"The greatest advances are birthed from competition"
Chapter II: Rivalry for the Ages
May 23, 528
Though it happened rather quickly, the time it took for the King to rise from his throne on the balcony felt like forever for Satoshi. It was just so sudden, so unexpected for him to stop the battle when he and Shigeru were still on their feet. Despite telling himself that he likely just wanted to check on Lightforce and Rift, he still felt uneasy.
"Satoshi, Shigeru…I see that both of your partners are down."
"…Yes, sire." Satoshi managed to say despite the chills running down his body. Below that armored face, that enigmatic man above him was likely either concerned or somewhat angered; Satoshi could not tell. After all, the only voice he had known the King to have was this same voice that only showed an even, understanding tone and another that had been heard earlier, powerful and encouraging, as was in his regal position.
"Satoshi, Shigeru, we have yet to see what you both can truly do. However, I can assume that you have no want for your partners to be caught in the middle of your own battle. Thus…you shall leave them with Harmone while you two do your battle."
What?
Satoshi hesitated for an instant, looking back to his friend on the ground. Despite the authenticity of the King's concerns of her condition to be a part of this battle now, he didn't like the idea of having to give her up to them, even for a brief time.
He gulped and kneeled towards her, scooping her limp body and shifting his arms carefully as if he was holding his own child. Despite the pain he could see on her face, he could still see the shine in her eyes, a warmth that told him everything he needed to know.
(…Satoshi…do…it.) She whispered reassuringly, a chime in her voice that was enhanced by the bright smile she gave him. (I'll be…fine. Just…just don't worry about me. Remember, I'll…I'll feel fine once I'm…outside the barrier, so…just win, okay?)
"…Okay." Satoshi replied, running his hand though the soft fur on her head as he turned and stood, facing the green-haired Knight. Small wisps of dust crossed his face from the now barren battlefield as he approached Harmone, who extended his gloved hand out towards Lightforce.
"…You have taught her well, Satoshi." Harmone spoke, his voice as melodic as his name implied. With a shimmer of the silvery cape he wore in the wind, he carefully took Lightforce from Satoshi's hands and hugged her close to his side. In his other hand, he received Rift from Shigeru, looking closely at the Pikachu before looking up towards his partner. "He is a resilient one, I see." Looking over to Satoshi, he nodded. "Good luck unto both of you."
Rift shuddered slightly as waves of air kissed his face in front of him with the mighty jump Harmone made into the crowd. As soon as he felt his form pass through the barrier surrounding the battlefield, he gasped. Somehow, as he had passed through that shield, all of the fatigue and paralysis he had felt in his limbs seemed to be ripped away, and he felt just like how he did before they had begun fighting. With what little room he had to move, he looked over towards Lightforce as Harmone made another bound.
(Not bad, Lightforce.)
That moment, he saw the edge of decorated stone, and the shade fell upon him to ease the heat somewhat. The large, dark-skinned Knight looked to him and then to Lightforce as Harmone kneeled and gently placed them on the ground.
The female Pikachu looked up in sequence from the Knight's iron plated leather boots all the way to the golden amber eyes, for the most part hidden beneath his eyelids. The steel visor of his helmet cast a shadow that made the color just barely visible. The muscle hidden beneath his wide shoulderplates fused into an equally muscled neck.
She smiled as she recognized the titan under the armor. (Takeshi? Is that you?)
A smile formed under his eyes, kneeling down and patting her on her head. "I see you haven't forgotten me, Lightforce."
(Of course not!) She squeaked happily. At that moment, she noticed movement behind her. Turning, she witnessed the King stand from his throne once more, walking to the edge of the balcony and raising his arm parallel to his chest.
"…Satoshi, Shigeru, your partners have shown us what they are capable of…now, I am sure that the people along with myself the Knights in attendance would like to see what you yourselves can do."
"I'd say that means it's time for you to surrender, Satoshi."
"I wouldn't surrender even if you managed to chop off my arms and legs, Shigeru."
As if on instinct, both of them braced their legs at the end of his sentence, taking a brief moment to exchange focused glares before they disappeared from their spot with spurts of dirt behind where they were.
Space distorted around them with the force of their blows against the other's sword. What one saw in the other's eyes was the same as what his opponent saw in theirs: unrelenting determination, an furious drive to defeat the other. Their swords moved once more…
Sparks ripped of the metal of the blades, a shower of hot steel that was cut through and swept into with the collision and smashing of the two swords together in a continuing succession, like the sound of the last blow did not escape them before the next blow was made.
