Chapter 23 - Icefall

Aria darted through the empty streets, her feet barely touching the ground. Despite her incredible speed, Celeste kept up, her lungs burning with every breath. The freezing wind whipped the cut on her cheek, and her legs felt like lead. Yet the tightness in her chest overshadowed all of it.

“Eeev!” the Eevee called, sliding down a ledge. Celeste followed, her mind racing but focused, until they stood by a small lake beside a cave.

Aria pointed to the muddy ground, where fresh paw prints lay. She placed her own paw over one of the prints, revealing a perfect match.

Celeste crouched to examine the ground closely. She spotted another set of prints, similar to Aria’s, but slightly different. “You were here... and so was Powder?” she asked.

Aria nodded, then gestured to a third set of prints—larger, with deep indentations from claws, arranged in pairs rather than sets of four. A bipedal Pokémon. Way too many fit that description. Guessing wouldn’t help.

“What else can you tell me?”

Aria let out a series of frustrated cries, springing into a battle stance. Celeste understood that there was a battle, but what happened next? Her eyes followed her Eevee again, and the faint tracks leading into the cave.

“Was Powder taken inside?” she asked, dread creeping into her voice. Aria shook her head, and Celeste’s heart sank further. “Did she willingly go in with another Pokémon?”

With her ears down, Aria nodded before leading Celeste inside. The cavern was vast and even colder than outside. At the far end, three dark openings gaped, leading deeper into the darkness. Aria must have lost them here.

“It’s okay. We’ll find her,” Celeste said, forcing a smile. She scanned the area, looking for any sign of her Pokémon. Finding none, she declared, “Let’s take the left path.”

—*——*—

“Left again,” Celeste instructed, scrambling over a rock to the leftmost path. This time, it led to a spacious chamber that opened onto a small ledge overlooking the ocean. A few Wooper basked in the sun, and twisted berry trees sprouted from the mountainside. “Maybe turning left every time wasn’t the best plan...”

She sighed heavily, deciding to take a moment to care for one of her Pokémon. She carefully picked a berry from the tree and, trying not to disturb the Wooper, settled behind a rock and offered the berry to Aria.

For a while, trainer and Pokémon sat in silence. If she wasn’t so worried, Celeste might have enjoyed the moment. The chilly air and the salty breeze felt nice. The Wooper seemed to be singing, and under different circumstances, she’d have loved this adventure.

But today wasn’t any other day.

“Do you think I should call Mum and Dad when we get back to the Pokémon Centre?” Celeste asked, her gaze fixed on the sky.

Aria lifted her head, letting her berry roll a few inches away. “Eve,” she nodded, smirking.

Celeste chuckled, though it was a distant sound. “No dodging the issue, huh?”

“Eeev, ve vee?” Aria’s eyes glinted with worry, but she let her eyelids drop, almost teasingly.

“I’m scared to call them. Heck, I’m scared to even open my emails.” Celeste watched the berry roll closer to the Wooper. “I’m scared they’ll ask me to come back... Do you think they were sad when I left?”

“Veev,” Aria replied softly. Of course, they were sad. Celeste knew that, even without asking. Aria had more to say, though. “Evee evee vevee.”

Celeste peered at Aria. She couldn’t fully understand her Eevee’s words, and Aria knew it. She was no doubt hoping Celeste would reach some obvious conclusion on her own. Probably something like “you’re projecting your worries about Powder onto your parents.” Well, she was. Only now she was playing the role of the overbearing parent. “Relationships are hard, Aria.”

The Eevee nuzzled her leg gently. Celeste wasn’t sure if this meant agreement, but either way, she was grateful to have her partner with her. Handling this alone would be too much. Maybe she should let Pat out too? She was halfway through picking her Slowpoke’s ball when she noticed the Wooper had stopped singing.

Almost on cue, a Pokémon approached Aria’s berry. It was short and bipedal, with sleek black fur and bright pink feathers on its tail and left ear. Some said it was the asymmetry caused unease, but Celeste disagreed. Its piercing red glare and razor-sharp claws were far more unnerving.

She was ready to run, but then she noticed the Sneasel’s paws. Biped. Claws. Her eyes widened, and Aria let out a sharp cry, signalling her readiness to fight.

“Did this Sneasel take Powder?” she asked urgently. Aria shook her head but continued to glare at the Pokémon. “But it was a Sneasel, wasn’t it?”

With Aria’s confirmation, Celeste sprang into action. Do Sneasel live in packs? She wasn’t sure, but it was her best lead. Before Aria could stop her, Celeste approached the Ice-Type with a big smile.

“Hey there,” she said, offering a berry to the Pokémon. The Sneasel eyed her suspiciously but took the berry. “I’m looking for another one of your kind. Can you help me?”

The Sneasel frowned, then shrugged and moved towards the tree for more berries. Celeste thought helping it might make it more friendly. As she stepped forward, she saw the Sneasel’s eyes glint as it turned to attack her.

She was somehow faster, and before it could hit her, she threw herself back, barely dodging the sharp claws. The swoosh of near-contact sent chills down her spine.

Maybe… it wasn’t that friendly?

