Chapter 83 - The Volcano Underground

Sleeping in a cosy sleeping bag atop the stands of one of the gym’s arenas was a welcome change for Celeste after a week of dusty couches and cold floors. But the change had its downsides too. The arena buzzed with activity, and Shy refused to show themself amid so many people. Despite drifting off the moment she lay down, Celeste already missed her ghost’s company—as well as the gentle tugs on her leg that had served as her alarm clock for this past week.

Still, when she woke up (on her own), the smell of porridge and coffee drifted through the air and the clatter of dishes and spoons echoed around her. Celeste stirred, feeling a dull ache throbbing in her head as she took a moment to recall where she was.

A moment she wasn’t given.

“Look alive!” Ariana’s hand slapped her back, a bit too forcefully, and her Murkrow let out a caw that shot straight through Celeste’s skull. “You’re slower than that Slowpoke of yours, c’mon!”

Celeste managed only a groan in response. As her senses slowly aligned, her eyes darted around, widening with a sudden realisation. Said Slowpoke, who had been cuddling with her when she fell asleep, was nowhere in sight.

Before she could ask, Ariana chimed in. “Don’t worry—ugh, that fucking word. It leaves such a gross taste in my mouth.” She grinned cheekily. “But yeah, no worries. Turns out even a Slowpoke doesn’t want to sleep sixteen hours straight like some people. Yours is with Caleb’s Orbeetle. I think she’s... studying him?”

Celeste shot up, the grogginess vanishing. “Say what now?”

“Geez, so worked up,” Ariana waved her hand, signalling her Murkrow to hop back to her arm. “I’ll take you to them, alright? But first, breakfast? It’s porridge every day here, but hey, there’s shitty coffee, too.”

Reluctantly, Celeste trailed behind as Ariana made a beeline for the breakfast area in the centre of the battle arena. Celeste tried protesting—insisting she wanted to see Pat right away—but Ariana just shrugged, heading to the porridge queue where an Incineroar was diligently serving bowls to the people gathered there. Without so much as a nod, Ariana snatched a bowl from the Incineroar’s paws and thrust it into Celeste’s hands. “Eat up. You gotta stay healthy.”

Celeste and the Incineroar shared a confused glance. It shrugged and went back to work like this was just another day in its strange life.

“Why are you suddenly being nice?” she asked, though ‘nice’ felt like a bit of a stretch.

Ariana glanced back with a strained smile. “I’ve been nice to you before. Remember? Even looked after your friends. They’re fucking annoying, by the way.”

Celeste scoffed, sticking close. “They’re not annoying.”

“Sure. Whatever you say.” Ariana’s grin returned, and she pointedly ignored Celeste’s glare. “Want more coffee? I think it’s in the kitch—” She was cut off by the Incineroar growling. “Oh, piss off. If the kitchen’s off limits, just bring the coffee here!” she yelled, as her Murkrow swooped down and snatched the ladle out of the Fire-type’s paw, cawing victoriously.

Celeste bit her lip, trying not to laugh as the Incineroar huffed, smoke flaring from its nostrils. It reached for the ladle, but Ariana stepped away, grabbing it from her bird and dangling it just out of reach. “You want more porridge, Celeste?”

“I’m good…” she held back a laugh.

“No, you need seconds. Don’t argue.” Ariana smirked as she dunked the ladle back into the pot, stirring with an overdramatic flourish. “What’s the matter, kitty cat? Is there a rule I’m breaking?”

Celeste began to wonder if Ariana was taking things too far. “Maybe we should just—”

“Nope. I’m supposed to be babysitting you, so I’m making sure you’re well-fed,” Ariana declared, scooping even more porridge into Celeste’s bowl. “Feeling babysat yet?” She shot a challenging glance at the Incineroar. “Think you could grab us some coffee now?”

The Incineroar’s eyes narrowed, and the air seemed to heat up around it, but before anything could escalate, its trainer—a girl named Dinah—strolled over with a thermos in hand. She gave Ariana a sharp glare, and for once, Ariana seemed to shrink under the look. Wasting no time, she dropped the laddle, snatched the coffee, looped her arm through Celeste’s, and grinned. “C’mon, best pals like us need a tour, right?” she said, stressing the best pals bit.

As they weaved through the labyrinthine corridors of the gym, Celeste glanced at the other girl. “What’s that all about? Also, babysitting? Me?”

Ariana shrugged. “They’re all breathing down my neck because I didn’t bring you in as soon as we met.”

Celeste’s brow furrowed. “And now I’m your ‘best pal’?”

“Just roll with it.” She gestured to a door. “Come this way.”

Celeste dashed in, thinking she’d find Pat inside, only to freeze in terror when she saw Nurse Joy instead. Her pink hair was loose this time around, and she was applying some ointment to Blaine’s Marowak. The unnerving smile was gone, and there was no “welcome to the Pokémon Centre,” this time around.

“Can I help you?” Nurse Joy eventually asked, not even looking up.

Celeste’s heart skipped a beat. She took an involuntary step backward, searching her shadow for Shy, but the ghost didn’t even flicker. The nurse sighed, noticing Celeste’s discomfort. “I’m not that thing.” She sounded angry. “Now, unless you need medical attention, please close the door.”

All Celeste managed was to stumble out of the room, still pale. Ariana leaned against the wall, smirking. “Sooo, welcome to the infirmary. Great start to our tour, huh?”

