From: Tharag (tharag@aol.com) Subject: [PW!] The Breakaway Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000/07/05 TITAL: "The Breakaway" AUTHOR: my friend, contact at my e-mail Tharag@aol.com My name is Jacob Simmons,most of my friends call me Jake. I have wanted to be a Pokémon master since I was about 5 years old. That was when my uncle Larry took to a Poke'mon League tournament. There I watched a boy not yet 13 years old beat all the odds and be crowned the champion. Nobody including me had given this guy a chance. In the first round he was down 3 to1 and took it. I've never seen such heart by a Pokémon as that little Cubone. The second round saw him take the match with a stunning victory by his Butterfree over a Golem. But I will never forget the last match, there his Dragonite defeated Cloyster and an Electabuzz to win the tournament. My uncle in his day was one heck of a trainer I've heard stories of his Gym Leader battles. My favorite is his last battle that he said he had before he settled down. He needed one badge to compete in the Indigo League, it came down to one Pokémon on one, the Gym Leaders Snorlax versus my uncles Machamp. It was a tough match, my uncle said it was arguably his best match he had ever had, with Machamp defeating Snorlax with a Submission attack. He has always said he does not regret giving up competing, but I can see it in his eyes. His only son, my cousin was primarily an athlete not really into Pokémon. So when I became interested I think my uncle thought he had a dream he could pass onto his little nephew. My father was a Pokémon trainer but from what I heard never succeeded. He was so ashamed by this that he abandoned my mother who had to raise me on her own. I was born in Safferon City where I lived with my mother until I was about 2 years old and that's when she passed away. I was taken in my by my grandparents who lived in Lavendar Town. They did raise me, they were okay I guess a tad on the overprotective side but otherwise nice people. My uncle Larry realized early that I wanted to be a trainer. He got me started just a few months after I saw the Indigo League, by giving me my first Pokémon a Growlithe which I nicknamed Torch. Torch and me became the best of friends almost inseparable, at times it felt like my dream of becoming a master was just within reach. When I was about 8 my uncle and I asked if I could start my journey at 10 years of age like other kids. My grandparents said at the time if I kept my grades up in school that I could. So each year I worked than harder than ever to make the best grades I possibly could. I spent the next 2 years training Torch, I even caught a wild Mankey. Almost every day after school Torch and Slash, (my nickname for Mankey), would practice and battle against all my friends from Lavendar Town. When I turned 10 I asked if I could start my journey, all my grades were good and my grandfather seemed real sympathetic toward my cause, but my grandma insisted I wait another year. My best friend Bobby left when I was 11, he had hoped along with me that we would start together, but for a second time my grandmother insisted I wait. When I was 12 I watched the last of my friends leave for their journey. About the only joy I had left now was teaching some of the younger kids how to battle their Pokémon. Now it has been almost 3 years since I was supposed to start my journey, but each summer my grandma ubjects. Right after my 13th birthday my grandpa swore the next summer which was just a few weeks away, that I could start my journey. As discouraged as I was I hung in there. It had never been easy, watching my friends leave one by one, but at least I still had hope. One week before I was supposed to leave I was so excited that I was having trouble sleeping. Late that night I heard my grandparents talking, I heard my grandpa say he was sick of arguing he would go along with it. My grandma was pleased and stated that they had watched two people waste their lives chasing a meaningless dream and they would not watch me do the same. I knew now that my grandmother would never approve of my dream. With a pretty well broken heart I fell into a depressed sleep The next day awoke with a renewed dream. That day I said goodbye at school to some of the younger kids I had taught a little bit. That night I snuck out of the house took one last look at Lavendar Town and my home and finally set off on my Pokémon journey.