A sigh escaped a young boy as he rested in the back of the moving truck. His messages had gone quiet since his friends were going somewhere. He looked at his phone one last time before the truck stopped moving. The door opened as he sighed. Lovely.

~~~

He finished unpacking his room before a voice echoed into his room.

"Hello?" He stayed quiet as someone came up. "May I come in?"

"If you must." A young girl about his age came up and looked around. She wasted no time to approach him.

"Hi! My name's May! I'm your next door neighbor!" He gave her a side eye glance before closing the book in his hands and fully turning.

"Brendan..." He didn't take her outstretched hand as he went over to the bookcase and slid the book into an open spot. "Anything else?" She hummed.

"You're grumpy. Geez." He went to argue, but when he turned, she had already disappeared downstairs. Oh great. He adjusted his hat before his phone hummed. Snatching it up, he saw a text from his Sinnoh friend.

Sin: "That flight was so painful, I fell asleep."

Un1: "That sucks."

Un2: "Turn around, b. I've watched you walk around in a circle and you haven't answered me."

Sin: "Huh?"
"Oh!"

Bre: "I would love to witness that. It must be fun finding out you guys ended up in the same place."

He sighed before hearing his mother call. He slipped his phone into his pocket before going down.

"Yes?"

"Grumpy?" He groaned at her words.

"Mom, I don't want new friends. I like the ones I have."

"The ones you used to see once a month?" He was quiet for a second.

"This is why I got their numbers. I don't want new friends. Never." He went back up before she called out.

"Your father will be home soon!"

~~~

Sin: "Bre, we got good news."

Bre: "please. I need a brighter day."

He was silent in his bed when he watched the Sinnoh friend type something. They ended up sending a pic that got his mind moving.

Bre: "Wait, are you guys in Hoenn too!?"

Sin: "We are! We should meet up tomorrow since you're busy today."

Tears streamed down from his eyes as he hugged the phone close.

"Yes-"

~~~

"Do I have to?"

"I would like you to."

Brendan sighed at his father's request. Go on a journey and enjoy himself. His thought process was eventually to meet up and journey with his friends.

"I don't have to make new friends, do I?" Norman shook his head.

"Only if you want to. But the only thing I ask is that you gain a rival." Brendan raised an eyebrow. "Rivals are like friends, but it's the striving to be better than the other that is the difference. Bonus points if you get a group of rivals." Brendan eyed his food as Norman continued. "I know how you are about your friend group. You keep yourselves in a blanket bundle and only take food to allow anything from leaking. I'm not forcing you to take more into that bundle. I just want you to gain a rival that'll give you a challenge." Brendan glanced at his dad before sighing.

"If I get a rival, it will not be for a challenge. I take on your genes after all." Norman chuckled at that.

~~~

He glanced at the three starters as May taunted him. He finally knelt down to the fire type and picked it up. May hummed.

"Interesting. Not a lot of people like Fire Types." Brendan purred as Torchic bounced up onto his shoulder.

~~~

"AW!"

Him and his friends; Anabelra, Charly and Vilaty. Anabelra had a gleam in her eyes as she studied Torchic while the other two quietly scanned it. They had all caught up on things. Apparently the trio had joined a group called Team Magma, which was just trying to stop their evil nemesis, Team Aqua.

"You're not considering joining, are you?" He hummed at Vilaty's soft words.

"Maybe just support. Help protect against Aqua. No one even likes water." They giggled at his words.

"Then let's keep this friendship going. To battle!" They high fived to that.