Chapter 77 - Every Breath You Take
Celeste stared out of the tram window as the mountains and beaches blurred past, the scenery merging into a wash of colour until they pulled up at the shopping mall. She didn’t move. Her eyes flickered to the huge glass panels outside, reflecting the perfect blue sky and the shimmering ocean. For a moment, she wondered if that was a deliberate choice to make the beachside mall reflect the ocean. But the doors hissed shut before her mind could spiral into architectural musings. Soon enough, the mall was just another blur behind her.
Just like the last six days.
Yes. Six days.
Six days of running. Six days of hiding.
Shy—who she made sure actually liked the name—had been her lifesaver these past few days, alerting them if the fake people were around, and guiding them to safety as much as they could. Celeste and Pat wouldn’t have survived this long without the ghost’s help. And even more importantly, with each day, Shy grew a little more comfortable around them (mostly to Pat, if she was honest).
So… yay? Kinda?
The ghost still got jumpy whenever Celeste pushed too hard, of course. And that was especially true when she acted like they were already best friends. And the second she let Powder and Aria out for some air and a proper meal, Shy would freak out, retreating back into the shadows. But what was Celeste supposed to do? Leave her Pokémon cooped up in their Pokéballs forever? They were still acting under the island’s influence, but she wasn’t that kind of trainer.
Even with all that awkwardness, she’d managed to get a little closer to Shy. Getting to know them better? Kind of a delight. They were shy (duh), but also eager and curious. Every time they stopped somewhere new, her shadow would stretch and slink into corners as Shy investigated. It was always the weirdest things that caught their eye—once it was a cracked coffee mug with a dumb pun on it, another time it was an electric toothbrush.
And then there were the shadow puppets. Shy had this adorable way of using their body to communicate, casting shadow shapes that flickered across walls. They loved it so much that Pictionary had become their thing, a little nightly routine while they hid away. Shy would toss up the shadow of a random Pokémon, and she and Pat would try to guess. They were scarily good at it too, but sometimes Celeste noticed little details. Like the time Shy made a shadow Diglett—it had tiny tufts of hair. Or their Exeggutor, which looked suspiciously like a palm tree.
Which made her wonder… how long had they been hiding in her shadow?
Celeste never got to ask, though. Moments after that particular game, Shy tensed up, sensing Officer Jenny’s approach. That was the end of their fun for the day.
This was the new normal—hide, rest, get caught, tram, repeat.
The trams, at least, had been a big find. Automated, empty, and no drivers to attract the eye creatures’ attention. It was one of the few places where they could actually breathe.
Shy had helped her piece together more about the creatures as well. Being a Ghost-type, they could sense things Celeste and Pat couldn’t—the creatures and the strange things they created. According to them, there weren’t enough eye creatures to cover the whole island, and maintaining the illusion was stretching them thin. The cracks were showing if you looked close enough. An abandoned power station coated in dust, rot creeping along the walls of a forgotten cave, even a rogue rain cloud far off on the horizon. The creatures couldn’t keep everything perfect, so they mostly focused on the big crowds instead—beach parties, the main square—those were the places where Shy’s senses flared to life.
Well, that and Celeste, who was still being actively hunted.
It was on the third day hiding, when they’d holed up in an abandoned power plant, that Celeste realised that people’s apathy, which came as a byproduct of their perpetual happiness, was what let the eye creatures thrive. They still made most things look perfect, of course. But the apathy meant no one bothered coming to work. And since abandoned meant the eye creatures didn’t prioritise it, it meant places like the power plant weren’t perfect at all—dust-covered consoles, a shattered mug on the floor, scattered papers, even a Caterpie hiding away in a corner (they weren’t the only ones hiding there). And that’s when Celeste started piecing it together—Jude, Joy, Jenny. They weren’t just fakes for show. They were here to maintain things people didn’t bother with.
It made sense—sort of. Those three were always handling services, security… keeping the system running. But then, not really? Shy tried mimicking an explanation, something about energy, but it all got muddled in their gestures. Honestly, Celeste was more interested when Shy revealed something else: there was only one of each fake person. Sure, they could appear in multiple places at once, but they were all connected somehow. Each Joy, Jude, and Jenny was the exact same.
Knowing they only had three of them to worry about felt somewhat comforting.
Celeste sighed, pulling herself out of her thoughts as the tram turned inland. She pushed away from the window and turned to face her Pokémon.
Her Pokémon.
Celeste’s fingers curled around the empty Pokéball in her pocket, the last one from the set she’d bought all the way back in Vermillion when this all started. It’d been so long since she’d even thought about catching anything that she hadn’t noticed she was running out.
