Chapter 47 - Winter Wonderland

One step.

That was all it took for the world to change.

Colours Celeste had never seen before burst forth from the thick ice beneath their feet. Blues, greens, and purples swirled, freely and defiantly, mocking notions that winters were meant to be dark.

Ice rose ahead of them.

Spikes and sculptures dotted that strange place. Sharp edges contrasted with soft piles of snow. Forms alien and familiar, terrifying and comforting. Snow could bring the blizzard, but also laughs by a fireplace where memories are scented with chocolate and cinnamon.

This was Articuno’s garden, a place of mystery and paradox, where snow floated in midair, and peculiar blue trees sprouted from the ice. It was beauty with sadness. Winter blues and the thrill of adventure.

It made no sense.

Yet it was.

Celeste’s heart raced as she took another step forward. Pokémon, some familiar and some she’d never seen, observed them from behind the trees and sculptures. This was the sanctuary they had heard about—a haven for Ice-types.

Ninetales watched over their young, while a group of Froslass encircled the teens, making spooky faces for fun. They giggled and then disappeared in a puff of frosty air after scaring a cluster of Snom on a nearby tree.

Life thrived in this winter wonderland.

One more step.

The rocky confines of the cave had given way to an open space. Before them, the wide expanse of sky met the ocean, while behind, a crescent of frozen waterfall pillars enclosed the garden. Each pillar was unique, with shards branching down into smaller structures, again and again, forever repeating into intricate patterns.

Glistening forms of infinite complexity.

Fractals.

Chaos made into order and solidified into beauty.

This place was stillness. Peace.

Ice.

Yet… like the iceberg, a lot hides beneath the surface. Beneath layers of fragility, ice harbours danger.

Coldness is the lack of movement.

Desolation.

True stillness is the end of all things.

Death.

They pressed onward, navigating through the frozen woods and tracing the course of a river that arose from a small spring at the heart of the garden. There were no storms to battle, no obstacles to overcome. There was only... stillness, and what they chose to make of it.

And then, from amidst the parting clouds, it revealed itself—far grander and more majestic than Celeste had ever imagined.

Blue feathers, each larger than her hands, adorned the bird’s body, capturing and reflecting light in a radiant halo. Its long wings flapped gracefully as it circled around the garden, while a sinuous tail trailed behind, creating sparkling waves in its wake.

This extraordinary creature—which Celeste hesitated to even call it a Pokémon—ruffled the feathers on its crest, three tufts that stood upright like a crown, and let out a soft coo.

If you come, come in peace.

A smile played on Celeste’s lips, her heart overflowing with emotions as strange as the place itself. Above all, Articuno was elegant in its simplicity. With just one look, she understood that this wasn’t a Pokémon of ice—It was ice itself.

A force beyond comprehension made into matter and solidified into being.

For a moment, all was well.

It was a pity that moments could not also be frozen.

—*——*—

“It’s so beautiful,” Luan whispered.

Celeste nodded. “Yeah, but let’s be careful...”

Rey, however, couldn’t tear his eyes away. He stood there, speechless. When the legendary bird glided closer, he followed suit. It was like he was in a trance.

“It’s…” he began, reaching out toward the creature. Surprisingly, Articuno seemed to respond. With a graceful flap of its wings, it moved nearer. Rey suddenly pulled his hand back, awkwardly shoving it into his pocket. He cleared his throat and turned to Celeste and Luan. “I don’t think Ryder’s here.”

Articuno cooed again, and with another elegant flap, it perched on a nearby ice sculpture, sending a gust of cold air toward the trio. Luan and Celeste stumbled back a few steps, while Rey managed to keep his balance. He had his Capsakid out, and the Pokémon clung tightly to the fabric of his trousers to avoid being blown away. Like Rey, the Lite seemed unfazed and just kept hovering nearby.

Celeste narrowed her eyes at the Ice-cream pokémon.

Something was off.

Lite was... smiling?

