FicWad

Celeste and Espeon

"Oh, Trubbish!" Celeste Clearwater exclaimed in frustration. She backed away from the gray stone wall littered with creeping vines and bushes, using her walking stick to keep her from tripping on the uneven ground underfoot. "It's another dead end! Come on Rory, we'll need to retrace our steps and start at the beginning." She called out, then added in a frustrated mumble. "Again."

The woman swept her eyes all around her as no response came. "We could stop for lunch." She tried to entice her missing companion out with the thought of food.

She was in the heart of a thick jungle that had been left to nature for its nearly impassable terrain and dangerous, wild Pokémon. All around, lush green plants, some almost as tall as her, grew across the floor. There were thick trunked trees with tangling roots that seemed to reach out and trip the feet of those who'd be foolish enough to travel this far in and grass so thick, one couldn't even see the dirt below.

Overhead, the cry of Fletchling and Fletchinder called out to each other as they hunted down a Bug-Type for their next meal. What sounded like hundreds of Nincada roared raucously on the barks of the trees, though she knew it was merely a few dozen. Either way, the sound was nearly enough to drown out many noises on the jungle floor.

The woman pulled the wide-brimmed hat off her head and wiped the sweat from her brow, before fanning herself with it to try cooling off. The air was thick with moisture, the growing plants and tall, leaf-heavy trees trapping water vapor in the forest below like a terrarium.

She held up her electronic map, tapping a few times on the screen to mark off the area she had just explored. Celeste and Rory were looking for an ancient library, long forgotten and abandoned in the heart of this wild jungle in Kalos. If she could find it, she'd uncover truths from the past about the ancient civilizations that used to call this region their home. It would be a massive find and one that could propel her further into her career. Get her seen by important people.

Finding the library could catch Champion Cynthia's attention. She might even want to discuss archeology with me! She thought to herself, just the idea making her giddy with joy, despite her currently lackluster hunt.

A small noise by her right hand sounded, pulling Celeste from her thoughts. The explorer looked down and saw the yellow body of a minuscule Joltik munching away happily on the electronic map she was using.

"No, shoo, go away. I'm sorry, but that's not your's" She gently swiped it off her device.

The tiny Pokémon plopped to the grass below with a soft thump and grumpily moved off, having not been allowed to eat its fill. To her disconcertion, the weary explorer realized the small bug and electric type had nearly drained all the power away. The map was supposed to have enough energy to last the rest of the week, but now the battery was so low, it wouldn't last into the next morning.

That was foolish of me to not watch it more closely. She thought to herself in annoyance. Come on, Celeste, get your head in the game. You know what Pokémon live in this jungle. Shaking herself in frustration, she continued on with her original goal.

"Rory," she called out once more, growing perturbed that her partner wasn't nearby or heeding her shouts. "Come on! We need to move! I want to find the entrance before the sun goes down!" She pulled the large pack off her back and reached inside, ensuring the spare batteries were in place. To her relief, she felt the cool metal of their outer casing.

Right. I still have the spares for the map at least, the woman mused to herself as she counted out the four small items with her fingertips. We'll have to cut this expedition short by a week. I think we are close though. She shook her head while withdrawing her hand from the bag and furthering her resolve. No, I know we are near. I can practically feel it.

Things weren't as great outside of her thoughts though, as there still came no reply from her missing partner, so she pulled herself fully out from the musings.

Celeste's heart began to pound deep in her chest at the continued loneliness. Rory was the only Pokémon she had, and she knew it was dangerous to wander around alone.

More so, Rory was her friend, her trusted companion. She'd raised him from an egg and had been with him for the last twenty years. Fear and gut-wrenching anxiety shot through her at the thought of losing the one closest to her. All around, the sound of Pokémon seemed to grow more loudly, as if reminding her that she was surrounded by possibly deadly creatures and no protection.

She knew she shouldn't move too far from her spot. It was the last place Rory knew her location to be. If he came back to find her missing, they may never find each other in this thick jungle. So the worried adventurer wandered around what little clearing she had made, her eyes always on the stone wall as her way-finding point so she wouldn't move off too far.

To her left, the bushes rustled suddenly, waving the fronds to the very top frantically as something else heard her calling out. From the way they moved, it was likely something very large, as it was able to push down massive swatches at once.

Her breath shortened as she crept to a different bush and tried to hide within, yet knowing all too well that most Pokémon would be able to easily sniff her out. She gripped her walking stick more purposely and unlatched the lid to a Max Repel. The one I put on prior hasn't dissipated yet, but a second coat wouldn't hurt. Right? She wondered in desperation, despite knowing that a stronger Pokémon wouldn't be as bothered by the powerful scent from the repel.