Satoshi let a grin crack across his face; his rival certainly did not want to disappoint him today. His hands vibrated each and every second with the crossing of his blade with Shigeru's. As his rival grabbed a hold of his arm, Satoshi dropped and kicked Shigeru's legs out from under him.
Shigeru Released Satoshi's arm and fell forward, twisting over his rival and leaping a great distance away from him. Moments later, his hand twisted as dark energy flowed through it.
"Dark Cannon!"
The back of Satoshi's thick vest scraped against the dust as he slid around onto his feet, brow creasing as he leapt away from where a barrage of dark missiles exploded. Continuing to jump and run, he dashed in a zig-zag as more of the globs of dark aura exploded around him, coming ever closer to his attacker, who continued to fire shots from his left hand as he raised his sword with the other.
Satoshi's hair bent back from a sudden burst he made, a straight line towards his rival with his grip of the blade held tightly between his hands.
CRACK!
Lightning crashed down through the barrier that separated the battlefield from the those watching, dispersing in long tendrils across the transparent bubble while the main bulk of it pierced straight through.
"Augh!" Shigeru cried out as he felt the recoil of Satoshi's blade smashing against his own, followed instantly by the lightning that smashed down upon him. Swinging around, Satoshi spun his blade in his hand to where he was swinging backhanded now, laying his arm across the flat side of his blade as he rammed it into Shigeru's arm while he was still recovering.
Simultaneously, Satoshi went wide-eyed as the breath was pushed out of his lungs by a forceful knee to his chest. As Shigeru landed and rolled back onto his feet cradling his arm with noticeable twinges of pain shaking him, Satoshi fell and rolled back onto his knees, clutching at is chest, gasping for breath. He looked to his sword in his hand, the sleek metal's tip digging into the dirt in front of him. Chills ran through his body, accompanied by burning spikes of heat from a purplish aura flowing up and away from where his rival's knee had made contact.
...Good counter, Shigeru.
Satoshi let a few calm breaths echo from his mouth before he leaned forward on his hands, then stood almost upside-down for the instant that he bounded off his palms and back onto his feet, swinging his sword up to point at Shigeru. Rising up, Shigeru, still held his arm in his grasp, biting his bottom lip as he carefully reached down and retrieved his weapon from the dust below him…
"Too slow, Satoshi."
Satoshi's sword passed right through Shigeru as he had his head down, taking with it a shadowy wisp of smoke that took away part of his rival's neck. Twisting around with the inertia of the metal, Satoshi grunted as Shigeru teleported out of nowhere from behind and slammed his sword down into his. The gravel under Satoshi's feet rumbled as he slid back from the blow, electricity sparking up from his hand and flowing into the metal. After a second, his blade buzzed and sparked, glowing a bright, bluish-yellow.
Here we go!
Dust flew out from behind Satoshi like the smoke plume from a rocket. "Lightning Blade Storm!"
Up in the stands, the crowd cheered in wild hysterics as Satoshi spun his sword in his hand while he flew forward, electricity trailing off from it and rippling the air. His sword smashed into his friend's before recoiling in a circle before striking once more, flashes of thunder exploding from the weapon. Shigeru ground his teeth together as he felt the electricity zap through his veins. Even as he dodged the next flurry of slashes that Satoshi sent his way, he found himself zapped again and again by the shockwaves tearing through the air and from the ground. Satoshi was bursting with electricity, errant trails of it continually coursing through him like.
Satoshi rushed Shigeru with a laugh, eyes aglow with static. His black hair whipped around with his body, lagging behind with his twists and dashes he made to strike out at his rival. The edges of his blue pad armor were beginning to blacken from the immense voltage.
Shigeru backflipped away, but as he landed on his feet with his arm still at the ground, he gasped, seeing that Satoshi had somehow closed the distance rather quickly; his blade, exploding with the power of lightning, was just a foot or so from his torso.
For a moment, he went deaf; there was only feeling. Even though it had just been the flat side of the blade, Shigeru could not only feel the blunt force of the sword smashing into his chest and the sudden, burning paralysis across him, he could feel a thin, sharp pain cut its way across his chest.
Sound came back as a screeching roar, first the crackling, then the sound of his own pained yell: "AUGH!"
Shigeru gripped his own sword tightly, quickly whispering something under his breath as he felt himself thrown backwards…
"!"
