Chapter 14 - Digging for Greatness

“What do you think, Delia?” Celeste asked.

She carefully took a potato chip from a plate and dipped it in a hot green sauce that sat by it. Holding it temptingly before her Slowpoke, she watched as he blinked once… twice… and, midway through the third blink, he jumped on the chip with gusto.

Celeste couldn’t help but giggle as Patrick devoured his snack. He was frustrating sometimes, but impossible not to adore.

“I think this sandwich is the best one I’ve ever had,” Delia answered as she carefully wrapped her leftovers.

This morning, Celeste surprised her friend with sandwiches and chips. A sort of bribe for her to stick around while she recounted the events of the previous night. From how obnoxious Rey was to how he threatened to get Delia fired and how she ended up befriending everyone in the Paldean restaurant.

“Not the sandwich.” Celeste gestured to the table.

A little unsure, Delia reached for the napkin that sat in between them and carefully unfolded it.

——

Aria - Tackle, Growl, Swift, Quick Attack and Sand Attack.

*Gift from the Flamigo guy: Dig TM!!!!! (Sweetest person ever)

Patrick - Water Gun, Tackle, Growl.

Yawn and Disable. (Need to figure it out)

Powder - Powder Snow

——

“You got a TM?”

“Mmhm,” Celeste said through her smile. “After Rey stormed off, I got chatting with the restaurant crew. Turns out he’s like that everywhere he goes,” she said. Then, using air quotes, “Not even from this island, but acts like he owns it.”

“So they gave you a bunch of food and a TM?” Delia tilted her head, eyes still on the napkin.

“They want me to win the battle,” Celeste confirmed with a nod. “And then they mentioned something about never going out without a good sandwich. Anyway, I think I should train Dig, right?”

She glanced at Patrick, who was now eyeing the hot sauce with suspicion, while Delia considered her next words.

“I don’t know much about battles,” Delia admitted, leaning back. “But do you think Rey could really get me fired?”

“I don’t want to find out… Olga seemed to really like you, though.”

“We can keep an eye out for other jobs,” Delia suggested, smoothing the napkin back onto the table thoughtfully. “Training Aria with Dig sounds great, but don’t forget your other Pokémon if it’s not one-on-one.”

Just as Celeste reached for the napkin, a sudden yelp made them spin around. There was Patrick, sprinting in circles, his snout drenched in the green sauce.

“Oh, buddy…” Celeste said, holding her laugh. Who knew a Slowpoke could move that fast? “Let’s get you cleaned up before we head out, ok?”

Delia chuckled, shaking her head. “Good luck with the training, Cee.”

—*——*—

One Island had three main training spots. Treasure Beach, Kindle Road and Mount Ember.

Treasure beach was the easiest to reach. It was the beach their lifeboat had crashed a few days back, and just a short hike from the city. However, Celeste had her fill of the ocean for the moment. Mount Ember, of course, was out of the question. The Pokémon there were supposed to be strong, and she was being pragmatic for once. Her focus for the day was moves and strategy. If she got a handle on that, she would try battling a wild Pidgey or something, rather than some giant Onix living in a volcano.

That left Kindle Road as the choice by default. Nurse Joy had described it as a network of trails leading to Mount Ember, flanked by caves and woodlands along a well-tended path.

With their destination set, Celeste and Aria left the city.

As they advanced, the concrete path gave way to sandy trails, which then receded as the expansive ocean dominated the landscape—guess there was no escaping it on an island. At last, they came upon a rock wall, wildflowers peeking through its crevices. A small opening allowed them forward.

Passing through, the landscape transformed dramatically. Like Joy said, hills and woodlands enveloped them, a welcome change of scenery. It was the sheer impact of Mount Ember that truly left them breathless, however. Even though it was still distant, the volcano imposed itself on the entire landscape.

Celeste paused to consider her options. Toward the volcano, the ground became rockier and more barren—unsuitable for learning Dig. In the woodlands, however, there would be more wild Pokémon, which… really shouldn’t be a problem for someone wanting to train.

Yet there they were.

