Chapter 19 - The last day at One Island

Powder

Powder was having a very confusing day.

It began when she was called into battle. Not any battle, but the one her trainer and Aria had been talking so much about. The Eevee told her how a human with snow-coloured fur in his head had disrespected Celeste and, according to her, it was up to them to set things straight. Powder didn’t quite get it, but Aria was the smartest Pokémon she knew, so it must be true.

Then, when she looked across the battlefield at their opponent, there was another Aria! From there, things got even more confusing. Without a single move from Powder, this other Eevee collapsed and next up? She was replaced by this annoyingly hot bug.

Something within Powder stirred when she saw the bug. A primal urge to fight, to summon the hail and freeze the world around her. What she felt was so powerful she didn’t even care about the fire hitting her. She just needed to reach a little further, and she knew things would change.

Yet, she didn’t get to fight…. Celeste called her back into her ball before she could do anything.

When released again, they were in the centre of healing. Powder did not understand this place either, but the people here always made her feel better when she was hurt. The healer sprayed her with something cool and soothing, but unlike Aria and Pat, she was not taken in.

Once again, she was treated differently than her older brother and sister.

But this time, at least, she was in Celeste’s arms. Wrapped in the best hug ever, Powder felt her spirits lift.

“How are your Pokémon?” A boy with coal-dark head fur wandered over. Powder eyed him cautiously—she did not know this human. But Celeste seemed to recognise him.

“Powder’s doing alright, just needed some burn heal,” Celeste explained as she settled down. They had moved to the place humans gathered to eat. “Pat and Aria are staying overnight for extra care, but they’ll be up and about soon.”

There was sadness in her voice.

Powder wiggled in Celeste’s arms, craning her neck to catch a glimpse of her trainer’s face. Their eyes locked, and she saw tears welling up there. Concerned, Powder asked what was wrong, but that didn’t seem to work. All she got was a gentle pat in return.

“And how are you?” It was Shelly’s trainer who spoke this time, echoing the worry Powder felt. She liked her. Shelly’s trainer was a good friend.

“I’m great,” Celeste said, sinking deeper into the chair. She tightened her hug and rested her cheek against the fluffy puffs atop Powder’s head. “Hey, who’s hungry? Let’s eat something.”

Powder made herself comfortable. Ever since she was an egg, she remembered wanting to be with her mother. Of course, her mother was another back then. But when she came into the harsh, cold world, it was Celeste’s warm smile that greeted her. It was funny. She hated warmth, and yet she could not live without Celeste’s.

“Dude, you’re always hungry,” the coal-head boy said.

“This is the second time we meet, Luan,” Celeste answered, shifting to give Powder more space. “Why are you here, anyway?”

“Uh… Because you girls are fun?” The coal-head boy shrugged while his cheeks became redder. “You know, when I saw you were having a public battle, I thought maybe I’d challenge you. But honestly, I’m kinda scared now.”

Powder’s ears perked up at his words. She let out an enthusiastic bark, encouraging him. Her last battle might have been a weird one, but she was ready for another. She felt something stirring inside, just waiting for a chance to emerge.

Celeste, meanwhile, sank further into her chair. “Please, don’t.”

“Cee…” Shelly’s trainer reached out across the large table to her friend’s hand.

“Guys, I’m okay with losing. I just…” Celeste paused, her eyes flickering to Powder. “I’m mad because I screwed up… I shouldn’t have sent—”

She left her sentence unfinished, and silence fell over the group. Powder wasn’t sure what was going on, but Celeste seemed even sadder now. Snuggling closer, she nuzzled Celeste’s shoulder, then licked her cheek.

I can fight for you, Powder said, in a language no human could ever hope to understand. Celeste met her gaze, her big honey-sweet eyes shimmering, but she said nothing.

“W-We have some news,” the coal-head boy burst out, breaking the quiet.

“We…?” Celeste’s attention drifted from the boy to Shelly’s trainer. Her lips then curled into a faint smile, and she let out a silent laugh. Humans were odd like that sometimes, so Powder learned not to think much of it.

“Y-Yeah! We’re all going to spend some time together on Four Island,” he continued, a bit too loud. “It’ll be awesome for your Vulpix.”

“Luan!” Shelly’s trainer nudged him. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

Celeste fixed her gaze on the duo, prompting Powder to do the same. Everything seemed lighter now, which made Powder instantly like Four Island—whatever that was.

