Chapter 64 - vs Luan

Celeste had a nightmare. That was no biggie. She always had nightmares these days.

It must’ve been around five in the morning when she woke up, heart pounding, sweat trickling down her temples. She knew there would be no more going back to sleep. Still, she lay in her sleeping bag, watching shadows dancing in the dim light as the gentle rock of Mia’s boat cradled her. Aria snored loudly and Powder slept on top of her belly. A few feet away, Delia breathed quietly while Shelly clicked her shell in rhythmic motions (the Shellder was out, which meant Pat was not). Despite the tension, they bunked together in the cramped service room of Mia’s boat, while Lori shared quarters with Mia.

Hoping to not be too tired for her battle in the morning, Celeste closed her eyes, forcing herself to—

“The dream journal!”

She clapped a hand over her mouth, letting the boat’s gentle rocking and Aria’s snores filled the silence again.

With all that happened, she forgot she’d bought the journal for this exact situation. Sliding out of her bag, she tiptoed to the deck with the journal in hand. The stars blinked overhead, casting faint silver light as she settled beside a crate. The page before lay annoyingly blank.

She closed her eyes, reaching back into her dreams—or, more likely, her nightmares.

Nothing.

She remembered absolutely nothing of it.

Celeste shut her eyes tighter and pressed her pen to the paper. There had to be something. Anything.

“Green. Forest. Rain.”

Minutes ticked by and that was all she had. It meant nothing to her…

She gazed at the words, then figured it was worth trying a new approach. There was this game she used to play on long trips with her dad. He would say a word, and she’d answer with the first thing that popped into her head. Pen poised, she tried again. Green, forest, rain… what next?

“Battle.”

Okay… was a bit of a twist… But what stemmed from battle?

“Bruno.”

She shut her eyes again. Next one.

“Heracross.”

Was this the forest again, or the battle?

“Mega.”

Mega? Like Mega Heracross?? Whatever. She can try one more.

“Luan.”

She exhaled, staring at her friend’s name on the page. This probably stopped being about her dream a while ago… Or maybe she had been dreaming of battling Bruno and his… Mega Heracross? Did he even have one?

Tired but fully awake, with any memories of dreams long gone, Celeste drew a line across the page. Might as well do something useful to her time.

Battle Strategy - Luan - 3v3 no switches

Defensive battle style? Good with barriers.

Problem Pokémon-> Lunatone.

—*——*—

Paul’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “That’s fantastic!” His enthusiasm was clear, though his father, standing beside him with a less convinced expression, kept his reservations to himself, letting Paul handle the negotiations. “We don’t usually do three-on-three battles here,” he continued, sweeping a hand toward the bustling patio with the battlefield. “It’s going to be a treat for our regulars—and you brought such a big group, Celeste! They… Do they know that they need to consume to get a table?”

Before Celeste could reply, Mia popped up from nowhere. “Sweets on the house, then?” she nudged Paul, making him a little more than uncomfortable. “You just said it’s a treat for the folks here. So… makes sense, huh?”

Paul’s face fell flat. “Ahem, sorry, but setting that kind of precedent isn’t really—” He cleared his throat again, turning to address the rest of Celeste’s group with forced professionalism. “Shall I get you all a table?” He gestured broadly, though Mia lingered, still hinting at freebies.

A few steps away, Bruno and Lori were chatting. They seemed to have smoothed over past tensions, despite Lori’s remaining guilt over her role in the downgrading of the Fighting Dojo. She was much more at ease around Bruno now. Celeste might have robbed them of the opportunity to battle today, but they quickly pivoted it to “not revealing strategies until the conference” in which “They’d meet at the finals”.

Perl, out of her Pokéball, was surprisingly well-behaved. She’d taken a liking to Bruno’s Crabominable, Fran, who allowed the little dragon to perch on her back. Plus, she’d let the little Frigibax headbutt the ends of her pincers and that seemed to be all they both needed.

A sudden, sharp bark of Baguette—or was it another Fidough? Celeste couldn’t really tell them apart—announced Luan’s arrival. He marched up, rigid as a Rock-Type, practically pulled along by Delia, which seemed to just make things more awkward for him.

