Chapter 46 - In You I Trust
"That lapras," Luan said, his gaze fixed on his two psychics. "M-my Munna says it was crying out for… for Articuno!"
Ryder's pupils dilated, and the veins in his forehead popped. His body kept on shivering, but his unhinged behaviour gave way to a subtle twitch of his lower lip.
"Did you… just say... Articuno?" The poacher's words came calmly, punctuated by awe… and greed.
There was no more reason to laugh, it seemed.
Ryder straightened himself, running his fingers through his soaked hair. He looked somehow more dangerous than before. As if something clicked in his mind, and instead of bringing down hell upon the world, he wanted to make it his own.
"Don't stray from the mission, boy," Gozu muttered, his voice lacking conviction. The hulking man was clearly not interested in getting himself killed over Articuno. However, his own ambition was on display.
Celeste felt Gozu's eager eyes on her vulpix and positioned herself over her small ice-type. Then, with all the courage she had, glared right back at her adversaries.
Ryder scoffed, and a strange smile curved on his lips. His gaze had drifted elsewhere, catching Celeste's attention. She followed his line of sight until she spotted a small device on the floor—the same one he'd been toying with earlier. Tossed around during the chaos, its display had cracked, but a map with a few glowing markers in motion was still visible.
She squinted, straining to discern the details through the damaged screen. One marker, in particular, seemed to be rapidly moving toward the map's edge.
Damn.
In an instant, Ryder was making a move for his device.
To Celeste, only one thought came to mind.
It was closer to her.
Bravery was hard. Impulsivity and a disregard for consequences? Well, that was who she was.
Without a hesitation, the young trainer let go of her pokémon and lunged towards the device. Her fingers closed around its metallic surface faster than Ryder's, but before she could secure it, she found herself pulled off the ground by the collar of her shirt.
Celeste tried to struggle and flail her legs around, but it was no use. Gozu let out an annoying grunt as he pinned her down, restricting her movements. As his grip tightened around her shoulder, right where gloom's Razor Leaves had injured her earlier, shockwaves of pain rippled.
Still, she refused to release the device.
With determination, Celeste clutched the object against her chest and tried her best to keep her face steady.
She could do it.
Her heart was pounding, and it felt like everyone was speaking at the same time. Powder's bark was clear in the cacophony, however. Forcing herself to concentrate on the vulpix, Celeste began to notice shards of ice forming around her pokémon, with the vanillite following suit by her side. Rey's capsakid was ready for action too. Leaves encircled his body as he jumped up and down. In the distance, Lori's voice shouted some sort of command.
"... are you even listening?"
She blinked.
It was Ryder who had spoken. He stood before her, his hand extended as though he expected Celeste to return what was his.
The young trainer tightened her hold on it instead. "This tracks the pokémon with the collars, doesn't it?"
Gozu's hands grew heavier, like blocks of cement on her shoulders, pressing down with every wrong word uttered.
"I'm being nice to you," Ryder whispered, slowly reaching for the device. "Now let g—"
Before the poacher could finish his sentence, Menace, Luan's hoothoot, swooped down onto Ryder's head, pecking him. Simultaneously, his munna let out an exasperated cry through his trunk, and his lunatone quickly pulled the owl away with a burst of psychic energy. It was just in time. The weezing, who they'd been fighting earlier, glided in closer.
As he watched his pokémon in action, Luan himself was puffing out shallow breaths and shifting from one foot to another. "I'm sorry… I'm…so sorry," he kept repeating, unable to maintain eye contact with anyone. Even when the lunatone threw the hoothoot back into his arms, he continued to ramble, "So... so sorry."
Ryder shot a disgusted look at Luan and Rey by extension. "I wouldn't do that again if I were you," he muttered, commanding his weezing to close in on Celeste instead.
The two grotesque heads were like poison sacs, and somewhat reminiscent of a pump. As one head inflated, the other deflated in response, causing the surface of its body to contract and stretch in a hypnotic rhythm. The movement left marks, though. Weezing's skin was wrinkled and rough, filled with pustules that burst and reformed, leaving a trail of poison and stench.