Celeste shot her a look. “Are you getting back at me for something?”

“Me? Never! We’re best pals,” Ariana feigned innocence. “Just thought you’d appreciate a comprehensive tour.”

Without a word, Celeste just narrowed her eyes at the other girl.

Ariana hummed, “I mean, I even let your annoying friends crash at my actual friend’s place, rent-free. You’re welcome, by the way.”

Her friends… Celeste blinked. She still hadn’t asked. “Are they okay?”

“Mhmm,” Ariana shrugged. “Last time I snuck out there, Lorelei had completely taken over the pool with her giant Lapras, and there’s a Frigibax leaving ice all over the place. A fucking Frigibax. The last time I heard of one of those in Indigo was—nevermind. And don’t even start on Delia and Gio. It was bad enough when he was zombified alone, but now they’re all over each other, making these googly eyes. It’s ugh.”

Celeste grimaced at that.

Before she could get a word in, Ariana yanked her around a corner, swinging her arms around her shoulder. “Why’d you call for me when you showed up here?” she asked. “You blew all the goodwill I had with these people, you know.”

Celeste tried to squirm away. “Pretty sure you didn’t need my help for that.”

“Wha—”

“I called for you everywhere I went.” Celeste rolled her eyes. “Figured if I yelled a familiar name, someone might actually listen.”

Ariana grumbled something under her breath, muttering a string of unflattering names Celeste pretended not to hear. Apparently, her excuse was that they were ‘friends’ and she was trying to be heroic—though Celeste doubted anyone bought that. Ariana was just trying to act nice so people would “back off” and stop making her “babysit some dumb girl.”

Fun times.

They rounded another corner, emerging at the stands of another battlefield. Celeste finally managed to shake off Ariana’s hold. This was Arena 3—less rocky, with pools of steaming water scattered around, probably for Water-types? Though the place seemed far too hot.

Ariana’s Murkrow hopped off her shoulder, swooping down near the few trainers scattered across the arena below. Most of them were in small groups: one large cluster of trainers and Pokémon ran through some sort of exercise routine, while others—mainly Fire-type gym trainers with their signature red uniforms and those weird sunglasses—practised moves with their Bug, Dark, and Ghost-types.

Even here, the training never seemed to stop.

Ariana paused, watching her Murkrow for a moment, then tilted her head, pointing towards the edge of the stands.

Pat and Orbeetle were there.

—*——*—

As they got closer, Celeste could see Pat grinning lazily at the Orbeetle—who was, disturbingly, poking him with its tiny limbs. Probing. Celeste’s eyes widened, and she shoved her porridge bowl into Ariana’s hands without a second thought, sprinting towards her Pokémon.

“Seriously? You’re leaving me with your dishes?” Ariana called out, but Celeste was already gone.

“That’s what pals do!” she shouted over her shoulder, maybe snorting?

At the sound of her voice, Pat’s head turned towards her, his wide, toothy smile lighting up his face. She was just about to scoop him up and get him away from that weird bug when something materialised right in front of her.

“What the—?” Celeste yelped, stumbling backward and landing with a thud. She blinked, and (literally) through the figure floating before her, she could still see Pat, now tilting his head at the scene. This wasn’t Orbeetle. In fact, it couldn’t be further from one. The little Pokémon had a body like a drippy wax candle, its tiny arms barely poking out, and atop its head danced a small purple flame, bobbing cheerfully like a birthday candle.

A Litwick.

Celeste’s initial panic melted into surprise as she took in its round eyes and the way its flame flickered with every movement. It was kind of adorable, really—like a glowing marshmallow come to life. The ghost let out a tiny, delighted squeak as it floated closer, twirling as if to show off.

Wait, didn’t they also guide unwittingly trainers to their death?

“Wax…?” Celeste ventured, recalling the name one of the gym trainers—Dan—had mentioned.

“Correct,” buzzed a voice inside her head. The voice had a static-like hum to it, and before she could even process it, the Orbeetle vanished from Pat’s side and teleported right in front of her, peering into her eyes as if she was some puzzle. Meanwhile, the Litwick, clearly delighted with the teleportation idea, squealed and started flickering in and out of sight, spinning in little twirls around her.

“D-Don’t these two have trainers or something?” Celeste called out to Ariana, inching back while avoiding the Orbeetle’s gaze. Like any good Galarian, she knew better than to stare an Orbeetle in the eyes. Ariana, however, simply shrugged.

“I’m not hypnotising you,” the Orbeetle’s voice droned in her mind, clearly uncaring for her privacy. “But my, aren’t you intriguing? There’s a wrongness about you that I can’t quite place.”

A… wrongness?

“Not this again,” she muttered under her breath. The bug Pokémon tilted its head, as if fascinated by her every move. “Paaat?” she called, hoping her Slowpoke might actually do something, but he just kept staring.

“Yes. A wrongness. As if you aren’t quite where you were meant to be. Almost like—”

Its words cut off with an annoyed buzz as the Litwick squealed again. When Celeste turned to see what that was about—Litwick was reaching out towards… towards her shadow!

“W-wait! Don’t do that!” She lunged forward to grab the little ghost, but it passed right through her, sending a shiver that felt both cold and burning at once. Her body twitched as she rallied from the contact, and when she glanced down to see her shadow, it was twisting too, but not in sync with her. Shy was recoiling from the approaching Litwick instead.

How in the world did she take that long to notice them would forever be a mystery.

