Chapter Six
In Transit
Throwing herself towards the station, Lynn hit the grass with wind roaring in her ears. As she pulled herself up, wincing at the pain in the arm she'd fallen against, she couldn't help but gasp. Humming steadily, an enormous furless monster was hovering above the tracks she'd been standing on only moments ago. White, vein-like sparks raced erratically over the metal slats, weaving a flickering platform for the lengthy beast mere inches above them. The beast itself, which Lynn guessed to be the train, gleamed an eye-blinding silver, save for a jagged stripe of white rimmed in blue streaked down its sides. Numerous transparent circles were set directly above this stripe; to Lynn, they looked like an array of glistening eyes, glaring down as if to revile her very presence.
Gulping, the girl scrambled to her feet and started nervously forward. She was forced to waver, however, at the sight of the train's sleek metal surface. There was no ladder or anything of the like. How was she supposed to "get onto" the train as the Apricorn boy had instructed?
"Don't forget to show it your ticket!" advised the carrier of the boxes, hoisting his heavy ware up from the ground. "The trains are awfully picky about that."
His voice nearly made Lynn jump; she'd completely forgotten that there was another person there! As a result, it took several more seconds for his actual words to sink in. "P-Picky…?" Lynn started confusedly. "The train…it's not mad at me, is it?"
"Mad?" Her companion chuckled at this. "Heh, well, I guess it could be! Some people do say the trains've been feeding on the electricity for so long that they've practically come to life."
Reaching into her pocket, Lynn pulled out the "train pass" the Apricorn boy had traded her before. Feeling extremely awkward, she held the thin slip towards the colossal floating creature.
Nothing happened.
Wondering if she somehow had a defective pass, or if the train was still mad at her for being slow, Lynn uneasily pocketed the strip.
Instantly, an opening in the train's previously unblemished surface appeared with a whoosh! of air. Eyes widening, Lynn could only stare in amazement. What kind of animal had a mouth positioned on the side of its body like that? She had a fleeting impulse to flee before the strange monster could lunge forward and swallow her whole.
"Oh, good, it finally opened!" the box carrier said cheerfully, as if what had just transpired wasn't anything out of the ordinary. When Lynn still didn't move, he tentatively added, "Er…want to go in and get a seat?"
Was it just her, or did the sparks beneath the train seem to flare up a little more brightly, as if chortling in anticipation of the impending meal? Lynn could only blanch at the thought of walking into the creature's immense stomach. The casualness of her companion's comment, however, suggested such an action should not be unusual in the slightest.
Head spinning, Lynn finally stepped into the monster's awaiting mouth.
The air inside the train's belly was not moist and rancid as she'd expected. Instead, it was magically cooler than outside and smelt faintly of sweet Bellossom pollen. Brow wrinkling, Lynn saw that the compartment was lined with rows of benches covered in thick cushions –odd things for any beast, no matter how large, to swallow! The box carrier, apparently her only companion, came after her without hesitation, dropping several of his packages as he did.
"Should've had them mailed by Pidgey Express," he muttered ruefully as more boxes rained down into the adjacent benches. "Ah, but I wouldn't want them to get there before me!" Still mumbling to himself, he deposited a good portion of the shiny boxes onto various seats. Then, taking the remainder, he plopped onto one of the cushioned benches, sighing in relief as he sat down.
Not knowing what else to do besides copy his actions, Lynn tentatively took the seat across the aisle. An odd hole in the train's side, right next to her, caught her attention. As Lynn curiously tried to reach through the hole, however, her fingers smacked into a hard surface. She retracted her hand with a start, fearful that the train would be angry again. When nothing happened, she cautiously sidled back towards the invisible pane.
Gazing out, she could make out the same view she'd been mesmerized by back on the hill. Leaning forward on the edge of her seat, Lynn narrowed her eyes for a better look at the massive stone edifices, rising from the horizon in all their sleek, polished glory.
"Thanks for helping me before! You from Mercury City?"
Startled, Lynn turned back towards the box carrier. Though he was carrying a much shorter stack now, the boxes he held were still tall enough to completely conceal his body. From the pitch of his voice and the easy friendliness of his tone, not to mention the fact that a stack so low could completely dwarf him, Lynn figured he must be a child like herself.
"Mer…Mercury City?" she echoed now, trying to remember where she'd heard the name before.
"Oh, you didn't know? Mercury's right over there - you can see it out your window! Yeah, right out there!"
Lynn could only gaze dumbly. So that was a city! It was even larger than she'd imagined from the stories. But with all those stone cliffs, squeezed in so tightly together, it would be a real wonder if anyone could climb onto the cliff tops…not to mention the thousands and thousands of people Mother Woodwort always claimed dwelled in cities. Perhaps they nestled together within holes in the side of the rocks…
"Oops, completely forgot! Where are you headed for?"