The rustling grew closer and the frightened woman drew deeper into her abysmal hiding spot, pressing her back up against a tree and blocking her from being better camouflaged in the shadowy leaves.

She trained her eyes on the location of worry and watched as the outer tips shivered like something was grabbing onto them, readying to push them aside and finally reveal what Pokémon Celeste would be facing off against. They seemed to move of their own accord, spreading wide, but revealing no dangerous face or gleaming eyes at the top.

Celeste slowly moved her eyes down.

A small, light purple head peaked out from the bottommost leaves, its psychic powers moving them out of the way. It was Rory.

The Espeon chirped happily to see its master as it stood half-hidden in the bushes. The relieved woman rushed over, chastising the small creature in both joy and frustration.

"Holy Miltank, Rory! You've given me such an awful fright." She chided, rushing over and placing a worried hand on the top of his soft, smooth head, her tensed shoulders finally relaxing. In return, he purred noisily and shoved his cheek into her palm affectionately. "I told you to stay within sight of me. Where on Arceus' green earth did you go?"

In response, it walked out of the bush revealing its back end. Celeste saw no injuries, but his normally erect tail was low now as if being dragged behind. She worried he was injured or sick due to the abnormal placement. Finally, the tips came into view and she understood why he'd taken a while to come back.

A small orange Teddiursa clung to a tail tip, one paw stuck into its mouth as it suckled the pad in a self-soothing manner. Its large gray eyes were brimming with fear, sadness, and pain.

"Oh my. Rory, you've found a friend." She said, instantly lowering her voice and speaking as gently as she could over the loud noises of the jungle. She scanned her eyes over the new Pokémon in worry, seeing its coat littered with bumps, scrapes, and bruises. "You must have taken a tumble." She observed.

Celeste pulled her pack off once more, setting it down with as much gentility as the heavy weight would allow, cautious that sudden movements or noises would further frighten the small cub. Deftly, she rummaged around for a moment, before procuring two items. A max potion, and a PokéPuff. She held the sweet, cake-like treat out, offering it to the small creature.

The bear shuffled back nervously at the stretched-out arm, clutching more closely to the Espeon's tail tips, now holding on with both paws. Rory reached around, licked it gently on the head in encouragement, and then grabbed the treat from his Trainer's outstretched fingers.

Celeste watched in amusement as her Pokémon placed the sweet delicacy onto the floor and tore a small bite off for himself, slowly chewing it up. He exaggerated his pleasure at the flavor with closed eyes, relaxed ears, and purrs of joy through his mouthful before happily swallowing the morsel. He then pushed it closer to his new companion with a soft paw and cooed encouragingly.

The small bear sniffed for a second, hesitantly and wary, then snagged a small chunk off with a needle-sharp claw. It brought the piece to its face, gave it another snort of curiosity, and then tentatively placed it in its mouth. This seemed to finally bring the creature around as it realized the delicious flavor of the small cake. It let go of Rory's tail, plopped onto the ground, and began eagerly munching away, all fear forgotten at the tasty food.

With it distracted, Celeste rubbed a hand over its head, encouraging it to not be surprised by her touch, until, very slowly, the baby bear was sitting comfortably in her lap. She pulled another PokéPuff from her bag and set it down nearby as she applied some of the cold stinging spray of the Max Potion onto the Pokémon's injuries. It flinched in pain but quickly settled once it realized it had numbed the injury. She rubbed its head again as a reward, moving on to the next affliction.

After a short time, the Teddiursa finished off a second PokéPuff and Celeste completed her treatment of its injuries. It stood and began curiously sniffing at the zipper of her pack to find more.

"Are you still hungry, little one?" She questioned the cub, ruffling the fur between its ears. Though it still didn't seem to understand her words, she could hear its small stomach growl a protest for more food.

Laughing, she rose to her feet and patted her side, silently indicating that Rory followed her. "We'll eat lunch before heading off again," she informed the two Pokémon before her. "When we are done," she addressed the Teddiursa with a pat on its head "We'll have to split up. You need to find your family, and we need to find an entrance. Okay, little one?" It showed no understanding of her words, but it certainly enjoyed having its ears ruffled.

She walked her motley crew back to the center of the clearing and pulled out a few sandwiches, water, and bowls, offering more food to her new companion as well as Rory. Once settled they began to dig in.

Celeste was just about to take a hungry bite out of her lunch when the sound of rustling came from the same bush as before. All eyes turned to the noise. This time, it not only moved like something large, but it felt that way too. Crashing footsteps flattened the leaves and low, continuous snuffling followed by growls of rage echoed through the air. The jungle had become deathly silent as all the nearby wildlife hushed in their own fright, ducking out of sight into a nook, or fleeing the area altogether.

