Esper felt she bit off more than she could chew. While she'd been able to have things cordial between Carrie and Skylar, they certainly weren't hiding their feelings about each other. It had been a few days since the battle with Kommo-o and they were continuing south. The caves had become familiar at this point.
Albeit, they still were not a comfortable place.
"Where are you going?" Skylar asked.
"South, duh," Carrie replied as she stepped onto a rock and jumped off it.
At this point they'd traveled east enough for the caves to splinter southward. Something told Carrie she couldn't go back to Eterna City yet.
"No shit. What city?"
"Hearthome. I know it's far but I want to see Fantina."
Skylar nodded. "She's tough. Are you going to battle her? She only battles people who are either taking the gym challenge or high status trainers. She won't seriously talk to you unless you're worthy to her."
"That's why I signed up for the gym battle. I can battle the leaders in case I need to battle them before meeting them."
"Admirable goal."
Carrie gave a smile.
'Progress!' Esper thought as she trailed behind them.
"Have you battled many gym leaders?" Carrie asked.
"A few of them. Sunyshore, which is my home, Snowpoint, which I got right before we first met, and Hearthome."
Carrie was surprised. Those were some difficult gyms! "Is that your goal? To complete the gym challenge?"
"Potentially," he answered. "Primarily, I need to beat my sister."
Carrie could sense tension there. Not the kind they had. The kind that built up over a lifetime.
"What happened?" She asked quietly.
"I don't want to talk about it." Skylar said, almost coldly.
A surprise gust of wind hit the three. "We must be near an exit," Esper called out.
A half mile later, they had found a small cave exiting the range. It did not lead to a town, but it provided fresh air inside.
"Wanna look?" Carrie asked, more so to Esper than Skylar. He made the decision and poked out of the entrance. The other two decided to as well.
A beautiful scene lay before them: the entire west side of Sinnoh. Eterna City, Oreburgh way in the distance, Eterna Forest, Floroama town as well. The ledge they were on was massive. A sleeping Aggron with a bunch of Aron were close by but they stayed asleep. The trees blew in the wind at the high altitude. The sun shone brightly.
"Gorgeous," Carrie and Skylar said at the same time.
"It's marvelous," Esper chimed in. Some Glimmet and Larvitar, accompanied by a brutal looking Glimmora and Tyranitar, curiously approached the teenagers. Sensing no threat, they went back to their adults and played in the snow.
"Shall we return?" Esper asked.
"Hold on, I want Moonya to see this," Carrie said as she called out her companion. The ice type stared in awe. Skylar released his Galarian Farfetchd as Esper released her Braixen. The trainers took pictures and sat in comfortable silence. Wild Pokémon came and went. After some time they made their way back into the cave. A beautiful experience they'd never forget.
"What town are you seeing next?" Carrie asked as they maneuvered around a pond.
"I'm hoping to get to Oreburgh, followed by Canalave. I want to defeat Roark and Byron next."
Ah yes. The father and son. The two had a strained relationship that everyone knew about. Byron leaving to establish the Canalave Gym left Roark to stay in Oreburgh, much to his appeared chagrin.
"That'll be a tough task. You already have three badges."
"I have a plan," was all Skylar said. Carrie did not press further but could tell there was something else going on with him.
The three continued as one through the cave system. Overnight camping was not something Carrie was fond of inside Mount Coronet. Skylar and Esper seemed fine with it.
"Esper?" Carrie asked quietly. They had finished dinner and the girls were setting up a tent as Skylar was cleaning the pots and pans.
"What's up?"
"C-can we sleep together in the same tent? I don't trust these caves," Carrie said in a hushed whisper. Skylar had extinguished the fire and was clicking off their flashlights.
"Sure, if it'll make you more comfortable," Esper said as she finished getting the tent together. Carrie smiled. "Thank you," she said softly. Getting into their tent, they laid side by side. Skylar was in his own tent and they quickly heard snoring.
"Esper?" Carrie spoke in a hushed whisper.
"Yeah?"
"What's it like? Having a psychic types voice in your head?"
Esper thought for a minute. "It's like an inner dialogue but someone else's voice. The tone varies by the Pokémon. Two Kadabra can have different voices. It's oddly soothing. A terrible headache at the start."
"I wonder if I'll have one," Carrie wondered out loud.
Esper giggled. "Well miss "I want only ice types", there's two options. Either a Jynx-"
"Solid no."
"Or a Galarian Mr. Mime," Esper said with a laugh.
"Even more of a solid no. They're so creepy!" Carrie said with a face of disgust.
"They're definitely…an acquired companion," Esper said. She loved her psychics but some of their appearances were very humanoid. Almost too human.
