Chapter 28 - Snowflake Cup: Gifted

One day ago…

“Aria, use Dig! Powder, cover the ground with snow to stop her.”

Celeste’s voice rang out as she watched her Vulpix and Eevee spring into action. Aria darted forward, ready to dig, but Powder was quicker. A fine layer of snow blanketed Olga’s backyard, transforming it into a winter wonderland. Yet, the icy veil barely slowed the Eevee. With a determined shake, Aria vanished underground, snowflakes scattering around the hole she left behind.

Seconds later, Aria burst from the earth, hitting Powder square in the belly. The Vulpix was sent tumbling, and Aria let her smuggest grin light up her face. Powder regained her footing, huffing a small flurry of ice in defiance, before barking what Celeste consistently translated to her Pokémon’s new favourite word: “Again!”

She sighed, shaking her head. “Alright, let’s try using less snow and more ice next…”

—*——*—

Today…

Celeste peered at the two Pokémon fighting for space on her lap and giggled. Aria had left an opening when she tried to steal some popcorn from a nearby kid, and Pat, seizing the opportunity, sprawled himself comfortably. Now, Aria was trying, and failing, to budge the Slowpoke from his spot.

No way I’m getting involved in that, Celeste decided, turning her attention back to Luan.

The two trainers were seated in the stands around Articuno Plaza, awaiting the next battle in the Snowflake Cup. Obviously, this was the perfect moment to meddle with something else entirely.

“So…” Celeste grinned, her smile stretching ear to ear. “What’s it going to be, family or love?”

Luan whipped his head around so quickly that his Munna, perched on top, lost balance and drifted off like a balloon, taking his beanie along. A mess of curls fell into his eyes, and Celeste could practically see the gears turning as he brushed them away. His eyes widened impossibly wide as he slowly realised what she’d asked.

“W-what?” Luan squeaked.

“I’m asking who you’ll cheer for.” Celeste gestured to the battlefield below, trying to look innocent. The first round of the day was supposed to be underway, with Mia and Delia already at their marks while DJ Jiggly Jams rambled on. But the referee was nowhere to be seen, leaving the crowd restless.

Luan didn’t respond immediately. His gaze shot up to his Munna, as if the floating Pokémon could save him. Rev seemed unconcerned, twirling in the air and blowing out his trunk playfully. Whatever that meant, it calmed Luan. “I’m cheering for both,” he managed.

“You can’t cheer for both. That’s like cheering for neither. Pick one, and I’ll go for the other.” Celeste rolled her eyes dramatically. “Actually… want to make a bet?”

Again, Luan hesitated, his focus still on his Munna, as if they were having a silent conversation. Celeste was about to complain when Aria suddenly leaped onto Pat’s back, trying to use him as a pillow. After ten slow seconds, Pat noticed and tried to nudge her off with his tail. This, of course, was an open act of war to Aria, who promptly bit his ear. Celeste finally intervened, and somehow that only made things more chaotic with Pat using a Water Gun as a counter-argument to whatever Aria was saying.

In the end, Celeste just yelped as she got drenched.

“Enough, you two!” She picked up Aria and placed her on her shoulder. The Eevee protested with a hiss, but Celeste was unfazed. “You’re just as comfy up here.”

Aria puffed but settled, making faces at Pat, who returned to his peaceful self. Celeste turned back to Luan, who seemed a million miles away.

“Still with us?” she asked.

He blinked a few times. “Uh… yeah… just thinking.”

Celeste narrowed her eyes. “Thinking about how to ask Delia out?”

Luan’s response was immediate, a squeaky, “D-Dude, drop it.”

“I want to, really, but watching you two is sad. Even Rey asked me what your deal was.”

“There is no deal! Not with me.” Luan sank into his chair, pretending to focus on the battlefield. “Where’s this referee?”

Celeste shrugged. “No deal, eh? And whose fault is that? You gotta ask her out, you know? I can be your wingman. I’m an awesome wingman. You can ask Diantha.”

