"Let's Play hide and seek. You count to twenty -slowly- meanwhile I hide."
A young Ash looked resignedly at Gary, who seemed to enjoy giving orders in his usual arrogant manner. As always, he was the one to be elected leader in any situation and always worried about making those around him do whatever he wanted, regardless of how.
"But I was the one that counted the last time we played. It's your turn. It's not fair," he said whining.
"Today is my birthday and so you have to do everything I say," Gary ordered sharply. He didn't want to hear another word about it. "If I say you count to twenty, you should do it."
Ash was about to reply, but merely muttered incomprehensible words under his breath and turned to start counting. When he had finished he looked around, trying to find some clue as to his friend's location, but found nothing. Gary certainly was good at playing tag and could be very elusive and fast when he wanted to. This time he would have try his best to find him.
He went into the bushes that were on the left, whose branches he thought he saw move, but didn't find him. Damn, he knew he had to be close! Carefully he scanned the ground in search of any evidence: there was no sign that anyone had been there, however. He looked around the rest of the park, but all in vain. When he was going to return to the point of origin he couldn't help but be a little surprised and annoyed. Gary was standing upright, looking at him smugly while he sported a half-smile of malignancy and his hair dripped water onto his shirt. Next to him stood his Squirtle watching him. Now he knew where he'd gone! Who in their right mind would get into the pond and hold his breath?
"I've won, brat."
"Not true, that victory wasn't fair. We can't use pokemon, that's what you said last week!"
"But that was last week, today we use this rule: you can use pokemon." He smiled and put Squirtle into his pokeball. "Besides, this game bores me and it's time for a snack. Let's go to my grandfather's house, I'm sure he'll make us some hot chocolate today."
Ash watched as his friend walked toward the exit of the enclosure, while twilight took on a violet hue in the sky. He'd been defeated yet again, but he would not give up: one day he'd beat him and when that happened he'd be the happiest kid in the world.
"Would you mind hurrying up? By the time we get there the chocolate will be cold." He heard Gary's voice nearby, despite him being a few feet ahead of Ash. "Okay, we'll make it more interesting: the last one to get to grandfather's house will have to listen to his boring stories. Ready, set, go!"
"What? Gary, wait! This time you won't beat me so easily. You'll see!"
Ash smiled, even though he knew his friend cheated in every way possible to win and even though he had his own special personality, he was happy to have him by his side. One day he'd be like him. No, even better: he'd be better than him. And when he got there he'd prove to him that he could push himself to the limit and overcome everything that got in his way. This thought brightened his mood, but he knew it could only happen several years later. Until that moment they would be friends and rivals. Friends and rivals forever.