Chapter 65 - Rage Candy

Luan was, hands down, the world’s friendliest rival. Whatever rift had formed between him and Celeste seemed to have completely mended with their battle and his newfound confidence.

And when she said confidence, she really meant it. It radiated off him like heat from a Charizard—granted, it had only been a shot while since it all went down. She hoped it would stick, though. At least a little of it.

As they strolled toward the Pokémon Centre, Luan couldn’t stop rehashing the battle’s best moments. He was so excited that Celeste almost thought this was his first big win ever… Hadn’t he taken down that Weezing in the Icefall Caves? Didn’t he think that was a big deal?

Well, either way, Celeste was happy he got a win. Even if it meant she lost.

“How’s Powder?” Luan eventually asked.

“Sad,” Celeste mumbled. Her Vulpix would have to face losing at some point, but the first time was always tough. “Honestly, better against you than Rey.”

“Rey would’ve been insufferable,” Luan agreed as they reached the Centre. “Whenever we hang out, he’s always trash-talking Menace—‘you’ve got a common bird on your team’ or ‘you let her peck your head, discipline your Pokémon.’ Super annoying.”

Celeste chuckled. Luan bad-mouthing someone without all the stuttering and fidgeting? That was definitely a first.

“Wait, since when are you and Rey rivals?” she quirked an eyebrow. “And since when do you guys hang out without me?”

They joined a queue at the Centre’s counter, which was moving extremely slowly, thanks to a sobbing girl and her Oddish.

“Since Four Island,” Luan deadpanned. “I don’t just hang with you and Delia.”

She opened her mouth, ready to tease him about Delia, but bit her tongue. Too soon. “But rivals? I thought you guys were friends,” she said instead.

“Aren’t we friends?” Luan shot back. “And now rivals too? You do know Rey’s only gone to Hoenn to one-up you by catching a ‘superior fairy’.”

Celeste smiled. “I guess pretending we’re not rivals is kind of silly, huh? It’s just weird for me—being against someone but still being friends.”

He nudged her shoulder with hers. “Promise I’ll always be your best rival.”

Celeste extended her pinky. “Frenemies for life?”

“Frenemies for life,” Luan grinned, locking pinkies with her. “Just don’t you quit on the Gym challenge, okay? I’m taking you on at the Conference, just like Lori and Bruno.”

As they shared their moment, a voice from behind snapped.

“Move it. You’re blocking the line.”

—*——*—

Mia and Lori were less than thrilled when they learned Celeste’s and Luan’s Pokémon would stay at the Centre overnight, forcing them into an unplanned extra day on Two Island. Meanwhile, Delia was giving Celeste the silent treatment—a situation made extra bad since they were roommates. Luan kept saying they needed time to hash it out, but Celeste felt like everyone was just piling on her misery.

With the extra day, Mia and Delia took Luan off for “celebration cake” at the Battle Bakery. Lori passed, joining them, preferring to train instead. As for Celeste? She wasn’t even invited.

The irony?

Well, if someone in their group could truly appreciate something called “celebration cake” it was Celeste. Or maybe Aria. And really? They had to do it at the Battle Bakery? She was the one who discovered that place. But no-ooh. No one cared. Actually, they did the opposite of caring. They made her wake up extra early to say goodbye to Paul, because Arceus forbid she spoiled another party by existing in Delia’s vicinity.

In the meantime, Celeste was stuck trudging along with Bruno and his hyper Primape to the Rage Candy Bar shop. Mia and Luan had gushed about how Rage Candies tasted like “childhood”, so, while her friends indulged in delicious cakes, she was out to get them the world’s blandest candy.

And did Mia tell the others about what really happened at the clock tower as a thank you? Or out of basic decency?

Nope.

Not a word about that.

Celeste’s steps grew heavier with each thought. Luckily, Bruno was either too nice to care or too oblivious to notice.

“…so Jab channels all his rage and emotion into a single, make-or-break punch,” Bruno was mid-ramble about Pokémon training techniques. He’d been at it since they left the marina. First it was Poliwrath’s practice drills, now this. It all seemed very specific to Fighting-Types—none of which Celeste had the headspace for right now. “This might not be the advice you’re looking for, huh?”