Luan’s face turned redder with each word. “Seriously, drop it,” he pleaded, but Celeste’s charming smile wore him down. “She’ll say no. I’m not doing it.”

“You won’t know unless you try,” Celeste said, softening her tone. “Delia has no clue about your very obvious crush. So the only way to find out is to ask her.”

Luan stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head firmly. “No, thanks.”

“You’re hopeless,” Celeste sighed, raising her hands in defeat before grinning again. “So… want to make that bet?”

Luan eyed her suspiciously. “I feel like I’ll regret this, but anything to change the subject.”

“Pick one then… Delia or Mia?”

“Mia,” he said quickly, trying to steer the conversation away from Delia. “I pick Mia.”

Celeste nodded. “Okay, if Mia wins, you ask Delia out. If Delia wins, I’ll ask her out for you.”

“W-What?”

Celeste giggled. “Other way around?”

“Celeste!” Luan’s outburst drew a few glances from nearby spectators.

“Sheesh, calm down. How about this: if Mia loses, you ask Delia out. If she wins, I’ll drop it. That safe enough for you?”

Luan crossed his arms and nodded. “Much better.”

With a snicker, Celeste watched the referee arrive with a thousand apologies in his mouth. And with no time to waste, red light bathed over the battlefield, giving shape to a Delibird and a Shellder.

“Great, bet’s on then,” she said.

Luan’s eyes widened comically. “It’s…? Wait! I didn’t agree with anything!”

—*——*—

One day ago…

“Your Dig has come a long way, Aria,” Celeste said, smiling as she examined the impressive hole her Eevee had made in the frozen ground. “And you, Powder, you froze a lot of the ground this time! Fantastic job.”

The Vulpix eyed the hole with disdain, as if it led straight down to hell. Celeste could sense her Pokémon’s growing frustrated… and honestly? So was she.

“It’s okay, we’ll figure this out,” she said, trying to sound encouraging. “Maybe if we flood the hole with snow, it will collapse…”

—*——*—

Today…

Delia impatiently ran her fingers through her hair, her eyes fixed on Jukebox, the DJ’s Wigglytuff, who was jumping and twirling to entertain the restless crowd. Twenty minutes had dragged by waiting for the referee, and Delia’s mind had wandered far from the performance at this point.

her thoughts were at Olga’s request.

“You really put yourself out there by taking part in the tournament. That’s the sort of person I want working in my shop.” Olga’s words echoed in Delia’s mind, making her heart race. “I’ll need someone to help me out with the Viridian branch…”

Before all this, she had just been taking some time off. Delia’s plan had always been to return to Pallet Town where Professor Oak needed her. Yes, Celeste dropped very blatant hints about how amazing it would be if they could travel together forever, but even if she stuck around Celeste—and that was a big if—she always meant to return to Professor Oak eventually. Now? Now Olga wanted her to move to Viridian, and Delia would have to disappoint someone, whatever choice she made.

She let out a heavy sigh.

Battling wasn’t something she ever thought she would do again, but thanks to Olga, she was in the tournament and enjoying it. She put herself out there. It was silly to think that the two things were connected, but somehow she believed that by doing more, by pushing herself further… maybe she would be able to also push herself to make a choice?

“Sorry for the delay, folks,” the DJ’s announcement snapped Delia back to reality. The referee had arrived, and the battle was about to start. “Since I’m pretty sure y’all are tired of my voice, let’s cut back the yapping and get this show started already. Ladies, send out your Pokémon.”

Promptly, Delia released Shelly, doing her best to let go of all her problems and focus on the task at hand. Across from her, Mia winked. “Go easy on us,” she said, releasing her Delibird, aptly named Noel.

