Cee
> Hey mum and dad,
>
> I made it to Cinnabar, safe and sound. The word I keep hearing about this place is that it’s paradise. Not paradise like Alola, but… it’s something.
>
> Actually, it’s more than just something.
>
> It got me thinking. About history and all.
>
> I know you’re busy with your Crown Tundra expedition, but do you know of any myths from here? Maybe something Cinnabar specifically? Or some creature that might be interested in this place? Like evil spirits or gods disguised as super incredibly regular people?
>
> I’m VERY curious about the local folklore.
>
> Hope the expedition’s going well. I look forward to your reply.
Sent Nov 22nd, 9AM
Celeste stared at the message on her phone. “I look forward to your reply,” she muttered. “The hell was I thinking?” Her eyes turned to the date below the text. The message hadn’t been delivered yet. “Aria, do you think it looks more suspicious if I leave it or delete it and they see I deleted it?”
She held her phone towards her Eevee, who simply snorted. Obviously. Eevee couldn’t read.
“Come on, you can still help,” she tried with a smile. “I’ll read it to you, and you can tell me if I sound weird, especially the ‘safe and sound’ bit.”
Aria rolled onto her back and let out a loud yawn.
“You’re impossible sometimes, you know that?” Celeste sighed, glancing at the video phone next to her. Her parents were probably deep in the Crown Tundra by now, with barely any reception. A little village and a whole lot of nothing wasn’t exactly great for signal after all. Maybe she could talk to someone else about this so-called paradise, though?
She dialled Mia’s boat phone number and watched the ringing icon spin on the screen. Luan was great for venting. Plus, they should be in Vermilion by now. She also wanted to make sure they got there okay… and, you know, not caught by a Dhelmise.
A minute of ringing, but no answer. She tried calling Luan directly—still no luck.
With Aria in a mood, Celeste looked to her other Pokémon. Pat was laying by her feet and Powder was further away, hopping between light-coloured tiles in her version of the floor is lava. Celeste smiled at Pat. “Who else do I know?” she asked him.
Pat swished his tail lazily, giving her a long blink. If only you could talk back, she thought as loudly as she could, staring into his eyes, but it was just her own thoughts that echoed back in her mind.
She picked up her mobile again, half-worried about Luan and half-annoyed at having no one to talk to. Her thumb scrolled through her contacts. Diantha, maybe? Celeste snorted. They’d been texting lately, but if anyone would tell her she was imagining things, it was Anthy.
D, E, F… she scrolled down. L, M… Mia; Mum; Nurse Joy; Nurse Joy 2; Nurse Joy 3; Nurse Joy Broken Wrist; Nurse Joy Vermilion (Geodude);
“Why do I have so many Nurse Joys in my contacts?” Celeste murmured, glancing warily around the Pokémon Centre. She remembered the Nurse Joy on Four Island had dyed her hair blue, and one in Alola had her nose pierced. The Joy in Vermilion was super tall, and the one she just met on Two Island seemed bulky under her uniform. All different. All filled with life and personality. None as… plain as this one. Just like average Jude…
Celeste shook her head. She needed to talk to someone, or she’d spiral into the Raboot hole she did when she left the Hot Springs and got completely ignored by Lori and Delia yesterday.
She scrolled further down the contacts. Oak Labs (Delia?); Olga; Opal. That was it.
“Hello Auntie, just got to Cinnabar,” she spoke as she typed. “People are saying the Gym Leader here’s gone mad. Do you know him? And… send.”
Celeste smiled at the text. This one didn’t seem suspicious, so… victory? She checked the time and date again. Still not delivered. Opal could be sleeping. Maybe she should talk to someone in the same time zone? She scrolled to the letter R.
“Actually, is Hoenn in the same time zone?” she asked Aria, who smirked. “What? It’s either Rey or Surge or Topaz, and Rey’s first alphabetically. Plus, I haven’t talked to Surge since Vermilion, so… that’d be awkward.”
Aria kept staring, clearly indifferent to her choice. Well, whatever.
