Chapter Text
“Cheren!”
The familiar voice makes Cheren’s heart leap into his throat.
“Cheren, over here!”
He follows the familiar voice, because he always follows it. It is his favorite voice.
“Cheren, look, look!” The tiny, five year old boy shouts, pointing at a small pond.
“Wow, are those Tympoles?!” Cheren crouches down, placing his hands on his chubby and dimpled knees. He looks to the kid crouching next to him, whose eyes are lit up, and mouth is stretching from ear to ear in a wide smile.
“Mhm!” The kid nods, and his short, brown, bouncy hair falls in and out of his face with the movement.
“I've never seen a Pokémon this close before!” Cheren looks back down with excitement, moving around so fast his glasses nearly fall off his face.
“Someday, I'm going to catch one!” The brown haired kid states confidently.
“But Touya, won't they all leave before you turn fourteen?” Cheren asks.
“I bet there'll be new ones by then! ” Touya says, turning around to poke Cheren’s nose.
“H-hey!”
“I'll race you back to the house!” Touya says, getting up and running down the hill before Cheren can do anything. “The winner has to give the looser their dessert!”
“That's not fair! You have a head start!” Cheren yells after Touya, following behind him.
Touya laughs as he and Cheren run back towards the house, but their laughing is short winded as Touya’s foot meets the fate of a sand castle.
“TOUYA!” His sister Hilda yells, grabbing up a sobbing Bianca into her arms. “WE WORKED ON THAT FOR HOURS!”
“T-Touya, wait up!” Cheren calls. “My glasses just fell off, you should help me find them!”
THUD!
With that, Bianca’s cries of defeat are replaced by amused giggles. Everyone one except Bianca silently watches as Cheren runs into Touya, and both of them fall to the ground.
“Owowow!” Touya grabs onto his nose.
“A-are you alright?!” Cheren asks.
“I think...I think I'm bleeding.” Touya says as he moves his hand away from his nose, revealing a pool of blood in his palm.
“Boys are such idiots!” Hilda yells. Bianca nods in agreement. Cheren just kind of screams before passing out. He isn't too good with blood.
“You okay?” Cheren hears that familiar voice again as it cuts into his dream.
“Me? It's you who got hurt?” Cheren says, opening his eyes to see the blurry outline of his best friend.
“Yes, but you passed out so I'm worried.” Touya responds, handing Cheren his glasses.
“You looked for these on your own?” Cheren asks. Touya nods, smiling proudly. “Idiot, you didn't have to!” Cheren scolds.
“But it's my fault that this all happened!” Touya frowns.
“Well in that case, first and foremost, did you apologize to the girls?” Cheren asks. Touya nods, and as always, his hair bounces with the motion. “Good.” Cheren says, and puts his glasses on.
“Now I'm saying sorry to you.” Touya states. Cheren looks at him, and sees a bandage securely smoothed across his nose.
“I forgive you. I'm sorry too, for running into you.” Cheren reciprocates the apology. In their friendship, they always share the fault for every mishap. That's how it's always been, and that's how it always should be.
However, neither of them could have possibly imagined how complicated teenagers are.
Touya splashes Cheren, who doesn't hesitate to splash him back. By now, they are ten years old, and neither can wait until their last four years are up so they can get a Pokémon.
“I use water gun!” Touya shouts, splashing Cheren again. Cheren can barely reach the floor of the pool with his toes, but he gets as tall as he can anyway, cupping both hands to hold as much water in them as possible.
“I use waterfall!” Cheren yells, pouring the water over Touya’s head.
“COLD!” Touya shouts, but now is the opening he is waiting for. He reaches for Cheren’s unguarded belly, and begins tickling him. “I USE TICKLE!” He shouts, and it is not long before Cheren’s arms assume a defensive position.
“T-Touya, STOP!” Cheren squeals, no longer having any control over his bodily functions. Instead of obliging, Touya lunges at him, ditching their inner tubes and dunking them both under the water.
“Hey! You two should stop goofing off and get up here!” Hilda yells. Touya pokes his head out of the water, still holding Cheren under.
“Why?” Touya shouts, smiling deviously.
“Just come!” Hilda shouts back. Touya pulls himself and Cheren out of the pool.
“Okay, I'm here. What do you need?” Touya asks, but Hilda just grabs him up in her arms, and chucks him back into the pool. He lands with a painful sounding splash, and sinks to the bottom like a rock.
“H-HILDA?!” Cheren screams, but before he can run she repeats the movement with him. All the while he's screaming, “STOP! PLEASE! DON'T DO IT! NO!” Before sinking down with a similar sounding splash, and this time proof that it is painful.