“Luan, what do you think...” Celeste started to say, but stopped when she noticed Rey approaching Articuno again. Although the legendary creature seemed curious about him, a growing worry crept over her. “R-Rey?”

Luan extended a trembling hand toward Rey but didn’t dare to get closer to the bird. “We should go, Rey,” he suggested. “Let’s, uh... find R-Ryder?”

Rey wasn’t listening.

“Come on!” Celeste tried a little louder, following through with Luan’s attempt to grab Rey’s arms. However, Articuno reacted poorly to the sudden movement. In response, it flapped its wings, creating a powerful gust of wind. Initially, she found it difficult to move forward, but the gust intensified, pushing Celeste, Luan, along with their Pokémon, forcefully backward.

Strangely, Rey remained unaffected. So did Lite.

“Easy,” Rey said, lifting his Capsakid with one arm while trying to pacify Articuno with the other. It was only when the Vanillite intervened, however, that the legendary bird ceased its aggression.

The situation was both incredible and terrifying. The icy bird, a Pokémon more powerful than anything they’d ever seen before, kept its unblinking grey eyes fixed on Rey.

“Maybe it’s friendlier to Ice-type trainers?” Luan suggested, though a quick glance at the Vulpix hiding behind Celeste’s leg confirmed otherwise. “Not that Vanillite is even Rey’s pokémon...”

Celeste shook her head, steadying herself. She had no intention of making any sudden movements or raising her voice this time. “Just… be careful with Articuno.”

Rey still held one arm up as he nodded. “I just need a moment.” He took another step toward the ice bird but hesitated, glancing back at his friends. “Can’t you hear it?”

Luan exchanged a concerned look with Celeste. Unsure, she closed her eyes and signalled for Luan to do the same.

“I don’t think...” Luan started, but Celeste hushed him and urged him to focus on the sounds around them.

Perhaps there was something they’d missed?

She listened carefully, picking up on the sound of ice cracking and a chorus of Pokémon sounds in the distance. Strangely, there was no wind, at least not unless Articuno willed it.

Everything remained still. Maybe even unsettlingly so.

Closing her eyes more tightly, Celeste strained to catch whatever she might have overlooked.

“Did you hear anything?” Luan asked after a few moments. But before Celeste could respond, the desperate cry of a Lapras broke the silence.

Her eyes shot open, and Luan shivered.

“They’re here.”

—*——*—

Celeste recalled the river they had passed earlier.

In Articuno’s garden, there was a small spring that had managed to stay unfrozen, forming a gentle stream that meandered through the woods until it grew wide enough to be called a river. This river branched off and flowed toward the caves, likely supplying water to the many lakes inside before eventually reaching the ocean. It had to be the route that water-bound Pokémon like Lapras used to access the garden, and consequently, the path the poachers might take to find them.

“Maybe we can still keep Ryder from discovering this place,” Celeste whispered, her eyes cautiously fixed on Articuno. The ice bird didn’t seem overly bothered by the Lapras’s cry and remained fixated on Rey. “If he’s following the Lapras, he should be somewhere along the river. We just need to—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Celeste’s hopes were shattered by the sound of shots echoing nearby. Ryder seemed to have barely arrived, and he’d already disrupted the peace of that sanctuary.

If you come, come in peace.

Those words had been etched into Celeste’s mind from the moment she stepped in that place. She wholeheartedly believed that this was some sort of unspoken rule Articuno enforced in its home.

And just like that, it had been broken.

The bird didn’t coo this time. It turned its head around, squinted its eyes, and let out a deafening screech as it shot up into the sky. Rey and Lite wasted no time in following, with Celeste close behind, pulling Luan along. With a single flap of its wings, Articuno was already soaring far away. With another, it disappeared from view.

“Why are we heading towards the angry legendary again?” Luan asked, his fear causing him to shake and stumble over roots and ice sculptures. Still, Celeste kept pulling him along.

