Golden Rivals, Silver Friends

Chapter Ten:

Aftermath, Part I: Alone

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'They say that if you truly love someone, then you'll be able to set him free...'

I don't remember when I first heard that. Maybe it was before that day... maybe it was after. But I knew it had been the right thing to do.

When kids turn ten years old, the first thing they do is run out and get a Pokémon license. Then, they have the privilege to leave town and make it on their own, out in the world. It's like a rite of passage, a "coming-of-age" celebration.

I knew that Satoshi would never be able to make it as long as I was protecting him...

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I remembered it taking several long hours for me to calm down enough to get back to normal. I then jumped into the shallow part of the river, getting myself all muddy, so that no one could guess what I had been doing, or see the wet splotches on my clothes from my tears. I got a good berating from Nanami ("You could've gotten sick! Don't let your guard down just because it's summer...") and from Grandpa ("You could've drowned! You're not a Squirtle, you know...")

But I didn't tell them what I had done...

But later that evening, just as I was getting ready for bed, I heard Grandpa talking on the phone with Hanako. The lights in the hallway were turned off, but I could hear Grandpa in his office. Tiptoeing to the edge of the door, I sat with my back against the wall and listened...

"... just came home crying. Did he and Shigeru have a fight?"

"Not that I've heard of... I scolded Shigeru a bit for going into the creek, but he never mentioned fighting with Satoshi... Oh, dear... is Satoshi okay?"

"I think he's calmed down now, but he's exhausted... he hasn't cried like that in forever."

"Did he say why?"

"No... and that's the strange part. He just came home crying, then fell asleep. I woke him up a while ago to give him a bath and put him to bed, but he's barely said a word since. He didn't even want dinner... I'm worried..."

"Hanako, he's a child. From what you say, I think he and Shigeru did have a little spat... Shigeru's been acting the same way. But don't worry, they'll be fine. Just give Satoshi a good night's rest and he'll be fine tomorrow."

I gulped. He wouldn't be fine tomorrow. As a matter of fact, I didn't think I'd be fine either. Suddenly, I heard Grandpa hang up. Knowing that he'd be out in the hallway soon, I ran off, suddenly not caring whether or not I was heard...

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The next day, I stayed inside instead of going out to play. I was moping around the house, flopped on the couch, when all of a sudden I heard someone knocking at the door. I knew it was Satoshi, because he was the only person we knew who was too short to reach the doorbell.

"Shigeru, go get it!" Nanami shouted from the kitchen. But I didn't move.

"Shigeru?" Walking out of the kitchen and wiping her hands on her apron, Nanami looked at me, slightly confused. "Don't you want to play with Satoshi?"

"No," I muttered abruptly. She sighed.

"Well, go tell him you're not feeling up to it today. You don't want to just leave him hanging there, do you?"

"Yes, I do," I muttered. Without another word, I ran up the stairs and to my room. I kept the door open a crack to listen, though. I heard Nanami sigh, then open the door.

"Is... is Shigeru there?" I heard a tiny voice ask.

"I'm sorry. I don't think he's feeling well today. He jumped in the creek, the little dummy," I heard Nanami respond. "Maybe you should come back tomorrow, Satoshi." There was silence, and then the sound of the door closing.

Silently, I closed the bedroom door...

Satoshi came back to my house every day for the next week. And every time he did, I shut myself into my room.

Then, one day, he just stopped coming...

It was almost like a strange dream. Life without Satoshi was... well, for one, it was a lot quieter. It was also a lot more boring. But I was still convinced that I was doing some sort of good deed. As for Grandpa and Hanako-san... both were convinced that we'd just had some sort of everyday argument, and that when we met up at school again, we'd be just as good friends as we'd always been. But I knew better.

I was determined not to drag Satoshi down...

At first, school was rough. Again, being in the same grade, we were in the same class, so contact was unavoidable. But Satoshi had long ago realized the present situation.

The other kids started to realize that the position of "Shigeru's best friend" was up for grabs. Pretty soon, I was bombarded with everyone's attention, pleas, begging, snacks, you name it. And Satoshi was left standing off in the corner, all alone...

I couldn't just replace him. So, after several weeks went by, I became a loner. The others began to realize that I wasn't out searching for a new friend, so they left me alone and ate their snacks themselves. For the first time, I was truly alone... But I didn't go back to Satoshi. Why?