Shy and Pat had bonded super well. The Slowpoke always gave Shy the space they needed, never pushing, just waiting, watching with that calm, unflinching patience of his. And whenever Shy got jittery or hesitated to speak, Pat’s quiet attention seemed to ease them. Aria and Powder, whenever they’d get back to themselves, would be all over Shy, no doubt, which could be a problem. Aria would be wary, too. But given a little time, they’d all become friends.
Celeste’s grip tightened on the Pokéball. It made sense, didn’t it? Shy had been her shadow—literally—for who knew how long. They helped her escape tons of close calls, and they’d bonded with Pat. Catching them felt like the logical next step. But… boundaries. What if she scared them off? What if they said no?
She bit her lip, glancing over at her team. Pat met her eyes with concern and long blinks. He sat atop a map, holding it down with his body weight, while her shadow stretched beside him and over the map. Turns out, Shy could read. Maps, words, everything. Somewhere along the way, she’d started letting them handle a lot of the strategising, too.
She toyed with the cold metal of the Pokéball, letting the words form in her mind. “This is yours, if you ever want it.” Simple, right? She should just ask already, but…
Patience.
Pat would tell her to be patient. Celeste was sure Shy had a form, a real body beyond the shifting shadows, but they weren’t ready to show it yet. She wasn’t about to toss a Pokéball at them and force them out. That wasn’t how this friendship was supposed to work.
She sighed and let the ball drop back into her pocket as she moved closer.
“Four stops to the Southern Harbour.” She grinned, watching the wisps around Shy quiver. “What? I memorised the tram routes. Figured it’d be helpful.”
The ghost recoiled, instinctively drawing in tighter before slowly fading back into her shadow. Even after all these days, Shy still hunched inward, folding into themselves whenever they disagreed with her. Celeste took a breath, giving them the time they needed to gather their courage to speak up. In the meantime, she slid down next to Pat and tugged the map out from under his soft belly.
“We’ve tried the caves,” she said, tracing her finger along the map. “Almost fell into a lava pit when Joy showed up, so that’s a hard no.” She tapped an X on the map. “Then Jenny chased us when we were at the power plant and we nearly got caught in live wire.” She tapped another X. “Sleeping on the beach was safer, but as we found last night, too open. I hate the image of a police officer trying to run us over with a motorcycle.” Her finger hovered over the Southern Harbour. “So, the harbour—”
Celeste stopped short as the sunlight filtered through the window, casting her shadow across the tram seats. Shy shifted, morphing into an impression of Jude.
“I know he was there on the first day,” Celeste muttered, shuddering at the sight of Jude’s shadow creeping from her. “But he’s been everywhere. Besides, what makes him more dangerous than the others?”
Shy slid back toward Pat, clearly uncomfortable. Celeste had been pushing for the harbour for days, but both Pat and Shy had banded together against the idea. Stealing a boat and sailing off wasn’t that crazy, was it? She’d seen her parents steer a boat—how hard could it be? Besides, it wasn’t like she planned on fighting Dhelmise if it showed up. She’d just… run. Fast.
Oh well…
Celeste could really see a future when Shy and Pat would try to talk sense into her, but Powder and Aria would stick to her side. Aria would probably back her for the chaos alone, and Powder would follow just because. It would be good to have another sensible Pokémon around.
Might as well listen to them now.
“No boat, don’t worry,” she repeated, half to herself. “But those big warehouses near the docks? They’d make good hiding spots.”
Pat tilted his head, giving her that slow blink of scepticism. They stared at each other for a beat longer than usual, neither one willing to back down, when the tram suddenly slowed to a stop. They’d arrived at a Pokémon Centre. This one was packed with contest participants—she recognised a few from the beach party. Celeste glanced out the window absentmindedly, scanning the crowd… and froze.
The crowd parted, and there, walking towards the tram, was Nurse Joy. A fake one. She could tell from the smile.
Fuck. Fuck, fuck fuck.
The running usually didn’t start until later in the day.
She frantically poked Pat’s back, grabbing her backpack as they both scrambled off the tram, slipping out the opposite door. They timed it horribly. Just as they hit the platform, Nurse Joy boarded. Celeste didn’t even have time to catch her breath before the fake Joy stepped off on their side, too.
“Ideas?” she panted, looking down at Shy as they tugged her towards a nearby alleyway. She didn’t even have to ask. The ghost always knew the way with fewer psychic eye things. But just as they broke into a run, Shy yanked her sideways, sending her crashing into a pile of rubbish. She opened her mouth to complain—then froze at the sound of footsteps.
“No way they caught up already…”
Celeste staggered to her feet, only to see Officer Jenny coming toward them, a Growlithe at her side—or what looked like a Growlithe. Didn’t matter, the fire in its mouth seemed real enough.
