Chapter Nine
The next morning, like usual, Colby was up before anyone else. She was what you called the 'early riser' of the group and always seemed to beat everyone waking up. At the moment, this was a good thing, because with everyone in dreamland, she could now write in her journal.
Colby wiggled out of her sleeping bag, and hopefully didn't disturb Ellis and Amanda, beside her. Ellis was sound asleep, as was Amanda. Nicksy, Emmera, and Zero were all curled up at the foot of their sleeping bags, sawing logs. Colby glanced at the time on the MID, which was sitting on top of Ellis's knapsack. 6:30, the clock read in bold letters.
The sun was just beginning to peak over the top of the land, combating the darkness of the night, with bright orange rays of the day. Grabbing her PokePages Journal, Colby flipped it open to the last page she wrote in. She picked up her pen, and didn't have to wait long before the words formed in her head, then spilled out onto the page. Writing in the journal was like second nature to her. It was something that she could always trust and always rely on to listen without protest or bias nature.
From a very young age, she had always loved it. Time and time again, her memories of her childhood involved spending long hours in her window seat, writing. She would write stories, poems, and even just random gibberish. Other than writing, her journal was used as a drawing book to. She wasn't all that good at drawing, but it was another one of those things she enjoyed doing.
Colby flipped the page and started to describe the dream. How could she put into words something so amazing? As always, the words flowed anyway and she documented the experience the best she could. Colby still had so many questions for Faye…She left so suddenly, but was assured that Colby would come back.
Last night, she had barely gotten any sleep…tossing and turning over the vision. Also, the stiffness, and pain in her muscles from the stun spore. Mara could really pack a punch! Colby's thoughts wandered aimlessly, mostly back and forth through different aspects of the vision. In a way, Colby was extremely eager to go back again and learn more. But she was also a bit reluctant…because who knows what the information, or the visions for that matter, could bring upon her.
She glanced at Amanda and Ellis, who were still sleeping soundly with the Pokémon. Sighing, she came to the conclusion that it was just a vision…and that those two didn't need to be bothered with her problems. For now, it was imperative to keep it a secret, and wait it out to see what happens.
For all she knew…it could have been something her own mind conjured… Maybe it wasn't even real at all, and she just had an overactive imagination. But then again, she felt positive deep down inside, that it was a real thing… Maybe she was a bit more than just average.
"Soon…soon…" A voice whispered through the wind.
Colby yanked her head up and glanced around for anyone…but no one was in sight besides Amanda and Ellis, who were fast asleep. The voice blew with the leaves, away, until Colby heard nothing. She had a dipping feeling in her stomach. It had to be real…that voice…sounded like Dialga's and there was a very slim chance that this was a coincidence.
Scribbling in the journal like a mad woman, she finished what she was writing and stuck the journal back in her pack. The sun was now well above the horizon, and the time read 7:23.
Almost with perfect timing, Amanda stirred and accidently nudged Zero, who in response mumbled something. Amanda flipped over, put on her glasses, and blinked at Colby, who was watching her from underneath the huge oak.
"Wow...you get up early!" She commented, wiggling out of her sleeping bag and coming to sit by Colby.
"Yeah…couldn't sleep very well," Colby yawned.
Amanda had a look of concern in her eyes and she glanced at Colby.
"Was it because of the stun spore…? I know you said last night you were a bit sore," Amanda asked.
Colby hesitated, and remembered then how she said that the vision would stay a secret for now.
"Yeah…that was it…" Amanda looked unconvinced…and seemed to be holding her tongue about something.
"I don't think so…Colby, there is something more…You were jerking violently and muttering things when you were knocked out for those few minutes. Did something happen?"
Colby opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. What was she supposed to tell Amanda with that? Who knew what she said? Jerking violently? That could have been an effect of time travel…?
Still, this needed to be kept a secret for now. Ellis and Amanda had their own problems to deal with…and they had just started this journey. Being carefree and having peace was almost a right at this point.
"No…nothing happened. Though I used to jerk around and mumble things in my sleep after my parents died…"
That was more painful to say than Colby had suspected. Using their death as an excuse…just felt like a stab through the heart. But it was necessary.
