Finding Truth Amongst The Lies

Chapter 2: Serena's POV

My world narrowed into just the small space between the two rhyhorn and their riders in front of me. I could hear nothing but the pounding of my rhyhorn's feet against the dirt trail we were following and its labored breathing. We only had a few feet to make our final move so it was now or never.

"Give me everything you've got," I whispered, bending low so I could speak directly into Rhyhorn's ear cavity. My rhyhorn instantly responded, roaring so loudly that my eardrums felt like they would shatter. The other rhyhorns jittered slightly to the side at the intense sound and I snapped the reins firmly. My rhyhorn burst through the barely large enough hole created by the shifted rhyhorns. Throwing its head up, my rhyhorn bellowed once more as we crossed the finish line in first place by a nose.

I pulled my rhyhorn to a stop and lowered the reins slowly. The ringing in my ears was eventually replaced by the sound of cheering and screaming from the crowds lined up around the finish line area. Because Mom said it was important, I lifted one hand and tried to smile at the people who were cheering for me and my rhyhorn. Once that chore was done though, I hopped off of Rhyhorn, circling to face the magnificent creature and rubbed his horn affectionately. His sturdy legs were shaking and his breath was still labored but I could tell he was pleased with our accomplishment.

"Thank you for your hard work," I whispered to him as I inwardly wished that my hearing would have stayed disabled a little longer as people began to chant my name in the stands. Rhyhorn let out a low, happy grumble before sticking its large tongue out and licking my cheek. I wiped off the saliva with a small chuckle and gave him one last pat on the head before I stood and moved towards the winner's circle. A worker would come to take care of the rhyhorn I had raced on so I didn't feel bad leaving him alone.

"Very well done, Serena! I thought I had you there!"

Mom's familiar arm circled my shoulders as her exuberant laugh washed over me. To this day I didn't understand why, but she was always happiest when I beat her in a rhyhorn race. It had taken years of her forcing me through rhyhorn race training before I finally gave in and actually competed in one of the races. To both of our shock, I wiped the floor with the other junior rhyhorn racers and I was quickly promoted to the professional rhyhorn race circuit. By then it didn't matter how much I told my mom that the only thing I liked about rhyhorn racing was designing my riding outfits, she was convinced that I was a prodigy and that I had been born to race rhyhorns.

Even though I hated racing, I really didn't have anything to defend my decision of choosing a different path. I had tried to leave once to become a pokemon trainer, but I hadn't gotten past Vaniville town before Mom came charging after me on a skiddo with another one hot on her tail. She challenged me to a race and said that if I won she wouldn't argue about me becoming a pokemon trainer.

I'd reluctantly agreed, thinking that maybe I could use the skiddo to run away faster, but I got caught up in the heat of the moment and ended up racing her. For the first half of the race, we were pretty neck and neck, but on the last lap of our race Mom's skiddo suddenly sped up and I remembered the tears of frustration that fell from my eyes as I watched her cross the finish line ahead of me. She had declared that I didn't have the drive to become a pokemon trainer and that I should spend my free time practicing my racing skills. Feeling utterly defeated, I followed her back home.

Now I was here. Seventeen years old, poised to become the youngest racer ever to win the Kalos Rhyhorn Racing Championship Cup. It was all I could do to force myself to smile as I faced the crowds of cheering people as I accepted the first place bouquet of flowers and cash prize. Mom stood next to me proudly as the second-place winner of the semi-final race of the Kalos Circuit, which was a racing tournament that spanned several months and was the biggest event in rhyhorn racing in any region.