A Day Without Me
folder
Pokemon › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
5
Views:
2,009
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Pokemon › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
5
Views:
2,009
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Pokemon, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Today's a Day Without Me
Rosy returned from the university with her father that day. He'd set up a tour of the campus for her, to help her decide where she wanted to attend college. She, and her parents knew that if she were to enter the Pokémon League after graduation, she'd be a serious contender, but Misty insisted that she get an education first. She headed upstairs to tell Johnny about it. "Johnny," she called. His door was closed. "Hey, booger brain, I've got something cool for you." She held a Pokémon Stadium poster behind her back. She'd picked it up at the student store on campus. "Johnny?" She knocked on the door. "Hey, what's up?" She turned the handle and pushed the door open. The room was empty. Clothes and toys were strewn about. The bed was unmade. It looked like it did every day. "Mom," Rosy shouted from upstairs. "Where's Johnny?"
Misty went upstairs and peered in Johnny's room. "I don't know, sweetie," she said. "Come to think of it, I haven't heard from him all day. I wonder what he's gotten into. He's so much like Ash was at this age." She sighed, remembering her husband when he was just a boy. A great friend, but constantly drove her up the wall. "Let's go ask Daddy." Ash shrugged at their inquiry, as did Derek when he was asked. They all figured he was out playing somewhere, and would be back in time for dinner. Like Ash, he was never late for a meal. Dinner time came, and he was nowhere to be found. "I'm getting worried," Misty said, parting the curtains in the front room, looking for any sign of Johnny.
"I'm sure he's fine," Ash soothed her. He put his hand on her shoulder.
*
Nightfall made turning back impossible for Johnny. He'd made it into the mouth of the cave in the Whirl Islands, and his flashlight shone on the rough terrain ahead. All around were unforgiving ledges, intimidating rock formations, and vicious waterfalls that pooled into dark, murky water that looked very deep. The roar of the waterfalls was deafening. Undaunted, calecaled the nearest rock to get a bird's eye view of the cave. Across a lake of dark water was a tunnel. Johnny was sure that tunnel led to his prize, Lugia. He walked along the edge of the crag, looking for a safe route to the tunnel. He spied a series of stones in the water. He tested his weight on one of them. It held, so he chanced the stepping stones to get across. He reached the mass of land that held the tunnel. He pulled a map out of his pack, and studied it. He hadn't bothered copying the words that accompanied the pictures; they were in some strange language he'd never seen before. He turned the map in every direction, trying to figure it out. He went into the tunnel, and was faced with a voluminous waterfall, bigger and taller and louder than all the others in the previous room. The mist that sprayed from its meeting with the water made it difficult to see. It seemed that this was the only thing on that side of the tunnel. He shined his flashlight around the waterfall, and could barely make out four men in dark jumpsuits and hard-hats with lights on them walking on the ledge above the massive falls. Quietly, he followed them on the ground level, until he found he could no longer. The only way he could go was up. But how? The waterfstrestretched as far as the eye could see on one wall, and the other walls were at a ninety degree angle with the floor. He caught sight of a rope that had been left dangling on the edge of the cliff above. Apparently, the men had left it there. Johnny scaled the rope and set off after the men.
*
Midnight had passed, and Misty and Ash were beside themselves with worry. Rosy and Derek were up as well. Derek was as solemn as ever. Even Rosy was subdued. Misty was on the phone with the Cerulean Police Department, giving a description of John. Ash was pacing the front room floor, unsure of what to do. "I just spoke to Officer Jenny," Misty said, hanging up the phone. "She said she was going to look for Johnny as soon as we hung up. She said the best thing to do is get some sleep, not worry, and look for him in the morning. She said she'd be by tomorrow to help us out, if we need it."
"Help us out with what," Ash asked.
"Think, Ash," Misty said. "She's a police officer, which means she deals with missing people all the time. If she comes here tomorrow, she can find clues that can tell us what happened to him, if anything happened at all."
"I guess that makes sense," he agreed.
"Come on now. Everyone to bed."
