The next few months were insane. All the exercise and working out, her training Eevee up against Raihan and Sonia, learning how to fix the various parts of her spaceship, which she would be living on for 2 months before landing back on Earth… No wonder she always fell asleep right off the bat like Ash every night.
But… it was all worth it.
"This was not an easy journey, but I am pleased to announce that you have finally passed the probation period and are now eligible to go to space!" Sonia beamed at Chloe. She was very proud of her for this accomplishment!
Chloe herself was grinning from ear to ear; a rare accomplishment from the usually quiet girl. "Thank you for your kind tutelage! I couldn't have gotten this far without it!"
Raihan laughed a bit. "Chill, kid. It's your own efforts that got you here."
"Eevui!" Eevee yipped in agreement.
Chloe sheepishly smiled. "Thank you very much. I promise I'll live up to your help!"
Sonia shook her head, chuckling all the while. "Well, either way, tomorrow's the day, huh?"
She nodded, eyes bright. Tomorrow was going to be the day the Clefable-61207 was going to launch right into space. The first spacecraft to do so.
She was going to make history, and Chloe was excited and nervous. As Ash had. As Goh was beginning to work towards.
Was she truly worthy of this? She had trained, yet… could she truly attain her dream? Could she truly… touch the stars?
"Eeeevui!" a familiar voice chided.
She jumped, but soon felt the Eevee nuzzle her cheek and relaxed a bit. Its words came loud and clear. She could do this. She could touch the stars, and that was that. Nothing could stop her if she put her mind to it!
Later on, as she stared at herself in the mirror, Chloe took in a deep breath, opened her eyes, and smiled.
"Tomorrow's the day. Let's give it our all!"
Time to finally reach out!
The ceremony was a huge deal, Chloe learned from Goh the morning of the launch. The traveler was watching it live on his Rotom Phone with Cinderace, Inteleon, and Grookey, and apparently, Ash had finally managed to understand somewhat how to use the Rotom Phone, much to its relief. She could hear it in its sigh during their three-way call as she prepared to head out to the launch pad.
"You okay, Chloe?" Goh was the one to ask, of course. The other Vermillion City native was patting Grookey down, keeping him from running off as the grabby little baby whined and tried to grab for the phone, probably to mess with it like that one time.
"I'm fine. Just… nervous," she answered. The Beautiflies in her stomach were probably laughing their butts off in their native squeaks at how worried she was.
" Well, don't sweat it! Your goal is within reach! You can do it! " Ash said with his usual peppy smile, with Pikachu grinning as he pumped his paw into the air as well.
Chloe smiled a bit. She couldn't help it. These two really were the best at times. "Thanks a lot, you two. Turns out you guys aren't all that dumb."
"Wha- HEY! I'm not dumb!"
"Chloe!"
She giggled. Eevee yipped as the two blushed in embarrassment. "Anyway, I should probably get ready to go. See you guys once I'm in space, I guess."
"Have fun Chloe! And good luck!" Ash said.
Goh just gave her a wide smile, so, so different from the ones too wide, too bright to be true that he used to give until Ash came into his life.
And Chloe herself widely smiled. Something she had never thought to be possible until meeting Ash. "Stay safe, you goofballs."
The call ended there, and Chloe got up.
Time to set off and touch the stars!
"It's finally here, huh?" Sonia smiled at her as they stood in front of the platform, before Chloe was to ascend to the top of the spacecraft.
Raihan grinned. "You've come far, kid."
"Thank you, Miss Sonia, Mister Raihan," she said while bowing. "I really appreciate your tutelage."
Eevee also bowed while Duralodon patted its head and Sonia's Yamper nuzzled its cheeks.
"Don't worry, kid! You got here with your own bare hands! We only helped ya out!" Raihan waved it off.
Sonia grinned. "You did great, Chloe. Hold your head high! You're going to go to outer space!"
Adjusting the magenta suit she had on, Chloe wiped the tears off her cheeks and smiled. "I-I… I'm off…"
The two saw her off as she walked over to her family. Saw the emotions run wild as all four members of the Cerise family went in for a long embrace. Tears were shed, smiles were given…
Raihan smiled. "She's gonna go far, ain't she?"
"If you had a doubt about that, I would have smacked you," Sonia teased.
"Of course I didn't. I picked her, after all!" He puffed up his chest.
She rolled her eyes but chose not to comment about the fondness in Raihan's eyes.
It never left as the two watched her ascend to the cheers of the crowd there.
The one to make history, the second of the Cerise Institute trio… would be Chloe Cerise.
Chloe didn't really enjoy the loud noises the spacecraft made, but when she opened her eyes, no more gravity pulling her down as they began leaving the planet she had been living on for years… She saw…
Clefairy. A lot of them. Clefables. Even a Rayquaza, a Deoxys could be seen on the horizon.
"Vui…" Eevee shared her fascination as Chloe unbuckled herself and her partner Pokemon, allowing the two to fly over to the window.
A vast darkness, illuminated by the beautiful stars in the sky, the Pokemon that danced and sang, the green and blue gem that was Earth… The sheer beauty was indescribable. Spectrums of colours came alive, contrasted by the ink-black background…
Chloe touched the glass, and a little Clefairy noticed, eyes bright as it giggled, its paw touching the glass.
"It… It's so beautiful, Eevee…" she spoke, unable to hold back the tears. She could not even begin to explain how she felt at this moment; in space, with her partner Pokemon.
Finally, Chloe's touched the stars. Finally, she's seen the beauty of the world where Pokemon live.
And she, she would not exchange this experience for anything. Nothing could compare to this beautiful scene.
So… she just watched, a smile on her face as she and Eevee continued to look out the window, admiring just how much bigger her world had become.