Celeste coughed as the pokémon approached her. Unlike the weezing in Galar, being near the Kantonian variant felt akin to being trapped in an elevator with a group of smokers.
"Feels bad, doesn't it?" Ryder began, also moving in closer. He smiled, but didn't try to take the device this time. "We have quite a few weezing with Team Rocket, you know? Excellent fighters, but also very useful in some of our… research endeavours. I never got one myself, but I can't deny I like some of their… other capabilities. Want a demonstration?"
Celeste froze, and her friends fell silent.
Ryder nodded toward the grunt responsible for the weezing. "Show her."
On command, the poison gas pokémon moved in even closer. Its mouths opened, revealing rows of yellow teeth as it began to produce some noxious substance. The larger head then inhaled some air and sealed its mouth shut before slowly deflating. As a result, poison was pushed to the other head, and it wouldn't be long before it dripped onto Celeste herself.
She watched a drop fall just short of her feet as the weezing drew nearer. Celeste tried to move back, but Gozu kept her in place.
She could do it.
Another drop fell, this time landing on her boots.
She tried to shift her feet backward, but the poison-type moved even closer, nearly brushing against her face. All Celeste could do was shut her eyes and hold her breath.
She could do it.
Seconds passed. Or maybe not even that. It was hard to tell.
She… couldn't.
The girl screamed, throwing the device away. She gave in and let tears stream down her cheeks.
They felt warm to the skin.
"Now, now."
Delicate fingers patted Celeste's head. With a sense of dread, she exhaled and forced herself to open her eyes once more, only to be met with Ryder's. He grinned as he toyed with strands of her hair.
"The big, bad poison-type won't harm you anymore," he said. "And this will all be over real soon. Then you can go back home and pretend it was all a bad, bad dream."
With disgust and fear, Celeste could only cringe at his touch.
She shut her eyes again, hoping that this was, indeed, some nightmare. Ryder, however, was not about to take that. His delicate grip transformed into one of force as he seized her hair and pulled her face up.
"I said soon, but not yet," the poacher hissed. "Before we let you go, I'm also going to need you to give us your vulpix pokéball."
Her heart skipped a beat, and any remaining tears Celeste still had instantly dried up. She gazed at the young man before her, but no words escaped her lips.
What could she possibly say?
The weezing had terrified her, and Ryder, he terrified her even more. Still, that fear was nothing compared to her feelings towards her pokémon.
No one was taking her vulpix.
"See, Gozu was real angry at the outcome of his special mission in Alola a while back." Ryder kept going, barely paying attention to the shift in Celeste's demeanour. "Now he knows you were actually there? I'm sorry to say he won't let it go. Not unless you give me the vulpix. Hand over its ball."
Fear could be so relative.
"Her," Celeste said, unnervingly calm. "Powder. She's not an it."
Ryder pulled harder on her hair. "You little—"
"She is winding you up," Gozu interrupted. "You have your device. Let's not waste any more time."
As he spoke, Gozu's grip loosened, and Celeste felt his hand moving towards her coat's pocket, where the pokéballs were.
She could move. That was an opening. The only one she would get.
Without missing a beat, Celeste lunged herself forward toward Ryder, slipping away from her captor. Ryder got startled and lost his balance upon their collision, allowing both of them to topple down.
"Powder, use whatever you've got. Fast and strong!" the trainer yelled before they even hit the ground.
The vulpix howled. Celeste noticed Lori's smoochum had joined the fight at some point and was preparing an attack, too. The vanillite and capsakid as well. Then, just above her head, a blast of psychic energy and ice struck the weezing, while Gozu got knocked back by one of Powder's weaker-but-faster variants of Moonblast.
Seizing the opportunity, the girl scrambled back to her feet, but sensed Ryder right behind her.
Fortunately, Rey's capsakid was on the case. Blades of grass sprouted from cracks in the rock and wrapped around the poacher's ankles, preventing him from standing back up.
Adrenaline was still high when Celeste got to Rey and turned back to the battle.
