Chapter 40 - Escape Plan
Celeste’s eyes widened in surprise. Did Topaz just mentioned an escape plan?
“No, no, no…” She vigorously shook her head as her heart began pounding against her chest. “Pulling this sort of thing was exactly what got us here. There is absolutely no way—”
“I’m in,” Lorelei said, not missing a beat.
A grin spread across Topaz’s face. “Good. Let’s go over the plan quickly, before the guard comes back.”
“Wait!” Celeste insisted, her voice squeaky, her thoughts barely coherent. “What happened to not trusting Topaz? Just a moment ago, you thought she was a poacher.” Her eyes darted anxiously between the two girls.
“Didn’t you just say we should trust people?” Lorelei crossed her arms.
Celeste bit her lip and shook her head again. “There is a big difference between trusting someone and following them off a cliff.”
“You’re right,” Lori agreed, giving a slight nod. “I don’t need to trust her to take a leap.”
“That is not—”
“We are on the clock here,” Topaz interrupted. “Celeste, are you in or out?”
She took a step back.
Escaping that cramped cell to help the Lapras seemed right… It felt right. It was like Lori said, they couldn’t just do nothing.
It could work out… They would get themselves free, and go after Ryder. With Lorelei fighting by her side, they’d be unstoppable. Besides, once they exposed the poachers, they would have all the evidence needed to clear any charges.
It was the perfect solution. All their problems would go away… They’d be basically heroes.
Celeste let out a sigh and weakly smiled at her cellmates. It was unsettling how easily she could convince herself to do something she shouldn’t.
“I…” she began, uncertain. But before she could answer, the image of her and her Pokémon building a snowman flashed through her mind. Celeste felt her chest tighten. All she wanted was to be with them. “I’m sorry, Lori... I can’t…”
Lorelei sighed and shook her head before shifting her attention to Topaz. “I assume you’re sharing your plan because you need us?”
“Yeah... but just one of you is enough,” Topaz nodded, briefly glancing at Celeste. “I can get us into the woods outside. The thing is, once we’re out, we’ll all be on the run, and...”
Lori smirked. “You need a distraction.”
“Have you noticed how understaffed this place is?” Topaz crossed her arms. “If we split up, they’ll either spread themselves thin or focus only on finding one of us. A dangerous trainer on the track to be champion or an artist with no money. Who do you think they’ll choose?”
“Don’t you think running away might kill your career?” Celeste muttered, not happy about being the voice of reason.
“It was just a permit... I shouldn’t even be here,” Topaz replied, annoyed yet unable to hide a tinge of doubt in her voice. “Anyway, if you stay behind, you’ll need to cover for us.”
Celeste heaved, trying to push away her own doubts, but eventually she relented. “Fine...”
“Good. Now that’s settled, let’s move on to the plan.” Topaz quickly surveyed their surroundings before getting closer to the other girls. “It’s actually quite simple. I have a Pokémon that can teleport us out of here.”
“T-Teleport?” Lorelei said, still trying to keep herself composed. However, Celeste noticed the determined glare in her friend’s eyes falter and her face grow paler. “Is that your plan?” she continued, straightening her back. “Don’t you think that’s the first thing they would expect us to try?”
“They didn’t have a psychic Pokémon to read our minds...” Celeste frowned as she recalled her conversation with Jenny.
“Exactly,” Topaz said, with a jolt of energy. “I think they were supposed to have those as measures to counter this kind of thing. Like if we were talking to a psychic or if anyone tried to break in or out… but without a psychic of their own, we’re home free.”
“There are other types of Pokémon that can mess with psychic abilities,” Lorelei insisted. “I’m all for escaping, but have you considered that a Dark-type could disrupt your Mr Rime’s teleportation? If something goes even slightly wrong, we could end up stuck in a tree or... or in a wall.”
Topaz let out an exaggerated and frustrated sigh. “This plan is my Mr Rime’s. I’ve been talking to Twilight the whole day to figure this out. He tried to be really obvious with his psychic abilities to see if anyone noticed him. If there was some Pokémon that could mess with this sort of stuff here, they’re clearly not good at it.”
“Your Pokémon came up with the escape plan?” Celeste leaned in, her eyes widening.
“I wasn’t kidding when I said he’s the brains behind my life,” Topaz chuckled, but then turned her attention back to Lorelei. “Listen, I promise it’s safe. My teleporter learned it from this amazing Abra. They trained together until their abilities were matched...”