Bruno suddenly paused, scanning their surroundings before steering them around a corner. His Primape seemed to recognise the area. He released the lamppost he’d been swinging from and dashed up into one of the maple trees dotting the sidewalk. The moment Jab hit the branches, a cascade of reddening leaves tumbled down, startling a flock of Pidgey into flight.

“Look, I’ll be straight with you,” Bruno said. “Lori asked me to offer some tips.”

Celeste’s eyes followed the swirl of leaves, her cheeks matching their colours. She had asked Lori for help, sure, but that was before this latest battle and she and Lori were friends. She hardly knew Bruno, though. The last time she asked for help from a near-stranger, it ended with her locked in a freezer and Powder running away.

Bruno patted her on the back, nearly sending her stumbling forward. “Don’t overthink it,” he said. “What I do after a battle is go over it, see what I can learn. Thought I’d help you do the same so you can do it on your own next time.”

Celeste blinked, then muttered, “Go… over…? I know where I messed up.” Then, quickly changed the subject. “Hey, do you have a Heracross? I had this dream… Well, maybe not really a dream. This intuition? Anyway—”

Bruno laughed, shaking his head. “What’s that got to do with anything?” He paused, hands on hips, then sighed. “Don’t tell Lori, but yeah, I caught a Heracross recently. Now, about that battle?”

Standing still for a moment, Celeste heard the distant laughter and chatter, tempting her to blend into the crowd and escape. The thought of dissecting her battle mistakes with Bruno felt too embarrassing. But… he was not dropping this, was he? Taking a deep breath, she got back to his side as they walked through what looked like the farmer’s market section of Two Island’s market. Maybe it was this conversation, but her stomach felt queasy with the smell of raw fish that hung heavily in the air.

“Aria was a bad choice to lead. I overthought it and got scared of sending Pat in right away,” she started, focusing her gaze straight ahead. “When he finally came in, he knocked out Lulu fast, but then I messed up by forgetting Munna is the literal Dream Eater Pokémon. Putting him to sleep was a horrible play. Then I further messed up by asking Powder to do something we’ve never trained for.”

Bruno raised his eyebrows, gesturing towards his Primape hanging from a tree. Just beside it was the small Rage Candy stall. “Hmm… I see things differently,” he said with a grin. “You’re a solid trainer and you did plenty right.”

Celeste stared at him, bracing herself for the ‘but’ that was sure to follow.

“I get why you led with Eevee. You wanted to be sure you’d be able to respond to the Lunatone when it came, and the Vulpix needed to come after the Slowpoke for that water strategy to work. Your lineup made sense. It looked like you and Luan were just trying to outmanoeuvre each other. Could’ve swung either way, really.”

Huh… This was not what Celeste expected to hear. Olga would’ve been harsher.

“Right…” Celeste looked up, curious despite herself. “So what do you do when you have a bad matchup?”

“Well…” Bruno paused, weighing his thoughts. “Move coverage is key, but sometimes, you’re just outmatched. I think you did the best you could under the circumstances. You were creative, tried a surprise combo—no one saw that coming. And I liked the way part of it was using Dig defensively. You and your Eevee showed real grit. That’s what makes a fighter. It can totally change a battle’s outcome.”

Celeste grimaced. “It didn’t, though.”

Just then, Primape scampered down and nudged Bruno to go get his Rage Candy. Bruno laughed—maybe at Primape, maybe at Celeste. “Can, doesn’t always mean will.”

They reached the stall, and Bruno browsed leisurely, as if he hadn’t already decided what he wanted. Celeste watched him and his Pokémon, growing restless.

“So… me and Aria got grit, but…?”

There had to be a ‘but’, otherwise, she would’ve won.

“You recalled your Pokémon before it was over. Not just Aria, but all of them,” he said, not lifting his eyes from the candies.

Celeste frowned deeper. “Why keep them in a losing fight? Seems cruel…”

Bruno glanced at her, his expression softening. “I get how it makes you feel, but it isn’t. Especially considering they wanted to fight. Calling them earlier can make sense tactically sometimes, like when the opponent is sapping away their energy—as was the case of your Slowpoke. But you kept doing it, even when it didn’t make sense.” He finally turned to the shopkeeper. “I’ll have some of these, please.”

As Celeste waited for Bruno to place his order, she remembered her battle with Rey back on One Island. He’d let his Pokémon take a beating, which seemed unnecessary and mean. She prided on the fact that she wasn’t that kind of trainer, but… neither was Luan, and he hadn’t withdrawn his Lunatone and Munna early either…

“Trying to figure it out?” Bruno interrupted her thoughts, making room for her to place her own order (or rather, Mia and Luan’s).

