Chapter 21: Surveying Survey Island
The group got off the railcar inside a tunnel.
"It looks like there are two stations," said James. "There's another blue button on the other side."
"Maybe we can rotate the car so that we can get across," said Ash.
"Good thinking," said the Professor. "There's a hallway here; we should see where it leads before we go there."
"Good idea," said Misty. The group walked into the hallway and climbed up the metal stairs to a pathway going through stone spires.
"Whoa," said Jessie. "Where'd these spikes come from?"
"If I remember correctly, Gehn said in his journal that he was terraforming the island for his own experiments," said Brock. "He was trying to change the landscape of the island."
"And these spikes are the result?"
"I guess so. Let's see what else we can find." The group walked along the pathway and through the spires. Along the way, Misty noticed a partially covered hole on the pathway.
"There's a pool down there," said Misty. Professor Oak looked down into the hole.
"I have a suspicion about the pool," said the Professor. "I'm not sure, though." The group then moved on. They climbed a set of stairs to a plateau.
"There are really big rocks here," said James. "They sort of look familiar." The group continued walking along the now narrower pathway, and they came across a platform behind a crack on a wall at the end of the pathway. The platform had rails on its side.
"Elevator," said the group.
"It looks too narrow for all of us to fit," said Misty.
"Yeah," said Brock, looking up briefly. "Ash and I will go up first. There's a balcony up there; we'll try to examine that first. There's also a crack in that wall. We'll examine that, too."
"And what are we supposed to do here?" asked Meowth.
"You can stand near the rocks," said Brock. "I have a feeling the rocks will tie in to that balcony."
"All right, then," said Ash. "Let's do it." Ash and Brock slipped into the crack and stood on the platform. "I guess we push this button." Ash pushed the button to his left. The platform then rose, carrying both of them to the balcony. They walked to the end of the balcony and looked out.
"There's the island with the giant dome," said Brock, pointing to the far right. "The island that we came from is just ahead." The two then looked down.
"The rocks look like the islands," said Ash.
"Ash, you're right! Atrus said to us once Riven was once a large island, but the tremors have actually broken up the island into five separate islands."
"And they fit like a puzzle."
"Exactly."
"But we haven't seen the small island way in the corner." The two then looked farther to the right, but they did not see the island.
"I'd say that island must have drifted so far away that it's not able to be seen anymore from any of these four islands."
"Yeah. What about this panel?" Ash pointed to a panel on the railing on the balcony.
"This looks like a diagram of all the islands when they were together." Brock put his hand up to the panel and noticed the raised relief of the largest island was loose. He then pushed the relief and the relief sank into the panel. Below them, a bubble started to form on the surface of the rock formation that represented the largest island.
"The island panels are buttons!" said Ash. Misty then came into their field of view.
"Brock!" yelled Misty. "Did you do something? There's a large bubble on that rock."
"I think we pushed a button, and it created that bubble," yelled back Brock. He then looked behind him. "Ash and I are going to examine it some more; just stay put."
"Okay." Brock then started to talk to Ash.
"Ash, look behind you." Ash looked behind him.
"The crack made a passageway."
"Correct. I think we could find some more clues there." The two walked straight into the crack and out to another walkway. Ahead of them was an intersection.
"That's a strange building," said Ash, looking at the rusted dome-shaped building.
"Let's go see what's in it." The two walked into the building, climbed a small set of stairs, and were faced with a device. A metal box with its top surface marked by a five-by-five grid sat on top of a dark circular pool. At the front edge of the pool was a circular control panel with another five-by-five grid and a handle to the left. The panel displayed a representation of the largest island on the bottom-right corner, with the upper-right-most square of the island highlighted.
"The island's made up of squares?" said Ash. Ash then touched the highlighted square, and the metal grid in the pool formed a representation of the clearing on that island.
"Ah, I get it now. This machine's used to map out all the islands, and the grid shows us what a particular part of the island looks like. Ash, try to push the square below the highlighted one."
"Okay." As Ash pushed the square, the square became highlighted, and the metal grid reformed to view that particular part of the island. A dome was displayed next to the lower-right-most corner square.
"Just as I thought - this map will display the domes as well. I think I know how the map works now; first, we activate one of the islands, and then we come here to map specific parts of the island."
"This might be very useful, then."
"Very good, Ash. And notice that the small dome completely covers just one square; that might be a big hint to something. Let's get Misty up here to record this." The two exited the rusted dome and walked back to the balcony. "Misty!"
"Yes, Brock?" yelled Misty.