“Well... there’s going to be an ice festival at Four Island, and Olga wants me to come,” Shelly’s trainer said, then hurryed to add, “She’s even offering to pay extra.”

“Greedy!” the coal-boy joked, but as the girls turned their stares on him, his cheeks flared up. “A-Anyway, we thought it’d be fun if we all went together.”

Celeste chuckled dryly. “Thanks for the invite, but I doubt Olga’s planning to include me in her travel plans.”

Shelly’s trainer rolled her eyes. “Ferry tickets to the other Sevii islands aren’t that pricey. Besides...” She nudged the boy by her side.

He spread some colourful paper across the table. It was adorned with human symbols, vibrant orange and round. Clueless about their purpose, Powder jumped onto the table for a better look. There were pretty drawings of Pokémon springing from a gigantic pumpkin. She recognised a few of them, like the Lapras and the Vanilite, but there were others—a bird and a bug and a cone.

Powder wanted to meet them.

She tapped the paper, hoping to make the Pokémon show up, but nothing happened. She turned to Celeste for help, but her trainer only offered a comforting snuggle as she picked up the paper.

“The Ice-Fall Festival.” Celeste did what humans called reading. “Arts and crafts, Ice Princess beauty pageant, Pumkaboo night, Snowflake Cup, and more. So… they can’t decide if this is an autumn festival or an ice festival?”

“Its both,” Shelly’s trainer said, with a knowing look. “There’s this place called Icefall Cave on the island, home to many Ice-Type Pokémon. The entire island’s economy is built around it. So, they celebrate with this festival once a year to honour the ice Pokémon or... something along those lines. Olga was a bit grumpy explaining it.”

“She’s grumpy about everything,” Celeste said flatly, but her smile betrayed her amusement. “I get it. Ice-Fall, Icefall. They’re punny.”

Powder was not sure what a festival was, but she liked the sound of this one. Not only was it cheering Celeste up, but it was also a celebration of Ice Pokémon like her.

“Oh, don’t be coy. I know you loved it,” Shelly’s trainer said, nodding towards Powder. “It’ll be perfect for both of you.”

“Yeah! There’ll be loads of ice specialists and even a tournament,” coal-head boy jumped in. “It is a perfect opportunity for you to train your Vulpix!”

Powder’s eyes shone with excitement. When Celeste first mentioned Gyms, Powder was confused, so Aria explained it to her. Humans and their Pokémon competed for shiny metal things that proved they were strong together. Once they had enough shiny metals, they could go to something called the League Tournament where they would face off against other humans and Pokémon to prove who the strongest of all was. Aria had told her there were other tournaments, too. Smaller ones. And she said one of these days Celeste ought to take part in one.

This must be that day!

Powder couldn’t contain her excitement. She barked, leaping around with her tails wagging out of sync. The thought of teaming up with the best human ever for a real challenge thrilled her. They would train, battle, and she’d make it right this time. Plus, they’d get to meet other Ice-Types! She’d never wanted anything so badly in her young life.

As usual, whenever Powder did anything, onlookers couldn’t help but comment on her cuteness. Celeste seemed happy enough to let her soak up the attention, but didn’t she realise Powder was capable of much more? Determined to make her point, Powder nudged the flyer from Celeste’s grasp. She enjoyed playing cute, but some things were just more important.

“Right…” Celeste murmured, looking away from everyone, but mostly from Powder. “Well... I’m not sure we should waste money on this... We can’t stick around in Sevii forever…”

“I wouldn’t mind staying a little longer,” Shelly’s trainer said, and grinned as Powder barked in agreement. “And it looks she’s already onboard.”

“Why does it sound like you’re stuck here?” the coal-head boy asked, annoyingly changing the subject.

“Because we are. It’s a long story,” Shelly’s trainer explained. “But we need to figure how to get back to Kanto.”

He scratched his head. “Huh… Did I mention my cousin and I are sailing around? Our plan was to hit up the festival before heading back to Kanto.”

Celeste’s eyes widened. “Are you... offering?”

He blushed. “Uh… sure. Mia thinks it saves money if our transportation doubles as our home. We’ve got plenty of room…” His voice grew a little louder. “I need to check with her, of course. But… she probably won’t mind.”

