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Winner's Course (reupload)
Second perspective to loser’s orbit
Then they got a pokemon, and everyone’s eyes were on them and their friend— only now, he was calling himself a rival, and always trying to be… for a lack of better words, more aggressive. It didn’t work always, and they stumbled and they remember him being afraid of thunderstorms and rain and ghosts and being a bit of a scardey Meowth.
Pokemon training was like performing— everyone wanted to put on a brave face and not cry when the friends you caught and trained and sweat with got hurt or worse off. And that’s why seeing other trainers hurt their pokemon pissed them off, or badmouthing others because they used bad ones or ones that weren’t any good. There were a lot of unfair things on a journey the more they looked— but at the end of the day, laying down next to their own friends looking at the stars was enough. It had to be.
The strange thing about battling was that eventually someone was supposed to come along, break the winning streak, humble the self, and make sure that the ego stayed in check— but that never happened. In fact, most trainers were completely wiped sometimes even before a switch or a new face could enter the field. People got very used to seeing the starter, and only the starter. Their rival could see the others once upon a time… but it had been a while since they had any fun with it. Four badges in and interviewers already wanted to know more about the rising unbroken winning streak.
What’s your secret? How do you do this? Why are you doing this? Where did you learn this? Will you keep going? But they weren’t interested in answers, only asking more questions and trying to pull apart their entire life page by page to make a story out of it with the bits only made for people to bite down on while they ate their food and didn’t have a care for the things that actually mattered.
The fifth badge was an explosion. In the sense of total failure entirely on their fault. They should’ve been more proactive about making sure the new rising team was gone entirely. They should’ve been a faster battler. They should’ve been the one to take that hit. Their rival shouldn’t have laid there in the aftermath of a smoking crater between life and death with a broken arm and their dream destroyed entirely and it was all their fault.
Please. If there’s someone out there, please let me change things.
Through tears, a soft glow, only to see that self same glow in their hands. It had only happened once before with an injury, and this must’ve been fate at work. That was the only explanation for everything wasn’t it? A predestined course to greatness entangled with fate. They didn’t believe in such things, but, wiping tears with their shoulder, they weren’t about to rescind it either.
Articuno was a welcome surprise to the team. The island was outright abandoned and Cinnabar was giving off bad omens , but as the legendary bird bowed into their hands they couldn’t help but wonder if this is why fate had such a strange relationship. There was a splashing sound before they, and a turn to see that… one of their fans from the first few battling sessions and their rival had appeared. Articuno had given a light snort at that.
After that, they had a dream. Articuno and their starter were with them and they were standing on a tall pillar. Their rival was trying to catch up to them, but It felt like everytime they looked away in the dream, he kept getting further away. They kept looking and they kept moving further and further until he looked like a speck from below. There was nothing left but the sound of harsh wind.
The eighth gym badge was that of the legendary rival who fought Red himself, and they couldn’t help but think of their own rival. The one who felt like he was getting more and more distant and disinterested in battling. The same dull look of “it was expected” was being seen across all trainers whenever they looked into anyone else’s eyes now. The face of the matter was that no one was measuring up to a golden child picked by fate, and they couldn’t do anything about it.
“Yo!“ a hand was placed on their shoulder as they stood outside Viridian gym. Their rival had come here for their third badge, Blue had said, and “they looked the way you did.”
"Everyone wants something out of me and I don’t know why."
He shrugged at this response. “Well, I’m no therapist. But I can say this much. Everyone wants to be the next Red. But no one wants to be the next Green or Blue. So. What are you gonna do?”
“I don’t know. All I’ve ever done is win. I don’t know how to stop.”
“Only you can do something. But whatever you do, don’t put yourself up on that mountain. To be at the top is one thing, but it's not sustainable. It's lonely up there. I'd know.”
Good luck in the championships. Good luck in the championships?!
Their rival deserved better than that. To be cast aside like a stepping stone. To be forgotten entirely. And it was that thought they brought carrying to the pokemon league— I will not forget you and what you’ve done. It’s only because of you I was able to make it this far.
“A rival has to keep their rival sharp.” But in perfecting the blade, one had to be dulled, to be neglected. And a dull blade was how it felt reaching the champion With all of that anger and frustration subsided.
“You get it all out now? Good! Guess that means you’re our latest champion, huh!” The champion was saying something but it felt absolutely out of place.
“I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
“Why?” He placed his hands on his hips and kicked back. For all the gravitas, he was just a kid too. “Got places to be?”
“Obviously.” They smiled.
“I’ve got a rival to catch.”
What do you get for the trainer who has everything anyone would ever want, but not what they actually want? I think I’ve become invested in these two that don’t even have games associated to them.
Life had started out fairly simple, for a lack of better words. They went to a small class and learned things like everyone else. Their neighbor loved the stars, so they’d watch with them. The kids liked playing hopscotch and “hide in the tower until the adults noticed” and watching trainers do their Pokemon things on the TV until their eyes got tired and their parents tucked them in.Then they got a pokemon, and everyone’s eyes were on them and their friend— only now, he was calling himself a rival, and always trying to be… for a lack of better words, more aggressive. It didn’t work always, and they stumbled and they remember him being afraid of thunderstorms and rain and ghosts and being a bit of a scardey Meowth.