“Hey, stop that!” She tried to cover her shadow with her hands, pretending it was just an ordinary, boring patch of darkness. Even though it didn’t follow the light at all…

Ariana snorted from behind, making absolutely no effort to step in.

“There’s really nothing to see here.” Celeste attempted to shoo the Litwick away next, which also didn’t work, and then Orbeetle simply teleported around her feeble attempt to cover Shy up.

“That’s objectively false,” the bug stated flatly.

Celeste spun around, her eyes darting between the Litwick and the Orbeetle as Shy slid away, somehow still trying to pretend nothing was happening. The Litwick squealed with joy every time Shy moved, though. It swooped up and down, poking at the ground like it was playing tag. With a twirl, Litwick finally dipped inside the floor, clearly loving the chase, while the shadow kept scooting just out of range.

“Her ghost is in the shadow, not on the floor,” the Orbeetle explained to Litwick with a disapproving click. “It’s not that common for ghosts to cling to shadows like this. Candle-ghost, use your fire—now! Draw it out.”

“Wha—No! No, no, no!” Celeste leapt forward. “Isn’t my wrongness so much more interesting? Don’t you want hyperfocus on that instead? Or—or the mysteries of the Slow-kin? Pat here isn’t affected by the Unown even though he’s Water/Psychic. Did you know that? Biiiig mystery. We could talk about that for hours, eh?”

The Orbeetle tilted its head. “If by Unown, you mean the psychic entities, it’s not a mystery. His Own Tempo ability shields him from external psychic influences, even my own.” The bug’s eyes glowed briefly. “I’ve tested it myself.”

Celeste stared. “Did you say test?”

“Just a few hypnosis attempts here and there—nothing big. His mind is quite fascinating! So full of thoughts, but so few words to express them. It’s—”

“Pat doesn’t need words to speak,” she cut in. Loudly. Orbeetle clicked in response, complaining about being interrupted.

Just as they started bickering, a burst of heat flared up nearby. Celeste and Orbeetle both turned to see Wax flickering its flames wildly as it set small ghostly fires in an attempt to flush Shy out. The fires closed in, and Shy’s shadow shrank under the light. They pulled tight against Celeste and then—

Poof.

Her shadow was back to normal. In the right place, doing the right movements… The Litwick’s smile dropped at that, and with a tiny whimper, it vanished completely, leaving only a wisp of smoke.

“It’s gone…” Orbeetle said, buzzing annoyingly in her head.

“Yeah, I saw that.”

“Not the candle-ghost. Your ghost. It left your shadow.”

Her breath caught in her throat as she stared down at her shadow… her empty shadow.

“No need to be upset. You’re safe here. The collective energy of all the Ghost, Dark, and Bug types, amplified by the gym’s stronger Pokémon, creates a protective barrier that can be shaped…”

Celeste barely heard the rest, her eyes still fixed on her own shadow. What if Shy had left for good because she couldn’t protect them? What if—She was still staring, wide-eyed, when the edges of her shadow flickered, just a little.

“Ah… it seems your ghost has returned,” Orbeetle remarked.

She managed a shaky smile back at Shy. Then she stood up straighter. “There’s nothing in my shadow, and you’re not going to bother them anymore.”

The Orbeetle clicked again. “That’s contradictory. How could something non-existent be bothered—”

“Nebula, are you pestering people again?” a new voice called out. Orbeetle’s clicks grew louder at that. When Celeste turned, she saw Orbeetle’s trainer approaching, adjusting his glasses. His turtleneck still looked impossibly neat and unsuitable for the heat of the arena. “Sorry—she can be a bit… much.”

Ariana, finally deciding to be useful, chimed in. “Oh, Nebula was great. She even organised a little fire show.”

Celeste shot her a look.

Trailing behind Orbeetle’s trainer was Blaine, his coat billowing as he fiddled with his sunglasses. “Glad to see you up and about, Miss Diaz,” he greeted. “We’ve still got a lot to talk about if you’re ready.”

Celeste sighed. Guess she couldn’t ignore the mess of the world forever.

—*——*—

Blaine gestured to the chairs surrounding them, mumbling something about his back as he slowly lowered himself into one. He clearly wasn’t too fussed about privacy this time, though he tried—and failed—to dismiss Ariana. She just smirked, flopped into the chair beside him, and shot him a cheeky wink, as if he was just some grumpy old man and not the Cinnabar Gym Leader. When Celeste took her own seat, the Orbeetle still hovered above her shoulder, strangely interested.

With all of them gathered, the Gym Leader leaned forward. “Can you tell us what you’ve been through?”

Celeste glanced at Pat, who was surprisingly alert. She then eyed the hovering bug, a lot more unsure.

“Nebula’s really good at putting pieces together,” the Orbeetle’s trainer said, giving Celeste an encouraging smile. He then added, almost as an afterthought, “Sorry, I don’t think I introduced myself properly before. I’m—”

“Caleb,” Celeste said, her lips twitching into a half-smile. “Everyone here talks about you. And… uh… Nebula... We’ve just met.”

Caleb rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish grin forming. Before he could reply, Nebula let out a loud buzz, drowning out his apology.

Blaine cleared his throat pointedly. “Should we focus on the matter at hand?”

Celeste took a deep breath, nodding. “Did you read the—” She hesitated, catching the way the Gym Leader squinted at her and the tiny shake of his head. She shifted awkwardly in her seat, glancing at Nebula. The bug’s oversized eyes stared at her impassively. “Uh, right. What do you want to know, exactly?”