“Well… Rey is going, and he’s been acting weird…er,” Celeste replied. “And also, we’ve got no idea what might happen if Articuno gets hit by one of those darts. Remember, Lori asked us to stop a disaster?”

Another shot echoed, followed by another screech.

“Cee… those can’t possibly work on Articuno,” Luan tried again, putting a little more resistance in his stride.

Celeste stopped eventually. “What if they do? We’ll need barriers, Luan. That means we’ll need you and your Pokémon.”

He shivered. “Do you think my Pokémon can protect us against Articuno?”

“Better than nothing.”

“That’s reassuring.”

They turned as another shot rang out, closer. No screech followed this time, but suddenly Luan pushed Celeste away just as a blue beam of icy energy surged toward them, destroying everything in its path.

Luan panted heavily. “Cee... are you...?”

She wasn’t okay. Physically she was. But what the hell?

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With trembling hands, she checked on Powder, who was equally shaken. Just inches from where they stood, everything had been obliterated. The beauty that had been there before was now replaced by shattered trees and disintegrated sculptures. On the ravaged ground, ice spikes continued to grow, encasing what little remained.

“I’m… fine,” Celeste stood up. Her mind circled back to those same words once more: If you come, come in peace. But…

What happens when you didn’t?

“We need to hide,” Luan insisted.

Celeste kept her eyes fixed on the devastation in front of her. “I don’t think there’s any hiding from that...”

Another shot pierced the air, and almost immediately, the ground trembled, and the air grew dense. Elsewhere, another Icy Blast (if you could even call it that) had been unleashed, sending nearby Pokémon into a frenzy. Sealeo were frantically dragging themselves away, and a massive Avalugg was galloping amidst the trees. A large pack of icy Sandshrew rolled by around their feet, nearly taking Celeste and Luan along with them while, above their heads, a swarm of Frosmoth darted past.

Then more shots followed, one after another. This time, there were screeches.

After an intense gust of wind, they saw the bird of ice rising above the tree line. Several blue darts and even a red one were stuck in Articuno’s chest. Its movements appeared laboured, and when it attempted to flap its wings, it tumbled down.

“There you are, you piece of shit!” Rey’s shouts echoed out nearby, prompting Celeste to sprint toward the source.

This time, Luan didn’t resist being pulled along.

They quickly reached a clearing by the river. The young light blue Lapras from before was swimming frantically in circles, and Articuno struggled to regain flight. Near a tree, Rey and Ryder were locked in a wrestling match for the dart gun, while both his Capsakid and Lite seemed unsure of what to do.

Ryder stomped on Rey’s feet, causing him to wince and release the dart gun. Maybe it was intentional? Rey seized the moment to land a punch on the poacher’s face and then, like a charging Tauros, tackled his opponent to the ground.

The dart gun fell, spinning a few feet away from the boys.

Celeste’s gaze flew back and forth between Articuno, the gun, and the fight.

Ryder kicked Rey in the stomach and pushed him away before attempting to scramble to his feet. But Rey grabbed his leg, causing him to fall again as soon as he stood up. Meanwhile, both Lite and Moody grew increasingly nervous, ready to attack but hesitant to do so, perhaps in fear they might harm Rey.

The poacher made another desperate attempt to crawl toward the dart gun, and once again, Rey prevented him.

“Fucking do something!” Rey yelled.

“If you come... come in peace,” Celeste whispered.

“C-Celeste?” Luan turned to her.

She slapped herself back into focus, rallying her courage. Jumping headfirst into danger didn’t always come easily. “I’m making sure it knows we come in peace.” Turning to her Vulpix, she commanded, “Cover me, Powder.”

Luan tried to say something, but Celeste was no longer listening. For the second time in just a few hours, she threw herself onto the ground to snatch away one of Ryder’s gadgets before he could.

As the saying goes, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. But, well... whoever said that probably didn’t have a day like the one Celeste was having.

