Chapter 13: Ani-what now?
Miles and Stella sat on the sofa with their son Arnold between them, watching a particular television show their boy had mentioned before.
Even though he grew up in the city, Miles always found it more pleasing outside, thus he never really watch television. Of course that didn't mean he avoids it altogether, heck; he loves watching movies, especially animation.
It always intrigued him how good an animated movie looks to him. He, like his son, loves to draw, but he is nowhere near as talented as people who do this as a living.
Even if it's some stupid preschooler show, he would still find a bit of joy at the hard work it was put into it …. But boy is he having a difficult time understanding the cartoon he's watching.
"So ….. how long have they been yelling?" Miles asked his son who looks a bit confused, but not nearly as close as his parents.
"About three minutes." Arnold added.
"Isn't this episode supposed to be thirty minutes long?" Stella asked as she points to the screen of two muscled humans yelling. "And what's with that weird light stuff around them?" Stella wished she could take the characters half as serious. "What happened to cartoons when we were asleep?"
"This is WyvernBall Q." Arnold said. "It's some show from Japan. I think it's about fighting aliens in the air like SuperDude."
"This is no SuberDude." Miles added as an alien thing shot a beam out. "Are they using magic?"
"I guess." Arnold said, not entirely sure. "Eugene was talking about this all week. I only caught a few episodes, but even I don't know a lot."
Then the show cuts to a few people and a flying dog thing talking about something to do with wishes. Even with Miles confused, he could still notice another thing that just looks off. "There's not that much movement when they're talking."
"Probably because they blew the budget on the voice actors' lungs." Stella said as the show returned back to the warriors. "Well at least we can see how this will end."
"Will Ukog defeat Nob Raz, the evil servant of Lord Freezer? Tune in next time for another exciting episode of WyvernBall Q!"
"…. Was that it?" Miles asked. "But all they did was fighting that one henchmen, heck, they barely started!"
"And weren't there like other bad guys too, plus that rouge guy who's practically doing everyone's job?" Stella folds her arms with no interest left. "I really don't care about this show, but I bet it has far more problems."
"Is this really hip with the kids?"
Arnold walked up to the phone and dialed a number. "I'm just going to check on Eugene about this." Arnold contacted Eugene and spoke with his accident prone friend. "Hey, It's me Arnold …. Yes my parents are amazing. I just want to know how long is that WyvernBall show ….. Oh … we're at that guy with … well make up ….. yes … how many episodes?! … on just fighting him?! ….. What do you mean that series is a sequel?! ….. Sorry, Eugene, but I don't have that much time to watch ….. there's how many in total?! But he's like some even space tyrant with no sense of mercy. How are they going to top that …. Oh, well this Zygote guy sounds like a good idea … then a ….. I'm sorry, did you say a fat man child made out of bubblegum? …. Another series?! Yeah, it's not fit for me, but thanks anyway."
Arnold hung up and turned to his parents. "We don't have that much time for the whole show."
"Good." Stella grabbed the remote. "The next one better make sense."
The next channel showed what looks like a dragon being beaten by an inanimate shoe. "Wha….." Then the shoe started to glow and miraculously turned into a military boot, and the next confusing plot goes on with some boy throwing a ball at the possibly dead dragon and it absorbed it or something.
"We caught a Charcol-Mon, the Fire-Grass Backpackmon that knows dragon type moves but isn't technically a dragon! Now I must get the last gym and then I will become the Backpackmon Champion-"
"Next." Stella turned the T.V. to ….. the exact same show, she thinks.
"With our Computermons, we can defeat the evil virus threatening to turn the real world into swiss cheese and get gnarly with it, or should I say we will but a 'hole' in the virus's plan. Ha, get it? And I have absolutely no dark backstory being heavily censored by-"
"Something that makes sense, please!" Stella changed the channel, getting a little furious.
"I'm a wimpy boy living in this house full of beautiful women with annoying voices and no personality. I also somehow accidently find myself in these random non-family friendly situation and-"
"Arnold, when you hit puberty, avoid this or else!" Stella shouted as she turned to the next show.
"I'm going to be save all the Ranchmon in this post-apocalyptic videogame world."
"Didn't they already have one of these?" Stella asked with a twitch in her eye.
"Maybe it's a whole new thing." Miles suggested. "Like how there are different shows with superheroes."
"Good point." Stella said, but that didn't change her facial expression by the slightest. "But that can't be all they have." She changed the channel again in hopes of something original.
"I'm a caveman in the distant future and we time travel a lot."
"Well there's something different." Stella smiled. "They can add some slapstick with him figuring out a toothbrush or-"
"And we need to save all the Timemons before-"
Stella quickly shut the T.V. off and grabbed her son's wrist. "We're going outside and play, now!"
"But's it's raining." Arnold pointed out at the gloomy looking weather.
"Oh …" Stella answered, seeing the unpleasant rain. "Go read a book."
He could never say no to his mother, and thankfully he's not really into some of the shows, so he obey and walked upstairs to find a book.
"Japan's probably hogging all their good shows to themselves." Stella said as Miles turned the T.V. back on.
"Well let's see what the cartoons from the good U.S.A. are like." Miles turned on the T.V. to a ….. well it's a cartoon.
"Super Duper Ultra Babies is on! Today they use their booger covered fists and full diapers grenades to defeat the evil Captain Teenagehood who-"
"Arnold! You have extra books up there!?" Miles called out as he and Stella run upstairs for their haven.
End of Chapter