When the boy first appeared, he didn't care much about him.
The young boy with the golden eyes and raven hair had asked for a battle, and who was he to deny him? He had had a couple other challengers before, but none of them had given them the thrill he had longed for, since becoming the best. Admittedly, hiking up a mountain like Mt. Silver was no simple task, but when you have spent your many years of your life on the very mountain, climbing up and down it is simply a chore. It wasn't as hard as many others had proclaimed it to be, but he supposed that if that many people had talked and feared trekking up the mountain, it must be a challenge.
But then again, not many people were as tough as him.
"My name's Ethan, but a lot of people call me Gold. You can use either," The raven, Ethan, introduced, as per the routine before battle. He had stuck out his hand, and the other stared at it for a few seconds before clasping it and giving it a firm shake. The warmth that radiated from the single touch felt strange and foreign to the Champion, but the feelings faded as soon as the hand left his. He had said nothing, though, preferring to get straight to the battle, instead of drawing it out with formalities. Ethan's hand crept towards the pokeballs attached to his waist, throwing it at the ground the same time the other did.
The battle started.
The Champion stayed silent throughout the entire battle, his pokemon knowing exactly what to do without the commands from their trainer. Thus was the bond between trainer and his pokemon. The other, however, yelled commands throughout the entire battle. Their battle had raged throughout the entire afternoon, and it was well into night before a victor was declared. One pokemon fell, and the other remained standing, with plenty of other comrades still up for a fight. The other dipped his head low, the outcome of the battle was obvious enough from the very beginning.
Red had won.
At the time, Red had thought it was obvious who would have won and lost, but the other still bowed his head in defeat. When the head was lifted up, the recognition of the defeat was etched onto his face, partnered with a breathy grin and a rush of exhilaration. Waving good-bye, he had left Red back to his thoughts, and started tending to his hurt pokemon. It was the first time he had experienced a rush of challenge in a while, along with the bone-crushing weight of defeat, but he managed to brush it off. "Were going to stay on this mountain and train!" Ethan exclaimed, a bright smile on his face. His pokemon roared enthusiastically, and the boy quickly set up his tent and sleeping bag. Soon enough, he fell into the clutches of his dreams.
A while away, Red, too, was tending his pokemon. Not many were hurt, but the challenger had managed to faint his Venasaur and scratched his Espeon up pretty badly. 'Not bad,' he mused, patching up a couple bruises here and there. It was late enough, so the Champion headed back into the cave where he dwelled, curling up in a battering sleeping bag, with his full pokemon team surrounding him and comforting him with their warmth. The fire flickered, and with not fuel to burn, flickered out, plunging Red into the faint darkness of sleep.