“How’s the Ralts thing going? Given up already?” Celeste typed. Maybe provoking Rey would get a quick response. She pressed send, but again, not delivered. Annoyed, she tried actually calling him. That’d probably annoy him even more. No answer… Again. “Hmm… he was going off-route, so… spotty signal?”
None of her Pokémon seemed inclined to answer, and desperate for a conversation, Celeste turned to her Eevee one more time, hoping for a reaction.
“Hey, remember Affy?” she almost held her breath as Aria’s ears perked up. “Can you imagine Rey with a Ralts like her?”
Aria snickered.
“Hey, Ralts can be strong… I think. Plus, who knows? Neither of us were into battling when we last met Affy. Maybe she’d beat you?” Celeste teased, but Aria just giggled and rolled over again. “Seriously?” Celeste grumbled, defeated. “Let’s just go train already.”
—*——*—
The dream journal—turned battle notebook, turned place to jot down whatever—lay open in the middle of the Pokémon Centre’s training court.
At the top of the page, scribbled in large, urgent letters, were the words Celeste couldn’t shake from her mind:
Bug, ghost, dark.
Why did that matter so much? She had no clue, but every time her eyes scanned “ghost,” she made a point of not looking at her own shadow. It behaved normally now, but… weird things often happened to her.
Below that was something much more sensible. A training plan for the day:
—
Aria:
* Train Dark Swift.
* Test Dark Sand Attack.
* Keep expectations low: despite what she says, she’s an Eevee not a TTar.
Powder:
* Platforms.
* Mock battle with Aria - Test Disable.
Pat:
* Figure out their “Rhythm”.
—
Celeste skimmed through the plan again.
In the past few days on Mia’s boat, she’d really sharpened her training routine. Unlike Lori’s rigid exercises, she found joy in waking up and making something up based on her and her team’s mood rather than sticking to a fixed schedule. Usually, they started with a warm up, which Celeste joined—because she needed to be fit for the next time she had to run from a Legendary—and then drilling moves they knew.
Next, it’d be time for fun. If she was going to make spontaneity and creativity her battle style, then training just had to be a game. Some big hits for her team so far included “Tag, but only with ranged moves” and “arts and crafts with water and ice.” The slightly modified, “arts and crafts, but you’re being attacked by a Tyranitar (played by an Eevee who loved to Bite)” had mixed results. Positive because turns out destroying your ice castle is punishable by Disable, leading Pat and Powder to team up and disable Aria’s every move. Negative because Aria spent the entire day sulking, being the only one on the team who didn’t know Disable.
Finally, Celeste would set aside time for one-on-one training with Pat. Bruno had said they were out of sync, and she was determined to fix that. It might be a bad move to focus on his psychic side rather than water before challenging the Fire-type gym. But Bruno was right about one thing. No Gym Leader would let her win by just spamming Water Gun without countering.
They had to figure this out.
To deal with psychic matters, she’d enlisted Luan (who made a point of saying he was not a type specialist) and Lulu and they’d tried teaching Pat Confusion. The Lunatone had demonstrated the move, explained it, even zapped Pat with it repeatedly. Yet, all they’d got for the efforts were light object pushes and some furious blinking. When that had failed, they’d attempted a “shared mind link.” After the initial scare of hearing Lulu’s creepy voice in her head, Celeste’d excitedly tried talking to Pat.
Except it hadn’t worked either. Not even with Lulu’s help.
In the end, Lulu had theorised Slowpoke worked on a different frequency, or something, and while Pat clearly wanted to connect, they seemed to be on different bandwidths. Celeste’d ignored most of that, though, focusing on the fact Pat wanted to make it work instead. If they both wanted it enough, they’d push through whatever hurdle this was.
“So, let’s go over today’s plan,” Celeste clapped her hands, calling her Pokémon closer to her notebook. The battle court behind the centre was empty, and that was a perfect opportunity to use the space. Aria was making progress with Dark Swift and she wanted to try infusing dark energy into Sand Attack. She wasn’t sure if it would retain the Ground-type advantage against Fire, or if an Eevee could even do it, but… Tyranitar could… So… worth a shot? “Pat, start by practising making some water, and Powder can warm up by freezing it. Heh. Come on, Aria, let’s try your thing.”