Shaken from her thoughts, Lynn took several moments to reply. "Oh! Um…Verdant City," she said almost inaudibly.
"Verdant, huh? Well, that's convenient; it's where I'm going, too!" Clearing his throat, the box carrier called out in a loud, clear voice, "Two to Verdant City, please! Fast as possible, if you don't mind."
Rumbling to life, the Magnet Train immediately lurched forward. Lynn almost slammed into the front of her seat as the train threw itself headlong down the track. As she hung onto the edge of the cushion for dear life, more boxes from the other seats clattered to the ground.
"Sorry about all my Festival presents cluttering up the place," the voice from behind the boxes said apologetically. "I have a lot of relatives, and I feel bad when I leave anybody out. Gah, right! Better introduce myself!" he added abruptly. "Name's Feldspar. Feldspar of Midnight Mesa. You?"
"Oh! Um, I-I'm Lynn. From…uh, Verdant."
"Nice to meet you, Lynn. I'd shake, but…" The boxes shifted pointedly. "You visiting family in Verdant City, too, by any chance?"
Moving uneasily back against the side of the train, Lynn wondered how to answer. The story echoing in her mind seemed a bit too complicated, and far too fantastical, to voice to a stranger. "Er…I…I-I'm going to the Verdant Stadium," she said at last, settling for just the bare bones of her journey's objectives. "Do you…um, would you maybe know how I could find it?"
"Oh, that should be easy. Verdant Stadium's huge. It's really big and white, with arches on the sides and this…uh, big arena in the middle. Tons of folks go there, every day. Just…tons. Are you going to a Stadium match, then?" The question superficially sounded offhand, but Lynn could hear thinly concealed disdain creeping into Feldspar's voice.
"What's a…?" she started to ask, before breaking off. "Well, no." Lynn gulped before venturing, "Um, what are…"
She winced as a box went flying off Feldspar's lap, hitting the side of the train and rebounding with a sharp crack.
"Only the most horrible and pointless things in the entire world!" Feldspar cried. "My cousin, Mica, was all like 'Oh, just go to one of the matches, Feldspar. Just once and you'll enjoy it!' How anyone could enjoythat is completely beyond me! I swear, they're all sick! I mean, why would anyone want to watch a…"
With a loud clatter, half of the boxes Feldspar was still holding went crashing to the ground. "Oops," he said sheepishly. "Sorry about that! I get carried away about things real easy. Oh, don't worry about those boxes! Just leave them on the ground; I'll pick them all up when we get off the train."
But Lynn wasn't staring at the fallen boxes because she wanted to pick them up. Now that half of Feldspar's pile had disappeared, the boxes in front of him were stacked no higher than the top of the seat. And still, she couldn't even see the top of his head. Just how short could a person be?
"Um, s-sorry…but…" she started awkwardly. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she was at a complete loss as how to go on. Luckily, Feldspar chose that exact moment to cry out in delight.
"Wow! Lynn, take a look outside! We must be hundreds of feet off the ground!"
Meekly, Lynn slid to the other side of her seat and peered outside. She found herself looking down upon a sea of vibrant green treetops. It seemed to stretch for miles in every direction, marred only by a stripe of metal supported by columns rising from the canopy. Lynn's stomach turned as she realized that this thin stripe was what the train was racing across now and that one misstep could send them all crashing into the forest below.
Leaves below rippled in the wake of the passing train. Some tore themselves away from their branches and spiraled close to the window. One airborne form, however, was definitely not a leaf. Wings spread and beak open in a soundless call, a plumed Pidgeot dipped past, the tip of its wing just brushing the outside of the train.
"Cloudguider?" Lynn whispered, putting a hand against the transparent barrier that separated them.
With a deft tilt of its wing, the Pidgeot soared over the train and out of sight.
"Friend of yours?" came Feldspar's voice. Lynn started up in surprise before realizing that he was only joking. "Sorry I interrupted you before," Feldspar apologized hastily, sounding truly sincere. "What were you saying?"
"Um…nothing."
Lynn didn't recall dozing off, though it admittedly wasn't much of a surprise given her sleepless last night. The next thing she knew, the train had drawn to a stop and Feldspar's excited voice was urging her to wake up. Jerking her head off her shoulder, and wiping a string of drool from her mouth, Lynn chanced a glance outside. Enormous grey structures similar to the ones she'd seen from Mercury City shot up to meet her. Feeling faint, Lynn turned away, grabbed her pack, and slid into the aisle.
Once again, there was no exit in sight.
"Don't wait for me!" came Feldspar's voice. "It's gonna be a while before I can get all my stuff together." The stack of boxes shifted a little, and Feldspar accidentally dropped several more onto the seat. "Oops. You'd better leave without me. Just ask the train to let you out."
