Chapter 20 - Four Hours to Four Island

08:08 AM

Celeste was the last to arrive at the pier, flustered and out of breath. She had taken too long to explain to nurse Joy that a gang of Rattata was moving in, and when she saw the time, she bolted across town, her heart thumping with the fear of missing the boat.

Not that her friends would set sail without her. But they were not who she was concerned about.

Gasping for air, Celeste barely noticed the woman approaching until she was right in front of her with a friendly smile.

“You must be Luan’s other friend,” the woman said, extending a hand. “I’m Mia. Nice to meet you.”

Taken aback, Celeste took in Mia’s presence. While sharing Luan’s pale complexion and his stormy grey eyes, Mia was the polar opposite of her cousin. Her subtle makeup accentuated sharp cheekbones, and her athletic build was draped in a pretty dress of the kind that was trendy this season. Topping it all was her hair, tinted in a vibrant shade of purple.

“Hey, haven’t I seen you on TV?” she suddenly asked, catching Celeste off guard.

Colour crept up Celeste’s cheeks. She had slept little the previous night and her brain was way too cranky to deal with “embarrassed” right now. She mumbled some reply, letting her eyes search for an escape—probably Delia. When she spotted her friend, she was by Olga, assisting her with loading a crate onto the sailboat.

Yes. Olga. She was there, too.

The Ice Boutique owner, in need of last-minute transport, found a willing accomplice in Mia, who apparently was always eager for a quick buck. So, when Delia told her boss about her plans to travel to Four Island with her friends, it was a match made in heaven (or hell, if you ask Celeste).

And that was not even the worse part.

On the side, Luan, who was struggling to carry both a box and his Munna, spotted Celeste. Their eyes met for a moment, and he silently apologised before being shoved aside by none other than Rey. Who, of course, came along with his mother on this trip.

“I hope this tub you hired is up-to-date on safety requirements at the very least, mother.” He strode past Celeste, who he only groaned to. “It looks ancient. Does it even have power? We need to maintain optimal temperatures for our product.”

Mia’s attention snapped back from Celeste to Rey and she stuck her tongue out as he stomped into the cabin. But as soon as he turned around, she swapped the grimace for a polished smile and hurried after him, promising a tour of the boat.

Celeste took a deep breath.

Four hours, just four hours, to Four Island.

—*——*—

09:03 AM

After half an hour of the most agonising silence, Mia reappeared on the deck of her houseboat with an apologetic grin. They’d just sailed clear of One Island’s marina and into the open sea.

“Alrighty, kids—and Olga,” Mia announced with a playful salute directed at Olga. “Sorry for the hold-up, but we’re finally on our way.” She swept her arm toward the horizon. “ETA around 1 PM. We’ve got great weather and calm seas.” She winked at the group. “Feel free to let your Pokémon out for a bit of fresh air—just, uh, don’t do it if you have a Snorlax or something, yeah? Otherwise, enjoy!”

Olga, unimpressed as ever, merely scowled deeper, if that was possible. She gestured for her also scowling Vanillite to come along, then told Mia they needed to talk about payment before disappearing into the galley.

Next to the door the women disappeared into, Rey leaned casually against the wall. He looked harmless and calm, but Celeste wasn’t falling for that again—he was a Seviper in Wooloo’s clothing. Best to just ignore him, and probably also keep her little Powder safely tucked away in her ball too.

“Hey, Delia, I’m letting Pat out. Are you bringing Shelly out too?” Celeste called out.

Delia nodded. “They steered clear of each other yesterday, so it should be fine.”

Luan, busy dodging pecks from his Hoothoot, looked up. “I was wondering about that. You kept checking in on them last night. What’s up with that?”

“Shelly is a Shellder, Pat is a Slowpoke. We want to avoid… accidents,” Delia explained as she let her shellfish out, making sure she was far enough away from Celeste’s just released Slowpoke.

From the side, the trio of friends heard a snort. “You should aim for evolution, not avoid it,” Rey said, flashing his smooth smile and pretending he was a decent person. “Slowbro can be a competent Pokémon, if you know how to train it.”

Celeste looked at him for about a second and then turned back to her friends. She did not need unsolicited advice, and she did not need to engage him. After these four hours of ignoring him, hopefully, their paths would never ever have to cross again.

“I heard you can cut a Slowbro’s tail off, you know?” Luan said, still struggling to manage his Hoothoot. His Munna had long since floated to a more peaceful spot by Pat’s side.

“I can do what now?”

“Dude, don’t give me this look. This is totally a thing, you can look it up. If you cut the tail off, both Pokémon will de-evolve and the tail will eventually grow back. Plus, Slowpoke don’t feel pain, right?”

Delia frowned and scooped up her Shellder, walking towards the railing. “That sounds awful.”

Celeste nodded vehemently. “No way I’d do that. And, for the record, Slowpoke do feel pain—they just… process it slower.”