Before Celeste could even think, Pat reared up and blasted both Jenny and her Pokémon with a full-force Water Gun. They’d learned the hard way that it wouldn’t stop the fakes for long, but it always bought a few moments. The alley was narrow, though, and the impact only sent Jenny and her Growlithe crashing into the opposite wall.
It wouldn’t stop them for long, but it was enough.
Shy tugged at her leg again, urging Celeste to move.
“Paat!” Celeste yelled.
Pat didn’t need more encouragement. His body glowed with soft, pink energy as rubbish bags burst open, their contents flying toward their pursuers. He couldn’t lift heavy objects yet, but after their heart-to-heart on the beach, something had clicked in his mind. Now, small debris shot toward the fakes with surprising force. Soon enough, he’d do a full-fledged Confusion and cause havoc on the battlefield.
But for now…
She sprinted through the twisting alleyways, heart pounding in her ears as she turned every corner in Shy’s direction. She knew it wasn’t safe, not really—just slightly less dangerous. But the fakes were already stirring again, their footsteps echoing too close behind.
Finally, the ghost signalled her to stop as they reached a metal door. It looked abandoned, a safe place for the moment. Celeste hesitated, wanting to keep running instead. But… no. She exhaled, leaning against the cool metal, trying to catch her breath. Play it safe. Don’t burn out.
—*——*—
Pat immediately set to work, wedging boxes and crates against the door as Celeste watched her shadow stretch out, searching for alternative exit strategies. She couldn’t help but laugh bitterly—just a week ago, she’d never even thought about exit strategies.
“Don’t waste too much effort, Pat. They’ll find a way in soon enough,” she said, tossing her backpack onto a table, taking in the room around them. It wasn’t the warehouse she’d been hoping for, just the backroom of a convenience store. “Might as well grab some supplies.”
Celeste’s eyes landed on shelves stacked with instant noodles and bread. She’d been surviving on vending machine snacks and berries for days, and while it wasn’t the worst, she couldn’t deny how much she missed having a proper meal. A grin then spread across her face as she found a stack of Pokéblocks in the corner.
“Score. Pat, catch!”
Without thinking, Celeste opened a box and tossed a block over her shoulder. She didn’t even hear it land—her Slowpoke no doubt caught it midair. Exercises like that would definitely make it into their training routine if—when they made it out of this mess. Shy then reformed at her feet, tugging on her leg to get her attention. When Celeste looked down, the ghost silently raised two fingers.
Two exits. Perfect.
She bent down and dangled a Pokéblock in front of Shy’s form. “You sure you don’t want food?” Celeste asked. But like always, they gave a gentle shake of their head. Shy apparently didn’t need to eat, but Celeste kept trying to convince them it was fun to, anyway. Something to bond over and all. She’d win them over one day.
With a sigh, she tucked a handful of blocks into her bag for Pat, Aria, and Powder. Enough for three days at least. That left space for more… She glanced back at the shelf, squinting at her options. Bread… or noodles? The sensible option would be the plain boring bread—it was easier, lasted longer, she wouldn’t have to figure out how to boil water. Yeah… it would be very shortsighted to get the noodles, wouldn’t it?
Celeste smirked, reaching for the noodles. She’d been too responsible lately. This was a counterbalance.
Just as her fingers wrapped around the packet, the entire stack wobbled, then crashed down, noodles scattering everywhere.
“Damn it,” she muttered, wincing at the clatter that came with the noodles falling. Pushing aside the mess, she found a small silver object nestled beneath the noodles.
A lighter.
She picked it up, turning it over in her hand. For a moment, an idea bubbled up at the edge of her thoughts, though she wasn’t quite sure what was it.
Celeste closed her eyes, trying to bring it to the surface.
Lighter… fire?
The gym maybe? They’d tried knocking there this morning, hoping to find Ariana or the people she mentioned, but no one opened the door for her. That wasn’t it. Fire was good for something else. Boiling water? For noodles? You can’t do that with a pocket lighter and she wasn’t going to start a bonfire indoors.
When she’d given up figuring it out, and began to move things around to tuck the noodles into her bag, her gaze fell on something else—the incense kit shoved on the bottom.
That was it.
Celeste put aside her spare items, digging out the burner and sticks. She’d won them as a prize after the Snowflake Cup a month ago, and the details from the brochure flashed back in her mind: fifteen sticks total, each with a different effect. Pure, Wave, Odd, Honey, Rose. Each one had its uses—Pure incense repelled wild Pokémon, while the others attracted specific types of Pokémon. She rummaged through the sticks and grabbed three Pure incenses.