Gulping, Lynn moved to the train's smooth side and stationed herself a good foot back from it. "S-sorry, but I…um, I need to get out," she started awkwardly. "So…so if you could…p-please..."
The wall before her remained impassively solid.
From the back, Feldspar gave a small giggle. "It's only playing with you," he chuckled. "You have to be more forceful. Really yell at it!"
"Let me out!" Lynn tried desperately. "Please!"
With a swish of air, the slick surface drew back on itself, creating a wide gap in the middle of the train's side. Sighing in relief, Lynn stepped out into the blinding afternoon sunlight. As she went, the train gave a little buck, sending her tumbling onto the hard platform outside.
"Thank you," Lynn muttered, rubbing her sore leg. Back inside the train, she could hear Feldspar giggling again. Groaning, but feeling rather good all the same about making it this far, Lynn got to her feet. And froze in an overwhelming wave of astonishment and incredulity.
All around her, humans and Pokémon were mingling together and milling about as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Some were strolling down the numerous grey walkways, while others were walking into and out of the towering stone structures that Lynn had noticed before. That alone might not have been so much of a shock. What really hit Lynn was that there was absolutely no sound of any Pokémon cries anywhere.
Every single being in the entire city was clearly using human speech, just like the Fearow from the storm.
Lynn could only gawk as she caught sight of a middle-aged woman and a stout Jynx walking side-by-side, discussing beauty tips. On a nearby corner, a Tropius vendor was announcing its wares, fresh fruit, in a deep ringing voice. And in the shade of a nearby building wall, a gang of children accompanied by a Flaaffy, a Marill, and a Bagon, were laughing loudly over a crude joke.
"Are you lost, sweetheart?" asked a kindly looking Donphan as it plodded past Lynn, carrying a bulky bag in its trunk.
Lynn quickly swerved away and bumped into a burly Machamp who was passing by. "Hey, watch where you're goin', kid!" the Pokémon snapped, shaking three of its four fists in the girl's direction.
Heart throwing itself frantically against her ribs, Lynn stumbled backwards. She fell back against the train with a thud.
"You okay, Lynn?" came Feldspar's concerned-sounding voice. Lynn twisted about just in time to see Feldspar abandon all his gifts and rush worriedly towards her.
Now she could see why the pile of boxes had always managed to dwarf her fellow passenger. Feldspar stood no more than two feet high at his tallest point, a stubby horn on the top of his head. Covered in rocky skin marked with black diamonds, and sporting a rosy-toned stomach, fan-shaped tail, and chubby paws, Feldspar was a Larvitar.
A tiny little Larvitar, just like the ones who snapped at Lynn's heels whenever she ventured too close to their burrow by the cliffs.
"Lynn? What's the matter?" Feldspar asked, his rocky brow furrowing. Noticing her wide-eyed stare, the Larvitar glanced down at himself confusedly. "What, do I have a piece of granite stuck in my teeth from breakfast?"
Trying to get her legs to stop trembling, Lynn dropped her gaze to the ground. "Y-you talk," she gulped. "All of you t-talk, just like p-people."
"Well, of course," Feldspar said confusedly. "We're all people here, aren't we?"
Lynn's head reeled as the unreality of this new world flooded it in a dizzying rush. Pokémon shouldn't be able to talk. Lynn had sometimes supposed that the rearranged syllables they often uttered could be some kind of language. But before setting off on her coming-of-age journey, the idea of Pokémon using human speech, or acting in any kind of human role, had been absolutely absurd.
The talking Fearow and red-eyed demon had certainly begun to shatter these conceptions, but at least they'd hit her in short, isolated incidents. Now surrounded by walking impossibilities on all sides, Lynn felt as if her overloaded mind was melting down at last.
"S-sorry, I've got to g-go!" Lynn managed finally. "I…I need to find that St-stadium."
"Oh. Well, it's right down the street and to your left," Feldspar instructed as Lynn started shakily away. "Remember, it's the big one made of white marble!"
He raised his voice when the girl failed to respond. "Good luck, Lynn!" he yelled after her retreating form. "Bye!" Still perplexed, the Larvitar watched for a moment as the girl made her way precariously down the street, hugging her arms to her body and flinching whenever another pedestrian brushed past.
"Wonder why she didn't say goodbye," Feldspar mused, scratching at his head with one stubby claw. "Gotta remember to floss more often."
There was a noisy clatter from behind. Feldspar turned to see the Magnet Train disdainfully ejecting every one of his foil-wrapped gift boxes. The glittering gold and silver presents flew through the air and landed roughly on the waiting curb, burying the small Larvitar under an enormous heap.
"I was just about to get them myself!" Feldspar grumbled from beneath the boxes.
With a derisive crackle of static, the train sped off down the track.