Upon Oak's suggestion, I released my Pokemon to enjoy the open air. Cacturne immediately began to go from shrub to shrub trying to hide from us and scare us. Xatu stayed on the deck of Rocket Place and was soaking the plentiful sun. Dugtrio was enjoying the new soil around him. I released my other three, Lanturn, Heracross, and Chandelure. Lanturn went for the lake that I had since learned connected to the sea we were driving next to earlier. Heracross climbed onto a tree and began to eat. Chandelure went high into the canopy of the trees. I loved my team. I knew the first time I caught each of them that they would be my final six. The newest member was Lanturn, and he had been in my six for almost a year and a half.

The forest really was an amazing surrounding. I looked around and saw so many Pokemon in their natural state. Caterpies were on the ground crawling for food, Pidgeys were in nests high above the floor of the forest, I saw Lanturn playing with a few Milotics.

"This is a great place isn't it? I visited Neil and Stewart here with no intention of staying, but after only a few hours here, I told them that I wanted to live here. They gave me job at Rocket University and lived on the other side of that lake. I met my wife here. She had lived in Canalave City, but had come to Rocket City to follow her favorite professor. She worked as an administrative assistant, and I saw her almost every day."

I never really knew much else of Oak's wife other than a few times I was with my mother at the hospital, or if I was over at his house for whatever reason. This was interesting to learn. I nodded with interest at points to assure him I was listening.

"We dated for only two weeks before I asked her to marry me."

"You didn't waste any time did you?" I joked.

Oak simply shook his head and paused, "no. I knew from the moment I met her that there was something much more than attraction there. There was understanding. At least on my part. I wasn't scared about it. I was nervous, but not scared. She must of felt it too because she said yes even before I finished asking her."

I hadn't a clue what Oak was talking about. To me, it sounded like he was doing nothing but contradicting himself. But, I didn't want to say anything. I could tell this was something he held dear to his heart. I nodded and searched for something to change the subject.

"You want to see the old University?"

Oak must have read my mind.

"Sure."

I called back all of my team and began to follow Oak. He was headed back towards the house, or what I thought was the house. I really didn't have any sense of direction here. Everything was so big and yet so subtle. The landscapes began to blend together and I was thankful for Oak.

The leaves were singing under the weight of our feet and within a few minutes, I could see the rickety old house once again.

"Do you have a jacket?"

"It's in the car, I think. Do I need it?" The weather was warm. I didn't really see why I needed a jacket. I looked down at what I was wearing. It had changed so much since I became the Pokemon Master for Woppal. I can remember when I thought that jeans and a t-shirt were an annoyance to wear. Now, I had to present an image for all of Woppal. There had been moments when I didn't really like the fame that came with my title. The tradition in the Woppal region was to give the Pokemon Master a named based upon the character of their personality. "Cameron the True." Whatever that meant. But from that point onward, I was no longer Cameron Pitch, but Cameron the True. I would carry that title with me for the rest of my life. This was a reason why the fame sometimes came unwarranted.

"You should probably grab it. We may be late, and it gets cold here at night."

I still didn't think I would need one, but I trusted the experience of Oak.

We walked up onto the deck of Rocket Place, and we walked through the same path we had entered. It was strange how much I had learned from this place in a matter of a few hours. This was where "the greatest threat" to the Pokeverse had begun. This home to a couple old, eccentric brothers.

The jeep was where we had parked it, and Oak unlocked the passenger door. I grabbed my coat jacket from the backseat.

As I slipped it on, I could see Oak begin to walk down the road perpendicular to the driveway of Rocket Place. I fumbled with the armholes as I tried to catch up with him and put my jacket on simultaneously. After a bit of a struggle, I had managed to get the jacket on and was walking next to Oak.

He didn't say much. In his later years he had grown much more quiet, more reflective. I think his wife's death had something to do with it.

I put my hands in the pockets of the jacket. I was wearing what I would usually wear in Casaville for battles: a dark green button-up shirt, a silver bow-tie, gray slacks, and a tan coat jacket. The best tailors in Casaville had made it for me when I became the Pokemon Master. I had grown used to it, but I smiled as I remembered my younger self, and how much he would've been opposed to this.