Instead of watching Luan, Celeste caught Delia’s eye, ignoring her actual opponent. She didn’t even spare her a glance.

Amazing…

At least Luan managed a shaky wave in her direction—he might be a wrecking pile of nerves, but at least they were still friends. Or rivals. Or whatever.

Celeste walked over with an easy smile. “Let’s?” She gestured toward the battlefield amid the tables. Delia joined the others in their front-row sit, and the chatter among the group picked up. Mia now vocally complained about prices while Bruno gushed about what a nice idea it was to make a restaurant into a battle facility.

With a small nod from Luan, both trainers took their places.

He was shaking, and she was beaming.

“Let’s see how this rival thing pans out,” Celeste declared.

She was ready.

—*——*—

Standing on the raised podium again, Celeste felt a rush unlike any before. The jitters from her earlier battle at the bakery had vanished, replaced by a rhythmic confidence that almost let her dance to the tune of the jazzy background music and the murmur of the crowd. Like before, she watched her shadow flicker with the sunlight and if she was thinking about it—which she obviously totally wasn’t—she’d say it was looking back at her unnaturally.

Her focus was on the battling, not shadows.

Between Celeste and Luan, Focaccia, the mama Dachsbun, positioned herself, while Paul took on the role of referee. “I’ll be overseeing the match,” he announced, his voice echoing slightly over the buzz of the bakery. Focaccia was prepared to cast Protect if the battle escalated—though, as Paul noted with a grin, the chances were slim given both trainers were relatively new.

Celeste gave Luan a reassuring smile. This was exciting. In response, he nodded weakly.

“This will be a three-on-three battle with no substitutions between Trainer Celeste and Trainer Luan,” Paul declared. His voice lacked DJ Jiggly Jams’ flair, but by Arceus, Celeste loved to be announced like that. “Both trainers, ready your Pokémon for release on my count.”

Clutching her first Pokéball, Celeste fixed her eyes on Luan. A lot hung on the initial setup.

When she was strategising, she quickly came to the conclusion that while all her Pokémon could take on Luan’s Munna and Hoothoot, it was Lunatone that posed the biggest threat. Powder’s Moon-attacks might work against it, but would drain her Vulpix too quickly, which was especially bad against a foe she was vulnerable to. Aria struggled against Rock-Types, leaving Pat as her trump card against Luan’s Lunatone.

But would he lead with his ace, or, predicting she’d lead with her Slowpoke, save it for later? They had agreed to a simultaneous release, forcing her to choose blindly and guessing was…

Ugh!

If she started with Pat and he was taken out early, she’d had no answer for Lulu. If she started with one of the others and they’d went against the Lunatone, she’d be on the back foot. She’d spent the night going in circles about it and her head still seemed to be spinning.

Paul’s countdown snapped her back to the battle. “One, two…”

On three, she released Aria on her side of the battlefield.

And on three, Luan released his Lunatone on the other side.

Damn it Luan.

Celeste took a deep breath. She still had a plan. It would be fine.

“Dig combo, Aria, like we talked about,” she yelled, eliciting bewildered looks from Luan, Paul, and everyone in the audience. When Bruno leaned forward to whisper-shout something about Levitate, she couldn’t help but to let out a coy smile.

Oh, the silly people.

Of course Celeste knew about Levitate. She was simply not limited by convention.

Before Luan could shake off his astonishment, Aria was a blur of motion—plunging into the earth, then erupting in a burst that sent a shower of stars directly at Lunatone. As the rocky Pokémon reeled from the surprise attack, her Eevee had already vanished underground once more.

Luan’s eyes widened, then narrowed in concentration. “Harden.”

Celeste couldn’t help but taunt him. “No comment on my brilliant plan?” she called across the field, an eye on her rival, another at the crackling, glowing Lunatone.

He simply shrugged.

