I was sitting in my bedroom. Haven't gone out much ever since my friend moved away. I was looking at his number. My hands were shaking, kind of like when we used to play together, but it wasn't out of excitement or rage or anything of the sorts anymore, just my body acting up, I guess. I dialed his number,
"Hey" I said when he picked up. His voice was thin, like kartana. He didn't speak except a soft cough, probably asking me what I wanted, "My mom was talking about you today. Said I should forget about you. Live better, whatever that means. Didn't get it much, but I told her you'd still be there to play if I asked you to play, Nothing's changed. Wanna get on?"
There was a long silence on the other end, except for the rythmic beep of his monitor.
"Showdown?" He whispered, Wasn't a question, just the ghost of a memory.
I pressed on "Yeah man, Let's play a few for old times sake, I've got my team loaded with those funny names you liked. I even brought the choice scarf basculegion you hated."
I could hear him try to laugh, but it turned into a jagged cough "I'll log in. Send the challenge."
I opened the site, the interface hadn't changed much, but everything else had. I waited in the lobby, cursor over his name, same username he'd had since middle school;I waited till he came online.
Sent him a challenge, a best of three. He'd always been better than me at the game. But I had something he didn't. We trash talked a lot, Talked normally a lot too, caught up on each other, I told him about this new crush I had. And that I'm not a delinquent anymore. First round, He won. Second round I won.
His name disappeared on the third. I tried to talk to him on the voice chat, "Buddy, you there?".
Then I heard it, a long, flat, agonizing note. I heard the phone slip from his hand and hitting the linoleum floor with a loud thud. His voice was weak, and sad. "Buddy, Guess I'm so gone.....Smo...Gone,heh"
I had something he didn't. A healthy body.
My friend is gone.
Smogone, he said, heh.
"Hey" I said when he picked up. His voice was thin, like kartana. He didn't speak except a soft cough, probably asking me what I wanted, "My mom was talking about you today. Said I should forget about you. Live better, whatever that means. Didn't get it much, but I told her you'd still be there to play if I asked you to play, Nothing's changed. Wanna get on?"
There was a long silence on the other end, except for the rythmic beep of his monitor.
"Showdown?" He whispered, Wasn't a question, just the ghost of a memory.
I pressed on "Yeah man, Let's play a few for old times sake, I've got my team loaded with those funny names you liked. I even brought the choice scarf basculegion you hated."
I could hear him try to laugh, but it turned into a jagged cough "I'll log in. Send the challenge."
I opened the site, the interface hadn't changed much, but everything else had. I waited in the lobby, cursor over his name, same username he'd had since middle school;I waited till he came online.
Sent him a challenge, a best of three. He'd always been better than me at the game. But I had something he didn't. We trash talked a lot, Talked normally a lot too, caught up on each other, I told him about this new crush I had. And that I'm not a delinquent anymore. First round, He won. Second round I won.
His name disappeared on the third. I tried to talk to him on the voice chat, "Buddy, you there?".
Then I heard it, a long, flat, agonizing note. I heard the phone slip from his hand and hitting the linoleum floor with a loud thud. His voice was weak, and sad. "Buddy, Guess I'm so gone.....Smo...Gone,heh"
I had something he didn't. A healthy body.
My friend is gone.
Smogone, he said, heh.