"We need you up here. Ash will send the elevator down. Bring the Professor here, too."
"What about us?" yelled James.
"We'll send down the elevator for you, too," yelled Brock. The rest of the group walked to the elevator while Ash went into the walkway, pushed the button, and sent down the elevator. Misty and Professor Oak slipped into the crack and went up the elevator. Once they were up, they sent back the elevator for Jessie, James, and Meowth. Once they were up, the group walked into the rusted dome and gathered around the machine.
"So this is a mapping machine?" asked Misty.
"Yes, it is," replied Brock. Ash pushed the highlighted square on the panel. The metal grid reformed to show the clearing on the largest island.
"Very impressive," said Jessie. James then touched the metal.
"And it's three-dimensional, too," said James.
"But what's more... Ash, will you demonstrate?" Ash pushed the square below the highlighted square. The grid reformed to show another part of the island. "The maps mark the location for the domes, and they all fit inside a single square."
"Interesting," said the Professor. "It looks like the dome has been deliberately placed there."
"And we're thinking that may be important."
"Atrus said that Riven was a huge island once, right?" asked James.
"Yes, he did," said Ash. "What are you thinking?"
"If Riven, as a huge island, can be divided into 25 squares, and each square can be divided into 25 more squares, that means we have 625 squares. And if there are five islands, and an island for each dome, then a dome would occupy five of those 625 squares. This sounds like a puzzle."
"You're right! And where the domes are might be the solution," added Ash.
"Then we have to record this," replied Brock. "Misty?"
"Sure, I'll record this." She then pulled out the journal and opened it to the page with the color symbol notes. "But I don't have space for diagrams."
"That's okay, Misty," said Brock. "We'll figure this out. If this is the initial arrangement and we're supposed to put the dome locations this way, and if the top-right-most square is number 1, followed by 2, 3, 4, and 5, moving one row down and 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and so on, then this map section represents square 17 of the Riven 'huge island', and the dome is in spot square 9."
"That'll be easy to remember, then," said Jessie.
"But it doesn't hurt to write them down," said Meowth. Misty then marked the dome on the island with [17, 9], representing the squares.
"So that's the dome for this island," said Brock. "Let's try another island now. Ash, try the L- island."
"Okay." Ash exited the rusted dome and went back to the balcony. He pushed the relief for the L-island and came back to the rusted dome.
"Perfect," said Brock. Ash pushed the highlighted square. The grid formed a three-dimensional view of the spikes they encountered earlier. "This is the island we're standing on. So if the dome isn't in the spikes, or the rocks, then it must be on the last square." Ash pushed the farthest square to the right of the island. The metal grid reformed to show the section.
"Whoa, I can't see anything," said Ash. He then pulled the handle, and the metal grid rotated counterclockwise. "So that's what that handle does."
"The handle rotates the grid," said Brock. "If that's square 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, then the dome should be..."
"...on square 6!" completed Ash.
"Right! And this section is square 22 on the 'huge island'." Misty recorded the code on the island with [22, 6]. "Let's try another island again." The group repeated the process of mapping and recording the numbers of the domes. However, when they came to the island with the crater, they ran into a problem.
"Where's the dome?" asked Meowth.
"The dome's underground," said the Professor. "See that little crack in the crater of the island? That's where the dome is. The dome sits below that crack."
"Oh, okay." Misty recorded the location of the dome as [1, 17] on the island.
"And I think we're done," said Brock. "Let's check out the dome on this island." The group exited the rusted dome and went back to the walkway.
"The dome's over there," said James, pointing to the right. The group walked along the walkway and stopped at the dome.
"It looks just like the others," said Jessie.
"Except the highlighted symbol is different," said Ash. Misty then held up the notes containing the color symbol. "It's the second one." Misty then noted the dome's symbol.
"And the scope is over there," said Brock, pointing to another walkway.
"That's the walkway to the right," said James. "It should be right across this walkway." The group walked along the walkway from the dome to the scope.
"Uh-oh, the scope is bent!" said Ash, looking at the scope. Brock then looked into the scope.
"The angle's bad - it's impossible to time the image. We'll have to push the button at random." Ash pushed the button, and nothing happened. Ash pushed the button a few more times before the scope started to slow down, the dome stopped rotating, and the dome flipped over.
"And there it goes," said Meowth.
"I guess we're done here, then," said Ash.
"Wait! There's still that other pathway back in the railcar station."
"Oh, yeah. Let's go back there." The group made their way back to the balcony. Along the way, they discovered a giant object wedged in the wall.
"It looks like a giant blade," said Jessie.
