A Rivalry is Born

"Zigzagoon, u-use t-tackle!" Wally said in a timid voice. The raccoon Pokémon sprinted at the Ralts, slamming into the Pokémon head-on.

That was when Brendan heard Gwen giggling on his shoulder. "Gwen, what's so funny?" Brendan asked with a whisper so he didn't distract Wally.

I know him, Gwen said. We were kind of like you and May, but he wasn't nice.

"What do you mean?"

Well, he used to antagonize me when we were younger. His name is Samuel, but he likes to be called Sam. He would often chase me through the grass, throwing little rocks at me a lot. It's funny to see him get some karma.

"You know he may be captured by Wally," Brendan said as Wally called for another Tackle attack, which Zigzagoon executed after Sam used Growl to weaken the incoming attack. Zigzagoon landed the hit effectively.

Yeah, but maybe that will set him straight. Especially after all the mean things he did to me.

"Alright, return Zigzagoon!" Wally said as he recalled the Pokémon. "Y-you throw a Pokéball, right?"

"Yes," Brendan said. "Do it now before that Pokémon leaves!"

"A-alright," Wally said as he took out an empty Pokéball and threw it at Sam. The ball hit Sam on the head and took him inside. It shook three times before lighting up, indicating a capture. Wally stood there for a second, seemingly unable to understand what happened.

"Congrats Wally," Brendan said, hoping to snap him back to his senses. "You've caught your first Pokémon."

That was when Wally walked over to the Pokéball, almost showing excitement. Brendan was underwhelmed by the reaction, but given how Wally usually behaved, that was likely to be expected. "I caught a Ralts!" Wally said with a tone of disbelief.

"Yeah, Gwen told me that your Ralts is named Samuel, and that they knew each other." Brendan explained.

"In that case, let's have a reunion," Wally said. Before Brendan could object, Samuel had materialized, and Gwen was already glaring at him.

Gwen leapt down to the ground and slapped Sam across the face before leaping back onto Brendan's shoulder. THAT WAS FOR ALL THE TIMES YOU CHASED ME AND THREW ROCKS AT ME! Gwen said with clear anger.

There passed a moment of silence before Gwen spoke again. I don't care if you've changed, you were still a massive jerk to me!

Sam gave Gwen a slightly annoyed look, then he took on a more competitive appearance.

Fine, you want to become the strongest Gallade in the world, and I want to become the strongest Gardevoir. I can accept being your rival, but just realize that Brendan and I will be the greatest team ever. You and Wally don't have a chance. No offense to you, Wally.

Brendan was in shock. He had no idea that Gwen could reach this level of anger or that she could be so competitive. He liked that side of his companion. "Well I think that we also have a rivalry now, don't we Wally," he said with a laugh.

Wally kind of shrunk back. "I-I don't really know. I'll think about it," he said. "Why don't we go back to Norman's gym?"

"Sure, I think my dad will be expecting us back soon," Brendan said.

"Your dad? Who is that?" Wally asked.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I forgot to formally introduce myself. I'm Brendan Maple."

"Maple, like the new Gym Leader?" Wally said.

"Yes, exactly," Brendan said with a grin.

"You're related to Norman. Why did you not say so sooner?"

"Wasn't it obvious?"

"I actually thought you had just battled Norman for a gym badge and you wanted to help me afterword."

"Nope, I just started my journey this morning," Brendan said with a laugh.

Yeah, I'm actually pretty low-leveled right now, to be completely honest, Gwen said.

"Wow, so we're at the same level?" Wally said, starting to get a little more confident, which surprised Brendan. "I mean, we both have a Ralts, a-and we're both just starting out."

"So, what do you say? Are we rivals?" Brendan said as he extended his hand.

Wally hesitated for a moment before shaking hands with Brendan. "Of course, and may the better trainer win," he said.

Brendan will! Gwen said with a taunting tone.

Before Wally or Brendan could say anything, Brendan heard somebody calling his name, and the voice was very familiar. When Brendan turned to see who it was, he saw none other than Professor Birch. "Brendan, I'm glad I caught up to you," he said.

"Hey Professor, what's going on?" Brendan said.

"Well, I decided that somebody should take this Mudkip with them," he said as he pulled out the third Pokéball. "It wouldn't be good for him to be separated from other Pokémon. Would you mind taking him with you?"

