'Are you afraid?'
I didn't answer right away, mainly because I didn't know how to. I WAS afraid, but I didn't know what of. It made no sense, when I started my journey in Sinnoh I wasn't nearly as scared when Team Galactic almost destroyed it with the deity dragons, and even Giratina had shown up to that.
'You felt safe with him, that's why.' The voice told me gently. With a deep sigh I realized it was right. Back when he was around, I knew I was safe. No matter what, as long as we were together, nothing would hurt us. Even the few times we confronted Team Galactic directly, when he was there there was no dnager.
"Why does it hurt so much still? It's been so long." I whispered, hugging myself a bit. Sasha made a sound like she was curious, but I didn't pay much attention to her as I kept walking.
'Because you loved him. I have witnessed love in all kinds of ways. Break ups are never easy, dear.' The voice said gently. I opened my mouth to speak, but decided against it to not freak out Sasha more than I already had.
'Can we talk like this?' I asked. A warm feeling washed over me, and I couldn't help but smile.
'Of course. Whatever is more comfortable for you. Just don't forget you are walking.' It answered, and I released a breath I didn't know I was holding.
'How do I move on from this? I mean, it was kind of niche to begin with. And what would Aldith think of me? Or Grandpa Wulfric? Or my other pokemon?' I asked, biting my lip.
'You are no longer a performer, Celeste. You do not have to put on a show for anyone. What others think is no longer important. Those who mind don't matter-'
'And those who matter don't mind. I know, that's what my mentor said to me when she was teaching me about contests. I just….I can't help it. Is it really so bad that I want to be loved, quirks and all?' I said. The warmth returned, making me think of a motherly hug back when my Nanna used to tuck me into bed at night.
'Of course not, but you ARE loved. I loved you from the moment you came here, even as I delved into your mind and memories and saw everything that frightens you about yourself.' The voice said. I was comforted by this, but also confused.
'But why? What is it about me that drew you here? Not that I mind, but I'm nothing special.' I said. I immediately felt a pang of coldness, replaced quickly by warmth. It was as though I was being admonished.
'Celeste, have more faith in yourself. You ARE special. Your heart is filled with much love to give. Yet you spare none of it for yourself. I came to you to help you find your way again, to help you love yourself again.' The voice said.
'And then when I feel better you'll move onto the next depressed wash up, right?' I asked, somewhat cynical.
'No, Celeste. I will not leave you. I will never leave you, I promise.' It said. I sniffed a little bit, somehow knowing that this voice meant it.
'I love you.' I said to it.
'I love you too, dear. Are you going to be okay?' It asked, its own feelings of love enveloping me. I smiled and bobbed my head once in a nod, looking up to see Ambrette Town was right in front of me.
'Yeah, I'll be okay. I'm here. Do you think Aldith is okay?' I asked, stopping in front of the welcome sign and looking past it at the ocean.
'I get the impression that she is a smart girl. I think she is fine, dear. You should see what pokemon is inside your fossil.' It said with a gentle nudge. I nodded and sighed, making my way down the rocks and into the town.
Places like Ambrette always made me really happy. It was small, with only a few attractions in it as its places of business. These cities never had much to offer, but what they did they took pride in. Visiting a city like this always made me appreciate how wild and adventurous my life was back in Sinnoh. It was nice to know some things never changed even when your whole life turns upside down.
Another bonus of these small towns was that it was easy to find where you needed to go. I confidently hooked a sharp left and strode towards the lab. The building seemed out of place in Ambrette, looking shiny and pristine and new whereas everything within the settlement had a touch of age and wisdom in it. I supposed it was just as well, since a place like this was where new life was made. I'm sure they had to keep it pristine in order to ensure the safety of the pokemon reborn within its walls. At least, that's what Roark had told me when I help him with his mining operation.
"Stop! Thief!" Yelled a voice inside. I stopped in my tracks as a man in a bright orange suit sprinted out of the building, a large bag hanging over his back. I frowned and braced myself in the dirt, clenching my fists.
"Go Sasha! Use Gust!" I called. Sasha flew off my head and made her way over to the thief, flapping her wings violently. The man yelped as the attack threw him off balance, but he recovered quickly and grabbed a pokeball, throwing it up.