The Hoothoot seemingly agreed with Celeste. Either that or she would just use any excuse to be more aggressive towards her trainer. After another aggressive peck, Luan’s Lunatone, Lulu, slid in between them, issuing a series of warning noises.

“I’m fine.” Luan held a hand out for his Pokémon. “Menace just needs a little more time to get used to us.”

Rey, with that smug smile of his, ran his fingers through his hair as he shifted his weight to one side and crossed his arms. “Looks like Celeste isn’t the only incompetent trainer here.”

“H-Hey! That’s not nice, man,” Luan muttered. “She’s still adjusting. S-She’ll come around to Team Luan.”

With a scoff, Rey shook his head. “Please. You should be asserting your dominance. The sooner you discipline it, the better.”

Celeste took a long, deep breath and fought the urge to engage in an argument with Rey with all she could. As the saying goes, don’t feed the Impidimp. She was not falling for his bait. In fact, she would do the opposite. She would be kind and helpful.

Hah take that Impidimp.

“Mena, why don’t you play with Aria? It might be more fun than attacking Luan,” Celeste said, mustering the most bubbliness she could. The owl Pokémon chirped and seemed excited by the idea. She had really taken a liking to Aria.

As soon as Celeste mentioned playing, the Eevee barked and wagged her tail in a way that said “let’s set the world on fire” and dashed to the Hoothoot. She got a peck for that. But Aria was no Luan, and she answered with a tackle. Mena pecked again and flew up. Soon enough, they were playing… tag?

“Careful, you two! Don’t get too close to the edge!” Celeste called, though honestly, would a bird fall into the water? Would an Aria?

Luan cleared his throat. “It’s Menace, Cee, not Mena. ‘Cause she’s my menace.”

Celeste giggled. “Yeah, and I keep telling you, I’m not calling her that. Be glad I could salvage it.” She poked him. “Mena is a total cutie. And she doesn’t peck me. I wonder why?”

Luan made a face, pretending to be offended. “Menace isn’t meant to be cute. She’s meant to be badass.”

“Luan, you’re training a pink flowery blob and a moon rock called Lulu. I’m not really picturing badass.”

Luan grimaced, and then shrugged in the most stiff way possible, causing her to burst into a fit of laughter.

“So childish…” Rey muttered under his breath, but Celeste just took another deep breath and rolled her eyes.

She was not engaging.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

—*——*—

09:59 AM

While Delia and Olga were away checking on the ice cream, Rey had started an argument with Luan about how stupid it was to have two Psychic-Types on his team. Celeste was determined to ignore them both, though it was very hard—Luan was clearly unfamiliar with Capsakid and did not shove the very obvious retort that Rey would have two Fire-Types in his team once they evolved. Heck, if he got a Flareon, he could even specialise.

But Celeste was not engaging.

Instead, she turned her attention to the evolving game of tag before her.

Now that others joined in, it had become quite the show. Lulu, who clearly disliked its teammate, had teamed up with Aria. The Lunatone was using its psychic powers to lift Aria, helping the Eevee reach the Hoothoot more easily. And man, shame there was no Flying-Type Eevolution, because Aria just thrived without gravity constraining her. She dashed up and down and flipped mid air, snickering loudly whenever she tagged Mena.

Celeste thought she could watch them play all day, but she heard footsteps approaching.

“I never got my answer,” Mia said, stepping in just in time to cut off Rey and Luan’s argument. She settled next to Celeste with a playful grin. “You’re Celly from that archaeology TV show, right?”

The mention of the TV show made Celeste’s cheeks warm.

Rey turned his attention away from Luan, far more intrigued than he had any right to be. Ugh. There was a reason she didn’t go around telling people this stuff.

“She was on some TV show?” he asked.

“Not some TV show. She was in The Diggersby Expeditions!”

Celeste cringed at the name. It sounded even cheesier out loud.

Rey squinted at both Mia and Celeste, his hand unconsciously balling into a fist. “And we’re supposed to know what that is?”

Luan, curious as well, turned to Celeste. “For real? How come you didn’t mention it before?” And then he glanced at Mia. “And how do you know about it?”

“Because I know stuff,” Mia chuckled. “I’m a bit of an archaeology buff myself. I watched it all the way from the beginning, even before Celly joined in.”

“Well?” Rey simply asked. At first glance, he seemed like his usual insufferable self. However, Celeste could see his heavier breathing and tensed muscles.

Mia’s enthusiasm didn’t wane. “It’s a docuseries where Celly and her parents explore legends and archaeological sites worldwide. It’s a hit with the with the nerdy kids.”

Luan raised an eyebrow. “Nerdy kids and you, huh cus?” he asked, but she just shrugged.

