Chapter 18 - Overheat

Overheat? Celeste froze in shock for a moment.

“Rey! Call off your Larvesta, now!” Olga’s voice cracked, emotion seeping through for the first time.

Option one, recall Powder. End the battle.

The crowd buzzed around, but their voices were distant. Celeste was too wrapped up in the sight of her Vulpix to hear what they were shouting. Her little baby Powder just stood there, staring at the Larvesta, like there wasn’t fire building up in front of her.

Option two, dodge. There’s nothing to hide behind, but maybe Powder’s quick enough?

The Larvesta’s five horns, sharp as daggers and red as blood, glowed brightly, casting embers into the air. But they weren’t attacking. Instead, the embers gathered into a spiralling ball of fire above its head.

Option three. Fight back. Powder knew Tail Whip and Powder Snow. The latter might sap some heat from the fire, make the Overheat tolerable… Maybe? But the gust it created… Would it fan the flames or smother them?

“Powder Snow,” Celeste yelled in a fit of panic. Was this a mistake? Powder hadn’t even managed to freeze Pat’s Water Gun during their training.

The Vulpix unleashed her snowy assault and—well… no need to worry about fanning any flames. No need to worry about anything. Her attack fizzled out way before hitting the fire. Problem was, now, Powder taking laboured breaths, ears twitching, frost forming on her fur as her body desperately tried to cool down.

And it wasn’t only her Pokémon struggling. Sweat trickled down Celeste’s forehead, on her neck, on the palms of her hands. The heat was intense, almost as much as the beating of her heart. Still, she managed to form words. “Come back, Powder,” she said as she reached for the Premier Ball. But her hands were shaky and slick.

The ball slipped from her grasp.

Of course it slipped.

“She wants to recall her Vulpix. Tell your Pokémon to stop!”

Celeste didn’t know who yelled. Her eyes locked onto Rey and onto his Larvesta, still fuelling the flames of this Overheat move.

Rey, for his part, trailed down the Premier Ball rolling away, before getting back to his Pokémon. “More power, Flame.”

More power?

A blast rang across the battlefield. Celeste’s eyes widened in horror as what looked like a miniature sun exploded into life—fulled both by the Larvesta and the Sunny Day move from earlier. It grew and grew, as if it would never stop.

“Powder, into your ball, now!” Celeste’s voice cracked as she yelled, praying her Vulpix could reach the ball quicker than she could.

Unfortunately, little Powder didn’t move an inch. She just stared, either entranced or terrified, at the fire before her. Each attempt to dodge seemed slower than the last. Celeste bit her lip. Why had she thought this battle was a good idea? Her little Vulpix was just a baby.

A new thought struck her.

Option four. She could jump in, shield Powder with her own body. Rey wouldn’t strike a human with a ball of fire… would he?

Celeste’s legs felt like lead, but she moved them anyway. Was this reckless? Stupid? Making the same mistake again for the millionth time? Probably. But it didn’t matter. She had to protect her Pokémon.

With every step, the more unbearable the heat became. It was torture for her, no doubt hell for any Ice-Type.

“You won, okay? Please, just stop,” Celeste gasped, stepping into the line of fire. She could barely hear her own voice over the shouts of the crowd, urging her to move. She didn’t want to be there either—fire hurt, after all.

“Apologise,” Rey said—no, he hissed.

Olga’s voice shouted something in the background. The audience’s uproar was louder even, but strangely, Celeste was elsewhere in her mind. She was back to Alola. To the day she held an egg, white as the powdered snow, against her heart. To a Ninetales gently licking her cheeks as the tears rolled down.

She had cried then, but she wouldn’t cry now.

“I’m sorry…” Celeste began. “I’m sorry for insulting you.” Her words were drier than her eyes. She was proud, but only to a point. Glancing back, she noticed the Premier Ball just a short distance from Powder. The Vulpix was breathing hard, but there was a spark in her eyes. Yes, Powder was young, but she understood what Celeste said all too well. She understood the command to get back into the ball.

She simply didn’t want to do it.

“You could do better than this,” Rey smirked. For a moment, it seemed he might let his Pokémon continue its attack. But then he shrugged. “Fine. Flame, stand down.”

The Larvesta turned to him, but the sprawling inferno above didn’t wane—it grew more chaotic.

“I said stop! Cancel the Overheat!” Rey’s voice was sharp, but his Pokémon could only twitch in a panicked response. Whatever Rey said seemed only to agitate Larvesta further.

Any semblance of calm Celeste had gathered evaporated in the mounting heat. “Aim it to the sky,” she shouted, “or into the sea!”

Rey groaned. “Don’t tell me what to do.” He took a step forward, but the arena burst with more embers, blocking his path. He couldn’t get close.

What had he expected?

This was a Larvesta, after all…

—*——*—

Two Years Ago

“Enjoying the scenery, Celly?” Otto leaned on the balcony railing, his greying brown hair tousled by the gentle breeze, his chocolate eyes twinkling as he looked over at his daughter.

