Chapter 73 - Beach Party II

“I must be really drunk.”

This one clear thought cut through the fog in Celeste’s mind like thunder parting the clouds. The lights around her vanished, the music faded into silence. Inebriation morphed into a dizzying vertigo, and she felt as if she were being yanked in every direction. She knew she was falling, even though there was no wind against her cheeks. And the sweetness of her breath was the only thing convincing her she wasn’t suffocating.

Time became a blur—an instant, an eternity, Celeste didn’t know. Then, moonlight seeped through her eyelids. Her senses sharpened one by one. Gentle waves lapped at her knees, and soft grains of sand sifted through her fingers. She inhaled the salty breeze deeply, but her stomach churned violently. She turned to the side and retched, then hastily covered the mess with sand, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“Ugh. Now I get why Diantha never let me drink at those parties.” Celeste grumbled, wiping her mouth. “Aria, do you think—” She turned around, stumbling in the waves. “Aria?”

She tried to stand, but her legs gave out, and she face-planted into the cold water. The shock jolted her, bringing clarity. As she struggled to her elbows, she met her Eevee’s wide-eyed stare, filled with panic and concern.

“I… don’t know what happened, but I’m fine…” Celeste’s words slurred from her mouth, but Aria remained tense. “A-are you okay?”

Reaching out for her Pokémon, Celeste noticed a shadow cast by the moonlight beneath them. It formed a dark, gaping hole, and Aria’s paws seemed sunken within it. With a desperate lunge, Celeste pulled Aria away from the shadow. Her Eevee hissed and barked at the sudden motion, but as soon as she was out, she relaxed, and the hole beneath them disappeared back into Celeste’s own form. Aria’s eyelids dropped, and she let out a giggle as if everything was normal.

For a moment, Celeste considered what might have happened if she left Aria there in the shadow… she was in shock while it touched her… and now she was happy… Happy was better… right? Celeste wanted her Pokémon to be happy…

Determined, she shook doubt away, and planted one foot firmly in the sand, then the other. Standing, she took in her surroundings. The bass from the beach party throbbed faintly in the distance, and lights danced on the horizon. Carefully, she felt her way to the sidewalk, cradling Aria in her arms to make sure she was truly okay.

The walk back would take a while, so she might as well get started.

—*——*—

“Did you know Cinnabar is also known as the ‘Fiery Town of Burning Desire’?” Celeste murmured, scratching her Eevee’s ear. Aria stretched lazily in her arms, tilting her head for more attention.

As they walked, the sidewalks filled with people. Despite the ocean breeze clearing her head, Celeste still felt disoriented, and LED bracelets left persistent trails in her vision. Maybe she should eat something? Drink some water? Her stomach churned and grumbled, and she was really unsure of how to make it go away.

“You know, at first glance, I thought these people were really living up to that,” Celeste muttered, watching the crowd. “Burning desire and all.”

She paused, taking a deep breath. A plastic cup lay at her feet, dripping remnants of a spilled drink. It was the first piece of litter she’d seen on the island, the first crack in this illusion of paradise she ever managed to catch.

She kicked the cup away, letting her shoulders slump. “But paradise is such a vague idea… everyone has a different idea of it,” she murmured, pursing her lips. “People should be able to see the cracks, right? Nowhere’s perfect.”

She turned back to pick up the cup, only to find it had vanished. Her eyes scanned the sidewalk. No one was cleaning up, but everything was absolutely spotless.

Frustration welled up. “That’s what I don’t get about this place. I’ve tried over and over again just having fun without worrying, but it never works. Not for real. There’s fun and ignoring stuff, but there’s also work and the messes life throws at you. Life’s like an Electrode, always ready to explode.” She sighed, bringing Aria closer, and the Eevee quivered her ears. “You think there’s nothing to worry about, huh? Even though we’ve somehow teleported to the other side of the beach with no explanation?”

She glanced one last time at the spot where the cup had disappeared, then resumed walking. Aria wouldn’t answer her. No one would. Because that seemed to be the point of this place: in paradise, there were no worries.

But that begged the question.

“If no one worries, who picks up the rubbish?”

Spotting a food truck in the distance, Celeste decided she should eat something. As she approached, she saw a perfectly average man working there.

“Maybe Jude’s whole deal is that no one else in this town wants to work, so he gets rich, taking on all the odd jobs,” she muttered.

Aria barked, not in response, but at the smell of baked pizza wafting through the air. Celeste studied the food truck again. Jude was handing out plain slices of pizza with robotic precision. Every slice was the same—no sauce, no toppings, no nothing—yet people grinned like they were tasting Michelin-star cuisine. She honed in on Jude’s movements. In quick, mechanical bursts, he picked the pizza from the oven, cut it, and handed it over without bothering with payment or making eye contact. When the pizza ran out, he repeated the process exactly the same way. There wasn’t even the slightest variation.