Celeste let a small smile escape. Yes, she always thought the show was corny and nerdy. But really, she was corny and nerdy, too. And it was fun to travel the world with her parents and Aria. She learned a lot and saw so many things. It was all she wanted for her life. Until it was not, of course…

She sighed and looked at Luan, who seemed eager to learn more about it. Was there even more to tell?

“Mum and dad are archaeologists,” she explained. “They got PhDs and all that. But somewhere along the way, they got tired of the classrooms. So they began a small science outreach project to make history more accessible. That project grew into a small TV show and… well… it kept growing.”

“Sooo…” Luan’s grin widened. “Are you like a rich TV star?”

Celeste laughed. “Not… that rich. My parents are real archaeologists first. They just film it as they go along. At least they always told me it’s about sharing their love for history, not the money.”

She looked over at Rey. He had been quiet for a while now, and that made her uneasy. His expression was the same one he wore towards the end of their battle and their date. Twisted, angry. Like somehow he had been wronged.

“Besides,” she added, with a grimace, “I quit that all that to become a trainer. So… um… there’s that.”

Rey exploded. “Are you fucking stupid?”

That was not the outburst she expected.

Mia waved her hands way too casually. “Now, now. Let’s be nice,” she said, though her tone suggested indifference to Rey’s mood. “Why’d you quit? I kind of thought you were the heart of that show.”

Celeste pressed her lips together, pondering Mia’s words. The heart of the show? What did that even mean? It was just an educational series. Her role had been to engage with her parents’ work, mostly by asking scripted questions. They were the hotshot scientists. Celeste was just… Celly.

“A couple of years ago, mum and dad thought their audience was skewing a bit old, so they brought me in to connect with younger viewers. And maybe their parents? They wanted me to be a role-model and all that.” She shrugged. “I guess… I just didn’t want to be that anymore. I should be able to choose, right?”

Luan, not reading his friend’s discomfort, kept asking questions. Celebrity or not, he seemed thrilled to know someone who was on TV. He wanted to know everything. How was the backstage of a TV show like? Did she do interviews? Did she ever meet a legendary Pokémon? He wasn’t even acting all shy for once.

His excitement was kind of infectious.

Eventually, Celeste found herself laughing along. She still wasn’t sure why she had been so concerned about people recognising her, but Luan had a way of making “Celly from TV” seem like someone fun again.

“Most of our crew were Pokémon, but we had a makeup artist and a cameraman too,” she told them. “I did tons of interviews, and no, we never met an actual Legendary Pokémon. But… I’m good friends with Diantha. Is she legendary enough?”

Rey snapped. “You know Diantha? The teen superstar, Diantha?”

As the conversation progressed, he’d been growing increasingly on edge, especially since Celeste was still mostly ignoring him. Then, after this latest outburst, he quickly regained his composure, marched inside the cabin, and very loudly declared, “This changes nothing.”

—*——*—

11:37 AM

Mia had disappeared somewhere inside the boat, Rey was off sulking somewhere and Olga and her Vanillite had moved back outside where she seemed absorbed in a book about exotic berries. Delia and Luan’s laughter echoed from afar, and Celeste decided not to intrude. She chose instead to stay on deck with her Pokémon.

Aria was snoozing in the corner, using Pat as a pillow, surrounded by Luan’s team. It seemed like the lack of sleep from the night before had finally caught up to her. With Rey out of sight, Celeste took the chance to let her Vulpix out. The little fox bounced onto her lap, her tails a happy blur.

Celeste couldn’t help but smile as she unfolded the festival’s flyer she’d kept crumpled in her pocket. “Excited we’re actually going?”

Powder responded with an enthusiastic bark.

Celeste’s smile widened. “There’s a beauty contest at the festival. Winner gets crowned Snow Royalty and takes home a cool prize. What do you say—should we sign up?”

Instead of the excitement Celeste expected, Powder jumped from her lap, striking a battle pose much like Aria’s. Celeste hesitated, tempted to push more for the beauty contest, but… that wouldn’t be fair, would it?

“You want to battle, huh?” she asked.

Powder’s determined nod only deepened Celeste’s concern. She couldn’t help but to picture Powder’s fur singed by Larvesta’s Overheat. She loved that her Pokémon wanted to be strong, to train. That is what she also wanted, after all. The thought of her getting hurt was unbearable, though.

Just then, Olga’s Vanilite floated over, with as mild an expression as he could muster. He sprinkled Powder with gentle snowflakes and she was delighted, trying to catch them, her earlier fierceness replaced by playful paws.

“Lite, be gentle,” Olga said, barely looking up.

Celeste watched, surprised. “I never thought I’d see him play.”

Olga shot her a sharp look, making Celeste instantly regret having talked. “He misses having other ice Pokémon around,” she said, returning to her book.

Celeste eyed the Vanilite again. “You train other Ice-Types?”

