Book 4: Icefall
Previously... Under the unexpected mentorship of Olga, Celeste had an outstanding run in the Snowflake Cup. Her journey to victory included defeating formidable opponents like Mia, Luan's cousin, and even Lorelei, who, despite using young smoochum in the battles, was a powerful opponent.
Still, the tournament victory was just the beginning of what turned out to be an amazing festival season.
During this time, Celeste not only honed her trainer skills, but also unlocked the hidden potential within her vulpix. She managed to thaw Olga's icy heart and form a genuine bond with her. Though Celeste had been experiencing some strange dreams and had noticed an increase in poaching activities nearby, the joy those days brought her far outweighed the challenges.
However, it all changed when she noticed one of the poachers responsible for attacking a herd of lapras she'd met was posing as a ranger in the town. And to make matters worse, he was now targeting that very same lapras herd.
Summary: Accused of assaulting a Ranger and with the lapras herd in danger at the Icefall Caves, Celeste and Lorelei find themselves in deep trouble.
Their quest is twofold: clear their names and put an end to the enigmatic poachers sporting the red "R" on their chests. Along the way, they must unravel the secrets concealed within the depths of the Icefall Caves. Can they succeed and protect the lapras, or will the pokémon they care so deeply for be lost forever?
Chapter 36 - Battle with Ranger Ryder
"Freeze him with Powder Snow and Water Gun. Aria, if he tries to run, use Swift." Celeste yelled with urgency. "Now."
Pat, usually on the slower side of things, unleashed a powerful stream of water that crashed into Ryder, propelling him backward. Meanwhile, Powder let out a chilling howl that swept through the battlefield, plunging the temperature to freezing levels. Winds swirled around the vulpix, and dark clouds gathered above them. Before Ryder could recover, a gust of icy, snowy winds engulfed him, threatening to freeze the boy on the spot.
However, everything halted when Lorelei approached Celeste, jerking the girl's shoulder violently. "What are you doing?"
Whispers and concerned glances floated around them, and a circle of curious bystanders started to form. Mercifully, when the first hailstones fell down, people instinctively stepped back, away from the Snow Warning's range.
"Don't you remember him?" Celeste said in a trembling whisper. Powder, sensing her trainer's distress, halted the attack and turned her concerned eyes towards the girl.
Lorelei frowned and hesitated. "Ryder is our new ranger… I met him a few—"
"From the vision! From the lapras." Celeste interrupted, her words rushing from her mouth. "He was the one shooting the nets."
The redhead's frown deepened, and then her eyes widened. She stumbled back, her gaze fixed on the fallen boy with a growing sense of dread. "We... we couldn't see his face because he was wearing a beret," she gasped. Her chest rose and fell with heavy breathing, her eyes not moving away from the boy. "He wanted me to show him their nest," she continued, her voice barely audible. Taking a few more steps back, she placed a hand on the side of her head. "I considered it... I could have shown him..."
Celeste wasn't about to wait for Lori to snap out of whatever she was going through. The boy was still on the floor looking defenceless and she needed to do something.
"You're outnumbered," the girl declared, her voice steady despite her racing heart. A knot twisted in her stomach, but she fought to maintain her composure. "Make one move, and we will attack again."
The ranger narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?"
A shiver traced its way down Celeste's spine. Powder tensed and the hail got stronger—strong enough for the trainer to be bothered by it. Beyond the hail's boundary, she looked for her friends in the crowd. She did not see any familiar face, but the voices of people urging for her to stop were overwhelming. It was almost as if she was in the wrong.
It didn't matter.
Even if she couldn't find her friends, she could keep things under control by herself. "Someone call the police!" she yelled, fixing her gaze on Ryder. If he did anything, she had her entire team by her side, all ready to fight.
The fake ranger let out a twisted laugh. "Cute, but no," he sneered, rising to his feet.
"Huh?" Celeste stood there, momentarily stunned.
Aria looked from her trainer to the boy before spitting out a few warning stars at their enemy's feet. Ryder didn't care for a warning, however. He simply stepped back as he detached two pokéballs from his belt.
As Celeste's shock faded, her instincts kicked in. "Aria, don't let him!"
