Honestly I don't even remember why I made the decision not to have pokémon speak their names when humans are conversing properly. It could have been that sort of thing just irritated me, that I didn't feel like playing around with their names and how it might get conveyed in dialogue, or it was just a spur of the moment thing that I decided to roll with.
That's the beauty about this story though; I don't particularly care about stylistic choices because I'm just experimenting with things.
"Et voila! I come bearing gifts! No need to thank me, your worship is more than enough."
Alex smirked as he took one of the doughnuts, raising it in appreciation towards June. "What would we ever do without you, Starlight?"
"Wander throughout the night aimlessly, not knowing north from west, hanging out in the middle of the forest with only three other people and your teams for company?" June winked and blew a kiss back at Whitney, setting the box down at the far end of the table. "So what did you two get while I was gone?"
"Made some inquiries into movements around the area. Couldn't get into specifics, but luckily the police chief and I are on good terms. We don't have access to the underground cameras, but topside there's been unusual movement here and here." Whitney tapped two places on the north-west part of the map they'd been building up over the past few days. "If most of the buildings in the industrial district weren't private property, tracking people down would be a hell of a lot easier."
"Storage," Alex and June said as one, glancing at each other for only a moment.
"It pains me to say it," June continued, "but we shouldn't look into that sector unless we get a direct lead. Get our noses too dirty and they'll scatter like a screech of whismur, except we won't have the benefit of following the trail of startled pokémon."
"Once Umbral shows back up, I can have her scout out the area. If they're doing more than storage, she'll be able to sniff out the emotions."
"Umbral's missing?" Whitney pursed her lips. "How concerned do I need to be?"
"There hasn't been an outbreak of terrified civilians lately, so not at all." Alex leaned back over the table, pushing forward a few papers. "Kids have been getting close to finishing up their collections, but seems like the cashiers are getting more stingy with the stamps as they go on. We're pretty sure Jasmine's out of the running for being a candidate, now that she has a Ho-oh stamp. Bright side, all the cashiers keep telling her she's a very lucky girl and to look forward to her prize."
June hummed, a single note with a barely questioning lilt at the end. It was one he'd come to know as disapproval. "And the other two?"
"Estelle's a stamp behind the other two, but her notes are more detailed. Facial features of the cashiers, mannerisms whenever she starts getting uppity as a customer- if she didn't want to become a leader back in Orre I would have nudged her your way."
"I'll make a note of it. Wes has been making decent progress in getting Orre back into the public sphere, and with all this going on I'm sure Interpol will want to get a branch in there at some point."
"Shun the Leagues and instead plot behind their backs?" Whitney raised a brow, licking some leftover glaze off her upper lip. "If you weren't doing me a favor I'd have to think about turning you in."
"Do it anyway," June teased, staring at Whitney with half-lidded eyes. "If it's good enough, I might even consider helping you."
Whitney returned the look, folding her arms under her chest. "You know, supposedly Celèste isn't around at the moment. With one 'mon down, I think we could stand a chance, between the two of us."
"If you deal with Caitlyn I can take care of the rest."
"Only Caitlyn?" Whitney chuckled, pulling her arms tighter just the slightest. "Starlight, please, I can handle both her and Morgan no problem. Just keep those psychics from working their magics."
June gave an exaggerated curtsey, dipping her head low to hide her beaming smile. "As you say, Madame Gym Leader."
Alex let out a short sigh, sitting down and logging back into his work laptop. If he had to be the butt of the joke for those two to unwind a little, so be it. They were doing most of the work here, all he was doing was grunt work. Searching up incident reports around the region, isolating what seemed suspicious; little more than a secretary cum security, when shit hit the fan. "What should we do for dinner?" he asked idly.
"Am I included in this?"
"You're welcome to join us tonight," June answered. "Next week though..." Her heels clacked quietly on the tile as she strode around the table. "How about that pizza store at the edge of Little Unova, along Cypress? Heard some good things about it."
Hm, multiple reports of low yield fishing trips from commercial ships near the Whirl Islands; workers happy to be back on shore, captains irritated by low yields. Alex quickly made a memo in one of his follow-up documents, pasting all the links underneath the entry. "The one with the cheese crust?"
"Oh, been there before?"
"Figured I should get a list of places since we'll be staying in the area for a while." He turned to look at June, his lips curling in a soft smile. "Smart decision?"
She chuckled and sauntered over, gently pressing the tip of her pointer against his nose. "Worthy of a Psychic Specialist," she whispered.