"Have you heard of Frigibax?" Carrie asked quietly.
"No."
"They're a small ice dragon. They're from Paldea. My therapist in Eterna City had one. I want to catch one. Apparently they're incredibly rare but their final form is rather terrifying and powerful."
"Really? What would you do with that power?" Esper asked.
"I don't know. They're hard to raise but they are incredibly obedient. That kind of power…I could get answers. I don't know who that person is stalking us. I have a feeling we'll figure out who that person is when we find Chien Pao."
Esper nodded at that. "That's the smart way to go about it. I hope we don't run into that person ever again."
"Thank you. I agree, I don't want to see them. Hopefully we can travel in peace."
Nothing more was said as sleep soon took them over.
Carrie thanked Arceus for watches. They'd been in the mountain range for days. She could tell they were nearing a major section as trainers and lighting became much more prevalent. She felt disgusting: dirty clothes, more cuts on her body that'd heal thankfully, dirt on her skin, blooding arms and legs, greasy hair. Everyone in her party was like that. Rations were beginning to run low too.
"Should we stop in Celestic town?" Carrie asked. "We are nearing it."
"Maybe so. What about Eterna? That's bigger and-"
"No!" Carrie and Esper both shouted. Several Zubat flew by.
"Celestic it is," Skylar said weakly. Both girls nodded in approval. The caverns had become much more level with even electrical lighting. Even rangers were seen here. Unless they were going to the more dangerous areas, they often patrolled within a mile of the main entrances. They were close.
Signs had been put up by the rangers prohibiting battling other trainers inside Mount Coronet. They were only permitted to battle wild Pokémon for survival. Many trainers went by them as they got closer to a major section that was a stopgap between Eterna City and Celestic Town.
"Hey!" A voice called out. The three turned their heads to see a trainer. She was short, shorter than Skylar. Undercut black hair that was styled in a quiff and a bandana covering her mouth. She had numerous piercings on her head and a long tattoo up her left arm. Her right arm was a prosthetic from the elbow down. She had baggy black pants and a black tank top on.
"I want a battle." Was all she stated before throwing out a Pokéball.
"Whoa whoa whoa, you can't just say 'I want a battle' and release a Pokémon without hearing a response," Esper calmly replied. Skylar shook his head. "Besides, it would be dangerous to have one right here! You could cause a cave in. Back. Me up Carrie."
Carrie released her Sneasel. He had clearly been asleep as he looked frustrated having been called out. Once he saw it was a battle situation he shook his head and readied himself. It was quite a feat to see a Meganium. Carrie had never seen one before. The grass type was large but a sweet smell went through the area.
"I'll take you on!" Carrie said confidently. "I'm not scared of you. Nox use-"
"Nope! No battling! A ranger had suddenly appeared. He seemed rather tired as bags hung under his sunk eyes. Exhaustion riddled his pale face as brown hair dangled in front of his eyes. "It's too dangerous. You could risk a cave in, harming the ecosystem, and damaging trainers!" He scolded Carrie but his ire was mostly directed at the girl in black.
"I'm sorry sir." She said with a bow. "No battling." The Meganium mimicked his trainer and bowed his head as well.
Sighing, the ranger nodded. "Alright. Take it outside the system if you want. Only battle if absolutely necessary against wild Pokémon so you don't die. There's reports of a dangerous Kommo-o roaming around and we really don't need it wandering over here to pick a fight."
The three teens perked up at that.
"We saw it." Skylar said as if it were normal.
"We even fought it," Esper added.
"It vanished though." Carrie said solemnly.
The ranger's eyes widened. "You four are coming with me."
"I didn't even see the blasted thing!" The girl in black cried out. Meganium sighed as he knew that they were now roped into something.
"Can we at least know your name?"
He sighed as he fixed his cap. "Look, just call me Kenny. I need you all to come with me. We've been investigating this Kommo-o for several weeks. It's been wreaking havoc inside Mount Coronet."
The four teenagers were escorted to the ranger station near Celestic town. It felt unceremonial to three of them and a bump in the road for the last one. Carrie and Esper breathed a sigh of relief knowing they were on the Celestic side. It made their decision for them and they weren't in Eterna City. While Celestic town was nowhere near as developed, it had what they really needed.
Entering the station, it was very reminiscent of the one on Route 216 before entering Mount Coronet. A main lobby, several stalls for various supplies, and even class rooms.
"This way," the ranger said as he led them down a hallway. They followed Kenny behind a gray door that lead to a more office type setting. Entering a conference room they were ushered to sit.