With her trainer's call, the eevee wasted no time. She unleashed another stream of Swift stars, this time infused with speed and power, aimed directly at the boy. The stars streaked through the air, but before they could reach their target, they collided with a sudden blur of movement. From one of the pokéballs emerged a large scyther, its green armour glistening under the festival lights. With precise blade movements, it easily deflected Aria's attack like it was nothing.
By the bug-type's side stood a sneasel, with a large feather on its right ear. When its gaze locked with Celeste's, the dark-type emitted a low, chilling growl, causing the girl to step back in fear.
It was only when Powder barked back at it that Celeste realised this was the same sneasel they had battled before. With its eyes burning with rage, and its claws emitting a metallic glow, the pokémon wasted no time. It launched itself towards the vulpix, creating a piercing tingling sound as the metal cut through the air.
Powder deftly evaded the attack, and the sneasel snarled back at her, honing its claws. That last move had been just a message… the real battle was about to begin.
"Shit," Celeste simply said.
Ryder scoffed. "Stop wasting time and attack."
As the scyther's blades began to glow, Celeste took a step back. She was acutely aware that pokémon could slice her in half if it wished, and she found herself dangerously positioned in its line of attack.
An anxious glance toward her team only made the reality of the situation more clear: none of them stood a chance against the green bug. She needed to take it out of the battle, and there was only one way she could do that. "Pat Yaw—"
She couldn't even finish her command. In an instant, both of the enemy pokémon launched themselves toward her, their blades and claws leaving bright streaks in the air. They were ready to slay.
Instinctively, Celeste closed her eyes and turned her face away, bracing for the inevitable.
Instead of pain, however, she felt a rush of air whipping past her, accompanied by a loud ring that echoed in her ears.
It was like something hard had hit a wall.
Celeste cautiously opened her eyes, only to find a large, translucent barrier had materialised around her and her team. Floating before them was a large, round creature emanating a chilling mist from its icy body.
The pokémon was covered by a thick, shining armour that outshone even the scyther's. It was a solid mass of compressed ice, offering protection to the creature within. Still, the armour had small openings that revealed glimpses of the pokémon's true form. It appeared rough and uneven, resembling a piece of coal with two prominent spikes protruding from the top like horns.
Without lowering the barrier, the glalie turned around. Its blue eyes, orbs carved deep within the rock, peered beyond Celeste to someone standing behind her. The pokémon's expression shifted from resolve to pride, and it smiled, displaying a set of large teeth that bore an unsettling resemblance to a human's.
"Well done, Silver," Lorelei said, approaching Celeste. Having snapped out of her initial shock, she was now ready to join in the fight. "My other pokémon are in the centre," she said calmly, her eyes fixed on the scyther. "I'll take it down. Can you handle the sneasel?"
Celeste glanced at the glalie once more, feeling much better about her chances, and nodded.
Once the Protect barrier was gone, neither trainer wasted a moment.
"Pat, make the ground wet with your Water Gun. Powder, freeze it, and then use the wind from Powder Snow on the sneasel. We need to keep those claws far away from us," Celeste yelled, recalling one of her previous battle, when a seel created an ice rink over the battlefield. Powder still couldn't change the terrain on her own, but she could work together with the other pokémon to do so. "Aria, continue to focus on long-range attacks with Swift."
The hail intensified, stinging Celeste's skin as larger hailstones pelted down. She gritted her teeth, refusing to back down. "The hailstorm would punish the scyther the most", she thought, her eyes briefly catching the clash between the powerful pokémon above her.
She had her own battle to focus on, though.
Aria's Swift attack struck the sneasel head-on, but it barely flinched as it darted forward. Its metallic-glowing claws shimmered and its eyes filled with pure hatred. Completely ignoring the rest of Celeste's team, the dark-type lunged toward the vulpix, attempting to jab her with a lethal strike.
Powder, who had the good sense to keep her tails down for increased reaction time, dodged the oncoming attack.
But only just.
The sneasel was faster than any of her pokémon. Even worse than that, Powder hadn't fully recovered from her previous battle. Celeste noticed her vulpix' stance was off, she was keeping her weight away from the leg she had injured earlier.
They needed to act quickly.
In a split second, the sneasel turned to pursue the fox pokémon, exposing its back to Pat and Aria. Before it could strike again, a combination of Water Gun and Swift slammed into it, hurling it away from the vulpix.