Satoshi saw Shigeru…freeze. After the mighty, final hit he had connected on his rival, he was supremely surprised to see Shigeru get thrown back before his body suddenly stopped in midair, electricity dispersing off him and into the ground like he wasn't even there. His own static died down to nothing, a soreness filling him after such an arduous attack. He had to ignore it though, for he had a much more pressing matter on hand.
Satoshi spun in place and raised his sword as Shigeru materialized out from behind him, the afterimage he had left disappearing as he roared, dark energy rippling through his body. He brutally smashed his sword down onto Satoshi, just as the latter cut forward and met the resistance of Shigeru's body. The crowd cheered once more as Satoshi was thrown off his feet and onto the ground, his frustrated grunt audible as he rolled back, tucking his sword across his chest as he kicked up into a standing position once more. This time, Satoshi stuck out his hand to his side, lighting adorning it while Shigeru clutched as the long, narrow wound that cut through his padding and into his flesh.
"Looks like he managed to pull off a pretty good counter there…ouch, that wound must hurt a lot though." Takeshi spoke while Lightforce hung on the railing, sticking her head over the cement to look down towards the combat while Rift stood on top of the railing next to her. Rift chewed at his bottom lip, eyeing the scar in his partner's chest that began to redden the fabric of his pad armor. He gulped and turned his view down to his fellow Pikachu. (They said the barrier won't let them actually get hurt, right?)
(Yes, I'm sure his majesty wouldn't want them to actually get harmed.) Lightforce responded with an assuring tone. "Agreed. What would be the use of that, after all?"
Lightforce's ears perked up as she looked to her sides with some slight confusion. Where had that last voice come from? Not only was it unfamiliar to her, but it seemed to have come from right on top of her, like she had heard it in her mind. "Behind you."
She looked over her shoulder and noticed the Lucario that had walked onto the balcony with Master Kovnorath leaning against the far side of the concrete rail away from the rest of them, staring back at her with the same piercing eyes that the rest of his species had. Even when they did not intend to seem threatening, as showing from the smile he gave that seemed to show no hostility, the eyes of a Lucario always kept anyone, whether they be human or Pokémon, on guard. Of course, as far as what Lightforce had heard, they were often quite trustworthy.
"If you consider this breaking into personal space, I'll stop."
Lightforce turned back to the concrete rail, confused. How is he doing that?
"Telepathy. I am the partner of one of the Grand Knights, after all."
Lightforce sighed. I see…your name is Marxus, right?
Marxus crossed his arms, now looking onto the battle that continued to awe the crowds below. "It always has been and always shall be. You are Lightforce?"
Yes. "Good to meet you."
…
Even by the time the sun had dove into the depths of the night to the east, the battle had yet to be won by either of the young warriors below. Shallow cuts and scrapes bore into the pad armor upon both of their chests. In places, like the deeper cut into Shigeru's torso, the cloth became stained by dried crimson. Fatigue had begun to slow them both down as well; Satoshi pulled back as his rival did, breathing in calmly, albeit deeply with exhaustion. A long, slender cut left a jagged stinging in his left bicep, somewhat swollen under his sleeve. Upon his right leg, the greave he wore had been split from the top, with a noticeably dark red section of his skin under a charred hole in his pants.
Opposite him, Shigeru cursed under his breath as he clutched at the wound torn into his chest. With the static from their last clashing of blades zapping through his nerves, the wound felt like it had been torn open once more. The various scuffs that scraped up his clothes and exposed skin were no help either, patches of red staining fabric on his body.
"*huff*…*huff*…"
"*huff*…*huff*…"
Damn it…he's roughed up, but I'm just as bad…
This is getting nowhere…
…Don't give up, Lightforce- -Rift wouldn't give up.
Glares exchanged between the two of them, both covered in dust, sweat and blood. In both of their hands, their blades trembled unnoticeably. Fatigue was weighing down on them like one thousand sold concrete bricks. For both it felt like their muscles were beginning to rebel against the will of the mind, screaming out and protesting with throbbing pain.
Over all, adrenaline muted their sounds with determination.
"…"
"…"
"!"
The crowd gasped, then broke into cheers once more when the two young warriors suddenly shot across the battlefield to each other, both locking their swords for perhaps the thousandth time in their heads, one hand to the grip of the sword and the other behind their backs…
"HA!"
They yelled simultaneously, eyes wild as their hands swung out from behind their backs.
Dark energy and bright electricity coalesced around them, rumbling in a tight sphere just over their crossed blades. Their fingertips almost touched with just how close their energies were as they collided, shooting off in erratic trails from between them and exploding into the ground a distance from them. Wind whipped up around them, the earth cracking underneath their feet.