“Your plan’s turning this into a game of whack-a-Diglett,” Luan responded coolly. “For every miss, you’ll counter with Swift, right?” He seemed unruffled as Aria burst from the ground, unleashing another Swift, stars glittering sharply against the sunlight. “Harden again,” he added, almost casually. “Really? How long can you keep this up?”

Celeste tossed her head back, feigning disinterest. Though her shoulders dropped slightly as another Swift seemed to bounce off Lunatone’s now doubly hardened exterior. She knew this might become a war of attrition, though. She was ready for it. “We can be patient,” she declared loudly.

“Since when?” The light of another Harden vanished and Luan steadied himself. “Harden,” he said. For the fourth time! It couldn’t possibly be that effective at this point.

“Since ever!” Celeste countered, maintaining her best poker face on. Then she grinned as Aria made her move and a star hit Lulu’s eye-socket. She forcibly kept the grin afterwards, when she realised that the eye was also made of solid four-times-hardened rock and that Aria’s Swift was barely tickling any part of Lulu at this point.

Stupid setup with no switching.

Aria continued her assaults—Digging, Swift, Digging again—but each seemed less effective than the last. Celeste stood resolute, as she promised she would, counting each futile attempt while Lulu just hovered in place. The audience’s attention began to wane, some drifting towards their meals, others whispering critiques.

So what?

She knew the plan was shitty, but if Aria got back on the surface, she would still barely make a dent in Lulu and also be vulnerable to attacks.

On the side, Mia made a point of yawning very loudly and Bruno kept cheering both Celeste and Luan on, almost like he was watching League finals.

Just as Aria emerged again, ready for another Swift, Luan verbalised his next command.

“Rock Polish.”

More setup?

Celeste bit her lip. Did she over-commit? If Lulu got faster as well as resistant, not even Pat would be able to fight it. Plus, the way Luan was relaxing his shoulders and straightening his back… his confidence was growing every moment Celeste’s wavered.

“Time for something else. Think you can pull off your new move?” she yelled, tapping her foot on the ground to signal the Eevee. Luan didn’t know about their secret weapon: Bite. Yeah… it was still pretty dumb on this matchup, but she had to hope some of those weird type dynamics could help, even if… biting a rock was… yikes. “Take your time, Aria, but make it count…” Because you only be able to do this once.

Luan responded not with words, but with a knowing grin. It was infuriating. He just stood motionless, saying nothing. Except… it couldn’t have been nothing, because Lulu responded to whatever that smile meant and the air between them rippled.

“What’s your play?” Celeste asked, but he remained eerily silent, his gaze fixed on nothing at all. “Luan!?” Her voice rose.

That last one startled him, at least.

“W-What?” Luan stuttered, his concentration shattered just in time for them to witness Aria erupt from the ground, her mouth teeming with dark smoke.

Heh. Victory!

Celeste smirked triumphantly, and just as Aria lunged at Lulu, ready to bite… she hit something and completely missed the mark?

“What the—?” Celeste squinted, scanning the battlefield. Did Lulu put up a barrier? The light usually bent weird with barriers, and that really didn’t seem to be the case. “Aria?” she checked on her Eevee, who seemed pissed. If there was one thing Aria wasn’t too fond of, it was being robbed of her big moments.

Undeterred, she shook herself off and, despite a nasty gash on her side, doubled down on the darkness of her move. The smoke dripped down from her maw, like shadowy drool, as she readied herself for another attack.

She charged again, only to recoil as something unseen sliced at her. Again.

Something invisible lay all over the battlefield.

Something… stealthy.

Oh damn. Celeste remembered this one. Vaguely.

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She really shouldn’t have slacked on studying up Pokémon moves. Still, this had to be Stealth Rock. Rey had mentioned it back when they were watching Articuno’s fight against Moltres. Though she wasn’t sure on specifics, this wasn’t hard to guess from context.

“There’s a minefield of invisible rocks around you,” Celeste warned. Aria’s ensuing snarl could probably be translated to no shit. Oh, well… she steeled herself. “Retreat back underground, you’ll be safe and—”

Another annoyed bark interrupted her.