"Now, Powder!" Celeste commanded, seizing the opportunity.
However, with lightning speed, the sneasel got up and made its way to the slowpoke this time. Before any of Celeste's pokémon could react, it closed the distance and unleashed a relentless flurry of claw strikes against him. Aria retaliated with another barrage of Swift attacks, desperately trying to keep their opponent at bay. Meanwhile, Powder took the opportunity to freeze the wet ground beneath her feet. She then conjured a frigid Powder Snow that sent the sneasel sliding backward.
Unfortunately, Pat and Aria were also caught off guard by the move. They both lost their footing and began to slide away together with the sneasel.
Celeste really needed to figure how to better coordinate her team's moves.
"Dig," she ordered the eevee while fetching her slowpoke's pokéball. She quickly recalled him and re-released him closer to her, away from the ice. Though visibly injured, the determined look in his eyes assured her he could continue the fight.
Celeste pressed her lips together, her mind racing with possibilities.
She paused, contemplating asking Pat to use Yawn, but before she could commit, Lori yanked her down to the ground. Just in the nick of time. Two powerful moves clashed overhead, their force shattering the surrounding air.
The scyther had twirled its blades, syphoning the air away and unleashing a Vacuum Wave straight at Lorelei's glalie. In a split second reaction, the ice-type countered with an Ice Beam. The collision set off an explosion, shards bursting into the air and blanketing the battlefield into a dense mist, obscuring everything from view.
This was the chance Celeste had been waiting for. Knowing that Powder could sense her surroundings without relying on sight alone, the trainer devised a plan. Last time they had battled the sneasel, they only won because Powder had tapped into her fairy-type energy.
That had to be the answer.
"Mooncracker," Celeste commanded. With her voice filled with caution, she opted for the fast, yet weaker, version of the move. "Use your tails to guide your aim!"
A tense silence settled as faint lights flickered within the dissipating mist.
Too faint.
Celeste's heart sunk when she realised Powder was still worn out from the battle with Lorelei. If she pushed her vulpix to use fairy moves too hard, she would collapse like before and that would be an even bigger disaster. She needed to try something else quickly.
"Stay hidden, Powder," Celeste said, her voice steady, masking her concern. "If the sneasel comes close, Powder Snow it away."
The mist was dissipating, and Powder was safe for the time being. However, she still needed to take advantage of the situation to go on the offence.
Determined to win, Celeste tapped the ground with her feet, hoping to catch her eevee's attention underground. She knew her pokémon would be listening intently. "Whenever you're ready, Aria."
The tense silence shattered as Lori's glalie was launched skyward, like a cannonball, right above them. Its battered armour was missing a chunk in the bottom, revealing the rocky core beneath. In a flash, the scyther zoomed past the trainers, its blades radiating a blood-red glow.
"Silver, Protect!" Lorelei commanded, unshaken, but the ice-type had no time.
Before the protective barrier could fully form, the scyther broke through, its blade piercing the glalie's forehead, sinking inside the armour.
With relentless force, the scyther pressed on. Still drilling deeper, the bug spun sideways, thrusting its opponent high in the sky and tearing away another considerable chunk of the armour.
"Swords Dance," Ryder, who had remained silent throughout most of the battle, ordered. "Then aim for the exposed core. Finish it on the next move."
Cold sweat trickled down Celeste's neck as her focus shifted to the lingering mist where her pokémon battled. Time was running out. She needed to defeat the sneasel and help Lori somehow. If her glalie was taken out, that would be it for them.
The mist finally dissipated, revealing Aria bursting from the ground, and striking the sneasel with her Dig. Yet, struggling to find her footing on the ice, the eevee quickly retreated underground once again. Meanwhile, seizing the opportunity, Powder intensified her onslaught of Powder Snow, relentlessly pushing the opponent back.
Glancing at Pat by her side, Celeste asked with determination, "Can you hit it with Yawn from here?"
Their fastest path to victory was putting the sneasel to sleep and, by the stars, she needed to end this now.
"Sink your claws into the ice for traction," Ryder instructed his dark-type, before refocusing on the aerial battle.
"Oh no, you won't!" Celeste yelled. The ice in the terrain was their greatest advantage, and she could not afford to lose it. "Aria, if it can't stand, it can't run."