“Is it because the Pokémon want to fight to the end, and letting them is a valuable experience?” she asked.

Leaning against a tree while they waited, Bruno nodded. “That’s also true.” He smiled. “But there’s more to it. See, you’re kind, and your Pokémon no doubt appreciate that. But kindness has its price. Consider your Vulpix against Munna. If Luan had recalled his Pokémon sooner, you wouldn’t have wasted energy on those final attacks. Maybe that was the tipping point. If your Vulpix had more energy left in the tank, she might not have collapsed. It’s those little moments that add up.”

Celeste blinked, processing Bruno’s words. If she hadn’t recalled Aria so early, maybe Pat could have taken Lulu down quicker, maybe he’d have fared better against Rev and…

Too many what ifs…

But maybe… staying in the fight even when it was hopeless was a discussion she needed to have with her team. It was hard for her, just as it had been hard to accept that she couldn’t always jump in front of her Pokémon when there was danger about, but Bruno’s point made an uncomfortable amount of sense.

“Okay, so next up is Pat vs Rev…” Celeste tried to steer the conversation forward.

“Let’s hold off on that for a moment. What got you so hung up when Luan stopped calling out his moves?” Bruno asked. And when Celeste widened her eyes in surprise, he pointed to her face. “You kept staring at him, and you brought it up several times. You only seemed to relax when you realised he was using telepathy. That threw you off your game, didn’t it?”

Celeste stared at the ground, the leaves crunching softly underfoot. “I… maybe? It bothered me, losing to a Pokémon that seemed to fight on its own… I just wanted to make sense of it.”

Bruno nodded. “Sometimes, Pokémon do fight on their own. There’s nothing wrong with that.” He paused, then continued, “Look, it’s fine to try to figure out your opponent during a battle. Actually, it’s smart. But you need to prioritise. Would knowing whether he was using telepathy or letting his Pokémon decide independently have changed your strategy?”

A touch embarrassed, Celeste shook her head.

“Then it didn’t really matter.” Bruno concluded. “But I bet Luan knew it would get to you. That’s why he started the battle with explicit commands.” He patted her shoulder gently. “Tell me, what kind of trainer do you think he is?”

“What kind of trainer Luan is?” Celeste’s shoulders dropped slightly. She remembered writing in her dream journal that Luan was a defensive trainer. She’d seen him using barriers a lot in the Icefall Caves, after all. But that wasn’t the whole picture. “He’s uses tons of tricks, but in a weird way. I knew it would be a battle of attrition with him, and I wasn’t wrong. It was just… different from what I expected. He was defensive, sure, but not just because he put barriers up. He kept disarming me.”

Bruno smiled. “Master used to make us do this exercise. Summarise a trainer’s style in three words.” He chuckled. “I’d describe mine as ‘blunt force trauma.’ Lori’s I call ‘debilitate then overwhelm.’ What about Luan?”

Celeste twirled a lock of her hair, thinking it over while Bruno wrapped up their shopping and they watched Primape energetically demolish a Rage Candy Bar. It was only when they began their walk back that Bruno prompted her again.

“Smoke and mirrors,” she replied, earning an amused look from Bruno.

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“Meaning?” he asked.

“That he uses tricks, like dream mist, then leaves others fumbling.” Celeste shrugged. “I don’t know. Three words are tough.”

Bruno nodded appreciatively. “It’s tough, but useful. Gets you to the core of someone’s strategy. I thought of three words too. ‘spontaneous and creative’. Maybe you can refine it later, make it flashier, but I think it fits.”

As they reached the marina, Mia’s boat came into view in the distance.

“Luan is not spon—wait, was that… me?” Celeste asked, feeling a little too self-conscious.

He smiled. “You came into that battle with a plan, a creative one, which is great, but even when that plan fell through, you didn’t fall apart. Instead, you adapted and pulled off something totally new. I couldn never do that.”

Celeste chuckled. “You mean that thing with Powder? I didn’t exactly pull it off.”

“But that’s just because she needs more training on the basics,” Bruno nodded in agreement. “You know how I said my style was ‘blunt force trauma’? It’s about overwhelming with strength, sure, but it’s also term used for a crime. And crimes are often planned. I like to think of myself as a bit of a planner at heart.”

