Pokemon: Next Generation

Chapter 12: Generations Collide

Chapter 12: Generations Collide 

If it's possible to feel like you've aged ten years in just a day, I sure did. I just find it ironic that technically I was supposed to be negative twenty-five years old... young... something... since I was now in the past. 

My brain felt like a Shellos- all squishy and slippery. My thoughts kept sliding away as Daniel explained to Anthony and Amanda what had happened. Zuko was my only comfort. He sat staring at me with such intensity that his eyes began to water. 

"Sorry, Zuko, but Daniel ran off without me and you were asleep. I didn't think we'd run into trouble," I told him as Daniel continued explaining. Zuko kept staring at me sternly. "Look, don't be mad at me. I can handle myself no matter what anyone thinks." 

Zuko looked offended by my statement. Smoke escaped his nostrils and his ears turned back. Again, I thought of my dad yelling at me what felt like lifetimes ago, telling me I couldn't handle myself. Even Zuko now didn't think I could go off on my own without stirring up trouble. 

And yet again, it appeared that both Zuko and my dad were right. I was in a hectic state, attempting to calm down as Zuko continued to gaze at me with disapproval. 

"Listen, I didn't mean I don't want you with me. I just thought nothing bad would happen, ok? Next time you can come with me and babysit me every step of the way," I grumbled. 

I pretended I didn't notice his eyes locked onto my face as I tuned into the others' conversation as Daniel ended our woeful, crazy tale. 

"You have got to be kidding me," Anthony groaned. 

"Believe me, I wish I was for once," Daniel confirmed, rubbing his chin as he thought. 

"Your parents are wandering through the same forest as we are? That doesn't even make any sense." Amanda frowned. 

"Nope," I agreed. 

"What are the odds of this happening? I'd like to know the probability." Anthony sighed. 

"What does it matter?" I had to keep from snapping at him. It wasn't Anthony's fault. "They're here and we have to figure out what to do about it." 

"Well, I say let's go have lunch. Those two are all caught up and everyone knows the rules- no telling Em's parents that they're going to fall in love and have a kid or how to play the stock market in the future." Daniel stood up, looking far too optimistic. 

"I don't know about this," Anthony sounded concerned. 

"Yeah, aren't we messing up time?" Amanda asked worriedly. 

"No idea. I'm hungry and I want whatever Brock is making. Remember when we visited him in Pewter? His cooking was soooo good. Remember his donuts?" Daniel practically started drooling while the rest of us exchanged freaked out looks. 

"Great. We're risking the Beautifly Effect because Daniel wants to eat something nostalgic," Anthony muttered. 

"What's the Beautifly Effect?" Daniel asked. 

"It's from a book named A Sound of Thunder," Anthony answered. "A Trainer travels back in time to catch a Tyrantrum because it's extinct in the present and fossils are hard to come by, but he ends up hurting the first Beautifly and it ends up dying. When he returns back to the future, his present time, with his Tyrantrum, he finds out everything is really different because of what he'd done to the Beautifly. He altered the time stream just because a Beautifly flew in his path." 

Daniel frowned. "Oh, come on! You're telling me we're risking screwing up time just by breathing here? If we go to the Pokemon Center for food, the same thing is going to happen, so why not have some good company?"