At the Peak of the Mountain

Mt. Silver sure is harsh.

That was what Pokémon Trainer Ethan thought as he took his final steps through the snowy ground. Even though he was told that this was the time when diamond dust falls on the summit of this mountain, there was none right now. It was eerily quiet and empty.

It's like the sky itself knows what I'm heading for. But I don't.

Ethan continued his climb until he came to an opening. He looked around, and then walked straight ahead. The sky was quiet; there was no wind blowing through. And even though his feet were buried in the snow, he didn't feel too cold.

"Looks like you finally made it, runt," a voice came from somewhere above him. Ethan didn't bother to look.

"Yeah, told you I'd do it, Blue," he answered.

A young man smiled above him. Blue was older than Ethan, by about three years. He had brown, spiky hair and wore a black jacket on top of a white undershirt, and long brown pants were covering his legs. He was sitting on a tree branch as Ethan walked past him.

"Are you ready, Ethan?" another person sounded, a female this time. Ethan didn't bother to look up, either.

"Who would make it this far up Mt. Silver and not be ready, Leaf?"

A young woman frowned above him. Like Blue, Leaf was Ethan's senior in age by three years. She had a small, square white hat with red circular patterns on it on her head, and was wearing an aquamarine sweater and long red pants.

"So," Ethan addressed Blue and Leaf, "where's this friend of yours that you wanted me to meet?"

Blue smiled and closed his eyes. "More of that Johto-style confidence. I wonder if that's good enough..."

Leaf jumped down from the tree branch she was on and landed in front of Ethan. She pointed to the very edge of the summit of the mountain. "Over there."

Ethan said nothing and walked past her. His silence hid the fact that he was shivering; not from the cold, but from anticipation. I'm not a Barboach, so why would I shudder with anticipation?

After a few more steps, Ethan finally saw what it is Blue and Leaf wanted him to see. What quieted the sky and calmed the wild Pokémon. What made him shiver a few moments earlier.

A person, standing with his back to Ethan. He turned to face Ethan and grabbed the front of his cap with his right hand. Ethan's heart nearly skipped a beat.

"Ethan, meet Red."

"The rules for battle here are different than what you're used to, runt," Blue said to Ethan as the younger Trainer stood on the opposite side of the snow-covered field across Red. As in all corners of the Pokémon world, a proper greeting between two Trainers is with a battle.

"You will engage in six one-on-one battles. Each battle will end when one of the Pokémon are unable to battle," Blue continued, still sitting on a branch, although on a different tree, the one closest to the field Red and Ethan were on. Leaf was standing on the ground beneath him.

"Each battle has a three-minute period. Should your Pokémon last longer than the given time for a battle, you are considered to have won the battle, Ethan. And if you win one battle, you have surpassed Red's challenge. There will be no judge for this battle and no substitutions are allowed."

Ethan was taken aback by this unorthodox method of Pokémon battling. "What was that?" he exclaimed, turning to face Blue. "What do you mean I win if one of my Pokémon can battle for more than three minutes?"

Blue looked down on Ethan, both figuratively and literally. "I thought you were supposed to be smart, little runt. What don't you understand?"

"Everything! For starters, what's up with that rule? Surely my Pokémon will be victorious if I can knock one of Red's out, right?" Ethan replied. "And what's up with me winning the whole thing after I've won only one battle?"

Blue laughed. "Ahahahahahahaha! You still haven't figured it out?"

"What's so funny?" Ethan was getting riled up.

Blue looked at him again. He was still smiling but his tone was dead serious. "You don't win against Red. You survive against Red."

Ethan's eyes widened. But before he could respond, Leaf spoke. "Ethan, those are the rules. Just carry out this battle and you'll understand everything soon enough."

"But..."

"And you'll see why no judge is needed," Leaf added.

Ethan became quiet. But since those two are the very reason he was here anyway, Ethan decided to just play along. He turned around and faced Red.

Something's wrong with him, Ethan thought. Red was just standing there, completely silent and seemingly unmoving. Even the wind seemed to blow away from him, as if in fear. The sight was surreal. The sight was unreal

"Both Trainers ready?" Blue called out. The two Trainers on the field nodded slowly. Ethan kept his cool as he scanned his foe.

His face. I can't see his face. Red and Ethan each took out a shrunken Poké Ball from their pockets and pressed the button to enlarge it.

"Then let the challenge start. Round 1, begin!"