Chapter 46 - In you I trust

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

Ryder’s pupils dilated, and the veins in his forehead popped. His body kept on shivering, but his unhinged behaviour gave way to a subtle twitch of his lower lip.

“Did you… just say... Articuno?” The poacher’s words came calmly, punctuated by awe… and greed.

There was no more reason to laugh, it seemed.

Ryder straightened himself, running his fingers through his soaked hair. He looked somehow more dangerous than before. As if something clicked in his mind, and instead of bringing down hell upon the world, he wanted to make it his own.

“Don’t stray from the mission, boy,” Gozu muttered, but his voice lacked conviction. Clearly, he wasn’t interested in getting himself killed over Articuno… Which didn’t mean he didn’t have ambitions of his own.

Celeste felt Gozu’s eager eyes on her Vulpix and positioned herself over her small Ice-type. Then, with all the courage and defiance she had, glared right back at her adversaries.

Ryder scoffed, and a strange smile curved on his lips. His gaze had drifted elsewhere, catching Celeste’s attention. She followed his line of sight until she spotted a small device on the floor—the same one he’d been toying with earlier. Tossed around during the chaos, its display had cracked, but a map with a few glowing markers in motion was still visible.

She squinted, straining to discern the details through the damaged screen. One marker, in particular, seemed to be rapidly moving toward the map’s edge.

Damn it.

In an instant, Ryder was making a move for his device.

To Celeste, only one thought came to mind.

It was closer to her.

Bravery was hard. Impulsivity and a disregard for consequences? Well, in that, she excelled.

Without a hesitation, the Celeste let go of her Pokémon and lunged towards the device. Her fingers closed around its metallic surface faster than Ryder’s, but before she could secure it, she found herself pulled off the ground by the collar of her shirt.

Celeste tried to struggle and flail her legs around, but it was no use. Gozu let out an annoying grunt as he pinned her down, restricting her movements. As his grip tightened around her shoulder, pressing where Gloom’s Razor Leaves had injured her earlier, shockwaves of pain rippled.

Still, she refused to release the device.

With determination, Celeste clutched the object against her chest and tried her best to keep her face steady.

She could do it.

Her heart was pounding, and it felt like everyone was speaking at the same time. Powder’s bark was the clearest to her in that cacophony. Forcing herself to concentrate on the Vulpix, Celeste began to notice shards of ice forming around her Pokémon, with Lite following suit by her side. Her eyes darted to the other Pokémon. Rey’s Capsakid was ready for action too. Leaves encircled his body as he jumped up and down. In the distance, Lori’s voice shouted some sort of command.

“... are you even listening?”

Celeste blinked.

It was Ryder who had spoken. He stood before her, his hand extended as though he expected her to return what was his.

Celeste tightened her hold on the device instead. “This tracks the Pokémon with the collars, doesn’t it?”

Gozu’s hands grew heavier, like blocks of cement on her shoulders, pressing down with every wrong word uttered.

“I’m being nice to you,” Ryder whispered, slowly reaching for the device. “Now let g—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Menace, Luan’s Hoothoot, swooped down onto Ryder’s head, pecking him. Simultaneously, his Munna let out an exasperated cry through his trunk, and his Lunatone quickly pulled the owl away with a burst of psychic energy. It was just in time too. The Weezing, who they’d been fighting earlier, glided in closer, going for a Tackle, but missing Menace by an inch.

As he watched his Pokémon in action, Luan himself was puffing out shallow breaths and shifting from one foot to another. “I’m sorry… I’m…so sorry,” he kept repeating, unable to maintain eye contact with anyone. Even when the Lunatone threw the Hoothoot back into his arms, he continued to ramble, “So... so sorry.”

Ryder shot a disgusted look at Luan and Rey by extension. “I wouldn’t do that again if I were you,” he muttered, commanding the Weezing to close in on Celeste instead.

The two grotesque heads were like poison sacs, and somewhat reminiscent of a pump. As one head inflated, the other deflated in response, causing the surface of its body to contract and stretch in a hypnotic rhythm. The movement left marks, though. Weezing’s skin was wrinkled and rough, filled with pustules that burst and reformed, leaving a trail of poison and stench.