“No, you won’t!” She heard Ryder’s cry as he finally shook off Rey.

“Uh, guys?” Luan attempted to get their attention. However, Celeste had just got the dart gun, and there was absolutely no time to listen to her friend overthink every step they took.

With the weapon in her hand, her initial impulse was to throw it away. But it was loaded. Celeste could easily see one of the blue tranquilliser darts clipped in, ready to be fired.

Instead of tossing it aside, she tightened her grip on the handle and hovered her finger over the trigger.

Celeste turned to the boys and noticed Ryder was charging toward her. She’d told her Pokémon to attack a human before, but could she do it herself?

She raised the gun. Darts or not, it was still a weapon, and it felt heavy in her hands.

Celeste took a deep breath. Ryder had halted before her, trying to signal peace.

Peace. Hah. Like she’d fall for that.

But...

“If you come, come in peace,” she repeated, exhaling slowly.

In her moment of hesitation, Ryder saw an opportunity and lunged toward her.

Celeste was quicker this time.

She turned and flung the gun away, as high as she could. “Use Powder Snow!”

The poacher dashed right past her, trying to retrieve his weapon, but, thanks to some snowy winds from Powder, it was out of reach.

“Moody, Grass Knot!” Rey joined in, and with a swift action from the Capsakid, Ryder tumbled down into a pile of snow.

“Guys!” Luan’s desperate cry finally caught Celeste’s attention. He was slowly stepping backwards for some reason.

Nearby, Articuno stumbled forward and steadied itself. Whatever effect the darts had on it was different than the other Pokémon. A bright yet pale blue aura enveloped its body, and the sky darkened with heavy storm clouds.

“But... we... we came in peace,” Celeste tried, watching as Powder curled behind her leg.

The bird’s pupils narrowed, and its eyes widened. Its movements became sluggish, and a frosty mist began to rise from the ground around them.

Celeste gasped.

Articuno let out a piercing screech and a ball of blue icy energy began forming in front of its beak.

“Get do—” she barely had time to utter the word as the bird unleashed its attack, and everything went black.

—*——*—

Her boots sank deep into the snow, and she could feel her socks getting wet.

What a strange sensation, Celeste thought, as if something in the world wasn’t quite right. It was as uncomfortable as her wet feet trapped inside those boots.

A little disoriented, she looked around. Rocks, trees, and snow surrounded her.

She vaguely recalled being in a town earlier in the morning, searching for something. Then she ended up... on a mountain?

Was that right?

Celeste looked up.

Yep, that was definitely a mountain, she thought, noting the considerable distance to the summit. A small smile tugged at her lips. Climbing it would be no problem for her and Powder.

“Po-owds, help me out here,” she called out, sensing that something in her manner of speaking had changed. “Walking on ice is way better than this.”

She shook her head, still feeling strange, and looked back... back to where her... Ninetales... was seated. The Fairy-type stared back at her trainer, displaying no amusement. Her tails swayed gracefully in the air as she turned her face away in silent protest.

“I know, I know,” Celeste waved her hands dramatically. “You think I’m being reckless, as always. But right now, I’d rather be reckless than catch a cold, you know?”

It felt familiar, this exchange they were having. Like a dance they’d done a million times before.

Or did they?

Powder let out a sigh of resignation and gracefully traversed the snow towards her trainer. Surprisingly, her paws didn’t sink into it. She nuzzled Celeste and gestured for her to hold on to her for support, something which she lazily complied.

A platform of ice emerged beneath her feet, displacing the snow.

“Thanks, Powds.” She hugged her Pokémon, burying her cheeks into her mane. “I know you’re worried,” she muttered, before carefully standing back up. The two of them moved forward together, with new ice platforms rising and collapsing with each step. “Aria was very vocal about it too, but...”

Celeste and Powder stopped by the cliff’s edge. Far below them, the lights of a small town began to flicker on, one by one.