"Sit tight. I'll need to get a pen and paper. This is a situation we've been following closely."
Ranger Kenny disappeared from the room. Everyone exhaled for a minute.
"Are we screwed?" Skylar asked.
"No. He's just taking a statement," Esper said calmly.
"Will we get in trouble and have our licenses revoked?" Carrie asked anxiously.
"No, he's just taking a statement," Esper said again.
"Why am I dragged here?" The fourth teen said.
They all turned to look at her.
"Who even are you?" Carrie asked.
The girl in black threw up her arm. "Now you ask," she said with a slight venom in her voice. "My name is Zeyno."
"Nice to meet you Zeyno. My name is Esper," Esper said diplomatically.
"Nice to meet ya! My name is Skylar," Skylar said enthusiastically.
"Hi Zeyno, my name is Carrie," the scarred teen said. She tossed a thumb in Skylar's direction. "Don't let his nice demeanor fool you. He's an ass."
Skylar glared at Carrie. "Can't you play nice?"
"Can't you just actually be nice?"
Esper sighed and gave a smile to Zeyno. The other two began to squabble. "This is our rag tag team. Hopefully Kenny comes back."
Zeyno ran a hand through her hair and adjusted her bandana. "You all definitely have a certain energy."
Esper nodded rather sadly. Thankfully Kenny came back and sat down with another ranger.
"I'm Kenny, and this is Solomon." The other ranger was tall with dark skin, and had a much more friendly face.
"Hello! I'll be leading this little meeting. We understand that you've all run into a wild Kommo-o inside of Mount Coronet?"
Carrie spoke first. "Yes, it had attacked Skylar. We managed to fight it off long enough."
Skylar chimes in. "It had collapsed. I don't know if it fully fainted. But it vanished after. We don't know where it went."
Solomon began to take notes as Kenny began asking questions.
"Who saw it first?"
Skylar raised his hand shyly. "I did. It was in another cave and I ran into these two. Thankfully they were there."
Kenny nodded and whispered something to Solomon. He nodded as Kenny continued.
"Did you see any hatchlings? They're called Jangmo-o in their base form."
"No. I had seen the Kommo-o near a lake. When it saw me, it went berserk and chased me."
Kenny nodded. "Was it agitated beforehand?"
"Not that I saw."
"Gotcha. How were you able to defeat it?"
Carrie quickly spoke. "My Froslass. She managed to deal the major and final blows. Skylar and Esper helped with their Pokémon."
Esper shot Skylar a look. Carrie needed to explain her Type:Null.
"Do you know where the Kommo-o species is native to?" Solomon asked.
Zeyno answered. "Alola."
The rangers nodded as the three teens looked at her. "What? I think they're cool. Plus I've been to Alola and seen them before."
"Until they're trying to rip you apart." Skylar muttered, seemingly ignoring the rest of what she said. Esper shook her head at him.
"Why is there a Kommo-o here? They don't belong," Esper asked. They all turned to look at the rangers. Solomon sighed as Kenny spoke up.
"We aren't really sure. We've been trying to find answers for weeks but nothing has come up. You think a trainer would want their dragon, but no one has contacted us about anything. No reports of missing or stolen Pokémon, no reports of dead or missing trainers. It's as if it just…appeared."
"We've been working on tracking it and securing it. Given the extensive range of Mount Coronet it's been proving to be a difficult task. We at least know it's somewhere further north from here and that it's still alive now."
The teenagers sat quietly.
"This is enough. Thank you all," Solomon said with a smile. The rangers stood up with Kenny getting the door and Solomon gesturing for them to leave.
"This is such nonsense," Zeyno said as they stood outside. Celestic Town was just a mile east of them.
"How do you mean?" Carrie asked as she crossed her arms.
"This was just a waste of time! Hell, I didn't even see it."
"It's good for the rangers to know. They have to keep trainers safe," Esper said. Zeyno sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Whatever. I'm out of here," she said as she began to walk to Mount Coronet.
"Wait! Are you going to go in there alone?" Skylar asked.
"Yeah? Unlike you all, I've done this before. I'm in my second year. How else do you think I lost my arm?" She said with a wink. She made her way west before anyone else could say anything.
"Well, we have each other," Skylar said as he turned to Carrie and Esper. Carrie stuck her tongue out at him as Esper smiled. She seemed rather tired.
Carrie huffed. "I guess we'll go restock at Celestic town? May as well since we're so close."
Esper and Skylar nodded. "Lead the way."
Carrie nodded and they headed eastward. They could see the roofs of the few buildings of Celestic town in the distance. It was a bit downhill. Most towns at the base of Mount Coronet were downhill. Trees and grasses with a light frosting of snow showed a wonderful landscape before the teens.
