Chapter 45 - Collars and Darts

Amidst the chaos, Celeste’s heart pounded.

After they arrived in the Lapras cavern and got ambushed by the poachers, Lorelei took the lead. She left her friends under the care of Fractal, her own Lapras, and confronted Ryder by herself. He revealed important information… or meaningless breadcrumbs. Celeste wasn’t really sure. And then, after a lot of talking, he tried to attack her.

Ryder tried to get Powder.

Shots were fired, and a dart hit the neck of Lori’s Lapras.

Before Celeste could react, Aria and Lorelei knocked Ryder into the freezing water. Lori then jumped to the shore, and soon her friend was battling the bigger, scarier poacher, Gozu. The other poachers—or Team Rocket, as they seemed to call themselves—had scattered around. Some were going after Lorelei’s Dewgong who was trying to rescue the captured Lapras, and one was securing their other catch, a Frigibax. Yet none were batting an eye over to Celeste and her friends.

What could a bunch of kids riding a groggy Lapras could do, after all? Especially when said Lapras was moving erratically, struggling to keep even a straight line.

“We need to get to the shore.” It was Luan’s voice that first cut through the tension. “Fractal can’t carry us like this.”

As Luan spoke, Rey was grappling to get onto the Lapras’ neck and get rid of the dart. Whenever he came close, however, Fractal would sway her head in painful, large motions. With concern, Celeste’s eyes drifted to the other captured Lapras on the side. Even though the net trapping them had been broken, they were still lethargic, neither trying to escape nor fight back.

That had to be where Fractal was heading with the dart in her neck.

Suddenly, as Lorelei’s Mamoswine (because yeah, she had a Mamoswine), charged towards Gozu’s Aggron with a deafening roar, the whole cavern trembled. Feeling the urgency in the situation, Celeste took her Slowpoke’s pokéball and released him into the water before turning back to Luan.

“Let’s have Pat and the psychics guiding Fractal,” she said. “They can psychically pull her forward while Pat creates a stream to steer her on the water.”

The air was heavy with silence, and tension mounted as Luan fidgeted with his pokéballs. He was a pile of nerves, but somewhat composed himself enough to command his Pokémon to help. Even Olga’s Vanillite, who’d been protectively hovering around Rey during all the chaos, joined in by blowing an icy wind over Fractal’s back.

Slowly, they moved to what seemed like safer shores, and stepped on the ground just as the Lapras screeched and submerged.

She’d be safe underwater… right?

Celeste’s eyes lingered on the lake’s surface for a moment, until Aria poked her cheek, which jolted her back to reality, and made her aware of Rey staring right back at her.

“Well?” he said, crossing his arms.

“What?” she muttered.

“I’m joining Lori in that battle.”

“Against that Aggron?” Celeste blinked, looking towards where Lorelei and Gozu were fighting, but her focus quickly shifted to something else. In a corner, not too far from them, one of the poachers, a young woman with a million freckles on her face, was directing her Weepinbell to load the frigibax’s cage onto a cart.

The little dragon looked terrified.

Celeste bit her lower lip. “I’ve got something better,” she began. “Let’s split up. Lori’s Dewgong is already handling the poachers who are after the other Lapras, but they’re vulnerable. Luan—”

“Luan can use his psychics to protect them,” Rey smirked, interrupting Celeste. He was probably going for commanding, but it was really grating. “In the meantime, I can—”

“I’m going after the Frigibax,” Celeste asserted back, louder than Rey. “You go help Luan.”

He just scoffed. “And leave you to fumble an important rescue? No way.”

Not waiting for an answer, Rey released his Eevee, Mag, with a smug grin on his lips. They didn’t have time for this, but Celeste still let out a small huff of indignation. Aria, unfortunately, didn’t get that they were going for the silently annoyed act. Immediately, her Eevee scurried down from Celeste’s shoulder to meet Mag with a chest puffed out like a Piplup.

What a team the four of them were.

Mag hissed at Aria. Aria hissed back. Rey clicked his tongue. Celeste rolled her eyes louder.