"Actually, I think that Mudkip would be better off in Wally's hands," Brendan said, placing a hand on Wally's shoulder.

"Wait, really?" Wally asked, slightly shocked.

"Yeah, why not?" Brendan asked. "I already have a Treecko, and my friend May has a Torchic, so you should be the one to raise Mudkip."

"Then I won't refuse the offer," Wally said, and then Professor Birch handed Wally Mudkip's Pokéball.

"Take care of Mudkip," Birch said. "And, since you're beginning your journey, you may have this Pokédex and these five Pokéballs." Wally took the Pokédex, which was a blue version of what Brendan and May received. "Now, good luck to both of you." Professor Birch left after this, so Brendan and Wally walked back into town.

"By the way, don't you want to meet your Mudkip?" Brendan asked.

"I-I guess so," Wally said as he opened his newest occupied Pokéball. "Let's go Mudkip!" With a flash of light, a four-legged mudfish appeared, giving slight cry.

Gwen then floated to the ground and closely examined the Pokémon. Suddenly, she began to talk with excitement. Hiya! I'm Gwen, what's your name? She paused for a while as Mudkip spoke in Pokémon language. So, your name is Paul. I guess you are going to be facing Clint and me later on.

"True, but you never know how strong we will become," Wally said. "We may do better than you do."

"We will see about that, won't we?" Brendan said. Wally recalled Paul and they continued back to the Petalburg Gym. It took about five minutes to get there. They entered the gym only to run into a frustrated trainer with green-grey colored hair leaving the gym, muttering something about how the gym leader must have cheated to win so decisively. Brendan just remained silent as they passed that trainer and moved toward Norman, who was just recalling his Pokémon, but Brendan missed what it was, and he wouldn't even be able to venture a guess about what it was since Norman never told Brendan what was on his team.

"Well, it's good to see you two made it back. How did everything go?" Norman said.

"I caught a Ralts and Professor Birch gave me a Mudkip," Wally said, handing back Zigzagoon's Pokéball, which Norman gladly accepted.

"I see, so you have two Pokémon already. Well, congratulations and good luck to you in Verdanturf," Norman said.

"Thank you Mr. Maple, it was nice meeting you Brendan!" Wally said as he left the building.

"That boy seemed more confident than before you two left," Norman said. "It seems that you helped him out with more than just catching a Pokémon."

"Yeah, but he still has a ways to go," Brendan said.

"Well, you're in a similar position, since you both started out today," Norman said. "Anyway, before Wally came in the first time, I was going to say that you should head to Rustboro City to challenge Roxanne for her badge. Then travel to the other gyms to continue to become stronger."

"Wait, so that means I will be battling you eventually?" Brendan said, sounding a bit surprised.

"Yes, but I will only let you challenge me when you have four badges at least," Norman said.

Brendan nodded. "I think I can get four badges easily enough," he said. "Just promise you won't hold back."

"If I did, then I would have no right to call myself a Gym Leader," Norman said with a serious expression.

"Well, it was great to see you again, Dad. I need to meet up with May and get back to the Pokémon Center," Brendan said.

"Alright, but let me give you some words of wisdom before you go," Norman said. "Don't be afraid to take risks on your journey; just be smart about what those risks are. And be sure to remember that there may come a time when your beliefs and ideals are tested more fiercely than you ever thought possible. It's at those times that it becomes clear what kind of man you truly are."

Brendan smiled. "Thank you, Dad. I will keep that in mind," he said as he left.

May was having a fun time at the Petalburg mall, having found three beautiful dresses for the contest, and she had even had time to battle in the conveniently placed battle arena a few times. One of those battles, which was against a woman with a Shroomish, resulted in her Wurmple evolving into a Silcoon. May couldn't be happier with how the day was going.

Unfortunately, she had to get back to the Pokémon Center, since the final calls for shoppers to leave the mall were sounding. So, she left the building with her bags in hand. Ten minutes later, she was in the room at the Pokémon Center, laying on her bed to relax.