Her stomach growled, overriding her hesitation. She grabbed a slice—you can’t say no to free pizza, after all.

Celeste took one bite and immediately handed the rest to Aria. The pizza was plain, and yet appetising in appearance (yes, even without the toppings), but so utterly bland, that she didn’t really feel like eating it. It was like everything else in this paradise.

Like the nurse who said the right words, but whose voice lacked warmth.

Like the litter that vanished from view, making streets feel lifeless and unlived.

Like the pizza that looked good, but it had no sauce.

Always perfect, but fundamentally off.

Celeste sighed, circling back to her earlier thoughts. “Town of Burning Desire,” she repeated. “You’d think it fitting, seeing everyone here. But what’s desire in paradise? If every day’s a party, nothing’s ever special. Everything always works out, so there’s nothing to strive for. I look at Delia, Lori, and even you… and I don’t see desire anymore. Even when you want something, it’s like… there’s no fire… like the moment we stepped in here it… went off. And now…? All that’s left is complacency.”

She scratched Aria’s ears again, her Pokémon happily oblivious.

“You should’ve nudged me to talk about something sillier,” she told her Eevee. “Now I’m kind of depressed.”

—*——*—

Part of Celeste wanted to get back to dancing—maybe without the alcohol this time. Part of her wanted to sing, flirt, and give that whole fire limbo thing with Magmar another try. Delia said she needed to loosen up and have fun, and goofing off with friends was practically in Celeste’s DNA. Being constantly denied that by this stupid island was getting old.

The problem was… she could only question her sanity and pretend she was imagining things up to a point. Now, as she stopped and really looked at the crowds, she saw creatures flickering in and out of existence above them. They moved too fast to get a good look, but there was no denying they were there.

She squinted at one of the creatures, which stood still long enough for her to notice its twig like form branching out on the edges, faintly like an Y. It wriggled as it moved, and its bulging single eye fixed on the people below it.

“What are you…?”

As soon as she spoke, the creature turned, the eye squinting right back at her.

If she wasn’t sure staring at the creature was a bad idea, her shadow tugging at her leg confirmed it. She watched the fabric of her socks stretch with the invisible darkness pulling at it and felt her heart pounding again.

“I’m going, I’m going,” she said, turning away and pretending not to have seen it—not the twig like thing and not the shadow. But, even as she walked, the tugs continued, and Celeste allowed it to guide her away from the crowd and the ripples in reality above it until she found herself in an empty parking lot. “Y-you think it’s bad it saw us looking?” she asked, finally, and found that her voice trembled as she spoke.

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Though she directed the question at Aria, her eyes drifted down to her shadow. As it was meant to be, it obeyed the laws of physics perfectly. Still torn between ignoring and confronting it, Celeste edged closer to a lamppost, positioning herself so her silhouette stretched out in front of her. She then carefully bent over, preparing to inspect it closely.

Then she heard someone else.

“The coloooours of the rainboooow. Hic. So preeetty in the sky!”

Celeste stopped mid-motion, frowning. The singing was horribly out of tune… and the voice sounded oddly familiar.

“Lori, is that you?” she called, circling around a truck. No spell could bring Lorelei to sing like that alone in an empty parking lot… right?

“I see friends shaaaaking hands!”

Legendaries, this was worse than she thought.

It was indeed Lori, and she was dancing, shoes in her hands and Frigibax by her feet. There was no one else around, and whenever the light hit her features, Celeste could see her makeup smudged and a large bottle of something stronger than the blue sweetness she’d drunk sitting on the hood of a car.

The ice specialist beamed when she noticed Celeste and pointed at her with a sandal heel. “…Saying, ‘How do you do?’” she continued singing, then skipped barefoot across the gravel to Celeste’s side, her pitch higher and even more off-key. “They’re really saying… I loooove you.”

Celeste grabbed her friend’s arm to stop her from stumbling.

“Sing with—hic—me, Cee. I know you know this one.” Lori pushed her to sway widely, then, shouting with a horrible high pitch, sang, “And I think to myseeeeelf.” She made a rounding gesture with her fingers, beckoning them both to continue together.

“What a wonderful wooooorld.” Celeste didn’t drag out the end as much, knowing her singing was as terrible as Lori’s. Still, she and Aria couldn’t help but burst into laughter as soon as they finished.

Please, let’s get you drunk in a karaoke once this is all over.

Trying to contain her laughter and not make fun of Lori (Arceus, how far out of her comfort zone was she?), Celeste stilled herself, attempting to look responsible.