They at least got the good sense not to squabble too much and just silently began to move together towards the Frigibax.

On the back, Luan simply sighed.

—*——*—

They’d almost got to the Frigibax when the cave shook violently and rocks cascaded down from the opening in the ceiling.

Celeste couldn’t help but scream as a rock narrowly missed her, and, despite her better judgement, she turned to Rey for support. His face had gone pale, and his trembling hands balled into fists as smaller rocks continued to pelt down around them.

What was already a dangerous situation just kept turning worse.

“We are good for now,” Rey said, looking at the Pokémon by them. His mother’s still Vanillite hovering by his side, his Eevee still hissing at Aria and Pat, lumbering behind. “Can’t your Slowpoke put up a barrier?”

Celeste shook her head. That Protect TM she’d won in the Snowflake Cup would’ve been pretty good about now. Rey gave her a look and muttered something about even her psychics being useless, but when a few more rocks fell down, Celeste grabbed him and pulled him down towards a stack of crates that offered a little protection.

He quieted for a bit to catch his breath.

Just a short distance away, the Team Rocket grunt they were after was distracted inspecting the contents of the Frigibax cage, while her Weepinbell nervously stared to the sides—and mostly to the battle between two giant Pokémon still happening in the back.

“It’s four of us against one,” Celeste whispered. “I think we could gang up on them… Rey?”

Like always, he paid little attention to any of her words. Celeste was going to complain, but she followed his gaze instead. He’d just reached into one of the crates, retrieving a handful of small darts. Two were marked with a red label, reading BX0F12, and one was blue, labelled TX82.

“Fractal was shot with the blue one,” Rey whispered, actually turning to Celeste for once. His expression hinted at some sort of understanding. There was no time for explanations, though. The sound of squeaking wheels echoed. The poacher was leaving with the Frigibax.

“You’re saying something about ganging up, you said?” Rey let out his annoying smirk as he sprung up.

Celeste just nodded, following suit.

“Mag, use Bite!” he commanded his Eevee.

“Join in, Aria!” Celeste called her own, already making a beeline for the cage.

Rey’s Eevee dashed ahead, getting to the Weepinbell first. Her mouth oozed dark energy and she wasted no time in sinking her teeth into one of the Grass-type leaves. When Aria reached the scene, she delivered a Quick Attack, causing the leaf Mag was attached to, to shred. Weepinbell got hurled back to a nearby rock and swayed down as it tried regaining its balance.

Aria puffed her chest again, clearly proud of her move. Mag just let out an angry bark at her.

“Seriously, Celeste?” Rey seemed to share on his Eevee’s frustration. “Make your Eevee useful or step aside!”

“What? Aria’s helping,” Celeste grumbled. Before she could start on how Aria’s Quick Attack was the better move in this situation, she noticed the poacher stomping towards them. “Pat… um… can you put her to sleep?”

Attacking humans was bad… unless they were evil poachers… right?

Rey only gave the poacher a half glance. “Helping who? Mag would’ve beaten that plant by now, you know?”

“Helping you! The Frigibax! Lori! Take your pick!” Between shakes of her arms, Celeste noticed the Frigibax, whose eyes were swelling with tears, and the poacher, now just staring at the Slowpoke who simply placed himself on the way. “Pat, come on! A little faster?”

“… childish…” Rey was saying over Celeste. “You are being absolutely—Huh? Crap. Celes—”

A loud, croaky cry overpowered his voice as it reverberated all through the cave. While they argued, the Weepinbell had regained its footing and began to expel some noxious powder. It was a disconcerting sight, watching that pitcher plant thing twist and release the attack.

“That is Poison Powder,” Rey stepped back immediately, covering his face.

Celeste’s eyes widened at the mention of poison, but her body remained frozen. She could only watch in horror as the cloud of dangerous spores drifted toward the two Eevee.

“Mag, finish it off before the poison knocks you out,” Rey shouted from behind Celeste. She still didn’t move. Just watched that disgusting, dangerous, deadly, disturbing—

Rey pulled her back, grabbed her scarf, and wrapped it up around her nose and mouth. He… just looked at her, serious for once, and made no joke about how puny she was.

