Chapter 6: Selenitic Acts
It was night when they arrived; the Professor put away the gear journal and the group went to sleep. The next morning, Team Rocket and Ash, Misty, and Brock agreed to a temporary truce until they can get back to the Pok?mon world, where they all came from. They also added the pages they retrieved from Mechanical. Still, both books instructed them to bring more pages to their book and not to the others.
"More pages?" said James.
"Yes, Sirrus and Achenar are trapped in the books, and the only way to get them out is if we get more of pages," said Brock.
"Where are the pages?"
"They're on other worlds - at least the ones that weren't burned."
"Where have you been?"
"Well, we've been to a world called Stoneship, and another called Mechanical. According to this key, we have the unknown world and Channelwood left. How about we go to the unknown world?"
"Brock, that sounds like a great idea," said the Professor. The group agreed, and they walked out to the rocket ship. Misty stepped up to open the door, but her efforts failed to open it.
"It's locked."
"It might need power," said Ash. They looked around the rocket and found an electrical wire running just above the rocket towards a brick tower, then into a grove of trees, and then into the brick shack.
"If I am right, the generator for the power should be located there. Ash, come with me. James, you too." Brock gathered both of them and walked to the brick shack. When they got there, they entered the shack and walked down the stairs leading to a door.
"Looks like there's a room here," said Ash.
"It might be the generator," said Brock. He pushed the button next to the door and the door opened. A series of lights then clicked on, illuminating a row of generators and a control panel. The three entered the room and found themselves in front of the control panel.
"According to the key, 59 volts is what we need. I am guessing we need to use these buttons to generate the power." Brock pushed the first button. Both meters indicated 10. He then pushed the button below it. The meters now indicated 17. He continued to push a few more buttons. The meters continued to rise and rise; however, when the second meter hit a value over 59, the meter reset itself to 0.
"I think you just broke the meter," said James.
"Yes, I fear that's what I have done," replied Brock. "And there doesn't seem to be any way to reset it. Unless-" He thought hard for a minute and then arrived at a decision. "James, check the cable towers for a switch or something like that. Flip the switches and see what they do."
"There are more cable towers?" asked Ash.
"Yeah, I saw one on the side of the shack when we entered it. James, that should be the first one you go to."
"Okay," said James. "I will go to the towers." James exited the room and went outside.
"Brock, shouldn't you turn off these generators while James is outside?"
"That's a good idea. There's no telling what might happen if these generators are on and James is fiddling with the switches." Brock pushed the buttons. The first meter reset itself to 0, and the generators stopped humming. Meanwhile, James was outside on the first tower. He climbed up the tower and saw a switch in the up position. James pulled it down, and just to be sure, he tried to pull it back up. The switch reset itself to the down position. Satisfied, he climbed down the tower and made his way across the island. He climbed the second tower and saw another switch in the up position. He pulled it down and climbed down the tower.
"What is James doing?" asked Jessie.
"I presume it has something to do with the wires," replied the Professor. "I think we should just stay here."
"Well, I'm going to go grab the journal for the world I believe we are about to enter," said Misty. She left for the library and came back with the journal. Meanwhile, James had made it back to the generator room.
"So?"
"Yes, there were switches on the towers. I flipped them down. The generator should be reset by now."
"Well, there is only one way to prove it." Brock pushed the first button. The generators hummed again with power, and both meters displayed 10. "It works, then. So, I think that each of these buttons generate a set amount of power. Just so we don't break the meter again, let's see how much power each button adds by turning them on and off one by one." Brock turned off the first button. The meters reset themselves to 0, and the generators stopped humming. He then turned on the button below it, and the meter rose to 7. He turned off the button and repeated the same process with the other 8 buttons.
"Based on my calculations, the three buttons with the highest units are buttons 4, 8, and 9, with 16, 22, and 19. But those only add up to 57. That means we need-"
"2 more!" yelled out Ash.
"Exactly. Button 7 has 2, and I think that will do the trick." Brock turned on the buttons numbered 4, 7, 8, and 9. Both gauges rose to 59.
"There we go. Now all we have to do is open the spaceship door." The three exited the room and the shack and made their way to the spaceship. When they got there, Misty tried to open the door again. She succeeded, and the group boarded the spaceship.
"Okay, now that we're in the ship, what do we do?" asked Jessie.
"My guess is that there's some form of a combination," said the Professor. "If anything, I would think it's in that journal that Misty's holding."
"Misty, look for numbers, codes, anything that would suggest an order," commanded Brock. Misty quickly flipped through the journal, and she came across a page with a piano key arrangement and numbers.
"Let's see, there's a piano here, and the numbers suggest they are to be played in order." Misty approached the piano, and she played the five notes. Nothing happened. "Am I doing something wrong?"