Apparently she relaxed really well, because she was soon in the world of her dreams. What she saw there was a bit strange. Her dream was very realistic, but it was a world where she was in Brendan's family, except Brendan wasn't there. She lived in Petalburg with her family, consisting of Norman, Caroline, and an annoying, know-it-all little brother who seemed to be named Max. She dreamed that she was on her way to meet with Professor Birch for her first Pokémon. For some reason, she was terrified of Pokémon. Eventually, she met a boy with a Pikachu who fried her bike in a fit of unstable electricity. After that, she chose a Torchic and began her journey with that same trainer. That was when she heard a distant voice calling her name. It kept getting louder until May woke up to see Brendan and Gwen standing beside her, looking slightly concerned.

"Is everything okay? You were talking in your sleep. You sounded like you were kind of annoyed about something," Brendan said.

I think you were having a weird dream, want to talk about it? Gwen said.

"Y-yeah, thank you for waking me up. I have no clue what was going on in my head," May said before describing the dream as best she could. When she finished her recounting, Brendan was unsure how to react.

"Well, to be honest, it sounds like it was just a dream," Brendan said. "I wouldn't let it bug you too much."

"Yeah, I suppose. I mean, could you imagine how bad that life would be? It was almost like awful writers were in charge of my every move," May said with a slight laugh as she looked at the clock, and saw that it was almost midnight, and she was still quite tired. "Anyway, I am going to actually clean off before bed."

"Alright, Gwen and I will be watching TV," Brendan said as he grabbed the remote and flipped the set on to PokeVision, the popular show from Kalos that showcased Pokémon and their trainers.

May went into the bathroom with the door locked, disrobed, and turned on the shower. All the while, Brendan and Gwen were struggling to stay awake as the comfortable bed and the droning of the TV worked in a combined effort to lull them deeper into sleep.

Within a few minutes, May left the bathroom, her hair damp, and she was wearing a Chandelures concert t-shirt, with very short shorts. Brendan, however, was so far-gone that he didn't even notice the sight before him. May just laughed to herself. It was probably Brendan's dream to see her wearing this type of outfit, yet here he was, sleeping through it. Oh well, he'd have to see it in the morning.

The next day, Brendan woke up to find Gwen sleeping soundly on his chest, and she looked to be at peace. So, Brendan had no choice but to stay put until Gwen woke up. While he waited, he got a little bored, so he looked around the room. His gaze eventually wandered over to where May slept. He was a bit surprised to see that she was on top of the blankets, but he was even more intrigued by what she was wearing. She had on a t-shirt from a Chandelures concert, which happened to be one of Brendan's favorite bands, and a pair of lightly colored cotton shorts. What Brendan now wanted to know was how May looked so beautiful, even while sleeping. Most women would kill to look that good, and she pulled it off naturally.

Looking at something? Brendan heard, which made him jump in shock before looking down at his little, green-haired companion, who wore a knowing expression.

"I might be," Brendan said. "What of it?"

It's not a big deal. I'm curious about something, though. If you think she's pretty, why don't you tell her?

"I think it's a bit early for me to say something like that, don't you?" Brendan said.

I just know that all women love to be told that they're beautiful, just don't be creepy about it

"I guess, but still, I think I will wait for a little bit. I mean, we only just met two days ago," he said.

"Are you two talking about me?" May said groggily as she sat up.

Yeah, I think Brendan has something he wants to say to you! Gwen said. Brendan glared at her, starting to see how their new relationship would function.

"Oh? And what exactly did you want to say?" May said, picking up on Brendan's discomfort.

"Uhm.. Yeah, I wanted to say something," Brendan said, suddenly finding the floor patterns on the floor incredibly interesting.

"Go on," May said, still clearly enjoying this.

"I think you look beautiful," he said, developing a blush deeper than should be humanly possible.

May smiled, but didn't give more indication of how she felt other than that. Gwen, however, could detect exactly what her response was. Her heart rate was accelerating, and she was clearly happier than mere seconds ago. "Well, thank you," she said. "I'm going to go clean off before we get started on training for the contest."

"Alright," Brendan said, still not really looking up. May just laughed as she went into the bathroom and began to prepare for the day.

"Well," May said under her breath. "I can say that you are pretty handsome yourself."

Sorry that took so long for a short chapter, but I on vacation for a few weeks, and I forgot my laptop. Thanks for being patient with me.

Anyway, as always, reviews are welcomed, just be polite about it. Next time, it will be May's first contest.