Chapter 8-Over the Threshold
The sunrise was lazy in the morning and began to scatter its light over Cerulean City. Misty was lying in her bed staring up at the ceiling in silence as the golden light entered through her window. She sighed and stretched as she looked at the digital clock on her bedside table with bags under her eyes.
In the dream that she had last night she was swimming in the pool of the Gym when the earth began to shake violently. The waters of the pool threw her side to side as she screamed out loud until the roof of the Gym collapsed on top of her and she woke up with a fright. After that nightmare she wasn't able to fall asleep again since 2 o'clock in the morning.
She threw the warm blankets off of her and felt the cold air of the room hit her bare legs. She shivered and put on a pair of dark red sweatpants quickly. She walked out of her bedroom with a pair of furry light blue slippers on her feet and she went down the cold hardwood stairs to the kitchen. Everyone else was sleeping in their rooms so the house was completely quiet and empty. She sat on the couch that was originally in the Gym's living room as she gazed at the unlit fireplace sitting in the middle.
The house looked very colonial and old with everything completely made out of wood. They were only going to rent this cabin though and buy a much nicer house in a year or so as they needed someplace to stay so they could get reorganized. But by then it would be Misty's sisters' problem as she would be in a far off region with Ash… She smiled at the thought and lay down on the couch. Slowly she closed her heavy eyes and fell asleep…
She awoke as soon as the light hit her squarely in the face from the window. She was still drowsy as she looked around at her sisters preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
"Finally! It's about time you got up," Daisy said as she turned around. Misty looked back at her with droopy eyes and she slowly yawned out loud as she stretched her arms.
"What time is it?" she said with her hand in front of her mouth to cover yet another yawn.
"It's 1 o'clock in the afternoon," Daisy said as she looked at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room.
"WHAT?" Misty screamed out loud. She jumped off the couch and sprinted up the stairs to go to the guest room in which Ash was sleeping in. She opened up the door abruptly and the room was completely empty, with the blanket on the bed neatly made and the blinds drawn. She stared on in horror then she slammed her head against the wall.
"After everything I did, he left without me…" she said as she felt her eyes sting.
"Who left you?" She turned around suddenly and jumped back in shock as he stood standing directly in front of her with just a towel on and a curious look on his face.
"Ash? What are you doing here?" Misty said grabbing her heart with her hand as it throbbed in her chest from the shock.
"Well I just finished taking a shower after I saw that you were asleep on the couch. You didn't think I was gonna leave without you, did you?" he said with a smile. She lowered her head in embarrassment as her cheeks turned red.
"Um… breakfast is almost done so come downstairs once you're ready," she said as she walked past him and down the stairs.
They had just finished eating breakfast and Ash was now outside waiting for Misty as she got ready to leave. Pikachu had been playing with the other pokemon from the Gym outside in the backyard and he had now rejoined Ash. They stood in front of the house while looking up at the clear blue sky as the cold wind chilled them.
Misty opened the door and walked outside and Ash turned around to look at her. She had a white hoodie on with her hands tucked in the pouch as she shivered from the cold. She had on tight dark blue shorts that reached the middle of her thigh with her red and white sneakers on her feet. Her hair was worn up in its usual ponytail and as always, the necklace hung from her neck, sparkling in the light of the brilliant sun.
Ash was dressed in a blue denim vest similar to the jacket that he had when he traveled to Kanto, but this vest was reversible with the inside color being white, contrasting the dark blue t-shirt he wore underneath it. He had on tight black gloves that had openings for each one of his fingers and blue pants that reached his black and white shoes.
He smirked back at her, his red and white cap casting a shadow over his dark brown eyes. She smiled back at him then sighed. They had already said goodbye to her sisters so now all that was left for them was to get to Johto and board the Magnet Train to begin their long winding journey…
Several weeks had passed after traveling through Johto until they reached their destination of Goldenrod City. The train they had to get on was leaving in 2 minutes as they entered the city and the next one wouldn't come until six hours later. They ran across town and into the train station as they screamed at the attendant to hold the door for them, waving the gold-rimmed tickets in the air. The mustachioed middle aged man waited for them as they burst through the door and hunched over to catch their breath.
