Cheren and I were sitting on Cheren's bed. The television was playing a commercial advertising a new gym leader in Opelucid city. The commercial ended and Alder's face appeared on the screen. The champion of the Unova region.
"The tournament is beginning!" Alder yelled.
"Sir, please back up," the cameraman begged. Alder grabbed the camera, laughing. I laughed, nudging Cheren. "Please just make a statement!"
"This could be my last day as champion," Alder said. "There are twenty challengers out there, they're probably incredibly powerful. I cant wait to see them!"
"Is there anything you'd like to say to the viewers at home?" Alder let go of the camera and backed away.
"Uh, not really." Alder thought about it for a second. "Oh! If you want to battle me, you know where to find me!" The scene changed to an introduction of the challengers. Cheren got up. I looked over at him.
"Andrew."
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to be the champion."
"What? You don't even have a pokemon. Even if you did how would you beat Alder? He's unbeatable!"
"I have to." Cheren's stern voice threw me off. I noticed a tear making its way down his face. "Or else, Alder will…" Cheren shook his head. I watched him sit back down, silent.
The Castelia city gym wasn't a challenge. I stormed through Burgh with Pignite and Tranquill and earned the insect badge. Cheren had already left for Nimbasa city. Bianca was waiting for me outside of the gym.
"Did you win?"
"Yeah," I showed her my badge case. "How long have you been waiting out here?"
"A few minutes." I nodded.
"So. Do you want to get something to eat?" Bianca placed a hand on her stomach, making a face. "I guess that's a yes. Are there any food places around here?" We started making our way down the street. Bianca pointed out an ice cream shop across the street. "That's not food."
"Come on!" Bianca got a handful of my shirt and started pulling me towards the shop. We made our way through the crowd, bumping into just about everyone. I didn't bother resisting. Bianca opened the door, it was a small shop. She looked over her shoulder at me.
"What?"
"Do you want to?"
"Didn't think I had a choice."
"Yup." She walked into the shop, I caught the door and slipped in behind her. There were a booth and several tables along the wall. Bianca and I found a table by a window. The window had a view of the busy street. The streetlights were starting to come on. A man walked out to us.
"What can I get the two of you?" Bianca thought for a moment.
"Um, do you have a menu?" The man scratched his head.
"We only have ice cream cones," he said.
"Oh. Well, do you have different flavors?" I found myself watching the street as Bianca went back and forth with the man.
"And what about you, uh?" The man paused. I looked up, recognizing him.
"Andrew!" It was Ron, the guy that gave me a potion on route 1.
"Uh. Hi." I said.
"How are you doing?"
"I'm doing okay, you?"
"I decided to come back home." What was he doing that far out? Bianca glanced between us.
"What were you doing all the way out there?" Ron looked down.
"I was hoping to catch a rare pokemon, a Larvesta. But I couldn't find one. So I gave up. At least they let me get my old job back!" He grinned. I smiled, not following much of what he was talking about. "So, what can I get you, man?"
"Oh, whatever she got." Ron raised an eyebrow.
"You sure?"
"Yeah," I waved him off. "Sure." I turned to Bianca, she smiled.
"Who's that?"
"A guy I met on route 1. He gave me a potion." She nodded. We waited in silence for a few minutes, Bianca messing with her pokedex.
"I'm not really interested in challenging the pokemon league," Bianca spoke up. I looked up.
"Well, it's not mandatory or anything."
"I don't want you two to leave me behind."
"What does that mean?" I immediately knew what she meant. I asked anyway.
"You and Cheren both, you want so badly to beat Alder. I don't have that determination. I'm not even any good at battling."
"But, you—"
"I feel like I'm just out here to slow the two of you down." Bianca lowered her head. I remembered route 2. Not again. I forced myself to speak.
"Cheren scared me." Bianca didn't respond. "A few years ago, were watching the annual pokemon league challenge. It was the first time Cheren ever told me he wanted to be champion." I recalled the scene, feeling the same emotions I felt all those years ago. "I felt so… small. I felt like one day he would be an incredible person and I'd be left in his shadow. Just like my brother." Bianca had raised her head.
"You…"
"I only wanted to challenge the pokemon league so the two of you wouldn't leave me behind." I lied. It was so easy, almost scarily easy.
"That's stupid!" Bianca said, flustered.
"It's not stupid, you guys are amazing. You're the only friends I really have." Bianca and I shared a smile. "Those ice cream cones sure are coming slowly. What did you order?" The door opened. I glanced over my shoulder. My brother, Nathan appeared in the doorway.