“Start at the beginning,” Caleb said, settling down beside her, his tone gentler than the others. “We don’t know much about you. Ariana said you’re called Celina… but you’re obviously Celeste. Or Celly Diaz, right?”

Celeste winced at the name ‘Celly’. Celina was almost better than that. “My parents’ show isn’t supposed to be that popular in Indigo,” she mumbled.

Caleb chuckled. “Good thing I’m from Hoenn, then. I even got your autograph once.” He smiled, and Celeste felt her cheeks flush in a way they hadn’t in ages.

She didn’t mind signing autographs or taking pictures, really. She liked people, liked making friends, even liked the spotlight. But remembering every face in a crowd? Her memory wasn’t that good. When someone brought up those ‘life-changing’ two minutes they’d met her (or most likely her parents), and she had no idea who they were, it always left her feeling a bit... meh. It wasn’t her fault, obviously. But still…

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“You alright?” Caleb’s voice broke into her thoughts, and she realised she’d been staring off into space.

“S-sorry,” she muttered, brushing her hair back from her face. “I don’t remember…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Caleb said. “It was, like, a year and a half ago in Rustboro. I was there to visit my family, and I remember you and your mother walked into the Pokémon Centre where my friends and I were hanging out. Your mother kept trying to convince you to get a ‘better-behaved’ Eevee—or, like, literally any other Pokémon—as your starter,” he added with a chuckle. “But you were too busy telling your Eevee not to steal stuff from the nurses or something. Honestly, I can’t remember all the details either. My friends and I were just so star-struck that famous people just walked into a Pokémon centre like it was nothing. We kind of swarmed you both for photos and autographs. Thinking back, we were probably very rude.”

Celeste blinked at him. This must have been right after Aria joined her, but somehow this exact same situation happened far too many times. She still couldn’t place him.

Before she could say anything else, Blaine cleared his throat once again. “I’m sure Miss Diaz would be happy to take as many pictures as you like later, but perhaps we could refocus for now?”

She just nodded at that. Celeste would absolutely hate to step back into the shoes of ‘Celly Diaz,’ but this guy did save her life, so... maybe it was okay?

“Right,” she said, turning back to the group. “You said to start at the beginning.” Her eyes flicked to Blaine, then to Caleb, and then Ariana, who was currently throwing a coin in the air for her Murkrow to catch. “I came to Cinnabar with my friends about a week ago. We were on our friend’s boat and there were a bunch of things we needed to do here. But when we got close to the island, there was this mist. It was thick, and the radar picked up a lot of… things. We didn’t know what it was back then, but our friend—the one with the boat—she didn’t want to go in.”

Nebula buzzed. “The radar most likely picked up the creatures that took over the island.”

Celeste nodded. “Yeah. I think I actually saw them in the mist, too. I was pretty scared when we got in there. I don’t know, it was dark and creepy and I couldn’t help but to think of this story mum had told me about this Pokémon called Dhelmise that came with rolling mists. She was terrified of it. And then, right there, one appeared. It looked just like the one from the picture I’d seen. Like, not similar. Exactly the same. And it didn’t attack us with actual moves. It just swung its anchor and the kelp around its body, and it hit us with something that looked psychic, not ghost… It was weird. We couldn’t really fight it.”

There was a beat of silence. Nebula’s clicks were the only sound as she hovered by.

Ariana, to Celeste’s surprise, actually seemed to be paying attention. She leaned forward. “Wait a sec, didn’t you say your friend didn’t want to sail in?”

“Hmm? Oh yeah,” Celeste nodded. “She offered to take us to the Seafom Islands or back to the continent with her. But the Gym was supposed to close in a few weeks for... holidays.” Her voice caught on the last word. Holidays. Now she knew that was Faraway Island. “My other friend really wanted her last badge before the Gym closed, so we decided to just go in on her Lapras instead.”

“Lapras?” Ariana snorted. “From what I’ve seen, Lorelei just wants to lounge by the pool all day.”

“That’s not like her!” Celeste threw her hands up. “It’s this place. Normally, she’s super focused, and—”

“Lorelei?” Blaine cut in, chuckling. “That wouldn’t happen to be the ice specialist, would it? Did she finally fix that team of hers?”

Caleb grinned. “I doubt there are many Loreleis with a Lapras around.”

Ariana clapped her hands together, contorting her lips into a fake smile. “Great, you all know her. Now can we maybe get back to the point?” she said, mimicking Blaine’s tone.

Celeste rolled her eyes, but turned to Caleb curiously.

“I’m friends with Lori—known her forever. We even traded Pokémon once,” he said, adjusting his glasses. “My little sister is all about water conservation... I think? She’s into this Aqua club or something? Anyway, she wanted a Water-type starter, so I thought I’d surprise her with one from Indigo. But with my Sharpedo I can’t get close to—” He winced as his Orbeetle buzzed loudly, cutting him off. He shot Celeste an apologetic glance instead of finishing his thought.

All eyes shifted to the bug as she hovered.

“The creatures lacked a proper template for the Dhelmise,” she droned. “They pieced together an incomplete copy from Celeste’s memories. That’s why it didn’t follow the usual battle rules like the other Pokémon.”

Ariana flopped back into her chair. “All that time just to tell us this? I could’ve figured that out,” she muttered, but the others ignored her. “By the way, should we talk about the fact that Cinnabar wasn’t on the news by the time she came in?”