It seemed Aria was tired of playing Diglett, and Lulu of just standing by. Before Celeste could figure out their next move, there were rocks—this time very visible and large ones—flying towards the Eevee. Aria darted sideways with a Quick Attack, but more invisible rocks stabbed her, staining her fur with streaks of red.

Celeste glanced at Luan, who again seemed to be staring at nothing. Was she really losing to Lulu fighting on its own?

Aria’s pained cry snapped her focus back. Another Rock Throw dodged, another wound from the Stealth Rocks—this time, one punctured her front leg.

It didn’t matter what Luan was doing. As a team, she and Aria had always shone brightest when they fought as one. She needed a strategy, fast, or risk dragging this out until Aria was too hurt to continue.

“Can you clear a path with Swift as you run?” she asked. Aria snorted, almost like she wasn’t all battered and bruised.

Clearly, her Eevee thought she could conquer the world—or at least this battlefield. Celeste rolled her eyes at her Pokémon’s cockiness, but she was already proving she was justified in thinking she was the greatest ever. Aria unleashed waves of shooting stars, each one blazing a trail through the air and bursting against the rocks in a series of brilliant explosions. She darted forward, weaving through the smoky aftermath with such speed and precision that Lulu’s next Rock Throw missed by a wide margin. For the first time in the fight, the moon-rock Pokémon seemed visibly rattled, clicking in frustration.

They were back in the game.

“Quite the comeback, huh?” Celeste tried to bait Luan, but he was as responsive as a statue. He simply frowned at Aria’s display, but otherwise was lost in a distant thought.

Unfortunatly, Lulu kept going, with or without Luan’s orders.

The ground trembled as a larger boulder burst forth from the earth. Lunatone didn’t throw it right away and Celeste gritted her teeth. She couldn’t read a fucking rock.

Whatever. Frustration was a luxury they couldn’t afford. “Keep blasting a path to Lulu. Then Bite.”

Aria didn’t need to be told twice. Her body coiled with anticipation. She’d been gearing for that Bite for ages, after all. The dark energy built to the point that it even infused her stars as she weaved past the boulder, her eyes fixed on Lunatone.

Only thing they didn’t consider was the rock shifting sideways unexpectedly.

Still, Aria was faster than any piece of dirt. With another Quick Attack she took a sharp turn around the rock and towards their opponent. The Swift stars, however, didn’t get the memo that they also needed to change directions. The Eevee barely had to time to register that when she continued straight into Lulu’s trap: a swarm of Stealth Rocks that had not yet been cleared.

Yet, undeterred by the piercing rocks, Aria charged on, completely ignoring the pain. This time, she was going to sink her teeth into that moon-rock no matter what. Some dark infused stars collided with Lulu before she even reached it, causing the Lunatone to wobble—slightly but noticeably.

A nice prelude to Aria’s big moment.

Celeste could tell she was excited about using her newest move in a battle.

With a burst of energy, she leapt atop Lulu, clamping down with a ferocity that sent dark wisps scattering like firecrackers.

Quite a show.

But physics was still physics, and rock still beat teeth. Aria’s Bite left scratches but did little else, and she tumbled back, nursing a sore jaw.

Celeste sighed at the scene. “Come back.”

Aria turned to her trainer, growled and…relaxed her body, resigned. She knew she couldn’t win, much as she hated it.

“This was a bad match for you, and you still did great.” Celeste tried to be supportive, and as her Eevee vanished from view, lifted her voice for all to hear. “I’m withdrawing her.”

Hopefully, Lulu would be tired enough for this next one to be fast.

With a smirk that boasted unearned confidence, Celeste released her Slowpoke into the patch of the battlefield she knew Aria had cleared from the Stealth Rocks. Despite a few scrapes from lingering ones, Pat seemed unfazed. “You know what to do,” she said.

Lunatone wasn’t about to give them any breaks. As Pat took his sweet, sweet time to click into motion, Lulu soared higher into the air, though not out of reach. Celeste’s training sessions with Lapras were about to pay off. The Water Gun that spilled from the Slowpoke’s mouth had come a long way from a dribble to a torrent. With Lulu awkwardly ascending without a plan, Pat’s jet caught it square in the body.

