Chapter 30 - The Snowflake Cup: Semi-Finals

“What do you mean you’re going for a walk on the beach? Have you seen the weather out there?”

Celeste rolled her eyes at Delia, who stood blocking her path to the exit of the Pokémon Centre. Why was it so hard for her friend to get that she woke up in a mood and wanted to take a walk? With an exaggerated flourish, she thrust her hand outside through the automatic doors and flashed a triumphant grin. “The rain stopped.” She pulled her hand back in, wiggling her dry fingers. “See?”

“For now,” Delia replied, crossing her arms. “Shouldn’t you rest before the big battle tonight?”

—*——*—

Celeste felt the breeze weave through her hair, carrying the salty scent of the ocean as she strolled along the side streets toward the main festival plaza. Despite it being morning, the storm clouds had darkened the sky enough to keep the street lamps glowing. In the corner, a little café gleamed warmly with the golden light of its fireplace.

Her smile widened at the sight of two Galarian Darumaka through the café window. They each wore adorable pink aprons and served the few brave souls who had ventured out on that chilly early November morning. The sweet scent of cocoa wafted through the air, and the sight of a steaming bowl of soup made Celeste acutely aware of the dropping temperature.

“Shall we grab something to eat?” she asked, glancing back at her Pokémon trailing behind her. They didn’t answer, though, so Celeste spun around with a laugh already bubbling up as she took in the scene unfolding before her.

Pat had just leapt into the largest, muddiest puddle he could find. He rolled over with the sweetest grin, splashing water everywhere with his tail. His expressive eyes gleamed with wonder, making Celeste’s heart swell with joy. She’d gladly punch anyone who dared say her Slowpoke had a blank expression.

Behind him, Powder eyed the puddle warily, keeping her distance with a disdainful wrinkle of her nose. Though people often said young Pokémon took time to develop their personalities, the little Vulpix had been really coming into her own since they began training. Still adorable as ever, pausing to sniff the pretty flower and to wag her tails cutely at strangers, she was also turning into a focused little battle monster. Powder trained relentless, and though Celeste found drive was awesome, she also noticed the little Vulpix was a bit of a perfectionist.

Aria, spotting Powder steering clear of the water, smirked and sauntered over, striking up what seemed to be a casual chat. “Ve,” she said nonchalantly, but Powder eyed her sister suspiciously. Undeterred, Aria pressed on. “Eevee vee!” Whatever she said caught Powder’s attention, making her tilt her head in curiosity.

Poor baby. She was growing up, but still too pure for this world. Oblivious to Aria’s intentions, Powder didn’t see the trap being laid in front of her. As they neared the puddle, Aria leapt in, sending a wave of muddy water that drenched Powder from head to paw.

Pat took a moment to process the chaos. When he did, he rolled over, making room for Powder. With a slow, inviting “Po,” he thumped his tail, offering the empty space beside him.

In response, the Vulpix snorted a flurry of ice, causing Aria to burst into laughter. The now-filthy Eevee then had the brilliant idea to splash more water onto Powder, who snorted even more snow.

“There’s no way they’ll let us in looking like this,” Celeste muttered, hands on her hips. Just then, a raindrop splashed onto her forehead, and she glanced up, her smile fading.

—*——*—

Celeste shifted restlessly while waiting for Olga to open the door. Beside her, the three Pokémon dripped muddy water all over the porch. She wasn’t in much better shape herself—her boots filthy with grime, clothes soaked, and hair plastered awkwardly on her face.

When the door finally opened, Celeste managed a small wave and an awkward smile towards her mentor.

As usual, Olga responded with an annoyed grumble and a frown. Spending so much time with her had made Celeste believe she was adept in decoding her expressions now. The current scowl, the “not amused” one, was actually a good sign. It meant with a bit of persuasion, Olga might indulge whatever nonsense Celeste had come up with.

“I’m not even going to ask,” Olga said, giving Celeste a look over. Her frown deepened when she noticed the muddy Pokémon. “You have pokéballs. Shouldn’t you use them for once?”