For a moment, they all stayed silent, the weight of the situation settling in. By the time Celeste ventured into the mist, it had already been days since the island had been cut off, and still, the outside world seemed unaware. How could Cinnabar be isolated, and yet no one seemed to notice? At the time, Celeste hadn’t even thought of it—the mist had been terrifying enough on its own. Nebula offered her theory: while the fog was a deterrent, it likely hadn’t stopped everyone. Others might have made it through, just like Celeste and her friends—only to be affected, as Lori and Delia were.

“And those who turned back,” Nebula continued, “may have no memory of even trying to reach the island.”

Celeste’s stomach twisted at the bug’s next thought: if the creatures’ reality-altering powers were strong enough, their influence could extend beyond Cinnabar, beyond Kanto even. They might have subtly warped perceptions so that people everywhere couldn’t even consider that something was wrong.

Blaine cleared his throat, snapping everyone out of those thoughts before they were swallowed whole. “Go on, Celeste,” he prompted gently.

She hesitated for a moment, choosing to skip over Shy, and instead explained how she kept bumping into Jenny, Joy, and Jude after arriving on the island. It felt like they were everywhere—an experience that, it turned out, was common among the people in the gym. And not everyone knew to avoid them, despite what Ariana had said back when they first met.

“I also met this little girl…” she turned to Blaine. “Giovanni’s neighbour. Amber. She had a Sinistea and invited me for tea, but…” She paused, lowering her voice. “She didn’t seem mindless, like everyone else.”

She noticed Blaine stiffen, but he just nodded. “I’ll look into it,” he said, then gestured for her to go on. She recounted the beach party and the incident at the Pokémon Centre afterward—if you could call it that.

“That’s when I realised Pat’s Own Tempo ability protected him too. Anyway, I freaked out and went to the house of the guy who invited Delia over. That was when—”

Ariana draped an arm around Celeste’s shoulders way too forcefully. “That’s when we became besties over a nice cup of coffee, and we don’t need to bore everyone with the details.”

“Aaaanyway,” Celeste continued, “my Pokémon and I hid all over the island these past few weeks. We mostly stuck to places the… creatures avoided. Caves, abandoned spots, away from the crowds. I think they’re spread thin now. And the illusion’s cracking—uh... something about energy?”

Caleb adjusted his turtleneck nervously, and Blaine stroked his moustache thoughtfully.

She narrowed her eyes at them. “You guys know something, don’t you?”

Nebula floated forward. “In any system, entropy—the measure of disorder—increases,” she began. “These creatures rely on their collective energy to keep their control over reality intact. But energy isn’t infinite. Over time, the strain grows, inefficiencies build up, and the disorder—the entropy—gets worse. As they push harder to maintain their illusions and energy begins to run out, things start falling apart. First, it’s just cracks.”

Blaine nodded thoughtfully. “We’ve sent some gym trainers out on for supplies now and then. They’ve been seeing these... cracks. Small things at first—fall leaves falling on the side of the road, fences broken when no one was around, shelves in the supermarket turned upside down without a reason.”

“Did you see anything bigger than that?” Caleb asked.

“Well... not really.” Celeste tapped her chin. “It’s worse in the abandoned places I mentioned, where there are fewer creatures. I did see some ice in an alley near the main street, though, which I thought was weird because there were plenty of Unoh--creatures around. Err... I should probably tell you about what happened to the tram.”

Even Ariana perked up at that. “We saw the tracks,” she said, giving Celeste a sideways glance. “Or actually... we didn’t.”

Celeste sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. She’d managed to avoid sharing the more reckless parts of her story until now, but there was no dodging this one. She took a breath and launched into it, the words tumbling over each other. She told them about the incenses, which seemed to make everyone sit up straighter, and how she’d used the last one to trap Nurse Joy on the tram. That one earned her a disapproving look from Blaine.

“...so Nurse Joy was stuck in the tram with the incense. The creatures started gathering around, and then it just... vanished.” Celeste looked away. “I thought if the illusion was breaking, we could just wait it out and be free. But you didn’t see what I saw. It’s like when a problem gets too big, or too hard to fix, they just erase it. You know, like when you all found me. Jude was asking if I wanted to yield to them or...” she swallowed, “...cease.”

“Yeah, we saw,” Ariana cut in, smirking. “You were running like a Caterpie spotting a Pidgey and then turned all dramatic.”

Celeste huffed, but Blaine took over, explaining how they’d watched the recording of her knocking at the gym, and organised a rescue party. By the time they left she had set up the fireworks---which no one was thrilled to know had probably wrecked whatever remained of the Cinnabar Labs.

Which reminded her.

“Wait... you found me because of the fireworks? You didn’t get my broadcast?” Celeste blinked in surprise.

Blaine shook his head. “Nothing came through. Whatever you sent, it never reached us.”

Celeste sighed, deflating a little. Figures. She should’ve known it wouldn’t work.

“In any case,” Blaine continued, softening his tone, “next time someone offers you a chance to choose between life and... well, ceasing, try to choose life, yeah?”

Celeste’s face fell. “I was worried about Pat and… my other Pokémon.”

Blaine’s expression hardened slightly. “Pokéballs exist to protect your Pokémon too,” he said. “And anyway—”

“Not all Pokémon have—uh... I mean, what if I lost one of their Pokéballs?”

