Pokemon: Next Generation

Chapter 8: Where Are We?

Chapter 8: Where Are We? 

Squinting, I looked around, trying to take in my surroundings while letting my eyes adjust to the sunlight. Anthony and Rapier were staring at each other, silently communicating that they were ok. 

Daniel rubbed his butt that he'd landed on. "Are you ok, Smoky?"  

Smoky growled as he made his way to his feet, stretching his wings. He looked mad, but unharmed besides the slash marks on his cheek. 

"Zuko?" I gently touched his ear, which quirked at the sound of my voice. The rest of him didn't move. 

"Zuko, are you ok?" I said again, trying not to panic. He growled, which sounded more like a whine, rolling over so that he was on his back. He opened one amber eye, winked, and went back into stillness. I giggled. "You're silly. I'm glad you're fine." 

"Guys? I'm not sure if Fenrir is ok," Amanda sounded close to tears. 

We all walked over to Fenrir, who was panting and wouldn't open his eyes. His body shook and even though his arm was in a weird position, he didn't move to make himself more comfortable. 

"It looks like he's been poisoned. I have some medicine," Anthony said gently. 

He treated Fenrir while we all sat still, trying to take in what had just happened to us. 

"Um, so we time traveled?" Daniel asked. 

I shrugged, the motion feeling rusty. Really, my entire body felt sore from everything we'd been though. 

"How do we find out?" 

"I guess we go to the nearest town and ask?" I suggested. "Look, it's not like any of us have time traveled before. I don't know what happens, ok? There's no manual that says 'Time Travel For Dummies' on the front cover of any book store I've ever been to." 

"Didn't your parents travel back in time once with Celebi?" Daniel asked. "Your mom told me once that they did. Or it was something like that at least." 

"Do I look like a Celebi that can actually help us get back to the future to you?"  

Daniel frowned and studied me. "Well, your hair is kinda pointy at the top and you do have pretty big eyes. Not to mention you look kinda green now." 

I flopped back in the grass, steaming. Yet again, he had no idea how I felt about being compared to my parents. I noticed that Zuko was shaking with laughter next to me. I hugged him around the belly, feeling a little less murderous as I saw his toothy smile.  

"There. All better," Anthony announced as Fenrir blinked and positioned himself in a more comfortable position to rest, licking Anthony in gratitude. Fenrir even avoided sneezing on him in thanks. 

"Oh, Anthony. You're a life savor!" Amanda hugged Anthony hard, almost knocking him over. 

"Oh, um, you're welcome," he sounded flabbergasted. "Anytime." 

Daniel grinned at me and I smiled back after watching Anthony get redder and redder before Amanda let go. 

"I say we find the nearest civilization, find out the date and where we are, and..." I sighed. "Any suggestions after that?" 

They all shook their heads. 

"Ok. Alright," I said, trying to steady myself. I was still trying to avoid a panic attack. "Let's go." 

We gathered our stuff together and stood up, looking around the forest. 

"Smoky, can you go see if there's anything around here?" Daniel asked. His Charizard leapt up through the branches and began flying, gaining altitude until he was just a speck in the sky. 

A couple minutes later he came back down, landing roughly on the ground, making it shake from his massive weight. 

"Is there a town around here?" Daniel asked. His Charizard looked east and pointed a claw in that direction. "Cool, thanks Smoky. Why don't you take a rest?" 

Smoky was returned to his Poke Ball and stowed in Daniel's bag. Amanda patted Fenrir, who looked up tiredly. "I think you should take a rest, too. Thanks for all your help." 

"Rapier, would you like a break?" Anthony inquired. Rapier shook his head stubbornly, looking highly offended that Anthony had even asked, "Ok, if you say so." 

"Zuko? How about you?" I patted his head. He growled, determined to stay near me just in case there was more danger. "Thanks, Zuko. You're awesome." 

He licked my hand and I smiled. 

"Ok! Let's go!" I ordered, a little more optimistic. 

"Em, we have to go the other way," Daniel said smugly. 

"Oh, right." I blushed. 

"No, left."

Hey Readers!

I'm realizing for the billionth time how much shorter these chapters are compared to the First Light chapters I write. I break them down into smaller pieces, but there's still more on the way that I'll be uploading soon.

Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying Next Gen so far. If you like it, please make sure you vote, comment, and/or follow if you're not already. It means a lot when you do.

Pokemon Question of the Day: What's your favorite item you can buy in Pokemon and why? That seems like a weird question. I'm finding it really weird that kids can go up to a store and buy 50 Potions without an ID or anything... just like they can own beasts that can destroy things at the age of ten... ok, Pokemon itself is a stretch. I won't even let ten year olds climb up a slide, much less give them a Charmander. That's funny. 

Have an awesome day!

-Flips