Celeste chuckled. She had considered taking her Pokémon back to the centre for a bath, but then she’d have to endure Delia’s scolding. Somehow, that thought led her straight to Olga’s house, where she expected to be criticised, but in a more bearable way.

“I was wondering if Rey has… uh… Eevee shampoo,” she said, thinking her excuse was super clever.

“Your Pokémon are not stepping inside,” Olga declared, barring the door. But after a moment of Celeste’s best puppy eyes, she sighed. “I suppose he might have something…”

Olga directed Celeste to wait in a small garden shed. A few minutes later, she emerged with shampoo and towels in hand. Placing them on a counter, she then retrieved an inflatable pool and began filling it with water.

“Shouldn’t you be doing this at the Pokémon Centre?” she said.

Celeste laughed awkwardly at the question, shrugging it off as she motioned for her Pokémon to get into the water. Olga grumbled again as all three Pokémon jumped in simultaneously, causing the pool to overflow. Murky water spilled everywhere, making a mess.

“I’ll… clean this up,” Celeste muttered, holding up the shampoo. “Floral and peaches, huh?” She opened the bottle for Aria to smell. The Eevee sniffed and grimaced. Celeste understood it as her Pokémon not wanting to smell like Rey’s. “Come on, this stuff will make your fur lush and soft, just like the shampoo we used before I lost my backpack.”

In silence, Olga watched as Celeste massaged the shampoo into her Pokémon’s fur, scrubbing away the dirt. The process created a messy mixture of water and grime, further soiling her clothes. Powder was the fussy one, though. Celeste didn’t mind a little mud on herself.

After finishing with Aria, the dirtiest of the three, Celeste instructed her to leave the pool so she could move on to Powder. But the stubborn Eevee had other plans, swimming closer to Pat, who floated peacefully on his back.

“Enjoying the spa treatment?” Celeste teased, pouring shampoo into Powder’s curls. The Vulpix closed her eyes and sneezed, shaking her head adorably. Feeling annoyed by Olga’s silent stare, she tried to break the silence. “Did I ever tell you how I met Aria?”

Olga raised an eyebrow. “You know I’m only here to make sure you don’t make a bigger mess, right?”

That was going well.

Celeste felt a bit of the weather blues—or maybe it was the poor night’s sleep. For some reason, whenever she closed her eyes, she could see this strange green flash. She really needed Olga to step up the conversation game so she could distract herself.

“She stole my popcorn,” she said, despite Olga’s disinterest. Aria barked loudly in protest. “And then she thought I was such an easy target that she went back for the chocolate in my bag, too.”

Olga’s eyes showed a flicker of curiosity. “So you captured her?”

A playful smile tugged at Celeste’s lips. “She actually followed me to my parents’ boat and got tangled in some ropes,” she continued, stopping Aria from jumping at her. “Have you ever been to Sootopolis City in Hoenn? That’s where we were. Mum and Dad had anchored there to restock and gather info for our expedition to some nearby ruins. They were hoping to spot Phione. Well, Manaphy actually, but after months of looking, they kept their expectations in check. Anyway, we left without even noticing we had a stowaway. Me and our cameramen found her trying to chew through the rope the next morning, when we arrived at the ruins.”

Olga’s eyebrow arched, her gaze lingering on the Eevee.

“After I untied her, she still managed to find my chocolate and then darted into the temple with it. I was so pissed I chased after her, and we ended up getting completely lost.”

By the time Celeste finished, Powder was clean and eagerly hopped into a towel. The sound of rain pattering outside caught her attention as she wrapped the towel around her Vulpix. It’d been raining that day too. There was the part of that story Aria didn’t like to share, and a part Celeste didn’t like. How should she end it this time?

“We shared the chocolate and bonded while trying to find our way back.” Celeste moved on to clean Pat. With no fur to worry about, his smooth skin made the dirt slide off effortlessly. He was almost clean already. As she poured water over Pat’s head, her gaze met Aria’s, who smirked knowingly. Celeste stifled a laugh. None of it was a lie, and that’s what mattered. “That was our first adventure together,” she added. “And we promised to keep having adventures for the rest of our lives.”