“Lori, uh… I don’t know how to put this, but I think you’re very drunk,” she said, unsure if the twitching in her mouth was a grin or a grimace. “Also…” Her eyes scanned around, checking on the Frigibax. There was ice under her paws, and Aria jumped down to investigate, so Celeste refocused on Lori. “Why the hell are you alone in a parking lot? Weren’t you… going to find people your own age or something?”

Lori giggled, pulling Celeste’s ear closer. “People are sweaty,” she whispered. “And touchy. Me not likey touchy.” She laughed, sticking her tongue out in disgust.

“You’re touching me, though.” Celeste patted her friend’s arm. There was probably a better way to do that, but drunk Lori was kind of funny.

“Well, duh?” Lori turned and tried to boop Celeste’s nose. Her coordination was all gone, so she missed it entirely, poking Celeste right in the cheek. Celeste mustered all her patience, waiting for Lori to try a few more times before bursting into laughter again. “Your cheek is soft like a baby, CeeCelly.”

“…oookay?”

“I don’t mind you because we’re friends.” Lori grimaced, reaching for her glasses—which she wasn’t wearing. “I forgot people at parties like to get all kissy and touchy and sweaty.” She giggled, finally letting go of Celeste. “I don’t get the need for all that getting close, so I found my own place to have my own party.”

In a swift motion, Lorelei grabbed the bottle on the hood of the car and called for her Pokémon to cool it down a bit more, since “no one likes warm drinks”. When Lori stumbled on her own legs, Celeste decided it was a very bad idea for her friend to keep drinking.

Carefully, she took the bottle away and sat Lori down on the hood of the car. “Party’s gotta end, Lori.” Not only because you’re too drunk, but because there are wriggly monsters out there.

Lori pouted. “It’s early.”

“Not really,” Celeste looked at the bottle and grimaced when she realised it was almost empty anyway. “How about sleeping early so we can wake up early and register at the gym, huh?”

Lori perked up when another song she knew began playing. She tried to jump down from the hood of the car to dance and sing but stumbled again, and Celeste noticed her feet were hurt. Who walks barefoot in a parking lot? There was probably glass mixed in the gravel.

The patience Celeste’d managed was wearing down, and she pushed Lori a bit more forcefully onto the hood of the car. “We’re going back to the centre.” She planted her foot down.

Lori snorted. “Gym’s always going to be there tomorrow, Cee. This party won’t.”

“I’m pretty sure I heard those teens with the Loudred mentioned another one,” Celeste muttered. Then she looked at Aria and the Frigibax playing nearby and grabbed Slowpoke’s pokéball. With this island’s craziness, he’d probably be even harder to reach, but… “Pat, can you make some water to clean up Lori’s feet?”

She wasn’t particularly hopeful, but her Slowpoke took one look at Lori’s scraped foot and made a bubble of water to wash it right away. Celeste smiled. She always smiled when she saw Pat. “We’ll get some disinfectant and bandages when we get to the centre, okay?” She turned to Lori more gently.

In response, Lorelei gave her a wide grin. “There’s no need to worry here, it’s—”

“Fucking paradise won’t fucking cure an infection.” Celeste snapped. Patience was all gone now. She rubbed her eyes, trying to tone it down. With a flicker of her hand, she thanked her Slowpoke and recalled him, then grabbed Perl’s and Aurora’s balls from Lori’s belt. Thank goodness Lori labelled her Pokéballs with stickers. She recalled the Frigibax, then aimed the other ball away from the cars.

“Roooooraaa!” Lori boomed when her Mamoswine appeared. The Pokémon looked at her with the same dopey expression everyone on this island had, then, with a squeal, ran to her trainer and Celeste.

Before Aurora could trample Aria (or them), Celeste recalled her almost fumbling with the ball. It was comical, if not sad, to see a six-hundred-pound mammoth running in for a hug. With a huff, Celeste put Aria on her shoulders and tried to release the Mamoswine again.

It took three attempts, but finally, she bravely stood between Lori and her Pokémon and lifted her hands in a stopping sign. “Your trainer’s drunk, and her feet are hurt. Can you carry her?” Aurora’s eyes glimmered. Apparently, that made her day. “Easy, okay?”

When it was all said and done, Lori’s mammoth was actually a cutie. She approached her trainer with almost reverence and helped her climb on her back with the care one would use for a porcelain doll. Lori sunk down into the fur, and with a gentle squeal, Aurora shivered with happiness.

All was well in paradise, apparently. Lori didn’t seem unhappy, curled in her Pokémon’s fur, but… they still needed to find Delia. There was no way Celeste was risking an overjoyed Mamoswine trampling a bunch of teens who wouldn’t worry enough to get out of the way.