Celeste glanced up, waving the book in her hand. “Your meeting was boring. Had to find something actually interesting to do.”

He arched an eyebrow. “And what’s the book about?”

“Pokémon migration patterns and, uh, fun facts?” Celeste shrugged. “Found a stack of those in the corner. Figured Professor Juniper wouldn’t mind if one went missing.”

Otto chuckled. “Cedric will love to know you think he wrote a book about fun facts.”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“I’m really learning some fun facts, though.” Celeste pointed at a picture in her book—a white and red bug Pokémon. “See this? It’s called a Larvesta. Looks harmless, right? But it’s actually one of the rarest in the region.”

“Ohh, Pokémon. Interesting,” Otto grinned with mischief.

“Dad! Don’t you start.”

“I’m not starting anything.” He lifted his hands up in mock surrender. “Just saying, most kids would jump at the chance to partner up with a Pokémon. Your friend Lyra got a Scorbunny, didn’t she?”

“Well, you and mum always tell me I’m not most kids.” Celeste rolled her eyes.

“Touché.” Otto tapped his chest theatrically. “So, I guess I’ll tell Cedric you’re passing on his offer for a starter Pokémon…”

Her eyes widened slightly. “He… offered me a starter?”

“Yep. Your mother’s already fallen for the fire one, though,” Otto laughed. “Thinks you’d look adorable running around after that Tepig.”

Ah… and there it was. It would be adorable. For the ratings, no doubt.

“I… I’m good, dad.”

Otto paused, observing Celeste closely. “We worry about you, Celly…” he said softly, leaning in to gently bump shoulders with her. “You know, when I was your age, I couldn’t wait to make friends with a Pokémon. Your granddad took me out to—”

“Catch a Fidough,” Celeste finished with a grin. “But you ended up with something a tad bigger and much less apartment friendly. Dad, you’ve told me that story a million times. Tell me something I don’t know for once.”

“Alrighty then.” Otto took a moment, his gaze wandering over Professor Juniper’s garden below them.

It was a lot different from Professor Magnolia’s. Here, beneath the balcony, only a couple of Pidove pecked at the sparse grass, and a Lillipup trotted along the path. Juniper’s thing was fieldwork, which explained the lab’s emptiness, but to Celeste, it just added to the day’s dullness.

“You seem pretty taken with the Larvesta.” After a moment, Otto flipped the book back to the page Celeste had been reading. “They’re rare, sure, but did you know many old civilisations revered them as sacred creatures?”

“Sacred? Like a legendary Pokémon?” Celeste’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Otto shook his head. “As legendary as an Arcanine. It’s just a normal Pokémon in the end. Only it’s a very strong one.”

She smiled down at the picture. It would be nice to meet a Larvesta someday. Her dad wasn’t done, though. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pointed up at the clear blue sky.

“The people of Paldea called it ‘the larva who stole the Sun.’ And here in Unova, some still believe Larvesta are born right from the Sun itself. It’s sacred and revered by many to this day. Both a burden and a blessing to those nearby.”

“A burden?” Celeste turned back to her father.

“Yeah, because of their power,” Otto explained, his tone growing sombre. “Larvesta might be frail, but they have a lot of raw power. Handling them is more about responsibility than anything. Larvesta are known to accidentally start fires when they’re young.”

“So, people were afraid? Is that why they’re sacred?” Celeste asked.

“People would pray to the Larvesta, yes. But also for the rain, and for the trainers… and, worst of all, for the hunters. When there’s a fire, you pray to whoever can make it stop. You see, it is a rare Pokémon for a reason…” Otto glanced back at the garden. “Thankfully, folks like Champion Alder have been spreading more awareness about them.”

“So… it is a scary Pokémon,” Celeste murmured, tracing her fingers over the book’s image again. “But also, kind of sad.”

Otto nodded. “Like I always say, respect the fire.”

When she peered up at her father, Celeste smirked. “And yet, here you are, offering me a fire pig?”

His smile broadened. “Well, the best things in life are often a little scary, aren’t they? Now, come on. Cedric’s expecting us for dinner, and you’re not skipping out on that.”

—*——*—

Rey’s commands to his bug grew louder, more frantic. He was ordering it to do things it couldn’t. Larvesta had raw power, but not control, just as her father once told her. And Rey himself… Well, he clearly wasn’t the sort to respect fire.

Quite the opposite, really.

The more he yelled, the more unstable the fire spiral became. The stray embers were becoming just as bad as the heat and the light and…

Ugh! This was a nightmare.

Celeste glanced again at Powder’s ball. Accepting her Vulpix wouldn’t return on her own, she made a dash for it. A wave of relief washed over her as she pressed the button, pulling Powder back into safety.

Now, to get herself out of this mess…

“I’m ordering you to keep control.” She could hear Rey spatting. There was venom in his words. “We trained this. If you make the flame, you can tame it.”

Why was he so careless with his Pokémon? Not just his Larvesta, but the Capsakid too. Rey had allowed it to suffer needlessly in a lost battle. Celeste gritted her teeth. Such disregard…

This guy was the worst.