“Cute,” Olga said curtly. “Did you at least see the Phione? It’s good luck if you spot one.”

Celeste grinned. “Why? Think I need good luck for the battle later?” She chuckled. “But no. Unfortunately, there was no Phione in sight.”

—*——*—

Celeste sat cross-legged on the laundry room floor beside her Slowpoke, watching the washing machine spin. Wrapped in an oversized bathrobe, she ran her fingers through the knots in her damp hair, trying to devise a strategy for her battle with Mia later in the day.

“We’ve seen Noel use Agility, Bullet Seed, Drill Peck, and Brutal Swing…” she said aloud. “But he’s a freaking Delibird, so it has to know Present, right?”

Pat blinked at her charmingly.

“Not one for strategising, huh?” Celeste chuckled, her eyes locking on him. “Hey, um… I’ve been meaning to ask.” She twirled a strand of hair around her finger, fidgeting nervously. “Remember when we started training Confusion the other day?”

The Slowpoke slowly tilted his head to one side.

“No pressure, you’ll get it eventually… I was just wondering about psychic stuff and…” She averted her gaze, unsure if it was okay to ask. “Can you talk, Pat? Telepathically, I mean.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Pat’s eyes dimming as he blinked again, his response slower this time. Maybe it wasn’t okay to ask. Psychic types typically communicated with those they trusted deeply, like their trainers. According to her parents, trust was the key to melting the barriers between minds.

Well, most of the time, anyway.

She remembered speaking with her mother’s Sigilyph only once, and it left her with a horrible, creepy feeling. Funny enough, her father’s Claydol was the complete opposite. It had no problem barging into anyone’s mind and chatter non-stop whenever it was out of its pokéball. If there was a rule about trust, it either ignored it completely or simply trusted everyone it met.

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“I just wanted to say that if you can… if you want to, I’d love to talk someday.”

Her Pokémon’s gaze lowered, and he turned his attention back to the washing machine, his eyes tracing the spinning motion in circles. The digital timer above changed from 3:00 to 2:59, and Celeste sighed.

“Right… so what do we know about Present?” she said, trying to sound upbeat as she turned back to her Slowpoke.

—*——*—

“Thank you for everything, Olga,” Celeste said, glancing at her mentor as they stepped into Articuno Plaza. The older woman looked momentarily taken aback by the sudden gratitude. “Not just for today, but ever since we got here… thank you.”

For a moment, Olga was silent. Celeste’s eyes drifted to the battlefield, where her opponent, Mia, was waiting. Her Delibird was already out and stretching his wings and Mia herself tied her purple hair into a ponytail, while casually chatting with the DJ.

Celeste’s mouth went dry, and a knot tightened in her stomach. Olga’s tap on her back signalled it was time.

“If you want to thank me,” Olga said curtly, “win this one.” Her gaze shifted to Mia and the DJ. “Everyone here is obsessed with Razzo taking an interest in the island. I’d love to see one of my kids take them down a peg.”

Despite her nerves, Celeste couldn’t help but snort at Olga’s words. “Am I one of your kids now?”

Olga immediately turned her face away, muttering, “You know what I mean. Just… win this thing.”

—*——*—

As Celeste stepped into her designated square, she noticed the damp battlefield reflecting the dramatic reds and oranges of the evening sky. The clouds overhead looked like a painting—beautiful yet foreboding.

In the stands beside her, only a few spectators had gathered: Delia, Olga, Luan, and even Rey were there. In the absence of a large crowd, their familiar faces stood out. At the front row, Lorelei smiled at her while cradling her little Smoochum. Celeste clung to the hope that this small crowd (though probably not Luan) would cheer her on and that with their support she would emerge victorious.

Everyone loved an underdog… right?

“Ladies, are you ready to battle?” DJ Jiggly Jams called out. Without the usual audience, his tone lacked its typical energy and flair.