“Shy…” Celeste began slowly, lifting one of the sticks. “The eye things. You said they’re Pokémon, right?”
Her shadow gave a small nod.
“And so are the fake people, by extent?”
Shy’s nod was a little more unsure this time around.
She twirled the incense between her fingers. “I’ve got something that repels Pokémon.”
Shy shifted, projecting themselves onto the nearest wall, their form rippling with hesitation. They examined the incense but didn’t speak up.
“It’s okay to say if you don’t think it’ll work,” Celeste reassured them, sliding two of the sticks into her pocket and offering the third to the ghost. “But it won’t hurt to try, right? When they catch up, I’ll light this. Worst case, nothing happens. Best case? We get some extra time to run.”
Shy hesitated, then slowly nodded again, this time a little less tense. Celeste smiled at them, watching as they relaxed—though not for long. A moment later, Shy’s form flickered, their attention snapping towards the door.
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Celeste knew that look.
“Pat, get ready to run.” She swung her backpack over her shoulder and grabbed the lighter, her fingers trembling slightly.
Here goes nothing.
She flicked the lighter, flaring up the incense. A sweet, rosy scent filled the room, soft and calming. Celeste took a deep breath, enjoying it for a second—until Pat’s wail snapped her out of it. The Slowpoke bolted away from the smoke. His paws scuffed the floor as he rubbed his snout, trying to get the scent off. Even Shy wasn’t much better. They pulled at her leg, their form stretching as further away as they could go without detaching from her.
The incense worked a little too well.
Celeste’s heart skipped as she hurled the stick toward the door. It was just at the right time too, as she heard footsteps and banging, growing more violent. When the smoke began to roll beneath the door, however, the noise ceased almost immediately, and the footsteps retreated fast.
Breathless, she turned around, rushing toward the back of the store where Pat and Shy waited. Her shadow looked out of sorts somehow. Almost like they were catching their breath, too. They were so out of it that even their eyes showed.
“Sorry I took so long,” Celeste muttered, though she couldn’t help but smile. It worked. The incense actually worked. Maybe she should go looking for some repels too. Or other things. If these constructs weren’t as invulnerable as she thought, maybe Celeste had a chance. Maybe she could fight back. “I’ll try to be more careful next time.”
Celeste smiled, looking right into the ghost’s eyes, letting her fingers reach for the Pokéball in her pocket again.
Bad move.
When Shy realised Celeste and Pat could see their eyes, they got nervous enough to recede back into her shadow.
One step forward, two back.
“Come on, Pat…” Celeste said with a sigh. “Shy needs a moment, but we don’t have long before that incense burns out.”
Pat gave her a slow blink, then trudged ahead as Celeste followed, her eyes scanning the exits.
“Maybe we can make it to a tram before they catch up.”
—-*——*—-
The alleyways blended together as they hurried through, each turn looking more like the last. Neither Celeste nor Pat knew exactly where they were going without Shy’s help and with every corner they rounded, the Slowpoke glanced at Celeste’s shadow for reassurance. Celeste noticed, but kept quiet, shoving her hands into her pockets. Her fingers brushed the cold metal of the Pokéball inside…
Better to think about something else.
“Remember last week?” she said, smirking as she glanced at the Slowpoke. “When you were worried ‘cause I was trying to befriend a random ghost in my shadow?” Pat, predictably, said nothing, but after a few seconds, let out a soft huff. Celeste laughed. “Yeah, you warmed up to them pretty quick, huh? I’m glad this new friend doesn’t push you around.”
Pat tilted his head towards Celeste.
“I know, I know. I wasn’t paying attention to the right stuff before, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t paying any attention.” Celeste sighed, scratching the back of her neck. “Look, I love Aria to bits, but let’s be real—she can be mean, especially if she sees you as an easy target. And Powds? I see how you try to look out for her. But our baby’s too caught up building her ice castles or pretending she’s independent to notice you there. But you are there, and I see it. When Aria steals her food, you always share yours, don’t you? You make sure she’s comfy and always has water to freeze. So yeah, that’s nice. But I’m actually happy you’ve made a new friend who doesn’t treat you like a doormat. Luan’s Munna was nice enough, but… meh. I think he hates me and thinks I’m wrongness or whatever. He’s been keeping his distance from all of us ever since Articuno…”
Pat made a low noise, something between a mutter and a grunt, but Celeste didn’t try to decode it. She kept her pace steady, glancing at her shadow again. “Anyway… can’t believe I’m the one saying this,” she added with a grin, “but you’ve gotta be patient with Shy. Give them time to figure out we’re their friends, too. You know, Own Tempo and all that.”