"Oh…I'm sorry," Amanda apologized, looking guilty for even asking.
"It's alright…just if it happens again, don't be worried. I just have trouble sleeping sometimes, it's ok," Colby assured her.
Amanda said no more, clearly believing the story, for now.
"Want some breakfast? I've got some protein bars," She asked, holding out one of the colorful wrapped treats.
Colby's stomach grumbled, and she didn't refuse. Grabbing a bar, she sat down beside Amanda and started to munch on the meager breakfast. It wasn't much…but it would do until they found something better. Hopefully Ft. Jonova wasn't that much farther.
"Hey! Am I missing breakfast? Save some for me!" Ellis mumbled sleepily.
Amanda laughed and threw a protein bar, which hit him.
"Ow! Protein hurts!"
This time Colby joined Amanda's laughter. Sometimes their little carrot friend was silly.
"So, are we okay to move on today? Or is Colby still…?" Ellis asked between mouthfuls of protein.
"No, I'm good. I can't wait to get to Ft. Jonova, and hopefully win my first gym battle!" Colby smiled, nibbling on her breakfast.
Ellis pulled out his map of Aurora again and showed them approximately where they were, compared to Ft. Jonova. It seemed to Colby that since they were traveling north/ northeast…that the bridge between land and island would soon be coming up.
"So, we should be crossing the first bridge soon then?" Amanda asked.
"Yeah, it should be coming up really soon…in fact, I think I smell the sea!" Ellis said. Colby laughed, yeah-right Ellis.
"Do the bridges have names? Since there are ten all over the span of the Region, did they name them all?" Colby asked.
"I don't know, good question. I would imagine, no, they didn't name each one. They may have a dedication of some type to commemorate each one to a certain person…but there are to many to name," Ellis shrugged.
"Oh who cares guys! They are just bridges," Amanda laughed.
Now that Colby thought about it…the conversation did seem pointless.
"Well, anyways…do you think we need to train some before we try and take on Leader Josh?" Colby asked.
Amanda looked at her like she was crazy.
"Of course we have to train! Didn't your parents always tell you how practice makes perfect, and how success comes with hard work-" Amanda stopped, realizing what she had said.
Pain flashed in Colby's eyes, even though she knew Amanda didn't mean to say what she did.
"I-I-I'm so…so, sorry. I wasn't thinking, I…" Amanda stuttered, and looked at her feet with remorse in clouding her eyes.
Colby gave her a half smile, for comfort.
"It's fine…you didn't mean to. No harm done," Colby assured her.
Amanda snuck a peek at her to make sure she was serious, and nodded. "Yeah, we probably should do some training…hey! I've got an idea!" Ellis said, brightening the mood.
"What is it?" Colby asked.
"What if we train together? We can battle each other to get our Pokémon stronger…then we can take on Josh," Ellis suggested.
Amanda and Colby exchanged looks. It seemed to be a pretty good idea! That way, all of their Pokémon could get stronger at the same time, and they wouldn't be as hard on each other.
"Ok, so should we start now?" Amanda asked, eager to battle.
"If you guys want," Ellis said.
Colby looked between the two and nodded. Why not?
"I call battling Amanda first," Colby shouted, getting up quickly.
A dull throb went through her muscles, but she ignored in and grabbed Nicksy. Bending down to his height, the little Pokémon gave her a look of curiosity. "Would you like to do some training Nicksy? We will be battling Amanda and Ellis, to get you ready for our first gym battle. Does that sound good?" Colby asked.
Nicky's eyes widened with happiness, "Murr! Murr!"
Colby laughed, and took that as a yes.
"Should we just use this clearing area under the tree?" Ellis asked.
"Yeah!" Amanda agreed, standing on one side of the clearing area.
Colby decided to take a chance, and grabbed Mara's Poke Ball from her knapsack. Maybe…just maybe she could train Mara. Colby lined up on the other side of the clearing and faced Amanda. Colby's long black coat blew around her and her hair rustled with the breeze as the two starred each other down.
Amanda pulled her Unknown hat down over her head and nodded to Zero, who was perched on her shoulder.
"Go Zero!"
Zero jumped straight up in the air in a parabola shape, then landed smoothly on the ground in front of Amanda with a thud.