“Close your eyes,” he said, and she didn’t argue for once. She just clung tightly to the scarf and did as she was told. It felt like an eternity, but a few seconds later Rey squeezed her shoulders and told her she could open her eyes again. His eyes looked red and irritated, but he simply rubbed them as if it was nothing.

Maybe it wasn’t… but she’d be freaking out if that was her…

Celeste quietly turned back to the battle. She could see Aria dazed with laboured breaths and half-lidded eyelids. Poisoned. Aria had no scarf to protect her nose and mouth…

Mag, who looked equally affected, hadn’t stopped battling, though. Nor did her trainer. Rey’s Eevee lunged forward at his command, almost getting to the Weepinbell, but a well-timed razor leaf gave it enough cover to dodge and narrowly avoid the strike.

“Don’t waste energy defending or dodging,” Rey said coldly. He… almost sounded like his mother. “You’re on a timer, so better make it count.”

Celeste opened her mouth and felt her lips dry. “T-they are poisoned, Rey.”

“Yeah, so?” He didn’t avert his eyes from the battle. He hadn’t looked away even when the spores came their way…

“They are hurting,” Celeste repeated.

Rey turned to her, serious. “Don’t come to a fight if you and your Pokémon aren’t ready to get hurt. Right now, you’re just getting in the way.”

The cave shook once more and Celeste trembled along with it. Was she supposed to be responsible or get hurt? This was hurting her head.

In a blink, Celeste turned back to her Pokémon, only to notice Pat hadn’t used Yawn like she said, and now the poacher released two other Pokémon: A Drowzee and a Gloom. Both of them were terrifying, and both waved their leaves and arms menacingly toward her and Pat.

It could never be easy, could it?

Celeste struggled to find her will to voice the next command. Her fingers clasped Aria’s pokéball. She wasn’t sure she had it in her to let the Eevee fight poisoned. She could always call Powder to help out—but with these poachers nearby… Celeste simply could not.

“Pat…” she managed to begin, but her indecision gripped her. Seconds could be a lifetime in a battle, and hesitation a death sentence.

This was a lesson she knew she’d carry with her in the future.

But in that very moment, Celeste said nothing, and this time, no one helped her out when sharp Razor Leaves sliced through the side of her arm.

Her vision blurred for a moment and she cried out. Celeste could see stars. Literally. Swift collided with a fresh barrage of leaves coming her way, resulting in a number of small explosions. When her vision resharpened, Celeste saw Aria darting towards the Gloom with a vindictive Quick Attack, which was followed closely by Pat’s Water Gun.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

She didn’t have to prompt any of her Pokémon this time.

“Aria?”

The Eevee might’ve been poisoned, but she was not out. Aria smirked and cast a confident glance back at her Celeste—she had always been the brave one.

“Are you okay to… to keep on fighting…?” Celeste stuttered, but Aria barked in response, reassuringly.

With a deep breath, Celeste shoved the stinging sensation in her arm to the back of her mind and smiled back at her Pokémon. If her team was brave, she’d be brave too.

“Alright then…” she began, scanning for their enemy. The Gloom was some distance away, but the Drowzee was closing in. “Aria, Swift the hell out of that psychic. Pat, I need you to do something different. Focus on your psychic abilities. You got to prevent it from using Hypnosis or Confusion, understand? It could be Disable or whatever you think will work. I know you can figure it out.”

Beside Celeste, Rey snorted. “Maybe you’re not that useless.”

His gaze then briefly flicked to her arm, but again he said nothing. He simply turned back to the fight and released his Capsakid into the fray.

“Moody…” he began, but before his Capsakid could do anything, it was Lite who lunged himself forward. Clearly, the Vanillite didn’t want to be out of the action any longer.

“Think you can battle with your mum’s Pokémon?” she asked, and Rey… well, that was the first time she’d ever seen any flicker of doubt in his face.