The weezing was growing increasingly agitated by the assault of attacks, and when Powder joined the other pokémon with a barrage of Ice Shards of her own, it finally snapped.
Its body began to glow. A pale shade of purple at first, but then the colours became warmer and… hotter.
"That weezing," Rey said, under his breath. "It's going to self-destruct."
—*—*—
There was no time.
Escaping or finding a hiding spot was not an option.
Even if Celeste avoided the impending explosion, she'd likely get caught in the cave's collapse after a self-destructing weezing was done.
"Powder," the girl called out, her pokéball already in hand. "Get back here."
Her vulpix dashed toward her, but dodged the pokéball's beam before finally leaping into Celeste's arms.
Now, all they could do was prepare for the incoming blast.
The weezing's glow intensified, growing hotter and hotter, but then... nothing happened?
Luan had finally taken action.
In the middle of the cavern, with his hoothoot perched on his head, the teenager stood tall, closely followed by his two psychics. Lulu and Rev had made a barrier, not around their trainer, but around the weezing itself.
"Steady," the boy said, keeping his cool. "Lift it up through the opening in the ceiling. Release it only when it's far enough away."
Celeste and Powder could not take their eyes from the shimmering barrier. It was evident that the pokémon were putting all their focus on making sure everyone would be safe, and Luan appeared to be in complete sync with them.
When the psychics finally released it, Celeste let out a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. Her gaze, however, never left the explosion as it expanded and gradually dissipated.
She couldn't see the weezing in there…
Best not to think about it, Celeste recalled Lori's advice from earlier, but her heart weighed heavily on her chest. Best not to think about the zubat, best not to think about the piloswine, best not to think about the gloom… and now the weezing too.
"Who are we helping by being here?" the girl whispered, bringing out a confused look from the vulpix in her arms. She held Powder close, burying her face in the soft puffs on her pokémon's head. "It's just… I know the poachers are mistreating pokémon, both with the collars and the darts. And these are the pokémon they are not taking to Arceus knows where. I know—I… I want to help protect them, but… I don't want to leave a trail of destruction and pain wherever we go."
The vulpix gazed at her trainer and let out a gentle "Pix," tilting her head.
Powder was growing with each passing day, both in strength and in character. It was a remarkable sight to witness, but sometimes Celeste would forget just how young her little ice-type still was.
"You probably don't get any of that, do you?" the girl asked with a chuckle. Naturally, the vulpix barked in protest, prompting Celeste to squeeze her tighter. Aria would have understood her worries better, but for now, she cherished the fluffiest puffiest in the world.
Pity it could only last so long.
"Aurora, Ice Shard!"
Celeste forced herself to snap back to the present. The nightmare wasn't over yet, and it seemed that for Lorelei, it had never really stopped.
The redhead appeared exhausted. Her hair was damp with sweat, but her ponytail only had a few unruly strands. Her glasses were uneven and cracked, and beneath them, prominent dark circles marred her eyes. Despite it all, that short woman beside her mamoswine looked like a monolith—standing until the very end.
"Again," she commanded, frustration seeping into her words. From the corner of her eye, the Ice Specialist also kept an eye on her dewgong, who had practically beaten the seaking he'd been wrestling with. Lori then took a deep breath and turned her attention back to her mamoswine. "The ariados is faster than you. Try to predict—"
The ground/ice-type stomped and then sent a flurry of ice shards towards the bug, not even bothering to wait for her trainer to finish speaking. Once more, as had likely been happening for a while, the spider dodged, this time choosing to retreat into some crevice in the wall.
Lori grunted and rubbed her eyes before readjusting her ponytail. She looked poorly, but still refused to quit. The pause in the other battle didn't mean respite, but rather that she could fully concentrate on her dewgong. "Iron Tail, Sobet." Her voice became frail and cracked. "Just one more…"
With words caught in her throat, Lorelei's legs trembled, and it appeared as if she might finally collapse from exhaustion.
But Rey caught her before the ground.
"Are you okay?" the boy asked, letting his face contort into a frown.
Concerned, Celeste glanced around at the almost peaceful cavern and drowned her feelings of dread before rushing towards her friends.
