Chapter 36: Pep Talk

A hand gently prodded me. I groaned and rolled over, sinking into the warmth of the bed.

"Emma, come on. Don't make this difficult."

I held my eyes shut.

"Everyone is already at breakfast."

Like food was going to get me up. I wasn't Daniel.

"It's the day we go back."

A sharp intake of breath later, I bolted up from my pillow, heart hammering. My eyes widened at Amanda, whose lips were pursed.

"That worked," she commented dryly. "Come on, girl. Get ready."

"Fine." I tried to steady myself with deep breaths. "You sure know how to wake someone up."

"Just mentioning life and death situations helps a lot." She winked, grabbed her packed bag and headed out the door. I gripped the sheets tightly for myself, as if for protection, before climbing out of bed.

The breakfast table seemed tense. Anthony and Daniel sat together, mostly keeping to themselves except for the occasional teasing pokes with his fork Daniel would give Anthony, which he ignored. Amanda was talking to Brock, or more like listening to Brock. She seemed distracted as he went on and on about the differences between Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny. Ash and Misty sat together. Ash wasn't eating much, but murmured every once and awhile to Misty, who would crack a small smile.

Our normally loud group was having a quiet day again.

"Morning, gang," I greeted, trying to perk them up.

I got back a few mumbles and a wink from Daniel, which I ignored.

"I see Amanda is the only one able to get Sleeping Beauty out of bed in less than five minutes," Daniel said.

"She knows how to motivate." I grabbed a few pancakes from the platter in the middle of the table and dug in despite my stomach's nervousness for today. Everything could go wrong. Absolutely everything.

"We were planning to leave in ten minutes," Anthony stated, getting to what really mattered.

The pancakes clogged my throat as I swallowed. I nodded mutely.

"It'll be fine Emma," Daniel said.

I took another bite of pancake. Fine my butt.

Twenty minutes later, our Pokemon were saddled and ready to go. I absentmindedly traced Sadie's side. Her scales were smooth in one direction and rough in the other. I loved Sadie, but the feel of feathers, of Cloud's downy body, was heaven in comparison. He didn't even exist yet in this time, but I still wished he was ok.

"Who are you riding with?" Daniel asked.

I sighed. I was tired. I didn't want to face today, the day that could doom us all. Or at least doom me if we didn't find Celebi or if my mom spilled the beans to my dad. I still didn't think she'd tell him who I was, but really. It could happen.

Really, with all these worries running through my head, I didn't want to ride with anyone. But I couldn't say that. I continued to trace Sadie's scales, avoiding Daniel's eyes which I knew were full of concern. "I don't know and I really don't care."

"Emma," he said firmly, "Really, everything is going to be fine."

"Just because you keep saying it over and over doesn't mean it's true," I said coldly.

"I'm riding with you."

My mouth opened so I could argue.

"You said you didn't care. I'm riding with you. It's pep talk time," Daniel retorted before walking to the middle of our group. "Ok guys. It's our last stretch to Ilex Forest. Let's fly fast. We'll get there before dinner time. And you guys will be rid of us by nightfall."

No one said anything in response. Not even my dad, who seemed ready for us to leave. I climbed onto Sadie without a word, wishing I could be truthful so there wouldn't be a huge canyon between us anymore.

Daniel climbed on behind me. Sadie took off, speeding southwest.

"Why are you so pessimistic?" Daniel asked after a few minutes of silence.

"We're ruining the time stream. My mom knows. She promised to tell my dad a secret. You can only guess what that is."

"That she likes him?" he asked. "It's not really a secret."

"No. But it could change everything."

Daniel paused. "Your parents are in love in the future."

"So?"

"They've been married for about twenty years."

"So?"

"After all that time... they never gave up on each other, even when things were hard. They wouldn't give up on each other now either. That's not who they are."

"You really believe in them?" I asked, hoping it was true.

"Of course. They're never given us any reason to doubt them. And there's nothing we can do about it now, so don't worry about it. Just let whatever happens happen. We'll deal with it all together." He hugged himself against me a bit tighter for a second. "You're a Ketchum. So don't give up. Because that's not who you are."

"Thanks, Daniel," I said, relieved. A giant weight had been lifted off me. And I couldn't even turn around to even look at Daniel. And didn't really want him to see my smile.

"Anytime."

