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Chapter Text

After the events occurred on Kanto in the year 1994 and the strange so called “possession” of the man called Vermelho Berry, I decided to start this biography of the subject to get to the origin of all of this: his life, his connection to the entity and the events before and after that could have trigger the appearance of the entity in the first place; anything that could trace a clear path between the events and to uncover what this could mean.

Since I do know the subject personally, there’s events we decided to discuss and write on paper afterwards (so that would be the report made by myself) and others that it would be better if he wrote himself to describe better what he saw and felt under certain set of circumstances, not to mention to make it more comfortable for both.

            Profile:

            Name: Vermelho Berry

            Age: 20 years old

            Occupation: Bird keeper

            Nonreligious

At first glance, Mr. Berry seems sapped, not only physically but mentally. After the possession he develop marks all around his body; seems like his veins started to show a lot more, similar to varicose veins. No other noticeable physical change reported after the possession.

On the other hand, the man seems disturbed by nightmares, panic attacks and night terrors. Seems paranoid when there’s people around, an effect by one of the experiences he had with the entity that will be discussed later on.

Team:

• Flareon (weak due to cold temperatures for a long period of time)

• Braviary (healthy. Gifted to him by his father)

• Dragonite (healthy. Gifted to him by his mother)

• Kingambit (healthy. Gifted to him by his father)

• Swellow (healthy. Gifted to him by his father)

• Talonflame (injured. Affected by the possession. Gifted to him by his father)

• Aerodactyl (Unknown state. Gifted to him by his father but then gave it back to him, current whereabouts are unknown

Chapter Text

When talking about his childhood, the man looked nervous, I don’t know if it was because of my presence or because he had to revive the memories stored in the back of his psyche. The first thing that came to mind when asking about it was his father, a mysterious and strict man, a man so dedicated to Pokemon fights he decided that his son had to become the champion above all, “an unstoppable trainer” (said by Mr. Berry himself). He never show fear on his voice, mostly resentment, looking everywhere but directly to me, his voice tone and the trembling in his hands only indicated something: guilt.

The trainings were extreme, something no kid of his age would endure, except for him… not only did he have to fight as any usual Pokemon fight but also with the pokemons himself. His father thought that if he fought with his pokemons then that’s going to be the way he could lead his own team, leading to many injuries all over the years, never something too extreme but clearly, nothing of this should be normal for a kid…

After many lost battles, his father’s character started to change through the years. Ever since I knew Vermelho, it seems like he was cursed by never having the luck to win a single battle, I’m not saying he is not good, he was always a difficult opponent but before the possession, I never knew of a single battle he won… and it seems like it has been like that for a long time.

His father made the trainings even harder, letting his pokemons attack him as if Vermelho was not even his own blood, a cruel man letting his anger out on him.

“One time I was fighting against his Persian while I was using his Rhyhorn, I didn’t have my actual team back then. When I lost, he was so disappointed and angry, he decided to send his Persian against me, I didn’t expect it and before I could even notice, it jumped to me and bit my shoulder.” – He was quiet for a while, I couldn’t even believe what I was hearing. – “I never told mom… but I remember he mentioned that I needed to be prepared for things like that in the future.”

His father never clarified what he meant by that, even he, at his grown age didn’t understand what this could mean, Mr. Berry made very clear that his father was a man of secrets, never telling him the whole truth of the truth at all.

After these events he said his father decided it was the time for him to get his own pokemons but I find surprising that his father was the one in charge of that too, giving him pokemons that are unusual for Kanto, some of them are pokemons I’ve never seen in my life. At the time those were Bisharp, Rufflet, Fletching and Taillow. His father lost no time, making him train every day to make this Pokemon stronger and try to evolve them as fast as he could.

At the same time he got his Dragonite from his mom, as he mentioned this, his face lit up, seems like the Dragonite was one of the pokemons that actually saw him growing up, it is a strong Pokemon, very loving but very lazy as well… This didn’t mean he did not love the ones given by his father, he made that very clear in the interview, he even protected them from his father, feeling like they were all a team trying to survive to his father’s cruel ways of training.

The story behind the last Pokemon on his team is one I’ve been told before. Vermelho was supposed to receive an Aerodactyl by his father but in that moment, something I would call “magical” happened, one day as he was flying around with Dragonite, he spotted an Eevee. He mentioned that he was scared the small creature was hungry and wanted to take his to his mother so she could help him feed it, a show of compassion that only reveals how long his soul has been kind to others. He didn’t think twice about it and tried to catch Eevee and that was the first time ever he actually made something by himself, without his father’s eyes on his neck, just him in the middle of the forest were there was no one to see.