The two boys resurface a moment later, only to see Hilda pick Bianca up like a princess and jump into the pool with her. They all start laughing and splashing at each other.
Later that night, Cheren lays in his bed and stares at his ceiling. As he thinks of Touya, a warm feeling wells up from the pit of his stomach. His heart flutters in sync with his eyelids as he slowly falls asleep.
They've always been best friends, and that thought makes Cheren happier than anything else. It makes him feel special, loved, and wanted. He dreams about things like these, but he would only find the deeper meaning to these feelings later in life.
The feelings that would complicate their relationship.
It is the day they have been waiting for. Professor Juniper is finally going to give them a Pokémon, and they are finally going to start their journey.
“Cheren!” The familiar voice calls out. Cheren feels his face become warm, and his heart skips a beat.
“T-Touya!” Cheren shouts back, seeing Touya as he makes his way up to Touya's house.
“Who are you going to choose?” Touya asks. Cheren thinks for a moment, and then shrugs.
“You choose first.” He says. Touya pouts.
“You're just going to choose the one that has the type advantage over mine, aren't you?” Touya asks. Cheren laughs.
“Just choose!” He says.
“Fine...I'll go with Snivy.” Touya says, but he already knew that is the one he's going to choose regardless.
“Then I'll choose Tepig.” Cheren laughs as Touya angrily tackles him.
“I knew it!” He yells. Hilda walks up to them, folding her arms.
"Where's Bianca?" Cheren asks.
"Not here yet." Hilda replies.
"Man, I knew she was bad with timing but... Come on, this is the day we've been waiting for! How could she be late when she's getting a Pokémon?!" Cheren asks, bewildered.
"Who are you going to choose sis?" Touya asks to change the subject.
"I'm not sure yet..." Hilda replies.
“I'm choosing Oshawott because it's cute!” Bianca says, finally running up the pathway.
“In that case, I'll go with Snivy.” Hilda replies, smirking as she gets the reaction she wants out of Bianca.
“You're so mean! I bet Cheren did the same thing, didn't he, you smart aleks!” Bianca says, sticking out her tongue.
“We will just have to make a club then, huh?” Touya says, wrapping an arm around Bianca’s shoulders. Cheren feels a bit angry for some reason, but tries to brush it off.
Cheren realizes that he has started feeling differently towards Touya lately. When he thinks about how long his feelings have started to change, however, he seems to realise it has really been developing for as long as he can remember.
“Come on, Touya, let's go together.” Cheren coaxes, but Touya just mimics Bianca and sticks his tongue out at Cheren.
“Okay, let's go.” Hilda says, pulling Bianca away from Touya and heading inside where the Pokémon are waiting. She also feels angry when Touya gets close to Bianca, but unlike Cheren, she isn't oblivious to her own feelings.
"Hey Snivy, it's nice to meet you!" Touya says as he sends out his Pokémon for the first time.
"Hey, we should have a battle, to commemorate our club!" Bianca says with a giggle.
"That again? You guys aren't really serious, right?" Hilda asks. Bianca sticks put her tongue again, and they all laugh together.
"Goofing off aside, you guys can't just fight inside the house. Even if the Pokémon are weak!" Cheren scolds. But Touya and Bianca ignore him, battling anyway.
"Good job Snivy!" Touya highfives the little green serpent after his victory, easily winning with the type advantage based resistance.
"You guys never listen." Cheren sighs. "Well, since you've already messed up your room, guess I should fight you as well. But first you guys should rest up your Pokémon." Cheren says as he heals Bianca and Touya's starters.
"Alright, but I'll win!" Touya says, but he looses anyway.
"Hahaha! Cheren got revenge for me! Guess I can forgive him." Bianca laughs. "But Hilda beat me also..." She pouts.
"Are you going to hold a grudge?" Hilda asks playfully. Bianca nods. Hilda looks at her with the saddest puppy eyes she can muster. Bianca huffs.
"Fine! I forgive you." Hilda grins and puts an arm around Bianca's shoulders.
"I guess we should apologise to your guys' mom for making a mess of Touya's room..." Cheren adds in.
"Yeah...She's going to be livid..." Touya says, leaving the room silent.
"Or we could clean it up?" Bianca suggests after a pause.
"Nah." Touya and Hilda say in sync. They all laugh, before heading downstairs and excepting their fate. After being chewed out and then given a loving farwell, the four set out on their journey.
"We are all best friends, so I think we should take this first step together." Cheren says. They all nod, grabbing each other's hand.
"On the count of three!" Bianca shouts.
"One, two..." Touya begins.
"Three!" Hilda cuts in, and they all take their first steps forward as best friends.
But without knowing so yet, Cheren takes this for granted.