The flying took a very long time. I tried to keep letting the tension I felt go and instead talked to Daniel every once awhile. But talking while flying was pretty hard with the wind, so we mostly kept to ourselves. It was a lot of time to reflect over our journey into the past. The good times. The bad. My future parents. How well they'd always taken care of me. I couldn't have asked for better parents. I'd never wanted different ones. Even if they were busy with work, they always included me. They were always so loving and brought me everywhere with them, even if other professional Trainers looked down on them for it. They were nice to everyone they met. And now I knew they truly were always like that with people, caring for others. Kind. Loving. Cheerful. Passionate.

I was proud of them.

"There it is," Daniel said hours after our lunch break as the sun was lowering in the sky.

I squinted to see a giant sea of lush green in the distance. It was absolutely amazing how it had been there for thousands, if not millions, of years. In some parts, it was so dense that you couldn't see the sky.

Sadie flew on, followed by Smoky, Fortis, and Fenrir. In a couple minutes, we'd be there.

Celebi was in there. Waiting. Or so I hoped.

Sadie panted as she landed, wings drooping as we landed by the lake Ash had indicated.

"I'm so sorry Sadie. That was a lot of flying," I said as I slipped off after Daniel. "Thank you so much for helping. You're a lifesaver."

Her blue eyes glittered. She was such a sweetheart. I kissed her nose and returned her to her Poke Ball.

The forest was all around us, intimidating and quiet. The lake was still. It gave me the chills.

"Where do we go now, Ash?" I asked.

He looked at the forest, studying it carefully. "You sure this is the right forest?"

"Yeah."

He put a fist under his chin. "Hm. Well, by my calculations... I think that since the sun is setting east-"

"West," Anthony said.

"What?"

"The sun sets in the west and rises in the east."

"Oh. Right." Ash kept going, "Which means we have to go that way."

According to his finger, straight ahead.

"You have no idea where you're going, do you?" Anthony asked, the horror somehow being restrained in his voice.

"I always know where I'm going," Ash retorted, a bit snappier than usual.

"Ash, it's ok," Misty said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Brock studied his map. "You first met Celebi at his shrine."

"Yeah. I know that," Ash said defensively.

"We'll go this way then." Brock pointed to the left.

Ash scowled. "Come on. We're already going to have to walk all the way back to the other side of the region after this."

He stomped ahead. I hurried after him. "Hey, Ash. I'm really sorry we have to put you through all this trouble."

"Yeah, well. I help friends in need," he grunted, obviously mad.

I took a deep breath and whispered, "We are from the future. I'm sorry for not telling you."

"I don't get why you would lie." He glared at me before looking away. From his shoulder, Pikachu looked worriedly at him.

"I was scared you wouldn't help us. Or would ask all these questions I'm not supposed to answer," I said truthfully. "And I want to get along with you so badly. And I don't want you to be mad. And I wish I could help you get back on your journey faster, but I don't know how."

I sniffed, wishing my throat didn't feel tight and painful all of a sudden.

Ash frowned at me. "It's not your fault that you're here. I don't think. You said Team Rocket, right?"

"Yeah. We weren't very smart. Thinking we could take on this invisible headquarters we found. And then they had this time machine. But the building was collapsing and our only options were to stay and die, or go back in time. So we chose the latter." It felt really good giving my dad details, even if he had no idea that he was my future parent and that it was his job to listen to me no matter what I had to say.

"So you thought I'd ask you about the future?" he asked quietly.

"I didn't want you to. I didn't know if you would or not. But I can't talk about it."

"Does everything blow up?" he asked sullenly.

I couldn't help but grin. "Nah. It's not like that."

He scratched Pikachu's head. "I never really thought about how the future would turn out until the past couple of days. If I actually become a Pokemon Master or not. What that would mean to me. What will happen to my friends."

He looked over at Misty, who was walking too far away to hear our conversation, before looking straight ahead again. "It's pretty terrifying to think about."

"Ash, you're a Ketchum. And since meeting you it seems that Ketchums don't give up," I said, smiling to myself as I repeated what Daniel had told me, "Don't worry about the future. Just live every day, giving it your best, and I'm sure everything will work out. And that way you can't regret anything."

"Yeah." He pulled his cap a little lower, his lips tugging up. "I promise I won't. Ever. Right Pikachu?"

Pikachu jumped into his arms. Ash caught him securely and started laughing, tickling his first partner.

"Don't worry, Emma," Ash said. "I'll make sure we find Celebi. I may not know directions, but I always find my friends."

"I believe you," I said, meaning it.

Ash and Anthony crack me up. I don't see how Anthony could put up with Ash all by himself- as a kid or adult. That would be hilarious.

Pokemon Question of the Day: What pair of Trainers would be funniest to observe together? (Doesn't have to be a couple)

See you in the future! (Get it? Future?)

-Flips