Celeste burst into laughter, the sound echoing around them for a while.

“Well, Four Island, here we come,” she declared, scooping Powder off the table into another hug. Powder simply tilted her head in response.

Truly, humans were the most confusing creatures.

—*——*—

Patrick

Patrick plodded through the sand, the huge basket on his back threatening to topple with every step. Celeste had one job for him: keep that basket safe. She had smiled when she’d said it, and that smile lit him up inside.

He glanced up at her. It was not her face he saw, but a large paper bag that stood in the way. She clutched it tightly with her very long arms while constantly readjusting her grip as it slipped. At least that made her walk slowly, which he greatly appreciated.

Pat really liked the human he chose, but she was too fast sometimes. Fast words, fast tangled thoughts, fast walking. He liked it best when she slowed down to smell the flowers with him.

“Here you go,” she announced, setting the bag down on a plaid blanket. The day dimmed into twilight, and a cool breeze whisked across the beach, making Celeste shiver. Pat cocked his head, pondering how humans managed the cold seasons with so little body fat.

“Where’s Delia?” Celeste’s new companion asked, a dark-haired boy with even longer arms and legs. He was crouched by some logs, engaged in the mysterious human ritual of fire-starting. Patrick watched, fascinated. Fire Pokémon could conjure flames effortlessly, much like he could create water, but humans were mysterious in their ways. “I thought you’d arrive together,” the boy added, coaxing a spark into life.

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Celeste gently stroked Pat’s snout, the name “Patrick” rolling off her tongue in a way that made him beam up. He really liked that name, especially how it sounded in her voice. He adored her habit of petting and hugging even more. From day one, she’d discovered his favourite spot right on the snout, and she’d never forgotten it. He knew he’d made the right choice in picking Celeste as his human. After a moment, when she was done, she lifted the basket from his back.

“Thanks, buddy, couldn’t have carried that all by myself,” she said, with her heart radiating warmth. She then turned back to the boy. “Delia was mixing the cake batter when I left. She should be here soon.”

“I hope so...” the boy murmured, eyes on the flickering embers.

Nearby, on the edge of the blanket, sat the Munna, who went by Rev. Patrick didn’t know him or his trainer well, but Rev seemed like a kindred spirit. They were both very pink and had very short legs, after all.

Pat lumbered closer.

“She wanted to make our farewell party special. Looks like that means home-baked cake and a late arrival,” Celeste was saying. “Can you believe tomorrow we’re leaving One Island?”

Ignoring the humans for a moment, Pat greeted Rev, both with his voice and his mind—as was the way with psychics. Rev raised his trunk in greeting. Positioned near a device emitting music, his body was shaking with the beating sounds. It was a curious sight. Pat had thought about suggesting a nap. That had worked wonders to solidify his friendship with Aria, who even said he was the best pillow she knew, but somehow the scene made him hesitate.

“Fairy lights, Luan? How romantic.” Celeste’s laughter floated over from afar.

As Pat stood there, uncertain, Rev floated closer and nudged him toward the sound making box. The beat shifted to something faster now, and Rev’s movements became more excited. His trunk swirled as if he was commanding the melody itself.

Pat could only stare at it.

“Haha, very funny. I’m just trying to make our party look nice,” the boy said as he approached, draping a string of tiny lights around the music device and across the blanket.

“Riiight…” Celeste kept organising the food. In front of her, lay a plate of fries beside a bowl of that curious green sauce, that Patrick felt attract to.

As Pat edged a hoof towards it, Rev poked his head, this time with a pronounced gesture towards the music player. There seemed to be a silent agreement between them not to talk over the music, but for a psychic, silence was never a barrier.

Or at least, not to most…

Join me.

Pat slowly looked around, unsure of what to do. Then, for good measure, he looked around once more. It was only when the music mellowed to a softer melody, he decided that maybe he could try this strange moving around. Tentatively, he tapped his tail against the ground once, then twice—soon, he found a tempo all of his own.

“Is your Slowpoke… dancing?” the boy trainer asked, clearly amused.

Celeste stepped closer, watching. Pat could sense the joy bubbling inside her.

“I guess we are having a dance party.”

As the music shifted again, Pat felt daring, so he bobbed his head around while Rev floated rhythmically, his legs swaying in mid-air.

