DPA: Rivals

Chapter 1: In The Beginning...

Red wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling the intensity of the moment, the heat of the battle, as thousands of people surrounded him, cheering him on. Obviously he couldn't let his fans down, now could he?

His eyes panned around the battlefield, observing every detail, looking for some sort of advantage that could turn this fight in his favor. His Onix, panting, was clearly tired, having taken a Will-O-Wisp from the opposing Gengar. The burns were slowly bringing Onix's health down.

The opposing trainer, whose name Red could not remember in the intensity of the moment, ordered his Gengar to deliver a Shadow Ball attack at Red's already struggling Onix. Red was in the bottom of the ninth inning, and was clearly about to lose it all.

Then the solution came to him. Red shared a look with Onix, and both knew what they were going to do. They had fought together so much that they shared an almost telepathic understanding with each other. Onix, turning back to face the incoming Shadow Ball, whipped its tail forward, using the remainder of its strength for one powerful Iron Tail. Like a baseball bat, Onix's tail took the brunt of the Shadow Ball, knocking it back in Gengar's direction at ten times the original speed. Gengar, unable to move out of the way of the oncoming energy blast, could only hold up it's arms before being knocked back several feet. A storm cloud's worth of dust filled the air around the place of impact.

Silence filled the stadium. And for a moment, no one knew what to think.

And then the dust faded. Gengar, knocked out. Onix still standing. Barely still standing, but it was enough. Red and Onix had won.

The stadium erupted in roars of applause as Red, exhausted but finished, returned a tired Onix to its Pokéball, thanking it for all its hard work.

"That was amazing!!!" Daryon shouted out in amazement, having witnessed the whole televised event from the comfort of his bedroom.

"I know!" Cameron replied, adjusting his glasses. "I especially enjoyed the moment when Red's Lapras surrounded that one man's Machamp in a cage of solid ice."

"Forget the Machamp!" Daryon said, jumping up with excitement. "Did you see how Red's Pikachu used one of Dewgong's Ice Shards to surf?!! And then it just electrocuted the rain that Dewgong had summoned, and Dewgong was just FRIED!!!"

"Yes, that was a clever move," Cameron replied, yawning.

It was late in the evening, and the two friends should've technically been asleep an hour ago. If they hadn't realized it at this point, they would shortly. During all the ruckus of the two boys describing every detail of the battle they had watched on the TV, they had woken up Teresa.

Teresa, Daryon's mother, opened the bedroom door, and both boys went silent. They were supposed to be asleep, and they knew it. "S-sorry, Mrs. Redic," Cameron stuttered, as he always did when he was nervous, which was often. "W-we lost track of t-t-time." Daryon nodded vigorously in agreement.

Teresa looked at the two children for a moment, took in a deep breath, and sighed. "I'm going to let this go this time," she said, her expression softening. "When I turned 10 years old I was so excited that I couldn't sleep. I can't blame you for feeling the same way. But Daryon?"

"Yes Mom?" Daryon replied, already under his bed covers.

"Go to bed." She flicked off the bedroom light and closed the door.

Laying down quietly in the darkness of Daryon's bedroom, Cameron whispered. "Daryon?"

"Yeah?"

"What kind of Pokémon are you hoping to get?"

Daryon paused for a moment. "Uhhh...I've been too excited about just having a Pokémon to even really think about it. Back when my mom was a trainer, she got to choose between Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander. Then again, Red got to pick a Pikachu, and so I think it depends on whatever the Professor has available. What are you wanting?"

"I'm unsure," Cameron muttered, rubbing his eyes. "But I really want a Water type."

"Of course you do," Daryon giggled. "I think I've seen you spend more time in the lake than I have seen you on land!"

The two laughed out loud. Suddenly there was a banging on the door.

"Go to bed!" Teresa said from outside.

"Okay, okay!" Daryon said. "Goodnight Mom!"

"Goodnight honey. Goodnight Cameron." Teresa replied, before her footsteps made it clear she had gone off to sleep herself.

"Goodnight, Cameron," Daryon whispered to Cameron, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.