"ALL ABOARD!" he screamed back at the captain of the train and the automatic doors closed.
"May I see your tickets please?" the man said with a smile accented by the tiny mustache curled up underneath his nose.
"Sure," Ash said breathing hard as he handed him the tickets. The man took them and, with a hole-puncher, punched two holes into each ticket.
"Here you go; please have a seat in the main cabin. The train will begin to move as soon as we have checked every passenger aboard the train." He slid a door open for them that lead to one of the main cars of the Magnet Train. The lights of the train shone with a bright white on the silver colored leather seats of the train. They picked an empty three-seater and Misty took the side closest to the aisle while Ash took the window side as Pikachu sat in Misty's lap.
She lied heavily on the comfortable seat and was anxious for the train to start moving. Ash was staring out of the window and was beginning to daze off when yells could be heard from the next car. Everyone in the car peered out of their seats curiously at the scene happening.
A man with burgundy colored hair was in hysterics as the attendants didn't accept his tickets and attempted to kick him off of the train. Apparently his tickets were fakes and they had found him out, but he was unwilling to admit so and claimed that they were 100 percent real. They attempted to calm him down, but once they saw that he was not cooperating, the attendants surrounded the man, grabbed him by the arms and threw him out of the train. He pounded on the doors and windows screaming obscenities, but he was soon carried off by security. Ash and Misty looked on bewildered as he tried to free himself from their grasp, kicking and screaming, but to no avail as they exited the station.
"Some people must really want to go on this trip," Ash said looking back at the screaming man amazed. Misty smiled back and closed her eyes so he returned to looking out of the window and thought of what possible adventures he could have in Muntein. The loud speaker came on as it interrupted his daydream,
"We have now checked all passengers on board and will now begin to move. All the attendants must find their seat as well as the passengers before we start to move…" A few minutes later, the captain was given the 'all clear' and the train began to move, slowly speeding up.
The scenery began to go out of focus as the train sped up until it reached unbelievable speeds and the outside world blurred past them. He looked at Misty to see if she was observing the scenery but she was sleeping peacefully leaning over the side of the chair. He smiled and he pulled her back in, but he had pulled her too hard and her head fell onto his shoulder.
She adjusted herself on his shoulder and then wrapped her arm around his. Ash tried to free himself from her grasp by shaking his arm, but she held on tightly with a faint smile as she slept. He gave up and looked out at Pikachu as he also rested on his lap. Ash rolled his eyes at the two; there was no way he could sleep with how excited he was.
Two hours had now passed on the train and Ash was becoming restless. Misty was now awake and she was staring down the aisle with a bored expression. According to the captain they were about to reach Muntein, but Ash was skeptical as he looked outside. It was now noon yet the sun could be barely seen shining from the gaps between the trees they had been passing the last half hour.
Suddenly, the trees disappeared and they began to pass in front of a desert-like region. The ground was bare and the heat could be seen bouncing off of the ground as they passed through the barren wasteland. Just then the loud speaker was turned on,
"Right now we are currently passing the other half of Turbane, the region that neighbors Muntein." Ash looked outside in wonder and amazement as they rocketed across the land. Gradually Ash could feel the train slowing down as he felt his stomach being pushed back. He grabbed it in nausea and then he looked at Misty. She obviously could feel it too as she began to turn her head in a panic. An announcement was made yet again,
"Right now we are currently preparing to enter the tunnel that passes into Muntein. We will have to slow down as we are actually traveling underwater. We will be arriving in at least ten minutes…" The speaker turned off and Ash's heart began to pound in excitement. The train jerked forward and he grabbed onto the seat in front of him in shock. Pikachu flew face first into the next chair and stood up with a groan.