"Go Nicksy!" Colby countered.
Nicksy went from beside her, to out in the field, facing Zero.
"Trainers! Prepare your Pokémon, because it's time to battle!" Ellis called, like an announcer at Pokémon Stadium.
Amanda gave Colby a half smile and seemed to put her game face on now. "May the best trainer win, and Pokémon, let's battle!" Ellis shouted, beginning the battle.
"Zero! Start us off with, agility!"
Zero launched himself into the air and zigzagged across the ground, raising its speed.
"Nicksy, quick attack!"
Nicksy responded, joining Zero in the dance briefly, before he charged.
"Zero! Dodge!"
Zero did as Amanda commanded, barely avoiding Nicky's attack.
"Ember Nic!" Colby called, mentally running through the four moves Nicksy knew. "Counter it with your own ember Zero!"
Colby had a bad feeling about this…two embers being hurled at each other… Zero screeched to a halt, spraying dust everywhere, and produced a bought of fire. It curled at his mouth, and was ready to explode any minute. Nicksy was doing the same, letting the flames fly.
They both released at the same time, spraying white-hot fire in all directions. They were across the field from each other, and where the two blasts met, a large ball of fire was swirling. It kept growing larger and larger as Nicksy and Zero battled it out for control of the blaze. Colby could literally feel the heat from battle, as the fireball grew huge. Nicksy held his ground, and kept pumping fuel to the blaze.
"Zero, feint attack now!" Amanda hollered over the blaze.
Colby couldn't believe her eyes at what happened next. Zero stopped pumping fire, shattering the ball of flames. She called out the next move to Nicksy, as the fire subsided.
Zero burst through the center of the ring of fire, dodged Nicky's ember, and nailed him in the side with feint attack. Amanda was a really good opponent! Nicksy looked a bit dazed, but got up quickly.
"Shadow Ball Nicksy!"
Carefully, Nicksy avoided Zero's feint attacks, and got on the other side of him. Quickly, a ball of darkness formed at his mouth, and exploded into Zero's side. Zero flew back in the dust, creating a cloud, which was oppressing the field.
"Nicksy! Good, now use quick attack!"
"Zero! Agility, then ember!"
Both Pokémon were thrown back into the heat of battle again. Nicksy dodging the flames Zero was shooting, and Zero avoiding Nicky's quick attacks.
This dance seemed to go on forever, and Nicksy seemed to be getting a bit tired. After all, he still was recovering from a pretty serious wound. Still, flames continued to fly, sending heat and orange everywhere.
"Ok, we are done for now…Nic is getting tired," Colby called to Amanda.
She nodded, seeming to understand since Zero was a bit winded to.
"Both Pokémon are unable to battle! This battle…has been won by Ellis Corona!" Ellis laughed, from the base of the tree.
Amanda rolled her eyes and got out Zero some water. She handed the bottle to Colby, who gave some to Nicksy. He gulped it down and plopped down on the sweet grass, with weariness about him.
"That was a good battle. You're a great trainer Amanda!" Colby congratulated, sitting cross-legged under the tree by Ellis.
Amanda looked up and smiled, "Thanks! You didn't do so bad yourself. It took Zero and I a lot of practice, that's for sure."
Colby nodded, "I'll bet. His ember was incredible!"
Amanda laughed, "Thanks! As I said, for your second battle, that wasn't to shabby." Ellis looked strained, "When am I going to get my turn? I want to battle to!"
Colby laughed, "Chill Ellis. We aren't going to forget you!"
So that's what the three did for the rest of the day. Battled, shared stories, and even practiced defense, speed, and attack. Nicksy was tired by the end of the day, like everyone else, and crashed early.
Colby lay in her sleeping bag, looking up at the stars and thought about the day's events. Nicksy had gained some good knowledge and experience for battle, though it still needed worked on.
Zero had gotten some good exercise, and Ellis had battled Amanda (losing) with Emmera at least three times. She glanced at Elis, who was asleep beside her in his own sleeping bag and smirked. Amanda had given out many battling tips to them both, and even taught Nicksy some tricks about battle. Colby had learned a lot from just one day, and seemed to flow together with Nicksy a bit better when it came to in sync teamwork.