Decision made, she ventured slightly off the main path and settled down, releasing her other two Pokémon for what she announced as a “team meeting.” Aria simply sat on the back with some amusement in her face, while Powder looked at Celeste with those big eyes of her, quiet and maybe somewhat unsure, all tails swaying around slowly. Pat, by her side, blinked as he let out a lazy “po”.

How was she going to do this again?

“Aria,” Celeste began, capturing her Pokémon’s attention as the Eevee’s ears perked. “Do you remember when we met Powder, in Mount Lanakila?”

The Eevee nodded slowly, briefly shifting her gaze to the small Vulpix. Her smirk turned to some worry, then to something warm, before she settled her eyes back on Celeste. Powder tilted her head at that.

Celeste crouched by them and ran a hand over her Vulpix head puffs, and for that she got a cute squeal, tails swaying faster through the air.

“That was when you hatched, Powds,” she said, feeling the Vulpix’s head press into her hand. “It was only a few months ago, but somehow a lifetime away. You probably won’t remember, and Pat, you weren’t with us yet. But back on that mountain, things got bad, and scary… and we made a promise. We promised we would get strong. That we would never feel powerless again.”

Powder lifted her eyes to Celeste, and even Pat seemed attentive.

“It all started because I was angry with mum and dad… and after everything that happened, I told them I was taking control of my own life,” Celeste shared, smiling at her Slowpoke. “Maybe I was a bit too harsh and hotheaded. They wanted things for me that were… not really what I wanted. That’s why we argued and why I stormed off that day. Then we ran into some poachers, and into this boy with a fire cat.”

She paused, closing her eyes. She had been so scared at the time, she could barely remember the poachers’ faces, only the red R in their shirts.

“So like I said, it got bad, and after Powder’s mo—” Celeste caught herself, glancing at her Vulpix. “After we met Powder, we decided to leave my parents’ never ending expedition to have our own adventure. It wasn’t right away, of course. We waited a few months for her to grow a little more. It was hard. It’s been hard, but we’re all here now.”

She reached for Pat next. Her Slowpoke with the sweetest eyes. She had no idea why he came along, but Celeste was truly glad he did.

Stolen story; please report.

“I left to become a strong trainer, and I think these past few days I’ve done a horrible job on that.” Aria snickered at her words. Her Eevee, her bestest friend in the world, would always laugh at the shit that came their way, but she would always protect her too. “I want to feel strong and brave. But surprise, surprise. Strength, courage and skill don’t just come to people. Who would have guessed, huh? ”

Powder tilted her head curiously, Aria chuckled, and Pat simply stared.

“I’m not even sure what my ‘dream’ is, or what’s the best path forward, but I think it’s time we chose a direction.” Celeste looked determinedly at the trail ahead. “How about we train hard, beat Rey, and then try the Gyms back in Kanto?”

She let her eyes rest at each of her Pokémon again and nodded, her heart beating extra fast. Vermilion was a slap in her face, and what came after, a punch to the nose. Now, she was at One Island and… well, that’s where you start, right?

At one.

“We are a team, so we take decisions as a team. What do you guys say? Rey, Gyms, other trainers. We keep going, keep fighting and don’t give up. Even if things are scary or difficult, we’ll always support each other and we’ll always move forward.”

She waited. Aria waited too. They were in this together from the start, and she’d always be there for Celeste. Powder nuzzled her leg and surprisingly, Pat hopped into her lap, his tail wagging, his slow blinks saying all that needed to be said.

“Poooke,” he added in his slow, deep voice and when she wrapped him hug in a hug, the other two came along.

They were ready. Now they just needed to keep moving.

First to the woods to train—then to her destiny, whatever that might be.

—*——*—

“Okay, let’s do this, Aria!” Celeste declared as she fiddled with the TM device. She’d never actually used one before, but how hard could it be? A twist here, a click there, and—maybe it’d be prudent to read the manual first.

Heh. Prudent.

She was proud of how responsible she was being today.

Flipping open the manual, her eyes caught the bold Silph Co emblem emblazoned across the header. Below it, in bold letters, the title claimed: “TM’s—the new battle revolution, making move tutors accessible to all.”

