Finding Truth Amongst The Lies

Chapter 31: Serena's POV

"Serena? Serena! Bree! Wake up!"

I groaned slightly as Jeremy's overly chipper voice penetrated my foggy brain and pulled me from unconsciousness. Bree and I had been staying with Jeremy and Bethany for almost a week now and had spent every spare moment training with our Rapidashes. It had been a little intimidating having a mane of fire flying past my side as I rode Delta around the corral, I had to admit. Still, after a day (and several tests of my flame-proof suit) I had lost my fear of being burnt and was able to concentrate on my racing.

Delta was an incredibly eager pokemon. His stamina was off the charts and frequently I was the one who became tired and pulled him to a stop even before he was getting winded. Riding a Rapidash was much different from riding a Rhyhorn. When riding a Rhyhorn your legs were spread further apart, but it was easier to grip them with your knees to steer them because of their thick hides, even without using the reins. Rhyhorn riding was also a much bumpier and messier experience, since they were lower to the ground the dirt they kicked up from their heavy feet would spray up onto their rider, making it necessary to wear protective goggles.

Whereas riding a Rapidash, I had been amazed at how much farther away the ground was from me once I had successfully gotten into the saddle. Delta's gait, in particular, was incredibly smooth. But almost BECAUSE it was so smooth, I was constantly tensing up, trying to prepare for a jarring bump, and that would cause me to get out of rhythm with Delta's stride and instead of moving up and down with his pace, I was going opposite and smacking my tailbone quite painfully against the saddle.

After that first painful day of a lot of trial and error, I slowly began to relax. As I did, my body seemed to meld naturally into the rhythm of Delta's pace, whether it was a walk, a canter, or a full-on gallop. The more I rode on Delta, the more I realized that I had missed the feeling of wind rushing past me and seeing the scenery as a flash of color as I sped past it. It had only taken one time for Delta to suddenly buck me off after I had jabbed him as hard as my old Rhyhorn to teach me that Rapidashes were a little more sensitive. Within three days of our intensive training, I was not only comfortable but thoroughly enjoying my time racing through the forest on Delta's back. Bethany had commented that she had never seen anyone take to racing so naturally before, and even though I wasn't a newbie or anything, the compliment had made me surprisingly happy.

Bree, on the other hand, didn't have quite as good of luck as I had adjusting to riding. Once I was confident in my own abilities, I did my best to try and tutor Bree along with Jeremy. It had been strange seeing the normally confident Bree struggling so much. Luckily Queen had never bucked her off, but Bree was constantly getting confused about how to guide Queen in the direction she wanted to go and whenever she got past a trot she started getting panicky and would soon bring Queen to a stop.

Jeremy had been incredibly patient with her though and after a while, we began practicing together. I rode Delta as close to Bree and Queen as I could and for several hours Bree just followed me, watching how I moved the reins and practicing bringing Queen up to speed and then slowing down calmly. After that "couple therapy" (as Bree had jokingly called it) she became much more comfortable on Queen's back.

I felt small hands tugging on my wrist while I fought off the last bits of fogginess clinging to my brain as I pulled myself from my dream-like memories. Blinking over groggily I saw Jeremy's grinning face looking at me as he tugged once more on my wrist, gently but insistently.

"M'up," I mumbled incoherently, turning over and rolling off of the futon that Bethany had been letting me use for the week we had stayed with them. Jeremy laughed delightedly and I let out a surprised groan as he plopped down onto my stomach, knocking the wind out of me slightly.