From: Jon (jonf911@aol.comSailorV) Subject: [PW!] On the road again...and again.... and again... Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000-11-29 03:44:18 PST >"Too bad we didn't ask your aunt if we could borrow a couple of her >Pidgeot," said Jon. >"I'm not the one who was in a rush," said Sarah Jane. "But remember, >travelling on foot gives us some extra training time." >> NEW PIECE BEGINS HERE, THANKS TO AOL'S SUPER DUPER QUOTING "True, true," Jon realized. He pulled out a collapsible fishing rod from his backpack. "Might as well do some fishing, anyhow." Damian pointed off in the direction where they were walking. "I think I saw a pretty large pond...er...lake... er body of water up ahead when we crested that last hill." Jon smiled. "Then I'll run ahead. When you catch up, I'll be ready to go." Runt, Sarah Jane, and Damian nodded consent. They each were scouting the tall grass beside the makeshift path, looking for training targets for their Pokemon. Jon began to jog off, hearing sounds of battle coming as Sarah Jane's Oddish found some prey... or experience points, rather. ___ The water turned out to be a square-shaped pond, only about 40 feet wide. Jon shrugged and set his pack down on a rock. He called out Ninetales and Butterfree for company, allowing them to spar in some open grass near the pond. Jon extended the rod and put on a small lure. He casted to the middle of the pond and let the lure sink a bit, just sitting there. Figuring he had about a half-hour before the rest of the Crew caught up, Jon laid back to catch some Z's. About fifteen minutes later, a paw woke Jon up. Ninetales was looking for a place to curl up, something a sleeping Jon could not provide. He sat up and shook the rod, seeing he had had no bites. Keeping the rod in his hands, Jon noticed a sign on the other side of the pond. "Lucky-Fish Magikarp Farms. We grow the biggest Magikarp in..." The rest of the sign was cut off by a smaller white board, obviously not part of the original design. It took some squinting, but Jon was able to read it. "FORECLOSED", dated five years previous. That was odd... what did they do with the Magikarp? Jon was answered with the line beginning to scream out of his reel. It didn't go too far before the running fish stopped, obviously running out of room in the pond. The line suddenly went slack, and bubbles began to appear on the surface. Getting a big uneasy, Jon stepped back. Out of nowhere, a Gyarados jumped. It was huge, a whale in a swimming pool.. and Jon's lure was stuck in its mouth. Jon grabbed his backpack and prepared to run. The fish, or Pokemon, had settled back in the water with only its head sticking above. It eyed Jon, the first dinner it had seen since the last Magikarp in the pond 2 years before. The two combatants eyed each other, daring to make a move. The Gyarados leaped again, this time coming straight out of the pool. Jon, with a scream, took off into the surrounding brush, followed by his Pokemon. He dove forward through the shrubbery and the grass, finally hitting the ground. When Jon looked back, the Gyarados had launched its body full-length away from the pond. It had crashed down only 10 feet behind him, obviously too weak for more struggling on land. Jon stood up and dusted himself off, readying Jolteon's Pokeball. Looking at the nearly exhausted Gyarados, he decided against it. "Pokeball, go!" --- Two minutes later, the three burst in, finding Jon bouncing a Pokeball from hand to hand and sitting on a rock, amongst a pile of crushed ground and greenery. "What happened?!" Sarah Jane asked. "Yeah, we heard you scream... did you catch anything?" Damian posed. Runt added, "And what's with the shredded plantlife?" Jon smiled. "I just caught a Gyarados, that's all. It's been stuck in this pond for five years, and it ate all of its little Magikarp buddies. Was pretty hungry when it saw me." Sarah Jane nodded. "The Magikarp farm closed when the U opened its Aquarium." "Well, let's get moving," Damian said. "We're still a ways from Pallet." "Agreed."