It was a thing of beauty to see pebbles dropping like the rain from sky.

“Pump it up, Pat!” Celeste shouted, her fist punching the air. She wanted nothing but to see the moon drop off the heavens. Unfortunately for her, Pat was still a Slowpoke, and much as she loved him, he was very true to his species. ‘Pump it up’ got reinterpreted as ‘pause and tilt your head at your trainer’.

“No, no—just shoot!” Celeste tried frantically. “Water Gun. We-ter Gu-un.”

Luan didn’t miss his opening. Or Lulu didn’t. The trainer still said nothing.

The arena shifted, the air charged with a psychic pulse that whipped violently around them. Before Celeste could process it, Lulu commandeered the invisible Stealth Rocks, propelling them like missiles towards Pat. All she saw were the explosions.

Dust swirled, settling to reveal Pat peppered with cuts. Worse still, Lulu’s psychic grip was now tightening around him. He couldn’t (or wouldn’t) run as more wounds opened up in his body and his eyes shot wide. It was all very wonky, like he was going on a bad trip.

“Pat, snap out of it… Fight. Water Gun.” Celeste’s own voice cracked. If he got confused now, then that was it. Even if Powder took out Lulu, she couldn’t win against all the rest of Luan’s team on her own…

She lifted her eyes up to see Lulu closing in, more psychic energy building onto her Slowpoke. Pat took one wobbly step forward, then another, then he looked up, almost defiant and…

Water Gun. Right into Lulu’s craters.

“You’re… not confused?” she muttered, and to her surprise, she got an answer.

From the audience, Lori’s voice rang out. “His ability, Celeste,” she said. “I think it’s Own Tempo.”

Mia laughed. “Too dumb to get confused. It tracks.”

With a gasp, Celeste laughed. “No need to be mean about it.”

Turning her attention back to the field, Celeste watched as Pat, slow yet steadfast, continued his water assault. Lulu tried to fend off the attack with psychic waves, but it was no use—the Water Gun was relentless.

Luan’s voice finally broke through, tinged with panic. “Lulu, maybe try a barrier?”

“Oh, so he talks?” Celeste shot back with a smirk. “You shouldn’t leave your Pokémon to fight by itself.”

Her attempt to disturb Luan fell flat. Maybe Lulu was just good enough to fight on its own. Or maybe Luan had just been thinking up strategies and got too on his head about it or…

Duh.

It was a psychic. Of course, he was on his head about this. Luan only needed to say out loud the moves he wanted to.

Well, now Celeste felt like an idiot.

Meh. She can be embarrassed later.

“Finish it!” Her voice thundered, and for once, Pat got his cue. The water surged with a force that Lunatone couldn’t withstand. Overwhelmed, it crashed down onto its own Stealth Rocks. The light in its eyes dimmed, flickered, and went out.

Luan took a deep breath after recalling his Lunatone, but wasted no time in calling the next one.

Rev, his Munna, his starter, fluttered into the battlefield with that annoying smugness of his.

Ideally, she would’ve dealt with him by using Bite. But really, how boring is it to just go for that super effective sweet spot? (Not boring at all, because winning was the funnest). But hey, if Pat metaphorically punched that Munna’s face and punt it to the moon, it would do just as nicely.

When Rev came into the fray, he immediately got hit with a stray Stealth Rock. She guessed there weren’t many left, but they’d be a hazard up till the end of the battle. Now for both of them.

Good.

Paul gave them the signal to continue. “Begin again.”

“Pat, Water Gun,” Celeste called right away, and Luan responded with silence. Telepathy was infuriating, and by the legends, she really wanted to do it.

The stream of water blasted forward, but it struck an invisible barrier before it could reach the Munna. Finally pulled up a shield, huh? She thought, annoyed. How to get rid of it now?

“Pat, try Disable,” Celeste instructed, and waited expectantly for nothing to happen. Maybe Pat hadn’t used the move, or more likely barriers protected against Disable too. “Well, that would’ve been too easy,” she sighed. “Keep up the Water Gun, see if we can crack it down.”