The Teddiursa sprang to its feet and hid behind Celeste, shivering in worry and mumbling to itself. Rory took up a defensive position before the two. His ears stood straight, trained on the noise ahead. Fur bristled along his normally smooth, lavender coat and his tail lashed anxiously through the air, fluffed up to nearly twice its size.

Finally, the new foe revealed itself as it sprang through the last bits of the bush, making the ground rumble like an earthquake as it pounced into the cleaning. It was an Ursaluna, and it was far from pleased to see strangers in its territory. The beast was nearly two and a half meters tall with gray-brown, and dark brown fur all around it. Long, knife-sharp claws sat at the end of immense, powerful paws that left deep rivets in the ground wherever the footfalls landed.

What? Celeste thought, fear gripping her sides, making it hard to move and forcing her breath to hitch in her throat, How? I thought this Pokémon was incredibly rare outside of Paldea. Why is there one here in Kalos?

It stood on its front paws as Celeste scrambled to her feet, but it still towered over her, looking down at her past a snarling maw and rows of sharp, deadly teeth. She shrank back, her heart pounding so hard in her chest that she feared it would break free. The beast began to advance on her on its back paws to further enhance the sheer size of its form, its stomping feet shaking the ground.

Rory snarled in defiance at the giant Pokémon, bouncing around the Ursaluna frantically, the Espeon trying desperately to get its attention away from his Trainer and onto him, but it only seemed to have eyes for the intruding human.

With rage, it ambled forward towards the picnic, massive paws raised and ready to deal a devastating blow. Celeste tried stepping backward at a swipe that just barely missed her face. Her foot located her pack rather than solid ground though and she crashed down, landing painfully on her rump. The beast roared in annoyance that its attack missed, pulling another paw back, but it suddenly stopped, nose raised into the air and sniffing. It flopped its hulking form onto its front paws and took a few lumbering steps closer, growling threateningly as it approached.

Rory rammed his head into the Ursaluna's shoulder, and then bit down a few times on its legs, but it still took notice of the valiant attempt. When he raked his claws through the thick pelt, it finally reacted by giving the Espeon a devastating smack with its front paw, swatting the small creature away as if it were merely the fronds of the bush it had so easily trampled into the dirt when arriving in the clearing.

"Rory!" Celeste gasped, trying to call out to her faithful companion as he tumbled across the floor and slumped to the ground, suddenly frightfully still. Her voice seemed to enrage the Ursaluna more as it swung its massive head back onto her, beady black eyes filled with fury and hate.

Not willing to remove her own gaze, the woman located her walking stick with a desperately searching hand. When her shaking fingers finally connected with the cool wooden tip, she yanked it forward and gave the fierce Pokémon before her a whack on the head, bringing the pole down with as much force as she could muster from her seated position.

Rather than hinder the beast, it merely snatched the stick away with deft, powerful jaws, snapping the attempted weapon in two with little effort, as if proving its strength in the action.

A chirp came from behind Celeste, making her jump. She was allowed no spare thought into the sound as the beast came upon her snarling, dripping jaws only a meter away, pieces of wood still clinging to its pink tongue and stuck between its finger-length teeth. It was so close now that she could smell the fish it had eaten recently. Water still dripped from its drying pelt, splattering onto her own trembling form.

This is it. Celeste thought with painful understanding. I'll be killed by this beast and all my work will be lost just as thoroughly as the library. Please let it be quick. Please let Rory get away. She pleaded to the Pokémon deity, Arceus, her eyes traveling to the form of her dear Espeon. He was stirring now, but only barely.

The chirp came again, and the desperate girl finally realized where it came from. The Teddiursa cautiously peeked its head around the woman's back, one small paw resting gingerly against her side. Gently, the woman reached around and pulled the small creature up front, so the giant bear could see it. Celeste flexed her muscles, ready to spring away if her actions didn't provide the wanted reaction. She wasn't sure if this was a parent to the small Pokémon or a rival and she knew she'd need to protect it if it were the latter.

The Ursaluna took a few heartbeats to sniff at the Teddiursa, its face so close she could feel the body heat radiating off of it. Its fur scratched up against her exposed arms and face, but she didn't dare move, even as the whiskers on its nose tickled against her cheek and neck. Its rumbling growls echoed within her own chest as it thoroughly investigated the small cub. Then it moved onto her, releasing its hot breath through a nose nearly as big as her head as it breathed in her scent.

