Chapter 12 - The One and Only Ice Boutique
One Island wasn't as big or beautiful as the islands Celeste had visited in Alola, but she thought it had its charms. For starters, all buildings seemed to follow a common motif: they all had something purple. Some had purple ceilings, some had purple window frames and a particular house had one of its walls covered in a vibrant graffiti depicting a battle between an arbok and a cloyster. Contrasting with the purple, there was the lush green of vegetation dotting not only the background but also the side-streets and parks. Finally, tying all together, were the soothing blue tones of the ever present cloudless sky and ocean.
Yet, as beautiful as One Island town was, what fascinated most people was the surrounding wilderness. Particularly the enormous volcano that towered above the island. It was Mt. Ember, named after the legendary fire bird itself.
"Here we are, Moltres Promenade!" Celeste said as they turned the corner into what looked like the town's high street.
The promenade consisted of a row of different shops, restaurants, and cafes. All facing the lazy sandy beach where a few morning joggers and their pokémon passed by. As it was still early morning, most people were starting their day by setting up the (usually purple) tables in front of their establishments or organising stalls and displays in their shops.
As they made the way toward their destination, a PokéMart which was supposed to be near a statue of Moltres, Celeste rejoiced. Every sight, smell, or sound reminded her of how much she liked to be in a city and not lost in the middle of the ocean. She and Aria, much to Delia's annoyance, would stop to read the menus of almost every restaurant they could find and ask people about the most absurd things.
"Wow, it is amazing that your magcargo can roast them so effortlessly," Cee said to a man in one shop while studying a few coffee beans. By her side, the curious eevee was playing some game of dare with magcargo's magma. "I would have never guessed such a hot pokémon could do this. Thought you would have burnt them for sure. These beans are from…"
Like this, conversations would go on and on.
It was when Celeste almost dragged them to a tour of the 'Devon's museum of precious stones' that Delia decided it was enough. "Either we stop somewhere to eat or we keep going to the PokéMart."
"We don't have money, remember?" Celeste pouted.
"Yes, and whose fault is that?" Delia huffed. "You could just stop being stubborn and call your parents already."
Celeste rolled her eyes. They had already had this discussion several times.
In the previous night, at the pokémon centre, the girls realised that to go back to mainland Kanto, they would need to board the costly Seagallop Ferry. Normally expensive for most, but for the two girls with a combined budget of 0 , it was out of the question.
This realisation led to an argument. Or rather, a few arguments.
"Aren't you a TV star or something?" Delia would start. "If your family is rich, you can ask them for money."
"I am most definitely not a star. In fact, I know actual movie stars, you know? I have this good friend from Kalos who is going—" Celeste would try deflecting the question, but Delia would take none of it.
At this point in their discussion, the Pallet girl would either make a speech about how they needed to get out of the island or downright accuse her friend of being selfish. Of course, instead of having the desired effect, Celeste always ended up in a worse mood than she was before.
"I quit the TV thing," the trainer would mutter. "Don't need their money or their help for anything."
Like that, the argument would always end. The girls didn't have money or ideas, and the fatigue of the past days was just aggravating their emotions.
However, as is often the case, after a good night's sleep and a morning shower, they were in better spirits. Delia was still annoyed Celeste wouldn't call her family for help, but at least the girl had decided to be helpful.
"Plan A: We sell my thunder stone," Celeste said, grinning. Delia noticed the brochure from One Island's tourism office in her friend's hand. "Plan B, which should really be Plan A because it's better: I get money from battling."
The trainer was proud of her plan. Once again, she convinced herself she was awesome with making plans. And this one was just perfect.
She had quit being Celly the annoying kid on TV to become a trainer, right? Well, real proper trainers got money by battling. Ordinarily, that would be something that scared her. After all, she had lost the battles she had fought before. But that wasn't the case anymore. Not only she had three powerful pokémon, but also she was an amazing, capable trainer. An amazing, capable trainer who had just beaten a gyarados.
No one on this island would even compare.
Did she remember how she beat the gyarados? Not at all. But she and her pokémon beat it. She was sure inspiration would flow in when the time came.
With all that said, Delia, the killjoy, decided they should go with Plan A.
And, as such, they were making their way to the PokéMart.
Slowly.
—*—*—
The Moltres' statue was tacky. It was purple (which made no sense) and had an unnecessary assortment of precious stones to add extra flair. Several rubies made the flames around the statue glisten, and two deep blue sapphires formed the pokémon's eyes. A small plaque at the foot of the figure read:
— FROM THE MINERS OF ZAPAPICO. MAY THE ASHES ALWAYS BRING LIFE ANEW. —
"Beautiful, ain't it?" a middle-aged man with a disturbing toothy grin crept in behind the girls. "We have a big Paldean community here for some reason. Guess folks wanted to leave those dirty mines and live the good island life instead."
It took five seconds for Celeste to decide she didn't like this man. She was ready to open her mouth to point out on how wrong his stereotype of Paldea was, when Delia spoke up.