Because for the first time, I began seeing a side of him that I had never seen before.

After a while of silence and almost shyness, I watched as Satoshi began to open up, like a flower bud that had been afraid of the sunlight. I watched as he began to approach the other kids and act friendly. Although he, too, never gained a new "best friend," he soon got on everybody's good sides. After all, how could he not, with that personality that I had grown to love? The teachers were, of course, a bit worried about our broken friendship, but both of us seemed to be getting along okay, so they never interfered...

Eventually, people began to forget how close Satoshi and I had once been. Grandpa, Hanako, and Nanami occasionally asked us if we were okay, and questioned us about what had happened that day, but I never spoke, and to my knowledge, neither did Satoshi.

Time heals all wounds, and life goes on.

I never truly forgot that day, but it began to get buried in the back of my mind...

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Months passed, and Satoshi was becoming much more outgoing. He would speak up much more than he ever had before, and I began to see something new in him.

A rival. He still wasn't my friend, and was even a little cold to me now... but anytime there was a chance for a competition, he would openly challenge me, head on. But naturally, he didn't stand a chance. However, this only seemed to encourage him more...

Nowadays, I look back and wonder if he was subconsciously trying to reach me in his level of skill... to force me to acknowledge him, which I was no longer doing. I wondered if he thought that, somehow, if he became my equal in all ways possible, I would take him back...

So what did I do? I encouraged him. I taunted him, every step of the way. I went from completely ignoring him to finally speaking, although they were usually words of scorn or ridicule. However, I think he liked that better than nothing...

... so he kept trying. And in my heart, that was what I had wanted him to do this whole time.

However, as time passed, the memories of what I was trying to do became blurred, and for me, taunting Satoshi became a game. I was always ahead of him, and we both knew that. But somehow, over time, there started to be a point where I started to feel like my position as the only kid in the school worthy to be a Pokémon Master was being threatened... that I was going to be overtaken by this little runt...!

So I started working harder, too. I went home and studied the books that Grandpa had written, something that I had always loved to do. My knowledge increased, and I became stronger...

But Satoshi did, too (though of course, not by studying). In school, we began to compete at everything: academics, sports, and even Pokémon Lessons. In fact, we began to dominate Pokémon Lessons.

It was the most fun I'd had since that day.

With our friendship gone, our rivalry became the most important thing in my life. No matter what I did, I knew that I had to keep that fire burning.

We were still dependent on each other. Our relationship just wasn't as gentle or kind as it had been before.

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Before I knew it, two years had passed since that day. Pretty soon, it was nearly time for Satoshi's tenth birthday...

... which marked the beginning of our Pokémon journeys.

The night before we were supposed to leave, I can still relive exactly what I was doing. From my room, I had a clear view over the hill and to the forest. And above that forest, a giant, full moon was hovering. Somehow, it was... comforting to me. Listening to a quiet song on a cassette tape, softly playing, I fell asleep.

The next day, I woke up bright and early. Meeting two other kids outside of Grandpa's lab, we each walked in and chose our starter Pokémon. I knew which Pokémon I wanted... the one that I felt like I could associate with the most.

Squirtle. When I first called out its name and saw its face, staring up at me, I felt something that I hadn't felt in years. The call to protect someone.

Saying goodbye to Grandpa, I walked outside and got ready to leave. Nanami had convinced a bunch of her friends to watch me (which I detested) and had gotten one, a girl who had recently lived in Tokiwa, to take everyone along in her car (which I loved, since cars were nonexistant in little Masara).

Before I left, though, I happened to see who else but Satoshi, running up the street... in his pajamas. Smirking, I met him at the bottom of the steps. "Better late than never, I suppose," I snickered at him.

"Shigeru?" He looked at me in surprise, then noticed the Poké Ball in my hand. "Cool! You got a Pokémon!"

"Yeah. And it's the best one," I grinned. Satoshi's face started to darken in anger. I had just trampled on Satoshi's little dream... and no one listening had understood. In fact, even I began to wonder why I was saying something like that. "Well, smell ya' later," I said, driving off in the fancy red car.

Thus, my Pokémon journey started. Even so, something still felt missing. I was surrounded by a group of cheerleaders, riding in a car, and had a new Pokémon of my very own to raise...

... but I was alone.

And by now, I was finding it hard to care.