"It's because it is, Jessie," said James. "The handle's right over the balcony."
"Well, that clears that up." The group proceeded to go down the elevator and made their way across the rock formations, through the spires, down the metal staircase, and to the railcar station.
"Let's try your idea, Ash," said the Professor. "I think it just might work." The group boarded the railcar and rotated the car. The entrance now opened to let them access the other station.
"Good job, Ash."
"Thank you, Misty." The group then made their way to a metal wall. "I'm guessing this is a door, and if I touch it, it will open."
"Try it," said Meowth. Ash touched the metal and the metal rose to let them access another hallway. At the end of the hallway was a bright orange pool.
"Ah, my suspicions are right."
"What is it, Professor?" asked Misty.
"Atrus nearly drowned in this pool the first time he came to Riven; I remember him telling me that during one of our side conversations. It appears that Gehn has renovated this space somehow."
"There's another lever here," said James. "It could be used to summon something." Professor Oak then looked around and saw two chains on both sides of the hallway.
"It's another elevator! Pull the handle." James pulled the handle, and the chains started to jerk and pull downwards. The chain started to pull faster and faster, and a golden, shining object began to rise from the pool. The object rotated until it was perfectly aligned with the hallway, and the object opened its doors.
"Elevator," said the group. The group boarded the elevator. The elevator closed and started to rotate and sink into the water. Along the way, water stopped running past the elevator.
"Are we passing through air now?" asked Misty.
"Probably so; maybe heat's creating this little air space by pushing out water." When the elevator stopped, the door opened to a hallway, which also opened. The group walked out of the elevator to the tunnel. A short distance later, the tunnel led into a cave. The group continued walking.
"This looks scary," said Misty. Suddenly, a hooded man came out of nowhere, a distance away; the group screamed. The man looked up and ran to the left.
"Come back here!" yelled Ash. The group started chasing the man. The man ran into a tunnel, which led into a railcar station. When the group arrived at the station, the man already occupied the railcar, and it was just turning around. The railcar then fired its jets and moved out of the station. Ash frantically pushed the blue button, hoping the car would turn around, but it was no use.
"What now?" asked Misty.
"I'll bet you that person was a Guild member. From what we know, Gehn's trying to reconstruct the D'ni civilization," said Brock. "But that's what I'm thinking." Suddenly, the railcar came back into view.
"Uh-oh," said Misty.
"Get ready, Pikachu," said Ash. "If anything comes out of that car, use Thunderbolt." Pikachu climbed down from Ash's shoulder and readied itself for attack. The door opened, and nobody was in the car.
"I guess the car came back just because I pushed the button." Everyone sighed, and Pikachu climbed back on Ash's shoulder.
"It never hurts to be careful, though," said James. He grunted a little bit and chipped a piece of rock from the walls. He then placed the rock on the steps to the railcar.
"If the car is used, the rock will fall off; that'll be our alarm," said Brock. "That's smart. And there was another path back on the main pathway. I think we should follow it." The group went back to the cave and followed the path to an arch. They passed through the arch, climbed up the stairs to a walkway, and entered a massive chamber with an equally massive window in front.
"This is huge!" said Jessie. The group continued walking across the walkway, up a steep staircase, and to a large chair. Ash and Brock sat on the chair, while the rest of the group stood on the side.
"From here, it looks like a throne," said Ash.
"It probably is," replied Brock. "And there's a button to your right. If anything, that should activate something." Ash pushed the button. The chair rotated to face the massive window. Off to the side were two poles with a sphere placed on top.
"Let's try this right lever," said Ash. Ash pulled down the right lever, and the right pole swiveled down, making the sphere accessible. Professor Oak and Misty moved out of the way as the pole swiveled.
"D'ni colors!" said both Ash and Brock as they looked at the sphere's panel. The panel then viewed a blue-hued image of a pole with rocks to the sides. A metal ring surrounded the pentagonal-encased circular symbol and the viewer.
"Cool," said Ash. He then placed his hand on the symbol's pentagon and found it to be loose. Instinctively, he pushed the pentagon. The viewer now showed the pole with a blue light.
"Ash, you know what? This might be the place to learn about the D'ni colors."
"So this symbol is blue, then."
"Exactly. Misty, do you have the color symbol notes?"
"Yes, I do, Brock." She gave the open journal to Brock. Brock then marked the color blue on the respective symbol in the notes.
"I guess we rotate this to get to the other colors," said Ash. He pushed the pentagonal button back and tried to swivel the panel itself, but it did not move. He then tried to pull the rings sticking out, and he rotated the buttons once. The viewer showed another pole, and Ash pushed the ringed button. The pole showed a green light.