Celeste coughed as the Pokémon approached her. This was nothing like the Weezing in Galar—and she didn’t even like that one.

“Feels bad, doesn’t it?” Ryder began, also moving in closer. He smiled, but didn’t try to take the device this time. “We have quite a few Weezing with Team Rocket, you know? Excellent fighters, but also very useful in some of our… research endeavours. I never got one myself, but I can’t deny I like some of their… other capabilities. Want a demonstration?”

Celeste froze, and her friends fell silent.

Ryder nodded toward the grunt responsible for the Weezing. “Show her.”

On command, the poison gas Pokémon moved in even closer. Its mouths opened, revealing rows of yellow teeth as it began to produce some noxious substance. The larger head then inhaled some air and sealed its mouth shut before slowly deflating. As a result, poison was pushed to the other head, and it wouldn’t be long before it dripped onto Celeste herself.

She watched a drop fall just short of her feet as the Weezing drew nearer. Celeste tried to move back, but Gozu kept her in place.

She could do it.

Another drop fell, this time landing on her boots.

She tried to shift her feet backward, but the Poison-type moved even closer, nearly brushing against her face. All Celeste could do was shut her eyes and hold her breath.

She could do it.

Seconds passed. Or maybe not even that. It was hard to tell.

She… couldn’t.

Celeste screamed, throwing the device away. She gave in and let tears stream down her cheeks.

They felt warm to the skin.

“Now, now.”

Delicate fingers patted Celeste’s head. With a sense of dread, she exhaled and forced herself to open her eyes once more, only to be met with Ryder’s. He grinned as he toyed with strands of her hair.

“You did good. The big, bad Poison-type won’t harm you anymore,” he said. “And this will all be over real soon. Then you can go back home and pretend it was all a bad, bad dream.”

Celeste could only cringe at his touch. She shut her eyes again, hoping that this was, indeed, some nightmare. Ryder, however, was not about to take that. His delicate grip transformed into one of force as he seized her hair and pulled her face up.

“I said soon, but not yet,” he hissed. “Before we let you go, I’m also going to need you to give us your Vulpix pokéball.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and any remaining tears Celeste still had instantly dried up. She just stared at Ryder before her, but no words escaped her lips.

What could she possibly say?

The Weezing had terrified her, and Ryder, he terrified her even more. That fear was nothing compared to her feelings towards her Pokémon.

No one was taking her Powder.

“See, Gozu was real angry at the outcome of his special mission in Alola a while back.” Ryder kept going, barely paying attention to the shift in Celeste's attitude. “Now that he knows you were actually there? I’m sorry to say he just won’t let it go. Not unless you give me the Vulpix. Then it’ll be over. Pinky promise. Now hand over its ball.”

Who’d have thought fear could be so relative.

“Her,” Celeste said, unnervingly calm.

“What?”

“Powder. That’s her name.”

Ryder pulled harder on her hair. “Talking back? You little—”

“She is winding you up,” Gozu interrupted. “You have your device. Let’s not waste any more time.”

As he spoke, Gozu’s grip loosened, and Celeste felt his hand reaching for her coat’s pocket, where the pokéballs were.

That was bad… but she could move. That was an opening. The only one she would get.

Stolen story; please report.

Without missing a beat, Celeste lunged herself forward toward Ryder, slipping away from Gozu before he even brushed on her coat. Ryder got startled and lost his balance upon their collision, allowing both of them to topple down.

“Powder, use whatever you’ve got. Fast and strong!” Celeste yelled before they even hit the ground.

The Vulpix howled. Celeste noticed Lori’s Smoochum had joined the fight at some point and was preparing an attack, too. Lite and Moody too. Then, just above her head, a blast of psychic energy and ice struck the Weezing, while Gozu got knocked back by one of Powder’s weaker-but-faster variants of Moonblast.

Seizing the opportunity, Celeste scrambled back to her feet, but sensed Ryder right behind her.

Fortunately, Moody was on the case. The Capsakid made blades of grass sprout from cracks in the rock and wrapped around the poacher’s ankles, preventing him from standing back up.

Adrenaline was still high when Celeste got to Rey and turned back to the battle.