/ - /
Breathe in. Center your focus. Breathe out.
Breathe in. Center your focus. Breathe out.
At its core, Calm Mind was as much a meditation technique as Bulk Up. Focus your energies towards a specific thing, be it mental or physical. Feel the flow of air with every action made; the movement of energy from your core throughout your body as your will was made manifest.
That being said, it was not entirely appropriate for her to be doing this specific exercise. No, for today, she would have been far better suited towards the slow tensing of muscles, working her way toes to head. With a slow exhale, Celèste opened her eyes.
A large, empty field of stone and dirt, endless blue sky surrounding them.
Part of Hilda's reconditioning meant making sure that her team was capable of handling Champion level threats; perhaps not to the extent that her Trainer or June- or even Iris- did, but standards had to be met, regardless of whether or not the Leagues considered her already worthy.
Rapid precision strikes, heavy debilitating blows, and surgical strikes with varying support. Though Ruffles and Spike arguably weren't as experienced as Tei Tei, one was always still part of HIlda's core team, no matter what sort of adjustments she made to her team. Working with as many partners as they did, unlike herself who had a static party, meant they were far more adjustable on the fly. Against that, experience could only get her so far, especially without a trainer to correct whatever strategy she had.
"You ready, Sister?" Tei Tei ambled over, a cheerful smile on her face in spite of the battle ahead.
Celèste looked down from the cloudless sky, letting her eyes adjust to the change in brightness. "I should be asking that question of you. I know my limits. Will you reach yours?"
"Ha hah! Well, if all things go right, hopefully they won't."
"Mm." Far behind Tei Tei stood Hilda and the rest of her team, though Aami was simply acting as a signal, show stopping power that only an Ice-attuned Hyper Beam could give. Today's objective was a simple matter of capture the flag, though the only one bearing any objective was the lone human on the field. While rare in this day and age, sometimes a 'mon specifically singled out a trainer. While juvenile, the flags represented an adequate analogue for the scenario. As a 'mon, against a human so much as a 'love tap' while in the heat of battle could be a death sentence; three of them ensured Hilda received the message, and allowed for proper reflection. "Make sure you don't hold back. You may have the type advantage, but lest we forget-"
"Typing isn't everything. I know, I know, you and Hilda have only reminded me every day for the past two weeks."
Celèste narrowed her eyes. "If you weren't such a forgetful 'mon, we wouldn't have had to. Strength cannot carry you through every fight. Some will require-"
"'Thoughtful planning, preparations, and an understanding of your opponent', yes, yes." Tei Tei narrowed her eyes and looked away. "Ugh, now I just want to pound you into the dirt even more. Just because you're always winning our matches doesn't mean I'm not a Champion 'mon."
Celèste clapped her paws together cheerily. "Well then, get going. Hilda won't start this off until you're in position." Only when Tei Tei was several paces away did she let her expression fall. In a 1v3, even she wouldn't get out of this unscathed. No support or assistance on her end; while she did technically have a Fighting Gem tucked away in her fur, using such a high grade item in what amounted to a pride match would result in a scolding of a lifetime. If she was truly unlucky, then even Caitlyn would get in on the yelling. Celèste shivered. No, best not to touch it, no matter what predicament she ended up in.
"Okay, Celèste! We're about to get started!" Hilda's voice echoed across the plain, the woman cupping her hands around her mouth to help project further.
Breathe in. Center your focus. Breathe out.
A slowly growing field of absolute control centered around your being, its range increasing with every cycle.
Breathe in. Center. Out.
In. Center.
A wave of cold slammed across her front, Aami's relatively low powered attack tearing through the air.
Stone cracked underneath every step, webbed lines of lingering energy spreading out and seeping into the ground. Quick, short breaths, every exhale pushing out with a step. Whirling around on a foot, Celèste pressed forward, burning off momentum until she could safely stop, before slamming down her other foot and causing a jagged tooth of rock to erupt out of the ground. Flame exploded around the protrusion, the lingering tendrils of heat blocking Spike from visual view.
Falling block- deflect into knife hand counter. Palm deflect, counter straight. A miniscule twist of her foot. The ground surrounding her immediately rippled outward, orange-brown energy glimmering violently between the cracks and lashing out into the air.
Inhale.