Celeste smiled, satisfied with her budding training skills, as she led her Eevee away from the others. The sunlight shone brightly on paradise, and every colour around her was unnaturally vivid. From the battle court, they could see the path down to the mansions and the glimmering ocean in the distance. Maybe after lunch they could register for the gym and do some exploring. Maybe go to the beach as a reward.
Man, she was nailing this being responsible thing.
But first things first.
“Alright, Aria, let’s see that Dark Sand Attack,” Celeste called.
And that’s when things started derailing.
Aria wagged her tail lazily, then smirked and let out a yawn worthy of her Slowpoke.
Stifling a groan, Celeste tried explaining the move again. “You spit the dark thingies into the sand and see if it sticks,” she said, grabbing a handful of dirt. The Eevee tilted her head. Wasn’t she getting it? Celeste tried again, as slowly as she would explain stuff to Pat. Aria simply blinked, mimicking him perfectly. “Like that!” Losing her cool, she tried a ghostly sound, the closest thing to dark she could think of. And somehow she thought she should finish demonstrating by spitting into the sand.
Aria collapsed in laughter.
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Of course.
“You’re not training today, are you?” Celeste grumbled, recalling Aria’s unhelpfulness earlier. She smirked, trying to bait her. “So… you finally admit you’re not as good as a Tyranitar?”
She must have looked really pathetic, from the way Aria giggled. Still, Celeste went on.
“Bet Blaine has a Flareon that’s waaay stronger than you too,” she tried to maintain the smirk. Aria just snorted, rolling in the dirt, paws splayed lazily. “Whatever,” Celeste finally dropped it. “I’ll be training with the others if you decide not to be useless all day.”
When she turned to her other Pokémon, hoping to get something done, she was shocked to see not even Powder—obedient, focused little Powder—was doing as instructed. Unlike Aria, she was training at least, just not the right task. Instead of her control over the cold, or her speed, the little Vulpix had made a clumsy target and was perfectly hitting Ice Shard after Ice Shard in the middle. Powder really didn’t need to do target practise. When Celeste tried to tell her that, she giggled, puffing out snow, and then continued doing her own thing.
At least Pat was doing Water Gun.
Her eyes twitched a little when he looked at her and tilted his head. Cutely, and… slowpokishly.
Will you talk to me or just make this day more frustrating?
Celeste stared at him—and got nothing. Obviously.
She plopped down and groaned. “What’s wrong with this island?” Above, the overly bright and sunny sky seemed to ripple like a mirage. She looked up, and for a moment she thought she saw a tiny black shape floating against the light, but when she blinked… it was gone.
Just… Just a trick of the light.
—*——*—
Celeste crossed the Pokémon Centre’s empty corridors, her footsteps silenced by the cinnabar-red carpets dotting the place. By now, she was sure they were the only ones staying there. No sound came from any room, and she hadn’t crossed paths with another trainer since they arrived. Not in the corridors, not in the cafeteria, not even in the lobby. Heck, she’d barely seen Nurse Joy herself—not that she was complaining, since this one gave her the creeps.
“Maybe that’s what sets this one apart. Being creepy,” Celeste muttered, turning yet another corner and feeling her irritation grow. The entire centre was empty, yet she, Delia, and Lori were crammed into the very last room in the long third-floor corridor. If not separate rooms, they could have at least been put somewhere more convenient.
As if anything in Cinnabar was convenient.
After her training session—or lack thereof—Celeste recalled all her Pokémon and stormed out of the battle court, convinced that Cinnabar Island was designed to annoy her.
Stopping by her door, she noticed a light bulb flickering and her shadow flashing with it. Nothing out of the ordinary, really. The shadow’s movements matched her own, and it hadn’t sprouted eyes or anything like that. With deliberate movements, she watched the projection of her fingertips reach for the doorknob until her hand touched the metal. Again, nothing unusual. This was how shadows were supposed to work, after all.
Had the creature left when she told it to go away? Or was it lurking out of view? Maybe it was shy, or maybe she was actually losing her mind?
She pushed the thoughts aside as she entered the room. Delia was there, acting completely out of character. Still in her pyjamas, she lounged on the bed, flipping through a magazine.
