Name: Sophie Reed
Team Status:
Wolverine (14/14) Emperor (16/16) Arc (15/15) *Unnamed* (5/5) Enigma (30/30) Eevee (25/25)
Partner:
Egg:
Points: 126
Basic Info Story Info
Current Location: Route 204
Time: 11am
Day: 4
Date: September 8th 2028
Season: Early Spring
Current Team: Sophie, Amy, Tony, Neith, Kinnie, Matthias, Palila, Drake, Marina, Cody
I was relieved when I heard Palila yelling at something, and Amy mention the Greatball. People had been down there, and unless they died there, they must have gotten in out another way, seeing as this entrance didn't exist an hour ago. I looked at my Poketch to see if there was anything there that could help, but found I had no service. This cave was blocking it all out.
"Should we follow them down?" Kinnie asked. I was almost shocked to hear her speak. She had been silent since she got knocked out by Robocop yesterday. But she raised a good point.
We could try and follow them down, but what if we are wrong, and there isn't a way out? What if that greatball were carried through a tiny crack by a small Pokemon? What if we get down but can't get back up? Or someone injures themselves? But what if we don't and they get lost down there? We could get them to wait here and find help, but that could blow our cover. Professor Rowan wants me to be a leader and make the call, but it feels like that means having to choose between half our team...
"I don't know, Kinnie..." I said quietly, "I don't want to just leave them, but I don't want to risk the rest of the group getting stuck, or someone getting hur-"
Suddenly, I had a realization. I could hear running water, and it wasn't a trickle. There was serious movement of water down there, which meant two things. Firstly, if that section of the cave were completely sealed, the water would be stagnant. The water must come from somewhere outside, and the fact it isn't flooding means the water must leave somewhere else. Secondly, for the amount of noise it is making, there must be a lot of water flowing, which means that there must be a pretty large opening to the outside to let all that water in and out. They would be able to get out, but it will be cold and wet...
"Hey guys! The water has to come from somewhere, so there is probably a way out where the water is coming in to the cave." I shouted into the hole, "Try and find where it is coming in and we will try and find the water source on the other side. If we don't see you in three hours, we will come back here with help!"
*Insert Response here*
"Right now the best thing we can do for them, is try and find the water source on the outside." I explained to the rest of the group, "From there, we might be able to help them get out, which means we need to get the hell out of this f***ing cave..."
Our path was now blocked by a six foot gap that Amy and Palila had fallen through. Whilst there were probably safer ways of getting across, that would take more time than we had. With enough of a run-up, this gap would be easy enough to jump. But getting the team across wouldn't be an easy task. Even if all of them could probably make the jump, the biggest obstacle would be the little voice in their head telling them not to. As I thought about this I remembered one of Dad's early training sessions.
"What do you think is the biggest detriment to us as people? The thing that gets in our way most?" Dad asked me, seeming to want an answer, but it might as well have been rhetorical, because I had no idea what he wanted to hear.
"I have no idea." I replied. I would have been thirteen at the time, and had no clue what all this training is for.
"Doubt. Doubt is what gets in our way." Dad explained, "Because of this, you must remove all doubt."
"I'm not sure I follow..."
"Think about it this way." Dad explained, "I have never been caught by a red light camera. But every day, dozens of people are caught at the intersection near your school. Do you know why?"
I shook my head, wondering what the hell Dad's driving had to do with this.
"Because people second guess themselves. They see the light go orange, and start to slow down, but then change their mind and try and drive through, or they decide to try and get through, but second guess themselves and slow down, and end up running it." Dad explained, "They doubt themselves, they don't follow through, and they make mistakes."
Dad gestured towards the punching bag he had hanging up. I walked over, stepping behind it, poking my head around the side to see what Dad was going to do.
"I am going to teach you how to defend yourself, but before anything else, know this." Dad explained, "If you have already started to take action, then it is past the point of thinking about it. You have to commit to it."
Dad went to punch the bag, however seemed to pull back at the last second, as if he had changed his mind. The impact was weak, barely resonating through the bag.
"When you go to take action, your mind will try to tell you you are doing the wrong thing, and make you stop. Don't listen to it." Dad explained, "If you have decided to act, then commit to it, and follow it through.
Dad punched the bag, this time not holding back. This time, I felt the force of the punch.
"If you let doubt get to you, it will interfere and hold you back Sophie." Dad explained, "You are capable of more than you realize. We all are."
I had faith that the others could clear the gap. I just wasn't sure that they had that same faith, and if what Dad said was true, that would be the difference. I pulled my bag off my back, before tossing it to the other side of the gap, and taking a few steps back, counting the steps, and figuring out which foot would be the one I launch from. Then I sprinted forward. Forcing all doubt from my mind, I reached the edge, and launched myself across the gap.
There was a crunch as my feet made contact with the rocky ground on the other side, and I slid to a halt.
"Chuck your bags over, then jump across." I said, "Don't overthink it! Just commit to it! Once you start running there is no turning back."
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