Pat might’ve rolled his eyes at the mention of patience, but Celeste didn’t press him. They stopped at a split in the alley. For now, they were still in the clear, even without Shy’s guidance, but both of them knew the fakes wouldn’t be far behind.
“Which way?” Celeste asked, scanning both routes.
As expected, Pat didn’t take the lead, just blinked up at her. Celeste shrugged and went straight, spotting a larger road ahead. She still clung to the idea that the trams were safe—that maybe they could get in one to shake off Jenny and Joy and escape somewhere. Preferably somewhere with a kettle so she could boil those noodles.
“What do you think they are?” she asked absentmindedly. Pat just tilted his head again in response, following her at his slow pace. Travelling with a Slowpoke wasn’t the best when her coping mechanism was rambling, but somehow, their unhurried exchanges soothed her nerves. “Misdreavus has yellow eyes, don’t they?”
Pat shook his head quickly.
“Yeah, respect their privacy,” Celeste muttered, her hand brushing the Pokéball in her pocket again. “I’m not talking behind their back, though. Pretty sure Shy can still hear us even when they’re hiding.” Pat blinked a few times, and Celeste gestured vaguely ahead. “I mean, they aren’t gone. If they were, I’d be…” She held up her fingers in a peace sign, and stuck her tongue out to the side.
Pat’s confused look was priceless, and she snorted.
“C’mon, bud. You know I’m only making jokes to cover up my crippling anxiety. And if I’m anxious and not all dopey, that means Shy’s just… taking their time to feel comfortable again. Which is totally fine.”
Celeste looked ahead, avoiding Pat’s eyes. She knew if she glanced over, he’d give her those slow, disapproving blinks of his. And she didn’t need that right now.
“Hah! Look at that!” Celeste pointed ahead, spotting the familiar blue roof of a PokéMart across the street. But before she could take a step, Pat sprayed her with water. “Seriously? This isn’t reckless. I’ve only got two more incenses. We can grab a Repel in there.”
Pat immediately shook his head, eyes narrowing at the mention of incense.
“Does it really feel that bad?” Celeste frowned, watching Pat nod with unexpected quickness. “But it smells like roses… Okay, fine. It’s bad. But isn’t that even more reason to get the Repel? It’s just a spray. Won’t spread out and affect you or Shy that much.”
Another quick head shake. His tail swished behind him, signalling urgency—or at least, Celeste thought it was urgency—or frustration. She still wasn’t exactly fluent in Slowpoke, but she knew enough to tell he was disagreeing.
Either way, Celeste decided to stand her ground. “Look, I’m getting the Repel. You’ll thank me later.”
She started toward the street, but stopped cold when she heard the footsteps. Fast, sharp. And worse—barks. Loud and much too close.
Celeste’s heart skipped as she locked eyes with Officer Jenny. The fake smiled, too bright, too calm. At her side, the Growlithe panted heavily, flames licking its jaws as drool sizzled on the ground beneath it. If this wasn’t another perfectly bright day of sunshine, the glints of the flames would be almost eerie.
Instinctively, Celeste took a step back, but before she could retreat further, something cold and firm latched onto her arm.
Joy.
Her lifeless eyes locked onto Celeste’s. “No need to worry,” she said in that flat, unnerving voice.
For a second, Celeste froze. They never ganged up like this before.
“No need to worry,” Jenny echoed Joy’s words, her own smile widening. On her side, the Growlithe crouched low, its muscles tensing as it prepared to lunge.
Celeste barely had time to react before the Growlithe leaped into the air, fire crackling around its jaws. But then, mid-leap, it slowed—its momentum draining away as if something had grabbed hold of it. The Growlithe hung there for a moment, suspended, before dropping back to the ground.
Startled, Celeste turned her head to see Pat, eyes glowing with psychic energy, holding the Growlithe in place. Her heart soared with relief, and it gave her the strength to rip her arm free from Joy’s grasp. Without wasting a second, she scooped Pat up, clutching him tightly as she darted back to the alley.
“You are the most beautiful and amazingest Slowpoke in the history of Slowpokes, Pat!” she half-laughed, half-cried, her legs burning as she ran. Carrying a seventy-pound Pokémon while sprinting wasn’t ideal, but that was her part in this. After all, Pat had just saved her life. Again.
This was becoming terrifyingly routine.
So much so that she got sloppy. Yeah, ganging up was new, but she was just standing on a big street like an idiot.
They hit the intersection from earlier, and this time, without stopping to think, Celeste took the opposite path. If she chose wrong before, this must be the right way now.
If only life worked like that.
She immediately slammed headfirst into a chain-link fence, the impact knocking her back onto the ground.
