"Hey, Shirona," my friend asks me. "Do you have any pets?"

I look up from the ground to meet her eyes. "Yeah, I have a riolu."

"You're so lucky!" she squeals, eyes getting wide. "Those things are so cute! I've always wanted one."

"Well, they are the kind of pet everyone wants to have," I reply, "but they're kind of hard to take care of sometimes. They're really demanding."

"I think I could handle that." The words of a girl who'd never owned a riolu. "How old is he?"

"I've had him for about half a year, and when I got him, he was…" I pause to do the math. "About a year and a quarter, I think."

"And he still hasn't evolved? Doesn't he like you much?"

"Oh, he's quite fond of me, I think. But I never take him into battles…"

"Why not?"

"I think it's kind of mean, don't you? Making your pokémon fight and stuff…isn't it unfair? What if they don't want to?"

She looks at me like I'm crazy. "Are you kidding? They don't get seriously hurt or anything. And from what I can tell, it helps them bond with their trainer, and mature. And it's natural behavior for them."

"I know, I've heard all that before. I still don't like it, though."

"Boy…if you don't battle, and you don't take any after-school activities, what do you do in your free time, Shirona?"

"Help my grandma, mostly. I play the piano as much as I can…"

"You really impress me. You're at the top of the pack in music class, aren't you?"

"I guess so…I mean, I get good grades."

"Well, I know what." At this point my friend stops walking to look me straight in the eye. "Why don't we have a pokémon battle? My little shinx would probably be a good match against your riolu."

"Today? It's getting awful late." On the horizon, the sun looks like it's sinking into the asphalt, staining the sky pink and red and orange. We're almost to my house by now—I spent the afternoon at her place.

"You're right. How about tomorrow, then?"

"Well…" I consider. I don't want to put my riolu in a battle he doesn't want to fight. But there's really no harm in letting him choose: if he wants to battle, then it should be fine. "I guess so. What harm could it do?"

"That's the spirit, Shirona! So we'll do it after school tomorrow."

"Sounds good!"