Across the battlefield, Mia grimaced. “Come on, Nick, we’re not paying you to be boring. This is being broadcast to Kanto!” She rolled her eyes dramatically before turning to Celeste. “Talent, am I right?”

Celeste froze for a moment. Nick? She’d been calling him Mr Jams all this time.

“Anyway,” Mia continued, squinting up at the clouds, “shitty day for battling, but at least we caught a break from the rain, eh? We’re not starting until you oomph it up, Nick.”

“Right…” DJ Jiggly—Nick—scratched his head and cleared his throat. “Uh… today we have Mia, our Razzo representative, bringing all the dazzle to the battle. Her opponent is a celestial girl, to say the least. Trust me on this. Her Vulpix looks like a little angel from the heavens. Ladies, please bring out your Pokémon.”

Mia snorted as she gestured for her Delibird to take to the field. “Man, that was lame. Let’s just get this over with quickly. What do you say, Celly?”

All Celeste managed was a clumsy smile as she pressed the release button on her pokéball. She steeled herself, watching Powder take her place in the middle of the battlefield. The charged clouds above grew heavier, and within seconds, a concentrated hailstorm began.

Snow Warning was a strange ability.

It responded to Powder’s emotions, but not in the way Celeste expected. When the Vulpix got annoyed at Aria’s pranks or angry because Celeste got distracted, nothing would happen. But whenever she grew frustrated with mastering Fairy-type moves, chunks of ice the size of golf balls would plummet from the sky. It was the same with training. They could go all day with clear skies, but the moment an actual battle started, so did the hail.

They could train an ability—master it, control it, push it to the limits.

That’s what Opal had told her during one of their calls, anyway. The problem was, Celeste wasn’t entirely sure what triggered Snow Warning. Initially, she thought Powder was a natural and was actually controlling it with ease. But the more she watched her Pokémon, the more she realised she was wrong. Hail wouldn’t rain down from slight anger or excitement. It was about the intensity of Powder’s emotions.

Mastery would come from understanding that intensity, but it was still a long way off.

Right now, though? Celeste could see that intensity in Powder’s eyes. Battling in this tournament meant the world to her, and her desire to win was as clear as the chunks of ice falling around them.

If Powder could channel her feelings into a hailstorm, Celeste could channel hers into confidence.

“Let’s give it all we’ve got!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. Though her Vulpix made no sound, the hailstorm around them intensified.

The battle was on.

As soon as the referee gave the go-ahead, neither trainer wasted a moment.

“Powder Snow, let’s make the weather even worse,” Celeste commanded.

“Bombard them with presents!” Mia shouted with energy.

Both Pokémon sprang into action immediately. Celeste hoped the combination of hail and the winds from Powder Snow would hinder the Delibird’s manoeuvrability and accuracy, especially in the air. The plan was to maintain the storm and then attempt a sneak attack with Ice Shard, staying hidden while dealing damage.

Her hopes were immediately shattered as the Delibird shot up above the reach of Powder Snow and opened his bag, releasing a barrage of glowing orbs onto the battlefield.

This was Delibird’s signature move, Present.

Powder didn’t have time to react as the glowing orbs bombarded her, causing Celeste to grit her teeth in frustration. How did he make so many at once?

As the dust from the explosions settled, Celeste shook her head and regained her composure. Present was a double-edged sword—some orbs caused damage, while others healed. This explained why Mia hadn’t used it in previous battles; if she was already winning, healing her opponent was too risky. However, as an opening move, it was a gamble that could pay off. If more orbs exploded than healed… Well, damage always added up.

The audience leaned forward in their seats, eyes glued to the battlefield. DJ Jiggly Jams edged closer to Celeste, shielding his eyes and squinting through the dust. The entire arena held its breath, unsure if Powder was still standing after such a massive attack.

Celeste had to suppress a laugh.

If Powder had been knocked out, the hail would have stopped. Instead, it intensified. Her Vulpix was still in the game and likely furious. Mia didn’t know that, though, so this was her chance to be sneaky.