"Maybe." Brock then looked around for another machine, and he found a view screen and five sliders beneath it, with a lever on the side. "Maybe we're supposed to enter the combination there." Misty then walked over to the machine and played with the first slider.
"I think you're right. I have an idea. Brock, hold down the key for number 1, and everyone hum the note." Brock was given the journal, and he made his way over to the piano. He pushed and held the key labeled number 1, and everyone hummed the note. Misty adjusted the first slider until she was satisfied with the sound it made.
"Now for number 2." Brock pushed and held the key labeled with number 2, and everyone hummed the note. Misty adjusted the second slider. She then repeated the process with the third, fourth, and fifth sliders with the keys labeled number 3, 4, and 5.
"I think I just need to pull the lever now." Misty then pulled the lever. A series of sounds began to play. After the sounds played, a book began to appear on the view screen. The book then opened to show a flyby of another world.
"Well done, Misty," said Ash. "I guess we touch the view screen now." Brock touched the view screen and disappeared with a flash. Ash, Misty, and Professor Oak then followed him into the view screen. However, Team Rocket hesitated before touching the view screen.
"Should we follow them?" asked Jessie.
"I think so," replied James.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" The three touched the view screen and disappeared with a flash of light.
The group arrived in a replica of the spaceship.
"Is this another puzzle?" asked James.
"I don't think so," replied Brock. He walked over to the view screen console and pulled down the lever. Nothing happened. He then walked over to the piano and pushed a key. Nothing happened. "Nothing works here. I assume we just exit the spaceship now."
The group exited the spaceship. As they did, the spaceship door slammed shut behind them. Misty put down the journal and tried to open the door again, but her efforts failed; the door was completely jammed.
"Oh, well." She then picked up the journal again.
"What should we be doing here?" asked Meowth.
"I don't think I know," said Jessie.
"I would guess we need to gain access to that door over there," said James.
"James, that's brilliant!" Jessie and Brock exclaimed. The group walked over to the door.
"Uh-oh. Does this look like a combination?" asked Ash. He was pointing at five sliders and a green button.
"If it's got many things and a button it probably is a combination in these worlds," replied the Professor. Ash tried to fiddle with the sliders and the green button. The sliders made noises of electrical buzzes, a train, running water, and wind howling, among other sounds, but he failed to open the door.
"Maybe the combination is to be found somewhere else," said the Professor.
"Yeah, I think you're right, Professor." Ash stopped fiddling with the levers and the group kept on walking. They turned paths when they saw a forest of trees and walked toward it. They then were surrounded by a grove of trees.
"Why would there be trees in this dry world?" asked Ash. Professor Oak then pointed to a stream. The stream made a very calming noise; it flowed towards a pit. Misty looked around, and she then saw a small tower. She pointed out the tower and everybody walked toward it.
"There's a blue page here," said Ash.
"It must belong to Achenar's book. Ash, give me the page." Ash gave Brock the page, and he tucked it into his shirt pocket.
"There's also a red button here." Ash pushed the red button. A silhouette of water droplets began to glow. "What do you think that button did?"
"I don't know, Ash, but leave it on. It might be a key to something."
"The door?"
"Could be." Since there was nothing more to be found, the group left the trees and decided to head for the pit. When they got there, Ash spied another tower similar to the one in the trees. Brock and Ash walked over to the tower on a walkway over the pit, and they heard a deep rumbling sound.
"The rumbling must be the fire that we are standing on below the walkway," said Ash. Brock gave a nod, and Ash knew he was right. He pushed the red button. A silhouette of a crack began to glow, and the two left the pit. The group walked on, and this time, they encountered a giant clock and yet another small tower.
"Another tower," said Ash. He walked over to the tower and pushed the button. A silhouette of clock hands then began to glow. Just then, the group noticed that the clock does not seem to be working.
"The clock sounds like it's broken," said Jessie.
"I don't think we have yet to see a clock working anyplace in these worlds," said Meowth. The group then left the clock and continued on. As they walked, they noticed that the fog was getting thicker. Near a giant piece of pottery, the path split into two. The group decided to take the path to the right of the pottery, and they found the path led to a field of giant crystals.
"The crystals sound so soothing," said Misty. At the end of the path was another tower, and Ash pushed the red button. The silhouette this time was a crystal in water. Ash also noticed a red page, and gave it to Misty. The group left the area and walked back onto the main path. At the end of the path was a hole, and another tower. As before, Ash pushed the red button, and as before, a silhouette lit up, this time the silhouette was of wind coming out from a hole.
"It looks like we can go into the hole," said James.
"You're right, James," replied Brock. The group descended one by one into the pit.