The Weezing was growing increasingly agitated by the assault of attacks, and when Powder joined the other Pokémon with a barrage of Ice Shards of her own, it finally snapped.

Its body began to glow. A pale shade of purple at first, but then the colours became warmer and… hotter.

“That Weezing,” Rey said, under his breath. “It’s going to self-destruct.”

—*——*—

There was no time.

Escaping or finding a hiding spot was not an option.

Even if Celeste avoided the impending explosion, she’d likely get caught in the cave’s collapse.

“Powder,” she called out, pokéball already in hand. “Get back here.”

Her Vulpix dashed toward her, but dodged the pokéball’s beam before finally leaping into Celeste’s arms. There was no arguing with that either. All they could do was brace for the incoming blast. The Weezing’s glow intensified, growing hotter and hotter. But then... nothing happened?

That… couldn’t be right…

Celeste and Powder exchanged a confused glance, but when light crept in right, she could see what had happened.

Luan had finally taken action.

In the middle of the cavern, with his Hoothoot perched on his head, he stood tall, closely followed by his two psychics. Lulu and Rev had made a barrier, not around their trainer, but around the Weezing itself.

“Steady,” Luan said, keeping his cool. “Lift it up through the opening in the ceiling. Release it only when it’s far enough away.”

Celeste and Powder could not take their eyes from the shimmering barrier containing an entire explosion. The Pokémon were putting all their focus on making sure everyone would be safe, and Luan appeared to be in complete sync with them.

When the psychics finally released it, Celeste let out a breath she didn’t even know she’d been holding. The energy left whimpered in the air and the Weezing fell down, unconscious. Or so she hoped.

Best not to think about it, Celeste recalled Lori’s advice from earlier, but her heart weighed heavily on her chest. Best not to think about the Zubat, best not to think about the Piloswine, best not to think about the Gloom… and now the Weezing, too. She was one to naturally avoid difficult thoughts, but this was getting a bit much…

“Who are we helping by being here?” she whispered, bringing out a confused look from Powder in her arms. She held the Vulpix close, burying her face in the soft puffs on her head. “It’s just… I know the poachers are mistreating Pokémon, both with the collars and the darts. Not to mention the Pokémon in cages, that they are taking to Arceus knows where. I know—I… I want to help protect them, but… I don’t want to leave a trail of hurt wherever we go.”

Powder looked up at her and let out a gentle “Pix,” tilting her head.

Her baby Vulpix was growing with each passing day, both in strength and in character. It was a remarkable sight to witness, but sometimes Celeste would forget just how young her little ice-type still was.

“You probably don’t get any of that, do you?” she asked with a weak chuckle. Powder nudged her, prompting Celeste to squeeze her tighter. Aria would have understood her worries better, but for now, she cherished the fluffiest, puffiest Pokémon in the world.

Pity it could only last so long.

“Aurora, Ice Shard!”

Celeste forced herself to snap back to the present. The nightmare wasn’t over yet, and it seemed that for Lorelei, it had never really stopped.

The redhead appeared exhausted. Her hair was damp with sweat, but her ponytail only had a few unruly strands. Her glasses were uneven, and beneath them, dark circles marred her eyes. Despite it all, that short woman beside her giant Mamoswine looked like a monolith—standing until the very end.

“Again,” she commanded, her voice taking an unusually frustrated tone. On the side, Lori also kept instructing her Dewgong, who had practically beaten the Seaking he’d been wrestling with, but not quite yet. Lori then took a deep breath and turned her attention back to her Mamoswine. “The Ariados is faster than you. Try to predict—”

The Ground-type stomped and then sent a flurry of ice shards towards the bug, not even bothering to wait for her trainer to finish speaking. Once more, as had likely been happening for a while, the spider dodged, this time choosing to retreat into some crevice in the wall.

Lori grunted and rubbed her eyes before readjusting her ponytail. She looked poorly, but still refused to quit. The pause in the other battle didn’t mean respite, but rather that she could fully concentrate on her Dewgong. “Iron Tail, Sorbet.” Her voice became frail and cracked. “Just one more…”

With words caught in her throat, Lorelei’s legs trembled, and it appeared as if she might finally collapse from exhaustion.

