Chapter 72 - Beach Party I

“Nope. Nah-uh. No way!”

Celeste stumbled out of the store faster than a Rapidash at full gallop. Everything around her blurred into a haze. Aria clung to her hair, her paws tugging as Celeste spun from one corridor to the next, searching for the mall’s exit. It was surreal—there was no way the same guy worked at the coast guard post, the hot springs, and the mall.

Her legs moved on autopilot, each step faster than the last.

There… was no way… right?

She eventually came to a halt, her chest heaving. Her eyes dropped to the spotless floor, where the lights created flickering shadows in all directions. Celeste was suddenly aware there was no one else in that part of the mall.

“He... That Jude guy... maybe he just really needs the money?” She stared at her shadow, her voice uncertain. To her astonishment, the shadow seemed to answer her. It moved hesitantly but unmistakably shook its head. Celeste blinked hard, trying to clear her vision, then focused again. The lights flickered, and her breath came in ragged gasps.

A trick of the light. This was all just a trick of the light.

This had to be her imagination going wild because she simply couldn’t handle normal anymore. Yep. Good explanation. She could accept this one. Except... had she been imagining things at the hot springs, too? Her shadow had definitely moved more than a little then. And what about the weird behaviour of everyone in town? Lori skipping the gym just couldn’t be normal.

The gym…

They said Gym Leader Blaine had gone mad. Maybe it was a thing? A contagious thing she caught?

“This part of the mall is closed to visitors.”

Startled, Celeste whirled around. Officer Jenny stood there, her expression unreadable. Celeste forced a dry chuckle, studying the officer. At first glance, there was nothing unusual about her. But then she noticed the policewoman’s eyes didn’t match her smile, and her movements were unnervingly jerky. This Jenny looked so average it was almost creepy.

Surely Celeste was overthinking this. Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy always looked similar, thanks to strong family genes and all that, right? She’d seen countless members of Jenny’s family before. Not too long ago, she’d spent ages staring at Chief Rose Jenny’s face on Four Island. Rose had expression lines, curly and slightly dry hair—similar, yet distinct, to the other members of her family. So why did it unsettle Celeste that this Jenny had a hair colour that was an average of all the others she’d seen? That she was medium height, medium build, with nothing too remarkable? Couldn’t averageness be a characteristic? Maybe the problem was Celeste, unable to see their individuality.

The officer stepped closer. “You seem disturbed, miss,” she said, and with a quick motion, she grabbed Celeste’s shoulders. Despite trying to convince herself everything was fine, Celeste recoiled. “Please, calm down,” the officer insisted. “There’s nothing to worry about. This place is...”

“Don’t you dare say it’s paradise.” Celeste managed to back off. At first, her steps were wobbly, but she soon found strength and broke into a run. The air conditioner’s breeze rippled around her, and out of the corner of her eyes, she once more saw wriggling, black shapes watching her with bulging eyes.

She was losing her mind.

She was totally losing it.

Celeste quickened her pace, hearing voices and pop music in the distance. In seconds, she was back among the teens with the Loudred, then out the exit. As the automatic doors closed behind her and the afternoon warmth enveloped her, she turned to Aria.

“Y-You saw that too, didn’t you?” Aria poked her head out, meeting her trainer’s eyes. Then, with remarkable maturity, she stuck her tongue out and wobbled her head and eyes. “Aria! I’m serious. T-the officer, the shadow, the… the things...”

Celeste could keep talking, but she knew her Eevee wouldn’t listen. And Lori and Delia wouldn’t either. She wasn’t the one catching whatever Blaine had. It made no sense, but it had to be the opposite. Everyone was going mad, and she was sane. Maybe Blaine was the only other sane person here. Everyone else was just...

Argh!

“It’s like a good vibes virus. It’s always sunny in paradise, so nothing matters...” she muttered, and Aria patted her head, snickering. Celeste sighed. “I-It can’t be me that’s going insane…” She rubbed her eyes and turned to the door behind her. “Let’s just wait for Delia out here, okay?”

—*——*—

Celeste collapsed onto one of the beds and closed her eyes.

Despite being in the Pokémon Centre in a fancy neighbourhood, their room was cramped, with just enough space for two bunk beds and a desk. She half-watched Delia carefully unfold her new mermaid-inspired skirt, a dreamy sigh escaping her lips. Delia babbled excitedly about the outfit and the party later on, debating which shirt paired best with her skirt. But for Celeste, the background noises felt more grounding—the squeaky bedsprings as Delia sat down, Aria’s soft paws rummaging through the shopping bags, the faint sound of running water from the bathroom where Lori was taking a bath.