Pat, bless his slow but reliable heart, did nothing, perhaps still processing the command. Meanwhile, Rev swayed like a balloon, his barrier intact.

Strangely enough, Luan was visibly restless, shifting from foot to foot.

“Maybe try shouting your moves? Could help!” Celeste called out, half-teasing, half-serious.

The Munna fixed her with a stare that was way too unsettling, clearly not amused by her banter. Luan said nothing either. Maybe it was hard multitasking when doing telepathy? Still, that didn’t explain Luan’s nerves this time. She was the one up against a barrier, after all.

Then it hit her.

They weren’t that experienced. If multitasking was hard at their level… Could he attack while keeping it up? Doubtful. That had to be it. If he wanted to strike, he’d have to drop his guard.

The Slowpoke still hadn’t started his Water Gun, but Celeste cancelled out the command, anyway. Bouncing on her toes as she said, “Pat, I’ll need you to move exactly when I tell you. Think you can do it?” She got a languid blink as an answer that she optimistically took for a yes.

She then circled around, seeking the perfect angle to exploit the sunlight refracting off the barrier. The battlefield fell into a tense quiet.

Stalemate.

Who’d have thought battling Luan would be such a… slog? This was completely different from Rey trying to brute force through everything.

Celeste waited, Luan waited, Pat waited and in the end the Munna was the only one spending energy. He wouldn’t be able to hold it forever, and doing so was clearly a waste. It was something in Luan’s eyes that gave away a change of strategy before she could see any change in the light. If battles were poker, keeping your plays a secret was smart, but keeping a poker face was smarter.

Still, she kept her eyes locked on the psychic barrier, waiting.

And lo-and-behold, the sun glared directly into her eyes—it was down.

“Now, Pat! Yawn and follow with Water Gun!” she commanded, seizing the moment. The plan was simple but critical: force Munna into a drowsy state to drop its defences, then soak it with Water Gun to press the advantage.

But no sooner had Pat executed Yawn than a powerful psychic wave from Munna came flying back towards them, the two attacks creating a haze of mist and sparkles across the field. Celeste inadvertently eyed the audience, a little worried the attacks were too much for Focaccia’s Protect and—

There was a protective barrier all around them. A full one, made not by Dachsbun but by Mia’s Bronzong, who had been let out at some point and floated silently beside its trainer.

Noticing Celeste’s eyes on her, she waved nonchalantly. “I don’t want to risk a wet croissant. This place is expensive.” She took a bite of her food. What really surprised Celeste, however, was that she had completely missed the barrier going up. She must’ve been really into the battle.

Distracted by Mia, Celeste barely registered another Psyshock pushing Pat painfully back into the remaining Stealth Rocks.

Damn it. Focus.

“Disable! Then keep on with the Water Gun!” she cried out, desperately trying to fully take the Munna out. All she got was Disable (hopefully) and a few blinks.

Luan tapped his foot, his impatience evident as Munna’s next Psychic attempt fizzled. He fell back, but swiftly reinforced his barrier. It didn’t matter, though. His movements were sluggish and his eyelids were dropping.

Painful seconds dragged on until the psychic finally succumbed, slumping into his dreams.

This had to be Celeste’s turning point in this battle.

“Water Gun, now!” Celeste commanded, but Pat frustratingly remained still. “Water Gun, Water Gun, Water Gun!” she repeated, her voice rising in desperation with each command. Yet, nothing happened. And there was Luan, barely concealing a grin. “Cut it off,” she snapped. “Your Pokémon’s the one sleeping. We’ll land a Water Gun before he even starts dreaming.”

Luan burst into outright laughter at that. It was then that his Munna started to shimmer, radiating a pinkish aura. From the opening on his head, swirls of pink mist began to roll down, enveloping the entire battlefield.

Celeste’s eyes widened as a cold realisation settled in. Her stomach flipped and her heart pounded. In a flash of panic, she remembered the time they went into Articuno’s dreams.