The red-and-white bird chirped and shifted its large, hollow tail. The tail, doubling as a bag, looked full, and Noel had a tight grip on the opening, keeping whatever secrets he had inside. Delia frowned and glanced at the referee. Having a bag full of items should be against the rules, but no one seemed to mind.

“Withdraw,” Delia yelled as soon as the battle started. Shelly closed its shell tightly with an audible thump. There was no way the Delibird could break through its defences now.

Mia didn’t command Noel to do anything for a while. The Delibird, never letting go of the tail bag, tilted his head and lazily preened its feathers while he waited. The lack of action was unnerving, but Delia was sure they would have to make a move at some point. Shelly was not letting her guard down.

“Agility,” Mia finally said after a minute of nothing. The audience cheered, happy to see some action. Delia watched the bird grab its tail with its beak and take flight. His feathers quivered and his wings went from lazy flapping to a frenzied blur.

What was that even for? On land, Shelly was incredibly slow, and any Pokémon could outspeed her. Why did Mia use Agility? Was this some sort of trap?

“Now be a good boy and eat your berries, Noel,” Mia said in a motherly tone, confusing not only Delia but the entire audience. The Delibird casually landed as far from Shelly as possible and reached inside his bag. It was as if they weren’t even having a battle. Noel poked around for a while until he finally produced a bunch of Cornn Berries, of all things.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

The small purple berries resembled grapes, but they were dry, overly sweet, and filled with large seeds. Most importantly, they didn’t have much of an effect in battle. Despite this, Noel kept popping one Cornn after another into his mouth with the appetite of a Snorlax.

Delia nervously fiddled with the top button on her shirt. This could be a trap, and yet… someone needed to make a move.

If Mia’s aim was to confuse Delia, it was working, because she was stumped. On the one hand, Delibird was too far away to make it in time for a close-ranged attack. If Shelly opened to attack now, she could easily close herself off again, and even with the Agility, Delibird would struggle to reach her in time. As for long-ranged moves… Did Delibird know any? Present, of course. But Shelly could take a hit from that… couldn’t she?

Delia pursed her lips. She had options and needed to make a choice. She could do it.

“Shelly, use Icicle Spear!” she yelled. Her Shellder responded instantly. However, the little confidence she had wavered, and her body felt cold as soon as she noticed Mia’s lips twitch upward. Before Shelly could even finish her move, Delia changed her mind. “Withdraw again, quickly!”

“Bullet Seed,” Mia commanded calmly, almost like she expected this exact scenario. Shelly had launched only one spear before Delia’s sudden change of tactics confused her. The projectile scraped Delibird’s wing just as Noel unleashed a barrage of Cornn seeds right into the Shellder’s shell.

“Shelly!” Delia yelped. Her Pokémon was still confused about the entire situation and spun towards her, wide open for the seeds. What sort of Delibird knows bullet seed? And seriously? Using the Cornn Berry?

Ahh!

Delia wanted to scream. Maybe that had been Mia’s trick all along, to look unassuming and then strike hard when least expected.

When the Delibird finally ran out of seeds, Delia peeked at her Pokémon. To her relief, Shelly’s shell had warded off the bulk of the attack. They were still in the fight. They could still make good choices.

“Withdraw to your shell and rest,” Delia’s words came out as fast as her heartbeat. Was she taking an unnecessary risk by putting Shelly to sleep? Or was she being overzealous? Certainly, only healed back to her full power did her Shellder have a chance at this trial.

Delia pressed harder against the top button of her shirt as she watched Shelly closed off. The absence of additional movement confirmed she was asleep even before the healing aura could surround her. That was when Mia’s voice rang out.

“Oh no, you won’t.” She was much less friendly this time. “Finish this. Brutal Swing.”

Delia’s eyes widened as she accidentally pulled the button free. Brutal Swing? That was overkill.

“Shelly, wake up and use Protect!” Delia yelled, but it was too late.

The Delibird landed beside Shelly, its bag-like tail glowing an ominous dark purple. With a powerful spin, Noel swung the bag, sending Shelly flying like a golf ball.