The world became a loose blur of colors, every barely advancing step of Extremespeed causing more directed tendrils of Bulldoze to flare out and ravage the ground. In one fluid motion, Celèste dropped to the floor, whirling around and kicking out a foot. Despite having suffered through the maneuver thrice and intimately aware with the speed at which she could pull it off, Spike still failed to avoid the attack, crashing to the ground with a dull 'thud'.
Aura into the palm, low somersault forward and grab. A timed release, honed over years of experience; sending out a quick pulse of energy to double check her surroundings, Celèste darted into position, bending forward into a handstand and launching herself into the air.
The essence of raw energy made corporeal, of warmth and passion and anger- flickers of fire faded past her face as she rocked forward, foot connecting firmly with Spike. Throwing a paw out, she latched onto Spike's arm before he could get too far, sending both of them into a violent spin that ended with the bisharp face first into the ground once again.
The hint of a warning in her aura tails- the tingling vibration of concern shooting down her spine- sent her cartwheeling to the side, a thin column of roaring flame racing past. As quickly as it started, the jet of fire stopped, Tei Tei taking a moment to adjust her aim before letting loose once more.
Celèste moved onto all fours, ducking underneath the next burst of flame before driving a paw down into the ground. Rock and dirt parted around her as she mentally pulled herself forward, every lunging paw grasping onto handholds that lasted but moments. Her aura pulsed a single time. No one around but her target; if she actually tried, taking two flags would have been a cake walk.
But that wasn't the point of the exercise.
Celèste burst out of the ground, immediately charging forward in a traditional Lucario stance: one downward facing palm forward, the other hovering by her chest spike. Too late- far too late- did Hilda notice her approach, whirling around to bring her baton into a defensive position. A current of electricity- so incredibly weak compared to what she was used to yet so very potent- shot into her forearm as Hilda awkwardly tried to deflect her strike, her muscles seizing on contact. Celèste broke the connection with a quick but restrained kick and continued the offensive, light jabs slowly bringing Hilda back into focus.
Two weeks simply wasn't enough- could never be enough. To become ready, the kind of ready that meant coming out alive and without serious injury, one needed months of training. Mere refresher courses such as these wouldn't help Hilda or her team overcome the situations that would actually call for it.
It could only help them survive.
Though it only lasted a few short seconds, for Hilda it must have felt an eternity. Arm clashing against arm, two handed batons fighting off kicks and hammer arms, hard-as-steel limbs smacking against her body and adding more pain. Relief for the human came in the form of a howling wind, near invisible blades of air hidden within the gale.
Celèste danced back, knocking aside the projectiles with quick lived panels of Protect, only to whirl around and create a much larger, properly connected dome of energy to defend against a crash of Dark energy. "Good!" She barked out, shattering the dome outwards in a pseudo-Counter.
Ruffles behind her and protecting Hilda, Spike directly in front with limbs blazing with Dark energies. And off to the side, almost tauntingly within vision, Tei Tei slowly made her way around, staying beyond her effective range of attack. Though it galled her to let go of the offensive, taking it back would be a simple matter.
Celèste slid a foot back, refocusing her energies into a more defensive pattern, her aura tails vibrating imperceptibly as she increased the strength of her Detect. Unlike a proper version, hers was limited to direction of sudden energies; if she wished it, even the typing and intensity could be gleaned. Little more than an early warning system, but for one as experienced as she it was more than enough to let her body handle the rest. Slowly she began circling to the side, aura instinctively surging through her body at the build of up energy in her visual blind spots.
The barrage of Air Slashes were slipped between with the ease of a furret through grass; the spurts of Flame Burst-esque Flamethrower danced past or blocked with quick gestures that summoned up slabs of stone. All the while Spike performed a stationary dance, blades moving in quick, snapping motions, every flash of light glinting off his gradually sharpened edges. It was only when Spike's dance began to reach a fever pitch, the bisharp always keeping her in sight regardless of how frenetic his movements were, that she finally moved.
A dense layer of rime crackled into existence over her forepaws, three razor sharp blades protruding out as she raised her hands into an aggressive stance. Once, her ice would have shattered against the innate Steel of another. Now, it only did so at her behest.
In some ways, an enhanced hand to hand battle with another at her level was the most exasperating thing in the world. Combos, the kind that she could regularly pull off against Tei Tei, were a rare thing at their level. Instead, death by a thousand cuts was the more common result. A knick on the hand where the frost wasn't as thick; a sliver of skin sliced off from a deflection that was too sharp; the rattle of her bones from a Brick Break infused strike that clashed against a strike in kind.