He stared at her. “Losing a Pokémon’s Pokéball is considered negligence and would result in a strike on your licence. Not something you should confess to a Gym Leader, Celeste. But... did you?”

“An empty one,” she mumbled.

“That hardly matters then. Just deregister the code from your licence once this is over.” He shook his head and cleared his throat. “Now, can you tell us more about what happened with the tram?”

Celeste nodded and began recounting the events in more detail. As she spoke, the room grew quieter, the mood darker. Once she finished the story about the tram, she also mentioned Jude and the conversation they had when she faced him. When she finished, everyone turned towards Nebula, who had been uncharacteristically silent, her eyes glittering with thought.

“The creatures seem bound by certain rules,” Nebula said, her buzzing voice piercing their thoughts. “They don’t want anyone to worry, and when someone does, they try to fix it. Everything must be perfect. Like a paradise.”

“Xanadu…” Celeste whispered. Everyone turned to look at her.

Nebula buzzed louder, demanding attention. “Yes, Xanadu. The utopia of an old poem. Paradise. It’s irrelevant. What matters is the pattern we’ve identified—they prefer subjugation over killing, erasing over breaking. It tells us something about their nature.”

Celeste frowned. “They attacked me. That wasn’t just erasing—that was trying to kill me.”

“You act illogically,” the bug replied, almost amused. “You stood before Armarouge’s strongest attack without understanding the consequences. Without my barrier, whether you were killed or erased would make no difference.”

Celeste paled, her heart sinking. Ariana snorted, clearly entertained, while Caleb cleared his throat, trying to ease the tension.

“So... the only thing you haven’t explained is why you blew up Cinnabar Labs?” He adjusted his glasses and offered a reassuring smile, steering Celeste away from dwelling on her narrow escape.

“Uh, I think I used them to erase the fake Jenny?”

Blaine sighed heavily. “Arceus. Let’s be grateful you don’t have any Fire-types on your team...”

—*——*—

The conversation dragged on as Nebula tried to piece together any missing details, scrutinising every word from Celeste. It was leading nowhere fast. The Orbeetle kept prodding her about the ghost in her shadow—something Celeste flatly denied existed—only for Ariana to snap, pointing out that they’d all seen it. Blaine stepped in before things escalated further, reigning in both Ariana and Nebula with a calm but firm tone.

At that, Nebula reluctantly dropped the subject, focusing on Cinnabar Labs again.

Celeste bit her lip, nearly mentioning the journal. She knew it was exactly what Nebula should be scrutinising. But Celeste understood Blaine too. He probably didn’t want to tarnish Fuji’s reputation, even now. He’d find a way to pass down the crucial information without revealing the darker side of Fuji’s experiments… hopefully. So instead, she talked about the tech she’d seen, the call she’d apparently broadcast to no one, and how she’d met the strangest Pokémon—and somehow lost the Pokéball she’d been saving for emergencies when she faced it.

Eventually, Nebula’s questions dried up, but Celeste wasn’t quite done.

“Earlier you said this whole floor was protected, even when we’re not near our Pokémon?” she asked, turning her attention to the bug.

Caleb answered before Nebula could. “All the Pokémon here offer some level of protection against psychic stuff, but a few can tweak that protection more. It’s like a barrier they can shape. We’ve secured all the underground floors of the gym.”

“So…” Celeste grinned, jumping to her feet. “That means Powds and Aria are gonna be back to normal, right?”

“Celeste, wait—” Caleb started, but he didn’t get very far.

She had already zoned out, tired of overthinking it. She’d had enough of questions, enough of dark labs, enough of wondering about all that is unknown. She scooped Pat up into her arms, relishing the happy rumble he let out. She loved hugging him, but it had been days since she’d felt Powder’s soft, puffy fur against her cheek or experienced Aria tackling her to keep her from doing something reckless. The thought of having them back to their usual selves sparked a fire within her.

Ignoring the others’ warnings, she released them both in a flash of light.

The beams dissipated, and her Pokémon began to take shape before her. Powder’s snowy fur gleamed under the dim lights, while Aria shook herself out.

“Is that an Alolan Vulpix?” Ariana’s voice came from somewhere behind her, and Celeste couldn’t resist but to shoot her a smug smile.

Then she turned back to her Pokémon—and froze.

“Veev! Veev, Veev, Veev!”

Wide-eyed, Aria sprinted toward her in sheer panic, calling out “Veev”—that’s how she called Celeste—over and over. She was... not okay. Aria slammed into Celeste, knocking her down, but not in their usual playful way. Fear filled her eyes. And before Celeste could even process it, Pat let out a worried bellow. He was beside Powder, who had curled into a trembling ball where she materialised. Pat tried to nudge her gently, but she whimpered, shrinking back as if even the Slowpoke’s gentle touch hurt.

Heart pounding, Celeste scooped up the frantic Aria and rushed over to the others.

“It’s okay,” she whispered to Powder, reaching out. But the little Vulpix flinched away, coiling tighter. Pat looked just as lost as she felt. “Powds, I’m here. We’re safe—”

Blaine approached quietly from behind. Her two Pokéballs floated up to his hands, Nebula’s psychic aura humming around them.