As it was, Vanillite wasn’t waiting for orders. In fact, he was charging toward the Gloom pretty fast. The Poison-type was a nightmarish sight. Its smooth purple body was laced with darker veins that pulsed and throbbed, clearly feeding the flower atop its head. The red, polka-dotted flower was the textbook description of poisonous. Yet, what was even more concerning was the way it appeared inflated, as if it was storing venom for an upcoming attack.

Rey never got to command Lite, and Gloom never got to attack. When the ice cone reached their opponent several sharp Icicle Spears were already floating by his side, and one by one they got launched towards the Gloom, impaling it against a rock.

She… did not expect this from Lite.

“I guess he can hold his own,” Rey said, visibly cringing at the sight before them.

Celeste just nodded, her eyes never bulging.

One of the icy spears had pierced through the Gloom’s bulb, causing black, corrosive liquid to leak from the wound. This substance not only ate away at the solid ice but also mixed with the thick drool that dripped from its mouth, creating a putrid smell that reminded Celeste of raw meat and death.

But the worst was yet to come.

Another spear had impaled Gloom’s stubby arms, causing green sap to bleed through. Oddly, the grass-type seemed unfazed, continuing to advance with a big, dopey smile while allowing the ice to cut through its body.

Vanillite seemed unphased by the gruesomeness, as he relentlessly tore into its opponent.

Celeste shook her head. Morbid curiosity would have to wait. She had her own Pokémon to help.

Or so she thought…

Around the Drowzee, Aria’s stars had inexplicably halted, suspended in mid-air by an invisible force that seemed to defy the laws of physics. Aria herself struggled to push through, while Pat and his psychic opponent engaged in an intense, silent… staring match?

Celeste had no idea what sort of command to give, so she just said, “Um… keep going, Pat!”

Before she could come up with something else, her attention shifted to the Frigibax. The poacher was attempting to make a getaway with it, clutching the cage in her arms.

“Oh, no, you won’t,” Celeste blurted out, deciding to tackle the woman herself.

They both tumbled to the ground, and the cage crashed down with them, causing the small dragon inside to burst into a piercing cry.

Yet Celeste couldn’t help but grin.

That poacher was finally down, and in her book, that was a victory.

And then, from behind them, a Hyper Beam was fired.

—*——*—

The world around Celeste buzzed and swirled as she blinked, her eyes gradually adjusting to the aftermath of the blinding flash of light and destruction. She instinctively brought her hand to her ears, rubbing them to clear the disorienting sensation. The buzzing gradually gave way to muffled yells and thumps.

“Get…off…way.”

“Fuck it. Mag!”

“…don’t… crates…”

Regaining her focus, Celeste realised the poacher she had tackled was no longer in sight, and her injured arm was throbbing painfully. She resisted the urge to inspect the wound and instead started scanning her surroundings. Through the dust and swirling snow, she could make out a few shadows in motion, and voices began to grow clearer.

“Vanillite, Mag is down. Are you okay?”

“…Plan…art. Br…collar.”

“…Over, Gozu.”

Lori!

Celeste gasped, recognising the last voice. As she followed the sound, she noticed that the putrid stench from the Gloom had been replaced by the scent of burned metal. Not too far from where she stood, she saw the Aggron lying motionless, with the plates in its body smoking. Gozu, who steadily marched towards his fallen Pokémon, appeared composed, but so did Lorelei. She stood by her Mamoswine, who had very visible bruises, and panted heavily, but also roared protectively, guarding her trainer.

Celeste rubbed her ears again.

“… nothing else you can do.” Lori’s voice came through, unwavering, as her gaze remained locked on her adversary.

Around her, other voices were becoming more clear too.

“Keep the barrier up! Lulu, be on the lookout for falling rocks!”

“… ed… Th… ed… art.”

“Of course she took care of that Weepinbell. Did you ever doubt she would?”

A wave of relief washed over Celeste as she recognised the voices of Lori, Luan, and Rey. Now all she had to do was find…

“Aria!” she cried out, spotting her Eevee lying near the Drowzee, which was now bleeding from multiple cuts. Aria’s Swift had evidently worked in the end, but the poison had also run its course.