“Powder, no!” Celeste did her best to sound panicked. She needed to tell her partner where the Delibird was without alerting their opponents. “Seriously, Mia? Is your bird just going to hover right in the middle of the battlefield, and slightly to the left, like it’s nothing? Powder could be hurt!”

Arceus, Diantha would be disappointed in her acting skills.

Celeste tried not to cringe as Mia’s expression shifted from a frown to a smirk. “Good try, Celly,” Mia said, clearly not fooled. “Noel, watch out for—”

Before Mia could finish her warning, three ice shards zipped through the air, striking Delibird’s chest.

Celeste almost laughed at that. Who was the one wasting time babbling now? Despite her less-than-stellar poker face, Powder had received the message loud and clear and executed the attack with flawless speed.

“He’s falling back towards Mia,” Celeste yelled, her eyes tracking the bird’s every move.

A few more ice shards soared through the air, but the Delibird swiftly steadied himself and dodged them with impeccable timing. Before he could change direction, Powder unleashed another batch of shards, and one grazed Noel’s wing, causing the Pokémon to spiral downward.

With a thump and a loud chirp, the Delibird regained his balance and took flight again, albeit unsteadily. He flapped his wings, clearing away the lingering dust.

Finally, Celeste could see Powder again.

The Vulpix looked scruffy, with a few bruises around her body, but nothing that would slow her down. Honestly, they’d got lucky with Present. Given the number of bombs, things should have been much worse.

Celeste’s eyes flicked from Powder back to the Delibird. She needed to keep the pressure on. “Continue hitting Noel with Ice Shard. Dodge anything he throws at you.”

Mia whined as a few more shards struck her Pokémon, but she didn’t seem too distraught. “Hey, Celly,” she called out, suddenly grinning. “Your Vulpix is the cutest. Looking at her makes me real happy.”

Celeste blinked at that. “Uh… thanks?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to let you know.” Mia’s grin turned sinister as she locked eyes with her Delibird. “I wanted you to know that what I’m doing next really pains me.”

The Delibird caught Mia’s message instantly, whatever it was. With a swift flick of his tail, the contents of his bag shifted from solid to liquid. Evading another Ice Shard from Powder, the bird ascended, and, when he finally stopped, a menacing glint lit his eyes. With a piercing chirp, he opened his bag, allowing a putrid sludge to drip onto the battlefield. As the first drop hit the ground, a toxic, acidic smoke rose.

“Powder, that’s poi—” Celeste’s chest tightened, her words choking off. Vivid flashes from her encounter with the Tentacool, just before she reached the Sevii Islands, flooded her mind. The memory of being dragged underwater, tentacles coiling around her legs, poison seeping through her veins, consumed her. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to push the images away. “That’s poison. Don’t let it touch you.”

Her breaths grew shallow as the suffocating stench of the toxic sludge reached her. With a trembling hand, she reached into her pocket and clutched Powder’s Premier Ball. She could end this right now, and no one would have to deal with the poison.

Locking eyes with Vulpix, she saw her Pokémon swiftly change direction, creating distance from the Delibird. Her fingers tightened around the ball.

Maybe Powder could outrun this. Celeste shouldn’t—

Mia clicked her tongue. “Pair it with Agility,” she commanded. Noel’s feathers quivered in response and his wings began fluttering rapidly to close the gap between them. “Finish her.”

Celeste tried to ground herself, focusing on the cold metal of the ball in her hands. She needed to let go of thoughts about the Tentacool and the poison, and focus on Powder and only Powder.

But why did it have to be fucking poison?

Noticing her trainer’s hesitation, the Vulpix barked sharply, snapping Celeste back to the moment. They needed to face this challenge together. Powder knew it. Celeste knew it, too. So, still feeling the tightness in her chest, Celeste released her grip on the ball. As long as she held it, she would be tempted to recall Powder, and that wasn’t fair. Powder wanted this battle and knew the risks.

Trust.

She needed to trust her partner.

Celeste raised her hand to her heart, trying to steady her pulse, and clenched her fingers into a fist.

Option one: keep running until the Delibird runs out of gunk.