"Houndour, use Smog!" He commanded. I froze in fear as a pokemon resembling Houndoom appeared. With a growl, Houndour made a wheezing scream, a plum of purple smoke billowing out from the howl. Sasha tried her best to blow away the attack, but she was unable to clear it away in time. The pair had gotten away. She snarled in frustration as she reluctantly retreated back to me. I smiled sympathetically at her as a man in a lab coat came out of the building, his sides heaving.
"Hello, I'm sorry I couldn't stop him. We tried, are you okay?" I asked him, walking up to check on the poor guy. He snapped his head up to look at me and gave a half-hearted smile, reaching a hand up to run it through his wild brown hair.
"I'm fine, but I won't be if I don't get that canister back. Please get it back for me, I'll give you anything if you just bring back that canister!" He said, his desperation growing stronger with every word. I smiled and nodded, turning to Sasha.
"Of course we will, find him Sasha! We'll be right behind you." I said, grabbing a pokeball and tossing it up. Mitsy appeared in a flash of light as Sasha flew off to do what I asked.
"Espurr?" Mitsy asked. I knelt down to be more at eye level with her.
"Some guy stole from the fossil lab, and I could use your help finding him. How are you at tracking?" I asked. Mitsy blinked and looked around, sniffing the air slightly. She wandered around a bit, still sniffing while her ears shuffled a bit, listening but careful to not open. After a few seconds, Mitsy started wandering off in a random direction, and I smiled and looked at the scientist. I reached into my bag and pulled out my fossil, holding it out to him.
"So my friend and I were hoping to get fossils restored. If you can do mine and then hers when she catches up we'd really appreciate it." I told him. The man smiled as he carefully took my fossil, looking it over.
"What an incredible specimen! This will turn into quite the pokemon! I'll get started on it right away, and make sure it knows the perfect moves for battling as an extra bonus! Thanks so much, happy hunting." He said, rushing back inside. I nodded and turned to the direction Mitsy had gone, jogging after her.
I heard a lot of yelping and howling as we came out of the gate, and I saw the man from before dancing around ahead. As we got closer, I winced as I saw that the ground underneath him was extremely rocky. Stones and shrapnel were intertwined, and I knew that even the ugliest, hardiest shoes in the world wouldn't be able to traverse it. The Houndour sat at the edge of the path, looking at its trainer helplessly while Sasha rolled around behind it laughing maniacally. As I got closer, Houndour turned to look at me. It started to growl at first, but the sound morphed into a pitiful whine. I sighed and bent down to pick up Mitsy, looking at the stupid thief who continued to jump around.
"Okay, this is just sad. Mitsy, let's throw him a bone and use Confusion." I said. Mitsy mewed in my arms, her ears opening up. The man became enveloped in a light blue glow. He was lifted into the air, and he looked around frantically. His bright red sunglasses locked onto me and he had a panicked look on his face.
"Hey wait! Put me down!" He shouted, wriggling around. Mitsy made an annoyed grunt and I smirked, tilting my head at him.
"You sure you want that buddy?" I asked. He yelped and pulled his arms and legs close in to his body.
"No! Don't put me down!" He cried. I sighed in exasperation as Mitsy pulled him closer. He yelped in pain as she unceremoniously dropped him next to his Houndour, who started barking happily and climbing all over him. Mitsy turned in my arms and gripped my shirt with her tiny claws, climbing up until she was on my shoulder while Sasha stood up and walked next to me. I stood over the guy and crossed my arms, getting more and more annoyed.
"So, before you do anything else stupid can I have that thing on your back?" I asked. The man snapped his head up with a shout, struggling to get to his feet and failing spectacularly because of his injured feet. He sighed and began wriggling, pulling the canister off his back and moving it in front of him. Before I could reach out and take it from him he threw himself around it and hugged it.
"Look, I'll get kicked out of Team Flare if I don't bring back anything worth a ton of money. My colleagues are already in Glittering Cave trying to swipe fossils and crap and I thought I'd have the best haul grabbing whatever this is." He said defiantly.
"You stole that and you don't even know what it is?" I asked.
