Chronicles of the Keyblade Book 4: Poisoned Pasts

Chapter 6: Prepare for Trouble!

The climb up the side of the mountain was indeed hard. Several times we had to stop to let Mini rest and to wait out sudden weather changes. I sweat the weather there is worse than Colorado weather! But thanks to my counting the lightning and thunder, we were able to get moving pretty quick. And it impressed my new companions.

I was now so close to getting the water for Emily, I could feel myself calm a little. I look at her Crystal, it was still flickering, but she hadn't gotten worse since the last time I checked. So maybe, God willing, she'll be okay by the time I got back.

At last, we made it to the top. It was covered in lush forests like bellow us, but now I at least felt safe enough to 'unbuckle' myself from Minnie's back and dismount.

"Ri!…." Riolu said in awe of the place. And to put it plainly, I was a bit floored at the beauty of it myself.

"Good work Minnie." I heard Lud say and turned to see him at the rock-snake's head petting her. And from what I saw, she was exhausted. Lud pulled out that weird ball and poked the button on it, opening it to show several wires in it. "You get some rest. You deserve it." He said as a red beam of light shot from the ball and seemed to suck the giant creature into it. He pocketed the ball and grinned. "Well, that was easier than I thought it would be."

"No kidding." Monique said, kneeling beside Talbot. "And from all the vegetation, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a lot of water up here."

"See?" I told them. "I'm not crazy."

"I never said you weren't." Monique said. "You're still crazy for wanting to come up here with weather strong enough to make you fly higher than a Fearow."

"I don't know what that is," I told her. "But if my sources tell me there's healing water up here, then there is." I look at the bases of the trees, they were all sloped a bit deeper into the forest. "Looks like the mountain forms a bowl of some kind. So any water should gather to the lowest point. So lets try this way."

"You don't know a thing about Pokemon," Monique said, she, Lud, Spooky and Tal following. "And yet you know how to read terrain? Where are you from anyway?"

"Somewhere where there is not Pokemon." I told her, somewhat mad that she's confronting me about this now. "Where I come from they're just legends and stories. I didn't even follow the stories as a kid growing up. Guess I should have now that my girlfriends life is at steak."

"How did she get so sick?" Lud asked. "We have good doctors here, and scientists that-"

"She doesn't trust scientists." I blurted. I knew I shouldn't have said that.

"And why's that?" Monique asked. "She a mutant?"

I turned and glared at Monique, making her stop in her tracks. Kids would call Em a Mutant as a kid because she always seemed to know who was walking up behind her and what they intended on doing. That name always hurt her. Jade and I would find her later on under or in a tree to keep others from seeing her cry.

"She's not a Mutant." I told her. "She's just different and doesn't trust scientists."

"Okay," Monique said, holding up her hands. "I didn't mean anything by it."

I took a breath and relaxed. "It's okay. She's been called a mutant as a kid and she never liked it."

"Ah," Monique said as we continued walking. "That would explain a bit."

We walked quietly, but Riolu looked back and up at me. He sent a picture of Emily standing with her color back and hair pulled back in a half ponytail. She wore a cotton blue dress and she was smiling, that spark in her eyes back and burning bright. I smile at the picture and patted Riolu's head. "I know she'll be okay." I told him. "She is a fighter after all."