"Pkmn Trainer Ethan wants to battle," Silver read off his pokegear, then cast a quizzical glance at the message's sender, who after all was right in front of him. "You do?"
"Yeah," Ethan answered. "Still a week 'til the pokemon league starts and I don't want my team getting rusty."
"My team?" Silver shot back. "Don't try to pin the blame on your pokemon; you're worried about being out of practice yourself. And what kind of a title is "Pkmn trainer" anyway?"
"A title held by only the top trainers, who have reached such a high level of skill that no specialty can hold them," Ethan retorted confidently, half-bragging.
"By which you mean yourself and a hermit in Mount Silver who's probably only called that because he hates communicating even a trainer class to people, so he kept it with the default. Do you even know where to switch it on your trainer card?" Silver asked mockingly.
"And what about you, Rival Silver? It fits with me, but you can't be everyone's rival!"
"That's just the kind of guy I am. One match with me and you'll be itching for a chance to do better next time, win or lose," Silver boasted, then smiled as Ethan looked to be taking him at his word. "No, seriously I switch it depending on who I'm battling."
"And if you're fighting someone you don't know?" Ethan asked.
"Ninja boy."
Ethan burst out laughing. "Ninja boy? Seriously?"
"They don't exactly have thief or rogue on the list. It was the best option," Silver said, then shrugged, and got lost for a moment in thought. "And my family is what it is, but there's no way I'll call myself a Rocket Grunt..."
"When was the last time you stole anything anyway?" Ethan teased. "Face it. You've gone soft. Steal your starting pokemon and now you're a good guy."
"Last Wednesday," Silver answered to Ethan's shocked face. "Well, Weavile stole it, really. A Sitrus Berry in the midst of a battle. And it's you're fault I'm a good guy, so don't complain about it!"
"You had me scared for a moment. Wednesday, Wednesday... why do you only fight on Monday and Wednesday?" Ethan asked.
"There's something to be said for keeping a balanced schedule. It's not like I take the rest of the week off, but my pokemon need skills training and they need rest, too. I can't afford to laze around so close to the league and hope I won't get rusty... and today's a Thursday, so I'll have to decline," Silver explained.
"Jerk," Silver smiled at Ethan's comment. He was no Blue Oak, but as long as they were rivals, he had to be at least a bit of a jerk. But Ethan wouldn't have it any other way. That said, he could've used the practice. "I'll go fight Lyra, and your pokemon will be left behind."
"We know what we're doing. See you in the finals," Silver said with a smile. "If you can make it that far."
"Don't get too cocky. That's my job," Ethan answered, then left to arrange a training match with someone else – he'd try Lyra first, and if he failed he'd ask around Indigo Plateau.
"Good luck," Silver said as he waved goodbye, although he wasn't sure if he had said it loudly enough for Ethan to hear.
"You too."