*
Johnny caught up with the men, but kept at a discreet distance. He clung to the many shadows in the cave. Their voices drifted over the roar of the falls. "Once we get this one'lle'll be millionaires, right, guys?" Johnny didn't have time to mull that over, because one of the men pulled a strange shell-like instrument out of his pocket and brought it to his lips. A sweet, airy tune came out of it. Johnny gasped. "That's it! That's the song that Derek was playing," he whispered. He hid from view, but kept an eye on the men. The tune stopped, and the only sounds that could be heard were the roaring of the tumbling water and the drip-drops from water dripping from the stalactites into the pools beneath. Then, something answered the tune. Out of the pool of water below rose Lugia, the magnificent Pokémon Johnny had been searching for. It sang the tune along with the odd instrument. Johnny's mouth fell open. Forgetting where he was, he rushed forward. "Unbelievable! It's really you! Lugia!" The men stopped and looked at him.
"Hey, kid, get outta here," an old man cautioned. He looked oddly familiar to Johnny, but he shook it off. He figured the mist was getting in his eyes and playing tricks on him.
"Yea, if you know what's good for ya," a younger, red-haired man said. They spoke in hushed voices.
"What? What are you doing here," Johnny asked. "Do you want Lugia?"
The men laughed quietly. "Do we want Lugia," the oldest one said. "Yea, we do. Now, scram."
"No." Johnny stepped ahead. "I came here to catch it." He held up the silver wing.
"Sorry, tyke," one of the other men said. "You're not catchin' it, because we're huntin' it." He cocked a large harpoon and aimed it at the still airborne Lugia.
"What? No!" Johnny threw the Master ball at Lugia to save it from the poachers. His throw fell short, and the ball splashed into the pool below. He looked down at it. He heard the harpoon fire, and saw the sharp end slice into Lugia's neck. The great bird screamed a terrible noise and thrashed its wings wildly. The whole cave shook from the force. One of the men fell into the pool miles below. "Get out! We're all gonna die!" They scrambled for safety. Lugia was losing strength fast. It summoned the last of it to execute its greatest attack, Aeroblast. Johnny was just out of Lugia's lair when the blast hit. The attack blew off the top of the cave, creating a huge crater. The blast threw Johnny into the air. He came down into the cave again, tumbling against the sharp rocks. He finally splashed into a murky lake. He was broken, battered, and bloody. On the way down, a shower of heavy stones from Lugia's rage fell from the sky, one of them striking Johnny squarely in the back of the head. He lost consciousness completely and sank below the water's surface.
Misty went upstairs and peered in Johnny's room. "I don't know, sweetie," she said. "Come to think of it, I haven't heard from him all day. I wonder what he's gotten into. He's so much like Ash was at this age." She sighed, remembering her husband when he was just a boy. A great friend, but constantly drove her up the wall. "Let's go ask Daddy." Ash shrugged at their inquiry, as did Derek when he was asked. They all figured he was out playing somewhere, and would be back in time for dinner. Like Ash, he was never late for a meal. Dinner time came, and he was nowhere to be found. "I'm getting worried," Misty said, parting the curtains in the front room, looking for any sign of Johnny.
"I'm sure he's fine," Ash soothed her. He put his hand on her shoulder.
*
Nightfall made turning back impossible for Johnny. He'd made it into the mouth of the cave in the Whirl Islands, and his flashlight shone on the rough terrain ahead. All around were unforgiving ledges, intimidating rock formations, and vicious waterfalls that pooled into dark, murky water that looked very deep. The roar of the waterfalls was deafening. Undaunted, calecaled the nearest rock to get a bird's eye view of the cave. Across a lake of dark water was a tunnel. Johnny was sure that tunnel led to his prize, Lugia. He walked along the edge of the crag, looking for a safe route to the tunnel. He spied a series of stones in the water. He tested his weight on one of them. It held, so he chanced the stepping stones to get across. He reached the mass of land that held the tunnel. He pulled a map out of his pack, and studied it. He hadn't bothered copying the words that accompanied the pictures; they were in some strange language he'd never seen before. He turned the map in every direction, trying to figure it out. He went into the tunnel, and was faced with a voluminous waterfall, bigger and taller and louder than all the others in the previous room. The mist that sprayed from its meeting with the water made it difficult to see. It seemed that this was the only thing on that side of the tunnel. He shined his flashlight around the waterfall, and could barely make out four men in dark jumpsuits and hard-hats with lights on them walking on the ledge above the massive falls. Quietly, he followed them on the ground level, until he found he could no longer. The only way he could go was up. But how? The waterfstrestretched as far as the eye could see on one wall, and the other walls were at a ninety degree angle with the floor. He caught sight of a rope that had been left dangling on the edge of the cliff above. Apparently, the men had left it there. Johnny scaled the rope and set off after the men.
