I was worried for the kid. And, of course, every one currently in Goldenrod. The last battle… there were tens of thousands of Kanto soldiers. The problem wasn't their numbers were greater (we had just as many men), but that so far, the only leverage we had were numbers, against their ability. They had likely gathered all their forces to try and take over Goldenrod. How we fended them off was beyond me. I assumed that the Johto force gathered at Olivine was moving to take back Ecruteak as we spoke, and next would be Mahogany.

"If the worse happens, I have my Pokémon. In less than one year, I can enlist." He then returned to his chair-leaning and dreamy eyes.

"Tell me then, 'future soldier', did anyone else… Y' know…"

"From what I hear, only a few from Kanto left alive. I'm… sorry." He seemed like he actually was, although there was not one good reason for him to be. He had nothing to do with dying soldiers (yet, anyways). "And why the sarcasm?" That goofy smile slowly faded as he heard the answer:

"I remember the time when I referred to 'being a soldier' like you did just now..." I smirked, though I was somewhere between sad and disgusted with what I just mentioned. "The dream job, ennet? To live fighting for the land, seeking glory and eventually dying with both in some big battle or another, being martyrized... What I learned from time and experience, do see, is that the land doesn't give a damn, there's no honor in seeing the bodies of who fought with you be butchered and drop to the ground, and those certainly realized just a moment before their end that there was no glory in dying like that. War is Hell, if you'd rather the short version."

He looked at me fixedly for a while, a bit dazed. He opened his mouth to say something, but left without further words.

I took while to think about what I was going to do now. My superiors by now must have concluded that I was dead like the rest of whoever they sent to that suicidal mission. It was near That day of the year… aye, I'd head back home for That day.

I gathered my goods (except for the armor. Bad memories. I did take my sword, however) in a leather drawstring bag that was under the folded clothes, and pulled open a drawer of the ebony desk. I found ink, a pen, and paper, eventually. I wrote a few words on it, folded it in half, put it in my bag and went outside without even changing into my new clothes.

The walks in Goldenrod, at least near the hospital, were of concrete, with a few holes for trees to grow. The streets were unusually empty for the capital. Most of the houses were brick, but there were some wooden ones, too. I was halfway through the hospital's yard, and then that boy shouted, from the door I just came through:

"Y-You're wrong! My father... Passed honorably... He died… For a reason…"

So that was it. Nice job, Andrew. I could tell he wanted to cry (or had already), fists clenched and red eyes, but I hadn't much time to look at him, as he launched a Pokéball up in the air. Out came a Noctowl, which then dived in the air, straight at me. But it came so. Darn. Slowly. I closed my eyes and grinned for a moment (this time, for actual amusement). Thomas didn't even see that Weavile was out when it stopped Noctowl dead with his left hand. With his free arm he obeyed:

"Ice Punch."

I said the words with the coldness that knocked the bird down. Weavile then went for the boy, knocking him down and putting his claws against his neck. I walked to where they were and returned my Pokémon to the apricorn.

I took a moment to just look at his terrified face, and then another to explain:

"Where you wanna be, I wouldn't bother with the Noctowl, and wouldn't content myself with scratching your neck." I sighed. "What your dad did doesn't concern me, but what I say about war are the facts." I grabbed his arm and helped him up "Ah, well. If you get in the army or not is out of my hands, but if you do, just…" I grinned yet again. "Don't tell people you're going to attack them out of blue, it ruins the element of surprise."

Just before I turned around to leave, he got another pokéball, only this time he just stretched his arm towards me.

"Have it. I captured a Skarmory but it wouldn't obey me... Maybe you need something like this, i-in whichever battle you're sent to next."

That stutter, right there. He was feeling like garbage right now. Lohan would tell him "Suck it up, that's a part of growing up.". I couldn't.

I looked at the Pokéball, then at the kid, then again at the Ball, a little dazed by the change of attitude.

"I ain't a soldier no more, kid. Save that for when you are."

I opened a smile (not a grin or a smirk, an actual smile) like I didn't in ages and left for the North Goldenrod exit.

"HEY! What the hell are you doing?"

I actually stopped for a couple of seconds.

"I think it's pretty clear that I am walking, lad."

"Wh-where are you going, you bas-"

After sadness, came anger (or, if you rather, blaming others for your own failure), as always.

"Telling you now, you wouldn't understand. I get the feeling we won't be meeting again, so I'll just say I'll stop at Violet City. Just tell me, what's your name?"

"…."

He took too long to reply, so I started moving again, and lifted my hand in goodbye. I was able to hear a faint "Thomas" as I did.

To the first soldier that crossed my eyes, I delivered the piece of paper folded in half (that would be enough to get me arrested, were the guard a little smarter).

So I left for Violet, leaving a kid let down by reality, and a soldier not quite sure I had written "I quit" (took him a while to figure out what I was quitting too, I imagine). Damn, this job is much better than being a soldier.