(Shigeru…) (Satoshi…)
Lightoforce and Rift stood side by side on the concrete rail of the King's balcony, watching their masters in awe. Rift bit his lower lip while the clashing energies between the fighters grew out, the center mass of power between their palms throwing out waves of black and bright yellow...
Satoshi could scarcely say that he felt the pain in his body suddenly jolt up.
The earth shook and the spectators cried out in alarm as the energy surrounding the two suddenly imploded inward, and for the brief instant one could see that their hands had actually clasped together. Dark waves and electricity screeched and roared in the bubble of their fused powers. Staring into the other's eyes, Shigeru's glowing a dark un-light and Satoshi's a bright yellow, they pushed into the other with of their physical and energetic might.
"SATOSHI!" "SHIGERU!"
(Augh!) Lightforce cried as she raised her short arm in front of her face and turned her head away, just barely peering towards the massive blasts that threatened to explode out from the barrier. Within the translucent purple the explosion bellowed and pushed, tossing vaporizing chunks of rock and solitary strikes of lightning and darkness in massive arcs. On the balcony, Kasumi and Takeshi both shielded their own eyes while the King stood in the middle of them, his armor glinting with the light of the blast. The beak-like faceplate on his helmet casting a shadow upon his visor.
Under his helmet, the King relinquished a smile. They will be fine knights.
…
Once again, Satoshi found himself walking down a dirt road with a pack hitched onto his back with his sword secure against his hip. A calm look adorned his face, eyes staring onward, to the seemingly unending path that had been following. Ahead, the path dipped down into a valley where the distant roar of some dragon Pokémon could be heard. The silhouette of one of these creatures could be seen flying high over the mountains in the distance.
It brought a smile to his face; he had been to this place before, he and his dear partner.
Lightforce clung onto his head with her paws, standing halfway on his right should and on the top of his pack. Despite how sore he thought she must've been, she simply stood there and just barely leaned up against his spiky black hair.
"Are you sure you don't want me to just carry you, Lightforce? You must be tired after that battle back in Violet Village."
She nuzzled the side of his head. (It's okay; I'll be fine, Satoshi…so, is that…?)
He nodded. "Yes, it's The Charizard Valley. You know what that means don't you?"
Lightforce cocked her head, smiling and looking ahead. (It means…it means we're almost back in the Kanto region, right?)
"Yes…We're almost home. After five long years, we're going to see everyone…my mom, the doctor, your own kin in the forest nearby…then there's Shigeru and Rift going back to, I remember. We were all going to meet back in Kyoumei Hikari for a little homecoming celebration."
(I can't wait to be back, Satoshi…) "Neither can I, Lightforce."
…
"…augh…*huff*…*huff*…"
Satoshi was aware of a warm, wet streak running down his shin and a metallic taste in his mouth. He was lying in a pit of something hard…concrete? Yes, definitely concrete. The jagged stuff nearly swallowed him, pieces of it lying across his shoulders. Somewhere in the process of getting smashed into the concrete walls of the arena, he had lost his sword. The dry, dusty scent of floating soil filled his nostrils. Thumping and crinkling sounds came out from in front of him. Shifting his neck, Satoshi slowly opened his eyes.
His sense of smell proved correct. An impenetrable fog of floating, dark brown dust lingered like a ghost of the mighty blast. Slowly the charred, blackened ground was covered in a thin sheet of the tiny bits of dust. Though they were somewhat outside his field of vision, Satoshi could hear the crowd talking amongst themselves.
"…nnnh!" Satoshi grunted, pulling himself out of the hole in the wall, stumbling as he landed on the ground below but steadying himself despite the sharp pain in his chest that made him wince. He clenched his teeth, slowly shutting his eyes as he carefully lowered himself onto one knee. Blood sprayed from his mouth with a cough, his uninjured hand pressing into the dirt.
His left hand, held in the air before his eyes, throbbed painfully, rips in the flesh visible against blackened flesh. Crimson dripped out from the exposed muscle tissue, miniscule sparks of electricity still visible running over his twitching palm. The blackening of the flesh ran down his hand to his arm, lightening up until it reached his metal arm brace, which was bent back and shredded at the front.
This is getting me nowhere…this isn't getting either of us anywhere.
(Satoshi…) Lightforce whispered with worry, her front paws clasped in front of her abdomen. Rift's view swayed slowly over where Shigeru had been, and he softly bit his lip. Kasumi and Takeshi no longer held to the edge, with Harmone standing by their side and sharing their looks of anxiety.