Luan’s voice carried over the mist, almost smugly. “Word from the wise—never put a Munna to sleep.”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

Pat’s head swivelled from side to side with alarming speed, far quicker than any other movement he had made throughout the battle. Damn it. She had really botched things up this time. Both she and her Pokémon were in full panic mode, and she couldn’t see any way out of the mess.

Celeste closed her eyes.

With a heavy heart, Celeste spoke softly, almost pleadingly. “Pat, please, one more Water Gun. It’ll help Powder.” The plea cut through the haze, and Pat managed one final, forceful spray of water before his colour drained, his eyes wide and empty.

Guess Own Tempo had its limits.

Paul seemed unsure how to call that, so Luan intervened. “Your Slowpoke is trapped in Rev’s dreamscape. We’re draining him with Dream Eater.”

Celeste sighed. “I’ll withdraw him too…”

It all came down to Powder then.

Celeste’s heart swelled with pride as she released her Pokémon. Her baby had grown so tough that she barely flinched upon being pelted by the lingering Stealth Rocks. Not that Celeste liked to see her getting hurt, or—Focus! They couldn’t afford to be caught off guard by Rev’s dream weirdness again.

The play with Powder was simple.

“Don’t hold back the Snow Warning,” she instructed, gesturing towards the barrier enclosing them. “Freeze everything. Fast.”

As the familiar pink mist began to rise from Rev’s head again, Celeste couldn’t help but laugh as a burgeoning snowstorm, kicked up by Powder Snow, swept the mist away. Better yet, the field and the Munna, both still wet from Pat’s attacks, froze as the temperature plummeted.

“Just like Bruno’s and Lori’s story last night,” Celeste smirked at Luan, who only frowned in response. “Chilling water combo.”

“That wasn’t the point of the story,” Luan responded dryly.

“Well, taking me as your new rival wasn’t the point either. We take what we can get, right?” she shot back with a grin.

“You’re bragging,” Luan muttered under his breath.

Honestly? He could mutter and grumble all day, and she’d brag, anyway. This was the payoff for all her strategising—while Powder couldn’t launch the combo solo like Lori’s Snorunt, Pat had set the stage perfectly for her to deliver the finishing blow. At last, something was going their way.

Luan grumbled again. His Munna was now just a block of ice under constant assault from the hail. Powder was already gearing up for another attack, fairy energy and ice swirling around her in a menacing dance.

“Easy there, save some of that for the Hoothoot,” Celeste cautioned with an uncharacteristic calm in her voice. “Let’s not overdo it. Use Mooncracker, and stay in place. We don’t want to get hit by the remaining Stealth Rocks.”

Powder huffed. She wanted to overdo it, clearly. But she was also a good listener, the best Celeste had. She always did as she was told. A series of mini moonlight bursts crackled against the icy prison holding Munna. Each pulse of light weakened the frozen Munna further, leaving Luan’s next move puzzlingly clear.

He didn’t recall his Pokémon, though. He simply waited.

Why not? Celeste could imagine someone like Rey letting a battle drag out, but Luan wasn’t the type to unnecessarily prolong his Pokémon’s getting hurt.

After a few more bursts of fairy energy, Munna ceased its attempts to produce any more Dream Mist. It was only then that Luan raised his hand in defeat. “He’s knocked out,” he declared, voice flat.

Paul nodded. “Your last Pokémon then.”

Menace, the Hoothoot, soared into the battlefield, trilling a defiant tune. She dodged all the Stealth Rocks that had plagued earlier phases of the battle and swooped down to tauntingly peck at Powder’s head—a light touch, but a clear provocation. None of the lingering rocks seemed to reach her high in the air.

They must all be close to the ground.

“Keep dropping the temperature! We have the advantage now,” Celeste instructed loudly. “Freeze her wings, and brace for those invisible rocks when you move!”

Powder unleashed a burst of Powder Snow immediately, but Hoothoot, agile and mocking, flew higher, evading the icy blast. Celeste finally took in the view when she looked up. The arena within the barrier had turned into a snow-globe—a whirl of hail swirling below a cloud-covered dome.

