Golden Rivals, Silver Friends
Chapter One:
My Journey Starts
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"Well, I guess this is goodbye."
Hazuki nodded. "Yeah. Hope I get to see you around sometime, Shigeru." He smiled. "I'll be waiting to hear about the discoveries of the new Ookido Hakase, now." I laughed.
"Might be a while before that happens. Besides, I have to get home first."
"Yeah... and I'd better start walking if I want to reach Houen anytime soon." Hazuki glanced at the sun, then turned back to me and gave me a thumbs-up. "If you hurry, you might be able to reach the Mount Silver Pokémon Center before nightfall. Hard to believe we hiked all around the mountain..." He smiled. "Do your best! And say hi to Satoshi when you get back to Masara," he said before slinging his backpack over his shoulder.
"Will do," I replied.
"It's kind of weird, you know," Hazuki remarked. "I mean, that you two ended up being rivals... I mean, like that. I'd have thought you'd end up great friends, maybe even traveling together, what with the kind of history you've got."
"Eh, it's a long story," I said, smiling. "Hope you have a safe trip home."
"Well, see you around sometime."
"Same to you." And that was that. In the new morning light, we both set off on our journeys home.
But how was I to know that this journey would take me back through my life...?
How could I have known that this journey would change me for the rest of my life?
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It started off as one of those things that just sit in the back of your mind and lie dormant for a while. But over time, you get the feeling that something's really bugging you.
At first, it was the silence. After walking around for a while with Hazuki and all of our Pokémon, the silence of being alone was deafening.
'Alone...'
Of course, I tried to shake it off... but that little itch in the back of my head kept growing. I looked around, not really sure what was bothering me.
The forest was immense. I shouldn't have said it was silent; there was a good number of Pokémon around, all of them carrying on in their own different languages.
That made me smile. Once I got back to Masara Town, I'd be able to properly focus on what I wanted to do... be a Pokémon researcher like Grandpa.
Not that these past four years or so were a waste. True, being a researcher and a trainer are two completely different careers, but they do have a lot in common. With my trainer's experience and my researcher's instinct, I'd probably be the best anywhere. Although, after watching Satoshi battle with his Pokémon, I'd say that I'd rather leave the training up to him--
It hit me.
That was it.
Satoshi.
That irritating little itch in the back of my mind...
But why?
'Hazuki mentioned Satoshi...'
But why now? Why was it bugging me so much now?
Realizing that I had stopped in my tracks, I started walking again, trying to push the thought out of my mind.
Sure, it had been great to see Satoshi again at the competition. Well... as great as it could get, under the circumstances.
Most of the time, I didn't even think about him. I was ahead of him, way ahead of him, and we both knew it.
Well... until our tournament match, I guess.
Then again... maybe it wasn't completely truthful to say I never thought about him. He had a habit of entering my mind every now and then...
... but something always kept pushing him away...
And at that moment, I began to wonder why.
Hazuki was right. How did Satoshi and I end up as bitter rivals instead of the best of friends? I mean, we were almost the same age, came from the same town, virtually lived down the street from each other...
I shook my head, then glanced at the sky. The sun was nearly overhead, so I figured now was as good a time as any for some lunch. After releasing my Pokémon and feeding them, there was some time left to just sit around and relax for a while.
This forest was terrific. It was full of wild Pokémon of all shapes and sizes. Sitting down and leaning against a tree, I had to smile as I watched a couple of Aipom play above me, reminding me of how Satoshi and I used to play out behind Grandpa's lab--
"Gah!"
I shot up. My Pokémon all turned their heads toward me.
Umbreon, who Grandpa had sent me for my journey home, walked up to me. Absentmindedly, I started scratching it behind the ears.
"What do you think?" I asked it. "What do you think about Satoshi?" Umbreon looked up at me, then let out what sounded like a laugh.
"Oh, come on," I said, giving it a gentle shove. "Just because you beat him once doesn't mean he still stinks at training Pokémon. I mean, he actually beat me in the tournament..." Umbreon gave me another look that obviously said, 'If you'd have let me battle, you wouldn't have lost...'
I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Whatever..."
My thoughts turned inward again. But the shade of the trees and the soft sounds of the forest soon cast their spell on me, and I found my eyes slowly closing...
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Where was I?
Without knowing where I was going or where in the world I was, my feet propelled me forward. Even though I could tell it was the daytime, something was clouding my mind, keeping me from knowing where I was...
But as I was walking along, I saw someone. It was a little kid, maybe about seven or eight years old. A little kid with messy, black hair, wearing a yellow shirt with a red stripe running down the side. Strangely enough, even though he was so young, he was only a little bit shorter than me.
Just then, the kid turned around, and I immediately recognized him...
"Shigeru!" he called out to me.
'Satoshi?' I thought. Why was he little again?
Why was I little again?
What was going on...?
From there, it was as if I was watching a movie...
To my shock, I didn't smile back at Satoshi. I didn't step forward.
I opened my mouth and said...
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'Let's go home! Now!'
I woke up in a cold sweat, jolting myself awake with that mental shout.
But even so...
Something bad had happened that day. I knew it.
And somehow, as if by instinct, that memory was pushed from my mind...
I glanced at the sky. The sun was still high in the sky, but it was definitely falling westward...
I quickly recalled my Pokémon, because I could probably get a few more miles down before the sun set if I hurried. I packed up all of my supplies and started down the road, feeling a little bit hurried.
But I couldn't get it out of my mind.
What was I trying to forget?
What happened that day, out in the field?
With the sun at my back, I headed east.
Back home...
... back to Satoshi...
As soon as his name entered my mind, I stopped walking.
I swallowed, and concentrated.
I had to know.
I had to find out what had happened that day...
... that destroyed my friendship with Satoshi.