"DO YOU!?" He yelled. I sighed and looked around, trying to decide what to do. I kinda wish Aldith was here. She would have gotten it back by now.
"Alright, you know what? You're lucky." I told him.
"What? I am?" He said. I nodded as I looked at the path.
"Yep. If my friend were here, you would have gotten tossed down the cliff and we'd be having coffee with the rock nerds by now. Since she's not, you get to deal with good cop. I'll make a deal with you, I'll go into Glittering Cave and find something for you. What's in there?" I asked. He seemed suspicious of me, but realized he wasn't going to get anywhere anytime soon.
"Fine, bring me a fossil! If you bring me a Plume Fossil or an Old Amber you can have whatever this is." He said stubbornly. With a sigh I turned to the rocky path, trying to figure out the best way to cross it. I carefully came up to it and reached a leg out to tap the path. No matter where my foot touched I couldn't find any real safe place to step. Unless… Unless I thought of this as a contest. I reached into my bag and dug around. I found my tool kit and pulled it out, kneeling down and setting it on the ground. The Team Flare guy tried to say something to me, but I was focused. Sasha walked over to me and made a noise at me, looking at the box as I moved things around in it.
"Aha! Found you!" I said, pulling out my can of Instant Armor. Giving it a shake, I knew this was going to be a one time use since there wasn't very much in it. I looked at Sasha with a grin as I sat down, crossing my legs.
"Noibat?" She asked. I hummed as I sprayed the bottom of my shoes with it. The soles of my shoes were instantly covered in a white, puffy foam that expanded briefly. An audible crackling told me it hardened, and I was ready. I recalled Mitsy back into her pokeball and beamed at Sasha.
"So, this stuff is meant to help trainers perform complicated routines with pokemon that are hazardous to work with when excited, like a Macargo. For a few minutes, my feet are protected from nearly everything. I hope it'll work on these rocks. Wanna dance with me, Sasha?" I asked, standing up and holding my hand out to her.
Sasha blinked for a moment, as though she were confused by my offer, but as I started to make my way to the rock path, she followed after me. I smiled and started humming as we twirled around. It felt like the old days when I would dance with Spike on his web. I was surrounded by all of my fans again. I was being cheered on by my fellow competitors again. I felt at home again.
And yet, when Sasha pulled me back to reality by tackling me away from the edge of the cliff, I felt empty again. I have to remember that as much as it was, none of that was real. The love of everyone around me was as fake as the makeup on my face. I turned to the cave behind me and sighed, sitting down and hugging my knees while I looked out over the cliff. This was hard. The more I turned away from the past, the more I missed it. I felt my tears building in my eyes, and I struggled not to let them fall. I can't let it keep hurting me like this.
"Dammit." I muttered quietly. I rested my chin on my knees and sniffled. I started to reach out to my voice, when I felt something warm and leathery on my legs. Looking down, Sasha was pressed right up against me and wrapping her wings as much around me as she could. I couldn't see her face, but the way her ears twitched told me she was listening carefully to me. She pulled away slightly and looked up, glaring at me while her face got darker. I chuckled quietly as I realized she was blushing, and I reached out a hand and put it on her head.
Nothing needed to be said here. Sasha was cranky and stubborn, but she did love me in her own way. I knew it was killing her to be so affectionate, but that's what made it all the more touching. She wasn't afraid to be herself, but that didn't mean she was a complete asshole. With a shaky sigh, I stood up and turned to the cave again, looking at Sasha gratefully and bowing my head at her. She fluttered up and perched on my head, snorting indignantly.
"Time to go find something that Team Flare guy will like. Ready, Sasha?" I said, tapping my shoes to get the rest of the coating off. Sasha cried out as I began sprinting for the cave.
Treasure awaits!
TBC
So, this chapter went through quite a few different renditions before I settled on this. I listened to quite a bit of emotional pokemon music to get a feeling for this chapter. I wanted to explore more of Celeste's inner turmoil and show her struggle to really move on from it. No one gets over grief like this instantly, after all.
I am glad to finally start getting Team Flare involved now though. I'm really looking forward to writing Aldith's reaction to them.
See you guys in 36!