Kneeling by Aria, Celeste gently tapped a pokéball on her head and whispered a few words of gratitude. A few inches away from the Drowzee, she also found Pat, who was snoring loudly, despite having his eyes half opened.

Celeste let out a weak chuckle.

Had he focused so hard he fell asleep with his eyes open?

“Thanks for holding out for so long,” she also thanked Pat before calling him back to his ball.

Further ahead, things were looking bleak for the poachers. Not far from where Celeste stood, she saw the unconscious Weepinbell, and a trail of brown leaves scattered behind it led to where the Gloom… lay?

The poison plant had lost an arm and was still bleeding out a mixture of sap and toxins, but it was motionless now. Its feet dangled, and an ice spear skewered it through the forehead, pinning it against the half-destroyed cart from earlier.

Celeste felt her chest tighten. Plants could regenerate… right?

Rey, his Capsakid, and Vanillite were the next group Celeste spotted. The Lite was blowing some frosty wind on the Frigibax cage and the Capsakid was trying to cut the frozen cage bars with sharp leaves. The little dragon hadn’t stopped crying, but they could soothe it later, once it was out.

Then it hit her. “Did… we win?”

By the water, Luan continued his efforts to protect both people (yeah, including the poachers) and Pokémon from falling rocks, while Lori’s Dewgong had mostly dealt with the two goons who had been attacking the Lapras. Luan wasn’t protecting them from that.

“We won!” Celeste repeated, her breath coming in quick bursts.

As the words left her mouth, she felt her lips twitching upward. She hurried over to where Rey was, her grin growing wider by the second, and released Powder.

“Powds, mind helping Vanillite with the cage?” Celeste asked. Then, turning to Rey, she added, “Do you think we can bring those poachers to the police with us? To clear our names and all.”

Rey glanced to Celeste and then back to the two poachers by Lori’s Dewgong. “I suppose,” he shrugged. “I don’t think Lite needs any help from your weak ass Pokémon, though.”

Aaand he was immediately back to being insufferable.

Celeste figured it was better to ignore the comment. “What happened to the Weepinbell?”

“Mag took care of it, obviously.” Rey crossed his arms. “I’m serious, Celeste. These people are after your Vulpix. You should recall her.”

“She’ll be fine.” Celeste waved her uninjured arm. “Look around. We won. It’s safe.”

The little Vulpix looked up at Celeste with a puzzled expression, tilting her head before letting out a shrill cry that made Celeste giggle.

Relief could be truly blinding sometimes.

“Sorry you missed most of the action,” she said, squatting by Powder and petting her. Powder was glaring at her injured arm, confusion turning to worry. “It’s just a scrape.” Celeste hoped. “Sorry, I didn’t call you to the fight. I thought you’d be in too much danger. See the poachers, they—”

Before Celeste could finish her sentence, a loud squeak echoed through the cavern. Moody and Lite had successfully broken the lock, and the Frigibax was finally free. Powder cast a glance at the cage, her expression seemingly irritated, and Celeste felt like giggling again.

This time, hers was not the only laugh bouncing off the cave walls, though. Her arm stung and her bones froze as she recognised it. Twisted and deranged, even more so than before, the sound of Ryder’s laugh was suffocating.

By one of the cave openings, the poachers—the Team Rocket member—stood. He was drenched, his face pale, and his eyes bulging with red veins. His body quivered, not from the cold, but from that maniacal, unending laugh that kept on going.

Beside him, the woman Celeste had tackled held a dart gun and some collars. They were flanked by two new Rockets, each clutching pokéballs in one hand and harpoons with nets in the other.

Ryder stopped laughing. “Did you honestly believe you’d leave this place with my catch?” he said, his words coming out as angry, breathy whispers. When all eyes fell on him, he shivered, almost in delight. His grin widened once again, but he said nothing, just raised a hand.

And waited.

Everyone else had grown quiet. His raspy breath seemed to be the only sound around for a moment.

