He threw the card on the floor and flew back to his house. He hid in his room, and wouldn't come out. He heard his family discussing his failure in hushed tones outside his door. "Poor thing, he tried so hard.... It must be tearing him apart.... I wish he'd come out. I mean, it's just a test, you know?... He's having a tough time right now. Best to leave him be. He'll come out when he's ready." His failure echoed in his head daily. His life was hampered by his shortcoming. His grades slipped and he became withdrawn. He suffered from insomnia many nights. That summer, Derek and Rosy came home to stay until the start of the next session. Derek was often found at the grand piano in the sitting room on the first floor, playing a beautifully haunting tune. That tune, accompanied by visions of Lugia, filled Johnny's dreams, and most nights woke him up. One night he woke up after dreaming of Lugia yet again. He got out of bed and looked out the window. The sky was dark. The streetlights illuminated the empty streets of Cerulean City. He cupped his chin in his hand and rested his elbow on the windowsill. The silver feather down the hall crept into his mind, and took hold. If he couldn't prove himself with that stupid test, he'd catch Lugia to show them all what he could do. He quickly dressed, and instead of breaking the glass case that held the shiny wing, he took it, case and all, from its spot on the wall. Grabbing his piggy bank, he sneaked out of the house and set a course for Olivine City.
The sky became lighter which each hour that passed, and that made it easier for Johnny to find his way. He reached the port at Olivine by midday. He pushed the door to the station open and set the bank on the counter. "I'd like to rent a rowboat, please, sir," he said.
An old man with white hair and a white beard sat behind the counter, gutting a large Magikarp. He looked at Johnny's piggy bank. "Son, what do you want to rent a boat fer," he asked.
"I want to-" He started to tell the man his plan, but if anyone knew, they might try to stop him. He didn't want that. "I'm going to just paddle around in the ocean a bit."
"Heh," the old man laughed. He emptied the piggy bank. A mess of pennies covered the counter. "This ain't enough fer a boat."
"Please, can't I take one for just an hour or so," Johnny begged. He had no idea how long it would take to find Lugia, much less capture it, but once he had it, everyone would revere him as a hero, and he could have anything and everything he wanted.
The old man evaluated the small boy before him. He could tell there was more on Johnny's mind than just a short cruise in the sea. "Fine," he said sighing. "But if yer not back in an hour, I'll find your pappy, and I'll make him pay fer my boat!" He showed John to the dock, and set him up with a small rowboat. "Thanks, mister," Johnny cried, waving. He struggled to get the boat out of the harbor. It was hard for him to figure out how to row it without going in circles. Eventually, he got it. He peeked at his watch. He had only forty minutes left. He rowed furiously out to sea, and stopped when he reached the nearest of the four atolls in the Whirl Islands. As he tried to get closer, walls of sea vegetation blocked his way. It seemed the only way to get in was to fight past the whirlpools between the forests of seaweed. He fearlessly paddled into the whirlpool. It spun his tiny vessel around, and water quickly filled the boat. He yelled and jumped out of the boat. Fortunately, he'd jumped far enough to be clear of the whirlpool. He swam to shore and gazed at the pool. It had swallowed the boat completely. He set his backpack on the sand and checked its contents again. Flashlight, silver wing, maps of the dungeons of the islands he'd copied from the ancient textbooks he'd found, bottled water and jerky, and the Master ball. He'd taken that from his father as well, so he could catch Lugia. He had the presence of mind to put the maps in plastic sleeves to protect them from such things as he just experienced. He pulled out the flashlight, the map and the ball. He clipped the ball to his belt loop for easy access. He switched the flashlight on and stepped into the cave.
The sky became lighter which each hour that passed, and that made it easier for Johnny to find his way. He reached the port at Olivine by midday. He pushed the door to the station open and set the bank on the counter. "I'd like to rent a rowboat, please, sir," he said.
An old man with white hair and a white beard sat behind the counter, gutting a large Magikarp. He looked at Johnny's piggy bank. "Son, what do you want to rent a boat fer," he asked.
"I want to-" He started to tell the man his plan, but if anyone knew, they might try to stop him. He didn't want that. "I'm going to just paddle around in the ocean a bit."
"Heh," the old man laughed. He emptied the piggy bank. A mess of pennies covered the counter. "This ain't enough fer a boat."
"Please, can't I take one for just an hour or so," Johnny begged. He had no idea how long it would take to find Lugia, much less capture it, but once he had it, everyone would revere him as a hero, and he could have anything and everything he wanted.
The old man evaluated the small boy before him. He could tell there was more on Johnny's mind than just a short cruise in the sea. "Fine," he said sighing. "But if yer not back in an hour, I'll find your pappy, and I'll make him pay fer my boat!" He showed John to the dock, and set him up with a small rowboat. "Thanks, mister," Johnny cried, waving. He struggled to get the boat out of the harbor. It was hard for him to figure out how to row it without going in circles. Eventually, he got it. He peeked at his watch. He had only forty minutes left. He rowed furiously out to sea, and stopped when he reached the nearest of the four atolls in the Whirl Islands. As he tried to get closer, walls of sea vegetation blocked his way. It seemed the only way to get in was to fight past the whirlpools between the forests of seaweed. He fearlessly paddled into the whirlpool. It spun his tiny vessel around, and water quickly filled the boat. He yelled and jumped out of the boat. Fortunately, he'd jumped far enough to be clear of the whirlpool. He swam to shore and gazed at the pool. It had swallowed the boat completely. He set his backpack on the sand and checked its contents again. Flashlight, silver wing, maps of the dungeons of the islands he'd copied from the ancient textbooks he'd found, bottled water and jerky, and the Master ball. He'd taken that from his father as well, so he could catch Lugia. He had the presence of mind to put the maps in plastic sleeves to protect them from such things as he just experienced. He pulled out the flashlight, the map and the ball. He clipped the ball to his belt loop for easy access. He switched the flashlight on and stepped into the cave.