Celeste looked around, noting that for the first time ever, their room was a mess. It was oddly comforting not to see Delia obsessively cleaning up after her. “Where’s Lori?” she asked, throwing her stuff onto the desk. “Figured we could have lunch and then gym?”
Delia barely lifted her eyes. “She said she was going to the beach.”
“Seriously? Is she training there?”
Delia rested the magazine on her chest and laid back comfortably. “Dunno. But the weather’s perfect for the beach.” She gestured to the windows. “I’d go, but…” she yawned. “Felt like sleeping in. A bit of R&R before the party tonight sounded delightful.”
“The… party?” Celeste scanned the room, finding the beach party flyers they’d got from other centres. Were they actually going there?
She rubbed her neck. Celeste wasn’t in a party mood, but… Delia’s sudden shift in attitude towards her was still surprising. She didn’t want to ruin whatever fragile understanding they’d reached, so playing nice seemed the best option.
Casually, she leaned back on the desk and glanced at the magazine. “What’re you reading?” The words tumbled out.
Delia tossed it to her. Kanto Weekly, issue 389, October 28th. “You’re reading a month-old gossip magazine?” Celeste muttered, noting Diantha on the cover with a Primarina. Anthy had been filming a mermaid movie in the summer, though, so maybe it wasn’t that out of date?
“Couldn’t find anything new.” Delia propped herself up on the bed. “Flip to the clothes section, towards the end.”
Celeste skimmed through the pages but ended up at a feature piece promoting Diantha’s movie, set to premiere at the…
“Hey, did Olga mention anything about the Viridian Biennale? It’s the same date as her shop opening there.”
Delia got up and, completely ignoring the question, flipped to the outfits page, where Diantha posed in a bunch of mermaid-inspired looks. Smiling way too brightly, she pointed to an asymmetrical skirt that cascaded in layers, all covered in this pretty marine green material that shimmered like fish scales.
“They have this one at the mall,” she said. “I wanna look pretty at the beach party. Let’s go shopping!”
Celeste raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you and Lori go yesterday?”
“Lori dresses like a secretary,” Delia pouted. “Come on, I want to shop with my best friend.”
Best… friend…?
“I… guess I can’t say no to that.” Celeste let out a nervous giggle. Weren’t they planning to go their separate ways just two days ago? She pointed to another outfit from the same store. “Look at this one, too. Diantha’s a little shorter, but you’ve kind of got the same body type. It’d look great on you.”
Delia almost squealed. “I have the same body type as Diantha?” She beamed like a little fireball. “Everything looks so good on her.” She twirled towards the bathroom, holding a summer dress. Celeste tried to suggest going to the gym first, but Delia wasn’t listening anymore. Still, she paused at the door, a little thoughtful. “Olga said she’d pushed her store opening to February because of the Biennale,” she said. “In her words, to capitalise on the rich snobs that will be in town.”
Celeste smirked. According to the magazine, Diantha would be one of those rich snobs. Anthy would hate being called a snob. “Sounds like Olga.”
Delia giggled. “Sounds grouchy, if you ask me.”
As the door closed behind her friend, all Celeste could think was, who are you and what did you do with Delia? She joined in the laughter. But the sound coming out of her was way more nervous than it had any right to be.
—*——*—
They came to an agreement: find Lori at the beach, register at the gym, and then have a late lunch at the mall. Celeste hummed with excitement, repeating over and over that she was finally registering for a gym battle. She should probably mention that they still needed to visit Cinnabar Labs and also to collect Delia’s ash samples, but she didn’t want to spoil the good mood.
Actually, while waiting for Delia to get ready, Celeste went a step beyond. She decided all her problems and worries were just a product of her imagination. Since she was in paradise, she might as well enjoy it like everyone else. As they headed to the back of the Pokémon Centre, she let Aria out, giggling when her Eevee happily settled on her head.
“I know everyone keeps saying it, but this place is so pretty,” she said as they walked along the mansion-lined path. The roads were spotless, and vibrant flowers bloomed out of season. Her mind itched to focus on the out of season blooms, but she forced herself to enjoy their beauty instead. “Have you ever seen roses this red?” she asked Aria, flashing the biggest smile she could muster.