The lights had all gone out and everyone began to mutter. From the window, Ash could see they had now reached the coast of this wasteland of a region and the car that they were in began to enter the tunnel. The walls were clear and the passengers from the train could see into the depths of the ocean.
The waves of the current beat ferociously against the walls, but they did not give way as the train continued to descend into the tunnel until it was completely submerged. The car was cast with the dark blue colors of the sea and the three of them looked on in wonderment.
They were far underneath the surface and the underwater world outside them was eerily similar to the desolate one on the surface. It was calm and abandoned with gigantic rocks that lay scattered throughout the dark blue sea. There was no life at all because the fast currents of the sea made it impossible to live in. The train was now traveling in a straight line at a slow pace, allowing everyone on the train to explore the sea visually.
Ash looked on with his face pressed to the window in amazement then he turned back to look at Misty. She was looking out the window as well when their eyes met. They smiled at each other then continued to admire the outside view. Ash was about to look away when something caught the corner of his eye. Off in the far distance he could see something moving. He focused his vision and could vaguely make them out to be brightly colored dots that floated about aimlessly.
He took out his Pokedex to check if it was a pokemon, but before he could, everything went completely dark. Everyone screamed and Ash began to look all around him in panic when he felt Misty grab his arm. The lights suddenly turned back on and Ash looked at Misty as she looked back at him.
She let go and turned away as she blushed in embarrassment. Ash looked at her with a confused expression, but he turned away and looked outside the window, frustrated that the sea had now disappeared from their sight and he missed the pokemon. The train was still moving underwater as he could see tiny bubbles from the water, but it also seemed that they were underneath the ground as they traveled through stone. The loudspeaker clicked on again,
"We are passing through the massive rocks that surround this island like a barrier; in a moment we will be surfacing again so I would like to take this time to thank you all for riding on the Magnet train and to please remain seated until we come to a full stop." The front of the train began to ascend and soon enough their car began to move up as well as they passed the dark tunnel and entered the dark sea once again. The train was picking up speed until they had finally surfaced again.
Bright light flooded the inside of the train as the remaining cars left the water. Ash looked outside to catch his first glimpse of Muntein. The land before him was filled with trees, but as they traveled along the coast he only see the trunks of these trees. The train continued to ascend at a rapid pace until they passed above the trees on a bridge. He caught a glance of this new world.
It was completely covered by lush green trees with a great mountain that loomed over the land to the northeast and everything seemed so alive. He opened his mouth in amazement as the train began to straighten out and prepared to slow down once again. Misty tapped her foot as her heart beat thumped in her chest. She didn't know why she was so nervous, she had traveled with him to new regions all the time and she had never felt a reaction like this. Maybe because this time it was going to be just her and Ash; her heart skipped a beat as the thought crossed her mind.
The train was approaching a platinum building that was supported by steel beams to keep it from touching the water. Upon entering the station, the train came to a screeching halt. Ash's hands shook with excitement as he could barely contain himself anymore. He stood up as soon as the doors opened and Misty followed suit. They gathered their backpacks and exited the train.
The floor below the docking station for the train was the main terminal in which various other trains were available for traveling to different parts of the Muntein region. The room was brand new, shiny and clean, almost futuristic-like as Ash and Misty walked down the stairs and looked around bewildered. They had no idea where to start or even go. Misty spotted an information center in the distance.
"I bet we could find where to go if we looked over there," she said as she pointed to the booth. He nodded and they began to walk towards the info booth. It was a plain white counter in the shape of a circle with a silver sign that ran through the middle of the big circle. Black letters that ran across it, labeling one side: "Trainer's Info" and the other side: "Tourist's Info." Misty smiled in joy at the tourist booth and she turned to Ash.
"While you go check out the Trainer's booth I'm going to go look something up…" she said as she began to walk away from him and he looked back at her wondering what she was going to check out.
"Don't forget to get a map!" she yelled back at him. Ash frowned at her comment.
