(Lights come on. A boy with a red cap, in jeans and a t-shirt sits on a boulder.)
It's been three years. I overthrew my rival and took the title. And then I went to the mountains to continue training. I have been here three years. There's no one here. I don't mind much, though. I have my partners with me all the time. Every day we fend for ourselves, gathering food and keeping each other alive and well. We train every day, getting better, staying the best. I let my rival stay and take on more challengers. I hear he became a leader. He's really strong now. But I'm stronger yet.
Today was like every other day. I gathered berries for breakfast. I trained with my partners. We would climb the mountain face, walk through the cave and move boulders, or maybe just fight off the wild animals. We took breaks here and there, swimming in the cool water for a short time, or watching the snow fall. One of my partners would always make a fire for us, so we were never cold. Today, the falling snow sparkled like diamonds in the air.
Today, while sitting and watching the snow fall, I thought about what I was doing. I have been on this mountain with next to no human contact. I left all my friends behind to pursue a life of training. And what for? To continue to prove that I'm better than all? The snow continued to fall, sparkling in the wind. As it came close to the fire, it would all melt. The sun hung high in the sky, lingering over the peak of the mountain. It was time to go to the summit and wait.
(He pauses and looks at his feet. He looks up and continues.)
Today was the day I would fulfill my purpose for being here. Finally. I had been training for a new challenger to come. My rival had too many responsibilities. He would write and send short messages (one of his partners was the messenger) but would never come. That's fine. I waited at the summit for a short while, looking out over the valley below. Then the footsteps sounded clearly behind me.
He came to me and tapped my shoulder. Neither of us spoke. I never speak, except for the occasional "Yes," or "No." I reached for a capsule that had contained one of my partners. He took a step back and did the same. I took a step back, and threw the capsule. My yellow partner came out, as did the challenger's green partner when his capsule was thrown. Finally. A battle. This is why I had been waiting on this mountain for three years.
(He pauses, lost in thought. He then continues.)
We were down to our last partners. My five others deserved the rest they were now having. As I'm sure did his. We were at wits end. The next move would be the last. But who would win? It did not matter to me. I was glad to still have an equal, much like my rival years ago. Our partners clashed. His fell. Then mine. Essentially, a tie. But I had won by a mere second. He called his partner back, as did I. The challenger looked sad. It was the same look my rival had had before. I patted him on the back, and we went down the mountain together. Our partners needed a nice rest. He left the mountain, and I knew he would be back someday. And I knew that he could beat me someday, too.
Now that I'm back at the summit, I continue to train. Now I have more of a reason to. This new challenger truly posed a challenge. I had found myself a new rival. The adrenaline rushes through my veins at the thought of the next time. My partners train harder than ever of their own accord. We all want to keep up with this new rival, and continue to surpass him. The determined light in his eyes was all we needed to continue. This was it. My goal in life. To always surpass him is all I want to do now.
(The boy gets up and walks off. The lights fade out.)