“Aria!” Celeste yelled, but the Eevee was already on the move. Before she took another breath, a Swift attack hurled the Sneasel back.

As relief washed over her, Celeste sprang up, ready for Plan B.

“Hold it back as long as you can,” she commanded, releasing her Slowpoke. “Pat, I need you to use Yawn, quick.”

Pat stared blankly at the Sneasel as it deflected the Swift with its claws. Thank goodness her Slowpoke just gave it one languid blink before unleashing his Yawn. Aria stopped her attack then, panting heavily. She’d held on for longer than she was used to, and still Sneasel didn’t seem phased. It was okay, though. Celeste wasn’t aiming to win; she needed information.

Before the Sneasel could strike again, Celeste smirked as convincingly as she could. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

All eyes turned to her in confusion, but she kept on smiling. Then she picked up an empty Pokéball, enlarging it on her palms.

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Just gotta keep looking confident.

“You’re going to fall asleep soon,” Celeste said, trying to sound confident. “When you do, I’m putting you in this ball, and who knows when I’ll let you out.”

The Sneasel’s eyes widened. Perfect. Celeste had a hunch it didn’t want to be captured.

“I’m in a bit of a hurry to find that other Sneasel I mentioned,” she continued, watching her movements. “So if you talk fast, I might leave before you even get drowsy.”

The Sneasel took a step back, weighing its options. Celeste stood firm, forcing herself to look confident. Only when it yawned and realised it was out running out of time, the Dark-Tyoe started speaking. And it did so quickly, but Aria’s sharp look showed understanding.

When the Sneasel paused for another panicked yawn, Celeste scowled. “Whatever you told us better be right.” She extended the Pokéball. “Or else…”

She glanced at Aria, who now seemed to know where to go. She recalled Pat, and they hurried back into the frosty cavern. Once out of sight, Celeste exhaled deeply and plopped down, laughing.

“Can you believe that actually worked?”

—*——*—

Apparently, the Sneasel had told them to follow a scent. At least, that was Celeste’s best guess, given how Aria kept sniffing the air. Not leading the way also meant she had to keep track of their path, a task she was failing at. She also could stop to reflect on her thoughts and feelings—which… just no.

After another hour of walking and climbing down an increasingly cold and uneven path, they arrived at a large chamber with an underground lake. No, not just a lake—the water extended through a large opening opposite them, and the air was extremely salty. This had to be a sea cave.

Before she could ponder their surroundings, a shrill cry echoed through the chamber.

“Piiix,” came Powder’s unmistakable voice, followed by a loud thump.

In a heartbeat, Celeste and Aria dashed towards the sound. They found Powder behind a rock, her fur messy and her breathing heavy. On a more impressive note, a large ice shard floated by her, which she hurled at an X carved into the rock. A Sneasel, whose feather was on the right ear, stood by, encouraging her, but despite the good shot, Powder seemed dissatisfied. She marched to the target, gesturing to the middle as if to say she hadn’t hit the mark perfectly.

When she turned and spotted Celeste and Aria, she froze like a child caught in mischief. Celeste said nothing, though. She just stood in the middle of the cave, taking in the scene. As soon as Powder’s eyes met her trainer’s, her tail and ears slumped and no one said a word.

The oppressive quiet didn’t last long. Before Celeste could process her thoughts, the Sneasel was already issuing a battle cry of sorts, as it flung a large piece of ice towards them. Powder yelled, but it was Aria who jumped in, taking the hit instead.

She seemed far too eager to fight a Sneasel today.

“Don’t fight, Aria,” Celeste ordered, stepping in front of her Pokémon. From the corner of her eye, she saw Powder also trying to stop the Dark-Type from attacking. That had to be a good sign.

Slowly and with some fear, Celeste turned to Powder. “I’m sorry,” she said, taking a tentative step forward. The Sneasel wasn’t attacking, so she knelt down not too far from both Pokémon. “You’ve been training here all day, huh?”

Powder nodded slightly, glancing at the cut on Celeste’s cheek.

Celeste touched the injury, offering a gentle smile. “Don’t worry about this. It was just an accident. Won’t even leave a mark.”

“Pix…” Powder muttered, her ears down, but then turned to Celeste with determination. “Vul-pix!” she exclaimed, turning back to the target on the wall. This time, her ice shard hit the spot perfectly.

The Sneasel raised its fist in celebration, then crossed its arms with a snort. Despite the victory, Powder still seemed dissatisfied. She gestured to the cut on Celeste’s cheek and barked something at the other Pokémon.

It wasn’t hard to understand. Powder wanted to perfect her move to prevent any more accidents. She seemed to have convinced herself of that. Actually, when she thought about it, Powder had been just as determined to perfect her temperature control earlier.

“Hey Powder, that was pretty great,” Celeste said cautiously.

The Vulpix stared blankly at her trainer.

Celeste bit her lip. While she had trained Aria and Pat for battle, she had only taught Powder Tail Whip. When Powder finally entered a battle, Celeste panicked and recalled her way too fast. She kept talking about entering beauty competitions instead of tournaments, and even when someone offered to help with training, she left as soon as possible, saying it was best for her Pokémon.

How many of those decisions were really best for Powder?