Lorelei continued to stare at Topaz skeptically.
“I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t trust my team. Safety is right on top of our priority list!” she insisted. “My other two Pokémon will create distractions here, giving us the time we need to teleport out and get a head start. Plus, we’ll only move to the other side of the prison’s perimeter fence. It’s not even that far. Nothing will go wrong.”
“Are…” Lorelei took a deep breath. “Are you sure?”
Topaz pursed her lips. “I’m confident I can get us into the woods, but once we’re out, my teleporter will go back to rescue the rest of my team. That means we’ll be on our own.”
“In the middle of a snowstorm. Without proper clothing,” Celeste said, opening her arms and gesturing to her body. The girls were still wearing the same clothes they had when they were arrested, but since they were indoors, they didn’t have their coats.
“I never said it would be easy,” Topaz complained. “Do you have to keep poking holes in my plan? You’re not even coming with us.”
“Believe me, this is new for me too,” Celeste sneered. “I’m starting to understand why people get so angry when I do this kind of thing.”
Topaz raised her hands. “Well, this isn’t some half-assed, poorly thought-out plan. We’re both fully aware of the danger. It’s just...”
“It’s worth taking the risk,” Lorelei said, clearly struggling to keep herself composed. Placing a hand on her chest, she pressed her lips together tightly while maintaining steady breathing. “Sorry,” she added hurriedly. “I really hate teleporting.”
“Lori…”
“It’s for the Lapras,” Lorelei insisted. Adjusting her glasses, she nodded to herself. “When do we leave?”
—*——*—
Even in the late hours of the night, Celeste’s mind raced, preventing her from getting any sleep. She was acutely aware of her surroundings, feeling the hardness of the mattress beneath her and the coarseness of the thin sheets that could barely keep away the cold. The wind outside howled relentlessly, and the yellowish light of a nearby lamp cast long, bar-shaped shadows that danced on the floor.
At some point during the night, a new guard arrived to begin his shift. It wasn’t Adam or the woman who had been watching them during the day; instead, it was some apathetic man who appeared to have no interest in the well-being of the inmates. It was around midnight when he turned on an old TV and subjected the girls to the never-ending laughs of some sitcom he was watching.
“... Those eyes, that smile… When I first saw her, it was as if the world turned to colour!” one of the characters in the show said. “Bella and I, we’ll be together forever.”
“Ooh, someone is smitten!” another character chimed in, prompting high-pitched squeals from the studio audience. “Are we ever going to meet this lucky lady, or has she already dumped you?”
A woman shrieked, and the sound of hurried footsteps reverberated through the TV speakers. “There’s something in the bathtub! Those eyes… that smile…”
“Oh, have you met Bella?”
“Is Bella a Bruxish??”
“Isn’t she the prettiest?” As the guy talked, more laughs from the audience echoed around the room, this time taking some time to fade away.
Celeste found herself torn between morbid curiosity for the show and an urge to slam her head against the bed frame until she passed out. Or at least, that was her state of mind until she heard some movement, and Topaz swiftly got up and nudged Lorelei in the bed above.
Right on cue, a faint rattling sound echoed from the side. Celeste managed to shift her position slightly and caught a glimpse of a nearby window bursting open. The guard grumbled and moved up close to it. He inspected the window for a few moments before cursing and leaving the room, without sparing even a glance at the three girls.
“Get ready,” Topaz whispered, her voice muffled by the television sounds.
Despite not needing to, Celeste also rose from her bed, attempting to catch a glimpse through the half-opened door leading to the adjacent office space. The room beyond was dimly lit, but she spotted the guard who had been keeping watch, stopping a few steps from the door to engage in a conversation with a policewoman.
“It’s freezing outside!” he exclaimed. “If you can’t fix that window, then bring me some tape, and I’ll handle it myself.”
More murmurs and muffled sounds reverberated, followed by fainter footsteps than those on the television. Suddenly, a thump shattered the silence, momentarily followed by a hush and a conveniently timed laugh from the sitcom still playing.
Celeste squinted her eyes and leaned closer to the bars of her cell, attempting to see the unfolding events. There were office supplies scattered across the floor, and the faint sound of more footsteps filled the air.
“Are you—” someone began, only to be cut off by the sound of a heavy object being dragged away, promptly followed by another thud.
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“Damn it,” a policewoman exclaimed, her voice blending with the echoes of laughter from the sitcom. “What is happening here?”
Tension settled in the air. The only audible sounds were emerging from the television and the distant whistle of the wind.