"Do you work in the PokéMart? We've been waiting for it to open."
The man looked at the girls from head to toe before leading them into the shop. Their one set of clothes still had the effects of being battered by the sea, sun, sand and a few aggressive pokémon for the past couple of days. No amount of showers would change that.
As they made their way inside, the man gave his disturbing smile again. "What can I get you today? We have a big promotion of luxury balls. Why not give your pretty eevee a treat?"
"Eeeveee!" Aria wiggled its tail excitedly. She wasn't sure what a luxury ball was, but it sounded like something she would want. Celeste gave her a negative, however.
"Sorry sir, but we are here to sell this thunder stone," Delia said, elbowing her friend, who quickly presented the item to the man.
In an instant, his smile vanished. He wasn't sure what those two strange girls were when he saw them by the statue. Rich tourists with a strange dress sense or delinquents trying to scam him? However, they seem to be the type of client he hated the most: trainers.
It may sound strange for a PokéMart owner to hate trainers, but this one felt justified. It was always the same. Overeager children looking for the rare ball he wasn't selling or trying to bargain for vitamins. That, of course, when they didn't walk in with all the entitlement in the world trying to sell some random item no one would buy from him.
"Hmm. Doesn't look like a quality thunder stone to me…" the shop owner said, pretending to examine the stone. "I suppose I can give you 1000 ?"
"Seriously?" Delia protested, "A thunder stone is worth at least 10000 ."
"1500 maximum."
Delia huffed and stomped her feet. She made logical arguments and counter offers that truly impressed Celeste. She even offered a cutting-edge pokémon collar as a bonus. But the shop owner had already decided he would not make a poor deal with a trainer today.
Eventually, the girls got kicked out of the store for not meeting the minimum dressing standards.
"That is very rude!" The Pallet girl yelled at the closed doors.
"Now what?" Celeste said, while sitting by the statue. The fact that Plan A hadn't worked made her confidence in Plan B waver. "S-should I try battling?"
Delia crossed her arms at her friend. "What happens when you lose the money we don't have in a battle?"
"If I lose."
"Let's try to be realistic for once, Cee…"
They stayed silent for a moment. Celeste had won against a gyarados, right? It was realistic to think she would win again.
"I saw a sign at an ice cream shop we passed by. I think they may be looking for help," the trainer finally said with a pout.
Delia sighed. She could call professor Oak. He was bound to be worried… But… asking him for money would be too imposing… It wouldn't be right. Besides, Spencer would laugh at her if he knew where she ended up…
"Ice cream shop it is."
—*—*—
"The one and only Ice Boutique, a place where frozen dreams become reality," Celeste read the sign out loud.
The Ice Boutique was a little kiosk on the beach side of the street. Different from the rest of the promenade, there was not a shade of purple in sight. Still, the little shop made the Moltres' statue seem like the most tasteful work of art in the world. Constructed to remind people of a castle and adorned with large blue velvety curtains with a snowflake pattern, the place stood out, to say the least.
"Tacky." Celeste giggled while looking around. Even though it was still early, there was a queue forming by the cashier. She wondered if this was because of the weird decor or despite it.
"You think so?" a stern voice asked.
Behind them was a petite, dark-skinned woman with short spiky silver hair and deep green eyes. She could have been beautiful, but the deep lines on her forehead, which gave her a constant frown, made her intimidating instead.
"This area is for clients only," the woman said as she placed a tray on the counter. She had no emotion in her voice. "If you disturb my castle of frozen dreams, I shall call security."
On cue, a small vanillite floated in front of the trainers. Somehow, the small ice cream shaped pokémon had the same intimidating frown as the woman.
Weren't vanillite supposed to look friendly? Celeste thought as Aria hid behind her leg.
"Ah… tacky is how us kids say pretty these days." Delia came in for the save, with a charming laugh. She elbowed Cee before continuing. "We are all about irony, aren't we?"
The woman raised an eyebrow, and the vanilite mimicked the move. "What do you two want?"
Before Celeste could make another blunder, Delia pointed at the sign on their side. "Are you by any chance the owner of this fine establishment? Me and my friend here, we love ice cream, and we would love to help you out, in case you are hiring."
Much like the man in the PokéMart, the ice cream woman looked at the girls from head to toe. Celeste felt that this time, however, she was peering into their souls.
"And why should I hire you?"
Delia smiled. Luckily, impressing adults was something she knew how to do well.
During her childhood, she had helped her mother run the only restaurant in Pallet town. She knew her way around a kitchen and seemed to have expert knowledge of hygiene practices at restaurants or other sensitive environments, such as laboratories. Also, her organisation skills were unparalleled.
With such a resumé, Delia had no trouble winning the shop owner over. The woman was not as impressed with Celeste, however. "And what is it you can do?"
The trainer opened and closed her mouth several times before saying anything. She had media training, and yet this type of interview seemed completely beyond her.