"Green," said Brock. He marked the symbol in the notes. "Next symbol." Ash turned off the green light, rotated the panel once, and turned on the light. Each time he rotated the panel, the view changed to a certain pole. The next color marked was orange, followed by yellow. Ash rotated the panel one more time.
"There's no pole in the image." Ash pushed the button for the symbol.
"Hey, Ash, look up." A red light was turned on.
"Is this the symbol for color red?" Brock nodded to say yes. Suddenly, a massive creature began to approach the massive window. The group screamed and the creature howled.
"That sounded familiar," said Jessie. The creature swam for a little while and then moved on.
"Those were some big tusks," said Ash.
"And you know what? Those tusks look very much like the ones bordering this island. Also, this creature looks very much like that statue we saw. Whatever creature this is, it certainly is important to everyone in this Age."
"I'm more impressed now by the D'ni."
"Me, too. By the way, there's only one symbol left." Ash rotated the panel one more time, but this time, the post was broken.
"Uh, oh. Look at this."
"Maybe the creature broke it. And that could explain why the dome scope's bent - the creature must have knocked it somehow."
"So we've got the colors red, orange, yellow, green, and blue."
"I have a very good idea about the last color."
"Purple?"
"Yep. Red, blue, and yellow; green, orange, and purple; those must be the colors." Brock marked the last color on the journal. "Now we've got all the colors marked."
"Yeah. Brock, there,'s another lever on the left. I'm guessing it pulls down the other pole."
"I think you're right. But if we're going to pull down that pole, we're going to have to pull back this pole." Ash pulled the right lever, and the pole swiveled back to its vertical position. "That was easy."
"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" Brock then pulled the left lever, and the left pole swiveled into their lap. Jessie and James moved out of the way as the pole swiveled.
"This one's a little different than the color viewer," said Brock. He pushed the left button, and the viewer displayed a room with barred balcony, a table, and a barrel and stove on the sides of the room. A woman was sitting in the middle of the room.
"Isn't that Catherine?" asked Jessie.
"It probably is," said James. "But wherever she is, we haven't seen this place." The woman then stood up and walked to the balcony.
"She could be on the fifth island," said the Professor. "We haven't seen a balcony like that anywhere on the other islands."
"Good point," said Brock. "Ash, can you rotate the scope?" Ash tried to pull the rings, but they did not rotate.
"No."
"This scope must be locked, then." The woman came back from the balcony to the front of the scope and disappeared from view. "Ash, let's try the other button." Brock pushed the left button and the scope turned off. Ash pushed the right button and another view appeared, this time a wall of rock above the water with a walkway just above the water.
"Looks like a lake." Ash then rotated the viewer and the scope rotated to the right. "Hey, this one can rotate." Ash then rotated the viewer again. The group then noticed a strange shadow.
"That looks like a fish," said Misty.
"And what's more, there's an eyeball there," said Brock. "It must be the same we found back in that glass building. It seems the eyeball was deliberately placed there."
"That's quite interesting," said Jessie. They continued to rotate and view the images, but they found nothing else. Ash left the viewer showing the fish shadow, and Brock pulled back the lever to raise the pole.
"I'm guessing that to go back, we need to push the red button again," said Ash. He then pushed the button, and the chair rotated to face the staircase.
"Good guess," said the Professor.
"I think we've seen all that we can on this island," said Brock. "So let's board the railcar to see where it's heading." The group agreed. Brock gave the journal to Misty and the group headed back to the railcar station. The railcar was still parked in the station.
"The rock didn't move," said James. "That means we're safe."
"For now, at least," replied Brock. The group boarded the railcar. The railcar dove down the rails and headed to another part of the island with the jungle. Once the railcar stopped, they got off the car.
"We've never been here before," said Misty. "But that looks familiar." Misty was pointing toward a lighted recess. The group entered the recess.
"Ah-ha! Of course, this looks familiar," said the Professor. He pulled the handle on the right side, and the recess began to rise. The recess stopped rising at a tight area with a handle to the left.
"It's the statue!" said the group. Ash pulled the handle, and a staircase began to form. The group exited the statue into the clearing.
"Where should we go next?" asked Jessie.
"There's one place we haven't explored," said Brock.
"Didn't Gehn say there was a village here?" said Misty. "Is that where we're going?"
"Correct, Misty. We're thinking of going there for clues."
"But is it safe?"
"I'm sure we'll be safe, Misty. Let's plan out what we're going to do first."
