Ash Ketchum: Battle of the Ampere

Ch. 4 A Surprise Reunion

   I awoke to one of the tribesmen shaking me. I rubbed my eyes and looked up. It was dawn, and Iris was already sitting up, her hair matted to the side of her head. She pulled her hair back from her face. "I think we're here."

   I lifted myself up and peered over the side of the boat. We were docked, but all I could see was more jungle. "Where's here?"

  "I don't know," Iris said. "Somewhere downriver"

  "With your old friend Raihan," a voice said.

   I spun around. Standing behind us on the shore was Raihan, the Peruvian man who had brought us into the jungle.

  "Raihan!"

  "Mr. Ketchum," he said, stepping forward. "Let me help you out."

  "Help her first," I said, looking at Iris.

   Raihan offered her his hand her, but she grabbed the side of the canoe and climbed out by herself. I got out too.

   When I was on the bank he said, "Congratulations, amigo."

   I looked at him quizzically. "What for?"

  "For still being alive," he said. "And for making some serious trouble. Mucho caos."

   I'm pretty sure that that was the first time in my life that someone had congratulated me for causing trouble. "More than we planned on," I said.

   Iris looked at Raihan suspiciously. "How do you know this guy?"

  "He's the one who brought us into the jungle."

  "How did you meet him?"

  "I'll tell you later," I said, "But we can trust him. He's a friend."

   She still looked unsure, "You're from Idaho. How do you have a Peruvian friend?" She looked directly at Raihan. "Are you aren't Galactic?"

  "Ufff! ¡Que locura!" Raihan said. He looked her directly in the eyes. "Do not insult me. I would rather cut out my own heart and feed it to the piranhas than to be called one of those demons."

  "That's pretty graphic," she said.

  "We have not the time to chit chat," Raihan said. "We must hurry. You have angered the Galactic wasps, and they are looking for someone to sting,"

  "Where are we going?" I asked.

  "Into the jungle," he said. He turned to the tribesmen. "Feichang, Sye sye."

   They slightly bowed. "Bukechi," they replied. They immediately paddled away from the shore until they were in the middle of the river and headed upstream.

  "Those guys are strong," I said. "They didn't even rest."

   Raihan turned back to me, "They have not time to rest," Raihan said. "Neither do we, Come, Vámonos!"

   We followed him through a path in the trees that quickly disappeared, overgrown with foliage and snarled tree roots. Even though it was morning, beneath the canopy it was dark enough that Iris and I could see our glows.

   We had hiked more than an hour into the jungle when the foliage in front of us suddenly lightened into a small clearing, exposing an elaborate campsite built next to a stream.

  "We are home," Raihan said.

  "It's not my home," Iris said, looking around.

   I surveyed the camp with wonder. "How did you get all this stuff back here?"