“I’m gonna stand my ground that you need rest and food to learn and grow strong in a healthy way,” Celeste began, serious now. “But Olga was right, too. I was annoyed and uncomfortable with the cold and didn’t consider what you wanted when I told you to stop training. Even convinced myself stopping was best for you. Seems I’ve been doing that a lot lately.”

Silence followed, making Celeste squirm, but she pressed on.

“My parents did that a lot to me, you know? You must have been so frustrated with me... Can...” Celeste took a deep breath. “Can you forgive me?”

Powder stayed silent while Aria and the Sneasel watched expectantly. After what felt like an eternity, the little Vulpix leaped into her trainer’s arms with teary eyes and nuzzled her face. Tears welled up in Celeste’s eyes as well, but all she did was hug her Pokémon tightly.

“Can’t promise I’ll always get it right,” she whispered into Powder’s fur, “but I promise I’ll always listen to you.”

Powder licked Celeste’s cheek, and Aria tackled them both, wanting in on the hug. At that moment, everything felt right again.

At least to Celeste and her Pokémon.

The Sneasel, not looking so pleased, hissed loudly and took a battle stance.

—*——*—

The Sneasel lunged at Celeste with a snarl, its claws cutting through the air with a piercing sound. Instinctively, Celeste clutched her Pokémon protectively. Yes, she was not supposed to do that anymore, but in the heat of battle, old habits died hard.

The cold metal claws ripped through her flesh, and she cried out in pain. Before the Sneasel could do more lasting damage, Aria and Powder sprang into action, pinning the Dark-Type to the ground.

Powder growled and barked at the Sneasel, a mix of anger and sadness in her voice, while Aria glanced worriedly from their enemy to Celeste. The Sneasel, unfazed, took advantage of a momentary lapse in Aria’s attention and bit down hard on the Eevee, causing her to fall back.

Only having to deal with Powder, the Sneasel got itself free, but didn’t attack right away. Instead, it extended a hand towards Powder, speaking in a low, hissing voice. Powder shook her head and backed away, but the Sneasel persisted, gesturing towards the target on the wall and then to Celeste, its hissing growing more intimidating.

As the Sneasel drew closer, Celeste’s breathing grew shallow, her heart racing. But Powder’s reaction surprised her. Despite the Sneasel’s seemingly gentle touch, the Vulpix’s eyes turned icy, and she muttered a curt “Pix.”

Short and to the point, Celeste noted. But then she tensed again as the Dark-Type grabbed Powder’s face, its claws digging into her skin. The temperature plummeted, and Aria growled angrily, ready to attack despite her injuries. But there was no need. Suddenly, a faint pinkish glow enveloped Powder’s body, causing the Sneasel to recoil and release its grip.

Not satisfied, it stepped back towards the lake, lifting water that quickly turned to ice chunks. It hurled them at Powder. The Vulpix, still enveloped by the pink glow, dodged some of the ice, but the Sneasel was relentless. As the barrage continued, Celeste shouted, “Counter with Powder Snow! The wind will weaken the impact of the ice shards.”

This was Powder’s battle, and Celeste was her trainer. She understood it now. It was time to support her Vulpix properly. Aria looked surprised, but barked encouragingly.

With a fierce “Vuuul,” Powder unleashed her attack. The pink glow faded as she did. But the gust of ensuing Powder Snow was powerful, more than ever before, deflecting most of the smaller ice shards and baffling the Sneasel.

The Dark-Type retaliated with a Quick Attack, causing Powder to reel back. But, as Powder puffed and recovered, the pink glow returned. The Sneasel didn’t relent. As soon as the Quick Attack finished, its claws shimmered with metallic energy.

The aching pain in Celeste’s back told her that an Ice-Type would fare no better against a Metal Claw. “Use Ice Shard! Keep your distance.”

The first ice shard hit the Sneasel square in the face, making it pause. But as the second shard approached, the Sneasel smirked and cut it clean in half. Still smug, it lunged forward, not even bothering to dodge anymore.

Powder wouldn’t be able to keep away for long.

That pink energy, and the Sneasel’s reaction to it... This was their best bet.

“Use that pink aura surrounding you,” Celeste yelled. Her chest tightened as she saw her Pokémon’s confused look at her. There was no time. “Use your instincts, like you did at Olga’s. Just do it!”

As the Dark-Type prepared to jump onto Powder, the pink light exploded from her body, blindingly bright. Celeste saw nothing but the glow.

When it faded, Powder stood proudly, albeit exhausted. Her opponent unconscious by her paws.

“You did it!” Celeste and Aria rushed to the Vulpix, who wagged her tails excitedly as she leapt into her trainer’s arms. “I think that was a Fairy move you used there, Powds. Or the beginning of one. You are amazing.”

Despite so much going wrong, training with Powder today had been surprisingly productive. Celeste was so proud of her Pokémon.

“This was much better than that mess you made against Rey’s Larvesta,” a vaguely familiar voice interrupted their celebration. The woman she met before—Lorelei—was casually sitting atop her Lapras on the water, with a rather amused expression on her face. “By the way, do you always try to get hurt during battles? I thought we’d need to save you again.”