She gave as good as she got, of course. With every glancing blow the creeping layers of frost spider webbing out from the points of impact grew more and more visible. A creeping chill that penetrated through skin and insidiously made its way into your entire being- it was a sensation she- and all of the heaviest hitters of HIlda's team- knew closely. A crawling dread that you weren't quite sure was real or not. The subtle realization that, for whatever reason, your opponent was moving faster than you. The abject horror that you were in a losing battle, and had always been in one.
In some ways, the battle of morale was far more important than the battle of strength. Celèste rocked back, ducking underneath the thin jet of flame that she knew singed parts of her fur. A rapidly descending blade coated in malignant darkness, tip poised for her head, cracked into the ice covering her paw with a dull sound. In her other, the whispering build up of her own malevolent Dark screamed into a violent jeer, the impacting release muted by another roar of billowing fire.
Celèste shut her eyes as she dissipated the protective dome around herself, trading colored sight for monochromatic blue. Through the haze of jittering, warmth flavored smoke that surrounded her, a mass of firmly 'irritant' dark blue barreled towards her, the same jittery smoke but on the 'Melting Heat' level blazing across its neck and shoulders like a living scarf.
She danced underneath an almost blurred mass of flame and muscle, baited out and avoided a semicircular flare of an Earth Power-esque Bulldoze. Only then, under the cover of the resultant cloud of dust did she attack. In that one moment, her transcendent sight collapsed on itself until it was only her and Tei Tei, both of their silhouettes bearing an ultra fine detail.
Breathe.
The buildup of energy in Tei Tei's arm moved painfully slow. The gradual drip of Life streaming from her core and into her left arm; the transformation from heat-attuned into the roar for justice; how her entire body tensed up in preparation for a potentially decisive blow. Celèste dodged to the side, all extraneous thoughts shunted away as she plunged herself into a full body Extreme Speed.
Energies of all kinds jackhammered out of her fists, shifting with every strike. Barely corporeal caps of rounded Steel, lingering Electric webs, nails of cloud blue Ice tainted red for the briefest of moments- all the while her heart generated the roar of the Dragon.
A primal flare of Heat, one that both mind and instincts screamed painful recollections at, began building up within Tei Tei. Jerking a Steel-capped fist back, Celèste whirled down into a Low Sweep, following the spin through with a lunging step. For a moment, she was not some mere, mortal canine. No, in that singular instant she released a portion of the strength hidden within, she had ascended into the realm of the Pseudo-Legends, on par with the beings that could crumble mountains and split the skies with a single roar.
Tei Tei barely flew a few feet before she caught up to her, Extremespeed once again burning through her body. Twin batons made of manifested Aura sprung out of her paws, continuously stepping forward and simultaneously whaling away to keep the emboar mid-air. Twelve steps in, and with her muscles starting to murmur their irritations, Celèste dismissed her batons and launched herself into the air, reaching out and flooding her arms with energy for an aerial throw.
Energy that was quickly thrown out into another Protect.
The fiery orange projection of Brave Bird crashed into her field of hardened energy, Ruffles screeching angrily as she pulled them both into a loop. Celèste grunted as she flooded her defense with more energy, apprehensive of the looming impact. While the impact against the ground did not crack her shield, the barrage of strikes- Brick Break and probing Feint Attacks from the returned Spike- made keeping it up disastrous.
With a quick breath, Celèste dropped the projection, blocking a Dark infused strike with her own. Steel met Ice, Fighting met Fire, Bug met- air and spittle rushed out of her mouth as a blade wreathed in Ghost slipped past her guard, the sheer amount of residual energy blocked her aura sight enough for Spike to land a Sucker Punch.
Through the haze of pain and humiliation- because really, relying on one sense that much was just asking to be punished- she still had the sense of mind to restore her guard, opening her eyes and letting the full spectrum of colors return. Thin whispers of Dark, visible even to the untrained eye, trailed after Tei Tei and Ruffles as they rushed towards her, her mind's eye letting her know exactly what was going on. Once again Celèste met Spike's barrage in kind, lacing her blows with siphoning energy that stole away nothing more than spoonfuls of Life- yet another long term gambit that would eventually pan out.
Ten paces.
Celèste slammed a foot down, an inverted semi-circle of boulders snapping up and separating her from Spike. Pushing off that same foot, she wreathed herself in Normal energy, legs pumping at what she considered a hurried pace. A shrill sound, metal grinding against metal, came mutedly over the rocks; more than enough warning for her targets to prepare. She saw the glow of fire before she felt it, hurrying a step and throwing herself into a spin. A thick arm of black fur draped in billowing flames passed harmlessly behind her, whispers of annoyance wafting off Tei Tei at the missed strike.