Pocketing Powder’s ball, Celeste finally turned her full attention to the unfolding scene. The crowd had scattered, no doubt retreated, driven off by the unbearable heat of the Overheat attack. But not everyone had left. Delia and Olga remained, coordinating with a small group of trainers.

Celeste caught bits of their conversation over the crackle of fire. “We need anyone with Water, Rock, and Ground-Types—let’s put this out before it gets any worse.”

Delia’s Shellder and Luan’s Lunatone were among those mobilising to combat the flames.

Celeste pushed herself to her feet, ready to help, but something stopped her. Cold fingers pressed firmly on her shoulder, making her stand in place.

“Hydro Pump,” a female voice commanded.

Before Celeste could even turn, a massive jet of water surged past, extinguishing the firestorm in moments. The air rippled past her face, a refreshing spray misting over them, and as quickly as the flames went out, a veil of steam enveloped the area.

The hand let go, and through the settling haze, Celeste glimpsed the silhouette of a figure moving past her.

“Rey, please recall your Pokémon.” The stranger’s voice was gentle yet firm. There was a sharpness in her tone. An edge. She was polite, yes, but her words were clearly not a suggestion.

“What are you doing here?” Rey’s voice trembled as much as his form. As the mist faded, his shakiness was at full display.

The young woman in front of him placed her hands on her hips, her demeanour unamused. Despite her small frame, the high heels and business-like attire lent her an air of formality that seemed out of place for someone likely in her late teens. Her crimson ponytail shimmered under the sunlight as the last wisps of mist dissolved. She glanced back at Celeste. Sharp eyes, framed by cat-eye glasses, scanned for any damage. Seemingly satisfied there was no lasting harm, she turned back to Rey.

“You had no control over your Larvesta,” she stated. “I only stepped in to avoid an accident.”

Celeste’s gaze drifted from the redhead to her back. To the Pokémon who fired the Hydro Pump.

And she couldn’t believe her eyes.

Standing there in the sand, like it was the most natural thing in the world, was a Lapras, of all Pokémon. It was just as majestic as she imagined from up close.

Truly, Celeste was breathless and—

Rey had to interrupt her moment of admiration with the loudest groan.

“I’ve told you before, just because you can buy a TM doesn’t mean you should,” the girl chided, her head shaking in disapproval. Rey responded only with a sullen glare, his anger simmering as he finally recalled his soaked Larvesta and stormed off.

Celeste exhaled a sigh of relief, only to tense up again as Olga approached.

“Always the lifesaver, Lori,” Olga said with uncharacteristic casualty. “Glad you were here…”

“I’m happy to help,” the redhead—Lori—replied. “But Rey…”

Olga exhaled heavily. “He’ll be the death of me, I swear.”

Celeste stared at the shop owner, incredulous. Was that all she had to say about that psycho?

“Speaking of which… you were very irresponsible today,” Olga added, turning to Celeste.

Seriously?

Before she could defend herself, Lori interjected. “There’s a certain nobility in protecting her young Pokémon like she did.”

Celeste’s cheeks flushed, especially as Olga looked down on her with disdain.

“Nobility’s cute, but it won’t get you far, kid,” she said dismissively, the hovering Vanillite by her side seemingly nodding in agreement. “Anyway, Delia told me this morning about Rey’s firing threat. Just so we’re clear, my son doesn’t make decisions about my staff. Or about anything, really. Next time, come to an adult before you do something stupid again.” With that, she nodded at Lori. “See you at the festival.”

How was she to blame? If Celeste was so reckless, surely Olga could have stepped in sooner, called off the match rather than play referee. This was just—

Lori let out a quiet chuckle as Olga and her Vanillite disappeared out of view. “Don’t take it to heart. She’s tough on everyone.”

“Seems pretty okay with you,” Celeste muttered.

Lori shrugged. “Took years to melt my way into her heart,” she said. “It’s Celeste, right? That was a… nice battle you had.”

Celeste blinked a few times, her shoulders dropping as the tension bled away.

“I lost,” she said simply.

“Yes, you did.”

Lori’s gaze drifted towards the ocean, her glasses reflecting the now gentle sunlight. The breeze seemed to play favourites, caressing her crimson hair. Celeste half-wondered if this Lori person could command the sea and wind herself.

“… Yes,” Celeste repeated. Was that it?

Catching Celeste’s look, Lori allowed a small smile to curve her lips. “Expected me to say more?”

“Kinda…”

Lori chuckled. “Sorry, I don’t really do advice. But don’t be too sad about it. It happens.”

Celeste nodded, feeling a hint of gratitude. She was curious about Lori, this stranger who seemed leagues beyond anyone she’d met.

Too bad she wasn’t the mentoring type.

As Lori turned to leave, Celeste called out, needing to know just a bit more. “I never caught your full name. Is it just Lori?”

“It’s Lorelei. Lorelei Kanna.”

Celeste smiled at her. “Nice to meet you, Lorelei.”