But Rey caught her before the ground.

“Are you okay?” he asked, letting his face actually show worry for once.

Concerned, Celeste glanced around at the almost peaceful cavern and drowned her feelings of dread before rushing towards her friends.

“Mmhm… we need to finish…” Lori pushed Rey away while somehow standing back up.

“Finish what?” he asked, now more forceful. “This battle is as good as over...”

Was it, though?

Three of the poachers were down by the crates, their hands tied down with grass blades. Rey’s Capsakid marched from one side to the other guarding his prisoners. His expression was serious, but his head flaps bobbled and his little legs kicked up adorably.

Still…

“Ryder isn’t here,” Celeste couldn’t help but say it. “And Gozu is missing too...”

Rey crossed his arms.

Not too far from them, Celeste noticed that Lori’s Smoochum had found the Frigibax and was actually soothing it with little pats on its head that from time to time were followed by kisses and giggles. The dragon was in a better mood too, not crying and blissfully unaware of the dangers lurking nearby.

Shouldn’t Powder be playing with the other kids, too?

“A few of them escaped when we got distracted by the Weezing,” Rey muttered, tilting his head to the captured poachers. “I caught the rest. That should be enough evidence to clear your names and get the actual authorities to deal with this mess. Maybe the Mayor can get some real Rangers for the caves this time around.”

Luan was lying on the floor, catching his breath between bursts of nervous laughs and murmurs of incredulity. For a while, Celeste decided to watch him instead of hearing Rey bragging.

“What about the Lapras?” Celeste eventually asked. None of them was around and… well, they’d been the reason they came here in the first place.

“Fractal managed to guide them away to safety...” Lori leaned against her Mamoswine and pursed her lips. “Most of them, at least.”

She didn’t dwell on that, and instead turned her attention back to the cavern walls, attempting to spot the Ariados again.

“How did she recover from those tranq darts anyway?” Rey asked, not overly interested in the answer.

“There!” Lori pointed at a hole from which the Ariados emerged, and her mamoswine once again unleashed a barrage of ice shards toward it. Once more, she missed, allowing the spider to vanish in between the rocks.

“Do we need to take it down?” Celeste asked. The man who had released the Ariados was nowhere to be seen.

Lorelei let out a sigh and adjusted her glasses, as if that would help in the battle. “Life Dew and Rest. That’s what Fractal typically does for healing. I guess it worked for the darts,” she said. “And yes, I intend to take this thing down. Team Rocket, or whatever these people are, have already disrupted these caves enough. I won’t let them introduce a dangerous, invasive bug here as well.”

“Maybe we can... help you out?” Celeste suggested. Powder barked in agreement, and even Lite glided closer, offering his services as well. “I think we might be faster than your Mamoswine...?”

Lorelei snorted, almost involuntarily, before shaking her head. “Rest up, Celeste. I’ve got this.”

Rey groaned, muttering something about making sure Luan wasn’t having a nervous breakdown, and began to walk away. Lori herself seemed content to get back to squinting at the walls.

But Celeste wasn’t taking it.

“No.”

Lori lifted her eyes. “No?”

“You clearly don’t ‘got this,’” she argued. “Your Pokémon are exhausted, and you’re barely managing to stay on your feet. After everything we’ve been through, why can’t you trust us to help you out?”

“Celeste now is not the—”

“Now is the time!”

All eyes were fixed on Celeste, from Luan’s and Rey’s to even the captured poachers.

“You need someone small who can fly to flush out the Ariados. Like Vanillite,” Celeste said, taking a deep breath. “And we both know Ryder went after that Lapras that ran away, and that you want to go after him, too. And we both know you’re not well enough for that, Lori. So, please, stop being stubborn and start trusting us.”

Lorelei didn’t say a word, but her fingers slightly twitched when she began readjusting her glasses again.

Celeste rolled her eyes. “Lite, do you mind?”

The Ice-type quickly floated through a crack where the spider vanished. After a few moments, String Shots came flying out, but Vanillite emerged unharmed. And just as Celeste had hoped, the Ariados was in pursuit.

Lori glared at the approaching bug, hesitant at first, then somewhat defeated. “Ice Shard!” she commanded.

