From: "Saint Paul" <saint84_98@yahoo.com> Subject: [PW!] The Journey Begins Date: Monday, January 12, 2004 10:29 PM It was nearly noon by the Time John finally rolled out of bed in his dorm at the Cianwood gym. Through bleary eyes he looked over at the clock. Then, he shot out of bed as his sleep addled brain comprehended what time it was. "Oh no! I'm going to be late!" Throwing off the covers he rushed to get dressed and get his things together, running out the door only to collide with the rock hard torso of his former mentor, Chuck. "Sorry sir. I didn't see you there." "That's okay, I just came in to tell you that your flight's been canceled and the next one isn't for a few days , so there's no need to rush things." John nodded and set his packed bag on his bed. At that moment, almost as if it were on cue, his stomach began to growl noisily. Chuck's roar of laughter caused John to grin sheepishly. "Come on." Chuck said with a smirk. "They're just setting lunch out." It was shortly after he'd finished lunch that he'd come to a decision. He'd head to Olivine city anyway, even if his flight to Hoenn didn't leave for a few more days. "After all," He explained to Chuck and his wife, "There's a gym in Olivine and I could sure use as much experience as I can get before going to Hoenn. Not to mention, I won't have to worry about the ferry being to Olivine. It'll just be a lot less stressful for me." "well." Chuck said with a shrug, "If you think that's best." John nodded and lifted the small backpack onto his shoulder. He shook Chuck's hand and gave his wife a quick hug. Then, after exchanging handshakes with the rest of the students he pushed open the gym doors and headed out into the world. Next thing John knew he was standing on the deck of the ferry that would take him to Olivine city. The ship itself was fairly amazing. The only human crew member was the captain, The rest of the ship was crewed by Machop and Machoke, John watched as the wrestler pokemon swabbed the deck and steered the ship. The captain approached and leaned against the deck railing next to him. "So, you're one of Chuck's students aren't you?" John blinked in surprise. "Yeah, how did you know?" The captain wordlessly pointed at the bandana tied around John's head. "Oh." "You're not the first of his apprentice's I've had to take on this journey, you know." The Captain leveled an appraising gaze at the young trainer. "Think that Primeape of yours could beat that Machop of mine over there?" He nodded towards the Machop steering the ship. John shrugged, "I don't know, but I'd be willing to find out." The decks were cleared and the two opponents faced each other from opposite sides of the ship. John palmed the pokeball before throwing it to the floor. "Go Savage!" "Primeape!" Savage cried as he emerged from the pokeball shadow boxing for a moment while he waited for his opponent to appear. "Go Machop!" The Machop stepped onto the floor flexing his muscles and growled roughly. "Machop! Body Slam!" "Savage, Focus Energy!" A fiery light came into Savage's eyes as the Machop lifted him bodily into the air and slammed him to the ground. John gave his next order "Cross Chop!" "Machop, use Mega Punch!" The Machop pulled his hand into a glowing fist which he thrust into Savages face at the same time that the pigmonkey pokemon brought both his fists into the muscle pokemon's chest. Both pokemon flew away from each other landing on the floor with a pair of thuds. After a second's pause both fighting types were back on their feet and ready to go again. "Double Kick Machop!" "Submission!" Primeape maneuvered in to make his move but was swiftly denied by a duet of kicks to the face. He was thrown to the floor once again, sliding on the slick wood of the deck. And he didn't get up. John recalled his pokemon with a small sigh. After all, what did he expect, considering it'd taken him nine years to beat Chuck? Oh well. Maybe he'd have better luck at the Olivine gym. They had steel pokemon, which were weak to fighting weren't they?. The captain had crossed the deck to shake John's hand when one of the Machoke sailors called him over. The captian went to take a look at what the pokemon was so excited about, then said over the ships PA system: "Attention all crew and passengers: We have Olivine in sight, and we'll be there in a few minutes!" John leaned over the rail to see the mainland fast approaching. The berthing process was quick and relatively easy. It was obvious that the whole crew knew this particular port like the back of their hands, which made sense considering they probably made the trip between Olivine and Cianwood several times a day. John disembraked with his pack slung over one shoulder and Savage's pokeball in his hand. After the beating his pokemon took in the battle he figured it was best if he stopped at the pokemon center first. After relinquishing his pokeball into the capable pseudopods of the resident Chanseys he sat down in one of the chairs in the waiting room, grabbing a copy of the Celadon City Xpoze. John regarded the two month old and slightly battered periodical. "Celadon City?" he wondered. "Musta been left here by some other trainer. Either that or it's one heck of a delivery charge." He began reading the magazine and was soon immersed in an article, at least until the waiting room television, tuned into the Pokemon News Network caught his attention Rob Wrote: >the S.S. Tidal will sail all the >way to Olivine City in Johto to show just how safe the ship is. Since we're >trying to encourage people to sail and need to raise funds to make up for >lost time, the prices for a luxury cruise from Olivine City to Hoenn's >Littleroot Town will be drastically reduced! Anyone who's watching this >report in Johto, take note! If you're interested in experiencing a safe, >relaxing, luxurious cruise to Hoenn, head on over to Olivine City and buy >your tickets today! The S.S. Tidal will be arriving there in just two days >if we make good time, three if we encounter harsh weather." "Hmm. That sounds like a good idea." John thought, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "And with that reduced price it's bound to be cheaper than a plane ticket. It's not getting here for another three days either. That gives me plenty of time to challenge Jasmine for a Mineral badge too." John went back to the magazine aticle, satisfied with what appeared to be a good plan all around. TBC