Chapter 5: Foundations Forgotten
Ceailean struggled to keep up with Marie. She ran as fast she could with Snom in her arms and nearly tripped over some other people walking. Ceailean made sure to quickly apologize to anyone who they passed by. They approached the busier side of town lined with colored shops and restaurants. Ceailean saw Marie turn into the local poke center and ran inside after her. Ceailean came in through the sliding doors just as Marie handed Snom to nurse Joy. Marie turned around and spotted Ceailean. She then walked over and hugged him tight, crying into his chest.
“H-Hey now,” comforted Ceailean while still trying to grasp the situation he was in, “Let’s go sit down.” He guided Marie to a bench that ran across the wall. He considered himself lucky that the poke center wasn’t busy today or a lot of people would be staring at them. Marie continued to sob into his shoulder while Ceailean rubbed her head trying to calm her down. After a few minutes passed and Marie has calmed down substantially, opting to rest her head upon Ceailean’s shoulder.
“Are you gonna be okay?” asked Ceailean concerned.
“How could I be.” replied Marie, her voice cracking. She lifted herself off of Ceailean, “I thought...I could finally help you.”
“Marie, you didn’t have to-” reasoned Ceailean.
“How could I not?” said Marie, “That June has always been on your case non-stop ever since you met him. I couldn’t stand him.”
“Marie, you let him get to you.” said Ceailean, “Nothing he could’ve said would’ve affected me.”
“That’s not the point, C.” said Marie, “You can’t just let him say whatever he wants in front of your face. After all you, you…” Marie couldn’t finish her thought.
“So you're saying there was no reason to stand up for me.” said Ceailean in a slight joking manner, trying to lift the mood.
“What, no, um...?” said Marie who had fumbled her words over the sudden change in tone. “Geez C, I’m trying to be serious here.”
“There’s nothing to be serious about,” said Ceailean, a little more lax, “Did you think that June would’ve held up his end of the bargain?”
“No.” answered Marie as if the answer is obvious.
“Then don’t you find it justifiable that we simply don’t hold our end?” asked Ceailean.
Marie thought for a moment. “Huh, I suppose so.” said Marie, who looked as if some weight had been taken off her chest. After a few more minutes, the bells went off to signal the full recovery of a Pokémon.
“Here you are.” said Nurse Joy pushing a rolling stretcher with Snom on top. “We have nursed your Snom back to full health.”
Marie got up with an excited gasp and ran over to Snom. “Oh my gosh, Snom!” Snom looked happily at the sight of Marie, which quickly turned to strain when she picked it up and hugged it tight. “Oh I’m so glad you're okay, I promise I will never let you get hurt ever again.” Ceailean tapped Marie’s shoulder and gestured towards Snom. She gave a little gasp and released her grip to hold Snom with her outstretched hands. The poor little Snom went limp over her hands.
“Well in any regard, it’s good to see you good as new.” said Ceailean. The Snom looked back up and gave him a happy nod.
“We hope you all take care.” said Nurse Joy as she waved goodbye.
Marie and Ceailean waved back and said, “Thanks, you too.”
They walked back towards the entrance when Ceailean decided to say, “Well since you’ve already gone and done it, I might as well say, thanks for standing up for me.” Marie stopped in her tracks and blushed at the compliment. Snom looked at her in confusion. Ceailean turned around and asked, “Are you okay?”
Marie turned slightly redder and tilted her head upwards to avoid eye contact. “Um, yeah, I’m good, that’s what friends are supposed to do right.” she said with an awkward smile. Snom then looked suspiciously towards Ceailean.
“Right.” affirmed Ceailean, “It’s also relieving to see you smiling again.” Marie almost couldn’t take it and started to lose her balance. Snom looked back too Marie concernedly. Ceailean, realizing the abnormalities in Marie’s posture, asked, “Hey, are you sure you’re okay” Just then, Marie’s knees buckled. Ceailean quickly reached out to catch her. Snom, on the other hand, had other plans. After all that time sleeping in a beanie, it finally noticed that Marie had a love interest. Snom was immediately filled with jealousy and looked aggressively towards Ceailean. Before he could catch her, Snom shot a full power powder snow into his face.
Ceailean flinched as the power of the powder snow caused him to slip backward. Marie dropped Snom from her arms and caught herself before falling. Ceailean, however, fell on his back. The impact garnered the attention of Nurse Joy, who looked over from her work station. Snom laid on the ground and acted defensively of Marie.
“Snom! What did you do!” cried Marie in such a high pitch that it was almost just passing air. Snom looked back to see a distraught Marie. She quickly scooped up Snom from the floor and shook it in front of her face. “Why would you do that!” she pleaded repeatedly. Snom was getting dizzy from constantly being shaken.