Then he clicked his fingers, and with one loud bang, the two harpoons on his side were fired. Celeste was the one to hold Rey this time. He was about to jump forward as the two new grunts released more Pokémon. A Weezing materialised beside Ryder, and an Ariados began crawling around as soon as it was out, further ahead.

“Sorbet!” It was Lori’s voice thundering that finally broke the silence on their side. Her Dewgong, whose tail was already gleaming with a metallic shine, wasted no time. He plunged into the water for momentum and in a second he was out again, ready to cut down as many nets as needed. However, just as he resurfaced, a third red pokéball beam shot toward the water and took the form of a Seaking, blocking the Ice-type’s path.

Ryder’s maniacal laugh rang again. “Not so easy, is it?” he mocked, snatching both the dart gun and a collar from the other poacher’s grasp.

“Aurora, Ice Shard!” Celeste heard Lori command her Mamoswine from somewhere on her back. To her surprise, the shard flew right to Ryder himself. But, like earlier, a Pokémon was ready to defend him—in this case the Weezing, who took up the blow, just tumbling back in the air, and then spewing a thick black smoke as it regained its balance.

“Shit…” Celeste heard Rey mutter beside her. His tone turned more aggressive as he barked a series of commands to his Capsakid.

Uncertainly, she glanced at her Vulpix. She shouldn’t have Powder out, but without her, they were both vulnerable.

“You’d get mad if I called you back, wouldn’t you?” she asked. “Stay close to me at all times, okay?” Celeste added, watching her Pokémon give a determined nod before they got engulfed in the spreading smoke.

Feeling Powder brush on her leg, Celeste took a cautious step forward, but a sense of urgency washed over her as she heard a shot. Stumbling blindly through that smoke was a bad idea.

“Can you disperse it with Powder Snow?” Celeste suggested. “Lite, if you’re here, help Powder out with Icy Wind. If both of you focus on the wind part of the move, maybe we can clear the smoke… Rey?”

“I’m here,” he replied with a grunt. In the distance a Lapras began wailing. “Maybe rush with those moves?”

Within moments, the wind around them intensified and pushed the smoke away, slowly clearing the air. Unfortunately, as a result, the biting cold became even worse, causing Celeste’s injured arm to throb with pain.

She didn’t have time to dwell on it for very long, though.

In the water, Lori’s lapras had resurfaced, appearing refreshed and ready to battle, and her Dewgong was engaged in a Horn Attack duel with the Seaking. Further back, another Lapras, the light blue one Celeste had met during her first visit to the cave, cried out in agony. Trapped beneath a net with a red dart lodged in its neck, it continued to wail as Ryder forcefully attempted to fasten a collar around its throat.

“I knew it…” Rey said with his jaw clenching. He pointed towards Ryder and simply said. “Moody, don’t worry about the Pokémon. Attack that human.”

“The red dart…?” Celeste said slowly, watching as the Weezing blocked Moody’s moves. They needed to get closer.

“The Pokémon aren’t aggressive because of the collars,” Rey continued. “It’s because of what’s in the darts… It makes sense, doesn’t it?”

Celeste pursed her lips in thought. “If they have something to make Pokémon angry, they must have something to calm them down too…”

“Yeah,” Rey agreed, reaching into his pocket to retrieve the red darts he had picked up earlier. “If the blue darts are tranquillisers, then the red ones must be the opposite of that…” He looked ahead, eyes resting on the wailing Lapras. “We gotta hit that Lapras with the blue dart before Ryder gets his way.”

Before Celeste could respond, their deranged opponent let out another piercing laugh filled with satisfaction. He had secured a collar on one Lapras and was now aiming his dart gun at another. Luan was the closest to him, but he remained focused on shielding people from falling rocks rather than actually fighting.

“I’m brave like Aria…” Celeste whispered, earning a perplexed look from Rey. She took a few breaths and then blurted out, “Try to help the Lapras with the collar!”

She didn’t give Rey time to stop her. She simply signalled for Powder to follow as she sprinted toward Ryder. With a surge of adrenaline, she leaped over rocks and dashed past the Weezing, barely flinching as she did so.