No more words were necessary. The eevee came off the ground in full force, while Celeste turned to the escalating aerial conflict.
The glalie recovered himself, but that allowed the scyther to complete its Swords Dance. A faint halo enveloped the bug-type as it emitted a piercing screech and hurtled towards its icy opponent.
Celeste saw Lorelei widen her eyes and visibly chew on the side of her mouth.
That couldn't be a good sign.
"Sorry, this one might hurt you." The redhead turned to Celeste for a moment before getting back to her pokémon. "Blast it away with Blizzard!"
Celeste's heart raced as she glanced at Aria, realising the imminent danger. She didn't know the blizzard's range, but her eevee would be the most vulnerable. "Back underground!" she yelled.
In a split second, before Aria could act, the sneasel came at her with blinding speed. While leaving deep footprints dotted by spiky shards of broken ice, it hit her with a Quick Attack. Not satisfied, the pokémon pivoted back to Powder, only to be hit by the combined force of her Powder Snow and the growing blizzard around them.
As glalie's blizzard built up, chaos ensued.
The move was like Powder Snow cranked up to a thousand. The wind roared with unimaginable force, leaving no room for respite. Powder's relentless hail persisted, but within the grip of glalie's snowstorm, icy rings spiralled around the ice-type, drawing closer to it with breakneck speed. Farther away, where Celeste and Lorelei stood, the storm was weaker, yet they struggled to maintain their footing.
By the girl's side, Pat suddenly started to slide away. With a grunt, she quickly dropped to the ground, grasping tightly onto him, making sure they both stayed together. His Yawn was still too valuable in this battle—she couldn't recall him just yet.
Further ahead, Aria fought against the assault of ice and debris, attempting to regain enough balance to dig herself underground for protection. It was too much for her. Celeste needed to think of something.
The trainer's eyes shifted to Powder, who at least looked fine, while still diligently kept the sneasel away with her Powder Snow.
Once more she turned to the slowpoke in her arms, trying very hard not to panic. "I can really use that Yawn right about now."
And then, a metallic, tingling sound filled the air, accompanied by a swift swoosh, followed by a desperate wail that pierced through Celeste's ears.
Her eyes snapped forward, and her chest tightened.
"Powder!" Celeste yelled.
At the sneasel's feet, Powder had fallen, two deep claw marks staining her side with dripping blood. Despite her injuries, the vulpix struggled, twitching and contorting, desperate to regain her footing and continue the fight.
Her leg, the injured one, failed, and she collapsed again.
With a scoff, the sneasel kicked Powder's face as its claws shimmered with a metallic glow once again.
Frantically, Celeste looked to Aria, who fought fiercely against the blizzard, but she was too far away.
Tears streamed down the girl's face as she desperately reached for Powder's pokéball. However, before her trembling hand could grasp it, the dark-type raised its paw, ready for the final blow.
And then it stopped, still mid-motion.
Enveloped by a bizarre glow, the pokémon seemed to be restrained by some sort of energy.
"Pro... tect," a deep yet sweet voice echoed within Celeste's mind. "Fam...ly."
Her eyes widened with understanding, and she wasted no time, swiftly recalling Powder into her ball.
Dark types, after all, were strong against psychic energy.
The sneasel broke free and finished its blow just as Powder vanished inside the ball's red light. Its claws sunk deep within the ground, rather than on the vulpix flesh. The dark-type gaze shifted from Celeste to the slowpoke, who was still cloaked in the faint pinkish glow of his psychic energy.
With a sharp hiss, the sneasel struggled to free its claws from the ground. However, before it could succeed, a torrent of stars, larger than anything Celeste had ever witnessed, rained down upon the dark pokémon.
Aria was pissed.
An enraged groan echoed across from Celeste, snapping her attention towards Ryder. His eyes shifted from the ground to the sky as he issued his command, "X-scissor."
In the battle above, the blizzard was ravaging the skies. The scyther kept its distance to avoid the worst of it. However, being slowly battered by the ice wasn't any better than going all out in a glorious, reckless charge.
At Ryder's command, the bug pokémon screeched, crossing its scythes in a protective stance as it launched itself towards the glalie. Its relentless determination to press on despite the icy onslaught was both admirable and concerning.
