To be the Very Best (Pokémon X Male Reader)

Black & White Part 1 Chapter 3 - All Aboard!

"Sprigatito, quick use Play Rough and turn the tide!" I order as Sprigatito begins dodging and weaving between Gretel's Deino's attacks, his typing changing into fairy thanks to his hidden ability. Crashing through Deino, the Dragon type stood no chance of being knocked out in that single blow.

Gretel stared on, completely dazed by the outcome, dropping her Poke Ball. "No way... How is that possible?"

Running over, I aided Deino with a revive and potion, patting her. "You ok, Rolo? You did great; well done. You too, Gretel."

"H-Huh?" She echoed with a stutter, unable to even look at me. "I seriously lost when the tide was in my favour... You really are strong."

"Hey, type matchups aren't everything. You may have the upper hand when it comes to that, but you should always expect your opponent to have a work of type of weakness. My Sprigatito's ability is Protein, meaning the first move it uses in battle it becomes that typing. I made Sprigatito's weakness against a dragon type like Rolo into an advantage. You may have the best moves and type matchup, but if you don't have the confidence and quick thinking to change your strategy, the battle could go either way."

Unable to even come back against that, Gretel sighed, squatting next to Deino, rubbing her face against her partner's. "Am I your trainer because we're weak, or are we weak because I'm your trainer? This isn't going to be as easy as I hoped..."

"Chin up. It may be the first time I've used Sprigatito in battle before, but I've got a lot more battle experience than you. I wouldn't expect you to win."

"What the hell does that mean?" Gretel barks, her eyebrow twitching. "I-I mean... Huh?"

I shake my head with a slight chuckle. "I suppose I never told you; I'm a Champion trainer from Paldea and the first Champion of Alola."

"Y-You're what?" She whispered, looking at Deino dazed. "I-If you had told me that three days ago... I wouldn't have declared you my rival; talk about playing on merciless mode... With the starter Pokemon only..."

I walked over, holding my hand out. "You'll get the hang of it; when my dad first taught me to battle, I was awful; I couldn't land a single blow with his powerful Pokemon. No matter how hard I tried, I could never beat him. I was ready to call it quits right there and then."

Gretel took my hand and stood up. She looked curious about my story as we continued to walk towards our destination. "Did you ever beat him in the end?"

I looked ahead, slightly down, with a faint shake of my head. "N-No... I didn't. He went missing not long before I got my first Pokemon and started my journey. He went out one day on a mission and just... Never came back. Eventually I was just told he was gone, I don't believe it, I know he's still out there. Once I get home, I'll find him. He wouldn't just abandon me."

"H-How do you not know that?" She responded, clutching her hands together. "You can't rely on others to stay with you forever... Eventually, everyone will toss you aside as nothing is forgotten or useless. You'll do so to me one day."

This got me to stop a raised eyebrow; I'm not at all happy hearing something like that. "Excuse you, I never turn my back on a friend, and that's a promise. I wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for the dear friends I hold in my heart. Nemona, Penny and Arven, Zinnia, Dawn, Gladion and Lillie. And most importantly, Mimi. I never forget a friend, and that goes for you too."

I half expected Gretel to freak out again, to go red, embarrassed and stutter all over her words. But instead, she stared at me with a dull look, one of malice and disgust. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

Walking backwards past her, I shook my head, smirking. "Then I'll prove it; I'll show you we're friends for life. Just you wait, I'll be knocking on your door when we're 80 demanding a Pokemon battle."