She recognised it as the town she had left earlier, and a twinge of guilt crept in.

Why was that again?

“I’m running out of ideas,” she said, her voice tired and somehow older. “We need to set things right, and going up this mountain is all I can think of.”

Her Ninetales stared at the small town as well. She let out a quiet sigh and turned back to her trainer with more determination. You shouldn’t have to do this alone, was what her eyes implied.

Celeste shrugged. “Celebi said they wouldn’t help.”

“Nine-te-ne,” Powder retorted, gesturing towards the town.

“Ninetene, huh?” Celeste repeated, her eyes attempting to discern something beyond the distant lights. The lights of... of…Celestic Town! That’s what it was called… and that was where the so-called ‘Ninetene’ came from.

She snorted. “If I told ‘Ninetene’ I came here to find Dialga, you’d have to take on her Garchomp.”

Powder exhaled a frosty fairy mist, in a mix of protest and… excitement?

Celeste shook her head. “You know the Lucario comes after, right? Or before. Sinnoh’s mightiest loves to switch things around.”

The trainer and her Pokémon exchanged a knowing glance and shared a giggle.

“Come on, Powds. Mount Coronet isn’t going to climb itself.”

With that, Celeste turned away and once more gazed upward. This felt important. She closed her eyes to regain her focus, but then a voice—a voice that sounded like her own—resonated inside her head.

This is NOT yours. Not your memory.

Before she could do as much as open her eyes, Celeste felt an inner force pushing at her. The world glitched, and it was like she was seeing the mountain through a broken mirror; distorted… wrong.

Go back, the voice said, more forcefully. Wake up!

Startled, Celeste took a step backward, but her feet never touched the ground.

And then, into the darkness, she fell.

—*——*—

Soft snow and cold, wet licks covered her face.

Slowly, Celeste opened her eyes to find her Vulpix standing guard over her. Powder’s expression bore a mix of concern and fear, but she continued to gently lick her trainer’s eyes and cheeks.

She blinked a few times and rubbed her head. “Was I… dreaming...?” she mumbled lazily. However, when an unsettling screech pierced the air in the distance, reality suddenly became her focus. And it felt far stranger than any dream. “... Articuno?”

Powder looked at her trainer with her big aurora eyes and let out a loud cry.

Fully alert, Celeste pushed herself up from the snowy ground. The sky overhead was dark, and powerful gusts of wind whipped in from every direction. She found herself surrounded by debris and devastation, while a chilling mist engulfed everything around.

“How did I...?” Celeste began, her voice trailing off as exhaustion weighed her down. Between her time in prison, dealing with poachers, and now Articuno, too much had happened too quickly. She shivered as the wind stung her face, and her entire body ached.

Celeste slowly shook her head, noticing patches of destroyed rock in which ice spikes festered not too far from where she was. Articuno had never directly attacked her, but the aftershock alone had been enough to knock her out.

She was alive because she got lucky. Again.

“It’d be nice to be in control for once,” she sighed, extending her arms toward Powder. However, this time, the Vulpix didn’t jump in. Instead, she bit the edge of Celeste’s trousers and attempted to tug her toward some growing icy spikes nearby.

A distant rumble echoed, and a faint blue flash illuminated the sky. Articuno was on a rampage, but from the sound of it, the legendary bird wasn’t too close.

“Maybe we should find somewhere safe to hide...?” Celeste suggested, but Powder tugged her more insistently toward the spikes. “Okay, okay, I’m going.”

Carefully avoiding touching the ice, she examined her surroundings, her confusion growing.

“I don’t...” she started to say, but quickly understood what Powder was pointing to.

Lying on the ground, right next to the ice, was Rey’s Capsakid. Bruised and twitching. His body oozed sap, and his front tooth was missing.

Celeste knelt beside the Grass-type as quickly as her tired body allowed, gently cradling him in her arms.