“I am not under the control of a fish!” a character on the show said. “Bella would never use her psychic powers on me... again.”
Another thud resonated from the room next door. By then, Celeste could discern at least four distinct voices, one of which suggested calling in the Growlithe. This led to another flurry of footsteps and subsequent thumps, accompanied by a stream of curses.
“I can’t get the pokéballs,” a policewoman said.
“What do you mean you can’t get them? They’re right in front of you!”
“I just... can’t,” she insisted. “It’s like there is an invisible box around them.”
Without missing a beat, Celeste turned to the other girls, who were just as attentive. “Is that your Mr Rime?”
“Twilight is distracting them. That means Frida should be here any moment now,” Topaz whispered.
“Wait...” Lorelei said, approaching Topaz. “Frida?”
Topaz fidgeted with her fingers. “Um... yeah,” she hesitated. “You were already so nervous before, and I didn’t want to make it worse. I should’ve mentioned that Mr Rime can’t learn teleport... But, like I said, Frida is good... she Sketched it from an Abra and...”
Lorelei’s eyes widened. “Your Smeargle is the one who can teleport?”
Another thump echoed, causing the girls to freeze as someone crashed against the door, revealing the messy room on the other side. Laughter from the TV filled the air as they witnessed another officer trip into nothing and groan loudly.
Amidst the chaos, the police officers seemed unsure of what to do. The man who had crashed into the door picked himself up and attempted to reenter the adjoining room, only to stumble forward once again.
To the girls’ relief, no one paid any attention to them.
Celeste turned back to Topaz. “What do you mean by sketched?”
“Sketch is Smeargle’s special power,” it was Lorelei who answered, her voice trembling and her face contorting into a mix of frown and grimace. “They can mimic any move from any Pokémon... But it’s just a copy, known to be unreliable and worse than naturally learned moves.”
“I teleport with Frida all the time,” Topaz insisted. “She can’t go far, but I swear it’s safe.”
Lorelei pursed her lips, stealing a glance at the adjacent room. Just then, Twilight, the Mr Rime, strolled into view. He was whistling and spinning his icy cane gleefully before he came to a halt in a spacious area beside a toppled desk. His moustache twitched upward into a smile and he bowed courteously.
On the TV, applause and cheers filled the screen.
The officers, recovering from their initial shock, grunted and cursed as they lunged towards the Pokémon, only to be stopped by yet another invisible barrier. Celeste could also see a person holding the invisible box of Pokéballs and banging it on a table, probably hoping to break it.
The ice-type chuckled as he straightened himself. His feet tapped on the floor once, just as a woman kicked the invisible wall. Then, almost defiantly, he tapped again... and then again and again. He was both rhythmic and taunting, and before long, he was tap-dancing before an audience of angry law enforcers.
Celeste couldn’t help but let a small smile escape her lips. If it weren’t for her concern for her friends, she would have thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle.
However, before she could pay more attention to the show, she felt a swoosh on her back. Turning around, a gust of cold air blew on her face, revealing the snow-covered Smeargle that materialised within their cell. Topaz wasted no time to hug her Pokémon tightly, smearing her clothes with the golden paint from Frida’s tail.
She then motioned to Lorelei, who stood frozen on the side.
“Maybe you should go first,” she suggested, taking a nervous step back. Despite any reservations, she still appeared determined to go ahead with the plan. “I just need—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Frida impatiently leaped from her trainer’s embrace and latched onto Lori’s leg. Her eyes bulged, and she instinctively tried to shake the Pokémon off. However, in an instant, they both vanished into thin air.
“Well, I guess that’s it,” Topaz gave a small smile to Celeste, glancing around awkwardly. “Are you sure you don’t want to come?”
The young trainer offered a slight, albeit still somewhat uncertain, nod to her newest friend. After a few moments, the Smeargle reappeared. Behind them, there was a cracking sound followed by the clatter of metal hitting the floor.
Topaz’s eyes darted towards the adjacent office space with a hint of worry before returning to Celeste. “It was nice having you around today,” she said hurriedly. “If you manage to get out of this mess, find me. I want to know how this story will end.”
Then, with another swoosh, the Smeargle vanished once more.
Celeste surveyed the empty cell, her chest tightening. The television played the end-credit music of the sitcom, and from the neighbouring room, she could hear the barks of several Growlithe.
Her mouth felt dry as she moved closer to the cold bars of their cell. She really hoped her friends would be okay.
