A Champion in Disguise [PKMN Wattys 2015 2nd Place Miscellaneous Category]

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Crystal please," begged my mother over the phone.

I shook my head in anger, "Why should I?"

"Crystal you and I both know it's an insane thing to do," reasoned my mother, "we need you here. Don't you understand...we're broke."

"I don't care! I'm going to make a difference! I'm going to fight for it!" I screamed back. I knew what she was saying was true, every last word. However, my 12 year old self didn't agree. Harama Hoorson was a traitor and I was going to take him down no matter what.

"Crystal please, come back," she pleaded.

My anger surged, how dare she demand that I come back when she didn't want to make a difference. She wasn't fighting, practicing every day to take down a tyrant. Although I lost battles I had won many, I made lots of money and I was out there. The only thing I could do was respond, "no."

My mother went hysterical, "At least please, do something to help the family that you are apart of! Help your sister! She's starving! Do something to help the people you love!"

"I will send you money, but that's all. I am going to do this. I have won a countless amount of battles and I will push on. Now, I will send you a transfer later. However, I must leave you now in order to go raise more money in the first place. Goodbye," I said coldly.

I did as was asked for me and I sent half of my winnings. It wasn't any help though. Trouble struck my family. I blamed Harama Hoorson, we couldn't afford to send her to the hospital to cure her diabetic seizure because of the stupid economic depression. It was because of him she died. I did as I was asked and sent the family my money.

I of course went home after that, my mom and I weren't on good terms. She almost didn't let me my sister's ashes. However, my father stepped in between us and had us make up. She gave me necklace with the ashes, and that was how it started. My love of climbing. Most people move through Mt. Moon, but I climbed to the top and buried her ashes with the traditional triangle, a symbol for the trio, and laid a bouquet of flowers. She was young, and I didn't know her well, so I didn't think about it much. However, my concept of religion was annihilated for the most part. However, the events of the day only came back for one reason- the events in the cathedral.

Knock! Knock! Kock! Three knocks on the door from Cynthia were enough to rouse me from my sleep. I quickly got dressed and thanked the universe I didn't have to worry about contacts and half the stuff I did when I was in Kanto. After packing my bag I was out the door where Cynthia was waiting with hers, apparently we were going to move places. I could understand why, the attacks were endless, I always heard them in the few times I woken up in the night.

We handed off the bags to a guard of hers and took out out flyers to head off to Veilstone. Stepping into the department store, Cynthia explained, "We came for a "shopping trip" so I'm going to have you fitted for a special ops climbing suit and going to buy you a dress or two or three for your man in Kanto."

So we did what she said, yet again and while by climbing suit was made in what she claimed to be "her favorite store for equipment" we went shopping. She made me try on dresses which I hated, however I didn't say anything. The reason I didn't say anything was that I discovered Cynthia was a huge girly girl who was actually really excited to buy me different clothes. The poor woman was either very lonely or very stressed, probably the latter but it could also be the former. By the time my suit was done, and adjusted, the crazy lady had bought me an entire wardrobe of clothes out of pure excitement. A little unconventional and undiplomatic, but I wasn't going to argue, it was free clothes on the dime of Sinnoh.

However, once the suits were finished we were a go. It wasn't funny how lightning fast I ran out of the store to finally climb the mountain. We flew to Celestic town in which had this cute charm to it. There was a shrine in the center and a little cave right behind it, so that the houses of the town surrounded this zero-point. A smashed rock and a quick battle later, we were at the entrance of Mt. Coronet. Running through zombie like hoards of zubat, that's right, huge hoards of those stupid blood sucking, poison filled flying rattata. Oh my Arceus, I never wanted to see another one of those things again.

However, once we got in the rough snow of the outside of the mountain, Cynthia pulled a pickaxe from her belt. The snow of Mt. Silver wasn't nearly as bad as this.

"You ready!" She shouted while I could barely hear plink of her pickaxe against the rugged side of the rock.

We focused on our own at that point. This rock was more difficult than Mt. Silver, I was using her carabiners and climbing on the same rope she was, but lower down. Hooking into the different safe points, I slipped many times and dangled on the rock face. Cynthia did too, which was even scarier for me because I was belaying her as we went up and should she have tell fallen I would have to support her. Just the same, should I have fallen I would have no one to break my fall which was scary considering the depth of the gorges below.

Once we were at the top it was gorgeous, we had entered spear pillar, the site of the so called legendary happenings of Trioanity. It looked run down, but also very cool as you could see things in all four directions. To the south was the continuation of the mountain range. To the north was Snowpoint City and a beautiful blizzard. To the left and the right were the various towns of Sinnoh. In the middle, was Cynthia praying.

"I didn't know you were religious," I stated after waiting until she was finished.

Cynthia laughed, "I'm not really, it's just that being up here reminds me that I've got an entire region to take care of and that I'm standing in the dead center of it. I pray because I want at least for those who believe it, a higher power to watch over us and especially help us through our times now."

I then felt the urge to do as she did. So, I went to the middle of the triangle and felt the sense of being at the center of it all. It was the same as Mt. Silver. I guess mountains just made you feel that way, like everything was in front of you and you had to do your best for it all. I even let out a small prayer as I kneeled at that one spot, just because I too felt like it might in some small significant way, benefit my region.

My moment was quickly over though, as we flew through the blizzard of routes 216 and 217. It was a tough flight that required the ultimate concentration of my mind, body, and my bird. However, when we were there our bags and rooms were already prepared. I didn't even want to look around town I was so tired, as we had hiked all day. I was ready to go to bed, so I did.

As I closed my eyes I knew, I had come to terms with a lot of things that day, but I still had to face the threats of tomorrow.