"Strange how things turn out. Two birds, one stone and all that. But things have worked out for the best and now we all get to work together,' [McBlane] said, and a smile spread across his face as easy as a politician's lie."

R.D. Ronald, The Elephant Tree

I STARED OUT into the cities of Goldenrod,watched the cars go by. They'd go, stop for a second or two cause of a stoplight, then keep going after a minute's passed. That's the way things were down here. Never change, Goldenrod, I thought. Then I stepped back into my apartment.

The bed was unmade, the comforter thrown so that its lip was a few feet further down the bed. Further down, there was a kitchen table bare of all things, save for a set or two of forks and knives. The kitchen was beyond that, and there was the door. Not much, but it's served me well for a few months.

I rent it using my own money. I occasionally get financial aid from a friend, but that's once in a blue moon. One might think a 16 year old should:

still live with his parents, or

not have the money to live in even a shabby apartment, like mine.

I have answers to both those problems. B is because I train Pokémon, which occasionally makes good money. Lying to the landlord about your age also helps.

The Poké Gear in my pocket buzzed. I grabbed it, pressed a button, then put it to my ear. "Hey," I said.

"Hey, Sil," Gold said.

I rolled my eyes. Sil is not my actual name. It's Silver. Laugh if you want, I know many others have. "What's up?"

"Nothing right now. Just preparing."

I was about to ask what for, only I remembered right then. The Pokéathlon was a competition in which Pokémon competed in racing and other events that I couldn't bother myself with. Gold talked about it all week last week. Said he was gonna win. He's nothing, if not confident.

"So," I began, "what'd you call for?"

"I was wondering if you could buy a ticket to the Dome."

I sighed. He'd been wondering about this for the entirety of last week, too. Each time I said no. "Gold, you know the money's tight right now, what with rent to pay."

"So I'll pay it for you!"

"For six thousand Poké Dollars. No."

"You're forgetting who I live with."

I hadn't. Parents with too much money and not enough sense. They had more Pokémon than you can count on all of our hands. Neither of us said anything for a second. I broke the silence: "I suppose if I can win a few battles...I don't know. We'll see." Most trainers pay the victor of a battle if they lose.

"Dude, I can pay it! I'll just ask the folks for some of my spare cash."

"It's my ticket I'm paying for. Not yours."

Gold tsked. "You're humble, you know that?"

"Yes." Much too humble was the unspoken part. "I'll battle a few trainers and see what I can get from it. That okay?"

"Whatever floats your boat, man. I gotta finish packing. Seeya!"

"Bye —"

He hangs up before I can finish. Not that I can blame him. The Pokéathlon starts two days from now.

THAT NIGHT AT eleven P.M., I sat at my table, piling up my earnings. I won 6 battles out of 7, which gained a grand total of 3039 Poké Dollars. Not bad, right?

Sorta. The rent was 1250 a week. Add that with groceries, and I had about 1354 Poké Dollars left to spend as I chose. That wasn't enough to even think about the ticket to that damn Pokéathlon which was just a waste of time as it is. I sigh. Then I started to cook my dinner. A cheeseburger.

After I finished and ate, I went on the Poké Gear browser, looked for news. Prime Minister Iwata To Resign Following Scandal. Arceus knows we'll see that headline in our lives. I scroll down. Gas Prices Reach Record High. Doesn't concern me, but a lot of drivers will be pissed when the car stops in the middle of the road, I guess.

I keep scrolling down. Then a headline catches my eye, but I flick past it. I scroll back up. Team Rocket Crimelord Released On Parole. I almost drop the thing. I click it.

It reads something like this:

The leader of the Team Rocket gang, Giovanni, is being released for about 2 months, following good behavior. He was arrested in 2013 for racketeering.

And that's basically the article. There were no interviews with the prison staff, not even the prisoner himself. Even if they were there, they couldn't stop my heart pounding. I click off the news page. Dial Gold's number. It takes 2 dials before he answers.

"Hey...I'm sleeping here," he said. He slurred his words.

"Father's been released," I say.

"Wait, what?" That oughta wake him up.

"Turn on the news."

"Not now, man! The rest of my family are asleep, not to mention my Pokémon."

"Can't you look on your damn Poké Gear?"

"...Right. Hold on, be back in a minute."

"Wait —"

He hung up again. Typical. I sat there and waited. About two minutes later, the phone rang again.

"Jeez," he said, and he paused. "Do you think he'll… do you think he'll come after you?"

"At this point, I don't even know what to think." I started putting the money in my pack, then zipped it. "I need to clear my head. Gonna sleep." My thumb drifts toward the disconnect button.

"Wait up."

It stops. Maybe he could try to do that sometime. "Yeah?"

"If you need help of any kind… well, the Pokéathlon takes place in Goldenrod, so you'll know where to find me."

My teeth came together. Friend or not, I could handle myself. I didn't need him to coddle me. I opened my mouth to say that, but then I closed it again.

Then he said, "Hellooo? Still there?"

"Yes," I said, "And thanks for the offer."

"That's what friends are for, right? Anyway, gotta get back to sleep. Later!" He hangs up.

No matter how I don't like to admit it, he's right. Helping each other is what friends are for. He's a good friend, I tell myself. Then I get to my bed and try to sleep.

I didn't sleep for a long time before the alarm on the Poké Gear rang.