Pokemon training was like performing— everyone wanted to put on a brave face and not cry when the friends you caught and trained and sweat with got hurt or worse off. And that’s why seeing other trainers hurt their pokemon pissed them off, or badmouthing others because they used bad ones or ones that weren’t any good. There were a lot of unfair things on a journey the more they looked— but at the end of the day, laying down next to their own friends looking at the stars was enough. It had to be.
The strange thing about battling was that eventually someone was supposed to come along, break the winning streak, humble the self, and make sure that the ego stayed in check— but that never happened. In fact, most trainers were completely wiped sometimes even before a switch or a new face could enter the field. People got very used to seeing the starter, and only the starter. Their rival could see the others once upon a time… but it had been a while since they had any fun with it. Four badges in and interviewers already wanted to know more about the rising unbroken winning streak.
What’s your secret? How do you do this? Why are you doing this? Where did you learn this? Will you keep going? But they weren’t interested in answers, only asking more questions and trying to pull apart their entire life page by page to make a story out of it with the bits only made for people to bite down on while they ate their food and didn’t have a care for the things that actually mattered.
The fifth badge was an explosion. In the sense of total failure entirely on their fault. They should’ve been more proactive about making sure the new rising team was gone entirely. They should’ve been a faster battler. They should’ve been the one to take that hit. Their rival shouldn’t have laid there in the aftermath of a smoking crater between life and death with a broken arm and their dream destroyed entirely and it was all their fault.
Please. If there’s someone out there, please let me change things.
Through tears, a soft glow, only to see that self same glow in their hands. It had only happened once before with an injury, and this must’ve been fate at work. That was the only explanation for everything wasn’t it? A predestined course to greatness entangled with fate. They didn’t believe in such things, but, wiping tears with their shoulder, they weren’t about to rescind it either.
Articuno was a welcome surprise to the team. The island was outright abandoned and Cinnabar was giving off bad omens , but as the legendary bird bowed into their hands they couldn’t help but wonder if this is why fate had such a strange relationship. There was a splashing sound before they, and a turn to see that… one of their fans from the first few battling sessions and their rival had appeared. Articuno had given a light snort at that.
After that, they had a dream. Articuno and their starter were with them and they were standing on a tall pillar. Their rival was trying to catch up to them, but It felt like everytime they looked away in the dream, he kept getting further away. They kept looking and they kept moving further and further until he looked like a speck from below. There was nothing left but the sound of harsh wind.
The eighth gym badge was that of the legendary rival who fought Red himself, and they couldn’t help but think of their own rival. The one who felt like he was getting more and more distant and disinterested in battling. The same dull look of “it was expected” was being seen across all trainers whenever they looked into anyone else’s eyes now. The face of the matter was that no one was measuring up to a golden child picked by fate, and they couldn’t do anything about it.
“Yo!“ a hand was placed on their shoulder as they stood outside Viridian gym. Their rival had come here for their third badge, Blue had said, and “they looked the way you did.”
"Everyone wants something out of me and I don’t know why."
He shrugged at this response. “Well, I’m no therapist. But I can say this much. Everyone wants to be the next Red. But no one wants to be the next Green or Blue. So. What are you gonna do?”
“I don’t know. All I’ve ever done is win. I don’t know how to stop.”
“Only you can do something. But whatever you do, don’t put yourself up on that mountain. To be at the top is one thing, but it's not sustainable. It's lonely up there. I'd know.”
Good luck in the championships. Good luck in the championships?!
Their rival deserved better than that. To be cast aside like a stepping stone. To be forgotten entirely. And it was that thought they brought carrying to the pokemon league— I will not forget you and what you’ve done. It’s only because of you I was able to make it this far.
“A rival has to keep their rival sharp.” But in perfecting the blade, one had to be dulled, to be neglected. And a dull blade was how it felt reaching the champion With all of that anger and frustration subsided.
“You get it all out now? Good! Guess that means you’re our latest champion, huh!” The champion was saying something but it felt absolutely out of place.
“I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
“Why?” He placed his hands on his hips and kicked back. For all the gravitas, he was just a kid too. “Got places to be?”
“Obviously.” They smiled.
“I’ve got a rival to catch.”
- The cutoff happens before the boat because I couldn’t think of anything for the boat ride that wasn't a repeat of Loser's Orbit.
- These two have visuals now. Made with Neka.cc like every other OC I've ever had and probably ever will at this point.
- Every single time I repost this Blue's entire mountain spiel gains more words as if he's desperately attempting to make an entire speech out of it and I have to smack myself on the head for posting that bit because it feels like something he shouldn't talk about so casually.
- Who's even the champion in this? I never came up with anyone but it could just be like... the let's go kids or gold or... someone.
- I've decided that these two are going to Sinnoh for their regional trip in case I ever want to write a sequel.