I had returned. After spending five years avoiding it, I had been forced to try again. I hated this world. After my first and best friend was killed, I didn't want it anymore. I wanted to live in a world without Pokémon. I put on my pink cloak and grabbed my backpack, and slowly headed out the door. The outside world was different. Bright shining colors, lively wildlife, and people wandering about. I walked over to my best friend's house and knocked on the door. "Come in!" A male teenage voice yelled. Slowly I opened the door and stood still. "Kasumi!" Hiroki yelled. I smiled brightly and waved. Hiroki was my best friend, ever since the first day of third grade. He supported me and brought me things from all over the region. "What are you doing out of your house?" He said hugging me. I laughed, "My mom is making try again." He gasped and looked at me. "What?!" I can't blame him for being mad. It was pretty surprising. I nodded and smiled. "Let's go together!! Yay! I'm so excited! Oh no! That means I have to pack more things, get more money! I'll be right back, sit down!" Hiroki said running off as usual. I sat on the couch and spotted a picture of Hiroki and I. Picking it up, I smiled. It was taken at my 19th birthday. Hiroki and I were smiling happily with our peace signs. His hair was orange, a dye I dared him to try out. His eyes were smiling happily that you couldn't see his pupils. He had his arm over me, who I thought looked horrendous. My hair was light brown cut up to my shoulders. My bangs covered my forehead. But my eyes were smiling too. Then I had a flashback.
"Happy Birthday!" My mom said handing me a present. I ripped the wrapping paper open and discovered a blue plaid shirt. The shirt I was wearing with shorts in the picture. "Happy Happy birthday!" Hiroki yelled happily handing my present. Squealing in joy, I held a cell phone. I cute one. It was my favorite color teal, and it has many cute emotions on it. Putting the picture down I patiently waited for Hiroki to come back. The TV in front of me blared the news. "What ever happened to child battler Kuma Kasumi?" Hearing my name I looked up. There it showed pictures of me battling as a child, with my Pokémon. The only Pokémon that I ever had become friends with. My Gengar. He was a physic Pokémon that my father gave to me before he died. I looked back on the memories. Anxiety had hit us. We trained as hard as we could and battled so many people. I was riding to Hearthome city with Hiroki, where the competition was taking place the next day. Then we were stopped by a group of teenagers. Then I saw flashes of fire, Hiroki holding me, while I was crying, and the teenagers laughing. I gasped as I snapped out of the flashback to find Hiroki shaking me. "Kasumi! Are you ok? What's wrong?" Tears were forming in my eyes. "Nothing, Nothing. I'm fine. Really." I said trying to smile it off.
Hiroki's POV.
She said she was fine. But in reality she wasn't. She was hurting on the inside. She remembered the day her Pokémon died, and how her life changed…