Celeste raised an eyebrow. Planning was the last thing she’d associate with ‘blunt force trauma’, but, hey, to each their own. She said nothing and let Bruno carry on.

“Planners—real planners—they can be scary. Maybe the scariest,” he continued, his eyes lighting up. “They strip their opponents bare, ready with a backup for every strategy you’ve ever been known to do. But you know what’s a planner’s nightmare? Someone like you.”

Celeste snorted. She was pretty sure any of Bruno’s Pokémon could stomp on any of hers without as much as a second thought.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not saying you’re there yet. But the improvisers? They’re such a pain. How can anyone prepare for someone who might pull out something wildly unpredictable? Keep doing what you’re doing, and you’ll be the bane of a lot of people’s existence. I must warn you, this is not the easiest path a trainer can take.”

Unpredictable moves? Was that her style?

She hadn’t just come up the platform idea out of thin air. It was inspired by watching Powder do it the other day. Also, terrain manipulation was not what she’d call novel—there were even moves designed specifically for it. But… what was it she’d been thinking about the other day?

Spontaneity vs Impulsivity.

Could she develop that into her own personal style? Training the basics and then figuring out different ways they could combine things, so in battle she’d have pieces to build herself a fortress, a big whip of thorny Ice Shards or whatever else she could think of in the moment. It sounded incredibly challenging and potentially exhausting. In fact, she’d burn out in a week if she over-commit to pulling up something different every battle, but people didn’t just do one thing, did they? Lori certainly didn’t.

“Glad you like the idea,” Bruno said. Primape, now perched on his shoulder, mirrored his satisfaction. “You’re smiling a lot.”

She was, wasn’t she? Because she liked to improvise and adapt. She really needed to make this name flashier, though. A problem for another time. “It’s good when things click together,” she said.

“Happy to help,” Bruno said, his Primape cheering for her before Bruno even finished to respond. Then, he scratched his neck, looking uneasy. “I hate to end on a down note, but it wouldn’t be right not to mention your biggest issue in that battle.”

Celeste was too happy about her new battle style to care at this point. She simply nodded. “I know, not thinking about Dream Eater was super bad.”

Her mood dipped when Bruno shook his head.

Was there something else she missed?

Bruno took a deep breath, clearly searching for the right words. “The Dream Eater mistake was just that—a mistake. And sure, you’ll learn from it, but…” He hesitated, “Celeste, the real issue was with how you and your Slowpoke worked together.”

She frowned defensively. “How..? There’s nothing wrong with Pat! He did his best. It was me who—”

“Repeating ‘Water Gun’ over and over until he responded? Firing off commands and hoping one would stick?” Bruno shook his head, the gestured mirrored by Primape. “You really think this is normal? You’re not in sync.”

Celeste widened her eyes. “What—”

“Hold on,” Bruno raised a hand to stop her rebuttal. “Don’t take this the wrong way, okay? We just talked about how being quick-thinking and great at improvising are great strengths of yours. You’re a bit impatient and brash, sure, but even that can work in a battle.”

“So what? Slowpoke’s slow. Duh. But his bulkiness balances things out.” She couldn’t help herself. “And we’re training. We can work on the speed and… and…”

“I hate to say it, but an Own Tempo Slowpoke is always going to follow his own beat.” Bruno let out a weary sigh. “I don’t have all the answers, and I’m not too familiar with your team’s dynamics, but it’s clear your other Pokémon follow your rhythm quite well…”

Celeste looked away. “I can slow down…”

Bruno’s shoulders slumped, his tone more gentle. “Maybe… but maybe consider what’s best for both of you? Maybe Pat needs a different kind of guidance.”

“I— “

His voice softened. “Just remember, every trainer is different, and so is every Pokémon. My Crabominable fit better with a fighting specialist than with an ice trainer. Maybe Fran and Lori could’ve made it work differently, maybe not. In the end, you really have to think about it. Is there a middle ground where you and Pat can meet, or are you both just holding each other back?”

He glanced toward the boat, attempting another smile, though this one seemed strained. “Come on, we need to say goodbye to Lori. Let’s make sure she doesn’t ghost me again.”

