△ How did it feel, to travel with Leon, only to realize that you were barely anything compared to him in Pokemon battles?
invasive questions || accepting !!
“ Traveling with Leon was … fun at first. He was my best friend. We’d both been starting our journeys together … and I do have many fond memories of that time. ”
She’d even tried to get the upper hand on him when she picked her starter Pokemon, after the first few losses their skill difference was almost glaringly obvious. It hurt to go through, truthfully, sure she may have had a few victories against him. But it was nothing compared to what he had on her.
“ I think I beat him … once ?? Or maybe even twice. It was a long time ago … long before he was even close to becoming Champion. ”
Sonia had gotten some more confidence in her abilities after beating him once – but that confidence seemed to be smashed into the ground right after. And again, and again, and again.
“ But he would just keep getting stronger and stronger … and I just felt weaker and weaker compared to him. ”
Something she wouldn’t dare tell him – not then, and not now. Becoming Champion was like a dream for him, and she didn’t want her feelings getting in the way of that. However, everyone has their breaking points, and Sonia was no exception to that.
“ I eventually just lost … all my confidence as a trainer. Even if I may have been doing fine in the Gym Challenge itself, losing to your best friend over and over … ”
Well, let’s just say it made her lose a lot of morale. Though, she was glad it just impacted her battling skills and not their friendship as a whole – she wouldn’t want to imagine a life where he wasn’t a part of it.
“ It led to me dropping out … Of course I still supported Leon as much as I could – and I went to his Championship match. But life just had different plans for me than being Champion. It was a lot to deal with at the time but now I’m okay. I’m – happy with where I’m at in life now. ”
Though sometimes, she can’t help but wonder if things would have turned out differently if Leon hadn’t been her rival.
invasiveness || ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ ( 6/10 )