“Moody?” Celeste spoke softly, relieved to see the Capsakid slightly open his eyes. “It’s okay, buddy,” she reassured, noting how weak he was. He must have been closer to the blast than she was. “Just hang in there, okay? We’ll find Rey and get you to a Pokémon Centre.”

Celeste scanned her surroundings again. No one else seemed to be around.

Except…

She abruptly halted, realising she had almost stepped on a small wild Snom, partially buried in the rubble. It didn’t seem to be seriously injured, but the bug was shivering… in fear?

“Are you scared?” Celeste approached it gently, but the Snom attempted to burrow itself away. “It’s alright…” Another blue flash streaked across the sky, a little closer this time. “We… shouldn’t stay here out in the open, though.”

Celeste shifted the Capsakid to one arm and extended the other, offering it to the bug. It was hesitant at first, but with some encouragement from Powder and after another distant blast from Articuno, it scurried toward Celeste’s outstretched hand.

“You’re a bit ticklish, huh?” she remarked, forcing out a reassuring smile.

The bug moved gingerly, appearing more at ease as it crawled up her arm. However, it halted when it reached the injury on her shoulder, showing some signs of concern.

“I had an accident…” Celeste vaguely explained, but it seemed the Snom wasn’t entirely reassured. In response, the Bug-type created a cold thread of ice, wrapping her shoulder in the oddest makeshift bandage.

Surprisingly, it was soothing, and numbing, despite the cold.

Celeste chuckled and petted the Snom as it made its way to the curve of her neck. After once more checking to ensure Moody was okay, she began to make her way out of that place. Although she wanted to search for Rey and Luan, she decided, for once, to act responsibly.

Her top priority was to get the Pokémon out of Articuno’s path and she would let nothing stand in her way.

—*——*—

By the time they reached the crevice through which Celeste had initially arrived, three more Snom clung to her arms, a small Swinub had perched itself on her head, while a rather loud Cubchoo was piggybacking on her.

These were all young Pokémon, lost or left behind in the chaos.

Celeste plopped herself onto the ground when she felt they were somewhat safe. Articuno didn’t appear to be targeting the caves directly, although that could change at any moment.

“Can you guys find your way from here?” she asked, but none of the Pokémon released their hold on her.

With a sigh, she settled more comfortably on the ground, gently placing the Capsakid she still held beside Powder. Then, she released the Cubchoo’s arms from her back and settled him on her lap, while encouraging the other Pokémon to climb down as well.

They began to do so hesitantly, but when an explosion thundered outside, the group of young Pokémon promptly scrambled back to Celeste’s arms.

She offered them her most comforting smile. “I know it’s scary,” she said, feeling Cubchoo’s hug tighten as Articuno screeched again. “I’m scared too, you know? It’s a secret, but I actually get scared quite a lot.”

“Choo?”

“Mum always told me it was okay, though. That being scared could even be good. ‘Cause we would never be able to be brave if we weren’t afraid to begin with.” Celeste chuckled. “Sounds sappy, right? I used to tell her, ‘The best way to deal with fear is to force yourself not to think about it.’ Which is actually pretty ironic, considering some... recent events.”

The Pokémon looked at her in confusion, but Celeste simply shook her head. Part of her wanted to stay with them… but a bigger part wanted something else.

“Anyway,” she continued, “I think there’s supposed to be a line between being brave and being stupid, and I’m not great at figuring out where that line is. But... my friends are out there.”

Celeste gestured toward the garden, where bright flashes of blue pierced the sky.

“Brave or stupid, I think I need to go back and find them,” she tried to smile. Her eyes turned to the Swinub, who was shivering from head to paw. She placed a gentle hand on him. “I’ll need you guys to be brave for me, too. Can you promise me you’ll stick together, take care of each other, and go as far from here as you can?”

The Cubchoo sniffled, grabbing her hand. Celeste’s heart felt heavy at that.

She hugged them all again, but once she managed to pull away, she didn’t look back even once. In the end, she wasn’t brave enough to do so.