C1 - Episode 1 : After Hours
Stars, stars everywhere ... as far as the eye can see.
I was lying on the grass under what looked like an endless night sky, and everywhere I turned, there was nothing but stars. Although my dreams had taken a different turn ... this time, I welcomed the change of pace and just enjoyed it for what it was. The grass beneath me felt soft and comforting, like a warm blanket.
I decided to get up, not knowing what else to do but stare. Maybe I could find something else if I went elsewhere. Surely, I thought to myself, there’s more than the sky here considering what I’ve been through in my previous dreams.
I started to walk through the grassy field, not sure where it would take me but anything’s better than sitting around. Even though I appreciated how peaceful this dream was, I still wanted to wake up eventually. Only the sounds of my feet grazing against the grass and the occasional heartbeats. It was starting to creep me out a little …
After what seemed like a long walk around, I finally saw something that wasn’t grass. It was a beacon … or what I thought was one as it stood still. There was no wind to stir it, but despite its stillness, I ran towards it, eager to discover what it was.
That’s when I saw her, a Cresselia, an actual Cresselia was there, just standing by the grass with what looked like fireflies dancing around her. I was seeing multi-colored fireflies which was pretty mesmerizing.
As I drew closer, more details of her form became visible. She wasn't responding as I came face to face with her though. She stood as stiff as a statue, her eyes closed as if she was peacefully sleeping while standing up.
Some of the fireflies seemed to notice me as a few of them appeared around me, dancing around with their tiny wings. I was about to sit down when I felt someone shift.
The Cresselia opened her eyes, most of the glow that was covering her before disappeared revealing what she really looked like. The details were a bit blurry but I can still see what she was.
She wore a white dress, not too long but it made her look almost like an angel. There was a pink gem attached to her chest which looked ... broken? At least that's what I thought I saw as it looked like it was broken from the inside yet there was still a pink glow coming out of it.
Her wings didn't look like the ones typical for a Cresselia as it roughly looked like a Vivillion's wings made of glass. They seemed as if they could break easily at the slightest touch.
"Protect her... for me..." the Cresselia spoke, her voice fragile and fading, the light in her chest formed a large hole, slowly melting into the colors of the night sky. Her voice was fading away like she was being pulled back. "Bring ... her back ..."
I didn't know why but I had the instinct to reach out, stretching out my paw towards her. I didn't even realize that my legs were making me go to her. I could only call out as she was literally fading into the night.
"Hey, are you okay-"
Suddenly, everything went silent. The stars above seemed to multiply, the grassy ground beneath me turning into a swirl of more stars, some crashing into each other forming bigger stars. My outstretched paw met only empty air as the grass disappeared, leaving me floating in the sea of stars.
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"So ... who exactly is the First Star?"
Class is finally over and it's the start of the weekend for most of us at Sinnoh High. It would be a perfect time to relax after a long week but apparently, Lucia had other plans because of the whole Star Guardian thing. She left a not-so-subtle note on my locker as I was about to head out of the campus.
Favonius, my Shaymin companion, and I were walking down towards the Jubilife TV station when I asked a question to him. It's been something that's been weighing on my mind for a while.
"Ah yes, the First Star! The one who started it all!" I can tell he was pretty excited when I asked that. I guess they're someone who's pretty important.
"A long time ago, back when the world was dark … there was a spark of light. Fearing that she would never be seen, she glowed as brightly as she could. Eventually, more like her would join in, slowly filling the once dark sky with them …
... as the first star who appeared all those eons ago, she was determined to make sure all of the other stars would shine for all eternity. So she took out some of her own light and scattered it across the universe. That's where the Star Guardians come in … each and every one of them holds a small piece of the First Star's light."
There was a short pause from Favonius before turning to look at me. "And that's pretty much all I know. It's the same old story that's been passed around."
I have to admit, I was touched by the story. Now I was even more curious after hearing the First Star. Who knew it would be this important? I wonder if there's more Guardians out there …
We reached the rooftop of the TV station where Lucia and her Azelf companion Mai had been waiting. The rooftop doubled as a popular hangout spot, offering a panoramic view of the city. It was one of the tallest buildings around, and if you ask me, I'm still not used to being in high places. Nevertheless, it's pretty cool that they let people use this rooftop as a place to hang out.