—*——*—

They had just got their Pokémon back from the centre and set sail just a few hours earlier. Goodbyes with Bruno had been brief but meaningful, filled with promises to meet—and battle—at the Indigo Conference by the end of next summer. To Lori, that meant she needed to secure her last badge by mid-spring to meet the registration deadline. Plenty of time, Celeste thought, but Lori was eager to reach Cinnabar Island as fast as possible.

“The gym closes for holidays in less than ten days,” Lori repeated constantly. “We’ve already lost too much time. I can’t wait for them to reopen in January. What if I need a rematch? I’ll need even more training,” she insisted, before eventually deciding to start her extra training immediately.

As soon as she unleashed her Cryogonal, Mia stormed in, fuming about how having a “spinning wheel of death running amok” would “wreck the houseboat”. To which Lorelei rolled her eyes, saying that the houseboat was nothing more than an “old bathtub.” And just like that… back with the bickering. Even poor Luan got roped into their squabbles this time.

Not wanting to get caught up on all that, Celeste slipped away from the deck. In the forefront of her mind was Pat, and how they could find a common rhythm. Her situation with Delia was a close second, though, and she found herself drawn to their shared room. While she might not have figured out how to sync up with a Slowpoke just yet, she could actually address matters with her friend.

Delia was in the middle of the room, sifting through her belongings, meticulously organising everything.

“Hey…” Celeste began, her voice soft as she lingered by the doorway. She still felt Delia was overreacting, but she was prepared to extend an olive branch. To forgive her friend for going behind her back with her mother, and then, after she apologised herself, feel all good and smug for being the bigger person.

“Cee, do you have the collar Olga gave us?” Delia asked without looking up, her tone dry.

Celeste’s eyes drifted to the table where another Pokémon collar lay—not the one Olga had given them, but one they had found on that wild Seel a few months back. She had almost forgotten about it with all that had happened. It was bulkier, damaged, and likely of no value to the researchers at the Cinnabar Labs, unlike the one safely tucked in her backpack.

It was terrifying to think how far Team Rocket reached. They targeted Powder and her mom in Alola, controlled Pokémon with collars across the seas, posed as rangers, and even infiltrated the political ranks of the Sevii Islands—and that was only what they knew for certain.

“It’s in my backpack,” Celeste said, pointing to a jumble of items and clothes heaped in the corner. She could make out bits of metal peeking from beneath her case of incense and the cloth wrapping her unused Thunder Stone. “Why do you want it?”

A good chat. That’s what she and Delia needed to smooth things over. They could laugh about something silly, and then saying sorry would come out naturally. They’d be back to normal in no time.

Perfect plan.

Delia ran a hand over the old collar. “If I have it, I can make sure Olga’s task is done.”

Celeste blinked. Wasn’t that her community work? Did Delia really have so little faith in her? She pressed her lips together, swallowing the retort already on her tongue. Delia, the people-pleaser, was just trying to impress Olga even more. This was about fixing things, not making them worse.

“So… um, what’s the plan?” Celeste forced a smile, making her way to the cluttered pile. “Me and Lori are doing the Gym first, I guess. Unless we’re sticking around till January. Then is it off to Cinnabar Labs for the collars, and the volcano for Professor Oak’s ash samples?”

Delia didn’t answer right away, instead she reached back into her backpack to rearrange its contents again. Celeste, trying her hardest not to ruin things, picked up the newer, functional collar. She traced the cool metal, her fingers following the contours of screws and hinges.

“Actually… I’m kind of assuming you’d find the ash in the volcano. But maybe it’s safer to get them from the beach? Or is it spread out, like, needing samples from the beach, volcano, urban areas, hot springs?” She chuckled nervously. “Oh! Talking of hot springs, Lori and I have those vouchers. You’ve been working so hard since we got to Sevii, getting us the money to return to Kanto. It’d only be right to take you with us. Man, we’ve got so much to do in Cinnabar” She paused, catching her breath. “…wanna help make an itinerary?”

Nailed it.

Or not.

Even turning the conversation to something as boring as an itinerary, which was right up Delia’s alley, hadn’t drawn her in.

But Celeste wasn’t one to give up easily.

“Ash…” she repeated, realising she’d finally run out of things to say. Or rather, she’d run out of smart things to say. “I kind of like the word.”

The absurdity of the statement (or perhaps just exhaustion) finally made Delia look up, her eyebrows arching.

Well, it seemed she was doubling down on “ash.”