—*——*—
Celeste’s heart raced as she watched the battle unfolding before her. Flamethrowers blazed, and three Growlithe relentlessly attacked Twilight’s invisible barriers. Around the room, the officers seemed to have regrouped once the invisible obstacles were gone. Clearly the Psychic-type shifted his focus to fortifying his own defences. Celeste worried it wouldn’t be enough.
She tried to shift her position restlessly, hoping for a clearer view amidst the blazing flames. In the chaos, Celeste noticed one of the Growlithe withdraw from the assault, which surprised her. Instead of attacking with Flamethrower like the others, it began gathering large amounts of flames in its mouth.
Her heart tightened. That couldn’t be good.
The other two Growlithe intensified their charge, their heat could be felt even from a distance. Then, in a sudden and daring move, the third Growlithe leaped into the fire, and soon a loud screech followed. As the blaze subsided, Celeste could make out that the Growlithe had reached Twilight, sinking its teeth into the Psychic-type’s arm and holding on tightly.
The Mr Rime, clearly in pain, swung himself around, trying to dislodge his opponent and hammer it with his cane. Meanwhile, the two other dogs waited for an opportunity to resume their attack.
Around the room, the humans took notice of smaller flames spreading around the wooden furniture, and the air grew thick with smoke. There was a moment of panic as an officer rushed to the fire extinguisher, but luckily, sprinklers on the ceiling activated, diffusing the situation. That wasn’t only good for the fire, but also for Twilight. With the water, the fiery dogs got startled and whimpered as they backed off, giving the Ice-type a momentary respite to rebuild his defences.
Celeste felt a wave of relief wash over her, but it was short-lived as a loud noise erupted from outside, sending her heart pounding once more. She hurried to the window and saw a searchlight. Had her friends been discovered?
A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she realized it was something else entirely. She overheard someone shouting, “On the yard!” and moments later, Topaz’s massive Bibarel came crashing into the gym equipment. Two other men and the Noctowl that had previously searched her shadow swiftly rushed to confront the Bibarel.
“Air Slash,” one of the men commanded without hesitation.
The Noctowl’s wings glowed brightly as they flapped, creating shockwaves that took the shape of sharp blades. The Bibarel couldn’t dodge in time and took the hit head-on, stumbling back a few steps. However, the beaver Pokémon recovered quickly and retaliated by spitting water at his opponent.
Despite Bibarel’s bulk, the Noctowl’s agility granted it a significant advantage. Evading the attacks and landing its own hits, the bird seemed to have the upper hand in the fight. Regardless, Celeste knew the battle in the yard would continue for some time, and that was precisely what her friends needed.
As the temperature kept rising, Celeste’s attention was immediately drawn back to the indoor battle. She couldn’t help but feel a wave of horror as she saw the flames spreading even farther in the neighbouring office. To make matters even worse, she also noticed the sprinklers had stopped working.
Inside the office space, two officers were frantically trying to contain the fire with the extinguisher, while another officer knelt beside a fallen Growlithe. But what really caught Celeste’s eye was another Growlithe, running around in circles and causing even more havoc by biting objects and setting them on fire. There was something clearly off about its behaviour.
Frowning, Celeste quickly put the pieces together. “Of course... it must be confused.”
A surge of pride washed over her for her growing understanding of battles. Not long ago, she wouldn’t have been able to identify a confused Pokémon so easily. However, her sense of accomplishment was short-lived as she gasped, realising that a confused Fire-type was now burning the building where she was currently locked in.
Panic settled in quite fast.
Celeste rushed to the bars of her cell, desperately calling out for someone to release her before the fire engulfed her surroundings. No one heard her. With panic growing, she resorted to projecting her thoughts loudly, hoping that Twilight would somehow sense her distress. Unfortunately, the Psychic-type remained too absorbed in his own battle with the remaining Growlithe.
With agility, the Fire-type lunged at the Mr Rime, unleashing another Fire Fang. Twilight swiftly evaded the attack and countered by launching a blast of psychic energy toward the Growlithe. Celeste watched in astonishment as the fire dog roared and managed to somehow sink its teeth into the psychic energy, resulting in a powerful explosion that visibly injured both Pokémon. They were left panting, Twilight’s melting cane broken in half, and the fire dog sporting way too many bruises. Still, neither Pokémon gave any signs of slowing down.
Overwhelmed by the chaotic scene unfolding around her, Celeste realised she would need to find someone else to help her out of that place.