Celeste raised an eyebrow at that.

Everyone knew the tech behind TMs was as old as the radio, and the only thing Silph did was make it cheap and breakable. Planned obsolescence taken to a new level was what her father always said. If revolutionising training was the aim, they would have invested in something affordable and durable. Regardless, he’d often browse for something cool or useful for his Pokémon whenever they got somewhere new. Hypocritical? Sure. But Celeste got it. The thrill of Aria learning a new move was undeniable.

“Says here I need to tune the dial to match your species,” she said, twisting it until ‘EEV’ blinked back at her from the digital display. Balancing the device atop her cast, she placed it near Aria. “See this big red button? Once I press it, the tutorial kicks off. Listen close, okay?”

Celeste hesitated, her finger ghosting over the button.

“If you need to listen over, you press the button again.” She peered into Aria’s eyes, searching for any hint of understanding. “Think you can handle it yourself while I check on the others?”

Aria’s snort said it all. Obviously, she could do anything.

“Okay, miss independent.” Celeste chuckled. “Since you are so good, you out-dig a Diglett by the time I’m back.”

With a loud bark from Aria, Celeste committed, pressing the button. Silence to her, but not to her Eevee—the TM worked in a frequency optimised for each Pokémon. Aria’s ears perked up and another sharp bark followed, this one meant to shush the world around her.

Satisfied that she tricked Aria into putting an effort, she turned her attention to her other Pokémon. Pat was snoozing under a tree, with Powder amusingly tucking leaves around him like a blanket. Was she trying to make him more comfortable, or was she playing?

For a moment Celeste just stared, twirling a lock of her hair. So… how should she approach this? Should she just command them to use moves over and over until they were good enough? Should they have an actual workout?

There has to be more to it than that…

Battles are supposed to be about strength, but also strategy. It made sense that training should also be about it. Since they only had a few days to figure out how to beat Rey, they’d need to be smart about how they played this.

So… a plan? She needed a good one. Now.

“Listen up, you two,” she called, her voice sharp enough to wake her Slowpoke up. “You’re going to pair up today. Pat, you’ll use your Water Gun while Powder tries to freeze it with Powder Snow. The challenge here is that the stronger the Water Gun is, the harder it will be to freeze it. You guys ready?”

Powder’s tails twitched eagerly. She positioned herself, nose pointed skyward in anticipation. Celeste couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. She had no idea what she was trying to do there, but it was so adorable, it almost felt criminal to make her battle.

The Slowpoke simply yawned (thankfully not the move) and blinked at them.

“Okay bud, show me your Water Gun,” Celeste began. A slow blink and a confused tilt of his head followed. “Water Gun, Pat. You can do it,” she urged, a bit louder this time.

Another few painful seconds passed until he finally opened his mouth and let a very weak stream of water out. Powder reacted instantly, her Powder Snow’s wind sending a spray of chilled (and very much unfrozen) droplets everywhere, including Celeste’s cast.

Great, another lecture from Nurse Joy was on the horizon.

She shook the water away and sighed as she glanced at Aria, still absorbed in the TM machine. Hopefully, that would turn out okay.

Then, back to Pat and Powder, she called for another round. Same sluggish response, same incredibly weak Powder Snow.

Did she start too big?

She crossed her arms, studying Pat. Producing water didn’t seem to be the issue—this was all about pressure.

“Pressure, huh…?” Celeste thought out loud. That’s it. She crouched beside him, placing a hand on her stomach. “Pat, I want you to breathe with me.”

The Slowpoke only blinked at that.

“Powder, will you help us out?” She gestured for the Vulpix to come over.

She then drew a deep breath, holding it a moment before exhaling sharply with a pronounced, and perhaps a little mischievous, ‘hah!’ that made even her Slowpoke jump.

Celeste laughed. Pat could be quick when he wants, huh?

She would have to figure out how to get rid of his lagging at some point, but for now, they were doing this breathing exercise.