Her Mamoswine swayed her head, sending the shards flying. With Lite acting as bait, Lori could now predict the bug’s movements more accurately, and in no time, she landed a direct hit.

The Ariados dropped from the wall to the ground, trying to scramble away in desperation. In terms of strength, it was no match for Lorelei’s Pokémon. With an Ancient Power, the spider was finally trapped and, with no hope of escape, it was knocked out.

“See?” Celeste made an exaggerated gesture, and Lori could only sigh as she finally allowed herself to sit on a rock, with her mammoth settling by her side. Aurora, with impressive gentleness, nuzzled her oversized tusk against Lori’s cheek before laying down beside her.

“You’re… right...” she admitted after a few moments.

“That’s new,” Rey snickered.

Lori paused and let her gaze rest on the cracks in the wall. “I do want to go after that other Lapras. The one that got away is one of the youngest of the herd. I wanted to make sure he’s okay... but that’s not even all. I’m worried Ryder will find his way to Articuno and use one of those darts that makes Pokémon angry.”

She paused and turned back to Celeste, Rey. Luan had also joined the others.

“But you are right. I’m not well enough to keep going...” Lori let out another sigh. “I... don’t don’t feel comfortable when things are out of my hands.” She looked down, balling her fists. “Trust can be hard for me. Letting go of control is even harder. But you three? You came here with me. For me. You came despite your fears and reservations, and you listened to me even when you disagreed. You trusted me.”

“Lori...”

“I shouldn’t have been so dismissive,” she said with a weak smile. “It’s difficult. And what comes next will be even harder. We’re talking about Articuno, after all... but in you three? In you I trust. Stop Team Rocket from causing a disaster.”

—*——*—

Luan rummaged through his bag until he found a water bottle.

“Here you go,” he said, handing it over to Celeste. “Um… don't drink everything, okay…? We don’t know how much further we still have to go.”

Celeste nodded and took the bottle, while shooting a glance at the Vanillite ahead. The Ice-type knew Articuno’s roost location, and he had willingly agreed to serve as their guide. Still, the whole situation felt surreal.

“How’s your arm?” Luan asked after a few moments. Before they began their ascent through the caves, Lori had her Lapras use Life Dew on Celeste’s wound. It still stung, and it looked bad, but the risk of infection apparently was gone.

“I’ll manage,” Celeste replied, returning the bottle to Luan. He carefully tucked it away in his bag, being cautious not to disturb the Zubat with the collar that rested inside. During their confrontation with the poachers, he had somehow found the time to secure the Pokémon and, because of an overdose of his munna’s Dream Mist, he wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon. “Why didn’t you leave him with Lori? Back at the cave.”

Luan shrugged. “I didn't think about it.”

“I’m glad we are taking care of him.” Celeste smiled. “But I’m worried we’re giving away our position to Ryder.”

At the mention of the poacher, Luan shifted nervously. It seemed to be a pattern; while he was generally fine, any mention of Team Rocket made him squeak and fidget anxiously.

Celeste sighed again, deciding not to press further on the subject. “What do you think it’s like?”

Luan blinked.

“Meeting a Pokémon like Articuno.”

He grew even more nervous.

“Right…” Celeste muttered. It wasn’t just Team Rocket that affected him. “Come on, thinking about it might help you deal with… whatever we’ll have to deal with.”

“Big bird. Very cold. Can kill us,” Rey barged in, jumping down from a rock. “You realise you haven’t shut up for five minutes since we left the Lapras nest, right Celeste? You are upsetting, Luan.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it’s him I’m upsetting, all right…”

“Whatever.” Rey threw his head back and shrugged. “While you lazy idiots were taking your time, I checked the path ahead. It’s a bit of a climb, so we better move on if we want to have any hope of catching up.”

Celeste groaned but turned back to Luan as she forced herself to get up. “So, Luan… want to talk about Delia?”

He squeaked again, and after a very painful forty minutes of trekking, the group reached a plateau. Ahead of them, bright rays of ethereal blue light, and flurries of snow, filtered in from a large opening in the wall. Vanillite quietly stopped and hovered by the passage.

There was little room for doubt.

Beyond that passage, Articuno awaited.