"Son of a…ow…" Shigeru spoke, lifting his head from the dirt with one eye shut tightly, shakily balancing his body on his left hand while the other floated above the ground, tattered and burnt. He dragged himself up onto his knees, head lowered as he took several long breaths interrupted by his coughing. Using his uninjured arm, he wiped the dust settling on his mouth, looking out across the battlefield.
As the dust settled more, Shigeru could make out Satoshi's figure kneeling far across from him in an equally worn state. Dull glints made themselves known in his peripheral vision; both of their swords were jammed into the ground a good hundred yards away from him on each side like cross-shaped tombstones. His brow furrowed and mental sigh came to him, seeing a thin crack running up the center of his own blade.
That's just great…not like this was going anywhere. We're too even.
"…*sigh*…"
Shigeru grunted as he rose, his bloody left hand hanging limply over his empty sword sheath. With his right hand, he covered up the wound that had been cut into his chest, caked with dried blood. Though he stumbled at first, he slowly made his way to his rival with a limp in his step.
A frosty feeling crept up Satoshi's back at the sight of Shigeru rising, lumbering towards him. Resisting his own feelings of pain, he shakily reached down with his right hand, pushing himself up to his feet. With resolve in his eyes, Satoshi walked forward to meet his rival…
Fifty yards away…
Forty yards away…
Thirty.
Twenty.
Ten.
One.
Where they stopped, looking into the other's façade, they caught their breaths, faces adorned with a half-glare and half-wear. Both of their faces were covered in a thin sheet of dirt cut with tiny lacerations. Blood trailed from Satoshi's mouth down his chin, while Shigeru still held his right hand to his chest, red streaming between his fingers. Around them, the stadium had fallen silent, waiting for the next move to be made.
"…"
"!"
Rising from his side, Satoshi's right hand extended in front of him. Shigeru looked down at Satoshi's hand. "…What's this?"
"…I can tell that you're as tired as I am. There's no use in either of us going on, we're too evenly matched." Satoshi spoke calmly, despite the blood still flowing slowly from his mouth. "We're going to be out here all night if we continue."
Shigeru silently contemplated his words as the murmurs of the crowd rose. A smirk formed on his mouth, a hoarse laugh emitting from his lips. "Giving up, Satoshi?"
Satoshi managed a smile back. "You were waiting to say the same thing, admit it."
Shigeru's eyes widened for a moment before dropping back down with his smirk slightly lowered. "You know me too well…fine." He said, shrugging as he extended his own hand and grasped his rival's, a friendly shake coming from both. "Good match, Satoshi."
Wow…not what I was expecting, but certainly not dissatisfying.
In the balcony, Lightforce and Rift stood silently, looking down to see their partners shaking hands while the crowd applauded. Both of them wore their own smiles, almost simultaneously breathing out with relief. Both of their ears went erect as they looked to one another, surprised for a moment before Lightforce turned away from Rift, a blush under her fur. Meanwhile, Rift continued staring to the back of her head, a blush upon his own face. Recovering her nerves, Lightforce gave a lighthearted giggle. (…That was…wow, we certainly are meant for each other, aren't we?)
(…Nothing could be closer to the truth.) Rift answered, smirking as he quickly leaned over and touched his cheek with hers, giving her a shock. With this, the blush under her fur reddened even more, her eyes closing for a moment. (Rift…would you like to explore the city with me tonight? After we leave the arena? Just to spend more time together?)
Rift nodded. (That'd be great. I'll ask Shigeru if you ask Satoshi if it's alright, okay?) (Okay.)
Meanwhile, the Knights next to them clapped along with the rest of the crowd. Above, the barrier began to compress inward with the movement of the psychic Knight's hands, her eyes closed in serene concentration. Kovnorath stood next to the King and bowed his head, staring down to the battlefield. "Well, well, well. I haven't seen this sort of thing in a while."
"A while? It's only been ten years." The King replied, the dim light from the setting sun rebounding off his helm. He discreetly gestured towards Takeshi and Kasumi. It was when these two battled for their own right to knighthood.
"…That barrier thing really does work. I feel like we haven't fought yet!" Shigeru said moments after the barrier over them dissipated, the wounds all over his body instantly sealing up, even the deep cut he had across his chest. Even then, he sighed as he noticed the damage to his clothing and armor remained, from the rip in the chest to the burnt end of his left sleeve under the bent, frayed end of his forearm brace.