“I want us to do it together. Deep breath in, and then scream it out. Pat, really feel how your body moves when you let the air out, okay? And make each shout louder than the last,” she instructed.

Together, they breathed deeply. Powder’s tiny squeaks pierced the air with each exhale, cute yet sharp. Patrick’s screams were… more like amplified yawns, but with each round, he seemed to push a little harder.

“How’s that feeling? Kinda invigorating, huh?” Celeste asked once they paused, her own body buzzing with a mix of relaxation and adrenaline. Powder, energised, darted around them in a swift lap. The Slowpoke, on the other hand… didn’t seem all that different from his usual self.

“Let’s do it once more, Pat. This time, channel that breath into a Water Gun,” she said, pointing to a tree. “Inhale…” She breathed in, holding the air, then exploded, “Water Gun now!”

Water sprayed from Pat’s mouth much faster than before, striking a low branch on the tree. Powder concentrated harder, too. Her breath frosting some of the water into glinting ice fragments at the edges.

This was an improvement!

“Again!” she called, excited. “Try to break that branch over there. Inhale… and, Water Gun! Powder, hit it with your Powder Snow, focus right on the stream.”

And snap.

Celeste beamed at her Pokémon’s progress. He did it. Patrick had actually broken a twig, and Powder was sharpening her aim. She was sure they would keep improving if they kept training and—

“Huh?”

A sudden loud thud snapped her attention away. She looked around. That sound had been too loud for a little piece of wood falling down.

Her eyes widened.

There, on the ground by the broken twig, was a disgruntled Spearow with part of its leg frozen.

Celeste gulped, backing away slowly. Retreat or fight? she wondered. It would probably be prudent to run, but they were also overdue for a real battle, weren’t they? Better a wild Spearow than facing Rey untested.

Yeah. That would be fine. Celeste just needed to keep her cool. She could do it.

“P-Pat, use Water Gun on the Spearow,” she ordered, though Pat just blinked obliviously at her. The Spearow’s glare intensified.

Damn.

“C-come on, you were doing so well,” Celeste whispered, desperation seeping in. She then turned to her Vulpix, “Your turn, hit it!”

Powder’s Powder Snow blasted forth, but the Spearow simply soared higher, evading with ease. Not even the gust that came with the move helped, and the bird flew on steadily.

They needed Aria.

Celeste scanned around for her Eevee, but she was nowhere in sight. Her heart raced as she faced the angry Spearow once more. A white glow shimmered around its beak, growing brighter as it climbed higher into the sky. Once it reached its peak, it locked eyes with them for a moment before abruptly diving in a tight corkscrew motion.

Think, think, think.

Just as their opponent was closing in, the ground rumbled beneath her feet. She gasped, “There you are.”

Celeste took a more calming, deep breath and re-centred herself.

“Use Swift as soon as you are out!” she called out.

Aria wouldn’t reach a flying Pokémon when she got out of the earth, but she could have the element of surprise.

Before the Spearow could get any closer, her Eevee burst from the ground, triumphantly unleashing a flurry of star-shaped rays. The bird, caught off-guard, was knocked backward into a tree.

Celeste’s pulse raced. Typically, this was when things got horribly wrong… wasn’t it? When she thought she got to safety, but then was dragged into the water again by a crazy tentacool.

No.

Not today

She wanted to feel strong and in control, didn’t she? So she was taking fucking control.

“Don’t let up. Sand Attack, Aria!”

The Eevee’s paws blurred, kicking up a blinding cloud of sand. Celeste couldn’t see anything—perfect. If she couldn’t see, neither could the Spearow. She only needed to remain calm and trust in her Pokémon and in herself.

Amidst the swirling sands, a faint glow hinted at another incoming attack.

Before it could hit, she shouted. “Quick Attack! Fast!”

Celeste heard a shriek.

Then a thump.

Then nothing.

She held her breath as the sand settled. Stepping forward cautiously, she prepared to protect her other Pokémon.

But there was no need.

Before her, Aria panted, victorious, with the Spearow unconscious at her paws.

They’d won. Aria had won.

Their first victory.

And it was amazing.