She rubbed her eyes. “Hey, the Nurse Joy working now... do you think it’s the same one from this morning, or do you reckon they work in shifts here?”

Delia tilted her head cutely at Celeste. “Where did that come from?”

“Don’t you think she looks too much like the other nurses we’ve seen before?” Celeste propped herself up on her elbows.

“Well, yeah,” Delia giggled. “That’s kind of their thing, Cee. The people in their family all look very much alike and—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know that,” she muttered. “I… don’t know how to explain it well. It’s like… they’re a blank canvas!” Delia blinked, prompting Celeste to straighten up and continue. “You know how when you ask someone to draw a house, it’s probably going to be two lines and a triangle? It’s this generic idea we have. But even if everyone has that idea, if you ask ten people to draw it, each house will look different because they’re… they’re individuals!”

“The... houses are individuals?”

Celeste slumped again. “No! I mean, yeah? Kind of.” This was not going well. “What I’m trying to say is that Nurse Joy are individuals. And officer Jenny. And men.”

Delia outright laughed at that. “Men are individuals? And here I was thinking I could just pick one from the mindless drones as a boyfriend.” She was terrible at sarcasm. And jokes. “Anyway. I’m thinking blue crop top with the mermaid skirt. Does it fit?”

Groaning, Celeste dropped back onto the bed and stuffed a pillow over her face, muffling a shout.

“Okay. That bad.” Delia sifted through her clothes again. “What about the green one?”

“This is important,” Celeste muttered, sliding the pillow off her face.

“My outfit?” Delia smiled, then, seeing Celeste’s frustration, she finally relented. “Fine. If I pay attention to whatever this is, will you let it go?” She paused. “It’s important to me that you try to enjoy yourself, too. It’s a party. A big party. And ever since we got here, you seem on the verge of a breakdown.” With a softer smile, she added, “Tell me about the individuality of nurses, men, and houses.”

Celeste sighed. “I was going to talk about how some people here, like Jude or Nurse Joy, seem like those two lines and a triangle houses. They fit too perfectly into this idea of what a house—or a Nurse Joy—is supposed to be. But... it’s not just that they lack individuality. There’s something fundamentally wrong with them too... I just can’t really put my finger on what it is…”

Delia simply nodded.

“You really think I’m losing it?” Celeste asked eventually.

“I think you should let loose.”

With a wary smile, Celeste nodded. “Go with the white one.” She pointed to the piles of clothes. “White top feels very… beachy.”

—*——*—

Letting loose. Enjoying the moment. Not being paranoid.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Celeste repeated this mantra to herself throughout the tram ride to the party. By the time they reached their stop, she was convinced. Heck, she was excited. She pictured herself lying on the sand around a bonfire while some people played music and it felt nice.

Because yes, that was her idea of this party—a nice little luau.

Honestly? The flyers and the Loudred should’ve given her more perspective.

Because by Lugia’s feathers, this wasn’t a luau.

“Is this a... rave?” Celeste shouted over the pounding music. Synthesisers blasted, and the metallic bass reverberated through her chest like a second heartbeat. Concrete turned to gravel under her feet as they left the tram stop, and the ocean breeze mingled with the scent of sweat and spilled drinks. The sky and the moon above were obscured by strobe lights shooting high enough for Rayquaza to see. “Is it wrong that I’m actually excited about this?”

Delia laughed, grabbing her hands. “It’d be wrong if you weren’t.”

In moments, the girls and Aria—because there was no way Celeste’s Eevee would miss a party—were greeted by a group of hyper teens armed with glow sticks and neon paint. Their shouts barely pierced the throbbing beat. Worry melted into a memory, and laughter came easily as Aria made stars burst around her, shimmering over the splatters of red and neon blue paint on her face.

“Drinks?” Lori’s call came as a surprise. Her smile was smooth as she grabbed a plastic cup from a nearby table. “Wait, are you girls old enough to...?” She shook her head, letting the bouncing lights frame her face. For once, she’d forgone her glasses in favour of contacts, and her crimson eyes popped. “Actually, I’m not playing mother here. I know you two can be responsible while I find people my own age for once.”

With a giggle and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, Delia waited for Lori to vanish into the crowd before grabbing two cups. “I did say you needed to loosen up, didn’t I?”

Celeste took the cup. She didn’t know what was in there, but she guessed the flavour was blue. She was more than aware she was the youngest of the bunch, but felt the need to hide her grimace as she sipped the beverage. “I’ve had alcohol before, you know?” she said, extending a hand for Aria to climb back on. “... Once.”