"I have an ice type…" she finally said. "So I suppose that makes me good with… ice?"
With a deep breath, the woman, who introduced herself as Olga, agreed to hire the girls. Not because she thought they could steer her empire of frozen dreams, but because she was severely understaffed.
"We have standards here," Olga said, somehow deepening the lines on her face. "One day, the Ice Boutique will be synonymous with speciality ice cream the world over. Everyone will know that they just need to go to our nearest castle to experience their wildest frozen dreams. I expect nothing but the best from my employees."
The girls exchanged a worried glance.
Working at an ice cream shop should be easy and fun, right?
—*—*—
Working in an ice cream shop was not fun. Especially for Celeste.
The Ice Boutique had more rules than the trainer could count. For starters, they needed to wear a horrible uniform that was not comfortable in the current weather. And it wasn't even summer anymore. Then they needed to always smile and treat every client as if they were royalty. Worse even, was that Aria had to stay in her ball.
Those were the rules Celeste could understand. There were also several others that made no sense. She wasn't supposed to fraternise with clients; she wasn't supposed to laugh during working hours; proper posture was to be maintained at all times.
It was hell.
To make things worse, she got demoted from serving ice cream scoops to cleaning tables and carrying trays quite fast. All because she grimaced at one client who ordered a tamato strawberry delight. How was that flavour even allowed to exist?
Delia, on the contrary, was thriving. As soon as she was put behind the counter, she created a new system for organising the ice cream by taste category. From there, she quickly familiarised herself with the flavours they offered and could make perfect recommendations for all the uncertain costumers.
Olga would be thrilled with Delia, were it not for her constantly trying to cover for her clumsy friend.
"Its hard to balance the tray and serve ice cream with a broken hand," Celeste insisted as she picked of her latest disaster from the floor.
Olga and the angry vanilite were shooting icy glares at the girl.
"Miss Olga, what do you think of pinap teriyaki?" Delia once more came to the save. "I think the contrast would bring out a unique flavour…"
The newest idea instantly engrossed Olga, allowing Celeste to get yet another pass.
—*—*—
It was late in the afternoon, near closing time, when a trio of teenagers around the girls' age showed up.
"Here you go. Double vanilla and tamato for you," Celeste said, wrinkling her nose. "And for each of you, a strawberry delight."
"Winning against that ivysaur was easy. It was no match for my Flamer," the boy who reached for the tamato ice cream gloated, attracting Celeste's attention. During the day, despite Olga's constant scolds, she picked up the habit of eavesdropping on the client's conversations. Especially if they were trainers.
"You are sooo amazing, Rey," one of the boy's friends said.
"Yeah, Rey, you are like the greatest trainer ever," the other teen added, picking Celeste's interest even more. Tons of trainers had been to the shop, but a strong trainer? That was new.
Plus, this one was also cute, Celeste thought, not realising she was staring.
He had a smooth silver hair tied into a short ponytail and the same darker skin tone and green eyes as Olga. But unlike the Ice Boutique boss, he exhaled a tropical energy and had a beautiful smile that made his face glow.
"Looking for something?" Rey asked in a smooth voice. Celeste felt her cheeks blushing as he smiled at her.
"Ah…" The girl fumbled. "Sorry… I just… I'm kind of… I… mean… uh…"
"Celeste!" Delia came to the save for the millionth time. "We have work to do, you know? You are not supposed to be chatting with clients!"
Rey laughed musically as he stood up. He was taller than Celeste, wore a red buttoned shirt tucked into a pair of white shorts and had a leathery belt with five pokéball hanging on the side.
"Got speechless, huh?" He said while fiddling with the sunglasses hanging from his shirt. Celeste noticed the brand immediately: Veracidad. It was from one of those luxury high fashion retailers from Paldea. "You are way too pretty to be serving ice cream in a place like this, you know?"
If Celeste was a little flustered before, now she was sure her face was completely red.
"What do you think you are doing?" Olga suddenly said with a tone so chilling that Cee felt her blood freezing. Maybe it was the vanilite?
The girl opened her mouth, expecting to form a proper sentence this time, but the boy cut her in. "Please, mother, you can allow me to talk to your pretty employee, can't you?"
Celeste's eyes widened. Did he just say mother?
"Besides, this one is going on a date with me tonight," Rey finished with a mix of charm and defiance in his voice.
"Wait what?" Celeste finally spoke up in shock. She could only watch for Olga's silent fury.
That was not ending well.
A/N:
Again, thanks for all the comments and likes/kudos! I'm glad people seem to like the last chapter (I was a bit nervous about it).
Now that they are back into civilisation, Celeste is finding whole new ways of getting into weird situations. And yay! I'm actually introducing some more OCs (and not just mentioning them in some passing comment-I do like to play foreshadowing :D)
Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter, and that I didn't get too carried away with describing things this time. :D
As always, comments and likes are really appreciated. Thanks for all the support so far.
NEXT CHAPTER: Rey of Sunshine