Pat let out a low bellow of concern, but before he could do anything, Celeste forced herself upright. “Don’t tire yourself now,” she muttered, rubbing her forehead. “I know, I know, calm down, think ahead… do something sensible…” She rattled the fence, testing it. It looked climbable. At least, that was something. She rushed to the corner to check if anyone was following.
Shadows loomed and footsteps echoed louder and closer.
“I gotta climb, bud,” she said, eyeing Pat’s empty stare. “No. I didn’t think this through, but we don’t have time for thinking.”
Pat took a second, but he soon nuzzled her leg, understanding without words. She gave him a quick nod back. He understood, but not fully. When Celeste unclipped his Pokéball, his eyes widened in surprise, but before he could argue, she recalled him in a flash of red light.
Shy emerged back right then, and even their eyes blinked to existence this time. They looked at Pat’s ball, and they gaze was distinctly… judgmental.
“I’m not doing something bad or stupid,” Celeste shot back defensively, already grabbing another incense from her pocket. She turned to the fence, aiming Pat’s ball over to the other side. “Don’t be mad. You were in there for two seconds. You know I can’t climb with you on me,” she tried, catching Shy’s disapproving stare again. “I’m going to light this. You two get some distance. I’ll toss it toward Jenny, then climb over.”
Neither Pokémon seemed thrilled with the plan, but they both moved away—Pat trotting on his short legs, and Shy stretching far beyond what should’ve been possible for her own shadow. Celeste waited a moment, making sure they were clear, then struck the lighter. The incense flared to life, the rosy scent filling the air as smoke curled from the stick.
She tossed it blindly over her shoulder, not even bothering to see where it landed, and started up the fence. The smoke filled her lungs, but she ignored it, gripping the wires and pulling herself up.
A few feet off the ground, she paused. The fence… felt cold? She blinked and shook her head, reaching for another foothold, but her hand slipped off a patch of ice that had formed on the wire and she fell back to the ground with a hard thud.. The fence was frozen. Here? Gritting her teeth, Celeste scrambled to her feet and tried again, but each time, the frozen wire made her slip.
Maybe she wasn’t as athletic as she thought she was?
The smoke was doing its job at least, keeping Jenny and Joy at bay for now, but the incense was burning fast. Celeste glanced over—only half the stick remained. She didn’t have much time left.
With renewed determination, she reached up again, but just as she grabbed the wire, her shadow shifted. Shy recoiled back to her, wrapping around the fence like liquid darkness. For a moment, the entire fence seemed to ripple, turning intangible. Or maybe it was one of Shy’s shadow portals like they did in the Pokémon Centre? Celeste didn’t care. She felt their ghostly touch around her wrists, pulling her through the fence and out the other side.
They didn’t let go once she dizzily tumbled ahead. Her shadow tugged her farther from the fence and the smoke, the two of them racing to where Pat was waiting, wide-eyed and nervous.
Celeste stumbled again as Shy released her. Their shadowy form coalesced back at her feet again, but something was wrong. Their eyes were redder, dimmer, and their movements sluggish, as if the energy had been drained from them.
Were they exhausted from using their powers? Or was it the incense?
Pat just stared up at Celeste.
“Shy’s gonna be fine,” she tried reassuring him. She smiled at the ghost, catching their faint gaze. “Thank you. Rest up, okay? I’ll get us out of this one.”
Somehow.
—*——*—
Celeste tried to stay focused.
She really did.
But as her hand drifted into her pocket, searching for the last incense, her fingers brushed against the Pokéball she’d been meaning to offer Shy instead. Her mind wandered back to the way they’d looked at Pat’s ball earlier. It wasn’t a happy “I want one” look…
She shook her head, forcing herself to focus on the path ahead.
The winding alley stretched on, snaking through tight turns and narrow gaps, luckily with no sign of their pursuers. It felt like they had been walking for an eternity when they finally emerged onto a new street. Celeste paused, blinking against the sharp change in scenery.
She hadn’t been here before.
The volcanic cliffs loomed in the background, towering over a sleek, modern building that seemed almost carved into the rocky slope. Its white concrete walls gleamed under the sunlight, stark and angular, giving the structure a minimalist yet brutalist feel. On the roof, a grid of solar panels shimmered, reflecting the light like fractured glass. There seemed to be something wrong on the roof, but Celeste couldn’t really place what it was. Other than that, the front building itself was bare of decoration, save for the slow rotation of a high-tech revolving door at the entrance and the metallic cylinders lining the walls, their surfaces flickering with random bursts of pixelated light, adding a touch of futurism to the place.
This was Cinnabar Labs.
She didn’t even need to read the sign to know what it was.
“Maybe this could be a good hiding spot,” she murmured to herself, taking in the size of the place. But her eyes drifted to the tram station just down the road, and a faint smile tugged at her lips. “Maybe for another day…”
How many more days like this will there be?