Dark flecked Electricity crackled into existence around her paws, and with it, muted memories of the last time she took a bolt of lightning. Tei Tei's muscles spasmed with each strike, the emboar roaring furiously as the jagged ribbons continued writhing long after they should have. The whisper of instincts- tainted, evil, useful- went heard, and acknowledged. Aura flooded into her body once again, turning all but the focus of her attention into a streak of colors.
Rising knee into the gut, carrying them both high into the air. Two more snapping cracks of electricity, the arcs connecting her fists to Tei Tei's shoulders despite the distance. Once more, energy rushed into her arms. The world became a blur of vertical streaks; blue and brown all blended together until at last- the impact cratered the ground, the rock underneath spider webbing beyond the ridge. Celèste landed at the edge of the impact site, taking quiet pleasure in the sadistic glee brought about by the beam of red that sequestered Tei Tei to relative safety.
One down.
Celèste stepped to the side, twisting her head to swing her aura tails out of the way before nodding appreciatively. The build up of energy in Spike's arms went unnoticed until the last moment, her own battle lust drowning out all other signs.
Falling palm deflect. Rising knife hand. Her eyes narrowed the slightest amount. Those strikes were slower than they should have been, even considering the lingering damages. So what was- ah. Celèste flourished another baton into existence, each twirl and flick knocking aside masterfully clustered blades of air. As the last grouping was destroyed, Celèste pulled her arm back, siphoning away from the baton and pushing it into a quick, palm sized panel of Protect. A hollow, sonorous ting rang out at the impact, the sound immediately overtaken by the shattering of glass.
Spike simply sidestepped the burst, an action she met in kind. Dark- noxious, vengeful taint- clashed against unyielding Steel, each impact- writhing, whispering, murmuring- Celèste roared and let her aura explode outwards, expelling the build up of primal urges. Though useful- so very useful- this was a training match and nothing more.
She would need to apologize to Tei Tei after all this.
Spike rose from his crouch and raised an arm out in a halting motion, his entire front webbed in barely noticeable fractures. "Returned from your memories?"
"For the time being."
"Then ready yourself once more."
Celèste let out a huff of air. Here she was, a warlord of the wilds, being guided by a prize fighter. If Daala were to see her now.
Breathe in. Center. Breathe out. Breathe in. -!
A rising wave of ice lanced out from her fist as she rose out from her crouching lunge, Spike shuffling back in irritated surprise at the sudden strike. Celèste chuckled to herself as she bounced lightly on her feet, another tingle of concern travelling down her spine. A training exercise, wasn't it? She danced to the left, moving precisely through the near invisible gaps between the salvo of air blades. Yes, a training exercise. One where she was meant to ensure Hilda's team was able to protect her from a potential attacker. And what was she not doing? She thrust a fist down into the ground, a wave of stones rippling out and concealing her presence.
In this water deprived land, pulling her way through the rock took more energy than she was used to- resulted in more miniscule pebbles bouncing off her face. But when one had multiple forms of vision, was the loss of one truly that important?
Hilda whirled around as she sprung out of the ground, letting out a sharp whistle.
Five seconds.
Five seconds to damage the trainer as much as she could before help arrived.
Should she end it now? With one 'mon out of the picture, Hilda was at a severe disadvantage. Spike could only move so fast, and though Ruffles was by no means unable to pull her own weight, the braviary had too much an area of effect to be able to do more than provide support.
Three seconds.
Celèste let her next punch connect a little longer, turning the jab into a push.
Hilda stumbled back, a note of fear hidden within the frustration on her face.
Two seconds.
The frustration completely gave way to fear as Celèste rushed in, an ethereal frost radiating off her hands. In one smooth, rising action, she encased Hilda in a pillar of ice, leaving only her face and waist exposed.
One second.
With both flags clearly visible on her belt, there was no reason for the fight to end, but without Tei Tei available, nor was there a safe way to break her out of her prison. Celèste smiled, despite the accruing injuries she gathered. Though the letter of victory was not met, the spirit of it was. And really, could anybody fault her for wanting to continue the fight? After all, at least she had the decency to allow Hilda speaking ability.
And, should she agree to it, enough maneuverability to bring out one last challenge.