"Hey, you've arrived! Sorry for the short notice there. This was the only time I was available." Lucia was in her usual cheery self with Mai silently waving at us.
"It's cool, but are you really sure this is the best place? It's way high up off the ground..." I did voice my concern, eyeing the rooftop with a bit of unease. I hadn't imagined my first training session as a Star Guardian would take place on such a high perch, but Lucia had insisted we start right after Friday class. So much for a relaxing evening, I guess.
Lucia shrugged, with her aura of confidence as always. "It'll be fine, trust me! That reminds me that I should teach you Cosmic Flight next time. Flying's much better than walking if you ask me. Just have to do it one step at a time!"
Despite Lucia's reassurances, my stomach fluttered nervously. Flying? That sounded both breathtaking and terrifying at the same time. I hoped Lucia knew what she was doing.
"Wouldn't it be better for us to do this at the park? Usually, there's only a few people at this time," I suggested to her, eyeing the rooftop's edge.
"The folks at the park wouldn't be too happy having a stray star destroying the place now, would they? I don't want anyone finding out too soon." Lucia made a hushing motion when she said that.
"Right right I forgot to tell you that … best if we lay low for the meantime. We wouldn't want to attract a bad crowd." Favonius added, before jumping over to a nearby bench. "Speaking of laying low … I'll get some shuteye while you do your thing. Cafè work is tiring I tell you."
Just like that, Favonius was now curled up and took a nap. It's a good thing he got a job at the local cafè that way he'd have something to do while I was away at school.
We both transformed into our Guardian forms, and I have to admit, I'm still getting used to it. The sensation of starlight enveloping me was strange yet oddly comforting, like being wrapped in a gentle, cosmic embrace. My clothes dissolved into shimmering particles, replaced by an outfit that materialized from whatever light was nearby.
The dress that appeared on me was elegant but not too fancy, with hues of bright pink and mint green weaving together in intricate designs. It fit snugly but comfortably as if it had been tailored just for me. Whoever granted us these powers seemed to know exactly what we needed, down to the smallest detail.
I gripped my staff as it appeared before me, I felt its weight and how solid it was in my hands. The staff was simple yet beautiful, it reminded me of those scepters that queens always had with them. The tip of the staff was an elegantly designed crescent moon put right in the middle of a bright pink heart. Beside me, Lucia stood with her bracelets adorned with lavender gems that matched the accents on her Guardian attire, somehow she looked even more confident like that.
"Looking great! Alright, let's get this started. I've got some basic moves we can try out," Lucia said with an encouraging smile, her tone was reassuring and I could tell she was very excited about this.
I never really considered myself a fighter. That was more Cipher's thing. Pokemon moves are already challenging enough, but Starlit Moves were on a different level. Stars aren't the easiest thing to control and I had been warned of the potential dangers if you're not careful.
The rooftop was bathed in the warm glow of the late afternoon sun, casting long shadows as Lucia and I faced each other. I adjusted my grip on the staff, feeling its weight in my hands.
"Ready?" Lucia's voice rang through the quiet air, her tone daring and motivating at the same time.
I nodded, swallowing my nerves. "As ready as I'll ever be."
Lucia grinned, her bracelets shimmering just as she was about to enter combat. "Good. Let's begin."
With that, we launched into our training session. Despite my anxiety, I managed to use Stellar Swift, summoning 3 bright pinks with a flick of my staff and flinging them at Lucia . Lucia, positioned opposite to me, raised her arms, her bracelets showing arcs of lavender energy that crackled through the air as she effortlessly deflected my attack.
With each exchange, I focused on deflecting Lucia's attacks with my staff, feeling myself strain a bit. Her techniques were as accurate as it was powerful, each burst of energy challenging me to think and react fast. The rooftop echoed with the sound of our movements.
It was a small victory when I managed to deflect a powerful Astral Sphere from Lucia, the energy scattering into the now orange sky. Despite how extreme the training was, it felt nice to see progress, even if it was just a few techniques learned in this last minute session. The hours had passed by, each moment filled with new challenges and a few surprises, it felt like an entire day had passed by despite only training for a few short hours.
