Champion
I fell from Grace, I Green Oak had risen to the top only to be dethroned mere hours after my ascension. I had uprooted the powers of Kanto in my path to stardom, and was crushed by the typhoon that followed in my wake.
That typhoon was Red. My neighbor, rival, and best friend. If I could be considered a prodigy, then he was a deity. Even now, a little over a year following my defeat I still feel somewhat bitter.
From the Rock Solid Pokemon of Pewter Gym to the aromatic Grass types of Celadon I blew them all away. Cerulean's Mermaid, Vermillion's Lieutenant, Saffron's Psychic, Cinnabar's Quiz Master, Fuchsia's Ninja Master, or even Viridian's Giovanni. None of them could stand in my way.
Yet...even so, every time I crossed paths with him I lost. My Grandpa had told me I lost because I didn't understand my Pokemon. At the time I was a mix of beyond furious and went on another journey. One to cool my head and too learn more about myself and my team.
I lost again, the Elite Four had grown stronger as well over my absence and so had Red. I was far stronger than when we fought for the Champion's seat-yet so was he. I put up a worse fight than before-only knocking out two of his Pokemon. And the time after that I didn't even knock out one.
I was distraught, I threw tantrums, I cried, I wailed, I begged my Pokemon to try even a little bit harder so that I-no we could defeat Red. And looking back on it, I was pitiful. In the year since a lot has changed, rumors were flying about him, from how he left his post to how he was mute. Ha! As if they knew the chatty gossip!
I had become a Gym Leader in that time, the toughest of the tough. But even then I had lost my passion about battling. Simply taking a walk was more interesting than battling any of the challengers that managed to reach me.
And the only people who could give me a challenge-no the only person who could was way out of my league. And I was in no mood to be humiliated like that. At best we were a slightly tougher than average punching bag for Red. I had long since lost any pretense of beating him, it was hubris to even consider!
At that time I rarely smiled, my face was schooled into a constant scowl at all times. And it worried my family. They began suggesting all kinds of things from taking breaks or vacations, to seeing a medical specialist.
In my mind I had accepted my lot in life. To be forever second best. I was a mere mortal who was allowed to get a little closer to the sun than most. And when it was announced that Red had stepped down/disappeared from his position I was secretly glad.
Some part of me was glad to be free from his shadow, I was only remembered as the Pokemon Professor's grandson, or "that guy who was dethroned by Red." I refused to retake the title after that, the Dragon Master can more than handle things. Besides taking the throne only after he abdicated it would prove all my inner demons right. That I was only a convenient stepping stone, a stone to further Red's greatness.
As the time went on I had become more and more comfortable with this feeling, I was able to smile-well smirk and even joke around a bit. A more mature, cool headed persona crafted after my personality from my youth.
Everything began changing when that brat came along. It, it had changed for the better.