Delia’s drink, a pink version of whatever Celeste was having, swirled in her cup before she took a sip. “I haven’t,” she admitted, gesturing for them to move to the actual beach, where the DJ booth towered above the crowd, and the Loudred from earlier was completely losing it to the beat. “Spencer offered me beer once, but I’m... too stuck up. Figured the professor would be disappointed in me if I drank it, so I said no.”

Dancing bodies jumped and swayed, and Celeste felt her movements instinctively matching the rhythm as they navigated the throng of people. The crowd was a living, breathing entity, pulsating with the music’s beat, and she found herself weaving through it effortlessly. The whiff of something sweet and smoky flooded her senses as they pushed forward. Delia paused by a Magmar performing fire tricks, sipping her drink while they watched the show. Warmth and applause echoed in the air as the Magmar shaped the flames. The forms of DJ Loudred and Moltres seemed to be the big hits.

“You talk about him a lot,” Celeste eventually said, gulping another mouthful of the sweet blue liquid. “This Spencer guy.”

Delia gave her a side-eye. “You talk a lot about your friend Diantha. And also that Lyra girl, but I don’t get the impression you’re friends.”

“We were…” Celeste muttered, and maybe emboldened by her drink, added, “Ours is not the only friendship my impulsivity broke.” Delia raised an eyebrow, taking another sip of hers. Celeste matched her moves. “Lyra’s the worst, though. She made sure my last years in school were lonely as heck. Just this one kid—ReiRei would hang with me. Probably because everyone thought he was a weirdo, too.”

The music changed, and Delia began to dance. “So you went out into the world with your parents and decided your next friend was going to be freaking Diantha?”

Celeste almost snorted her beverage through her nose. Her cup was getting empty. “I actually went out into the world with my parents, thinking they could be my best friends. But… like that would’ve ever worked… I was still getting the hang of things when they enrolled me in media training class in Kalos. Anthy… I mean Diantha, she was the only other kid there, and she was as bored as I was. We bonded. So… Spencer?”

“Is not a teen, for starters,” Delia said. Somehow, two more cups appeared in her friend’s hand, and she handed Celeste the blue drink again. “Professor Oak doesn’t get many students, but he gets a few. Like...”

“Spencer,” they both said together. “So... crush?”

Yep. One cup of that blue sweet whatever was enough for Celeste to go there again. Delia laughed loudly at that, so no harm in meddling… this time.

“Spencer’s too old for me, Cee,” she said. “How come it’s always my love life on your mind? You’re a year younger, but you’ve apparently been to parties like this, had alcohol, done it all. Tell me about it.”

Celeste laughed and then clung to the drink closer to her chest as she began dancing. “Well... I do know Diantha.” She decided to play coy and cool, but maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the weight of everything else. She didn’t feel like being cagey and mysterious. “We were quick friends and... Anthy, believe it or not, she’s a lot like you. Responsible. Mature for her age. All that. See, after the media training thing, we kept bumping into each other around the world and we never lost touch. As you can imagine, my parents weren’t the best friends I was looking for, and... she was there for me whenever I needed someone to talk to.”

Celeste stopped and smiled, then tried her best to mimic Diantha’s accent. “Darling, you need to step off their shadows and be your own person.” She lifted her index finger, as Anthy would often do. “Meet people, enjoy la vie, find your dreams and follow them.”

Delia stared, somewhat in disbelief. “That’s supposed to be Diantha?”

“With creative liberties, yes.” Celeste nodded. “Her idea of me meeting people was taking me to the parties she felt she needed to attend but didn’t want to be alone at. It was supposed to be good for both of us. Thing is, most of the times we met, we weren’t in Lumiose or Hammerlocke, so we always ended up meeting the upstarts from Levincia or wherever. Trust me, the novelty of trying to figure out if some rando is really wearing a Magnemite on her hair gets old pretty fast.”

“Magnemite in her hair?” Delia tried. “I swear, sometimes you make no sense at all.”

“It was a whole thing. I don’t think it was even a real Magnemite. You had to be there, anyway.” Celeste shrugged. Her head was getting hazier. “Moral of the story is, parties are weird, and we always ended up locked in the bathroom trying to calm Affy down. Or... is that a moral?”

Delia danced a little more, and Celeste did too. With every sip of her blue drink, the world spun a bit more, but... actually, no buts this time. She needed to let loose, like Delia said. After she finished the second cup, the blue sweetness didn’t even taste bad anymore. She felt her feet moving up and down, and Aria was in a complete vibe over her head. At some point, Delia brought up more questions about Diantha, seemingly delighted with the comparisons Celeste was drawing between them.