Neat.

Even neater, Hoothoot’s flight wasn’t all that steady in that weather, even if she evaded Powder Snow.

“Mena, keep moving, and use Echoed Voice!” Luan suddenly commanded. Was he back to talking? Well, double duh. Hoothoot was no psychic. Knowing what to expect would be—

Wait. Did he say Echoed Voice?

Celeste’s eyes shot wide. The move would resonate, building in power until their hearing went burst. There’d be no commanding anything, leaving Powder to fend for herself.

Well, desperate times called for creative measures.

Thinking fast, Celeste shouted her next instruction just before the sonic onslaught could start. “Powds, remember the other day at the atoll? If you can make ice spikes like then, only flatter, you can use them as a platform to close the gap!”

This was a big ask, but if Powder pulled that off, then this battle will be theirs.

As Celeste braced herself and covered her ears in anticipation of the Echoed Voice, Powder darted forward, directly into a cluster of Stealth Rocks. Ignoring the stings, she concentrated, causing ice shards to burst from the ground. While not adept at fine manipulation of ice, the clever Vulpix managed to use one particularly large shard as a makeshift tool, sloppily chipping at others to craft her platform.

Amazing.

And also painfully… slow.

Celeste gritted her teeth. Why did everything have to be such a drag in this battle? Under the increasing cacophony of Echoed Voice, the battlefield grew tense and noisy and Hoothoot didn’t seem inclined to ease up. Nor did Luan.

He called for a move. Celeste couldn’t hear it. Heck, she could barely hear her thoughts at this point.

Suddenly, a Peck struck Powder. And not the taunting, harmless kind.

“If she gets close again, attack!” Celeste yelled at the top of her lungs.

But it was no use. Her words were swallowed by the move, leaving Powder vulnerable and alone.

It took a while for the relentless assault to take its toll on Powder, but when her legs finally began to falter, the Vulpix reached her own conclusion: it was time to strike back.

And by Articuno, strike back she did.

The ice shards she’d been meticulously crafting? With what might have been a ferocious howl—had anyone been able to hear it over the chaos—she wrenched them from the ground and hurled them directly at Mena in mid-Peck. Not stopping there, Powder summoned more moon-powered energy, unleashing it in a dazzling burst that sent her opponent reeling. But the effort was too great. With that final, desperate attack, Powder collapsed, spent and breathless from the ordeal.

It was all too much for her…

As Hoothoot prepared for another dive, Celeste raised her hand in defeat, signalling the end of their battle. Powder, gathering the last remnants of her strength, paused mid-reaction when she realised what Celeste was doing. Poor baby, too drained to protest, she simply huffed.

“Victory goes to Luan!” Paul announced. Having been outside the barrier, he and the audience were shielded from the battle’s sonic assault. Celeste, ears still ringing, approached her fallen Vulpix, trying to mask her own disappointment. She glanced over at Luan, who looked utterly astonished as he removed earplugs.

That was smart.

“Good battle,” she read his lips rather than heard the words, throwing a weak smile in response.

She cradled Powder gently, her smile lingering despite the defeat. Outside of life-and-death situations—like their battle with Ryder (who she still wasn’t thinking about)—her little Vulpix had never really lost. She nestled into Celeste’s chest, her small body shaking with soft sobs.

Powder was crying.

Her baby was crying!

“You did brilliantly, Powds. I’m the one who messed up,” Celeste whispered soothingly as she hugged her Pokémon close. “I’m sorry.”

“Master always says a failure is our biggest gift,” Bruno chimed in, appearing behind her to commend her on the tough match. Nearby, Delia and Mia were practically shouting in celebration near Luan, while Lori hung back, quietly observing. “From our losses, we learn far more than from our victories.”

Celeste stroked Powder’s soft fur thoughtfully. More fortune cookie wisdom, it seemed. They might learn a lot from this loss, yes.

But the truth of the matter was much simpler.

She pressed her cheek against Powder’s head and murmured, “I know, Powds. Losing sucks. Let’s just cry a bit together, okay?”