They continued down the empty roads, and the houses grew grander and more ornate. Hidden behind fences, lush gardens boasted living grass sculptures of abstract forms and Pokémon. It was weird not to see gardeners or residents enjoying the day. But… whatever.
“Super rich people sometimes build the tackiest houses just because they can,” Celeste joked, passing a brutalist white mansion with glass windows that seemed completely out of place in Cinnabar. She made jokes about each thing she thought was in bad taste, and Delia actually laughed, joining in. As they moved further, modern mansions gave way to historical buildings. Glass and concrete became red bricks and volcanic rock, boxy shapes turning into detailed constructions.
Eventually, they stopped at a tall iron gate with intricate helix patterns. The gate was a work of art, but the house behind it was even more stunning. Celeste knew little about architecture, but she told Delia the style was gothic, with stained glass windows and a small tower rising from the side of a large balcony. Over the porch lay a large door with…
“There’s someone around!”
It was silly to be so excited about seeing people, but Celeste found herself skipping to the side of the iron bars, where a young girl played with Pokémon in the garden.
“It’s nice to know this part of the island isn’t completely deserted,” she smiled widely. Her grin grew wider when she saw the Pokémon. “Hey, you have a Scorbunny!”
The little girl startled, and the Scorbunny leaped from a tiny chair, landing in front of her with smoke puffing off its feet.
“I-Is everything okay, miss?” The girl took a step back, and Celeste could see her eyes darting to her house behind.
Aria snorted, and Celeste interpreted it as a warning about stranger danger… They were probably the stranger in this case.
Celeste laughed, rubbing her head. “Sorry. Been having a weird day, and this place is so empty… It’s just so nice to see someone else.”
The little girl said nothing, just nudged closer to her Scorbunny. Celeste let her eyes wander. There was a Skitty sleeping beneath a chair and two other Pokémon hovering curiously above a small garden table. The table was tall enough for a six-year-old—seven, tops. A big pitcher, several teacups, and biscuits sat on the table, which Celeste thought was kind of fitting. After all, she recognised one of the hovering Pokémon as a Sinistea.
“Hey, I’ve never seen that Pokémon before,” Celeste pointed to the creature floating beside the Sinistea. It looked a bit like Sinistea, but the cup was wooden, with a little green creature inside. When the girl didn’t answer and Aria snorted again, Celeste tried another approach. She knelt by the iron bars and smiled more softly. “Some people say Scorbunny and Sinistea come from the same place I do. Galar. Ever hear of it?”
The girl’s eyes glimmered. “Blainie said that’s where Whitey came from. F-From Why-don.”
Celeste blinked. Did she mean Blainie as in… Gym Leader Blaine? “Wyndon. It’s the biggest city ever.” She opened her arms wide to emphasise the size. “Nice to meet you, Whitey,” she turned to the bunny with a grin. “I’m Celeste, and this is my partner, Aria. And… over there is my friend Delia. I think she’s never seen a Scorbunny before. Can you believe it?” She cupped her mouth, pretending to share a secret.
The girl let out a shy smile, her shoulders relaxing, just a bit. “I’m Amber,” she introduced herself politely. “I’m having a tea party with my friends.” She pointed to the Skitty. “That’s Cheshire,” and then to the teacup Pokémon, “Sinistea is Tweedledee, and the other is a Sinistcha, called Tweedledum.”
Celeste’s smile grew at those names. “Curious and curiouser,” she said.
Amber clearly liked the response, as she moved in closer, stopping just before the iron bars. Her voice was low, and her cheeks red. “I… would very much like if we could have tea together, Miss Celeste.”
She waited, almost as if expecting something to happen. Celeste tapped the bars, showing her new friend that they were in separate worlds for now.
“Maybe ask your parents if it’s okay for me to come along first? I’m staying at the Centre nearby, and I’d be delighted to have a tea party with you any day.” Celeste stood up, searching her mind for a quote from one of her favourite books when she was a little child. She remembered cats with impossible grins and lonely summer days, when she slipped away from Opal to explore the Glimwood Tangle. Among the bright mushrooms, she always hoped to see smoking Caterpie and find potions to make her big as Dynamaxed Pokémon. She winked at little Amber. “Maybe… then we can talk about books? And about shoes… and ships… and of cabbages and kings.”
