Bridge To Nuvema Town

She neatly rolled up her favorite shirt and tucked it into her sack. Looping a few key chains onto her pack, she stood up, satisfied. Miya looked around her room. She'd miss the window overlooking the harbor. She'd miss hitting her head on the cramped ceiling when she got up every morning. She'd miss the musty rug that sprawled across the floor. She'd especially miss her warm bed with the flowery comforter. But Miya shrugged- it's a small price to pay to travel Unova following the famed trainer's quest.

Miya picked up her bag, suddenly heavy – did she pack too much?- and galloped down the stairs. Anna was in the kitchen, gabbing on the phone loudly. "Oh yea, definitely. Look, I gotta go. Miya just came down the stairs. ... I know! I can't believe it either! ... Yep, I'll see ya." She set the receiver down with a click and looked up at Miya. Her green eyes sparkled.

"Oh, Miya, look at you... Are you sure you're ready? There's your new shoes I bought you. Designed for a lot of running, you know. You packed everything?"

"Of course, mom. I'm all packed and everything."

There was silence, and then Anna rushed forward and embraced Miya tightly. Miya looked up to see a tear running down her mother's face.

"Mom? Are you crying?"

Her mother pulled back and wiped her eyes. "No. Yes. Ahhh... Miya. You know you can always come home whenever you want."

Miya laughed. "Yeah, mom, you tell me that like every day. And don't worry. Professor Juniper sends a ton of her interns out to do some field work. And besides, I'm going with Jiro! You said he was nice, remember?" Jiro had come over for dinner two nights ago so her mother could meet him.

Anna smiled back. "Right," she sniffled, then scowled. "I just wish your stupid father would have the decency to be here."

"Mom, it's not his fault, you know his ship doesn't come in for another week or so," Miya reminded her gently.

Anna shook her head. "Oh, forget him. I'll make him call you later." She reached across the kitchen island and grabbed a small purse. "Here, take this; it's extra money in case you run into a tight spot. And how did you say you were going to get by anyway?"

Miya sighed. "Mo-o-om," she muttered. They'd been through this a hundred times. Pokémon centers healed pokémon and gave out food for free. Some of them even had hostels which only required a payment in volunteer work.

Anna shook her head. "Okay, okay, I'm worrying like crazy. But it's my job... Oh, that sounds so corny. But anyway, Miya, promise you'll call me every now and then and let me know how you're doing! Or else I'll call you!"

"Yeah, yeah, okay. I promise. I better go – Jiro texted that he's ready! Don't worry, okay?" Miya gave her mom a last kiss on the cheek. "And if you wouldn't mind, can you record the rest of Surf's Edge? It's on Wednesdays at 6. Okay?" Her mom nodded silently, tears filling her smiling eyes as she steered Miya to the door.

"You know what, mom, if you keep up your sniffling, you're going to make me cry, too." Miya tried to say that lightly, but her voice cracked and tears began to sting her own eyes. She bit them back, turned around, and hugged Anna tightly.

"You can come home whenever you want," Anna whispered into Miya's hair as they both tried not to cry.

Suddenly, Anna let go, whirled Miya around, and nudged her out the door. "Now, get outta here, you, and go make something of yourself. Oh, wait, you left that one bag in the living room." She scurried out of sight and returned with a small package, which Miya tucked into her bag.

"Thanks," said Miya as she adjusted the panniers on her bike she had packed the night before. Shifting her backpack on her shoulders, she mounted the weighed-down bike. Ten minutes left to get to the police station, where she and Jiro were due for orientation at 2 p.m.

She kicked back the kickstand and began to roll down the path to the street. She turned around and waved once to her mother, who stood behind the screen door proudly waving back. That went a lot better than Miya expected. What she'd expected was for her mother to bawl; either that, or absentmindedly forget she was leaving altogether.

Miya wove through a few hilly roads before she reached Jiro's house. They'd agreed to meet there together to arrive at the police station at the same time. Jiro thought it would make them look more responsible, and demonstrate good teamwork. Anna liked him – she had playfully shoved Miya when she told Jiro's parents their son was a lot smarter than her daughter.

Jiro was just finishing up his goodbyes with his own parents by the time Miya braked to halt in front of his mailbox. Jiro lived in a large house with a big wraparound front porch set somewhat further away from Tidewater Harbor than the other houses- it was shaded by many tall trees and painted olive green so it blended right in. Jiro had a large family: two younger brothers, a younger sister, his parents, his uncle, and his cousin who stopped by occasionally. Miya hung behind somewhat awkwardly as Jiro and his family made their goodbyes. They followed him all the way out to the picket fence where the path would meet the road.

"All right – yep, bye – okay, mom," Jiro was saying as his mother zipped up a pocket on Jiro's backpack, trailing behind as he and his bike rumbled along the dirt. His younger brothers, ten-year-old twins named Ari and Tomi, pushed the handlebars towards the front gate. Kiko, his curly-haired six-year-old-sister, babbled gleefully.

"Look, Miya's here, so I've really got to-" His uncle clapped him on the back. "Okay, bye, I'll call you and everything, as soon as we get to Accumula Town."

"Bye, Jiro!" the twins said in unison as they gave his bike a final push onto the road. He waved and motioned to Miya. With a smile and wave to Jiro's family, thanking them for their wishes of good luck, she followed him down the road. He lived very close to the bridge to Nuvema Town.

It was a long bridge, crossing over the inlet that divided the two towns. Miya could hear wingull cries over the wind that pushed her and Jiro northeast to Nuvema Town. The town blossomed in front of them after they had crossed the bridge. Rising above the buildings was the control tower of the airport that Miya and her mother used to live next to. Anna had always hated being in such a tiny apartment always roaring with the noise of airplanes taking off and landing, so after her parents' divorce, they moved to the much-quieter Tidwater Harbor.

Miya shook off memories of growing up in Nuvema Town as she followed Jiro along the main road. They stopped at the police station and parked their bikes, locking them against the bike rack. Miya's key was on a slender chain and she clasped it around her neck, tucking it beneath her t-shirt. Jiro wore his on a lanyard, which he pocketed.

"Well?" he asked, a wide smile spreading across his face. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Miya replied. "This is probably a bad time to ask, but you do have all your forms, right?"

"Of course, dude." Jiro called everyone dude. Miya returned the smile.

"Are you ready for the trainer test?" All aspiring trainers were subject to many tests and classes during their school years, but the final test was given at the police station before they could become officially licensed Pokémon trainers.

Jiro raised an eyebrow and his smile became a confident smirk. "I've only been studying for years." He rearranged his face to a more modest expression. "I mean. I don't want to get too cocky, though. But I really have studied hard."

Miya shrugged. Every applicant had. "Yeah. I'm sure you'll do fine. All right, let's go get it over with then," she said. Jiro opened the door for her and they stepped inside.