“He is not very good at following the beat, is he?” It was Celeste’s other friend, the one they called Delia, who asked. She stood a safe distance away, and by her feet was the mysterious Shelly. Pat wasn’t allowed near her, unfortunately. Most of the times they couldn’t even be out of their pokéballs at the same time.

“D-Delia?” the boy stammered. “H-how’s it going?”

Celeste chuckled as she took a large cake from Delia's hands and placied it carefully on the blanket before sitting close to the impromptu dance floor.

“You guys are awesome,” she beamed, reaching out to both Pokémon. Yet her gaze drifted, subtly watching the other humans. “What do you say we turn this into a real party?”

With that, Celeste released Powder and Aria into the mix, and the boy quickly followed suit, unleashing his Lunatone, Lulu, and the Hoothoot named Menace.

“Behave,” she said, stepping back to make room for everyone.

Immediately, Aria burst into laughter at the sight of the two Pokémon’s awkward dance moves. Nearby, Menace, who had already been pecking at Luan, flew over to join in the fun. She perched on Aria’s head and asked if Pat was trying to squish something with his tail.

We are dancing. Lunatone sent psychic waves pulsing through the group, its body twirling toward the two pink blobs. And you are missing out.

Menace joined Aria in laughter. Pokémon like you aren’t made for dancing, she trilled. Aria smirked in agreement, but Pat wasn’t deterred. He had learned that Aria was always in search of a good laugh, often forgetting to be considerate toward others. Despite this, she was a good soul at heart.

As the tune shifted, so did their moves. Pat experimented, tapping his front hooves up and down, discovering new ways his body could move. Meanwhile, after mean comment from Menace and a more restrained chuckle from Aria, Pat noticed Shelly rhythmically opening and closing her shell. She appeared as awkward as the trio of psychics, yet she seemed to be enjoying herself just as much.

When Shelly clicked sharply, Aria finally let out a bark, then laughed—not mockingly, but with genuine excitement. She shook Menace off her head and dashed over to Powder, asking if the Vulpix had ever danced before. Seeing Powder’s hesitant glance, Aria tackle-nudged her towards Pat, saying he would teach them what humans called wicked moves.

Everyone looked at her suspiciously, of course. Like she would have an angle for this, but Aria just shrugged and started to dance alongside Pat. When they all realised she was fine with making fun of herself just as much as the others, suspicion evaporated. Powder, a little more carefully, began swaying her tails back and forth while widening her eyes with excitement.

When the music shifted again, Pat turned his attention to Menace. The bird fluttered anxiously overhead, her feet twitching and wings beating in rhythm. She hovered closer at times, but soared higher whenever someone noticed.

Pat was relieved she wasn’t being left out.

“Wanna dance with me?” Celeste appeared beside him, her long arm extended, her face full of light.

Pat blinked, processing her invitation. Yes, he would like to dance with the human he had chosen.

She laughed as she lifted him, slightly struggling with his weight but not minding as they spun together, blissfully out of sync with the music. From a distance, the other humans laughed along, caught up in the joy of the moment.

“Pat, thanks for making things so fun.”

As they spun, Pat knew this was exactly where he was meant to be.

—*——*—

Aria

Aria waited below the earth, carefully listening in on the enemy’s faint footsteps overhead. Her ears twitched at the soft pattering of steps. Instantly, her hind legs tensed, coiling like springs ready to burst out in a Dig.

The world blurred into motion as she launched her attack. It was a direct hit. Her foe, the Eevee named Mag, spun through the air like a tossed rag-doll. A smirk crept onto her face as Mag crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Rey, cursing under his breath, vowed never to underestimate Aria or her human ever again.

“No one should ever underestimate the greatest Eevee in the world, son,” Olga declared, as her Vanilite gave a massive trophy to Aria.

Beaming with pride, Aria turned to Celeste, only to see her smile fade into a gasp.

She opened her eyes in alert. Her beautiful dream replaced by the dark Pokémon Centre bedroom. Celeste sat on the bed, breaths heavy, a hand clamped over her mouth. Their eyes locked. Her human seemed apologetical for having woken Aria up.

But Aria wasn’t bothered. She was concerned. It was the second time this week Celeste had awoken like that.

Quiet as a whisper, Aria slipped from bed, careful not to disturb Powder as they tiptoed out.