The pathway was very calm for them. Especially from Mount Coronet. There were scarcely any wild Pokémon. Trainers were even more rare to see.
"Do you think we'll see her again?" Carrie asked as they made their way through a grove of cedar trees.
"Probably," Skylar said as he stepped over a log.
"She must be strong. That Meganium looked threatening. Normally they seem like such gentle Pokémon. That seemed to have a sinister side," Carrie pointed out.
"She did say that she had been through the circuit before. I couldn't imagine what had caused her to lose her arm like that," Esper said more solemnly. Carrie shuddered and touched the deep scar on her cheek. She figured she should be thankful she had all of her limbs.
"I wonder what other Pokémon she has besides the Meganium," Skylar wondered aloud. The pathway opened up again to a stomped down dirt path.
"Must be powerful. Did you see that Meganium? It was huge! Plus those scars?" Carrie replied. "It must've been her starter or something."
"Lucky her getting an actual starter Pokémon. Not everyone gets that luxury," Skylar sighed.
"That's very true. Even finding them in the wild is incredibly difficult. Professors only get a small bunch of each starter at the start of the season too," Carrie added.
"Was your Froslass your first Pokémon?"
"Yes. My aunt and uncle gave her to me as a gift when she was just a Snorunt. An…old friend of mine gave me a dawn stone to evolve her. She was in league with my aunt and uncle to help me be able to evolve her into a Froslass. I didn't at first but eventually when she was ready."
Skylar nodded. "That's awful nice of them to do that."
Carrie gave a small laugh. "Yeah; I guess so. What about you? I know you have a Farfetchd and an Espathra."
"Farfetchd was my first. An associate of my father had a Farfetchd who laid a clutch of eggs. Mine came out different from the rest and was rejected by his mother. My father gave him to me. He's been my partner since day one."
"You almost sound jaded by that."
"By what?"
"That your dad gave him to you."
A scowl grew on Skylar's face as he brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes. "I don't get along with him. His method of "parenting" isn't exactly good. Besides, my passions lay in battling, not in business."
Carrie raised an eyebrow. They passed a sign that read 'Welcome to Celestic Town!'
"Business?" She asked.
"Yeah, my dad is Jett Landsen. He runs-"
"Jett Landsen? Of Landsen Shipping? Dude he's fucking rich!" Carrie exclaimed. "Not just rich, but stupid rich. Like the kind where-"
Skylar pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, the kind where not even my great grandchildren have to worry and their grandchildren won't either. I've heard it all." Venom dripped with every word.
"You seem upset by that. Isn't it great being rich?" Carrie asked.
"Not necessarily. I don't have to worry about finances and items, yes. However, people only like me once they learn my last name. I'm treated like royalty when I don't want it. I just want to be a normal battler like you."
Carrie felt conflicted. Maybe she was too quick to judge him.
"I think you're a normal battler like me."
Skylar looked at her and smiled. A genuine one for the first time since they met weeks ago.
"How come we haven't battled?" Carrie asked.
"Well to be fair, most of our Pokémon aren't in the best shape and need to be healed."
"Valid," was all Carrie said as the ground went from dirt to pavement.
Esper stayed silent through the conversation. Something in Mount Coronet was calling her. It was as if a Pokémon was calling to her.
"Esper? You okay?" Carrie called out to her friend. She had unknowingly stopped walking once she hit pavement. Both Carrie and Skylar looked at her. It was as if a fog had hit her mind, fully under a trance. It vanished instantly once she was inside of Celestic Town.
"S-sorry!" Was all she said as she caught up to her companions. Skylar shrugged his shoulders.
"It looks like the center is that way!" He pointed and began walking quicker. Carrie sighed as she grabbed Esper's hand to walk at a quicker pace to catch up.
"He likes to move at his own pace, huh?" Esper said with a giggle.
"He seems full of hot air. But maybe there's more to him," Carrie said.
"Sounds like you're warming up to him," Esper said as they started jogging to catch him.
"Don't count on it. Still doesn't give him an excuse to be an asshole when he lashes out."
Esper shook her head. Eventually Carrie would get there.
"There it is!" Carrie said happily. At last, a Pokémon center!
"It's been far too long," Esper said with a smile as they both walked in. Skylar was at the counter trying to get rooms but seemed irritated.
"Is there a problem?"
The Nurse Joy seemed rather tired from dealing with Skylar. She shook her head.
"Nope! I was just giving Mr. Landsen his key!" She put the key on the counter with a little too much force.
"What did you say to her?" Carrie asked him.
