Wearing a solemn look, Emerald decides to reveal his past to Ruby and Sapphire, and begins to tell his tale…

For most part of his life, he has been alone. His parents died when he was very little, and he was tossed around between relatives, all of which he only met for the first time. Wherever he went, he was treated as a fool, because he was such a dwarf. Having short arms and legs, he was not able to do many things, and he was made a fool simply because of that. His cousins and other children would bully him, tease him, snatch his food away from him or simply spoil it before he could reach it. No one really cared for him.

Only the Pokemon were different. The Pokemon that were kept at where he lived did not mind whether he's a dwarf or an outsider child. They snuggled up to him, they befriended him, which was why he started to resort to their help when he needed to reach for high-up objects. An Ampharos would always take books for him for the shelf, and a Dratini would always bring him his plate of food from the table, while a Cradily would always pull up the curtains for him to let him see the sun through the windows.

However, this was soon made fun of by the other kids as well. They mocked Emerald for using Pokemon as his hands and feet, for exploiting them as his tools and accessories. That very remark not only shocked but angered and devastated Emerald, for he has always considered Pokemon to be his companions and friends, but not his hands and feet, and certainly not his tools and accessories. He picked a fight with the kids over the matter, and afterwards, he pushed the Pokemon away. If treating Pokemon as tools and accessories was the impression he gave off, he would stop using Pokemon, and he would stop liking Pokemon. He made those determined vows to himself, and decided to run away from that home. Yet, he had nowhere to go, and ended up wandering alone.

One day, while walking along a riverside in Mauville City, he saw two people in lab coats on the opposite shore. A middle-aged man was chasing after a young woman, whom he addressed as professor, and wanted to know why she did it. The young woman, whose name 'Willow' was printed on a name tag on her lab coat, remarked that they have attempted to control the Rayquaza they have captured by the artificially manufactured Green Orb, but it was a failure at the end. She understood the concern and idea of the Pokemon Association's Chairman, but there were simply things that the power of science could not achieve. Should Kyogre and Groudon really rise and clash one day, someone brilliant would surely appear to put a stop to it with his or her brilliance. The man argued that it still didn't necessitate the need to throw away the jewel core with the highest purity they have managed to create so far, but the young woman simply smiled and resumed walking, while the man continued to tail after her.

Watching the two walk away, something shiny suddenly caught Emerald's eye in the river, and he looked into the shallow riverbed to discover a beautiful peace of green jewel that sparkled with a mesmerizing radiance even under water. Emerald hurriedly picked it up, and believed that if he surrounded himself with this radiance, the hardship in his life would go away. Holding the abandoned Green Orb in his hands, he started to envision a new image of himself, one that wouldn't have to count on Pokemon despite having short arms and legs.

Emerald picked up a twig and began drawing on the sand. To make his feet longer, he would wear high platform shoes, but they won't be simple platform shoes. They would open up at the base like a ninja's water skater. Similarly, to make his arms longer, he would put on magic hand extensors, ones that could retract and extend at his will to accomplish any task. To make himself look bigger, even ever so slightly, he would get his hair to stand up, and grow out his eyebrows as well. Finally, he would wear the radiant green jewel on his forehead, to remind himself that he could be just as radiant.

Staring at the new image that he has drawn for himself on the sand, Emerald dreamt of the day that it would become reality, but in life, things often came sooner than one expected. It so happened that the Trick Master, an odd little man travelling on a walking machine, passed by the river and saw Emerald's drawings. He was highly impressed by the marvellous ideas, and even started taking photos of them. He complimented Emerald for having a talent in inventions, and made up his mind to put his designs into reality. He sent out a measuring tape the document the size of Emerald's shoes, causing the boy to jump in surprise, and this little act during their first encounter was why Emerald always remembered and addressed the Trick Master as the shoe store man.

For some reason, Emerald found it easy to open up his heart to the Trick Master, and the two quickly became friends. As they had fun along the riverside, they encountered a wild Breloom, and Emerald stated that it must have come from the Petalburg Woods. A Volbeat flew by, and Emerald commented that it must have travelled far to have come from Route 117. The Trick Master was astonished that the boy was able to tell a Pokemon's birthplace by simply looking at it, and Emerald believed that it must have been the result of his numerous migrations between relatives across the land of Hoenn.