Delia twitched as she watched poor Shelly land with a thud inches from her feet. Part of her hoped Shelly’s high defence and the healing that had been underway would have been enough to keep them going. But, as everyone watched in silence, the shell opened slightly, and the tip of Shelly’s tongue rolled out.

Delia let the loose button slip from her fingers and clatter on the ground.

The DJ exchanged a glance with the referee, who approached to check on the Shellder. After a nod, DJ Jiggly Jams burst out, “Delibird delivered Delia a daunting defeat!” he said, making the crowd explode. “Now folks, who can say that three times fast?”

Ignoring the world around her, Delia quickly cradled Shelly in her arms. “You were really great.” She gently tapped the unconscious Pokémon with her Pokéball. To her surprise, Mia met her in the middle of the battlefield with a hand extended.

“Maybe next time we battle, you can make a choice and stick to it,” she said, grinning.

Delia blinked. That was probably good advice. She took Mia’s hand and smiled back. “Next time, I will.”

—*——*—

One day ago…

“Powder, zigzag around the field and stay alert!” Celeste tried.

The silver lining in today’s training was that Aria’s Dig had become incredibly accurate against stationary targets. And even when it came to a moving Pokémon, like Powder, she hit almost every time. “Aria, try to listen for her position.”

The Eevee emerged from the ground, narrowly missing Powder. The Vulpix dodged at the last second, but Aria’s Dig still grazed her tails. Frustrated, Powder barked something at the Eevee, who responded by grabbing one of her tails and drooling all over it, probably on purpose.

The supposedly gentle and cute Vulpix spat a flurry of snow into Aria’s face. Aria, the older and supposedly more responsible Pokémon, tackled her in return. Within moments, the two were exchanging cheap blows and what Celeste could only assume were insults.

By Arceus, Aria better not be teaching her baby how to slur, Celeste thought, rushing to break up the fight. It took a few minutes and some muddy snow in the face, but she finally managed to separate them.

“Come on, this is hard enough without you two fighting.” Celeste plopped down on the frozen ground, exhausted. She gestured for her Pokémon to come closer as she lay on her back, eyes tracing the contours of the clouds above. Powder and Aria settled on either side of her head.

She let out a heavy sigh.

Celeste knew she shouldn’t be so worried about a Ground-type move, but that Swinub she would face in the next battle… using Dig was its whole strategy. In its last fight, it had spent most of the time underground, only emerging to attack. Slowly but surely, it had won, and Celeste was afraid that, slowly but surely, it would win again.

“Why can’t anything we do work?” she muttered. “I’m open to ideas, you two. How are we going to stop Swinub from using Dig?”

“You won’t,” came a voice, suddenly blocking her view of the sky. Olga stood over her, arms crossed. Her eyes scanned the now frozen and hole-filled garden. She looked like she wanted to groan, but stifled it. “You have to accept things as they are. How many times do I have to drill this into your head? It’s really important.”

Celeste frowned, pushing herself up on her elbows. “But… if we can’t stop it, how do we win?”

—*——*—

Today…

As Celeste stood in her little square, she felt the cold emanating from Powder’s ball. Her Vulpix was so excited it felt like she was holding a block of ice. Celeste snorted. Was that why so many trainers wore gloves? Imagine having a Fire-type.

“Trainers, let out your Pokémon.” The announcement boomed from the speakers around the battlefield, sending a shiver down Celeste’s spine. The cold Premier Ball somehow got even colder. Her Vulpix was telling her to focus, but there was no need for the reminder this time.

She released her Pokémon with a giggle.

Powder emerged, eyes serious, and immediately the skies turned darker and more menacing. It was adorable how focused her Vulpix could get, treating every battle like it was the most important thing in the world.

Across from them stood a boy named Sam with his tiny Swinub. The pig Pokémon’s fur was the thickest Celeste had ever seen, and it seemed unbothered by the hail raining down on them. Not that an Ice-type would care.