As they made their way towards the tram station, Celeste glanced down at her palms. The red streaks stood out against her skin—marks left by her grip on the icy fence. The ice burn would fade in a few hours, but it still puzzled her. Ice? In this heat? Sure, it was almost December, but the sun still beat down on them.
This was a crack in the illusion, she had no doubt.
Shy had tried to tell her something about that. Energy. It took energy to keep up the illusion, and everyday it must be harder. What would happen when it got too hard? The illusion would crumble and they’d be free!
Could it be that simple? Maybe all Celeste had to do was hold out a little longer, wait for the illusion to shatter on its own. If they could just survive for a few more days, maybe the League would swoop in, save the day, and fix everything.
Only a few days and this will be over! She liked the idea.
So much so that she refused to think of any other possibility.
Celeste plopped down on the tram station bench with an oddly satisfied expression crossing her face. Her mood must’ve seemed out of place, because when she glanced ahead, Pat was staring at her with his usual slow blink, and Shy—well, Shy’s eyes had vanished again, but she guessed they were staring too.
“Uh, don’t worry,” she said, trying to shrug it off. “So… where are we heading next? We kinda lost our map on that other tram earlier.”
Pat tilted his head, and Shy folded their arms, flickering slightly.
“I know I sound like a broken record, but the warehouses on the Southern Harbour…” she started, but the whistle of the approaching tram drowned out her words. Celeste stretched her legs, ready to stand when—
A pair of cold hands clamped down on her shoulders.
Her breath hitched. There had been no sound, no warning. Not even a breath.
“Pat… S-Shy…” she whispered, as she saw both Pokémon snapping into attention. Pat tensed, eyes wide, and Shy’s form trembled.
“Welcome… to… the Pokémon Centre…” Joy’s voice rang out from behind her.
But before Joy could say another word, Pat reacted. His Water Gun shot out in a powerful perfectly aimed blast, swishing past Celeste and striking Joy square in the chest and sending her staggering back. At the same moment, Shy tugged Celeste’s leg, pulling her closer to them.
The tram was almost here, which meant….
Celeste spun to Pat, who was already gathering water in his snout for another blast. “Don’t attack!” she yelled. The Slowpoke froze, blinking in disbelief as the water splashed to the floor. “Just… don’t,” she added, her voice firm but shaky. Grabbing Pat, she leapt onto the tram just as it stopped.
Like clockwork, Joy had got back up on the far end of the platform and was already making her way toward them again. It was just like earlier in the day. But this time, Celeste didn’t retreat. Not right away. She placed Pat by the opposite door and leaned casually against it, taking a deep breath as she waited for the fake nurse to approach.
Shy frantically tugged at her leg from the shadows. She tried to zone them out and focused on the automated tram voice listing of stations. She’d memorised them all. Every single stop on this list. Celeste could very easily count how many were left.
“Welcome to…” Joy began as she boarded the tram, her voice twitching along with her head, as if glitching mid-sentence.
Celeste smiled, hands casually shoved deep into her pockets, where she hid her trembling against the last stick of incense. She felt another nervous tug of Shy pulling at her leg, but simply kept her eyes on the nurse. Five more stops on the list until the tram moved again.
“I’m kind of disappointed,” she said lightly, her voice betraying just a hint of a quiver. “No scalpel today?”
Joy froze mid-step, her cold, empty eyes staring straight at her. Even Celeste’s Pokémon stared, confused. How do you even answer this, right?
Celeste glanced up as the final station on the route was announced. Her heart pounded in her chest, and despite herself, she let out a nervous laugh. “Oops, wrong tram,” she said, though the words came in a weird high-pitched tone rather than the cool quip she’d intended.
Everything after that happened in a blur. Celeste lit the last incense, the sudden flame sparking to life just as her elbow slammed into the door release button. The door slid open behind her with a soft click, and in one fluid motion, she shoved Pat off the tram (sorry, bud) and used her momentum to kick herself backward. Spinning midair, she flung the incense into the tram just as the doors began to close again.
The incense smoke rose, and Joy recoiled away from the door, unable to follow. Only her hat flew off in the wind as the door shut on her face, trapping her inside with the growing cloud of thick smoke.
Celeste hit the ground hard, sliding against the gravel. She gasped, winded, but as her heart raced and adrenaline surged through her veins, she found herself giggling. She’d actually done it. She knew she could’ve escaped nurse Joy earlier if she timed it right. And she was absolutely right.
“Holy—” Celeste gasped, her voice catching in her throat. “Did you guys saw me? How the hell did I stay so calm?” She ran a hand through her hair, laughing breathlessly. “I even quipped back! Sure, it was terrible, but I quipped!”
