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“Do you trust me?”
Those were some of the first words Shigeru had said to Satoshi when they were kids. Back then, Satoshi had replied with “maybe,” and the other boy had merely laughed before pulling him over to play with the Pokemon in Yukinari-hakase’s lab.
“Do you trust me?” Shigeru asked when they were seven. Satoshi answered with “yes.” With a smile, the older boy brought the other to the labs. He told him that Yukinari-hakase had gotten some new Pokemon in and wanted the boys to help them get settled.
“Do you trust me?” Shigeru asked when they were eight. Satoshi answered with “of course.” Shigeru bit his lower lip before telling him that his mom and dad were on a journey, and Shigeru had to stay with his grandfather, Yukinari-hakase.
“Do you trust me?” Shigeru asked when they were nine turning ten. Satoshi answered with “should I?” At that point, the two boys weren’t friends as much as they were rivals (as evidenced by the small white half of the Pokeball both had broken). The older boy narrowed his eyes into a glare before huffing.
“Well, I’ll see you around, Satoshi-kun,” Shigeru sneered.
The younger boy seethed, but he didn’t comment on it.
And after that, most things Shigeru said to Satoshi were more antagonistic than anything. Sure, they were rivals, but to take it to the extremes seemed a bit much. It wasn’t until their rivalry was (mostly) over around the time Satoshi beat him in the Silver Conference when Shigeru asked him again. They were seated in the Pokemon Centre, both Kasumi and Takeshi already in bed.
“You haven’t asked me that in a while,” Satoshi responded with a smile.
“I know,” Shigeru nodded, a small simper on his lips. “But, even with our rivalry, would you have trusted me?”
Satoshi stayed silent. Would he have? The more he thought about it, the more he realised that, yes, he would have. Because deep down, Shigeru was still his best friend. Even when Shigeru hurt him with his words. Even when Shigeru insisted they weren’t friends. Because, through all of that, Shigeru was always there for Satoshi, even when it seemed like he wasn’t.
It was the little things he did. The way Shigeru warned him about the mysterious Pokemon (which Satoshi later learned was Mewtwo) or the way Shigeru seemed to be worried about him, even when insisting he hated Satoshi. Shigeru was there when Satoshi needed him, whether he knew it or not. And so, Satoshi had his answer.
“Yeah, I would have,” Satoshi murmured.
Shigeru beamed, and Satoshi couldn’t help but join in.
“You mean it?” the older boy asked.
“I do,” the younger replied. “Even when we were rivals, I still saw you as my best friend, even when I thought I hated you as much as you did me.”
Slowly, Shigeru wrapped an arm around Satoshi’s shoulders. Satoshi, in return, rested his head on Shigeru’s collar.
“I never hated you,” Shigeru admitted. “I just said because I could.”
“I know,” Satoshi said. “I could tell.”
“Is that so?”
“Mmmhmm. You always seemed to show up when I needed you, whether I knew it or not. How did you know, anyway?”
“To tell the truth, I always had the feeling to check up on you to see your progress. I know you didn’t always like that, but it made me feel better, even though I didn’t know it at the time.”
They shared a chuckle.
“We’re both idiots,” Satoshi laughed.
Shigeru hummed. “Yeah, I suppose we are.”
Satoshi basked in the attention and affection from Shigeru.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” the older boy started.
“What’s wrong?” the younger asked.
“I’m not going to be a trainer anymore.”
His heart leapt into his throat.
“Then, what are you going to do?”
“I think I want to be a Pokemon Researcher, like my grandpa.”
“… Oh.”
Shigeru tilted Satoshi’s head to look at him.
“Satoshi-kun, I’ll still be there if you need me,” Shigeru told him, “but you’d have to tell me when and if you wanted me there.”
“It still hurts,” Satoshi admitted softly. “We won’t run into each other much anymore.”
“Maybe not, but you’ll still hear from me. I’ll even send postcards.”
Satoshi scoffed, but he allowed the other boy to hug him close.
“I’ll really miss you; miss this.”
“Mmmhmm. I’ll miss you too.”
The two friends stayed silent, just enjoying each other’s company.