No way that could work. Noel wasn’t pouring the poison onto the field; he was letting it drip. He wouldn’t go on forever, but he could last far longer than Powder could keep dodging.

Option two: take the hit and use the opening to fight back.

Celeste steadied herself. “Powder,” she called, taking a deep breath. There was only one way forward, and no time for fear. “Stop running and use Moonblast.”

She had hoped to keep the move hidden until the finals, but it was time.

Mia’s eyes bulged at the command. “Pour in all the gunk and pivot to Brutal Swing!”

Celeste pressed her lips together.

Moonblast was hard.

Powder had to gather power from the moon and convert it into a blast of Fairy-type energy. According to Opal, before evolving, Vulpix wouldn’t be able to generate fairy energy on their own, but Powder could use her type-affinity to gather this energy from other sources: emotion, the moon, belief… a bunch of abstract stuff. Celeste didn’t really get it, but Powder did. And though this wasn’t the Moonblast of an actual fairy-type, they’d trained hard to pull it off.

Problem was, it had a catch.

Since the Vulpix needed to gather the energy, it took focus and time. She had to stop. And right now? That meant taking the hit.

But Powder could do it, Celeste told herself with determination in every misty puff of breath. The hailstorm only intensified as Powder stopped, the coldness of the battle seeping into her bones.

When the remaining poisonous gunk washed over her Pokémon, Celeste did all she could not to wince. Though her body trembled and she wanted nothing more than to hide Powder safely in her ball, Celeste kept her eyes on the battle. The Vulpix remained stoic, not flinching as the corrosive liquid slid over her fur.

As the drops fell, fairy energy began to gather around Powder. The air grew still, and the scattered ice chunks on the field trembled with a pulsating glow. It was taking longer than Celeste had hoped, perhaps because the poison interfered with the fairy energy, or maybe because the Vulpix was in pain.

But she could do it.

No matter how hard, Powder endured. Like a diamond, her glow would only grow brighter under pressure.

“Keep going!” Celeste’s heart sank at the sound of her own voice. This is what Powder wanted, she reminded herself. But still, this was the same little Celeste had protected against rocks, fire, and poachers since she was born. This was her baby. This was… She gritted her teeth.

Above them, the Delibird’s bag emitted a faint glow. It looked emptier and less menacing than when he used the move against Delia. But Brutal Swing was brutal for a reason. The bag flared with an eerie purple energy. If Powder got hit, then that was it. The battle would be over.

Through her tensed jaw, Celeste yelled again. “Just a little more!” The poison had burned through some of Powder’s fur and was now searing her skin. This was not just her baby anymore. This was her Powder. Brave and strong. Celeste trusted her.

The Delibird shifted his bag to his back and plunged toward the Vulpix. Celeste released the breath she’d been holding, knowing every second Powder spent gathering energy was crucial. Timing was everything.

As Noel tightened his grip on the bag and prepared to swing, Celeste’s voice thundered, “Now!”

Powder’s eyes fluttered open, and the fairy aura around her transformed into moonlight. It felt as if the clouds, dark in the night, parted to reveal the bright moon above. Right now, Powder was at the centre of this cosmos. The energy she had gathered coalesced into a large sphere that shot towards Delibird’s face.

Powder’s Moonblast might not match that of an actual fairy, but it was the most beautiful thing Celeste had ever seen.

The Delibird had no chance.

Noel crumpled to the ground, unconscious, before he could complete his attack. The DJ erupted in applause as the referee declared Celeste the winner. “That was incredible! What a battle,” he said, his normal voice breaking through the excitement.

The small audience joined in with applause and enthusiastic whistles. Mia chuckled as she recalled her fainted Delibird into his pokéball. “I didn’t think you could win,” she said, feigning indifference. “That Vulpix of yours… quite the Pokémon.”

“She—”

Celeste’s arms fell limply at her sides. She squinted at Powder, still standing, and her chest tightened again.

“Powder?” she called. When the Vulpix turned, her legs were trembling. She took a tentative step forward but collapsed onto her muzzle. “Powder!”