It's been a looong time since I posted anything here. I know this isn't up to my old standards, but hey, I haven't written properly in over a year. And for anyone curious, Celestial (whose name is really Celeste) is based on one of the very first characters I ever created, back when I was thirteen.

Celestial

"There wasn't really that much difference. But I still say the original was better than the remake."

"Very true," I muttered under my breath, scrolling down. My eyes scanned the familiar white forum layout, checking every crimson text box, in search of things to hold my interest. It was a Friday night and all I wanted was to relax.

My eyes fell upon a new thread entitled 'Your First Best Friend'. I paused long enough to notice that it had been started by one of the people I found most interesting - a girl by the username of Celestial. Over time I had figured out that she rarely posted, but watched most threads until she had something interesting to say. Taking a sip from the glass by my side, I slid my finger over the laptop's touchpad and clicked the link.

"How many of you remember your first best friend? Post all about them here. Mine was a little kid who wandered off from home. We were both young and we met outside Lavaridge Town in Hoenn. We played together for months! Oh, it was so much fun. But then I had to move away without warning and I never saw my friend again. Sometimes I wonder if they remember me."

The glass trembled in my hand. "... Ralts?"

I was running; my feet in their bright red sneakers pounded the baked earth, shoelaces trailing behind me like streamers. The warm Hoenn air rushed in and out of my aching lungs. Abruptly my run ended, my foot catching the loose shoelaces and sending me crashing to the ground.

"Oww, that hurt! Mommy!" I cried.

A rustling sound brought my crying to a halt. I gazed at a nearby patch of thick grass, struggling to make out the small shape hiding inside. Two cautious garnet eyes blinked up at me from the tangled foliage. "Ralts?"

I pushed myself up onto my hands and knees, the pain forgotten. "Who are you? Are you a Pokémon? Come out so I can see you."

With a frightened whimper, the eyes shook back and forth as though their owner was shaking its head. I reached into my pocket, fumbling around until my questing fingers found something rough. The Pokémon faltered once more as I offered it a small lump of lint-covered cookie.

"Come on, I want to be friends," I said.

After a moment's hesitation it began to push its way out of the grass. First to emerge was a large scarlet horn, apparently mounted on the creature's forehead. A mess of thick lime-green hair shaped like a helmet was next, followed by a second horn poking out of the back of the head. Finally the large head was followed by a tiny pale body, the large feet stumbling slightly as it freed itself.

"Aww, you look cute," I commented. "I wanna hug you."

The small creature looked up at me again, tilting its head, before raising both slender arms to me. I picked it up and clutched it close to my chest. A chilling sensation followed; it was rubbing its forehead horn against my chest, sending waves of emotion and knowledge flooding through my young body.

I shivered as the sensation stopped. "Ooh… s-so you're a female? And you're called Ralts?"

Ralts nodded eagerly. I was certain that she was grateful to me for being receptive to the knowledge she had tried to give me, though I was not sure how I knew that. I carefully placed her on the ground once more.

"Do you know how to play hide and seek?"

"Celestial - Wow, that sounds almost exactly like my story! It even happened in the same place! Wouldn't it be strange if we were each other's first best friends? Although mine was a Pokémon; a Ralts to be exact."

I hit send, watching the message appear beneath Celestial's. A moment later an idea occurred to me and I clicked on her username. A few clicks later I was staring at a blank email, wondering what to type.

"What if it's not her? It probably isn't. What are the chances that a Pokémon would know how to use a computer, even an intelligent one like one of the Ralts line? Although… if it is her, and I don't say anything… How many people get this chance?"

I took a deep breath and began to type. "Dear Celestial; I saw you in the general discussion area and thought you seemed familiar. I know this is a long shot, but I'd like to talk to you sometime to see if you were someone I knew a long time ago. And even if you aren't, it's always nice to meet another friend. Please reply - I'm online around this time every day."

I hesitated, a thousand thoughts running through my head. Would this seem creepy? Was it something a stalker would say? What if she'd seen me around and disliked me? What if she was my old friend and didn't want to know me now?

Furious at myself, I highlighted the message and hit delete. Once again the blank page began to taunt me; ignoring it, I closed the window and opened my email inbox resignedly. There was a new message waiting.

"Dear Golden; I saw you in the general discussion area and thought you seemed familiar…"

A smile began to make its way onto my face. "Darn mind-readers."