"Mmm… we need to finish…" Lori pushed Rey away while somehow standing back up.
"Finish what?" the boy asked, assisting his friend as she made her way to the mamoswine. "This battle is as good as over..."
Was it, though?
Three of the poachers were held by the crates, their hands tied down with grass blades. Rey's capsakid marched from one side to the other by his prisoners. His expression was serious, but his head flaps bobbled and his little legs kicked up adorably.
Still…
"Ryder isn't here," Celeste couldn't help but say it. "And Gozu is missing too..."
Rey crossed his arms.
Not too far from them, Celeste noticed that Lori's smoochum had found the frigibax and was playing with it. They held hands and jumped in circles, like children at a playground—blissfully unaware of the dangers lurking nearby.
Shouldn't Powder be playing with the other kids, too?
"A few of them escaped when we got distracted by the weezing," the boy muttered. "But I caught the rest. That should be enough evidence to clear your names and get the actual authorities to take action, right? Maybe the Mayor can get some get real Rangers."
Luan was lying on the floor, catching his breath between bursts of nervous laughs and murmurs of incredulity. For a while, the other teens kept quiet while watching him.
"What about the lapras?" Celeste finally asked. None of them was around and… well, they'd been the main point of their expedition to the Icefall Caves.
"In all the chaos, Fractal managed to guide them away to safety..." Lori leaned against her mamoswine and pursed her lips. "Or most of them, at least."
The Ice Trainer readjusted her ponytail and turned her attention to the cavern walls, attempting to spot the ariados again.
"How did she recover from those tranq darts anyway?" Rey asked, though his tone suggested he wasn't overly interested in the answer.
"There!" Lori pointed at a hole from which the ariados emerged, and her mamoswine once again unleashed a barrage of ice shards toward it. Once more, she missed, allowing the spider to vanish in between the rocks.
"Do we need to take it down?" Celeste asked, surveying their surroundings. The man who had released the ariados was nowhere to be seen.
Lorelei let out an exasperated sigh and adjusted her ponytail once again. "Life Dew and Rest. That's what Fractal typically does for healing. I guess it worked for the darts," she explained, removing her glasses and cleaning the lenses. "And yes, I intend to take this thing down," she continued, returning the glasses to her face. "Team Rocket has already disrupted these caves enough. I won't let them introduce a dangerous, invasive bug here, too."
"Maybe we can... help?" Celeste suggested. Powder barked in agreement, and Olga's vanillite suddenly appeared, offering his services as well. "I think we might be faster than your mamoswine...?"
Lorelei snorted, almost involuntarily, before shaking her head. "Rest up, Celeste. I've got this."
Rey groaned, muttering something about making sure Luan wasn't having a nervous breakdown, and began to walk away. The Ice Specialist seemed content to get back to squinting at the walls.
But Celeste wasn't taking it.
"No."
Lori lifted her eyes. "No?"
"You clearly don't 'got this,'" the younger girl argued. "Your pokémon are exhausted, and you're barely managing to stay on your feet. After everything we've been through, why can't you trust us to help you out?"
"Celeste now is not the—"
"Now is the time!"
All eyes were fixed on Celeste, from Luan's and Rey's to even those of the captured poachers.
"You need someone small who can fly to flush out the ariados. Like vanillite," Celeste said, taking a deep breath. "And we both know Ryder went after that lapras that ran away, and that you want to go after him, too. And we both know you're not well enough for that, Lori. So, please, stop being stubborn and start trusting us."
The redhead didn't say a word, but her fingers slightly twitched when she began readjusting her glasses again.
Celeste rolled her eyes. "Vanillite, do you mind?"
The ice-type quickly floated through a crack where the spider vanished. After a few moments, String Shots came flying out, but vanillite emerged unharmed. And just as Celeste had hoped, the ariados was in pursuit.
Lori glared at the approaching bug, hesitant at first, then somewhat defeated. "Ice Shard!" she commanded.