"Looks like we're making progress! Stellar Swift is really easy to master once you get the hang of it, but we might need to work on the rest," Lucia remarked with a smile, turning back into her usual form. Mai, still lost in her thoughts, stared up at the sky before Lucia nudged her gently. "Anything to add, Mai?"
"Hmm? Oh! Uhh ... you did great!" Mai replied absentmindedly, a small smile spreading across her face.
I wonder what she was thinking about. That might just be something I'll know when she talks about it ...
Favonius was fast asleep while all of this was going on. He must have been a heavy sleeper as he didn't seem to stir a bit.
"I guess we can call it a day. It's getting pretty late and I have things to do back home." Lucia did a little stretching and dusted herself off. "We can continue some other time. For now, just enjoy the weekend."
"Yeah, I-"
I reached for my staff as I was replying, however, I clumsily grabbed it the wrong way, causing a burst of stray starlight to shoot unexpectedly toward Lucia. She barely had time to react before it struck her arm, and she gasped in surprise.
"Oh no ... I'm so sorry ... are you hurt?" I quickly ran to her with my staff in tow. Thoughts were running through my head as Mai also had a look of deep concern.
"Ack! Hey, it's alright ... No harm done ..." Lucia managed a small, strained laugh despite clutching her arm and struggling to stand. "It's just a Stellar Focus Blast..."
I instinctively held her arm, thinking of something I could do to fix this. I needed to help somehow even when Lucia wasn't bothered by what happened. As soon as I touched her with the tip of my paw, I felt a warm glow.
Wait, this is ... this seems familiar ... could it be ...?
An orange light began to glow, looking like a tiny campfire. It stayed there for a bit before Gracidea petals danced around it and vanished as suddenly as they appeared. I stared at Lucia's arm for a moment and noticed that the scratch had healed completely as if it had never even been there.
When I looked back at Lucia, I saw her staring at her arm in disbelief before she looked up at me. I could hear Mai breathing a sigh of relief as she realized what had happened.
"This is ... incredible! A healer isn't easy to come by. Looks like we got one more lesson after all." Lucia stood up though she didn't transform this time which was her go-to when we started our training earlier. She was still determined from before as she gave Mai another light nudge. "Mai? Hit me with your best Dazzling Gleam if you will!"
"What!?!" Both me and Mai gave each other a look of disbelief. Of course, Mai had to know what she was up to when she decided that out of nowhere. "Lucia, do you hear yourself? You've just been hit earlier with an attack ..."
There was a pause for a bit before Lucia gave her confident smile. "I did say I was going to find new guardians whatever it takes. This is our chance to prove we still have it in us! I’ll be fine, Mai. You know that, right?" Mai nodded her head with a little bit of hesitation, readying an attack.
Lucia turned back to me as I got up. "Ready yourself, Elle. Just keep your paw where it is, alright?" I hesitantly held out my paw towards her and just nodded. I was also as hesitant as Mai and was hoping Lucia knew exactly what she was doing with this.
With that Mai unleashed her attack, and a bright pink beam of stardust shot out into Lucia's direction. I concentrated hard as the orange glow started back up again, covering her as she stood there. Despite the attack being directed at her, she didn’t even flinch.
There was silence for a bit before Lucia finally spoke up. She managed to tough it out but I noticed a few scratches here and there. She smiled back at me again and let out a tired sigh.
"Well, that was pretty close. It's a good thing you were there to heal me up, Elle. Great work today!" Mai had to heal her up back to full before giving me a thumbs up. As reckless as Lucia was, she had her ways of training me from the looks of it. "I think I'll have to really call it a day here. Keep up the good work, Elle. I mean it when I say you did great. See you at our next training session"
"Well ... it's nothing really. I mean, I still have a lot to learn after all." I let out a nervous laugh as I picked up Favonius, who was still sleeping by the bench. A bummer that he missed whatever happened here but oh well, I can always tell him when he wakes up.
"Thanks for today, Lucia … Mai. I guess I have something to work on." I smiled back and gave them a wave goodbye.
"It's part of the job after all. Come on Mai … guess we also gotta keep going. See you next time, Elle." Lucia smiled before turning the other way with Mai hovering behind her. Mai gave me a wink before they both flew off.