Celeste told Delia about how Diantha gave her Kalosian wine when she visited her on a movie set once. She told her that Diantha actually hated all the attention. She told her Affy was her Ralts, who felt things even from inside her pokéball and was the reason they always ended up locked in the bathroom during parties, calming down the little empath. But... hic... it was a secret Diantha even trained a Pokémon. So... uh...

“Don’t go around telling anyone about that, Delia,” Celeste said when she realised she had spoken too much. “Uh… Delia?” She looked around for her friend. Oh well. She shrugged, grinning at Aria. “Do you want to try limbo with Magmar’s fire?”

—*——*—

People laughed, music boomed, and neon lights flared.

Celeste had no idea where Delia had gone, but she and Aria were having the time of their lives. At some point, they’d moved just beneath the DJ’s booth, and Celeste let the music rattle her very bones.

“I’m good, yeah, I’m feelin’ alright

Baby, I’ma have the best fuckin’ night of my life”

She grinned, shouting the lyrics with the sea of people around her. Her head was spinning, her feet barely touching the ground. This was fun. She could forget all her troubles, let the music and movement take over.

“And wherever it takes me, I’m down for the ride

Baby, don’t you know I’m good? Yeah, I’m feelin’ alright”

She closed her eyes. Celeste was feeling alright. She was feeling fucking alright, with every problem banished to the back of her mind. Aria jumped at her feet, and when Celeste caught sight of her again, a crowd had formed, cheering for whatever the little Eevee was doing. Celeste laughed.

“’Cause I’m good, yeah, I’m feelin’ alright”

She shouted with the crowd.

“Baby, I’ma have the best fuckin’ night of my life”

Celeste didn’t know when she closed her eyes, but when she opened them again, the cutest boy had come closer to her. Bright smile, broad shoulders, smooth voice. Well, probably a smooth voice—she couldn’t really hear him over the music. She smiled flirtatiously at him, enjoying focusing on her own feelings for once.

“And wherever it takes me, I’m down for the ride

Baby, don’t you know I’m good? Yeah, I’m feelin’ alright

I’m good, yeah, I’m feelin’ alright”

Celeste spun around. The boy had vanished. When she caught glimpses of her surroundings, she and Aria were dancing with the Magmar. She and Aria were singing at the top of her lungs. A girl with carrot-coloured curls and an even cuter smile offered her a drink. Celeste took her for a dance, flirting with her whole body this time.

“Baby, I’ma have the best fuckin’ night of my life

And wherever it takes me, I’m down for the ride

Baby, don’t you know I’m good? Yeah, I’m feelin’ alright”

The carrot-haired girl kissed her goodbye. Or was it the broad-shouldered boy? Maybe she should stop drinking. Maybe she shouldn’t. It was so much easier to forget all her troubles when her head spun and her legs made her bounce towards the celestial bodies above.

“’Cause I’m good, yeah, I’m feelin’ alright

Baby, I’ma have the best fuckin’ night of my life”

Aria called the Magmar back. It made an Eevee with its fire, and Celeste squealed in delight. She kept on moving. Up and down, side to side, around and around, she went. The Magmar’s flames danced with her. It was all so pretty. So spinny.

She giggled.

Spinny, spinny, spinny.

Maybe a little too spinny?

Her knees buckled.

“And wherever it takes me, I’m down for the ride”

She closed her eyes, but that didn’t help the spinning. When she opened them again, the entire beach was turning upside down. She saw the wriggly things she wanted to forget—squirming, moving, creating brighter colours than the neon. Twig-like, big-eyed, drinking in the ecstasy of the crowd.

Heh, they were funny up close.

She blinked hard, swaying her whole self for no reason at all. They were still there when her vision refocused. So many. A… B… C… she began counting. Wait, these are not how numbers go.

She felt a tug in her leg.

Her shadow didn’t seem to be dancing with her. That was odd.

Not that she was paying mind to shadows and wriggly things. Heck, she wasn’t even going to pay attention to legendary ice birds that said she was wrongness. Simply put, she wasn’t thinking of any of that. She just wanted her head to spin and be hazy while she danced and had fun.

She wanted to let go.

To let loose.

Celeste tried to stand up. To jump up. She wanted to high-five Rayquaza and let the motion turn into song in her lungs.

“Baby, don’t you know I’m good? Yeah, I’m feelin’ alright.”

She shouted with the beat, but when her feet touched the ground again, it all turned black.