Her mamoswine swayed her head, sending the shards flying. With vanillite acting as bait, Lori could now predict the bug's movements more accurately, and in no time, she landed a direct hit.
The ariados dropped from the wall to the ground, trying to scramble away in desperation. In terms of strength, it was no match for Lorelei's pokémon. With an Ancient Power, the spider was finally trapped and, with no hope of escape, it was knocked out.
"See?" Celeste made an exaggerated gesture, and Lori could only sigh as she finally allowed herself to rest.
Slowly, but never losing her poise, the Ice Trainer settled on the ground, followed closely by her mammoth. Aurora, with impressive gentleness, nuzzled her oversized tusk against Lori's cheek and lay down beside her.
"You're right... Celeste," she admitted after a few moments.
"That's new," Rey snickered.
Lori paused and let her gaze rest on the cracks in the wall. "I do want to go after that other lapras. The one that got away is one of the youngest of the herd. I wanted to make sure he's okay... but that's not even all. I'm worried Ryder will find his way to Articuno and use one of those darts that makes pokémon angry."
She paused and turned back to Celeste, Rey. Luan had also joined the others.
"But you are right. I'm not well enough to keep going... I have to admit it." Lori let out another sigh. "I... don't like when things are out of my hands." She looked down, balling her fists. "Trust can be hard, and letting go of control is even harder. But you three? You came here with me, for me. You came despite your fears and reservations, and you listened to me even when you disagreed. You trusted me."
"Lori..."
"I shouldn't have been so dismissive," she said with a weak smile. "It's difficult. And what comes next will be even harder. We're talking about Articuno, after all... but in you three? In you I trust. Stop Team Rocket from causing a disaster."
—*—*—
Luan rummaged through his bag until he found a water bottle.
"Here you go," he said, handing it over to Celeste. "Um… don't drink everything, okay…? We don't know how much further we still have to go."
Celeste nodded and took the bottle, while shooting a glance at the vanillite ahead. The ancient ice-type knew Articuno's roost location, and he had willingly agreed to serve as their guide. Still, the whole situation felt surreal.
"How's your arm?" Luan asked after a few moments. Before they began their ascent through the caves, Lori had her lapras use Life Dew on Celeste's wound. It still stung, and it looked bad, but the risk of infection seemed to be gone.
"I'll manage," Celeste replied, returning the bottle to Luan. He carefully tucked it away in his bag, being cautious not to disturb the zubat with the collar that rested inside. During their confrontation with the poachers, he had somehow found the time to secure the pokémon and, because of an overdose of his munna's Dream Mist, he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. "Why didn't you leave him with Lori? Back at the cave."
Luan shrugged. "I didn't think about it."
"I'm glad we are taking care of him." Celeste smiled. "But I'm worried we are giving away our position to Ryder."
At the mention of the poacher, Luan shifted nervously. It seemed to be a pattern; while he was generally fine, any mention of Team Rocket made him squeak and fidget anxiously.
The girl sighed again, deciding not to press further on the subject. "What do you think it's like?"
Luan blinked.
"Meeting a pokémon like Articuno."
He grew even more nervous.
"Right…" Celeste muttered. It wasn't just Team Rocket that affected him. "Come on, thinking about it might help you deal with… whatever we'll have to deal with."
"Big bird, very cold, can kill us," Rey barged in, jumping down from a rock. "You realise you haven't shut up for five minutes since we left the lapras cavern, right Celeste? You are upsetting, Luan."
The girl rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's him I'm upsetting, all right…"
"Whatever." The boy threw his head back and shrugged. "While you lazy idiots were taking your time, I checked the path ahead. It's a bit of a climb, so we better move on if we want to have any hope of catching up."
Celeste groaned but turned back to Luan as she forced herself to get up. "So, Luan… want to talk about Delia?"
The boy squeaked again, and after a very painful forty minutes of trekking, the group reached a plateau. Ahead of them, bright rays of ethereal blue light, and flurries of snow, filtered in from a large opening in the wall. Vanillite quietly stopped and hovered by the passage.
There was little room for doubt.
Articuno awaited.
A/N: Didn't take very long this time :D