When Oak had called me, he told me to get to Freshmoon as quickly as possible, so I didn't have time to change. I really didn't have any time to pack anything either, at least knowingly. I flew Xatu to Freshmoon, and as soon as I had landed, Oak started the jeep, and we were off.

It was odd to think of where I was this morning in comparison to where I was at the present moment. I had a challenger this morning. Her name was Emily, I believe, but I defeated her rather quickly. Now I was wandering in a forest with the man who gave me my first Pokemon.

The silence had allowed us to cover a great amount of ground in only a few minutes. Oak had taken to wearing cowboy boots now, and their rhythmical click against the paved road was the only noise. We followed a curve in the road and I could see a large building in the distance. It was in the style of everything else in Rocket City, big and abandoned. It looked intimidating now, but as we neared it, its full height and size became fully appreciated.

As with everything in Rocket City, a large, red "R" was at the center of the front of the building. However, interlocked with it was an equally as large "U."

I guessed we were at Rocket University.

There were way too many steps leading up to the front door. After about the 34th step, we had finally reached the doors. In true Rocket City style, they were huge. The metal was cut out of the doors to read "RU" from left to right as you walked in.

Oak pushed open the U and we entered the old university. The floors were tile. I guessed that at one time they were red and white tiles, but over the years, it just turned into a dingy shade of maroon and an even dingier yellow.

I assumed we had entered the Welcome Center of the university. There was a large circular desk in the center of the large circular room. Couches were interspersed throughout the area of the room, and many other halls seemed to branch off of this hub.

I stopped to look around at the room in its entirety. There was a tall ceiling with a wall of broken windows surrounding the Welcome Center. I could see Tangelas and Bellsprouts had formed a net of vines in the spaces where the windows were broken.

As I turned my attention back to where Oak was when I stopped, I found him now nearly entering one of the hallways that branched off of this once-grand room.

"Oak!" I yelled as I started to make larger strides to where he was.

He didn't respond. He simply stood at the entrance of the hallway waiting for me. I could tell from where I was that he was…impatient? Maybe this place made him nervous.

I had started to awkwardly jog so that it seemed like I was really putting an effort in trying to get to him as quickly as possible. When I was within 10 feet, Oak started down the hallway. I really was his puppet, as I had no idea where we were going or what this abandoned school had in store for us.

Oak lead me through what felt like a maze. Left, right, left, left again, right, straight, down a flight of stairs, left. Finally, he stopped at a door.

"1167 Red Wing."

I asked the question with the obvious answer. "Is this your classroom?"

"Yes. This was my old room. I wonder if-" at that moment, Oak had pushed his entire body frame against the door. With a cloud of dust coming from where the door used to be, Oak's old room was now visible.

I looked in, and saw nothing save for what the few windows-worth of light gave. I stepped in, and felt a lot of crackling on the ground. I had nearly tripped when I heard a light switch turned behind me. Within a few seconds, the lights came on.

Turning around, I saw Oak now covered in dust standing by the entrance to the room. I looked around the ground we were standing on, and I saw rubble from the ceiling had fallen onto the floor. The chalkboard was dismantled, and the lectern was now just a desk sawed in half.

"I've seen enough. Let's go."

Oak abruptly left the room. I stumbled as the broken room was catching onto my pants. I guess the room had struck a nerve with Oak. I made it out into the hallway, and I saw Oak waiting at the end of the hallway. I caught up with him, and followed him out the way we came.

We had made it back to the Welcome Center when I realized how dark it had gotten. I guess Oak realized this. He called out his Alakazam and had him transport us back to Rocket Place.

When we had gotten back, Oak quickly recalled Alakazam and returned once again to the house.

I stood and looked out onto the varied horizon of this once great city. I then remembered that there was still an entire half of the story I hadn't heard yet. At once, I had the sudden urge to hear this from Stewart and Neil.