She probably messed the quote up, but her heart fluttered when Amber laughed.
“I’ll come back later,” Celeste waved.
Amber waved back. “I’ll be waiting.”
How wonderful was it to finally meet someone normal in this town.
—*——*—
“…since my parents were always travelling, Opal often had to babysit me. I didn’t know anyone in Ballonlea, so I ended up exploring. Or reading, when she caught me exploring. My favourite book was—Huh, is that Lori?”
Delia wasn’t really interested in Celeste’s explanation of why she liked that little girl, but she kept on talking as they made it through the last stretch of road before the beach where Lori was training. As soon as they stepped onto the white sand, they spotted their friend sunbathing. Her Pokémon were scattered around, some swimming, others lounging… Absolutely none training.
Maybe relaxing before a big battle was a good strategy?
Celeste convinced herself this was all part of Lori’s plan as she approached her, suggesting they register at the gym before lunch. Lori’s response, though… it was harder to excuse.
“What do you mean you don’t think we should register at the gym today?” Celeste almost shouted.
Lori waved a hand dismissively. “It’s on the other side of town. Seems like a hassle.”
“But…” Celeste thought of Lori’s single-minded focus on the gym for the past few weeks, how many times she repeated it was about to close for the holidays, and her insistence that she was doomed if she didn’t battle this year. “But… your badge?”
Celeste was really drawing blanks now. But Lori simply waved them around again, mumbling something about enjoying the out-of-season summer.
“So… can we skip straight to the mall?” Delia bent forward, giggling.
Yeah… enjoy summer… mall… nothing strange about any of that…
—*——*—
Thank Arceus the mall wasn’t as empty as everywhere else.
After Lori’s recent antics, it was getting harder to ignore the weirdness of Cinnabar. If this mall had been as deserted as the part of town she was staying, she was sure she’d have lost it. But the mall was bustling. People smiled, talked, and went about their day.
Celeste found comfort in the colourful store displays, giggling with Delia when a couple with a Magby in a stroller passed by. In the central plaza, near a big fountain, a group of teens with a Loudred (was it the same one from before?) played music while handing out flyers for the beach party. They seemed more like they were hanging out and goofing off with friends than working.
“Viridian had it all, you know?” Delia was saying, recounting the few months she spent on her Pokémon journey. “I felt like I could find everything I wanted in the big city—stores, cafés, parties. And people! So many different faces. Back at my mother’s restaurant, all I saw were the same faces, day in and day out.”
Celeste cringed at the mention of Delia’s mother, fearing that as soon as Delia remembered their argument a few days back, it would shatter their fragile peace. But Delia continued talking, even humming along when the teens with the Loudred played a song she liked.
“It’ll be so fun at the party. We can dance and meet people. Maybe there’ll even be boys there!” Delia chattered on, even when Celeste turned to her, agape. No mention of Luan or their argument—just pure excitement. “There’s the store!”
Before Celeste could say anything, she was being dragged inside.
“In Pallet, there’s only one clothing store: hand-sewn farm chic by Mrs Moreton,” Delia continued as she sifted through the clothes. “Parties are rare. We only get the odd hay maze during harvest festivals.” Even when they were trying on a bunch of outfits, Delia kept circling back. “And a mall, with so many stores and people. Did you know Pallet just has one shopping street?”
“Delia,” Celeste began cautiously as she placed her selections in a basket. “I… I’m sorry if this is overstepping. But… uh… I’m getting the feeling you don’t want to go back to Pallet?”
Delia walked gingerly toward the cashier. “Hell no. I really want to go to Viridian and work with Olga there.”
“So… you decided?” Celeste asked, placing her basket on the counter. Before Delia could answer, a voice came from behind the register.
“Cash or card?”
Celeste’s heart quickened, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. The cashier was a man—not too tall, not too short, tanned, but not much… He had the face of the most average person in the world, not a single feature standing out.
“J-Jude?”