I saw his eyes glow for a second at the anecdote... but his father didn’t seem as happy, he told me how he made him choose between the Eevee and Aerodactyl.

“I never saw an Aerodactyl before, he explained to me he found it specifically for me. At the time I thought that maybe he could just let it free again from wherever he found it… but when I chose Eevee, I never saw it before and he never mentioned a single word about it…” – He said to me thinking deeply, maybe trying to remember his words, I saw a spark of fear in his eyes. – “He was angry with me, even a long time when I asked him about Aerodactyl, he refused to tell me… I’m just hoping it is fine.” - Judging by the tone of his voice, I suspect that his father was not only cruel to him but his pokemons as well.

Right after he told me this, the room grew quiet, the guilt was now clear, he then told me the reason behind it: his father’s disappearance. Mr. Berry blames himself for this based on the fact that he didn’t become the trainer his father wanted him to be. At that time, his little brother, Red, was just a baby and his mother was devastated as any person in this situation would be.

He told me about his mother, a woman not even similar to his father, loving, dedicated to her work and family… seems like he learned most of things in life thanks to her; he mentioned that every time his father was too harsh on him his mother would notice and try to make him happy, cooking his favorite food and trying her best to cheer her up…

I met the woman myself as well: Maroon Berry. The woman works in a small but cozy restaurant he started herself before forming a family. I had the chance to talk to her after the possession events, she mentioned she noticed how Vermelho looked different and as time passed it seemed almost like he was “withering away”, no eating, noticeable veins, red eyes and no sleep. She mentioned that she prays sometimes mostly to meditate but she mentioned she never really had a close relationship with god but she mentioned that after the incident, she might have to rethink a few things about her faith, mentioning that with a more fearful look than anything else.

The last thing he mentioned about in the interview was related to his brother, his smile seems wider every time he talks about the kid… mentioning that he feels bad for not being there to see him grow up those first years of his life, I asked him about that.

“I decided to go to Johto after my father left so I could try my luck there…”

It shocked me because it’s something I wouldn’t expect from him, leaving his mother and brother to isolate himself… felt like a punishment for himself more than anything and yet, that’s the time I saw him the happiest.

I met him back in Johto a couple years ago and he told me back then how he went there when he was around 11 years old, hoping to get a new life, I could have never expected the background of his life before I first talked to him, maybe he was way too god at covering it up with his bright smile and upbeat personality so I cannot properly point out any clues of paranormal activity at the time, not with my own eyes, not with the interview, not with the talk to his mother.   

Chapter Text

Before anything, I must warn the reader that I am not the most intelligent man when it comes to writing so I apologize in advance.

Looking back, Johto's trip feels like a distant dream. It was a happy dream, sometimes felt like a nightmare too. Before I arrived there, I was scared to the core. I knew mom had family there but she never mentioned much about it, I feel like she wanted us (Red and I. Dare I say even our father) to not know anything about it. When mom doesn't want to talk about something (not even with me) then you know it's serious. The atmosphere was always heavy when I tried to ask her about it. But even if the memories about Johto were not sweet, she had the energy to tell me about the beauty of the region, the Pokemon, the amazing views, that kind of stuff, never about her parents (which I doubt she would like me to call them grandparents).

Red was born the year before I left, I remember being so excited about it… When mom told me I was going to become a big brother I ran to Daisy's house (my neighbor since I was little by the way. My first friend ever, also friends with Kalei). The thing is, when you are young, frustrated and angry with your father, you don't think twice about the consequences of you own actions. I wanted to prove him wrong, become the champion of a region I didn't know beyond my mother's anecdotes, come back with money for her and Red, but then I realized that I left my mother alone with a baby to look out by herself. I always knew she was strong but I knew I could have done something, anything!

I left home when I was 10 years-old. That morning felt weird. For the first time in my life I felt free; no rules imposed by my father, no distressing training, no yelling at my ear for not being good enough… Dragonite and I fly for some time, I didn't want it to stop, I even remember feeling the breeze in my face and hair and wishing that it was eternal.

Those first moment flying above Johto, looking at the cities and everything felt magical, as if I was in heaven, even after everything that happened. When night fell, I set up a small tent and bonfire, it was peaceful, the night sky was beautiful but there was a feeling keeping me awake. I was just a day away from home and I was already missing mom, thinking "What would happen to me if she can't come help me? What am I going to eat?", things like that… I thought about Daisy, my only friend at the moment. In Johto I had nobody so it was only me versus whatever the future had in store for me. For many nights I laid down terrified, believe it or not, I even remember missing my father. At least I have to say that man showed me how to survive no matter what… but I missed the times he used to act like a parent to me.