After what felt like an eternity, the giant bear Pokémon took a step back, lowering the fur along its shoulders and quieting its continuous snarling. It chuffed a couple of times and stomped one, massive front paw to the jungle floor, inadvertently smashing the sandwich Celeste had been planning to eat.

Hesitantly, almost like a scolded child, the smaller cub crawled out of her lap and walked dejectedly to the massive paws of its counterpart. The large bear licked it a few times on the top of its head, ruffling its ears and shoving its nose against its pelt. When it didn't find anything offensive was done to its child, the Ursaluna merely puffed out a breath of air, almost like a begrudging gratitude, and fixed Celeste with its gaze once more.

She realized with surprise that those eyes, so menacing just a moment ago, seemed almost human. Threatening and unforgiving, yet intelligent and thoughtful. With one last snort from the Ursaluna, the pair wandered back into the forest. They disappeared behind the very same bush it had nearly trampled in its rage, ending the frightening event with just as much sudden finality as it had begun.

Celeste and Rory sat for a long while. So long in fact, that the wild Pokémon had begun singing once more, filling the silent air with their calls, flapping, and scrabbling. Some of them paused curiously to view the scene of the frozen pair on the jungle floor with slight interest, before moving off to continue their own busy day.

After a few more minutes to gather herself, the still cautious explorer spoke, her voice nearly unheard over the once again, noisy jungle. "Are you okay?" She asked, standing on unwilling legs and moving close to her Espeon. He was still on the ground where he had fallen but was sitting up now shaking his head and making his long ears slap noisily against his body.

Celeste pulled another Max Potion from her pack, but couldn't find more than a few scratches on her beloved partner. Even after receiving treatment, the Pokémon still stumbled a few times as it rose to its paws and tried to press against its Trainer's side reassuringly.

"Have you injured your head?" The worried woman asked, holding his chin up and trying to look deep into his dark purple eyes. I'm no healer. I can't treat a head injury. She thought in worry as the Espeon flopped clumsily onto its side after wobbling off to sniff at the massive paw prints left in the soil from the Ursaluna.

"Rory, I think we should call it quits and head back. You need to be seen at a Pokémon Center." The small creature chirped stubbornly in protest, but Celeste broke through his muttering. "You're too injured. You could get really sick if we don't treat your head quickly."

He tried letting out a hiss of annoyance, but Celeste crouched once more and placed her hand on his back, running her fingernails across his short fur in an attempt at soothing. "Please, Rory." She pleaded, "You know I'd be completely lost if something were to happen to you."

Begrudgingly, the Pokémon finally relented with a sigh and irritated twitch of the two tips on his tail. He scrambled to his feet and moved off towards the scattered remnants of their ruined picnic.

"We can come back another time to search for the lost library. Maybe with a bit more backup." His Trainer said, raising to her feet once more. She located the electronic map and marked out a swatch to indicate danger for anyone else who would think to come this way.

Rory was already packing away his own lunch, the Espeon's telekinetic powers helping him to store it in the pack Celeste would be carrying. With still trembling fingers, the woman hastily shoved her own items away as well, leaving the ruined sandwich for whatever wild Pokémon found it as a meal. She shouldered the heavy pack after a forlorn look at the gray stone that had only recently frustrated her with its lack of clues or entryways. Then, she turned towards the distant city.

"You know Rory, I still feel like we were close to finding the library." She called out to her stumbling friend in front of her, watching as he tried to pick his way over the tangling roots and grasses of the jungle. "If that Ursaluna hadn't been so furious, maybe you could have talked with it, using your telepathy. They tend to live in caves and command large territories. I bet it's seen something."

Her Espeon didn't give more of a response beyond a confirming chirp as he focused on placing his feet more carefully to prevent another fall. Slowly, the pair began to make their way back towards civilization.

~~~

Deep in the jungle, the Ursaluna and her cub returned to their nearby cave. The creatures of the jungle gave a wide girth to the terrifying bear as it slowly ambled its massive hulk into the coolness of the stone walls, floor, and ceiling, leaving the oppressive heat behind. Its growls echoed around the pair as it chastised its offspring in quiet fury, though that soon grew too small chuffs of encouragement as the pair ventured deeper within.

Slowly, the flooring softened from the hard, cold slab of rock, to a muting, smooth feel, comforting and familiar underfoot. Beneath the powerful paws of the towering bear, a page of paper tore free of its binding and blew back toward the cave's entrance. The Ursaluna scraped some of the nearby books into a pile, delicately shredding the material with its sharp claws to soften the bedding. Then, it padded them down with its dexterous paws and encouraged the Teddiursa to sit on the restored nest of cardboard, paper, moss, and leaves before it fixed up its own area and laid down in irritated silence.