“Ev vee eev?” Aria asked if it was the Tentacool dream again. She even wriggled her tail like a tentacle to make it clear—Celeste didn’t always understand her when she didn’t get expressive with her body language.

“If you’re asking about my dream, I can’t remember it…” Celeste murmured as she trailed her hand along the dark corridor walls. “I don’t know… Maybe I’m just anxious about us leaving for yet another island in the middle of nowhere in the morning.”

Aria gently tackled her trainer’s leg. Talk to me, she urged, and that made Celeste pause.

Instead of talking, she attacked where Aria was most vulnerable. The traitor crouched down and dangled a shiny silver coin on her face. “Find the vending machine and I’ll buy us two chocolate.”

Celeste knew all too well it was against Aria’s code to argue about a late-night snacking, especially if it was chocolate. She couldn’t help herself but to use her non shitty human senses to guide them through the shadowy corridors to the lobby.

“There it is!” Celeste’s voice lifted as she dashed across the empty room. The street lights outside cast long shadows through the glass doors and windows, and the silence around was unnerving. It reminded Aria of her days on the streets, scavenging for food in the dead of night. Could there be another predator lurking nearby?

They shared the chocolate in silence, with Celeste lost in thought as she stared out the window. “Feeling nostalgic?” she finally spoke.

Aria puffed out her chest, reaching for another piece of chocolate. But she stopped, her ears twitching in response to a crackling noise.

Celeste caught the shift in Aria’s stance. “What is wrong?”

Eyes closed, she honed in on the noise. Claws tapped and scratched against metal. A Pokémon whose paws weren’t as soft as hers lurked nearby.

Quietly, Aria approached an air duct and listened again.

Tap, tap, tap, thump.

“I heard that!” Celeste half-whispered, half-shouted. The noise had been too loud and too sudden. Enough for a human. The intruder would be wary—and so must they.

She tackled Celeste’s leg, signalling her to follow along. They soon found themselves navigating the pitch-black corridors once more.

A few moments later, her human pointed towards a dim light in the corner. “The kitchen’s over there.” Aria nodded in understanding. Once upon a time, kitchens had always been her prime targets. Obvious? Yes. But where else would a hungry Pokémon go?

She slipped into the kitchen first, her instincts sharp. She might share her human’s home now, but she hadn’t inherited Celeste’s softer disposition. Aria knew struggle. She knew too well the lengths to which desperation could drive a Pokémon. If there was danger, she would be there to protect Celeste from inevitable chaos.

She burst into the kitchen, muscles tensed for battle. But all she saw was an opened refrigerator and a jar of strawberry jam bleeding on the floor.

“There’s nothing here,” Celeste said, stepping inside to shut the refrigerator’s door. Aria surveyed the room. There was nothing there…

Not anymore.

But a clue pointed them forward. Tiny, jam-smeared footprints led away, fading before reaching the cafeteria door.

Exchanging a resolute nod with Celeste, Aria moved towards the cafeteria. Her instincts screamed that the intruder was still close, likely cornered and aggressive. She’d insisted Celeste arm herself with a frying pan—to use as a shield (or possibly a weapon, but she knew her human too well). With visual clues lacking, Aria turned to her senses again. The sweet scent of strawberry hung faintly in the air.

Aria’s nose twitched as she tracked the scent to a cupboard. The door was ajar, barely open—a good sign. Whatever was inside couldn’t be too large. She edged closer, ready for action. Her focus so narrowed, she missed the scout on the side.

The quick purple blur darted past her.

In an instant, a scream echoed as the frying pan clattered to the ground. Aria whipped around to see a Rattata clamped onto Celeste’s leg, her human frantically trying to shake it off.

The jam’s red stain mingled with droplets of deep-red blood on the floor. The Rattata released its bite, but left its mark.

This wouldn’t do.

Aria barked, growled, energy already building in her chest.

This cowardly rat dared to attack her human rather than face her directly?

No playing fair, then.

Before the Rattata could regroup, Aria unleashed a barrage of stars at his face, knocking it out cold. Not that she was surprised—she was, after all, the best. No lowly rat could ever beat her. Her sneer of victory was short-lived, however. Celeste looked troubled.

“We have a problem,” the human said, nodding towards the cupboard. As its door creaked open, only the menacing gleam of large incisors was visible in the dim light.