"It's dark in here," said Ash as he reached the bottom.
"Maybe that switch over there is a light switch," said the Professor. Ash pulled the switch and a string of lights came on in the tunnel. The group walked to the other end of the tunnel and ascended another shaft.
"Where are we?" asked Misty.
"We're in the central island of the lagoon. There's a machine up top; let's go check it out." Brock led everyone to the machine. He opened the machine, and he was faced with a console of a view screen, the five silhouettes from the towers with the crack silhouette highlighted, a readout, two direction buttons, and a button with a symbol on it. A static sound was also coming from somewhere in the machine.
"If I am right, this machine is supposed to control those receivers at the top," said Brock. He pushed the right direction button. The rest of the group looked up, and a receiver was indeed rotating; they confirmed it for Brock. Brock continued to push the right direction button. The view continued to pan to the right, but the static sound changed to mix into a sort of rumbling; Brock realized what this machine was meant for.
"This machine, I think, was meant for transferring the sounds over to here. Ash, remember how you pushed the button at each of the towers?"
"Yes, so?"
"I think what you did is that you have activated some sort of microphone, and the transmitters are transmitting it over here; they just need to be set up."
"Brock, I think you might be right," said the Professor. "If you can get the sound of the fire pit here, can you get the sounds for the other four places here, too?"
"I think I can do that." He first adjusted the sound of the fire pit so that it would be as clear as he can get it. He then tried to adjust the sounds for the other four. "I assume we now push the symbol button." The sounds then came in order; first was the crystals, then the water, then the wind, then the fire, and then the clock.
"Could this be the combination of the door?" asked Misty.
"You're right, Misty; this could be what unlocks that door," said Ash. Brock closed the machine, and the group went back onto the main path by way of the tunnel. They then walked to the door. At the door, Ash set the combination of the sounds in order. He pushed the green button, and the sounds played in order. The door suddenly opened.
"I don't know about this. That hall looks spooky," said Jessie.
"Come on, Jessie, it's the only choice we have!" said James.
"Fine, then." The group entered the hallway. The hallway turned around the corner to reveal a room with a giant pod. Above the entrance to the room was a panel named The Selenitic Age.
"Well, at least we now know what the world is called," Misty said as she passed the entrance.
"I think the pod is our only way out of here," said Brock. One by one, they entered the pod. The pod had only one chair to seat one person, and a navigational control with a Forward, Backtrack, left, and right buttons as well as a speaker with a button. Professor Oak sat himself at the controls.
"I assume we go forward, since there is no other way to go." Professor Oak pushed the Forward button. Everyone lurched as the pod descended into a dark abyss. When the pod stopped descending, an open path was shown on the window; a sound was heard from the speaker; and a counter showed the letter N.
"Is this the way to go?" asked Ash. Professor Oak then pushed the left directional button, changing the counter to NW. After pushing the directional button to the right many more times, the pod ended up back at N.
"I take it that this pod can go in 8 directions, but the only one open is to the north. Yes, then, I assume it is the way to go." Professor Oak pushed the Forward button, and the pod moved north until it stopped. Another sound was heard from the speaker. Professor Oak rotated the pod again and found the only direction to go was west; he went forward that way. On the next stop, another sound was heard from the speaker, and after rotating the pod, the Professor went forward at north. The group then arrived at a junction.
"Uh-oh, where do we go next?" Professor Oak rotated the pod and found two directions to go: north and east.
"Oh no, I fear we cannot exit this horrible place," said James nervously. "It's getting hot in here, and-" James had pushed the button on the speaker. A sound was heard from the speaker.
"That sounds familiar!" Ash called out. "Maybe it's telling us to go east."
"Ash, you're right," added Misty. "Try it, Professor." The pod headed east. The same sound was heard again.
"Try it again, Professor," said Ash. The pod headed east once more. Another sound was then heard. "I think we go south now." The pod headed south.
"Ash, thanks for the help," said the Professor. From there, the pod went south once more, then west. A strange sound was heard after they went west.
"That sounded like west and south combined. Professor, try going southwest," said Ash. The pod headed southwest.
"You know, I think we'll be at the end of all of this soon," said Brock. The pod continued through the pathways. However, something began to change at the last pathway. The path continued into a tunnel, and the pod began speeding up. Finally, at a straightaway, the pod slowed down and stopped.
"I think that's the end," said Brock. The pod door opened, and the group joyfully exited the pod, which was getting stuffy. Ash then noticed the Myst book, and everyone ran towards the book. Everyone touched the image panel except Brock and Misty.
"Do you have your page, Brock?"
"I do. Do you?"
"Yes, I do. And I have the journal, too." They both opened the book to the moving image and touched it. Soon everyone was back at the Myst library.