Just from this one day of hard training didn't even come close to meaning that they were ready to take on the Elite, but it was another step closer. Colby sighed and rolled over.
Hopefully, tonight she would get some better sleep, and just maybe have another vision. She gazed up at the sky, and found her star that her father had claimed hers. Saying her good nights, she closed her eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.
The next morning was uneventful. Just a normal day, which included Colby getting up a bit early that everyone else, and recording yesterday's events, battle tips, and strategies in her journal. Amanda and Ellis finally stirred, a bit after nine. "So, are we ready to head for Ft. Jonova today?" Amanda asked, after packing up her stuff.
"You know it!" Colby said, drawing the drawstring on her knapsack.
Ellis wound up his sleeping bag and tied in on the back of his pack.
"Do you really think we are ready?" He asked.
"Of course we are! That day of training seemed to really help the Pokémon," Amanda answered with confidence.
"Well if Amanda confirms it, it's got to be true!" Colby laughed.
Finally, after getting their selves (and the Pokémon) fed, the troop headed out a little past eleven.
Colby's feet crunched over the dirt path and she watched the big oak grow smaller and smaller in the background as they moved toward the first major city, Ft. Jonova. Zero rode on Amanda's shoulder and Nicksy padded beside Colby, perfectly content. Emmera was bounding around beside Nicksy, and seemed to be having a fun racing each other in circles.
Colby smiled at the two Pokémon romping around and watched the grassland flow by beside her. It was a relatively nice day, with just a light breeze blowing in her face. The mountain tips were barely visible now, as they traveled closer and closer to the coast, and to the first gym.
Around three that afternoon, Colby could make out something on the horizon. "What's that?" She asked.
"Hey! It looks like the first bridge to me!" Ellis said excitedly.
They came up on top of a hill, and were awed by what they saw. In the distance, a few miles, was one of the most beautiful things Colby had ever seen.
The green grassland collided with the deep blue of the ocean, which seemed to stretch for miles. They could see the fingers of a double bridge connecting the mainland, with another invisible point (which Colby knew was the first of the claws) to be seen from this moment.
Picking up Nicksy, she inhaled a breath, and smelled the salt of the ocean. Everyone exchanged huge smiles, because they had made it to the first stop on their journey to the Elite. This was the first step on a huge road…a road of victory.
"It's so beautiful…" Colby trailed off.
Amanda and Ellis gave her a high five, and exchanged smiles.
"We made it guys! We really made it!" Amanda said, excitedly.
She gave Zero a squeeze, "We made it Ze! We made it!"
"Ze, Zero!" He squeaked.
"Let's go show Josh who the real champions are!" Ellis yelled, running down the hill. Colby and Amanda laughed out loud and ran after him.
"Ellis, wait!" Amanda yelled, laughing and trying to catch up.
Colby put Nicksy down and broke into a run after them both, backpack thumping behind her. Nicksy, Zero, and Emmera seemed to be enjoying the run, keeping up easily.
Ellis had finally run out of air, at the bottom of the hill and was now waiting for them to catch up (while panting). Amanda and Colby finally caught up, and Amanda smacked Ellis on the arm.
"Not prepared for mad dash running…warn us next time," She teased, trying to catch her breath.
Ellis smiled, "I thought you two would enjoy that. Now, after we caught our breath...who is ready to cross the bridge onto the other side?"
"Me!" Amanda and Colby yelled at the same time.
Suddenly, a voice spoke from behind Colby and Amanda.
"Not so fast, ladies, you're not crossing the bridge yet because… I challenge you two to a double battle, and if I win, I get a date with both of you!"
Author's Note: Ha ha ha XD That last line just kills me. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :) and sorry if it was a bit slow... Next chapter (wow…I can't believe it will be chapter ten already! *tear* my stories, how they grow up so fast XD) will be another one of my favorites. Some new characters will be introduced, and a visit from some pranksters! These pranksters, I can guarantee you will grow to love throughout the story :p because I find them hilarious. Anyways, hope you enjoyed guys, and thanks for sticking by Ellis, Amanda, Nicksy, Zero, Emmera, and me for this long. Happy reading! Review and lemme know what you think! –colbyjackchz