“Don’t look at me like that. I’ve actually thought about ash a lot, you know? If Powder were a fire Vulpix, what would I name her? The fire version of powdered snow is ash, right? It sounds cool. Ash, the fire Vulpix.”

Delia seemed bewildered now. “What… are you even…?”

Celeste giggled. It was actually working! Who knew all it took to make things right with Delia was a sprinkle of ash?

“I’m just sharing some my best ideas ever with my good friend,” she grinned. “But no worries, I’m not getting a fire Vulpix—Powds would hate it. You can totally use my awesome name idea if you want. Wait… you… you said you’re not into training anymore…”

Delia exhaled slowly. “I was never really into training.”

Celeste smiled again, tapping her fingers thoughtfully on her chin. “Well, you could still use it. Maybe if you have a daughter, you could name her Ashley, or wait for it—Ash for short! It’s such a pretty name. Not sure if it works for a boy, but definitely something to consider and—”

“Did you come here just to ramble?”

Celeste clung to her fleeting smile, feeling it slip away. “I thought if I kept talking, I’d eventually make you laugh.”

Delia shrugged. “You’re not being too funny lately.”

Celeste set the newer collar on the table, next to the broken one.

“Can’t I fix it?” she asked.

“The collar?” Delia glanced at the broken one.

“Us.”

Silence. Why did this oppressive quietness always find its way in?

Delia stepped closer to the table, and by extension, closer to Celeste. “What’s there to fix? I’m handling the ash for Professor Oak and getting the collar to Cinnabar Labs. That’s it.”

Celeste, trying to be helpful, handed the newer collar to her friend.

“Or you could stay for the Gym battles. Mine and Lori’s. A few extra days might help you sort out your… decision-making problems.”

Delia scoffed. “Lori’s battle, maybe. We both know there’s no point in watching yours.”

When Delia reached for the collar, Celeste’s grip tightened. “I’m not going to lose.”

“You’ll get sidetracked, caught up in something absurd. By the time your battle comes, you’ll be loaded with excuses, probably dreaming up a new career as a coordinator or something.” Delia tugged at the collar.

“Arceus, sounds like you’ve been speaking with my mum—oh wait!” Celeste yanked the collar back. Any attempt at diplomacy evaporated. She tried to apologise, at least, and… that had to count for something, right? “I don’t get why I’m the one making all the effort here. You’re the one being hurtful.”

“Talking to your mother is hurtful?” Delia snapped back. “And you have a lot more to apologise for.”

The collar hinges creaked as they both pulled. Shelly, who Celeste hadn’t even noticed before, cried in exasperation.

Celeste held on firmly but stopped pulling. “It hurts that you’re taking her side over mine,” she said. “And really, what have I done that’s so awful? Overheard you talking about me? About your problems? Yeah, I’m such a monster. Should be back in jail.”

Delia took a deep breath, releasing her pull slightly. “There’s a big difference between accidentally overhearing and eavesdropping. And let’s not pretend that’s all you did.”

Celeste frowned. She couldn’t know about the cookies, about Luan—could she? “What else did I do?”

Delia’s lips pressed into a thin line. “How old are you again? Your mother’s side, your side. Cee, you have to stop acting so childishly.”

“What else did I do, Delia?” Celeste pressed, her words slow and deliberate.

“You have a loving family who cares about you. But ever since I met you, you’ve treated them like they’re monsters…” Delia shook her head. “You’re awful to your mother, and that’s really tough to watch. Boo-hoo, she wants you to have some direction in life. Not everyone gets that luxury. Not everyone gets to squander every opportunity—“

“You know…” Celeste interrupted, dropping the collar and stepping back. “Holy fucking Arceus, everyone assumes you’re just obliviously clueless when Luan hangs around you drooling, but… we’re the idiots. Of course you’ve noticed.”

The collar clattered to the floor as Delia’s arm fell limp. “I… I don’t know what you mean… Luan… I…”

Celeste took a moment to look at Delia. Really look at her. From her perfectly braided hair to her trembling hands, trying to find stillness. She looked at her blouse, immaculately smooth, and at her meticulously packed backpack, where everything fit together like a puzzle.

“Perfect Delia, can’t disappoint Olga…” Celeste’s voice shook. “Can’t let the Professor down either. Can’t even admit you don’t want to travel, and you keep leading Luan on and on… because, let me guess, you can’t disappoint him either…”

“I really don’t kn—“

“What’s the plan, then? For the other stuff. Commute between Pallet and Viridian? Alternate days? Bet it will be fun. No way you’ll slip up and let everyone down, huh? No way you’ll crack under this neat little act of perfection you’ve put on.” Celeste was breathless.