Pokemon battles didn't go well in Johto either. I knew some of the pokemons thanks to some book my father gave me to read but that didn't help either, so gaining money by Pokemon battles was not an option. I started working in several places, most of the time as a delivery man which helped me buy my motorcycle when I was around 17 years-old and send some money to mom. We used to talk through letters, she even sent me Red's drawing sometimes and I think that's one of the main things that kept me going.

Things were like that until I turned 18, I was still trying to win the badges from the gym leaders around the region and then I met him, my first friend in a long time. Kalei to me was a beacon of light to me, I could never say otherwise. The nightmares and the fear of not having my family with me was always there but after I met him it was a little less scary. He was always an intelligent man, I think that anyone who reads these documents and his observations could see that. He always had a book on his bag… I think that you can get the point.

That was the first time I interacted with anything ghost-related or whatever Kalei called it at the start. He told me about many stories, we shared anecdotes under a tree, under the stars, sometimes flying above Johto with Dragonite… I could never forget about the emotion on his voice and the light of his eyes. We trained together, had Pokemon fights, I never manged to win against him and still, even when it frustrated me to never get the chance to win a battle, at that moment I knew I won something precious, irreplaceable…

When we participated on the Pokeathlon, it was one of the happiest moments of my life, we were so close that I let my words slip at some point, afterwards, I didn't know anything else about him until now, making this research. I never blamed it on him, as I said before, he brought light to my life in a moment I needed it the most and for that I'm grateful for him, my dearest friend… If he still considers me my friend.

After he left I knew it was time to go back home, there was nothing keeping me in Johto anyways. It felt bittersweet, seeing my mom after 9 years and meeting my little brother… seeing Daisy so different after these years, even seeing the Stoughton made me happy even if we were never that close. Of course it made me happy to finally have them back, see their faces, even if we didn't lose contact since I tried to send letters every week but I started to think about how much I missed all those years… Adding the fact that, even if I wanted, I never stopped thinking about the friend I lost.

But yes, that was the summary of what happened in Johto. I still believe that there's no way Kalei can track back the entity's activities. She is cunning, if she was near or around me back then, I never noticed, I could have never noticed anyways, but still, I'll let Kalei decide on that.

- Vermelho Berry

Chapter Text

After receiving the second report from Vermelho himself, the most remarkable thing I could notice is the grief and frustration caused (mainly) by the idea his father had about him and his departure. Not to mention the distress of leaving his home and family behind to be in a place he knew little to nothing, then… our meeting and the effect it had on him when I left for personal reasons. I am not qualified to talk about the psychological meaning of all of this but I believe it's clear that the idea other people have of him is something that affects him deeply as a side effect from the constant search for approval from his father. That leads me to think it's that's one of the main reasons why he didn't what to talk about this specific part of his life with me… since I met Vermelho, he never mentioned nothing too specific about the problems about his family, he hesitated when going into fights with me and I believe tried to cover his frustration over with his kindness… he shared some details but always brushed it off with a carefree smile.

If I would compare his case to others, all I could point out is the similarity they have about looking for recognition, power or anything related to that. I said this because the possession occurred around the time he decided to defeat Steven and (apparently) for that purpose only. But those cases are mostly related to making deals with wicked creatures, morally depraved ones or so called "demons", souls corrupted by hate… In my personal opinion, even if I never knew about all the things that happened around his childhood before, I know the man is no harm to anyone, if anything, he has really bad luck. I could never see a hint of malice in his eyes, not even when he talked about his father or when he saw me after many years of not exchanging a single word.

…

I don't want to get into personal details but I had to proceed as if he made any kind of deal, I wouldn't let it on anyone's hands, there's many things yet to uncover about this case on the next reports but I have faith on my idea of him. Our farewell was… not the best, there were many things left to say but if I know anything about Vermelho is that he would do anything for the ones he loves and cares, even if that means putting himself at risk, which makes me doubt he would risk making a deal with an entity of such nature that could harm the ones he loves for something so superficial like a Pokemon battle…

I wanna keep my faith into that but I know he does not trust me fully yet. To be fair, I never knew all of the things he felt on the last report, I never had the courage to write to him and even if we had a confidant in common, he didn't write either. Makes me think if that was part him also trying to keep these ideas for himself too, trying not to "push me away" just like I did by showing his feelings.

Vermelho is still vulnerable, not only physically but mentally too, the events occurred not too long ago (around 3 months from the moment I'm writing this) and he is still recovering, I don't want to push him too far for this research, I think I am already doing so but hopefully this could give us answers.