"Too bad clothes aren't stitched up too, huh? Oh well…that was a great fight, Shigeru. You trained Rift pretty hard, didn't you?"
"Just about as hard as you trained Lightforce, Satoshi. Next time, though…we're going to crush you both."
"Yeah…right." Satoshi responded, turning towards the balcony that towered high in front of them as the King moved towards it, the crowd silent once more…
…
We did it.
The night sky above gave them some source of light with a ceiling of stars and the crescent moon to the east. At this time of night, many of the cottages they passed already had their lanterns put out, while some still had them on, the blazes in them adding to the light provided overhead. At the corner of a crossroads, two royal guards sat idle in the grass, nodding to Satoshi and Shigeru as they passed by them.
"Quite a homecoming, Satoshi?" Shigeru spoke, shifting the leather strap he had attached to his pack. "Aye." Satoshi answered with a short glance to his right shoulder, having grown accustomed to the weight that had been there. He rolled his shoulder experimentally, letting out a sigh.
Shigeru noticed as they stopped at a fork in the dirt road, looking over to a cottage that had a scroll on a sign hanging over it. "Let me guess, you're worried about Lightforce?"
"No, I know she and Rift can handle themselves, but…" He trailed off, his right hand digging into his satchel while the other gripped absentmindedly at the grip of his sword, dragging his fingers over the course leather.
Having had her on his shoulder at nearly all times had really made him used to the feeling. For the most part, the only times when Lightforce was not there hanging onto the side of his head was when they had stopped on their journeys to eat and the like. The other times were when they slept, and even then she was usually curled up right beside him.
"…I'm not used to not having her with me is all." Satoshi finally finished, his thoughts wandering on where she and Rift were right now. Shigeru smirked and nodded, crossing his arms. "Well, you're not the only one. Travelling with the same Pokémon for five years really gets you attached to them. But hey, they feel the same way, I bet."
A calm feeling wove its way through Satoshi. He's right, what am I fussing about? She's going to be back tomorrow, probably a little sleepy, but she'll be back.
Shigeru turned towards the left fork in the road, takinga single step before pausing. Before Satoshi could ask if everything was alright, Shiegru turned back towards him. "Hey, about Rift and Lightforce…" he began, immediately gaining Satoshi's attention once more. "They really are some pretty close friends, aren't they?"
Satoshi nodded. "Of course, didn't they both come from the same area of the forest? They've been friends for…well, as long as I remember, like you and me."
"Yeah, but did you notice that they wanted us to let them go off by themselves, y'now, just the two of them? You know what that means, right?"
"Hmm…" Satoshi hummed, bowing his head at a slight angle in thought. He shrugged. "It means they won't be lonely while getting used to all the nooks and crannies of the city, right?"
Shigeru raised his hands up to shoulder height at his sides, a slight shake of his head. "That's true, but that's also not what I meant, Satoshi. Guess again."
Let's see…
The young Knight scratched the back of his head, eyes past his shoulder in thought. He stood idle for a few moments as Shigeru waited for an answer, his smirk still there on his face. A finger went below Satoshi's lip, his thumb rubbing at the side of his chin. Suddenly, his eyes widened, a slight jolt in his head. …Woah, how didn't I see it…
"They…"
"Aye, Satoshi, our partners are in love. Good to know you see it too." Shigeru spoke. His smirk dropped to a frown as he noticed Satoshi recoil slightly. "What's the matter?"
"…I thought they were really just out training with each other."
Shigeru's palm went to his face before he could stop the impulse, shaking his head in defeat. "Tell me, are you really the same person I just fought at the castle arena?"
Satoshi groaned. "Sorry, I get it. If that's what they really went out for, then that's great. I may be dumb when it comes to seeing love but I do understand what it is."
"Good to know…well, I'd think it's time for both of us to see the inside of our own homes for the first time in, say five years. How about we meet up at the Doctor's tomorrow, Satoshi? Maybe we can share what we saw on our journeys." Shigeru suggested as small streams of dust blew at their feet with a gust of wind. "Sounds great, and I'm sure we're in for quite a warm welcome home, right?"
"Aye. See you later, Satoshi." Shigeru spoke before turning back towards the fork in the road, intertwining his fingers behind his head as he walked. Once he was out of Shigeru's form became hidden by a grove of trees, Satoshi sighed and began to walk down the other road, eyeing the peak of Mt. Silver in the distance. He began to whistle as a lantern in the distance made itself visible.
Home, sweet home.
...
I need to stop being so busy, don't I?
Until next time. It's good to be back!