“Cee, that’s not—”

“You keep on torturing Luan, because what?” Celeste shook her head. “Afraid of letting him down since you care oh so very very much? Scared of breaking his heart? Or is it fear of shattering the pedestal he’s put you on?”

Delia said nothing. She couldn’t hide the shaking in her hand any longer, so she just hid it behind her back and looked away.

“Perfect Delia has to stay perfect, so she doesn’t let anyone down…” Celeste took a step towards her. Her voice was a venomous hiss. “And my mum too? Can’t disappoint her either, can you? Is this what it’s about? You lost your own mother, so now you’re trying to fill the void by clinging to everyone else’s?”

The room fell into a heavy silence. Delia looked up, her face completely pale.

Celeste’s heart sank.

Shit.

Shit shit shit.

She’d gone too far.

She moved closer, but before she could touch Delia, a jet of water blasted her chest. Shelly, the sweet quiet Shellder, stood protectively in front of her trainer. Furious.

“Delia, I—” Another splash of water cut her off, with Shelly’s shell was wide open, her eyes glaring fiercely. “Sorry… that was… I… damn. Sorry…”

Celeste stumbled towards the door, muttering apologies, each step met with another splash of cold water.

“You get away with too much, Celeste,” Delia finally spoke.

Celeste. Not Cee.

She didn’t have a chance to say anything else. One more blast of Water Gun and the door slammed shut behind her.

—*——*—

Mia’s Bronzong whirled through the air, its metallic body shimmering as it chased the spinning Cryogonal. Celeste watched the battle unfold. She felt dizzy as a Spinda—not just from the Pokémon’s movements, though.

“Battling really does fix everything, huh?” Luan sidled up to her. “Lori’s training hard, and Mia’s out to prove some sort of point—or defend her boat’s honour. Don’t tell her, but she did get this place for cheap from a scrapyard and… You okay?”

Celeste kept her gaze fixed on the battle, a chill running through her as a gust of wind reminded her of her soaking clothes. “I… talked to Delia…”

Celeste’s heart tightened at the sight of his nervous shifting. She hugged herself, wondering what she could possibly say. Should she tell him that Delia was just stringing him along? Or say that instead of apologising to Delia, like she intended, she had blown the situation completely out of proportion? She had spotted a wound and decided to not only rub salt into it, but throw a whole Garganacl at it?

Arceus, she really screwed up this time.

“Luan…” she started, then paused as a loud clanging from the battle rippled through the air. Cryogonal had landed a hit on Bronzong.

Celeste closed her eyes, waiting for the air to be still again. Luan’s Munna floated protectively above, eyeing her with a curious, but wary glance.

What was she going to say?

“Luan… I’m sorry.”

It was that simple. It should’ve always been this simple—no rambling, no avoiding, just facing things head-on.

He looked at her, puzzled. “For what?”

“Battles don’t solve everything.” She gestured toward the clashing Pokémon in the sky. “So, I’m sorry. For teasing you even when it upset you. For meddling, even when you told me to stop. I wasn’t being a good friend.”

Luan’s smile was gentle, and his Munna, though still not fond of Celeste, settled on his head, blowing from its trunk in what might have been a half-hearted approval. Maybe even when you are wrong, you can make it right sometimes?

“I get it… you… can’t help yourself sometimes.” He began. “But I know you mean well—”

“Don’t,” she interrupted, as metal clanged and ice particles rained down around them. “Don’t make excuses for me when I mess up.” She offered a small smile.

“Cee… I… thanks.”

Above them, the battle between Bronzong and Cryogonal wound down, neither Pokémon was declared the winner, but Lori and Mia seemed satisfied as they retreated into the boat.

“Speaking of battles…” Celeste turned to gaze at the ocean. “I really need to figure out how to talk to Pat. Think your psychics could help me out?”

The boat rocked gently, and time marched on. Delia and Celeste remained distant, Mia and Lori continued their bickering, and Luan perfected his pancake recipe. Then, one early morning, Mia woke them early to witness the sunrise shining over the Cinnabar Volcano in breathtaking hues.

They had arrived.

Or had they?