This one wasn’t that small.

Aria positioned herself protectively in front of Celeste, growling a fierce warning. This human was hers to protect, and any Pokémon that dared challenge that would face her wrath.

Her challenge went unheeded as two more Rattata lunged at them. Thankfully, quick reflexes on both sides meant trainer and Pokémon evaded without a scratch.

“Quick Attack!” It seemed Celeste was also ready for a battle. In such a short time, she had come a long way.

They both had.

With a nod, Aria hurled herself at the first rat, using the impact to spring toward the second. Both adversaries were down in seconds, leaving the path clear for the real threat—the Raticate. She stepped forward, whiskers twitching, eyes locked hungrily on Aria’s.

As the Raticate’s teeth chattered and dark energy swirled around her mouth, Aria held her ground. The enemy’s taunting was relentless, but she remained unflinching until the opposing rat leaped forward for a Bite.

Eevee beats rat, though. Every time.

Dodging just in time, Aria heard Celeste’s call. “Use Swift. If you do it point-blank, it will do more damage.”

No time for hesitation. As the Raticate lunged again, Aria fired her stars straight into her gaping mouth. The enemy squeals filled the air as she struggled, but the Swift attack was relentless. Within moments, Raticate lay in defeat.

“You are getting stronger,” Celeste praised, turning her attention to the fallen foes. “These poor Pokémon… They just wanted food but ended up getting beaten up instead…”

Aria could not help but snort. But before she could tell her human that this is what life was like, Celeste had already disappeared into the kitchen, only to return with a bowl of berries and a plate of crumbled chocolate.

Of course, she was rewarding the thieves.

“Hey,” she said softly as one Rattata blinked awake. “Want some fruit and chocolate?”

Aria huffed in annoyance. Her human already was feeding them berries. Did she also need to give away their chocolate?

“You stuffed yourself with cake in our picnic earlier,” Celeste reminded her, as she focused on the other two Rattata now nibbling at the chocolate. “You can live without more sweets.”

The Raticate rose cautiously and edged toward the berries. She glanced at the less-than-enthused Aria and her fellow mice, but pride wasn’t big among rodents. Soon enough, she was munching contentedly.

“I know you guys were hungry,” Celeste continued, earning her puzzled looks. “Stealing is better than starving, sure. But not everyone will be as understanding as we are, you know?”

She glanced at Aria, no doubt hoping for some backup, but all her human would get for being this silly was a grunt.

Celeste rolled her eyes at her partner. “What I’m saying is that maybe you guys can find another way to get food?”

The four Pokémon shook their heads vigorously, misunderstanding Celeste’s suggestion.

“I’m not saying you need to find trainers,” she clarified, sharing a knowing look with Aria. Though finding a trainer had changed Aria’s life for the better, they both knew it wasn’t for everyone. Humans were all different in very strange ways, after all. Still, these days Aria could not see herself living away from all her human’s strange quirks.

Thankfully, this quirks included having a good head, despite her mellow heart.

“I can talk to Nurse Joy tomorrow,” Celeste smiled reassuringly at the rats. “I’m sure she’ll be willing to help. We’ll work something out.”

After munching thoughtfully on an Oran berry, the Raticate glanced at her crew. With a tentative nod, she seemed to agree.

For a moment Aria considered cracking a joke about never trusting a rat, stir some trouble and maybe get some of her chocolate back. But… mellow heart. Seeing Celeste’s earnest effort, all she could muster was a supportive bark.

“Great!” the human sprung up and gestured to the messy cupboard. “But if you want me to make a good case to Nurse Joy, we’ve got to clean this up.”

Aria snorted as the Pokémon reluctantly agreed. In her days of sneaking around Pokémon Centres, she wouldn’t have conceded so quickly to human demands...

Well… maybe to Celeste, she would have.

Following Celeste and the Raticate, the first hints of dawn began to paint the room in a dim blue glow, casting soft shadows from their paws. A yawn escaped Aria. There’d be no more sleep tonight, it seemed. She was still mid-yawn when the oddest thing caught her eye.

Celeste’s shadow blinked.

Aria stared intently, but… nothing…

“Come on, you’re helping too,” Celeste called out. Deciding to pay no mind to a trick of the light, Aria ran to her human’s side, ready to follow wherever she led.