“I’m reading,” Olga replied, and Celeste did her very best to suppress a groan. That seemed to be a theme in this family. To her surprise, though, after a few moments, Olga looked up at her again. “Most people on Four Island have Ice-Types. They aren’t as common elsewhere in Kanto, and on the islands. Vanilite is homesick.”

Right. Celeste remembered Rey mentioning they were from Four Island, but travelled a lot. “Been away long?”

“You’re prying.” Olga turned to her book again, making Celeste let out an exasperated sigh.

Unsure what else to say, she kept watching the two Ice-Types play. Thoughts of how to better train Powder swirled in her mind. If Powder was set on battling, they had a lot of work ahead—only Powder Snow and Tail Whip wouldn’t cut it. That’s not to mention her other Pokémon…

“Your Vulpix still doesn’t know how to control her temperature, huh?” Olga suddenly asked.

“She can freeze things.”

“So can my freezer. Ice Pokémon should do more than that.”

Now who was prying?

Celeste frowned, unsure if Olga was being blunt or provocative. “Come on, she’s just a baby. She’s not—”

“I think your Pokémon disagrees with you,” Olga cut in, an eyebrow arched as she nodded towards Powder, who was giving Celeste a look full of determination.

Of course, Powder disagreed. Heck, part of her did, too. Celeste exhaled slowly. Powder wanted to battle, but how could they manage that without risking her getting hurt? Or more precisely, without Celeste being scared of Powder getting hurt?

“Tomorrow, 5 AM sharp,” Olga declared flatly. “You’ll come to my shop, and we will train you and your Vulpix.”

Celeste blinked.

What?

—*——*—

12:45 AM

“This ice cream is fantastic, Olga,” Mia declared with a delighted squeal.

They’d anchored just before Four Island’s marina, and the group had congregated in the kitchen for a break. Luan was snoozing in a corner while Delia, assisted by Shelly and Vanilite, was giving the ice cream a thorough evaluation. Across from Celeste, Rey sat with his Eevee and Larvesta both out and about, much to Celeste’s annoyance.

“I should really give your contact to my boss,” Mia continued, talking through mouthfuls of ice cream. “And before you say we’re a cosmetics firm, you should know we’re branching out. And scouting for new collaborations. Hold on, I think I’ve got a business card here somewhere.”

Mia sprang up and rifled through a jar on the countertop. Meanwhile, Celeste’s gaze drifted back to her Pokémon. Aria prowled around the table, a sly grin plastered across her face.

“Got it!” Mia brandished a sleek black card at Olga. Celeste peeked at it; the name Razzo gleamed in elegant, bold silver letters, with Mia’s contact details on the reverse. “Maybe we could brainstorm a marketing campaign together. We’re all about empowering women in leadership roles.”

As the conversation continued, Celeste glanced back at Aria. She had snuck over to the ice cream container, attempting to go unnoticed.

She smirked.

Usually, Aria would dive face-first into the dessert, but today it seemed her Eevee had a different plan in mind. And by the Legends, Celeste would enjoy it.

“I appreciate the offer, but I prefer to keep the Ice Boutique independent,” Olga said firmly as Mia insisted she keep the business card. “I want to build something on my own, without being attached to a big company.”

Mia scooped another mouthful of ice cream, smiling persuasively. “Just think it over, okay? We could really benefit each other.”

Unnoticed by the adults, Aria’s eyes twinkled mischievously as she nudged the ice cream container closer and closer to the table’s edge.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Olga said, though she accepted the business card.

Rey finally chimed in. “Mother, surely this could be a valuable opportunity.”

Olga shot him a look of mild reproach just as Aria gave the container a final shove. It toppled over, landing squarely on Rey’s Eevee’s head. Startled, Mag barked angrily and leapt onto the table, leaving a trail of sticky paw prints and chaos in her stride.

“Rey, control your Pokémon,” Olga scolded.

Aria leapt back to Celeste’s lap, her eyes gleaming with pure innocence.

“Mag is sooo undisciplined,” Celeste couldn’t help but say, a wide grin spreading across her face. “Seems someone doesn’t know how to discipline their Eevee.”

Rey let out a frustrated groan as he shot Mag a menacing glare. Celeste felt a twinge of sympathy for the Eevee, though Rey wasn’t overly harsh this time. He simply recalled Mag and left the kitchen, his Larvesta trailing quietly behind.

Mia stood, gesturing towards the mess. “Well, that was entertaining,” she chuckled. “But it’s time we got moving. Olga, think about my offer, okay?”

—*——*—

1:22 PM

Celeste yawned as she stretched herself on the pier. By her side, Delia was still holding onto Shelly. “Guess we survived four hours with Rey, huh?”

Delia laughed. “Honestly. I barely even noticed he was there.”

“Lucky.” Celeste grinned, pointing to the town stretching ahead. “So, wanna explore?”

Delia nodded in agreement. “Four Island… Who’d have thought?”