Still, as the battle began, Celeste shouted, “Powder Snow!” and the hailstorm intensified, visibility decreasing as the wind whipped around them. The Swinub remained unfazed. No matter. She could see it had taken the bait.

Everyone, including the boy and the audience, knew Powder Snow wasn’t a significant threat. So Sam didn’t command his Swinub to hide underground. Instead, he chose the much more effective Tackle. The only surprise there was Swinub’s speed.

But speed alone wasn’t enough. Powder was faster, after all.

Celeste smiled as she watched her Vulpix, a blur in the snow, dodging the incoming attack. Powder circled around the Swinub and launched ice shards at its back, hitting twice before it could charge again.

It wasn’t a lot of damage, but every hit counted.

The two Pokémon soon engaged in a dance of tackles and dodges until Sam grew frustrated and changed tactics. “Use Dig. She won’t be able to avoid that,” he commanded.

Powder had landed quite a few hits already. Like Olga had told her, Celeste couldn’t stop Dig, but she said nothing about avoiding and delaying it. With the delay phase over, it was time for phase two.

“Like we trained, Powds,” Celeste said, barely containing her excitement.

The boy frowned at her vague command but didn’t dwell on it. His Swinub quickly burrowed underground, and a tense silence fell over the audience.

Swinub were famously known for their ability to find hot springs. This was because they could sense and differentiate vibrations in the ground, precisely detecting things like the flow of water or, as it was probably doing now, the footsteps of Pokémon on the surface. But footsteps entailed movement. Like a block of ice, Powder would stay still, laying down on the ground with all six tails spread out for maximum coverage.

“Come on, I’ve given you a nice target…” Celeste muttered, her eyes honed in on her Pokémon.

They just needed to wait a little longer and…

The Swinub launched itself out of the ground, ready to strike. That was it! Powder jumped away with impeccable timing. While the Swinub was still in mid-air, she unleashed a barrage of ice shards at its exposed belly. The disoriented Pokémon no doubt felt the damage piling up and, without waiting for a command, burrowed underground again.

“H-how?” Sam stuttered, staring at the Vulpix, who calmly lay down and spread her tails around once more.

Celeste grinned at the bewildered trainer. “Did you know that Vulpix are born with only one tail?”

Sam and probably the entire audience frowned in confusion, all still waiting for the Swinub to make its next move.

“I didn’t. Not when Powder hatched. Thought there was something wrong with her,” Celeste continued, undeterred. “My mother calmed me down, though, telling me the tail would split after a few weeks. But I was so curious… I decided to examine it myself.”

The surrounding silence was tense, but Celeste ignored it.

“She bit my hand as soon as I touched it,” Celeste chuckled. “Powder didn’t even have teeth yet… Anyway, I learned my lesson: do not touch a Vulpix’s tail. Ever. They are hyper-sensitive, and the Vulpix—any kind of Vulpix—will lash out at you.”

Sam’s eyes suddenly widened with realisation as his Swinub emerged, attempting another attack. Watching Powder dodge and retaliate, it became clear that he had understood Celeste’s tactics. She was using Powder’s tails to feel the vibrations on the ground. They might not be as specialised as the Swinub’s senses, but they were effective enough.

Celeste exchanged a look with her Pokémon and saw her puff out some snow in a sort of scoff… she should really tell Aria to stop being a bad influence on her little sister. Or not. Powder had reason to be proud. Though they should thank Olga too. “Accept things as they are.” That was great advice. It was only when Celeste accepted that she couldn’t stop Swinub from using Dig that she came up with a plan to counter it.

“Thanks for the heads up,” their opponent sneered, bringing Celeste back to the moment. His eyes glinted with an idea of his own. “Let’s see how sensitive those tails really are. Use Mud-Slap!”

“What—?” That was not in the plan.

