"I'm so happy you two get along," Chira told Insight and Cami as she stuck her bare feet in a stream. Insight was curled against her thigh and Cami was patiently grazing a couple feet away from the stream. As soon as Chira had left the pokecenter that morning, she had released Cami and Insight. Cami had scrutinized Insight, then given her silent approval by turning and nudging Chira. Chira and Insight had ridden on Cami all morning, but none of them were tired. Chira was playing with an idea in her mind.
"Cami," she said, wiggling her toes in the cool water. "What would you say we make your training into the rides between towns. It could easily be interrupted, but we haven't trained at all since we left home."
Cami nodded assent and Insight looked at Chira questioningly. "Training?" she asked.
Chira dug some pokechow out of her bag and gave it to Insight. "We promised each other we would do our best, and that's what we plan to do. Therefore, we train to be at our best, well, at least we did before we left home. We haven't been able to fall into a pattern of training yet."
"How do you train?" Insight asked around mouthfuls, intrigued.
"Well, we would increase our speed, there was target practice, we might wrestle other pokemon. Pretty much whatever we could think of that would prove beneficial." Chira smiled.
Insight's black eyes glittered. "Will I be able to train as well?"
Chira laughed and rumpled the fur on top of her head. "Of course. The more the merrier. But it is hard work."
Cami snorted. "Just try to keep up, Munchkin. All you'll be seeing are my back hooves."
Insight jumped up. "I'm tougher than I look, I'll have you know."
Chira grabbed the scruff of her neck. "No one doubts it. But you are going to take it easy until you're fully healed, if you start before then."
"If!" she squeaked. "Oh, please let me start right away. I promise I'll do well."
"I know you would, Insight, but I'm scared you would over do it. Until you're fully healed, you won't be training anywhere near as hard as Cami and I. Now, I think we've rested long enough. Let's head to Pewter City and that boulder badge!"
Cami snorted. "So we are going to Pewter first? What are we going to do about my type disadvantage?"
"I'm not sure yet," Chira answered truthfully. "But we are going to do something, we don't have a choice."
Insight yipped. "Am I going to be able to battle?"
"I don't think so," Chira told her, settling her pack on her back. "Maybe next gym." She swung up onto Cami and Insight jumped, only getting up because Chira caught her. "See? You aren't even strong enough to get on Cami's back alone, you are definitely not ready to go into battle. I'm sorry if I seem rather harsh, I'm just being truthful." She rubbed Insight's ears.
"I understand," Insight said. "But when I am strong enough to battle, you can bet I'll be ready."
Cami was trotting easily, being careful not to jar Insight too much. Chira was thinking. Insight was daydreaming. Chira clapped her hands together. "When we do start training you, I think a good place to start would be speed. What do you say, Cami?"
Cami shook her mane. "That would be a good. With speed, it doesn't matter if you have strength or not, you can still come out the victor. Of course, if facing someone with speed, it would be good to have strength and other factors on your side. But speed would be a good place to start. Isn't that where I started?"
Chira nodded. "It was. We would race the pokemon in the forest, until the day we would always beat them by a landslide. Of course, you being naturally fast probably had something to do with it."
Cami whinnied. "But it still felt good to be the fastest pokemon around those parts."
Chira laughed. "Yeah, that it did, that it did."
Chira yawned, stretching her arms. The rocking motion of Cami's walk reminded her of rocking a baby to sleep. Insight was already asleep somehow. Poor thing must be exhausted, she thought. They had had her walk part of the time, when Chira had walked that day, and they had run a bit. By the time they had stopped running, Insight was panting and stumbling, barely able to keep going. She had collapsed as soon as they stopped. Chira felt bad, for she had forgotten how weak Insight was and hadn't been watching her for when she reached her limit.
Now the edge of Viridian forest was just visible, a dark outline against the darkening sky.
"We had better make camp outside the forest, Cami. We don't know any of the pokemon in there, and personally I don't want to travel through there at night."
"Why not?" Cami asked, stopping by a small rock outcropping. "I would protect you, you know that."
"Yeah, but there's also Insight to think about. And I really don't want to wake up in the middle of the night to find a swarm of mankey in our camp. I want a full night of sleep."
"I suppose you're right," Cami said, thinking about it. "A full night of sleep would be nice."
Chira carefully slipped from Cami's back, Insight in her arms. She set her down on a thicker patch of grass and dropped her pack next to her. They quickly set up camp.
Chira leaned back against Cami as they sat around the small fire they had made. Chira was wrapped in her sleeping bag, staring at the stars. After a little while, Cami's voice broke the companionable silence. "You're thinking about your birth parents, aren't you?"
"I wonder what they were like," was Chira's answer. "Why did they leave me? Are they really dead? If so, I will never be able to meet them and learn what they were like. Why did they die? And how did I end up with my current parents."
"Those are some pretty intense questions. And I'm sorry, but I don't have the answers."
"I know you don't. And I know it won't do any good to keep dwelling on them, but…"
"You can't help it."
Chira nodded. "Yeah."
"Chira, you're my very best friend, and it kills me to say this, but I don't have any sage words of advice for you. I have nothing to tell you that would help in any ways. I can only say this. Get some sleep. Leave tomorrows questions for tomorrow. Don't dwell on the past or the future. Just live in the present."
"Thanks, Cami. I guess I needed that. I'll try to get some sleep."
Insight half-woke and nestled against Chira, immediately going back to sleep. Chira lay awake for several more hours before smiling as a plan took shape in her head. She closed her eyes and was asleep within moments.
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Whoa, this story reminds me of the energizer bunny. It just keeps going, and going, and going. And I'm not even close to a quarter of the way through. Go me! This just might end up being the longest story I have ever written. I hope you are enjoying this as much as I am! Woohoo!