The outcome of the battle hinged on whether the scyther could reach the glalie. If it succeeded, that would be the end. The only question was whether it could.
With worry, Celeste turned to her friend, only to be startled by the smirk on her face.
"Stop," Lorelei simply said.
In an instant, the ice storm dissipated, as if it had never existed. The serene night sky emerged, oblivious to the chaos that had consumed it.
Without the opposing winds, the scyther suddenly was exerting too much force on its forward momentum and hurtled past the glalie, completely spiralling out of control.
"Regain your balance!" Ryder's desperate cry came too late.
The glalie wasted no time positioning itself above the tumbling bug-type and unleashing a mighty Ice Beam that struck it down with force.
As the scyther crashed to the ground, Lorelei's voice remained calm but resolute. "Press on until it's knocked out."
"Cripple the enemy and take it out with a barrage of attacks. That seemed to be Lorelei in a nutshell," Celeste thought while letting out a long breath.
She shook her head, refocusing.
In the ground battle, Aria was panting, her fur ruffled and eyes furious. The onslaught of stars had subsided, but the sneasel still stood, badly hurt but defiant. Its gaze darted between the eevee and the slowpoke, uncertain of its next move.
"Pat," Celeste said with a nod. No more words were needed. Without hesitation, he unleashed his Yawn, forming a bubble that seemed too gentle for that situation.
"Don't just stand there," Ryder's urgent voice pierced through the chaos as he recalled his scyther.
The sneasel attempted to evade Pat's Yawn, but it was no use. From the other side, Aria seized the opportunity, launching a Quick Attack right into the opponent's chest.
The dark-type tumbled into a puddle of water, a mix of melting ice and dirt. It struggled to rise again, snarling and defying the drowsy effects of the Yawn bubble that burst in its face.
"Aria, finish it! Quick Attack once more!" Celeste's voice thundered with newfound confidence.
Before the eevee could launch her attack, another voice sliced through the air, freezing the battle in its tracks. "I think that's quite enough," officer Jenny said, as the crowd surrounding them parted to let the police make their way.
Aria halted, her confusion giving way to uncertainty. However, a reassuring glance from Celeste was all the eevee needed to steady herself. She locked her gaze on the sneasel, while Pat and Lori's glalie closed in, surrounding their foe.
"It's over," the girl said, turning to Ryder...
But his expression revealed an unsettling madness. A smile danced on the corner of his lips, as if he were suppressing a maniacal burst of laughter.
"What...?" Celeste's voice trembled with confusion, her eyes turning to the approaching police officer.
Lorelei started to speak and explain the situation, but Jenny's stern glare silenced her instantly.
Ryder then limped toward the officer and the girls. His eyes still had that glimmer of madness, but the rest of his expression had turned sombre and serious. He was the perfect picture of innocence.
"I would like to press charges," he said, unemotional.
Jenny's gaze softened with compassion, and she shook her head gently. "You need medical attention first. Don't worry, multiple witnesses saw the attack on you. We can take your statement once you're in better shape."
Celeste shot a concerned glance towards Lorelei, who subtly shook her head, urging them to maintain composure as the police officer redirected her focus toward them.
Desperately scanning their surroundings for an escape, Celeste's breath caught in her throat as the full extent of the battle's aftermath came into focus. The stage lay in ruins, prize boxes thrown about, their contents spilled in a chaotic mess, and shards of shattered speakers scattered across the battlefield. Amidst the wreckage, a cleanly severed speaker served as a reminder of what exactly she had been fighting.
Celeste pressed her lips tightly together, her heart pounding, as the officer called out their names.
"For assaulting a ranger and recklessly endangering others by initiating a battle without taking necessary precautions, you are both under arrest. Please recall your pokémon into their pokéballs and come with me."
The words 'under arrest' sent shockwaves through Celeste's body, her mouth going dry, and a surge of panic rising in the pit of her stomach.
"You have the right to remain silent," the officer added, almost as an afterthought. "Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law."
A/N:
So Celeste went for the battles with the young pokémon to an actual dangerous situation. I tried to make things more fast paced and intense in this one, hopefully I achieved it. Still, writing battles is really hard, but hopefully I'm improving :)
Next Chapter: Frost