Before Celeste could react, Swinub had already dug up some mud, readily available from the melting hail. With incredible aim, it hurled the mud right into Powder’s eyes, making her cry out with a piercing wail. Blinded and surprised, Powder lashed out, firing Ice Shard after Ice Shard into the air. Celeste remembered how cranky Powder got whenever she was wet, dirty, or untidy. It wasn’t just the blindness causing her distress.

“Use Tackle again,” Sam commanded. This time, with Powder distracted, Swinub easily dodged the wayward ice shards and scored a direct hit.

Celeste cursed under her breath. One good idea had been enough for her to start ranting about her plan like some cartoonish villain. This was poker, not chess. She should’ve kept the cards closer to her chest.

“Powder, calm down,” Celeste called, trying to keep her voice steady and confident despite the knot in her stomach. “You don’t need your eyes. You’ve got your tails and your ears. If you could sense it underground, you can sense it above ground, too.”

But her senses wouldn’t be enough—not with Powder this nervous.

“Listen to my voice, Powds. You gotta trust me, okay?” Celeste said, steeling herself. “Tails down, head up. Loosen up with the storm. I’ll be your eyes. We both…” She cringed as another Tackle sent Powder tumbling away. “We can do this together. You need to focus and listen to me.”

Powder scrambled to her paws, taking deep breaths as the hailstorm receded. With the winds gone, only the pure cold from the Pokémon swept over the battlefield, letting frost gather around the edges. Powder placed her tails on the ground, waiting for Celeste’s voice.

The Swinub was coming in strong for another Tackle.

“On your left,” Celeste said. Powder’s ears twitched. She turned left, raising three tails while keeping the other three on the ground. Her dodging was somehow even better than when she could see. Tackle after Tackle, Swinub kept missing until, in a last-ditch attempt, it charged with Flail.

Celeste never took her eyes off it.

“On your right!” she yelled, her fist high in the air. Powder moved in perfect sync with her, the tails and Celeste guiding her precise dodges. As she leaped to the side, Swinub tried to follow, but lost its balance and tumbled over.

That was it.

“Right in front of you, it’s vulnerable.”

With one last ice shard, her strongest yet, Celeste’s great little Vulpix seized the victory. Even with her face covered in mud, Powder’s expression was one of pure pride and joy. Celeste barely waited for the referee before jumping onto the battlefield to hug her.

“You did it, Powder! You were amazing!” Celeste exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her Vulpix.

—*——*—

Celeste was sitting on the corner of the field, trying to clean the mud off Powder’s face, when Lorelei stopped by her side.

“Have you ever met the one Ice-type in the world more bothered by ground than fire?” Celeste asked with a grin as Powder let out another low grumble. “Come on, Powds, you were amazing! I just think it’s funny that you’re so annoyed.”

“You both did a great job.” Lorelei smiled encouragingly, but Celeste could see she was distracted. Understandable—hers was the next battle. “Wish me luck,” she added, waving as she moved onto the field.

As Celeste continued to clean Powder off, she watched Lorelei’s Smoochum and some Snom materialise on the battlefield. “Lorelei doesn’t have the advantage in this one,” she whispered to her Vulpix, who barked again, pleading for her to hurry. “Wanna watch too, huh?”

Turning her back to the battlefield, Celeste tried to rub the mud off quicker, eager to watch the battle. From behind, she could hear the exchange of commands.

“Use Lick.” Lorelei’s voice was calm, measured.

“Don’t let her. Dodge and counter with Struggle Bug,” the opponent spat. “Shit.”

“Keep using Pound. If it moves, stop it with Sweet Kiss.”

One minute. That’s all it took for Celeste to clean Powder’s face. The battle ended before she even finished. As Lorelei walked away, the defeated trainer cradled her fainted and badly bruised Snom, looking shell-shocked.

“How… how did she do that?” Celeste muttered, exchanging anxious looks with Powder.