"Like I would be that stupid to forget a map…" he thought. Ash and Pikachu walked up to the receptionist after she had just finished attending to a group of trainers. She had light brown hair that was hidden underneath a blue and white cap and her ponytails stuck out to the side. She was young and pretty and had light blue eyes; if Brock was here, he would be all over her.
"How may I help you today, sir?" she said smiling. Ash clenched his fist as he said,
"I'm a pokemon trainer and I want to enter the league! But first I need to know where the Gyms are." She reached behind the counter and pulled out a small pamphlet.
"This is an official Muntein League pamphlet that will explain all the rules and requirements of this league. It's very similar to the other leagues outside of this island, but there is one small change: there are 12 Gyms that you need to go to before you are allowed to participate in the league. In this pamphlet, you will also find a very detailed map that has the location of every single Gym in each corresponding region."
She flipped to the middle of the pamphlet and unfolded the map. In each region there were three Gyms whose types were in some way related to the region around it. The map was almost identical to the one that Ash had seen in Professor Oak's lab and he spotted out the train station they were in; they were currently in the waters between the Evergreen region and the Mineral region.
"Which Gym is closest from where we are?" Ash asked.
"There is the Gym that's in Conifer Town," said the woman as she pointed out where the town was on the map. It lied a little bit to the north from the train station.
"It's in the middle of the forest, but there's a path that will lead you there once you exit from here. You should have no problem finding it as long as you exit through the side entrance," she said pointing to a door that was at her left side.
"Will that be all?"
"Yes, thank you very much!" he said with a sincere smile.
"I wish you the best of luck on your journey," she said as she smiled back at Ash.
He was circling the booth and was about to start looking for Misty when he bumped into her. He eyed her suspiciously,
"What were you doing at the Tourist booth?" She avoided his gaze and said,
"Nothing…" as she hid something behind her back.
"What are you hiding behind you?" he said looking at her hands that were held behind her back. He reached forward to see, but she stepped back. He then lunged at her with both hands, but she side stepped out of the way and he fell face forward. He stood up and reached forward with his left hand so she turned to the right. With his other hand, he grabbed what she was hiding. He held it in his hands and it read: "Tourist Attractions."
"Give me that!" she yelled at him as she snatched the pamphlet out of his hand.
"Don't tell me that you want to see stupid tourist attractions! They're a waste of time and money! Besides, I have to get started on my pokemon journey and I can't waste any valuable time-"
"Hold it right there Ash Ketchum!" Misty said clearly annoyed at his attitude. "I came thousands of miles away from my home just so I could come here with you! There is no way I traveled that far just so I can watch from the sidelines as you battle against other trainers. Besides you have plenty of time to collect badges, don't you?"
"Well yeah…" He knew the league was going to start in a year according to the pamphlet.
"So loosen up and enjoy this island! Everything in life isn't always about pokemon; which is the whole reason we're going to these attractions whether you like it or not!" she said waving the pamphlet around in her hand. He backed away.
"Alright Misty you win… But first, we're going to the Gym!"
"Fine. But right after that, we are going to start looking for the nearest tourist attractions!" she said, putting her foot down.
"Alright…"
"Good; now where are we going first?" she said. He pulled out the map from his backpack and showed it to her.
"The lady in the booth told me that the quickest way to get there is through this exit," he said as he pointed to one of the entrances to the side. "After that, all we have to do is follow the path and we'd get there no problem."
"Alright so then give me the map," she said outstretching her hand.
"What?" He clutched the map in his hand.
"Ash if you're the one that's going to read the map, you'll get us lost!" she said a bit annoyed at him. "So give me the map!"
"No way! I can read the map just fine and I won't get us lost. Besides if you had the map, you'd probably burn a hole right through it just by looking at it," He stuck his tongue at her then turned and sprinted for the exit with Pikachu on his shoulder.
"Ash Ketchum you get back here!" She ran after him waving her fist in the air as he exited through the door. Their first step onto the new world was at breakneck speed, never stopping to look behind them as their eyes were fixed on what lay ahead of them.