“AHHH!” exclaimed Ceailean, quickly sitting upright. Marie and Snom snap their heads towards him. He then turned around and exclaimed in a Galarian accent, “He took out me eyes!” Ceailean's face was covered in powder and he could barely see through his glasses.
Marie snorted, trying to hold her laugh. Ceailean got up from the ground and said, “And Snom,” He put together his fingertips and put them in front of his face. He approached Snom until they were face to face, Snom bracing for what's to come. Ceailean then wiped his glasses with his index fingers and said, “That wasn’t very cash money of you.” Marie then burst out laughing with a clearly unamused Snom in her hands. Ceailean pulled back and wiped off the rest of his face.
“You’re ridiculous, C.” giggled Marie.
Ceailean smiled. He clapped his hands and said, “Well then, shall we be going.”
“Oh yeah, that reminds me I have to be somewhere at a certain time.” remembered Marie.
Ceailean looked at Marie accusingly. “Just say you don’t want to be around me anymore.” he said as they started again for the door.
“No, stop! You know that's not what I'm trying to do.” groaned Marie.
The sliding door opened. Ceailean and Marie both stopped in their tracks and their smiles faded. It was revealed to be June speaking loudly into a phone. “-they got destroyed man.” June recognized the two people in front of him, but all he did was say, “-Scuse me.” and walked past. “Yeah, they all didn’t stand a chance.” he continued as he faded away.
Ceailean and Marie both exited the poke-center. “Well that was a mood killer.” said Marie
“Don’t have to tell me.” said Ceailean. Marie pulled out her phone and checked the time.
“Oh my, I have to get going.” said Marie.
“You never told me what you were going to, don’t mind me asking right?” asked Ceailean.
“NO! Yes...it’s nothing important, just, trying to get home to watch a new episode of something.” fumbled Marie.
“Uh-huh.” said Ceailean suspiciously.
“Yep, that’s it.” said Marie, “No need to rush home or anythi-” Marie caught herself and stopped herself from finishing the sentence.
Ceailean eyed Marie more suspiciously than before. “What are you up to?” interrogated Ceailean.
Marie backed up a bit, then took off in a sprint holding Snom like a football, yelling back, “It’s nothing I swear!”
Ceailean held out his hand towards Marie. He was confused, what could Marie be doing that she would want to keep it secret from everyone. He pondered on the spot for a moment before shrugging it off. Seeing where the sun was, school was probably already over. On that note he decides to just head, in no rush of course.
Upon opening the fence gate to his home, Ceailean heard clunking and crashing coming from inside the house. He closed the gate and walked hurriedly to the front door. Before entering he listened in. His mom yelling ‘get outta here’ and ‘shoo shoo’ and the like. When he opened the door, he found his mom with a broom. She turned to face him, but she knocked over a bowl and it shattered on the floor.
“Stop!” she commanded, holding her hand out, “Don’t move!”
“What’s going on here?” asked Ceailean completely still.
“There’s uh a Ra-Ratata in the pantry,” explained Ceailean’s mom.
“Cool, do you want to get Deerling and deal with it?” asked Ceailean, stepping inside further.
“No no, I got it.” assured Ceailean’s mom, rushing to him. “Thing is, I was going to hit up the convenience store down the street to pick up a berriblue muffin. But since I have to deal with this, could you go get it for me.” She pulled out a 5,000 dollar bill and handed it to Ceailean.
“This is a bit much for a muffin.” stated Ceailean, inspecting the bill.
“It’s okay, just get whatever you want too, as long as you get that muffin.” said Ceailean’s mom. Ceailean eyed his mom suspiciously. “Please, I really want one.” she pleaded with baby doll eyes.
Stolen story; please report.
Ceailean sighed, “Fine, I'll get you a muffin.”
“Thanks C.” she said. She pulled him in for a kiss on the forehead.
Ceailean slowly backed out of the house with his mom watching him the entire time. He closed the door and walked slowly out of the yard. He thought to himself, his mother wasn’t that lenient when it comes to cash, and yet she just gave him a 5,000 dollar bill. He could just be over thinking it, but this is truly a rare opportunity. He walked on towards the convenience store.
“Objective: get muffin.” he said to himself.
The sun was barely hovering over the mountains by the time Ceailean got to the convenience store. Ceailean entered and immediately went scanning the isles. He turned one isle and saw a familiar face.
“Oh, hey Mr. Lafar.”
The man turned to him and looked delighted to see him. “Hey, good to see ya kid. What brings you round here?”
“Nothing much, mom just wanted me to get her a muffin.”
“Good man, helping your mom out.” complimented Mr. Lafar. He picked up a box of microwave popcorn and faced Ceailean. “Have you ever figured what you’re gonna do now that school is over?”
Ceailean scratched his head and answered, “I was thinking of going to Lumiose.”
Mr. Lafar’s face immediately frowned upon this response. He crouched down to Ceailean’s height and asked in a hushed tone, “You’re not still looking for clues, are ya kid?”