*
Midnight had passed, and Misty and Ash were beside themselves with worry. Rosy and Derek were up as well. Derek was as solemn as ever. Even Rosy was subdued. Misty was on the phone with the Cerulean Police Department, giving a description of John. Ash was pacing the front room floor, unsure of what to do. "I just spoke to Officer Jenny," Misty said, hanging up the phone. "She said she was going to look for Johnny as soon as we hung up. She said the best thing to do is get some sleep, not worry, and look for him in the morning. She said she'd be by tomorrow to help us out, if we need it."
"Help us out with what," Ash asked.
"Think, Ash," Misty said. "She's a police officer, which means she deals with missing people all the time. If she comes here tomorrow, she can find clues that can tell us what happened to him, if anything happened at all."
"I guess that makes sense," he agreed.
"Come on now. Everyone to bed."
*
Johnny caught up with the men, but kept at a discreet distance. He clung to the many shadows in the cave. Their voices drifted over the roar of the falls. "Once we get this one'lle'll be millionaires, right, guys?" Johnny didn't have time to mull that over, because one of the men pulled a strange shell-like instrument out of his pocket and brought it to his lips. A sweet, airy tune came out of it. Johnny gasped. "That's it! That's the song that Derek was playing," he whispered. He hid from view, but kept an eye on the men. The tune stopped, and the only sounds that could be heard were the roaring of the tumbling water and the drip-drops from water dripping from the stalactites into the pools beneath. Then, something answered the tune. Out of the pool of water below rose Lugia, the magnificent Pokémon Johnny had been searching for. It sang the tune along with the odd instrument. Johnny's mouth fell open. Forgetting where he was, he rushed forward. "Unbelievable! It's really you! Lugia!" The men stopped and looked at him.
"Hey, kid, get outta here," an old man cautioned. He looked oddly familiar to Johnny, but he shook it off. He figured the mist was getting in his eyes and playing tricks on him.
"Yea, if you know what's good for ya," a younger, red-haired man said. They spoke in hushed voices.
"What? What are you doing here," Johnny asked. "Do you want Lugia?"
The men laughed quietly. "Do we want Lugia," the oldest one said. "Yea, we do. Now, scram."
"No." Johnny stepped ahead. "I came here to catch it." He held up the silver wing.
"Sorry, tyke," one of the other men said. "You're not catchin' it, because we're huntin' it." He cocked a large harpoon and aimed it at the still airborne Lugia.
"What? No!" Johnny threw the Master ball at Lugia to save it from the poachers. His throw fell short, and the ball splashed into the pool below. He looked down at it. He heard the harpoon fire, and saw the sharp end slice into Lugia's neck. The great bird screamed a terrible noise and thrashed its wings wildly. The whole cave shook from the force. One of the men fell into the pool miles below. "Get out! We're all gonna die!" They scrambled for safety. Lugia was losing strength fast. It summoned the last of it to execute its greatest attack, Aeroblast. Johnny was just out of Lugia's lair when the blast hit. The attack blew off the top of the cave, creating a huge crater. The blast threw Johnny into the air. He came down into the cave again, tumbling against the sharp rocks. He finally splashed into a murky lake. He was broken, battered, and bloody. On the way down, a shower of heavy stones from Lugia's rage fell from the sky, one of them striking Johnny squarely in the back of the head. He lost consciousness completely and sank below the water's surface.