“Hey asshole,” Celeste yelled, making a gesture for Powder to freeze things. “Heard you wanted to catch a Vulpix?”

From the bottom of her heart, she hoped her plan wouldn’t backfire this time. And for a moment, as she watched incredibly large chunks of ice being hurled in Ryder’s direction, that hope actually grew.

But Ryder just continued to laugh. He even lowered his dart gun to look at them. Some of the ice hit him. A lot missed, hitting the already agitated Lapras with a collar instead. The Lapras thrashed wildly in response to that, and unleash rainbow-coloured beams from its mouth.

“Sh—” Celeste began, but before she could react, Luan’s Munna flew over and put up a protective barrier around her and Powder just in time to shield them from the incoming Aurora Beam.

“Bad call, kid. Real bad call,” Ryder snarled, turning his attention toward Luan, who looked beyond terrified. But as Ryder moved closer, the newly collared Lapras he was holding on to, went fully berserk, dragging him and the net back with its erratic movements.

Ryder groaned, more veins bulging around his eyes as he picked up the dart gun again. But the collared Lapras was now free and completely out of control. None of the poachers could get a clear shot as Pokémon whipped about wildly, unleashing all sorts of hell and cries of agony.

Fractal, who had been helping Rey and Lori in dealing with the Ariados, halted in her tracks at those cries.

“Go,” Lori told her, then gestured for the tired Mamoswine to rejoin the battle.

The situation was spiralling back into chaos… and Ryder kept fucking laughing.

In the water, Fractal swiftly swam back to the other Lapras. Her body radiated a mystical green glow, and she began to sing a soothing melody while Life Dew spiraled above her horn. However, before any of these moves could take effect, sticky white strands of webbing shot toward her. Lori’s Mmamoswine was too slow to intervene in time, and both Lite and Rey’s Capsakid were busy dealing with the Weezing, which left the Ariados free.

The bug crawled along the cave walls, using its web to seal Fractal’s mouth and restrict her movements.

“She was trying to sing…” Celeste muttered, widening her eyes. “Luan!” she called out, with a new idea flashing in her mind. “Tell your Pokémon to put the Lapras to sleep. That should calm it down.”

Luan got flustered and did absolutely nothing. In an attempt to snap him back to action, Celeste started moving toward him until…

Gozu.

He stood in her way, like a giant terrifying wall.

“I remember you,” the hulking man growled. His eyes narrowed and he clenched his teeth. “When Ryder said there was a kid with an Ice Vulpix… I didn’t expect it to be the same kid.”

Celeste scrambled to her feet, glaring defiantly at the man she had encountered months ago on Mount Lanakila. Powder, standing by her side, seemed to share in her trainer’s dislike, even though she couldn’t possibly remember Gozu.

“R-ready to beat you any time,” Celeste tried to look imposing, which came out rather pathetic.

Gozu scoffed. “That spunk is new…”

Powder growled with anger, and Celeste protectively crouched beside her. The poacher with the Weezing joined Gozu, and Rey followed closely behind, with his Capsakid and the Lite taking up defensive positions on Celeste’s side.

Finally, Luan approached as well. But so did Ryder.

Neither of them fought, though. While Ryder made his way to Gozu’s side, Luan commanded his Pokémon to shield everyone—friend and foe alike—from a new onslaught of falling rocks. He wiped away sweat from his brow and surveyed the situation with anxious eyes. The rampaging Lapras was launching a relentless barrage of attacks, causing the cave’s structural integrity to deteriorate even further. The psychics could only shield them for so long.

“G-Guys, we need to stop the Lapras…” Luan stammered.

The Lapras cried louder as all of them stood still, not daring to attack or step away. Then, one last Aurora Beam struck a wall, creating a new passage leading deeper into the cave system.

The entire cavern shook violently as the Lapras kept crying and Luan’s face drained of colour.

And then it stopped.

The rampaging Lapras vanished into the passage it had opened, and a hush fell over the cave.

“That Lapras,” Luan said, his gaze fixed on his two psychics. “M-my Munna says it was crying out for… for Articuno!”