"So, what happened while I was out cold?" James began as he rubbed his hands by the fire.
"Well," Jesse began. "When you decided to take your little nap back there, I had to drag you through the woods for a few hundred feet with the help of your Growly. He's such a good dog." She paused to toss another branch onto the fire that burned before them. She smiled as the flame burned "passionately," as she put it. "Luckily, your Koffing was still out of its pokéball and could keep smoke screening while they sent their growlithes out after us."
Good old Koffing… James thought as he looked down at his belt that he had retrieved as he was walking back to the camp. My pokémon are the greatest. They've proven it for themselves… He smiled proudly to them, nestled in their pokéballs.
"And after a few hundred meters, we finally lost them. I gave you my blanket because you weren't doing so well and I couldn't find one in your backpack. What did you bring to sleep in, anyway?"
"Uh…" James trailed off. He hadn't thought of that. He didn't usually think things through. That was his weakness.
"Oh brother," Jesse replied to his sudden seeming of incompetence. "Anyways. That was five days ago, and you've been asleep the whole time. I left about an hour before I found you in the woods."
"Yeah," James said, really hoping that she wouldn't ask the next question.
"Why'd you leave, anyways?" Jesse had fulfilled his current fear. "I mean, I came back and you were gone."
"I, uh," he stuttered. "I…just wanted to see where you were…"
Jesse read him instantly, but didn't bother to tell him that she did. James smiled at the fact that he had the impression that he had fooled her, which was, as usual, not the case. The two just sat and watched the fire burn.
"Sorry," Jesse began, "I guess that I'm not too good of a story teller…"
"No problem," James replied, for he was concerned with something more important then his partner's lack of storytelling ability. He reached over to his backpack and pulled it towards himself. He unzipped it and looked into the book that Jesse recognized as the one that he was looking at when she had seen him waiting for her at the school. He thumbed through the book and glanced over page after page.
"What're you doing?" Jesse asked, not fully understanding his fascination with his leather-bound book. She didn't take the time to intelligently read the cover, so she was still clueless of the whole thing.
James looked up from his book. "I'm trying to find out where we are. We don't' know where this wood is, or where the closest city may be, so this is the best idea."
Jesse finally got the idea to read the side binding, which was marked "World Atlas." Oh, she thought. "So, how are we supposed to tell where this forest is?"
James looked up. She had a point. James didn't know whether Jesse had run in a straight line or how far away from the school they were. If only we could find a road… "Uh, Jess?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you pass any roads on your way to get here?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Oh," James said to himself. He pulled out his compass from the backpack. "Which way to Pokémon Tech?"
"I dunno. It was almost a week ago."
James sighed. There was no way to tell which way to go, or whereto get to from there. He glanced down at his compass and leveled it, watching the needle spin to a slow and then bob back and forth, the red side pointing towards himself, opposite Jesse. "Jess? Pick a direction."
"South. Why?"
"Fine. Then that's where we're going."
"James, you're making no sense."
"You got any better ideas?"
"You got a point there, James."
"Okay," James said, thinking about all the possible places where they could end up. "We'll leave tomorrow morning."
"So you mean now."
"Huh?" James glanced around and realized the light that was growing around them, slowly the sunlight sieved through the leaves, casting a beautiful green glow over everything that was calmed now, so different from the last night.
The two pulled all of their things together and crammed them into their backpacks, barely passing a word between each other during the process. The silence was broken when they heard the sound of a pair of small feet racing through the forest. The two looked around, and in seeing no one, they went back to their packing. Soon the sound got closer and closer, and they became a bit wary of the presence and each called out a pokémon, James his Growly who was now fully healed, while Jesse her only pokémon, ekans.
"Jesse?" James said, glancing around as he pulled his backpack up upon his shoulders. "Do you hear that?"
"Yeah," she replied, nervously looking around like her partner. "What is it?"
Growly sniffed the air around him. He carefully looked for a scent, trying to find out the answer to his master's friend's question. "Growl growlithe growl growl." The puppy now had a concerned look on his face. "Growlithe…"
"What is it, Growly?" His master asked, for he had absolutely no idea what may happen with that combination of barks from his faithful friend.
The growlithe repeated the message, and with no luck turned to the other pokémon and said it for a third time.
"What do you think that they're talking about?" Jesse asked, knowing what the answer would be already but still wished to pose the question.
"I don't know, but I think it's important…" The boy replied, watching each movement of their lips as they spoke to each other. He was amazed, for how many creatures could communicate with only two sounds patterned into words and translate it as soon as they heard it into their own language, and respond in a completely different language. (I'm sorry if I lost you there…)
Soon Ekans turned back to its master. "Ekans ek ek ekans ek!" The creature watched as the humans' expressions stayed frozen in time. "Kans ek ek ekans?"
"Uh, I can't understand it, can you?" James asked his partner, who looked just as confused as he did.
"Nope." She gave a look to her snake. "Do you think that you could try to signal what's wrong with Growly?"
The snake and dog gave each other a final word and Growly looked up, looking at his master, and urgently barked.
"Growl growl growlithe!" The dog realized that the sound was continuing on, and beyond that, getting closer.
"What?" Jesse asked again. "I can't understand you!"
"Shhhh!" James interrupted. "The sound is coming closer!"
The dog rolled its eyes in annoyment, for that was what the two pokémon were trying to say. "Growl growlithe…" The puppy said in a soft urgent tone, nudging the two away from the direction of the sound. It rubbed its head on James's leg, trying to get him away, for the dog still felt it of the essence to keep in secret, so his attempt at moving them was the best thing in his mind to do.
"What's up, boy?" James whispered as he scratched the puppy's head. The dog looked up at him, a bit annoyed at James's ignorance of his actions. With a snort, he nudged at his master's leg again. "Okay, dog. What are you trying to do?"
Isn't it obvious, James? Growly thought to himself. Let's get going!
"Maybe we should-" Jesse was interrupted by the sound of the feet landing on a nearby rock.
"AAAAHHHHHHH!!!" Jesse screamed and jumped in fear behind the nearest tree. A whining James followed instantly behind her, while his pokémon stood his ground. He knew what this sound was, and he wouldn't back down. Not now. Not ever, for it struck no fear in him, for fear is only incomplete knowledge.
Author's Notes: Ahhh!!! Another cliffhanger! No! I didn't plan on that… Oh, well… Anyways, same thing as before. If you can guess what'll happen next before I post the next chapter, I'll list your name in the notes. Like I said before, this series will only last 10 chapters, and I'm gonna try to finish it before I'm gone for two weeks. While I'm gone, I'll need to know whether I should continue the series. I think that I'll need about 10 reviews under the last chapter to continue, so if you like the stories, review 'em then, if no other time. And I also like it when people write reviews for every chapter, like Pikapal, Charles "Rocketboy" Reilly, Chibimousse, and a few other people who I can't remember the names of now. Sorry… I'll post them next time. Any suggestions or notes about my story are appreciated as always, and I'll have no more to say, so as always I'm blasting off again!
PokeMaster
Mangartist@vizmail.net