Ceailean raised his hands in denial and said, “No no! It’s just that I heard that they might cancel the next gen program, and I don’t want to take any chances.”
“Is that all?” sighed Mr. Lafar, “That’s a damn shame kid. When do ya think yer gonna leave?”
“Late night tomorrow.”
“That soon. I guess, since next gen was supposed to happen sometime next week.” Mr. Lafar then placed his hands on his hips and cocked his head. “Are you sure yer not gonna-”
“I think I’m going to let it go for a while.” interrupted Ceailean. Mr. Lafar nodded his head in understanding. “It’s not really something I want to think about when I start my journey.”
“I don’t blame you kid, it has been a long while since Alain has given any of us any sort of information.” Ceailean simply nodded in agreeance. “Whatever the case, you are always welcome to call me or him for any information you need. We’ll find him, I’m sure of it.”
“Thanks man. I hope to see you around.”
“Yeah, you too C.” Mr. Lafar then exited the store, setting off the alarm as he had not paid for his popcorn. The cashier clearly did not care in the slightest. Ceailean paid for his muffin and walked back home.
The sun had set fully by the time Ceailean got there. The snow was shining in a gleaming brilliance from the moonlight. Ceailean noticed that the lights were off as he walked through the yard. He figured that his mom would’ve gone to bed already since it was late.
Upon opening the door, he was greeted by a loud, “Surprise!” He jumped before he quickly realized that it was his mom, Deerling, Marie, Devin, and Mallen. He calmed down and was genuinely shocked to see everyone was there.
“What’re you all doing here?”
“We’re all here to celebrate your birthday of course.” explained Marie excitedly.
Of course, how could he have forgotten, February 3rd was his birthday. Every year had been quite tame with just a cupcake and a candle compared to now. Big balloons with the number 13 were tied to a chair, everyone was wearing party hats, a small pile of gifts were stacked upon the kitchen table, and Snom was creating an atmosphere by sprinkling powder snow around the room.
They all started to sing happy birthday as Ceailean’s mom came from the kitchen with a round chocolate cake. Ceailean sat himself on the living room couch listening to everyone sing. They placed the cake in front of him and finished singing on a high note.
“Thanks, you guys,” thanked Ceailean, “This is the best day ever!”
“No problem, C” said Devin, “We’ll always be there when you need us.” Mallen nodded in agreeance and turned on the TV.
“Make your wish Ceailean.” said his mom.
“Oh right.” Ceailean looked over the candles in earnest, the light from them reflected their dancing flames.
Marie plopped herself beside Ceailean on the couch and asked, “What’re you gonna wish for?” Ceailean looked at her and smiled. He turned back to the candles and thought about it. What would he want on his pokemon adventure, make new friends, see many new pokemon, see the lands across the world. The room around Ceailean became silent and still. All that he could perceive was the flame in front of him. He thought about all the possibilities that can behold him in the future and all the ups and downs that can happen. Ceailean grew content, he had decided to keep his wish vague for simplicity's sake. He blew upon the candles and one by one their flames extinguished. As the smoke rose above his head, the room came back into view with everyone watching him.
“All I wish for is the greatest pokemon journey ever.”
Happy times followed afterward. Ceailean’s mom retreated to her room that way he could spend time with his friends. He opened the gifts with everyone watching. He received a duffel bag from Devin, a custom built tent from Mallen, and a portable gas grill from Marie.
The games were next. They all took a position around the coffee table and set up a game board. They played long into the night and told many great jokes and stories. This was truly the happiest moment of Ceailean’s life.
Marie suddenly receives a phone call. She talked for a moment and explained, “Hey, my dad’s driver is coming to pick me up, he wants me home.”
“Welp, sounds like a good time for me to sign off.” said Mallen. He got up and said his goodbyes to the friends and walked out the door. The rest decided to put the game board away as Devin had already been the projected winner. They talked until Marie’s driver showed up. Marie got up to leave when Devin came up with a suggestion.
“Hey C, why don’t you give our long time friend a proper escort to her vehicle.” Marie blushed a little.
“I guess I can do that,” said Ceailean, “This may be the last time I see you guys for a while.” Marie, looking a little flustered, faced him and gave an expression that made it seem she was asking ‘why!’
Devin made eye contact with her and simply said, “Oh come on, it was so obvious.” Marie grew a little redder and Ceailean looked to him for more context. Devin crossed his legs and smiled as if there wasn’t a care in the world. He closed his eyes as he waited for them to leave. Marie picked up Snom, who had been residing on top of Deerling’s head, and exited the house with Ceailean following close behind. Closing the door behind them, they saw a fancy looking man waiting outside a car just beyond the gate. They walked in silence towards the end of the yard.
Ceailean, feeling awkward, broke the silence and asked, “So, what do you think you’re gonna do now that school is over?”
