Underdog (Pokémon Fan Fiction)

Chapter Sixteen

            “You have got to be kidding me,” I groaned, staring at the place where the neatly worn trail faded into weeds and trees.

            “This is pretty annoying,” Luna agreed. “It must be the fifth wrong turn we’ve taken. I thought you said you knew your way around here?” Both of us turned to Bugsy, who turned red with embarrassment.

            “Um, well…Ilex Forest is a pretty big place.” He coughed. “And, uh, I haven’t gotten around to exploring every corner…”

            Luna sighed. “So you’re just as confused as we are?” She asked tiredly. Bugsy nodded assent, and I shook my head.

            “In other words, we’re completely lost. In the middle of the woods. At sunset.” I frowned, thinking about our unfortunate predicament. “What if there are Ursaring around here or something? We’re good as dead!”

            “I don’t think there are Ursaring in Ilex Forest…” Luna replied, seeming slightly unsure. “At least, I hope there aren’t.” After my Tarzan adventure, we’d traveled smoothly until lunchtime, when we stopped for a break to eat. And that’s when the trouble started. We kept running into dead ends and going in circles; basic warning signs that should hint to you that you’re getting lost. Unfortunately, we’d kind of ignored them until it was obvious we were screwed. I blame it on myself, actually. I obviously am not the best person to lead a group through the woods, and I had attempted to do so for an hour or more.

            Bugsy turned away from the dead end. “Well, there’s no point in moping around here, is there?” Without waiting for a response, he marched past us confidently and headed back down the way we came, rooting through his bag for something. I glanced at Luna before following him. If anyone in our group was qualified to wander the forest, it was Bugsy.

            “Isn’t there like, a kiosk where we can get a map around here?” I asked with a sigh. “My feet hurt, and I really want to use my energy on a worthwhile expedition, instead of this…survival reality show we’ve got going on.”

            “Oh, quit it. You’re overreacting. Do you see anyone drinking urine?” Luna rolled her eyes, nudging me forward. “I didn’t think so. Keep moving.”

            Bugsy looked back at us, a compass in his hand. “You have extremely low stamina, Jared. How’d you manage to outrun the police?”

            “I didn’t. I just hid in the woods. Actually, if anything, I’ve gained endurance since then. Way too much running for my liking.”

            “Well, you don’t look very tired. I think you’re just complaining out of boredom rather than actual exertion.” He stated, facing forwards again. I glowered at the back of his head.

            Luna sped up her pace to walk next to him, and looked over at the compass. “Do you know which direction we need to go to get out of here?” She questioned, inspecting the magnetic device.

            “North,” Bugsy responded, glancing down at the compass and taking an abrupt right. He stared directly in front of us, at the tree line.

            “Not to undermine you, but why are you staring at the trees? Now is not the time to be admiring nature.” I glanced up, making sure that Gigi was still clinging to my head. She’d fallen asleep, and I didn’t want her to roll off onto the ground or something. I decided to put her in the Pokéball before she could crash to the floor and blame me.

            Bugsy glanced down at the compass once more, then turned to us. “Here’s the situation: Either we follow the trails and risk taking days to get out of here, or we cut through the trees and rely on the compass to help us through.”