“There’s a reason none of us have our other Pokémon out, Miss Diaz,” Blaine said, his voice low but not unkind. He extended his arm, recalling Powder and Aria with a flick of his wrist, giving Celeste no time to object. The two beams vanished, and the air felt colder, emptier. He then offered her a hand to help her up. “Daniel’s keeping track of the schedule if you want to take them upstairs to the arena. It’s outside the shield, so…”

“They won’t be themselves...” Celeste murmured, glancing from Blaine to Caleb and Ariana. The two trainers avoided her eyes.

Celeste stared at the empty Pokéballs, her face tight, her jaw clenched. “They won’t be themselves,” she repeated softly.

Blaine sighed. “I know it’s not ideal.”

“That’s an understatement…” she muttered. “What… what’s going on with them?”

“We call it Psychic Trauma.” Nebula buzzed closer, but before she could launch into a lecture, Blaine cut in.

“I know it doesn’t seem like it, but we’re the lucky ones,” he said softly. With a gesture, he managed to dismiss Ariana and Caleb, calling Celeste and Pat to follow him through the maze of gym corridors.

Unlike Ariana, Blaine actually took the time to explain things as they walked. Celeste knew the gym was built over lava pools, but she hadn’t realised there was so much history beneath her feet. The original gym, as Blaine explained with a grimace, had been located higher up on the volcano.

“Years of trekking up and down that mountain ruined my back,” he added with a dry chuckle.

The previous Indigo Champion, Jasper Whiteley, had been a close friend. Apparently, Jasper had trained his Charizard in the heart of the volcano and had a deep bond with the island. So when Blaine proposed building a new gym, Jasper poured funds into the project, pushing for something modern and accessible, in line with the innovation Cinnabar had seen during the construction of the Cinnabar Labs. This new gym had stood for eight years now.

He’d further explained he’d chosen this specific location to take advantage of the volcano’s power while making the gym more welcoming to the public, something Jasper excelled at but which, according to Blaine, “the new dragon boy” had completely ignored.

As they strolled, Blaine pointed to massive metal doors set into the walls. “Those lead to the lava pits,” he explained. “Reinforced to hold back the lava, naturally.”

Celeste shivered slightly, though she’d be lying if she said she didn’t want a peek. She stayed close to Pat as Blaine led them further, occasionally pointing out more features. They passed a room serving as an infirmary, where Blaine properly introduced her to the Nurse Joy with them. She’d been tending to a wild Venonat when the Unown took over, and it had become her own Pokémon since then.

The gym was larger than Celeste had imagined (though still smaller than Galar’s), with facilities for both trainers and Pokémon. Blaine showed her specialised training rooms, two extra battle arenas, and a kitchen. He mentioned classrooms upstairs for public engagement, emphasising that education was key in Indigo’s gym culture.

Further below, Blaine mentioned there was a furnace and a geothermal energy centre that helped power the gym—and, apparently, much of the island. They passed by the nursery, where a lone gym trainer with a Sizzlipede was keeping an eye on some eggs. Nearby, in a security room filled with cameras, another trainer sat playing cards with a Lampent, relaxed despite everything going on.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have access to the infirmary, cafeteria, or the private quarters upstairs,” Blaine continued. “We’ve had to make do with what we have,” he said, adding that the same went for gym trainers. There were only about half a dozen that managed to avoid the Unown, and aside from Dinah—the girl with the Incineroar, most were inexperienced. He admitted that Caleb and especially his Orbeetle—though not part or the gym—had stepped up to help him organise things, but many of the people around weren’t even trainers.

Most were simply frightened.

As they entered the kitchen, Blaine grabbed a bag of something from the counter. Celeste half-expected him to tell her how stretched thin they were, and that she needed to pull her weight, but he surprised her by changing the subject.

“Have you been to a gym before?” he asked, leading her toward his office. He didn’t enter, though. Instead, he called his Marowak and headed through more corridors until they reached the stairs, guarded by Dan and another trainer with a Houndour. He glanced at Celeste’s shadow but said nothing, just told his trainers he wouldn’t be long.

Celeste exchanged a look with Pat but followed, staying close as they made their way upstairs. “Uh, yeah. But only in Galar.”

Blaine’s eyebrows lifted with interest. “Did you try the circuit there?”

She shook her head, thinking of Caleb. “Is it normal for people to switch regions?”

He considered the question. “Depends. Each region’s got its own quirks. Places like Galar, Unova, and Hoenn run annual circuits, so you have to collect all your badges within a year. But they balance that out with more tailored challenges, better scaling. If you get into the conference first year, you probably won’t get far, but you get experience. Then each year it gets a little harder. You improve and push a bit further. Places like Indigo or Sinnoh, however, offer a steeper climb from the start, but you have time to train, and your badges stay valid for years. It’s not unheard of for newcomers to go far or even win here.” He gave her a sideways glance. “It’s all about the challenge you’re looking for. Indigo also lets you pick between the Kanto or Johto track.”

Celeste blinked. She hadn’t considered any of that when she came here. Heck, she hadn’t even thought about the Gym lineup.

Blaine gave her a knowing look. “So, why Kanto? Seems a long way from Galar.”

She grimaced. “That was kind of the point.”

Blaine pushed open the door to a mostly empty battlefield. His Marowak bounded ahead, twirling its bone with effortless precision before smashing it into a boulder, shattering it to pieces. Lahar stood proudly, glancing back at his trainer, expecting praise. But instead of complimenting the move, Blaine offered a few precise corrections, noting the Marowak’s stance and the need for a more explosive follow-through. It seemed nitpicky, but the Fire-type’s eyes blazed with determination, and he immediately set to work on another rock.

