Kenya and I crossed the Driftveil Drawbridge together. It was a chilly morning. Fog rested in the air.
A few other trainers were traveling on the bridge as well. Darumaka was out of its Pokeball, trotting beside Kenya. I thought about Bianca. Her face before she left. Her eyes.
I wish you could be more open
Kenya yawned. She took a bite out of a protein bar. I adjusted Bianca's hat on my head.
"So." Kenya crumpled up the protein bar wrapper and stuffed it in her pocket. I didn't question the action. "Since you don't want to battle Clay, what do you want to do in Nimbasa?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "Amusement park, I guess." Kenya picked up Darumaka.
"When's that tournament again?" She asked. Darumaka squirmed free of her grasp and ran ahead.
"Next month." Darumaka stopped, looking out to the water.
I stopped beside it. I leaned against the railing, taking a breath. A soft breeze washed over me.
Kenya hopped onto the railing, leaning out. I raised a hand, keeping her hair out of my face as she waved at some fishermen down below.
"Careful," I said. I tugged on her arm. She climbed down, laughing.
"You know what we should do?" She said as we continued along the bridge. "We should ride on the Ferris wheel in Nimbasa."
"Didn't you wuss out last time?" I asked. Kenya nodded, rolling her eyes.
"True. But, I think I'm ready this time." She smirked at me. "Well? What do you say?"
"Sure. Why not." It was half an hour before we arrived in Nimbasa.
Kenya went on about what kind of pokemon she'd like to catch. She still hadn't caught the third pokemon for the tournament.
We crossed the city, arriving at the amusement park. Kenya returned Darumaka before we entered.
It was busy as ever. Kenya led me to a cotton candy stand. She picked out two blue bags of the stuff and offered me one.
I barely touched my cotton candy as we wandered the park. Kenya played a few games, winning herself a large stuffed Sandile. She proudly squeezed it, grinning.
She looked past me at the Ferris wheel. And gave me a look of steely resolve.
There was a line of about thirty people. We joined them. Kenya had long finished her bag of cotton candy and was eyeing mine hungrily. I surrendered it without a word and eyed the Nimbasa gym nearby.
We waited silently as the line began to dwindle. Kenya had finished the cotton candy when we made it to the front; we climbed into the pod.
Kenya sat down across from me and set her stuffed Sandile on the floor. The pod started to move. I watched the amusement park shrink beneath us as we rose.
"This is amazing!" Kenya exclaimed. She pressed her face against the window. Her excitement seemed to leak into me. A smile appeared on my face. She glanced over at me. "I forgot you could smile," she said. I blinked.
"What?" The comment threw me off. "I smile plenty." Kenya rolled her eyes.
Her eyes glistened as she scanned the ground below.
"I don't think I've ever been this happy." She paused, her smile vanishing for a moment. Then, it reappeared, and she started pointing out different buildings down below. I closed my eyes.
.
.
.
After our time at the amusement park, Kenya and I returned to the city. Kenya was hyped up on sugar.
We made our way down the street with no real objective.
Kenya stopped walking all of a sudden. I glanced over at her.
"You good?"
She nodded.
"Let's make a deal."
I turned to her, folding my arms.
"What kind of deal?" Kenya thought for a moment.
"I want one of us to win the tournament."
"What's us?"
"Me, you, Bianca."
"Why?"
"Why not?"
I sighed.
"There's gonna be a lot of strong trainers there, you know."
"Bianca's already agreed to it." She raised a finger. "So it's two against one."
"I guess I'm in."
Kenya's smile widened.
"You know what that means?" She grabbed my arm.
"We have to win?"
"We have to train," I smirked. Kenya tugged me along. "We can go to the desert resort and train there."
Something clicked in my mind as we continued along the street.
"Thanks, Kenya." She paused, blinking at me.
"For what?"
"You've been trying to cheer me up, haven't you." She hesitated for a moment, as if considering what to say.
"Well, duh." She pulled away and stepped in front of me. "You've been acting weird lately, man." She aimed a finger at my chest. "You're like the only friend I have."
I wasn't sure what to make of Kenya's sudden outburst. I stared at her for a moment.
"Last night, you weirded me out a bit," She continued. "But I know you'll be alright; you've gotta be."
I lowered my head, recalling the green-haired woman.
"Kenya, I'm good."
This time, I took her arm.
"I promise."
.
.
.
Zinzolin met Colress on the docks. The Royal Unova was setting off in the distance. Colress gazed at it.
"Kyurem stirs," Zinzolin said. He looked out at the ocean. The sun was starting to descend over the water. Colress took a breath. "We do not have much time left to use the boy." He turned a pen in his hand.
"What do you expect me to do that I'm not already doing?" Colress remarked. "If you want to take action, convince Ghetsis."
Zinzolin's scowl somehow deepened. Colress wondered how much angrier the man could get before he combusted. The thought amused him. He gave Zinzolin a sidelong look. "Why are you still here?" Zinzolin plucked at his chin, his face seeming to soften in the dim sunlight.
"Do you think we are just in our goal?" Colress' hand closed into a fist around the pen. "What if Bronius—"
Colress spun, grasping Zinzolin's collar and yanking him close. He wanted to yell at him. Reprimand him for having doubts. Throw him into the ocean and see if he would float like any other piece of trash. Words didn't come. His grip loosened. Zinzolin stumbled away, his breath ragged.
"N is our only savior," Colress said. "It's too late to look back. We can only keep pressing on."