Marie had a moment of realization. “Huh, I haven’t really thought about it either. Oh man, what should I do?”
“You could come with me to Lumiose.”
Marie stopped, “Come with you, to Lumiose?”
“Yeah sure, ya know if you want.” said Ceailean scratching the back of his head.
Marie beamed with excitement, “Y-Yeah, I can do that, sure!”
“Okay then, see you tomorrow then.” said Ceailean with a thumbs up. Marie then went in with a hug. Ceailean was taken aback for a bit but quickly accepted her embrace. Marie let go and gave a bit of an awkward laugh. She walked the rest of the way back to the car, waving her goodbyes as she did so. Ceailean waved back as he stood still in the center of the yard. The driver lets Marie in, but upon closing the door, he observes Ceailean as if he was judging him. He walked round to the driver's seat, gave one last look at Ceailean, then drove off.
When Ceailean went back inside, Devin asked of him, “I just don’t get it, how is it that you can miss all those details?”
“What Details, for what?”
“Forget about it, it’s something that I shouldn’t involve myself in. I’ll just sit back and watch it blossom itself.”
Ceailean was legitimately confused by whatever Devin was hinting at. But being that it was late, he was too tired to figure out what he was saying. “So what’s your grand plan since school is over?”
“Me? Well I’m gonna hop on over to Unova.”
“Huh, why not just stay here.”
“Unova is what I consider to be the direct midpoint between the two halves of the world. It will help me in my endeavors as I try to uncover every little secret a corporation could hide from the public.” Ceailean just gave a nod and sat down on the couch. “Oh that reminds me, almost forgot to give you this.”
Devin whipped out a wad of cash and handed it to Ceailean. Knowing where the money came from, he wasn’t very enthusiastic. Regardless, he counted it up, and was shocked at the amount he was given.
“$45,000!” exclaimed Ceailean, “Did I count that right?”
“Yep, Wulfric was betting on Marie with what I can only imagine as just his pocket money. He put so much that I was able to give all the winners 9x what they put in. And just a little extra for the house.” Devin patted his pocket on the last sentence. “Can’t say it was too bad though, you were the highest bet not including Wulfric.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“That reminds me, did anyone ever tell you that Wulfric challenged some kids after you two left.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it was surreal. No one stood a chance, and he only fought with Bergmite.”
Ceailean thought back to his encounter with June at the Pokemon-center. “Had he been talking about them, or us?” he thought to himself. “Must have been fun to watch.” he then said to Devin.
“Yeah, well, imma take off, have fun on your trip to Lumiose.” Devin got up from the armchair and made his way to the door.
Ceailean asked before he left, “Do you think I made a mistake?”
Devin stopped and turned his head over his shoulder. “That depends, will Marie actually see it as a mistake she made in the heat of passion, making your actions justified. Or will she always be looking for your support, no matter the situation.”
Ceailean crossed his arms and laid back against the couch in guilt.
“Whatever the case, it’s not for me to decide whether or not it was justifiable. I just hope that you can still live on normally like nothing happened. See you around.” Devin then exited the home. Ceailean still sat there pondering his decision. He sat there for a few minutes until a very sleepy looking Deerling tugged on his sleeve. It complained to him with dreary eyes and gestured with its head to the stairs.
Ceailean gave it a little pat on the head and went upstairs with it, turning off all the lights in the process. He opened the door to his mom’s room where she was already sleeping. Deerling gave a very sleepy expression of gratitude and entered the room. Ceailean closed the door behind it and went to his room. He changed into his pajamas and tuck himself into bed. But he did not rest, there was something he had to do first. He wanted to make sure that no one saw him doing the thing he needed to do.
A few hours had passed, and the street was eerily quiet. The moon was covered by clouds and a fresh new layer of undisturbed snow lay upon the ground. The area could have been mistaken as a ghost town. Quietly, the door of Ceailean’s house creaked open. Out stepped Ceailean himself into the cold all by himself. He carried a trash can in one hand, and several papers in the other. He placed the trash can firmly into the snow in the middle of the yard and pulled out a lighter from his pocket. He lit the edge of a paper and threw it into the trash can. Many other papers were thrown in. They were mostly articles and stories all dating back around 5-7 years ago, all explaining a similar sequence of events. Ceailean watched as the cinders and smoke rose from the trash can as the work he contributed for a while was being burned away. Eventually there were no papers left, but Ceailean had one thing remaining in his hand. A single photo, it almost disgusted him having to view it.
“This doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten what you’ve done.” he said coldly to the photo. He tossed it into the cinders inside the trash can. He watched as its edges became blackened and burnt, all converging upon the face of man called Lysandre. Red marker circled around his face. A straight flame poked through the photo on his face and in no time, the photo became indistinguishable from the rest of the ashes in the trash can.