Ash's Story (Part 5: Modern Sinnoh)

Chapter 53: Celestic Starfall

Celestic Town looked older than the roads around it.

The houses were quiet, the stones were worn smooth, and the air carried that strange feeling I sometimes noticed in places where people had protected the same stories for generations. After Fantina's battle and Lillie's Relic Badge, the town felt like a place where the journey slowed down, but not because nothing was waiting there.

Lillie kept the Old Charm wrapped in her bag. She touched the bundle once as we entered the town, then looked toward the old buildings ahead.

"This is Cynthia's grandmother's home," Lillie said softly. "We should deliver it before anything else distracts us."

Dawn nodded, but her Pokétch rang before we reached the center of town. She answered it and immediately straightened when Johanna's face appeared on the screen.

Dawn answered, "Mom, is everything all right?"

Johanna smiled warmly. "Dawn, I heard you reached Celestic Town. There is someone there you may want to meet. Her name is Lila."

Dawn blinked at the unfamiliar name. "Lila?"

"She was once one of my strongest rivals," Johanna said. "The only person I lost to in a Contest final during that part of my career. She became a Pokémon Stylist after retiring from regular contests, but I heard she may be entering the Celestic Contest."

Zoey's words from the last town were still fresh in my head. Dawn had been trying not to race against other Coordinators, but hearing about someone who had beaten her mother lit a different kind of fire in her eyes.

Dawn smiled with nervous excitement. "Then I want to meet her."

We found Lila's shop on a street lined with carved old lamps. The windows were full of scarves, stage jackets, ribbons, and jewelry made for Pokémon. Before Dawn could knock, a girl about our age opened the door from inside and waved.

"You must be Ash, Lillie, and the others," she said. "I'm Emily. Celestic Town is my home, so Grandma Carolina told me to watch for you."

A second girl stepped out behind her, quieter but just as focused. "I'm Verity. Emily's sister. We know Cynthia sent you with the Old Charm."

Lillie looked surprised. "Cynthia told you?"

Verity nodded. "She warned us without sounding worried. That usually means she is worried."

Emily grinned, but the grin did not hide her seriousness. "We can bring you to Grandma soon. But Lila is here too, and Dawn looks like someone who needs to walk into that shop before her courage runs away."

Dawn flushed. "Is it that obvious?"

Piplup puffed up in her arms. His meaning came firmly. "We are not afraid. We are fashionably prepared."

Lila welcomed us like she had been expecting a stage full of guests. She was graceful, confident, and warm without being soft. When Dawn introduced herself as Johanna's daughter, Lila's eyes brightened with old memories.

"Johanna's daughter," Lila said. "Then the Celestic Contest may be more exciting than I expected."

The Contest Hall filled quickly that afternoon. Emily and Verity sat with us, but Verity kept glancing toward the older part of town where the ruins rested. I noticed it because she looked the way Daniel did when he had a theory he did not want to say too early.

Daniel noticed too. "You are worried about something besides the Contest."

Verity folded her hands. "There have been strangers near the ruins. Not tourists. People who watch exits."