“I read the journal,” Blaine said, moving to the centre of the arena and releasing a massive Arcanine and Rapidash. “I grabbed enough food for your Pokémon too, if you want to let them out,” he added, mentioning he fed his team in rotation. “You were having trouble with your parents?”

Celeste hesitated, her fingers brushing over Aria’s and Powder’s Pokéballs. She glanced at Pat, unsure, before looking at Blaine’s Arcanine, who tore through its food with a relaxed, almost bored expression. “I don’t think that was the point of the journal… Fuji—”

“Is a complicated man who’s dedicated his life to curing his daughter,” Blaine said, setting down some feed for his Rapidash.

“Amber seemed fine when I met her...” she muttered, still holding back her Pokémon. “Blaine—Uh… Leader Blaine... do you think he’s...”

“He’s at home with Amber and his wife,” Blaine cut in. “All happy, like a family. Even Amber. I didn’t have the heart to bring her here.”

“But you don’t think…” Was there a nice way to put this? Don’t you think this is all Fuji’s fault? Can’t he stop it? What really happened here?

“Your Pokémon will be fine here,” the Gym Leader said, nodding at the Pokéballs in her hand.

She looked away. “They weren’t okay when I let them out downstairs… You said we were the lucky ones? This ‘Psychic Trauma’?”

Blaine sighed deeply, his hand running through his Rapidash’s fiery mane as if he drew warmth from it rather than getting burned. “This happiness… it’s hurting them,” he said. “Nebula looked into their minds—my Pokémon’s. They can tell something’s wrong. There’s a scream beneath their smiles.”

Celeste’s heart tightened. “So why let them out? And what happens when we stop the Unown? Won’t everyone be like that?” Her voice wavered.

Blaine’s gaze softened. “Healing takes time and patience. But right now, we can’t focus on that. What I’m hoping is… if we make some of this happiness feel real—if we make them feel safe—even under the spell, maybe the whiplash won’t be as bad when it’s over.”

“Guess bottling things up isn’t great, huh?” Celeste muttered under her breath. With a reassuring nod from Pat, she finally released Aria and Powder. The moment they emerged, both Pokémon seemed as carefree as ever, like nothing happened. Powder’s eyes lit up at the sight of the arena, while Aria wasted no time nuzzling against Celeste, her tail flicking playfully in the air. Pat just curled up beside the shadows, his slow, watchful gaze following his teammates.

Celeste settled down next to them, her heart softening as she ran her hands through their fur, giving each of them the attention they deserved.

Patiently. Genuinely.

For the first time in days, she made sure they knew they were safe, even if they didn’t fully grasp it.

“I thought Mum and Dad just wanted to make all my choices for me,” she eventually told Blaine, a small laugh escaping her lips. “They got me an internship at the Aether Foundation of all places...”

Blaine, no doubt recalling the journal, winced slightly.

“I don’t know,” Celeste continued, scratching behind Aria’s ear. “I wanted to find my own way, not theirs. We’ve been arguing non-stop since I made the decision to leave. But when I read that journal… it’s like they do pay attention? Maybe? I came to Kanto back in September. Three months ago, and I’ve just been getting into trouble and off track. Mum says I need to figure things out by summer and show progress. I don’t know. Lori thinks going for badges is good for me. That it’ll help me focus.”

Blaine sat beside her, reaching out to Powder. He stroked her in just the right spot, and to Celeste’s surprise, the little Vulpix happily accepted the berry chunks he offered without complaint. She watched, amazed.

“How do you make her eat so easily?” she asked.

Blaine chuckled, still petting Powder. “I haven’t met many Alolan Vulpix, but the Fire-type Vulpix are staples here,” he said, noting she was very young. Vulpix her age apparently were often still dependent on their mothers. They also needed easy-to-digest food, chopped finely. At six months, she should be transitioning to independence—that’s when Ninetales teach their young to hunt—and eating should become easier.

Celeste nodded, listening intently.

“Anyway, I agree with your friend,” he said after a while. “Training for badges gives you structure, and it lets you explore what kind of trainer you want to be. But your mother has a point too. If you don’t want to go down the trainer route, you could be focusing on an apprenticeship or furthering your studies. And she’s right—you need some focus.”

“It’s hard…” she muttered.

Blaine chuckled. “Well, if it helps, I think you have the makings of a Fire specialist. You seem even more reckless than most of the hotheaded kids I hire.”

“Hey!”

“You know, I have some spare Fire Stones lying around, for when this is all over...” he smiled, glancing at Aria, who was trying to pick Marowak’s bone from across the field. “Staying at a gym could give you structure, and I could help keep you focused.”

“Are you that spread that thin?” she teased, earning a heartier laugh from him. “I do know I don’t want to follow in my parents’ footsteps. But I kind of loved the travelling. See new places. Experience the weird and the wonderful. There’s so much mystery and adventure out there… I just want to live it. Everything. I wanna meet new people and Pokémon, make friends. If I can make their lives a little brighter, then… I think that’s what I want.”

Blaine’s smile softened. “Sounds like you’ll be a wonderful trainer someday.”

“Hope so,” Celeste said, standing up and offering him a hand. He accepted, and his back didn’t even crack this time. “Besides, no offence, but Auntie Opal would kill me if I became a gym trainer anywhere else,” she added, returning her Pokémon and heading for the exit.

Blaine blinked.

“Did you say... Auntie... Opal?”