She hurried back to the window, desperate to get the attention of the officers in the yard and alert them to the fire inside. To her relief, one of the guards who was dealing with the Bibarel noticed her and approached.
“There’s a fire inside,” Celeste blurted out without hesitation. The man’s eyes widened instantly as her words sank in. “I need your help to get out of here!”
She watched as his gaze darted inside, his face contorting with fear.
“C-Come on,” Celeste pleaded, her voice faltering. “There’s an open window just around the corner. You can pop in real quick and...”
Her words trailed off as she saw the officer take a few steps back. He muttered something about needing to inform the chief, his eyes fixed on the thick smoke engulfing the room she was trapped in, barely acknowledging her presence.
Meanwhile, in the battle behind him, the Bibarel delivered a powerful Water Gun, sending the Noctowl crashing down to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, the beaver curled into a ball and launched into a relentless Rollout attack.
The officer in front of her glanced back at the ongoing battle, his body trembling and his words barely coherent.
“Please...” Celeste kept trying to reach him, but it was hopeless. With each blow the Bibarel landed on the Noctowl, the man’s resolve crumbled further. He shook his head and hastily ran from both the fight and the fire.
She attempted to call out to the remaining officer, who was still fully engaged in battle, but her voice couldn’t even reach him. Four Island was a small place with little to no crime... and it showed. Their police force clearly couldn’t handle a crisis.
Not this one, and certainly not the poachers.
Celeste dropped to the floor, her lungs filled with smoke as the room became unbearably hot. Coughing and feeling dizzy, she quickly covered her nose and glanced towards the open window beyond the bars of her cell. It was so close, yet just out of her reach.
Her shadow wavered in front of her, flickering and causing her to question her own sanity. But then she remembered her strange experience when the Noctowl searched her for ghosts… could there be something lurking in her shadow?
Amidst the haze, Celeste stared at her own dark silhouette projected on the floor. “Are… are you still there?” she asked, feeling like an idiot. “I just... Please...”
She leaned back, coughing once again. The other room was now obscured from her view, but even at that moment, she found the energy to worry about the other people and Pokémon. Twilight would struggle in that inferno even more than a human. She hoped he had managed to escape... In fact, she hoped everyone had made it out safely. That the officers had recalled their Growlithe and evacuated.
Celeste let out a defeated chuckle, her gaze moving back to her shadow. “I kind of wished I got out, too...” she muttered with a sigh, followed by a gasp that triggered another bout of coughing.
Did her shadow just nod in response?
If there had been any doubt, it vanished as she watched the darkness on the floor elongate, stretching from her feet towards the metal bars in front of her. Celeste remained dumbfounded as the dark form reached the lock on her cell’s door.
And then silence enveloped the room, broken only by the static from the television and the crackling of the fire.
Finally, a click was followed by the sound of rusty hinges creaking as her cell door swung open. Her eyes moved from the door back to her shadow, which was back to normal and perfectly still in front of her…
Celeste felt tears welling up, but she had no time to waste. In an instant, she was on her feet again. She pulled up her shirt to shield her nose and wasted no time sprinting towards the open window. With a leap, she propelled herself out and landed on the cold snow, the contrast in the temperature almost shocking her system. Despite her exhaustion, she managed to put some distance between herself and the fiery, smoke-filled building before collapsing onto her knees.
With her heart pounding in her chest, the only coherent thought Celeste could form was that her plans were never that bad. However, before she could decide on her next move, a blinding beam of light from a flashlight pierced her vision.
She squinted her eyes, recognising the person behind it immediately.
Jenny. The chief of police on Four Island.
“What the hell is happening here?” Jenny grunted, her voice filled with annoyance. “You were supposed to be locked in your cell. Are you... trying to escape?”
Celeste let out an exasperated huff. “Can’t you see the smoke?” she retorted, frustration clear in her voice. “My cell is on fucking fire.”
Jenny glanced around, her brow furrowing as she finally registered the building engulfed in smoke. “Was this the emergency...?” she muttered, her tone filled with both anger and desperation. “Is this your doing? How did you get out of your cell?”
Growing angrier by the second, Celeste rose to her feet. Fortunately, before the argument could escalate, a swoosh cut through the tension, and Topaz’s Smeargle materialised between her and the policewoman.
No one uttered a word as the Pokémon nervously grabbed Celeste’s leg.
She widened her eyes, shooting a panicked glance at Jenny, but she didn’t resist what was about to happen.
Then, before she could even blink, the world around her changed.