The nervous giggles bubbled up uncontrollably, spilling into full-blown laughter. She looked at Pat, who was just staring now.
“I counted the stations. You know, ‘cause I memorised all the tram routes? Then I timed everything just right…” Her words tumbled out in a rush. “Arceus, I timed it perfectly!”
Pat blinked at her, clearly relieved but also… worried? Even Shy, still coiled around her feet, shook their head, though there was a flicker of amusement in their movements. Celeste somewhat controlled her laughter, turning back toward Pat with a huge, goofy smile. She couldn’t help herself. This high was simply too high.
“This patience thing really pays off, huh?”
Pat puffed a tiny spray of water at her, deadpanning, while Shy… they were flickering rhythmically. Something almost like a small laughter that they were trying to hold on to. Celeste widened her grin, but before she could make another joke, a sharp hiss cut through the air.
The tram, which hadn’t gone far, screeched to a halt.
Celeste’s heart dropped, and all the laughter drained away in an instant. She scrambled to her feet, eyes wide as the sky darkened above them.
The eye creatures were gathering in the sky, in full view this time. There were… many of them. Far too many.
They swarmed above the tram in a frantic whirl, spiralling into a colossal wheel of strange, watchful eyes and cryptic letters. Below them, the grass shifted unnaturally—growing tall, then withering, then regrowing in a rapid, bizarre cycle. The air turned crisp, then warm, filled with the sweet scent of floral tea. Reality itself seemed to bend under the creatures’ influence, warping and twisting like a dream on the verge of collapse.
A haunting melody filled the air—first, the faint echo of a child’s laugh, then a song. Giggles melted into a high-pitched chorus, hundreds of voices singing in eerie harmony, perfectly synchronised.
Celeste’s eyes darted to the tram, where the last car was still smothered in incense smoke. Through the haze, she could just make out Joy’s figure, twitching mechanically as she wandered in erratic circles, her neck jerking at sharp angles.
Until she stopped.
For a fleeting second, red leaves gathered at Celeste’s feet, swirling in the cool autumn air. She followed as the breeze spiralled toward Cinnabar Labs, where the once-pristine building now flickered, its facade marred by charred marks. The lights inside blinked in and out as if the structure itself had short-circuited.
Celeste barely had time to process it when the song reached a new pitch, and the illusion snapped back into place. Her head whipped back to the eye creatures. They spun faster now, and a bright orb of energy swelled at the centre of their formation, pulsing brighter with each second.
Their focus was on the tram.
The tram…?
Celeste stared in disbelief as the tram’s walls began to warp, melting into molten lava before bubbling into vapour. The materials shifted—solid to liquid to gas—yet somehow, the tram held its shape. It was a… contradiction. Nothing made sense, except that the creatures above spun faster, feeding the growing energy at the center of their spiral.
Her mind raced. They were trying to save Joy… that had to be it. But why was it so hard? Why couldn’t they just break through?
Were broken walls against the rules of paradise?
The energy at the center of the eye creatures’ spiral grew even brighter, too intense to look at. Shy tugged hard at her leg, snapping her out of her daze. Celeste glanced down and saw shadows growing wider beneath her and Pat. Before she could react, she felt Shy’s pull intensify, and the ground beneath her vanished.
Celeste tumbled into the shadows, the chaos above dissolving into sudden, calming darkness. In a heartbeat, they reemerged—back into the world, somewhere safer, somewhere… normal. Celeste landed with a thud on a stiff leather couch, the kind that looked modern but felt uninviting. Pat stumbled beside her, his eyes dazed, while Shy flickered back into view, their form dimmer than ever. Even Joy’s hat came along, fluttering down besides them.
She glanced around. A pile of magazines lay scattered across the floor. A phone—disconnected and useless—sat abandoned on the reception desk. Potted plants, forgotten and wilting, framed the bold letters on the wall.
Cinnabar Labs.
Shy hadn’t taken them far.
Celeste didn’t waste time to examine the environment further. She rushed to the window, her breath catching as she watched the scene outside unfold. The energy in the sky reached a crescendo, and for a moment, everything glowed blindingly bright. Then—
Sunshine.
Celeste blinked, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing. The world outside looked… completely normal. Like absolutely nothing had happened. The sky was clear, the grass swayed gently in the breeze. But… there was no tram. Not even the tracks. Just an empty station surrounded by a patch of wild roses.
She turned slowly, her mind struggling to catch up. Pat and Shy were staring back at her, looking as shaken as she was. Her eyes flicked around the room, still in a daze.
“Guys… where did nurse Joy’s hat go?”