“Say,” she said with a strained smile. “Aurora, can you take care of Lori while I go find our other friend?”

The Mamoswine squealed with joy once more.

Thank goodness for small victories.

“I’m counting on you.”

—*——*—

Finding Delia was harder than Celeste expected.

She wanted to avoid the wriggly things, but since she couldn’t see them clearly, she decided to steer clear of the crowds. The second problem was the tugs on her legs. For now, she was taking them as clues, changing direction whenever she felt the pull, but at some point, she’d have to ignore it.

Eventually, when running out of places to search, Celeste noticed a few people by the waves, away from the main event. She carefully approached them—no tugs. A couple was kissing under the light of a Charmeleon’s tail, and two boys were slow dancing nearby. Delia’s laughter rang out not far from her.

“I honestly can’t deal with her being drunk too,” Celeste muttered, her gaze following the faint echoes of laughter. By the waves, she saw Delia’s feet skimming above the water’s edge. Her movements didn’t seem disoriented. The layers of her mermaid skirt billowed in the breeze as she playfully danced away from the moonlight touching the shore. Beside her, a boy stood in the darkness.

His hair blended with the night, and he moved with a lean, almost sculpted elegance. His unbuttoned orange shirt fluttered in the wind, mirroring the movement of Delia’s skirt, while his fancy linen pants, damp at the hems from the sea water, clung to his legs. He didn’t seem to care.

Celeste watched them a little longer.

Neither of them touched, but their laughter and body language were unmistakable. Celeste’s heart sank. Delia and this boy danced around each other in the shadows, avoiding the moonlight almost as if they wanted to make it clear that the moon had no place in their world tonight.

She should leave Delia to her fun.

But…

Celeste approached, clearing her throat as she stepped into the moonlight.

“Cee!” Delia’s voice boomed. Celeste’s heart pounded. She looked up at the moon, wondering if she should advocate for it—for him—or if that would be even more meddling. Delia should at least tell Luan she wasn’t interested before moving on, shouldn’t she? Maybe… or maybe it was the island, making her not worry. Making her not care. “…and this is my good friend, Celeste.”

Huh?

Celeste turned to the boy in the shadows. Delia had introduced them, but she’d missed his name.

“Hi…” Celeste grumbled, shuddering under his intense gaze and nonchalant smile. She sized him up quickly. He was clearly rich but not boastful—which probably meant he was very rich. His features gave off the arrogance of someone used to getting his way. Or maybe Celeste was just judging him because he wasn’t Luan and thus not meant to be with Delia.

“Lori’s drunk and she hurt her feet,” she said, turning back to Delia. “Let’s go—”

With a rather grating giggle, Delia grabbed her new friend’s hand. “Gio here invited me to watch the sunrise at his mansion.”

Celeste’s eyes twitched. “…Bet that’s all he wants.”

“I hope it’s not,” Delia snorted.

Arceus, what happened to subtlety?

“We’re leaving!” Celeste looked at Aria, exasperated, but her Eevee just gave Delia an encouraging wink. “Lori needs people who know what they’re doing,” she said, grasping at straws. “We both know that’s you, not me.” She tried to grab her friend’s arm, but Delia slid away with unnatural ease, circling to Gio’s other side.

He laughed, a low, seductive sound that sent a shiver through the air. With a teasing smile, he pulled a pen from his pocket and moved closer to Delia. Their proximity was almost intimate as he lifted her hand, writing something before bringing it to his lips for a kiss. The soft gasp that escaped Delia told Celeste all she needed to know.

Island or not, Delia had never acted like this near Luan…

“My address,” Gio said, his tone courteous but his eyes flashing dangerously. “Come visit when your friend thinks it’s appropriate.” His smirk carried a hint of defiance. “I assure you, Celeste, I’m nothing but a gentleman.”

Barf. Like Delia was going to fall for that.

Celeste glanced at her friend, who was swooning after the tall, dark stranger.

It’s all the island’s doing, she tried convincing herself as she pulled Delia along.

Once they had some distance, Delia spoke again. “Is this still about Luan?”

Celeste gave her a side glance. “It’s about you not going alone to some stranger’s mansion by yourself…” she muttered. “And I meant it about Lori.”

“Well, good, because I like Gio.” Delia let out a dreamy sigh. “He’s such a gentleman.”

“I bet…” Celeste took a deep breath. “What’s his actual name again? I kind of missed it.”

“Giovanni.” Delia almost sang it. “Giovanni Rocchi.”

“Rocchi, huh? Sounds earthy. Never heard of it, though.”