It was then that Emerald told his past to the Trick Master, who showed empathy and was sincerely worried about him. The man decided that he couldn't let a child so talented be forever haunted by the bitter memories of his past, and told Emerald about a facility in a faraway land known as Johto, where homeless kids like him were taken care of. He sent the boy off to this place where he believed he would find happiness, and so Emerald travelled afar, and eventually found himself at the Pokemon Academy owned by Earl.

Upon arrival, Emerald was slightly disheartened by how old and broken the place appeared to be, and started to feel hesitant. He peeked through the torn wooden fences, and immediately caught sight of a girl who was wearing an apron and sweeping the fallen leaves with a broom. Around her, little kids about his age played around merrily with their Pokemon, and a young lass was learning to feed her Sentret with berries to restore its health.

A chubby man in an old suit, who was in fact Earl himself, soon appeared while doing his usual spinning, and sincerely thanked the girl for constantly volunteering at their academy and helping them out. The girl embarrassedly said she simply did what she could, and complimented on Earl's kindness to set up such a nice and safe place for children to study and play with their Pokemon. Emerald watched through the broken fence with amazement as the girl energetically catered to every child's need, taking them to the washroom, bringing them food, tending to their knee scratches, and most of all, bringing everyone together like a family, making them feel like home.

All of a sudden, three wild Slugmas broke into the academy, and sent everyone into panic with their hostility. Emerald himself was terrified as well, and simply hid himself behind the fences. An old man wearing a lab coat soon arrived to offer help, but eventually it was the girl who calmly sent out her team of Pokemon to handle the situation, and even captured the three rampaging Pokemon with her adept kicking skills.

Emerald learnt that her name was Crystal. Wanting to know her better, he decided to take shelter at the Pokemon Academy, which Earl warmly welcomed, but at the same time felt troubled because of his already tight budget in sustaining the place. Unfortunately, from the next day on, Crystal did not appear again. Emerald started to regret about choosing to live at the old and broken school, especially with the reason of his staying gone.

At the academy, Emerald did not experience the things he hated at his relative's place, but while there was nothing he hated, he did not really get acquainted with any either. He chose to stay secluded in this facility where one couldn't even walk safely without cracking the wooden floors, something that happened on almost a daily basis.

And then several days later, something unbelievable happened. Large groups of working men and Pokemon suddenly arrived at the academy, and began refurbishing the place, turning the old and crumbling facility into a brand new building. From his own observation, even Earl, the proprietor of the school, had no idea where all the money came from initially, as not a cent was charged by the work men from him. In the following few days, the refurbishment continued, and very soon, new floor tiles were laid down, the walls were painted and straightened, new glasses were installed into their windows, and their garden was completely renovated and everything replanted. Kids had their ragged clothes changed to new ones, and the hungry children got vast amounts of food to fill themselves each day. It was truly unbelievable.

When the refurbishment was finally completed, Earl gathered all the children and finally revealed to them who they were in debt to for their new home. In fact, it was someone they were all familiar with, the volunteer at the academy who always acted like their elder sister, Crystal. Earl learnt from Prof. Oak that Crystal has accepted a job to collect the data of all Pokemon for research purposes in exchange for sponsorship to the academy, and it was a dangerous job, requiring her to climb over mountains, sail across oceans, and face peril after peril.

The kids gasped at what they heard, and realized that everything they had at the academy, the clothes they wore, the food they ate, their desks, their chairs, their drawing books, their swings, every single thing, was the result of a dangerous task undertaken by Crystal for the sake of them. Everyone began to cry, while Emerald found himself completely astonished. Never has he met or known anyone who gave totally but not receive. In that instant, his admiration for Crystal escalated to respect, and he aspired to learn more from her, whatever she had to offer, whatever she had to teach.

After the big incident at the Ilex Forest, Crystal finally returned and Emerald constantly stuck around her, but as an assistant to Prof. Oak, the girl was always busy and they had little time to interact. Seeing the completed Pokedex Crystal handed to Prof. Oak, Emerald got an idea. He would become a Pokedex Holder as well, become one of these trainers who go on missions to collect Pokemon data for the professor.

Emerald decided to confront Oak directly in person, and so he went to the Johto Radio Tower in Goldenrod and waited for him there. When Oak was in the middle of a broadcast session with DJ Mary, the station's Director showed him a message via a writing board through the studio's glass window. It spoke of a boy who wished to receive a Pokedex from him and start his own adventure with Pokemon. Oak looked over towards the corridor to see Emerald standing there, and beckoned him over with a Pokedex in hand, asking him to tell him his name again…