[attr="class","TRAINER3"]

HISTORY

They told him it was about damn time he retired.

Twelve years ago, his life had been set for him. Some tough-looking kid from Veilstone, little money to his name and only a struggling mother to leave behind. A hardened, gruff-looking kid like him was exactly what the internatioanl police force needed, and he was already scratching to get in. So they let him in with the promise for good work, important work. Isaac was barely an adult with square shoulders and a strong set of morals. He wanted to do something with his life, wanted to take down the bad guys and train the best Pokemon and make a name for himself.
[break][break]
And they gave him all of it.
[break][break]
After vigorous initiative training, he became Romulus Howell. He was shipped off to Kanto with fake papers and a fake life. The cops needed eyes in Team Rocket, and he already looked gruff enough to fit right in, they told him. His orders were to get as far in as he can, pass on as much insider information as he could. Don't just fit in, but excel.
[break][break]
He took Team Rocket by storm. He blended in so well he could have fooled even himself. He knew how to take a few hits and send them back; he learned how to swallow his gentle side and become the devil Team Rocket was looking for. Isaac was so convincing, in fact, he began working some of the rough work. Assassinations. He was the guy they called when someone needed a little "convincing." The thug the thugs answered to. Ten years spent becoming just another one of the monsters.
[break][break]
After ten years, he was so engrossed in the persona that his police superiors had to drag him out nearly kicking and screaming.
[break][break]
Someone had been concerned that he'd lost himself a little too much in the work. They brought him home, tried to offer him a bit of counseling. Suddenly thrust back out of the warzone and into a peaceful life, he was a left a little shell-shocked. PTSD seemed to come out of nowhere, and moralization hit him hard. Had he gone too far in the name of duty? Fit in a little too easily? No, they told him, of course not. He'd done more for the service in his ten years than any of his coworkers. It had simply become too dangerous. Someone, likely threatened by his status, had asked a few too many questions. He'd needed to be pulled out and placed under protective custody, lest he be discovered. And after such a grueling decade of work, they told him, he deserved an early retirement.
[break][break]
It took a full year for the force to successfully rehabilitate and relocate their former employee. Settled back into Sinnoh with his old name and life back; when he said he'd always thought about raising Pokemon they promptly gifted him with a Ditto and a small ranch. Now that he was living peacefully, it was all he wanted -- a quiet life, away from bustle and noise. A sense of safety. Not that he ever would be, as long as the threat of discovery lingered. That gentle spirit had returned to him with a vigor. Rather than face his deeds, he tries to put them behind hi and focus on the moment. It's been a year since opening his breeding farm and starting over. His neighbors have began warming up to him despite his looming stature and gruff appearance. Business is blossoming despite his habitually blunt words and lack of warm social skills. Maybe here, he can set up a life and a successful career. Maybe it won't matter how much harm he's done. Maybe there'll be a time when he can get a good night's sleep again.
[break][break]
All he knows is that he's never again doing another man harm.