Everything seemed like it was the same. This world was monotonous and dark. A forever repeating process.
He hated it.
He hated how everything had a rule you had to follow, how everything seemed to make you stuffed up and uncomfortable, how it made you not be able to express how you feel.
But, what he hated the most was his weak heart.
.
Jun lay on his bed as he stared at the wall. The night air was cold and he pulled his blankets closer and curled up against his pillow. He squeezed his eyes shut, clutching his blankets so hard his hands were beginning to turn red.
He couldn't get to sleep. His mind the whole day was filled with nothing but the girl, and even now she still haunts him in the depths of his thoughts.
Hikari was his childhood friend, best friend, and even a rival. She was the girl that was always one step ahead of him; ahead of everything he did and said, and even trying with his best effort, he couldn't catch up to her pace, even though he often threw her off her own pace and into his.
The boy sighed. "Hikari," he mumbled as he rolled back and forth in his bed, trying to find a spot that was most comfortable for him.
She was the champion of Shinnoh, something that was his dream for as long as he could remember. He had always wanted to be just like his father, out pass him, stand next to him in glory, but he knew that it was all just a dream when he couldn't beat her for their first battle, and even when he couldn't stop her from going to fight the Elite Four, the last battle they've had in a long time.
.
The small blue Pokémon jumped back as the chimp Pokémon finished its Scratch attack. It stumbled back on its feet before quickly regaining balance.
"Piplup! Use peck!" shouted Hikari.
Piplup charged. Moving as fast as it could, one foot in front of the other in amazing speed, as neared the small chimp.
"Dodge it!" yelled Jun, knowing all too well that his Chimchar wouldn't be able to handle the next direct attack if it hit. "Quick!"
Chimchar turned its head and quickly found a spot to jump to, but before it could move, the penguin Pokémon had already neared it enough to jump into its Peck attack. It jumped forward, and before the small fire-monkey could move, Piplup's beak was already digging itself into the Chimchar's stomach. The fire-monkey flew back, skidding in the dirt.
It was knocked out.
Hikari had won.
.
Jun slid in front of the girl, blocking her from grabbing the handle to the door. "Hikari! Let's have a battle!"
"Huh?" She gave him a strange look, but didn't take him seriously at all. "Jun, just move."
He shook his head. This was his dream. If he couldn't beat her, if he couldn't beat her then it was all useless. "Come on, Hikari, if you can't win against me then you don't have a chance against the Elite Four! Let's call this a warmup. So, how about it, Hikari? Will you battle with me?" He pulled out one Pokéball and smiled. "One on one."
She weakly smiled. She thought this was a bad idea, but she knew that he wouldn't let her say no. "Alright, one on one."
She pulled out a Pokéball. "Go Empoleon," she said softly. She clicked the small button the Pokéball and a large white beam of light flashed to the ground. When it vanished, in the same spot the light had once been, a large penguin stood tall and proud.
Jun did the same. "Go Infernape!" he shouted. Just opposite of the Empoleon stood his Infernape. Long, large flames spewed out of it's head. "Alright! First attack! Use Dig!"
The Inferno jumped up, claws becoming apparent on its hands, and dived down into the ground, becoming completely unsealable.
"Mist!" shouted Hikari as a counter attack.
The Empoleon opened its long beak and a fine, white mist poured out of its mouth and covered the battle field in a shroud of fine, white, sparkling mist.
Inferno jumped up just feet in front of the unmoving Empoleon. It looked around, not being able to see anything in the mist.
"Now use Hydro Pump!" she shouted.
"Doge it!" shouted Jun in response.
The Inferno stood still, looking around in confusion while trying to find its opponent, listening and looking for anything it could find as a hint to where the other Pokémon might be.
A large swirling blast of water ripped through the white mist and hit the Inferno spot on in the chest, causing it to be blasted back to near its trainer.
"Come on, Inferno, get up!" he shouted in desperation.
The girl smiled. "Okay, Empoleon, now finish it off with another Hydro Pump!"
The Inferno struggled to its feet. Another hit and it was over.
And it was.
The large Emperor Pokémon scanned its eyes until it could see small traces of the fire-monkey's large, burning flame. It opened its beak and released another large, swirling blast of water.
The Inferno, after receiving yet another fatal blow, fell to its knees.
Hikari had won.
.
Jun shook his head. He was a pathetic trainer. He couldn't do anything right and always rushed things. He was ashamed of himself.
A light flashed in the window.
He sat up and looked up at his window.
Another flash came.
The boy stood up on his bed and opened the window. He stuck his head out. There on the ground stood a blue-haired girl who held a flashlight that pointed up to his window. "Hikari!" he shouted in surprise.
"Be quiet!" she scolded him, placing her finger to her mouth.
"What are you doing here?" he asked quietly enough for her to hear him.
She waved her hand. "Come down here."
He closed the window and jumped down off his bed. Quietly, he ran down the stairs and outside to meet her. "What?" he asked as he rounded the corner and saw her.
She smiled. "Let's go." She ran over to him and grabbed his arm, pulling it as she moved forward
"Go where?" he asked, struggling to get free.
"Honestly," she sighed, "where would we go at this time of night? We're going to Lake Verity, of course."
He moaned, but let the girl guide him over to the entrance. She let go of his arm and looked up at the large trees guarding the entrance. She turned to him and smiled. "Ready?"
"For what?"
"It's a surprise," she giggled happily. "Come on, let's go, let's go."
They both walked into the entrance of the lake. Jun's eyes were glued toward the girl, not paying attention at all to the lake.
"Look." Hikari pointed in front of them.
Verity Lake was packed full of Gyarados and Magikarp all swimming together. The Magikarp would jump up—the soft light from the moon would hit their red scales and allow them to glow, aided along by the water that would sparkle as the wind would blow it off of them and into the air. They would glow as they jumped and as they hit the water, they would evolve into the Atrocious Pokémon.
They stood and watched as all the Magickarp would try and evolve themselves into Gyaradoses, only a small portion not being able to. The large group of old and newly evolved Gyarados swarmed together and stayed together as they swam around the lake and eventually diving deep into the water.
As they watched the final scene, Hikari grabbed his hand and squeezed.
He flinched. She could be so open with her feelings and be as free as a Butterfree. She was everything he wanted to be and more, so much more.
He hated it.
Everything.
But he loved her.
He loved her so much more than she could ever know. That was why he would let her go on with her life and never know, even if it were to break him.