"...and the champion wins again, retaining the title and staying atop the League for another year!"
That should be me. I spin around in my chair and face my computer, trying to ignore the cheering. Behind me, Sonia yawns loudly and picks up the remote from the countertop. The noise from the TV abruptly ends as she hits the power button.
"Well, that's that," she says as she stands up and stretches. "No wonder Leon lost. I don't know that anybody can beat the new champ."
I feel a little twitch of anger. I had tried so, so hard. My brother had a rival who pushed him forward, so that's what I wanted too. That should be me winning my fifth consecutive league title, that should be me who finally overcame the impossible task of beating my big brother, Leon. It was supposed to be my fate, my destiny. I had it all planned out, I had the perfect strategy, I had the perfect team. I overcame every obstacle thrown in my path.
And instead, my future was stolen from me, by the one I called my best friend, the one I begged to be my rival. The day of the tournament has yet to stop replaying in my head. I've tried to consider what I could do better, what moves went wrong, the team I should have put together, and anything else that would lead to me winning that day.
Yet, not a single damn change would have made a difference. My rival wins every time. I go home every time, broken, and just as disheartened as Leon.
Sonia puts a hand on my shoulder. My whole body is tense. I unclench my jaw and drop my shoulders. "It's okay, Hop," she says to me, sensing my self-loathing. "you're an amazing trainer and professor. You've pushed Pokémon biological research so much farther in the past few years than anybody could have imagined. You've already published as many papers as I have, and you're years younger than I am. You've already been recognized by dozens of professors across the world from Kanto to Unova to Alola. Your rival might be able to beat anybody in battle, but you'll never be beaten in understanding the real nature of Pokemon."
The anger slips away, and pride takes its place. I flash her a smile and thank her. As she goes back to her desk, I look over the data in front of me. There's still so much to uncover about the world, so much that my rival could never imagine. And I'd be damned before I let any of those mysteries escape me.