"I just wanted a nice room is all. I feel horrible and want to have some sort of a nice stay in this town while we rest before going back to that Arceus forsaken mountain."
Carrie sighed. "Nurse Joy thank you. Can we get a room as well? Separate from him is preferable but close by to his room."
Nurse Joy seemed more calm with Carrie and got the girls their own room. Celestic Town's Pokémon center was smaller than any Carrie had been too. Granted that wasn't many, but only two floors. It was the same size as the inn they stayed in a week ago.
Their rooms were on the first floor, which they all found to be a relief. Albeit, they were at the very end of the building and noises from outside were bothersome. It was nothing to them after camping for a week inside of Mount Coronet.
"Well, goodnight." Carrie felt awkward. She was used to only being with Esper.
"Goodnight! I'm excited to get some shut eye. Without my beauty sleep I feel ragged," Skylar said as he closed his door. The two girls unlocked their room and went inside. Carrie threw her bag into a corner and laid face first onto the bed.
"He isn't that bad. I know he's pompous but give him a chance," Esper said as she sat next to Carrie.
"Maybe." She was muffled and spoke begrudgingly. "Let me shower first?"
Esper smiled. "Absolutely. It's all yours."
Both teens had bathed and gotten into night time wear. It felt refreshing to be in a proper bed after the caves of Mount Coronet. Soon, however, they'd return to the rocky enclosure once more.
Carrie quietly spoke to Esper. "You know, seeing Zeyno with her scars and arm, it doesn't make me feel too bad. I know scar tissue like mine," she touched her cheek, "aren't common and hers are rare, but it's nice to see she's managed to be so strong."
Esper turned to her friend lying on the other bed. "Really? Why is that?"
Carrie blinked away a few tears. "I was bullied relentlessly after…I got these. Especially the one on my cheek. I remember my cheek being torn in two. It's the nastiest one I have and the most visible. I couldn't cover my face all the time. Once I was healed enough and could go back…"
Esper felt guilt in her. How had she never known that? She got up and sat on Carrie's bed, putting a comforting hand over hers.
"Hey," she said softly. "I accept you, with or without your scars. They don't define you. Your past doesn't define you."
"But it is guiding me currently. Everything I'm doing is to figure out what happened. I'm trapped by it."
"You're finding closure, letting go, and moving forward. You're being healthy." Esper wiped away tears on Carrie's face.
"Thank you," Carrie softly said between tears. Esper smiled and squeezed Carrie's hand.
"You're my friend. This is what friends are for."
Carrie nodded and began to settle. Esper say by her side until she fell asleep. Esper then crawled back into her own bed and drifted off into sleep.
She felt rather alone.
—
Zeyno grabbed her hair in frustration. How could she have ended back here?
"Celestic Town? I walked the opposite direction!" She screamed out in annoyance. Her Meganium sighed. He had seen this tantrum before. Maybe if she had actually used a map like he suggested. He gently let loose a sweet fragrance to relax her.
"Thanks buddy," she gently petted him with her robotic arm. He smiled and cooed at the touch. "May as well crash here. Don't feel like camping tonight."
Meganium huffed. He would always prefer sleeping outside. "I know big guy. Once we're done with Mount Coronet and in Sunnyshore City, we'll camp as much as you want. I promise. The rest of the team you may need to convince though." Her grass type beamed at the proposition.
"Good boy. Let's go to the Pokémon center." Zeyno returned him and made her into the heart of Celestic Town.
She hated this place. Home. What had it ever done for her? Scarred her and left her broken. She broke the mold and escaped. Unlike her family. Poor sods.
She hummed to herself as she walked along the streets of Celestic Town. Some citizens stared at her then went wide eyed at the large Meganium she had with her. Some younger kids approached nervously and asked her questions about her journey. They got their answers, told her she was cool, and dashed off red in the face.
"That was cute, wasn't it buddy?" Meganium just huffed. They were going to the Pokémon center to try to sleep early. She returned Meganium and stepped through the automatic doors. Once inside, she saw three familiar trainers checking in with an exasperated Nurse Joy.
AN: I apologize for this chapter taking so long to come out. I had a hard time getting to where I liked it. They seem to have gotten a bit side tracked. No matter, they'll return to Mount Coronet soon enough. The arc isn't finished yet. Next time we're back inside the mountain ready to go to Hearthome City. As always, thank you for your patience! Read, review, and I'll catch you next time!
PS: this is also where I tell you all that World Leaders Tournament is canceled indefinitely. Maybe I'll return to it. But for right now I can't write it. Thank you for understanding. I'm working on a Hoenn journey fic
